Sports
Arsenal suffers a disappointing defeat by West Ham
Arsenal suffers a disappointing defeat by West Ham
ARSENAL manager Mikel Arteta said “I’m disappointed with myself” after his side were knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the fourth round following a 3-1 defeat by West Ham.
Arteta made six changes to his starting XI, with Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and captain Martin Odegaard on the bench.
The Arsenal side selected produced a below-par display – for which Arteta took the blame.
“I’m very disappointed. I’m responsible for that,” he said.
“We’re out of the Cup, we wanted to play a very different game and compete.
“The game took a direction because of the first goal but we have to see much more from the team and earn the right to win.
“I’m disappointed with myself. We wanted to play in a different way and we weren’t able to do that. Every time we lose the pain is there.
“We have to use this pain and this defeat to prepare the best way for Newcastle [in the Premier League] on Saturday.”
West Ham took the lead via an own goal in the 16th minute, with Jarrod Bowen swinging a corner in close to goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, before Ben White nodded it past him.
Tomas Soucek had hold of Ramsdale’s shirt, but with no VAR at this stage of the League Cup, the complaints of the England international – making his first club appearance since 27 September in the previous round – fell on deaf ears.
Arsenal dominated possession but failed to break through, and they were punished five minutes after the break when Mohammed Kudus beautifully trapped Nayef Aguerd’s 50-yard cross-field pass before finishing low through the legs of Gabriel.
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West Ham’s win was safe shortly before the hour when Bowen collected a poor defensive header from White and fired in a volley from the edge of the area, a deflection off Gabriel’s thigh wrongfooting Ramsdale.
Odegaard slotted into the bottom corner with the final kick of the game, but the Gunners’ 30-year wait to win the League Cup goes on.
West Ham are into the quarter-finals for the third successive season, where they will face Liverpool away.
The major talking point in the build-up was the return of Rice to West Ham for the first time since joining Arsenal for £105 million in the summer.
Rice made almost 250 appearances for West Ham and captained them to a Europa Conference League triumph in June, and manager David Moyes called for the ex-Hammers midfielder to be “welcomed back with open arms”.
That call was mostly heeded by the home fans, who gave Rice a strong ovation when he warmed up for the first time midway through the first half.
By that point his new club were already trailing and while Arsenal had started well – West Ham did not have a shot in the first half, despite taking the lead – they produced little end product.
Rice was sent on from the stacked bench after the second goal to a heady mix of boos and applause, with whistles of derision when his first ball forward was overhit for a goal kick.
Shortly after that Arsenal went 3-0 down, and not even the arrivals of Saka, Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli could keep their cup campaign alive.
West Ham, meanwhile, were much improved from the side that lost their three previous matches, and had been labelled a “shambles” by their own forward, Michail Antonio.
Bowen told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We had to fight, we knew we were playing a top side but it was a really good performance compared to the last few [games].
“We have not been at the level, but we were always going to bounce back and tonight was the perfect way to do it.”
Arsenal suffers a disappointing defeat by West Ham
BBC
Sports
BREAKING: Super Eagles qualify for AFCON 2025
BREAKING: Super Eagles qualify for AFCON 2025
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have secured their qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, following Libya’s 1-0 victory over Rwanda in Kigali.
This result leaves Rwanda with five points from five matches, rendering them unable to surpass Nigeria in the standings, even if they win their upcoming match against the Super Eagles in Uyo.
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Currently, Nigeria leads Group D with 10 points, followed by Benin with six points, Rwanda with five, and Libya at the bottom with four points.
Benin remains in contention for the second qualification spot and will face Nigeria in a crucial match tonight.
Libya is set to host Benin in the final Group D game on Monday.
BREAKING: Super Eagles qualify for AFCON 2025
Sports
Mike Tyson back in ring to face Youtuber Paul
Mike Tyson back in ring to face Youtuber Paul
Nearly 40 years after making his professional debut, and 19 years after being battered into retirement, a 58-year-old Mike Tyson will climb back into the ring on Friday for a Netflix-backed bout that has drawn widespread condemnation across the boxing world.
Tyson, who terrorised the heavyweight division during an imperious reign in the late 1980s, is lacing up the gloves once more to take on Youtuber Jake Paul, 27, in an officially sanctioned fight at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.
The fight, which will be comprised of eight two-minute rounds, was initially due to take place in July but was postponed in May after Tyson required medical treatment on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles after vomiting blood due to a bleeding ulcer.
That gory mid-air emergency has provided another piece of ammunition for the numerous critics who have condemned Friday’s contest as a macabre circus act that poses an unacceptable level of risk for Tyson, who last graced a professional ring in 2005, when he was beaten via a technical knockout after quitting on his stool against Irish journeyman Kevin McBride.
– ‘It shouldn’t be happening’ –
“Twenty years ago, Mike Tyson retired from boxing, and was shot to pieces, right? I mean, completely shot,” the prominent British fight promoter Eddie Hearn said this week.
“If anyone thinks that Mike Tyson should be in a ring at this age, you either have absolutely no emotional feelings toward the man, or you’re an idiot. It shouldn’t be happening.”
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Hearn’s rival promoter Frank Warren echoed those sentiments.
“Mike Tyson is 58 years of age and he shouldn’t be fighting,” Warren said after the bout was announced. “It’s as simple as that.
“Anyone with an ounce of brains knows that it is ridiculous. You can be on a motorway stuck in a traffic jam and you get to the end of it and all it is is people who have stopped to look at a crash — and that’s what this is.”
Tyson, who US reports say is being paid around $20 million for Friday’s contest, has brushed off the concerns for his wellbeing, insisting when critics from the boxing world are motivated by jealousy.
“I’m beautiful, that’s all I can say,” he said earlier this year. “The people who said that wish they were up here. No-one else can do this.”
Mike Tyson back in ring to face Youtuber Paul
Sports
Alleged fraud: South Africa FA President, Danny Jordaan, arrested
Alleged fraud: South Africa FA President, Danny Jordaan, arrested
South African Football Association (SAFA) President Danny Jordaan was arrested on Wednesday amid allegations that he misused the organization’s funds for personal purposes, as reported by local media.
Jordaan, renowned for his pivotal role in securing South Africa as the host for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, sought to block his arrest on Tuesday by filing an urgent application.
However, the Johannesburg High Court is scheduled to hear his case only on Thursday, leaving him vulnerable to arrest.
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The arrest stems from a raid by police on the SAFA offices in March, after which police spokesperson Katlego Mogale said the allegations are that “between 2014 and 2018, the president of SAFA used the organisation’s resources for his personal gain, including hiring a private security company for his personal protection and a public relations company, without authorisation from the SAFA board.”
Jordaan, 73, and his reported co-accused, SAFA chief financial officer Gronie Hluyo and businessman Trevor Neethling, are due to appear in court later on Wednesday.
Neither Jordaan nor SAFA responded to a request for comment from Reuters, but in his affidavit to court seeking to block his arrest, he denies any wrongdoing.
Alleged fraud: South Africa FA President, Danny Jordaan, arrested
(Reuters)
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