Mata eases pressure on Solskjaer as Manchester United thrash Newcastle 4-1 - Newstrends
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Mata eases pressure on Solskjaer as Manchester United thrash Newcastle 4-1

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6 years ago

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Manchester United beat Newcastle 4-1, thanks to goals from Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Marcus Rashford on Saturday, but it was Juan Mata who made the difference for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

Solskjaer, under pressure after United’s joint-worst defeat of the Premier League era, made five changes from the side thrashed by Spurs and most of the focus ahead of kick-off fell on the players left out. Paul Pogba was the most high-profile to lose his spot. There was no place in the side for Donny van de Beek or Alex Telles either.

But it was one of the players who came into the side who made the biggest impact on the game. Mata had not played a single minute of Manchester United’s first three Premier League fixtures this season. In fact, he had not made a single start in the competition since February.

On this evidence, however, the 32-year-old still has plenty to offer, according to a Sky Sport report.

Mata was not among the scorers at St James’ Park – those were Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Marcus Rashford – but United’s best attacking performance in months owed more to him than anyone else. The Spaniard was outstanding from start to finish.

Mata lined up on the right-hand side of United’s attack, the position occupied by Mason Greenwood against Spurs, but his interpretation of the role was very different. What he lacks in pace and power, he makes up for in vision and imagination.

Mata popped up everywhere, drifting into pockets of space wherever he saw them, creating space for Wan-Bissaka to bomb forward on the overlap, and linking up with Fernandes at every opportunity.

By the end, the pair had exchanged passes 31 times. Their combination play resulted in a goal after 19 minutes, only for VAR to rule it out for offside, and there were plenty more examples. Shortly after half-time, there was another mesmerising one-two to manufacture an opening for Fred.

Mata provided Fernandes with the service he has lacked for much of this season and the Portuguese was not the only one to benefit for his presence. Over the course of the 90 minutes, there were also superb passes for Wan-Bissaka and Rashford, one of which released the latter in the build-up to Fernandes’ goal.

Mata knitted everything together, his touch-map underlining his influence all over the pitch, and it was exactly what United needed.

Their biggest issue under Solskjaer has been an inability to break down opponents who sit deep and prevent them from playing on the break. It was for precisely that reason that the trip to St James’ Park looked like an awkward one. But with Mata orchestrating proceedings, it was not a problem.

Instead, Solskjaer’s side were slick in possession and created scoring chances with ease. Indeed, it was only thanks to Newcastle goalkeeper Karl Darlow’s sharp reflexes that the game was not dead and buried long before the late flurry of goals that sealed the victory.

The statistics underlined their effectiveness. United’s total of 28 shots, including 14 on target, was the highest by any Premier League side in a single game so far this season. It was also more than United managed in any game in the whole of the last campaign.

Mata only registered one assist, the corner from which Maguire headed home United’s equaliser, but his influence was far greater than that and Solskjaer acknowledged as much in his post-match press conference, praising him for grasping his opportunity after his spell out of the side.

“He played fantastic,” said Solskjaer. “He’s such a professional and everyone in the team knows his quality. He’s been so patient waiting for his chance.

“I get a lot of questions, ‘Why doesn’t he play? Why doesn’t he play?’ But it’s because we have many good players, and it’s about taking your chances when you do. Juan has definitely done so.”

Mata walked off the pitch with a grin on his face when he made way for Nemanja Matic in the final few minutes of the game and Solskjaer looked similarly elated after the final whistle.

The manager’s credentials had been questioned during United’s poor start to the season and the scrutiny won’t end with this victory – especially with games against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, RB Leipzig and Arsenal to come in the weeks ahead.

But the pressure on his shoulders ahead of that testing run of fixtures is at least a little lighter than it was before kick-off at St James’ Park, and that’s largely thanks to his decision to turn to Mata.

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PSG Pocket £5.2m After Super Cup Thriller, Villa Get £3.4m

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2 days ago

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August 13, 2026

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PSG Pocket £5.2m After Super Cup Thriller, Villa Get £3.4m

LEIPZIG: Paris Saint-Germain’s latest European triumph has come with a handsome financial reward, with the newly crowned UEFA Super Cup champions set to pocket £5.2 million after their thrilling 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.

The French champions edged Unai Emery’s Premier League side at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday to retain the prestigious trophy and write their names into UEFA history.

PSG have now become only the third club ever to win the UEFA Super Cup in successive editions, joining European giants Real Madrid and AC Milan in achieving the feat.

The victory was secured by goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué, while Brian Madjo’s strike for Villa proved insufficient to prevent the Parisians from lifting another European trophy.

Beyond the silverware, however, PSG’s triumph has also delivered a substantial financial windfall.

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According to the Daily Mirror, Luis Enrique’s side will receive £4.3 million as the winners’ prize, in addition to a £900,000 victory bonus, taking their total earnings from the Super Cup to £5.2 million.

Aston Villa will not leave Leipzig empty-handed despite the defeat. The English club are expected to receive £3.4 million for reaching the final.

UEFA is expected to release the prize payments to both clubs on Friday, August 21.

For PSG, the Super Cup triumph adds another glittering chapter to an extraordinary period of European dominance.

Having already established themselves as a force in French football, the Parisians are increasingly turning their attention to conquering Europe, and Wednesday’s victory provided further evidence of their growing stature on the continental stage.

For Villa, the defeat was a painful end to their Super Cup adventure, but their £3.4 million payout offers some consolation after pushing the European champions all the way.

