England top Euros group but disappoint again in Slovenia stalemate

England top Euros group but disappoint again in Slovenia stalemate
Slovenia's forward Andraz Sporar (C) falls next to England's midfielder Conor Gallagher (L) during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group C football match between England and Slovenia at the Cologne Stadium in Cologne on June 25, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 26 June 2024
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England top Euros group but disappoint again in Slovenia stalemate

England top Euros group but disappoint again in Slovenia stalemate
  • England will have to wait until Wednesday’s final group games to find out which of the four best third-placed teams they will face in the last 16

COLOGNE, Germany: England manager Gareth Southgate was met with boos and thrown beer cups by his own fans despite topping Group C as Slovenia also progressed to the knockout stages thanks to a 0-0 draw in Cologne.
The Three Lions were already assured of a place in the last 16 but can expect more criticism after failing to improve on underwhelming performances in edging past Serbia and drawing with Denmark.
England will have to wait until Wednesday’s final group games to find out which of the four best third-placed teams they will face in the last 16.
But more questions will be asked over one of the favorites’ ability to end a 58-year wait for major tournament glory as a star-studded forward line was snuffed out by Slovenia.
“That was the aim before the start of the tournament. Come top of the group and control our destiny,” said England captain Harry Kane.
“I thought we played a lot better than the other games. We couldn’t just find that finish but we look forward to the next one.”
Southgate made a statement with his team selection, resisting the calls to make mass changes as Conor Gallagher replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold in the only alteration from the opening two games.
If the England boss was looking for a reaction by showing faith in the other 10 who have started all three matches in Germany, he was left disappointed.
Slovenia are now nine games unbeaten, which included beating Portugal 2-0 in a pre-tournament friendly.
Declan Rice had highlighted Benjamin Sesko as their big threat on Monday.
Sesko could have been lining up alongside Rice at Arsenal next season had he not shunned interest to extend his contract at RB Leipzig.
The 21-year-old shrugged off a thigh injury to start and had the first chance of the game when he tamely headed straight at Jordan Pickford four minutes in.
It took 20 minutes for England to pose a serious threat and only the offside flag denied them a slick opening goal.
Rice picked out Phil Foden’s run but the Manchester City midfielder had strayed beyond the Slovenian defense before squaring for Bukayo Saka to tap in.
England’s lack of attacking threat down the left had been pinpointed as a major weakness against Serbia and Denmark.
Newcastle right-back Kieran Trippier has had to deputise on the left side of defense due to Luke Shaw’s lack of match fitness, while Foden tends to drift inside.
However, it was down that side that Southgate’s men looked most threatening as a teasing Trippier cross just evaded Gallagher and Harry Kane at the back post.
Southgate took action at the break as Gallagher was replaced by Kobbie Mainoo.
The 19-year-old added some much needed thrust to the England midfield but they still struggled to turn dominance in possession into chances.
Kane saw a header cleared by Sesko from a corner and Rice flashed a shot wide from the edge of the box.
Southgate answered the call to give Cole Palmer his first minutes of the tournament in the final 20 minutes.
The Chelsea midfielder, who scored 26 goals at club level this season, had England’s only shot on target of the second half but failed to seriously test veteran goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
A point was jubilantly celebrated by the Slovenians as it did enough for them to progress as one of the best third-placed sides thanks to three draws from their three games.
Matjaz Kek’s men missed out on second place in the group solely due to Denmark’s superior record in qualifying as the sides had the same points, goal difference and goals scored.
By contrast, Southgate had to endure a barrage of abuse as he saluted the England fans at the end.


10-man Barcelona concede two late goals in draw at Celta Vigo

10-man Barcelona concede two late goals in draw at Celta Vigo
Updated 1 min 27 sec ago
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10-man Barcelona concede two late goals in draw at Celta Vigo

10-man Barcelona concede two late goals in draw at Celta Vigo
  • Celta poured forward at Balaidos Stadium and Hugo Alvarez rifled in the 86th-minute equalizer with Barcelona unable to mark the extra man
  • Antoine Griezmann converted a late penalty to equalize and Alexander Sorloth struck an 86th-minute winner to give Atletico Madrid a 2-1 win at home over Alaves

BARCELONA: Celta Vigo gave 10-man Barcelona a shock by scoring two late goals and snatching a 2-2 draw at home in the Spanish league on Saturday.

Barcelona were minutes away from a win to pad their league lead after Raphinha and Lewandowski had put Barcelona ahead.

