Newcastle frustrate Man Utd in goalless draw

Published

2 years ago

October 16, 2022

Newcastle United extended their unbeaten run to five games after holding Manchester United to a goalless draw at Old Trafford.

Eddie Howe’s side came the closest to scoring when Joelinton hit the crossbar and then the post in the first half.

The hosts were the better side after the break, but Marcus Rashford missed with a header from close range in the last minute of stoppage time.

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The result leaves Eric ten Hag’s side in fifth place, one above Newcastle. (BBC)

Real Madrid win 36th La Liga title as Girona beat Barcelona

Published

33 seconds ago

May 5, 2024

Trends Admin

Real Madrid win 36th La Liga title as Girona beat Barcelona

Real Madrid won La Liga on Saturday after beating Cadiz 3-0 before Girona defeated last year’s champions Barcelona 4-2 to seal Los Blancos’ triumph.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side did their homework against the Andalucian stragglers to virtually guarantee a record-extending 36th Spanish title, confirmed when Barcelona dropped points at Montilivi.

Girona’s dramatic victory saw the Catalan minnows qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history.

Brahim Diaz netted in the 51st minute to put Madrid ahead and then set up Jude Bellingham for the second, with Joselu tapping home a third to leave Madrid on the cusp of the title.

“We leave our skins out there on the pitch to live moments like today’s, we are so close to the league,” Joselu told Real Madrid TV.

“There are young players who are very hungry for titles, veterans who are delighted to be here… and these are special moments.”

Ancelotti played a heavily rotated side ahead of the Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

The coach selected only captain Nacho Fernandez from the starting line-up that earned a 2-2 draw in Bavaria this week.

Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois started for the first time after a nine-month lay off after a knee injury and kept a clean sheet.

Madrid midfielder Luka Modric became the oldest player to appear for the club in La Liga, at 38 years and 238 days, breaking late Hungarian great Ferenc Puskas’ record from 1965 by five days.

Madrid striker Joselu came close to reaching a dangerous cross and Chris Ramos fired off target for the visitors in an otherwise slow start at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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Ruben Sobrino barged his way past Eder Militao on the counter-attack after half an hour but Nacho slid in well to thwart him as he prepared to shoot.

The visitors, 18th and still battling to stay up, shaded the first half, although Dani Ceballos had a shot blocked after Cadiz goalkeeper Jeremias Ledesma went walkabout at a corner.

– ‘Waiting for this day’ –
Courtois made a superb save to deny Ramos early in the second half and his team took the lead immediately afterwards.

The Cadiz striker shook free of Nacho and ran in on goal but Courtois produced a superb save.

Moments later Diaz sent Madrid ahead, receiving from the evergreen Modric on the edge of the area, turning slickly and curling an effort into the top corner.

“Thibaut is the best in the world, he’s had a terrible season and we were waiting for this day to come,” added Joselu.

Bellingham, on as a substitute for Turkish teenager Arda Guler, added the second soon after entering the fray.

Modric and Diaz combined well, with the latter squaring for Bellingham to put the finishing touch on a fine team move.

It was the England international’s 18th league goal of the season, keeping him in contention to finish as the top scorer.

Madrid put the cherry on their cake after a superb run by Nacho.

Poised to depart at the end of the season, the Spaniard was hailed by the Bernabeu after setting up Joselu for a simple finish in stoppage time.

Los Blancos could celebrate after Girona came from behind twice to defeat Barcelona for the second time this season in a thrilling derby.

Barcelona took the lead through Andreas Christensen but La Liga’s top scorer Artem Dovbyk levelled with his 20th goal of the campaign.

Robert Lewandowski’s penalty sent Barcelona ahead but substitute Portu made a huge impact in the second half for Girona.

The winger netted the equaliser and then set up Miguel Gutierrez to put Girona ahead.

Portu sensationally volleyed home the fourth to ignite Girona’s tiny Montilivi stadium and get the party started.

Real Madrid win 36th La Liga title as Girona beat Barcelona

Don’t impose assistants on Finidi — Udeze warns NFF

Published

13 hours ago

May 4, 2024

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Finidi George

Don’t impose assistants on Finidi — Udeze warns NFF

Ifeanyi Udeze has warned the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) not to impose assistants on Super Eagles head coach, Finidi George.

Finidi is reportedly not willing to work with his former Super Eagles teammates Emmanuel Amuneke and Daniel Amokachi, who are favoured for the assistant coach position.

Amuneke and Amokachi also applied for the head coach position.

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There are reports that the former winger is already shopping for a foreign assistant.

Udeze posited that any move to impose an assistant on the new gaffer will be counter productive.

“I don’t want to see an ex-player who will come and give Finidi problems,” Udeze a member of Super Eagles squad to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan told Brila FM.

“The NFF must not give him assistants who will try to take the job from him.

“He should instead be given a free hand to bring his assistants.”

Don’t impose assistants on Finidi — Udeze warns NFF

UCL: Füllkrug gives Dortmund 1-0 first-leg win over PSG

Published

3 days ago

May 2, 2024

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UCL: Füllkrug gives Dortmund 1-0 first-leg win over PSG

Jadon Sancho put in a performance of a lifetime as Borussia Dortmund’s Niclas Füllkrug fired in a first-half goal to seal a 1-0 victory over visitors Paris St Germain in a compelling Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.

Nico Schlotterbeck floated a pass into Füllkrug’s path and the Germany forward controlled the ball with a perfect first touch before drilling a low shot past keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 36th minute.

PSG, fresh from being crowned Ligue 1 champions and desperate to win their first-ever Champions League trophy, found it hard going against a disciplined German defence, especially in the first half with forward Kylian Mbappe largely neutralised.

With the return leg in Paris next Tuesday, the winner of the tie will face either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, who drew 2-2 in their first leg in Germany, in the final at Wembley on June 1.

“It was a well-deserved win, a good team performance,” said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic. “We could have scored more goals, but so could they.”

“That’s why the result is OK from my point of view. We ran a lot, but that’s necessary in a game like this.”

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“You have to earn your way to Wembley. All we need now is a draw in the second leg, but we also want to win next week.”

The win also confirmed Germany will get a fifth qualifying spot for next season’s Champions League, with Dortmund being the main beneficiaries at the moment, sitting in fifth place in the Bundesliga with three games left to play.

Dortmund went close just before halftime with Marcel Sabitzer but Donnaruma blocked his shot. The French side improved after the break and went agonisingly close to an equaliser in the 52nd minute with Mbappe curling a shot onto the far post and then Achraf Hakimi also hitting the woodwork on the rebound.

Four minutes later Fabian Ruiz saw his stooping header sail wide after being left completely unmarked in the box before Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel kept out Ousmane Dembele’s close range effort in the 71st.

Dortmund, winners in 1997 and looking to reach their first final since 2013, soaked up the pressure as PSG’s Vitinha narrowly missed the target 10 minutes later.

The German team defeated Spanish opposition, Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate to reach the semis and would hope to do so to get pass PSG in Paris.