 

PSG Pocket £5.2m After Super Cup Thriller, Villa Get £3.4m

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WAFCON: Chawinga sisters fire Malawi into historic final

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2 days ago

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August 13, 2026

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WAFCON: Chawinga sisters fire Malawi into historic final

RABAT: The Chawinga sisters delivered another dazzling performance as Malawi stunned Algeria 3-1 on Wednesday to reach their first-ever Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final, completing a remarkable run for one of the tournament’s biggest underdogs.

Captain Tabitha Chawinga scored twice while her younger sister Temwa Chawinga added another as Malawi overcame a spirited Algerian side in Rabat to book a historic place in Sunday’s final.

Ranked 153rd in the world and making their WAFCON debut, Malawi entered the tournament as outsiders but have now swept aside expectations to reach the biggest final in their women’s football history.

Their remarkable achievement is even more striking given that Malawi are ranked 116 places below pre-tournament favourites and record 10-time champions Nigeria, who were eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Malawi took control of the semi-final after Algeria were reduced to 10 players midway through the first half, with Morgane Belkhiter sent off for a last-defender foul.

Tabitha opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with a spectacular overhead kick following a corner before Temwa doubled Malawi’s advantage in first-half stoppage time, rounding goalkeeper Chloe N’Gazi and calmly finishing.

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The drama continued moments before the interval when Malawi also went down to 10 players after Rose Kadzere was shown a red card for a studs-up challenge.

Algeria fought back after the break and reduced the deficit in the 60th minute through Ikram Adjabi, raising hopes of a comeback.

But Tabitha extinguished those hopes 16 minutes from time, producing a brilliant solo effort to restore Malawi’s two-goal cushion and complete her brace.

The victory further underlined the extraordinary impact of the Chawinga sisters at the tournament. Temwa, who plays for Kansas City, has now scored five goals, while Tabitha, of French club Lyon, has four.

With Malawi holding firm after Tabitha’s second goal, Algeria could not find another response and will now contest the third-place play-off on Saturday.

Malawi will face either hosts Morocco or Cameroon in Sunday’s final, with the second semi-final scheduled for later Wednesday.

The finalists will also have a huge financial incentive, with a record $2 million prize awaiting the champions.

Malawi’s historic run has already secured them a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, alongside Algeria, Morocco and Cameroon, who all reached the WAFCON semi-finals.

For the Chawinga sisters and Malawi, however, the biggest prize is now within touching distance: an unprecedented continental title.

 

WAFCON: Chawinga sisters fire Malawi into historic final

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After Cameroon Heartbreak, Falcons Battle Banyana Thursday for World Cup Lifeline

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5 days ago

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August 10, 2026

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After Cameroon Heartbreak, Falcons Battle Banyana Thursday for World Cup Lifeline

 

Nigeria’s Super Falcons will have little time to dwell on their painful WAFCON quarter-final exit as they face South Africa’s Banyana Banyana on Thursday in a crucial play-off that could determine whether their dream of featuring at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil stays alive.

The Falcons, who crashed out of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations following a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon on Sunday, must now overcome South Africa in the play-off scheduled for August 13, with kick-off set for 9pm Nigerian time.

The encounter has assumed enormous significance after Nigeria surrendered their chance of securing automatic qualification for the World Cup by failing to reach the WAFCON semi-finals.

CAF had made the semi-final places automatic tickets to the 2027 World Cup, meaning Cameroon’s victory not only ended Nigeria’s defence of their continental crown but also secured the Indomitable Lionesses a place at the global showpiece.

Nigeria’s defeat was particularly painful as it marked the first time the Super Falcons have failed to reach the semi-final stage in the history of the WAFCON. The nine-time champions had arrived in Morocco as defending champions after lifting a record-extending 10th continental title at the previous edition.

Myriam Maéva Nyadjou scored the decisive goal in the 19th minute as Cameroon held on for a 1-0 victory in Casablanca, despite sustained pressure from the Nigerians, to end their title defence and book a World Cup ticket.

The defeat, however, has not ended Nigeria’s World Cup hopes.

The new WAFCON qualification format provides a second route for the four quarter-final losers, with the teams battling in play-off matches for two places in the FIFA inter-confederation play-offs. The two winners will subsequently remain in contention for qualification for Brazil 2027.

 

It is against this backdrop that the clash with South Africa becomes a virtual do-or-die encounter for the Super Falcons.

 

A victory over Banyana Banyana will keep Nigeria’s World Cup campaign alive and move them into the next phase of the qualification race, while defeat would leave the African powerhouse facing the prospect of missing the global tournament for the first time.

 

The South Africans, who are also former WAFCON champions, will provide a formidable obstacle, making Thursday’s encounter one of the most important fixtures of the Falcons’ campaign.

 

Meanwhile, Nigeria will receive at least $150,000 from the 2026 WAFCON prize structure despite their quarter-final elimination. CAF increased the tournament’s total prize fund to $5.8 million, with the champions set to receive $2 million and each participating nation guaranteed $150,000 in participation funding.

 

The financial reward, however, will offer little consolation to the Falcons, whose primary targets were to retain their continental crown and secure an automatic World Cup ticket.

 

With the WAFCON title now out of reach, Nigeria’s immediate priority is clear: beat South Africa, preserve their World Cup dream and begin the difficult journey towards Brazil 2027 through the play-off route.

 

Match details:

Fixture: Nigeria vs South Africa

Competition: 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying play-off

Date: Thursday, August 13, 2026

Time: 9pm Nigerian time

Teams: Super Falcons vs Banyana Banyana

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