But the game dramatically swung after Barcelona defensive midfielder Marc Casado was sent off with a second booking in the 81st. Moments later Jules Kounde’s poor control of a ball in his area allowed Alfon Gonzalez to pick his pocket and give the hosts hope in the 84th minute.

Celta poured forward at Balaidos Stadium and Hugo Alvarez rifled in the 86th-minute equalizer with Barcelona unable to mark the extra man.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, however, said that he saw it coming since his team had never been able to establish their passing game and was making mistakes even when up 2-0.

“It was not only the 10 last minutes, it was the whole match. We played today a really bad game,” Flick said. “The passing game for us was bad. We made a lot of mistakes and at the end we had no confidence with the ball.”

This was Barcelona’s second straight stumble since Lamine Yamal was sidelined with a right-ankle injury. Barcelona lost 1-0 at Real Sociedad without Yamal before the international break.

Barcelona is seven points ahead of third-place Real Madrid, which has played two fewer games.

Koundé accepted the blame for what he called his “gross mistake” that helped give Celta hope.

“We didn’t do what we needed to all game, and at the end they made us pay,” Koundé said. “It starts with me. I can’t lose my focus like that. It was a gross mistake that can’t happen. I accept that it was my fault.”

The late rally by Celta came after Raphinha had led Barcelona as he filled in for Yamal on the right side of the front three.

Raphinha opened the scoring in the 15th when he ran onto a long pass by Kounde that bounced over left back Óscar Mingueza, cut back to his left foot and fired home.

Lewandowski doubled the lead in the 61st after Raphinha intercepted a pass by Minqueza and set up his strike partner. The Poland striker scrambled the ball past two defenders before slotting beyond Vicente Guaita.

Lewandowski took his league-leading tally to 15 goals in 14 rounds, while Raphinha has added eight league goals.

Raphinha came close to a second goal that would have made it 3-0 when he hit the post in the 77th, just moments before the wild final stretch when it all crumbled for the visitors.

“We have to learn from this. This can’t happen just because we had a player sent off. But onto the next game,” said Gavi Paez, who started his first match since returning from a serious leg injury last season.

Atletico move into second place

Antoine Griezmann converted a late penalty to equalize and Alexander Sorloth struck an 86th-minute winner to give Atletico Madrid a 2-1 win at home over Alaves.

The comeback victory lifted Atletico into second place — five points behind Barcelona.

Coach Diego Simeone showed his sensitive side after the match when he choked up when speaking about this love for the team he has coached for nearly 13 years.

Valencia honor flood victims

Valencia played their first home game since last month’s devastating floods that killed over 200 people in eastern Spain.

The club honored the victims before kickoff when several fans were seen to cry during the ceremony.

Hugo Duro led the 4-2 win over Real Betis by scoring a double.

Elsewhere, Girona routed Espanyol 4-1 in a Catalan regional derby with Bojan Miovski’s first two goals since joining the club.

Mallorca forward Johan Mojica scored off a set piece from a free kick inside Las Palmas’ area to complete a 3-2 win for the visitors in injury time.


Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run

Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run
Updated 23 November 2024
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Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run

Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run
  • James Maddison struck twice in seven first-half minutes before Pedro Porro rubbed salt in the wounds of his former club and Brennan Johnson completed the rout
  • City’s first defeat on home soil from open play since the eve of the 2022 World Cup leaves them still five points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool

