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Arsenal suffers a disappointing defeat by West Ham

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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

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French football star, Paul Pogba’s blackmail trial begin in Paris

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Paul Pogba

French football star, Paul Pogba’s blackmail trial begin in Paris

Six men linked to Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba go on trial Tuesday, accused of blackmail, attempted extortion of millions of euros and holding the player at gunpoint.

The case at the Paris criminal court has shocked the French football world because the alleged perpetrators include three childhood friends and Pogba’s own brother Mathias.

Tuesday’s trial comes on top of football woes for Pogba, whose career has struggled since France’s 2018 World Cup win when he scored against Croatia in the Moscow final.

He suffered repeated injuries that led to his 2022 departure from Manchester United, returning to Juventus where he remained in and out of treatment.

The Turin club this month cancelled his contract following his suspension until March 2025 for doping.

The six defendants in Paris are accused of attempting to squeeze 13 million euros ($13.5 million) out of Pogba.

His brother, Mathias was the one to go public in the case, publishing a video on social media in August 2022 promising revelations about his younger brother that were “likely to be explosive”.

In a subsequent clip, Mathias accused Paul Pogba of casting an evil spell on his France teammate, Kylian Mbappe.

Paul Pogba’s lawyers and his agent Rafaela Pimenta said in a statement later the videos “came on top of threats and attempts at extortion”.

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He had already filed criminal complaints in Italy and France in July that year.

Pogba told French investigators he had in March 2022 been “tricked by childhood friends” from the gritty Paris suburb where he and Mathias grew up.

He accused them of snatching him before he was held at gunpoint by two hooded men with assault rifles, demanding 13 million euros for “services rendered” and blaming him for not helping them financially.

 

Pogba said at the time that he had paid them only 100,000 euros.

 

The footballer said he had also been pressured at the France national team’s training centre in Clairefontaine, at one of his homes in Manchester, and at Juventus’ training ground.

 

Pogba added that he had also paid a bill of more than 57,000 euros that the same friends had racked up at the Adidas store on Paris’ glitzy Champs-Elysees avenue.

“It’s been really difficult for me off the pitch, what’s happened, it’s been especially hard mentally,” Pogba told broadcaster Al-Jazeera at the end of the last season.

 

“Money changes people, it’s the truth, it can destroy a family, start a war”.

Paul Pogba’s lawyer Pierre-Jean Douvier declined to comment ahead of the case when contacted by AFP.

His friends have all denied the allegations.

They had “a friendly relationship, with chats, joking around, and alongside that, yes, maybe Paul Pogba gave them a helping hand,” said Karim Morand-Lahouazi, a lawyer for one of the accused.

 

French football star, Paul Pogba’s blackmail trial begin in Paris

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Ronaldo’s brace propels Al Nassr toward AFC champions league quarters

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Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo’s brace propels Al Nassr toward AFC champions league quarters

Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a stellar performance for Al Nassr, scoring twice in their 3-1 victory over Al Gharafa in Qatar.

The win, secured at Al Bayt Stadium on Monday, leaves the Saudi champions needing only three points from their final three group matches to reach the AFC Champions League quarterfinals.

The 39-year-old faced initial frustration after several missed chances in the first half. However, Ronaldo broke the deadlock just 50 seconds into the second half, heading home Sultan Al Ghannam’s pinpoint cross from close range.

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Angelo Gabriel, a summer signing from Chelsea, doubled Al Nassr’s lead in the 58th minute. Moments later, the Brazilian setup Ronaldo for his second goal of the night, bringing his tally to four in this season’s competition. The Portuguese star was substituted in the 74th minute after his decisive contributions.

Al Gharafa pulled one back through Joselu, Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate. However, their hopes of a comeback were dashed when Seydou Sano received a second yellow card and was sent off in the 84th minute.

The victory ensures Al Nassr remains unbeaten in five matches in the Western zone of the draw. They now sit second in the 12-team standings, inching closer to a coveted spot in the tournament’s last eight.

Ronaldo’s performance reaffirms his status as a key player, driving Al Nassr’s aspirations in the rebranded AFC Champions League.

 

Ronaldo’s brace propels Al Nassr toward AFC champions league quarters

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Mo Salah disappointed as Liverpool fails to offer new contract

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Mohamed Salah

Mo Salah disappointed as Liverpool fails to offer new contract

Mohamed Salah says he is disappointed by Liverpool’s failure to offer him a new contract and believes he is “more out than in” as he nears the end of his existing deal.

The 32-year-old, who has scored 12 goals in all competitions this season, is out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

The Egypt international showed his enduring value on Sunday, scoring twice in Liverpool’s 3-2 victory at Southampton, which took them eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

But his comments after the match suggest Salah, who arrived at Anfield in 2017 and has won the Champions League and Premier League with the club, could leave for free.

“We are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club,” he said. “I’m probably more out than in.

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“You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end it is not in my hands.”

Salah is one of the three key Liverpool players who will soon be heading into the last six months of their deals, with Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold also out of contract at the end of the season.

All three will be free to speak to overseas clubs in January if they do not sign an extension before then.

Asked if he was disappointed not to have received an offer from Liverpool, Salah added: “Of course, yeah. I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end it is not in my hands or the fans’ hands. Let’s wait and see.

“I’m not going to retire soon so I’m just playing, focusing on the season and I’m trying to win the Premier League and hopefully the Champions League as well. I’m disappointed but we will see.”

Mo Salah disappointed as Liverpool fails to offer new contract

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