Sports
Saka stars as Arsenal whips Nottingham Forest 3-0
Saka stars as Arsenal whips Nottingham Forest 3-0
Arsenal returned to winning ways in the Premier League with Bukayo Saka and captain Martin Odegaard inspiring a comfortable 3-0 home victory against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta’s side desperately needed three points to revive their title hopes after four league games without a win and the result never looked in doubt after Saka’s early opener.
England forward Saka combined with the influential Odegaard to finish in style after just 15 minutes.
The hosts should have been further ahead before halftime, with Forest keeper Matz Sels making several fine saves to keep his side in it.
Forest began the game level on points with Arsenal but their hopes vanished when halftime substitute Thomas Partey doubled Arsenal’s lead with a curled finish in the 52nd minute, and teenage substitute Ethan Nwaneri added a late third.
Victory kept Arsenal in fourth place with 22 points from 12 games, six points behind leaders Liverpool who face bottom club Southampton on Sunday. Forest slipped to sixth.
Arteta was celebrating his 250th game in charge, and the sight of Odegaard and Saka back up to speed was the perfect tonic after a disappointing run of form.
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“I think that’s chemistry. You meet somebody and you make eye contact and something flows. It happens on the field and off the field. In football, it’s very hard to say,” Arteta said of the duo who proved too much for Forest to handle. “I sensed a different energy 48 hours before the game. There was something different. What happened was we could train with 19 players instead of 12 or 13 for the first time in weeks.”
Odegaard returned from a lengthy lay-off with an ankle injury in the draw at Chelsea before the international break and looked sharp as he pulled the strings for Arsenal.
Saka also looked revived after missing the latest England camp because of injury.
He combined to great effect with Odegaard before both were substituted late on with Arteta switching his attention to Tuesday’s Champions League clash away to Sporting.
Forest have been the surprise package this season and occasionally looked like a threat to the counter-attack, but it was largely one-way traffic in the north London rain.
“We have to improve because we did a lot of bad things — especially with the defending. Losing is always very painful. We came up short,” Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo said.
Saka stars as Arsenal whips Nottingham Forest 3-0
(Reuters/NAN)
Sports
Ronaldo, Vinicius, Yamal win big at 2024 Globe Soccer Awards [Full list of winners]
Ronaldo, Vinicius, Yamal win big at 2024 Globe Soccer Awards [Full list of winners]
The winners of the 2024 Globe Soccer Awards were unveiled Friday evening in Dubai, celebrating outstanding achievements in football over the past year.
The event honored players, managers, and clubs across various categories.
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior stole the spotlight, clinching both the Best Player and Best Forward of the Year awards, reinforcing his status as one of the world’s finest talents.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the legendary Al Nassr captain, added another accolade to his storied career by securing the Best Middle Eastern Player Award, while Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal was recognized as the Best Emerging Player of the Year.
Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti was awarded Best Coach of the Year, and Jorge Mendes received the Best Football Agent Award, further cementing their influence in the football world.
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2024 Globe Soccer Award categories and winners
Alongside the standout men’s and women’s categories, here is a rundown of the other winners:
Best Men’s player (18 finalists): Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
Best Midfielder (11 nominees): Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
Best Forward (10 nominees): Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
Best Women’s player (12 finalists): Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona)
Best Men’s club (10 finalists): Real Madrid
Best Women’s club (4 finalists): Barcelona
Best Coach (7 finalists, all in men’s football): Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid)
Best Emerging player (7 finalists, all men): Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Best Agent (7 nominees): Jorge Mendes
Best Sporting Director (6 nominees): Piero Ausilio (Inter Milan)
Best Middle Eastern player (5 finalists): Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr)
Best Middle Eastern coach: Jorge Jesus (Al Hilal)
Best Middle Eastern club (4 finalists): Al Ain
Revelation award: Olympiacos
Maradona Award: Jude Bellingham
Ronaldo, Vinicius, Yamal win big at 2024 Globe Soccer Awards [Full list of winners]
Sports
Vinicius should have won Ballon d’Or, not Rodri – Ronaldo
Vinicius should have won Ballon d’Or, not Rodri – Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has reignited controversy surrounding the 2024 Ballon d’Or, accusing the organisers of unfairly denying Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior the prestigious honour.
Speaking at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai on Friday, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner openly criticised the decision to crown Manchester City’s Rodri as the year’s top player.
“In my opinion, he [Vinícius] deserved to win the golden ball [Ballon d’Or award],” Ronaldo declared on stage.
“It was unfair in my opinion. I say here in front of everybody. They give it to Rodri, he deserved it too, but they should have given it to Vinícius because he won the Champions League and scored in the final.”
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Rodri’s Ballon d’Or win, attributed to his pivotal role in Manchester City’s historic treble-winning season, has sparked ongoing debates.
Ronaldo’s remarks have added weight to criticisms that the award often overlooks key performances in favour of broader narratives.
Vinicius’ absence from the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris this October, along with his Real Madrid teammates, was widely interpreted as a silent protest against perceived biases in the voting process.
Despite missing out on the Ballon d’Or, Vinícius has enjoyed an exceptional year.
The 24-year-old Brazilian winger was crowned FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player earlier this year and was recently named the Best Men’s Player at the Globe Soccer Awards.
His consistent performances, including his decisive goal in the Champions League final, have cemented his reputation as one of football’s most dynamic players.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who received the Best Middle East Player Award during the ceremony, praised the Globe Soccer Awards for their fairness and transparency.
Vinicius should have won Ballon d’Or, not Rodri – Ronaldo
Sports
Why I named my dog Messi – AC Milan star
Why I named my dog Messi – AC Milan star
AC Milan midfielder, Tijjani Reijnders, has shared the reason behind naming his dog after Argentina football legend, Lionel Messi.
The 26-year-old Dutchman, who joined AC Milan from AZ Alkmaar in 2023 for a reported €20 million, said Messi had always been his idol.
Reijnders explained that he made the decision to name his dog Messi due to his admiration for the legendary player.
“My dog’s name is Messi, when I was young I always said if I got a dog I would name him Messi, because for me [he] is the best player in the world,” Reijnders said in an interview with All About Argentina.
“Then we decided we would get a dog, and the first thing I said to my wife is if we got a dog we would name him Messi.”
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Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami in the US after an illustrious career at Barcelona, is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
He has won the Ballon d’Or record eight times and is the highest goalscorer in the history of European football, with 704 goals and 303 assists in 853 games. Additionally, he has scored 112 goals and assisted 58 in 191 matches in the US.
Reijnders’ dog is a Pomsky, a crossbreed between a Pomeranian and a Husky, as he had previously revealed in an interview with Sempremilan.
The midfielder’s deep admiration for Messi has now extended to his furry companion, making the dog’s name a tribute to the football icon.
Why I named my dog Messi – AC Milan star
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