MANCHESTER: Manchester City crashed to a stunning fifth consecutive defeat as Tottenham won 4-0 at the Etihad to end the English champions’ 52-game unbeaten home run on Saturday.
James Maddison struck twice in seven first-half minutes before Pedro Porro rubbed salt in the wounds of his former club and Brennan Johnson completed the rout.
City’s first defeat on home soil from open play since the eve of the 2022 World Cup leaves them still five points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool, who play their game in hand at bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Sunday.
A great day for Tottenham eases the pressure on Ange Postecoglou as they climb into the top six.
City boss Pep Guardiola has committed himself to turning around the poorest run of his managerial career after extending his contract till 2027 this week.
But hopes his new deal could revitalize a City side, that have won an unprecedented four consecutive Premier League titles, proved short-lived.
Rodri paraded his Ballon d’Or trophy to the home fans before kick-off as his name was lit up across the Etihad pitch by firelight in an ostentatious show of support for the Spanish midfielder.
The 28-year-old is not expected to play again this season after suffering knee ligament damage in September and his absence has been at the heart of City’s demise.
Guardiola’s men did start strongly as Guglielmo Vicario denied Erling Haaland and the Norwegian had another shot deflected wide.
But the momentum of the match completely swung on Tottenham’s first serious attack after 13 minutes.
Dejan Kulusevski’s teasing cross picked out Maddison who applied a cool first-time finish.
Maddison had found himself frozen out of Postecoglou’s starting line-up in recent weeks and was keen to prove a point to his manager.
Son Heung-min’s inventive pass freed the England international inside the box and he dinked the ball over the advancing Ederson to double Spurs’ lead.
Inconsistency has been the scourge of Tottenham’s season so far.
A 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich before the international break saw Postecoglou’s men slip to 10th in the table.
But they have now twice won comprehensively in Manchester after a 3-0 win over United at Old Trafford.
Dominic Solanke was denied by a fine Ederson save with the chance to make it 3-0 before half-time.
Spurs, though, were not to be denied seven minutes into the second period.
The excellent Kulusevski crossed for Solanke and he patiently laid the ball back for Porro to blast home from close range.
Haaland clipped the bar from an almost impossible angle as City labored to find a response.
Instead, they were hit with one final sucker punch as Timo Werner eased past Kyle Walker and crossed for Johnson to tap home at the far post.
The one glimmer of hope for City may be the return of Kevin De Bruyne after a two-month injury absence as a late substitute.
However, Guardiola has to find solutions fast if his side’s title defense is to be maintained into the new year.
A daunting trip to face Liverpool at Anfield is next up in the Premier League, where City have not won in front of a crowd since 2003.


Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes

Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes
Updated 23 November 2024
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Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes

Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes
  • Victory at the Emirates lifts them to 22 points, level with third-placed Chelsea
  • Captain Odegaard was making his first appearance at the Emirates since late August and showed what a huge miss he was for Arsenal

LONDON: Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal team “flows in a different way” when Martin Odegaard is playing after the Gunners crushed Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Saturday to end their winless run.
Stunning strikes from Bukayo Saka and Thomas Partey and a first Premier League goal for teenager Ethan Nwaneri gave Arsenal a first victory in five league games, reigniting their title challenge.
Arsenal, Premier League runners-up for the past two seasons, started the campaign strongly but their form dipped and they kicked off on Saturday nine points behind leaders Liverpool.
Victory at the Emirates lifts them to 22 points, level with third-placed Chelsea.
Arsenal took the lead in the 15th minute when Saka exchanged passes with Odegaard on the edge of the area before lashing a left-footed shot into the roof of the net.
Captain Odegaard was making his first appearance at the Emirates since late August and showed what a huge miss he was for Arsenal during his two-month injury absence.
Time and again the Norwegian found space in the penalty area with his quick feet and he teed up Gabriel Jesus, who curled narrowly wide, before linking up with Saka again.
Partey doubled Arsenal’s lead early in the second half after collecting Saka’s pass 20 yards out and taking a touch, before curling his shot away from the dive of Matz Sels and inside the far post.
Seventeen-year-old Nwaneri tucked away Raheem Sterling’s cutback to wrap up an emphatic win in the 86th minute.
“I think we started really well,” Arteta told the BBC. “The sense I was getting in the last 48 hours after the international break, the boys coming together and were all at it.”
Speaking about Odegaard, who returned to action at Inter Milan earlier this month, he said: “It’s not a coincidence. The team flows in a different way when he is playing.”
And he also had warm words for Nwaneri.
“He is the second-youngest (Premier League goalscorer) in our history,” Arteta said. “That’s a story in itself.
“He’s brave. You see the reaction of fans and they were singing ‘He’s one of our own’. I think we have to put brick by brick and make sure the cement doesn’t get dry. Hopefully we can build a beautiful thing with him.”


Leipzig lose ground on Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen win

Leipzig lose ground on Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen win
Updated 23 November 2024
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Leipzig lose ground on Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen win

Leipzig lose ground on Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen win
  • Hoffenheim came from a goal down to equalize three times and hit the lead with four minutes remaining on a wild debut for new manager Christian Ilzer
  • In Dortmund, the home side won 4-0 over Freiburg thanks to goals from Maximilian Beier, Felix Nmecha, Julian Brandt and Jamie Gittens

DORTMUND: RB Leipzig continued to lose ground on Bundesliga league leaders Bayern Munich with a 4-3 defeat at lowly Hoffenheim on Saturday, while Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen registered big wins.
Hoffenheim came from a goal down to equalize three times and hit the lead with four minutes remaining on a wild debut for new manager Christian Ilzer.
Hoffenheim’s Adam Hlozek collected a brace while Tom Bischof scored a clever free kick and Jakob Bruun Larsen was responsible for the winner in the 86th minute.
Leipzig’s efforts came through Willi Orban, Antonio Nusa and an own goal from Hoffenheim’s Stanley Nsoki.
Equal on points with Bayern just three matchdays ago, Leipzig have lost two and drawn one and now sit eight behind the league leaders.
Leipzig had only conceded five goals in the league season before Saturday’s outing.
Eintracht Frankfurt can leapfrog Leipzig into second place and close the gap on Bayern to six points when they host Werder Bremen later on Saturday.
In Dortmund, the home side won 4-0 over Freiburg thanks to goals from Maximilian Beier, Felix Nmecha, Julian Brandt and Jamie Gittens, while the visitors finished with nine men.
Under fire and sitting outside the European placings coming into the match, Dortmund’s one saving grace this league campaign has been their home form, with five wins from five.
The hosts got on track early, when Beier, who scored a double for Germany’s under-21s against France this week, opening the scoring seven minutes in.
Midfielder Nmecha, who scored for Germany’s senior side in their 1-1 draw in Hungary midweek, added a second with a superb long-range effort on the 40th-minute mark.
Freiburg’s hopes of a comeback were snuffed out after 63 minutes when Patrick Osterhage picked up a second yellow card for a rough tussle with Marcel Sabitzer.
From the ensuing free kick, Dortmund’s Brandt curled the ball home and England winger Gittens curled in a fourth to seal the match with 13 minutes remaining.
Freiburg’s Junior Adamu saw straight red for striking Dortmund’s Waldemar Anton in stoppage time, reducing his side to nine men.
Dortmund have now won their past six against Freiburg, scoring 24 and conceding five.
Defending champions Leverkusen came from two goals down to win 5-2 at home against Heidenheim thanks to a hat-trick from Patrick Schick.
Heidenheim, who host Chelsea in the Conference League on Thursday, were two goals up within 21 minutes, with Niklas Dorsch and Mathias Honsak taking advantage of some sleepy defense.
World Cup winner Exequiel Palacios pulled one back on the half-hour mark before Schick, in for the injured Victor Boniface, scored three unanswered goals to wrestle back control of the match before Granit Xhaka added a fifth with eight minutes remaining.
Last season’s runners-up Stuttgart scored two second-half goals through Chris Fuehrich and Justin Diehl to win 2-0 at home over last-placed Bochum, who have just one point from 11 games this season.
Elsewhere, Wolfsburg’s Ridle Baku scored the only goal as his side defeated Union Berlin 1-0 at home.


Ancelotti says ‘ugly’ to speculate about Mbappe mental health

Ancelotti says ‘ugly’ to speculate about Mbappe mental health
Updated 23 November 2024
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Ancelotti says ‘ugly’ to speculate about Mbappe mental health

Ancelotti says ‘ugly’ to speculate about Mbappe mental health
  • Mbappe has scored just one goal in his last seven Madrid games across all competitions
  • “What a question — I don’t have the impression that he has any mental health problems,” Ancelotti said

MALAGA: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Saturday it was “ugly” to speculate about the mental health of superstar striker Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe has scored just one goal in his last seven Madrid games across all competitions and is also involved in a multi-million euro pay dispute with former club Paris Saint-Germain.
Ancelotti was asked at his weekly press conference if the striker was struggling with pressure.
“What a question — I don’t have the impression that he has any mental health problems,” Ancelotti said.
“I see him as happy to be here, if he is, he doesn’t show it, but I think speculating about problems of this type is a bit ugly.”
The forward was left out of France’s squad for recent Nations League matches for the second time in two months, and was linked to a rape investigation in Sweden, which Mbappe has denied.
France coach Didier Deschamps did not select the 25-year-old for matches against Israel and Italy, saying “it was better that way.”
Ancelotti said he was confident Mbappe, who joined Madrid this summer at the end of his PSG deal, would find the net at the weekend away at minnows Leganes.
“There are always bad moments, all the great strikers have been through them, but he’s motivated and happy, and that’s all I can see,” continued Ancelotti.
“I’m convinced that he’s going to play a great match tomorrow and that all this will come to an end.
“He has extraordinary qualities, it’s just a matter of time.”