Page 22 - Football

Manchester United players are 'mad' about Tottenham loss, says Ten Hag

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said his players are mad about their humbling loss to Tottenham in the Premier League. A 3-0 defeat on Sunday at Old Trafford saw some United fans leave early and others boo at the final whistle, with the result leading to scrutiny over Ten Hag's position. United is 13th in the standings and has lost three times in eight games in all competitions this season. It plays Porto in the Europa League on Thursday and the Dutchman wants to harness his players' anger to turn their form round. As always when we are not winning, we are very disappointed and we are also mad, mad with ourselves and especially when you lose a game like Sunday, Ten Hag said Wednesday. "We are mad and from the madness we have to get motivation and go onto the next game. Mason Mount is not available for the game because of a head injury and a further knock, Ten Hag said. He added that he hoped Luke Shaw would return after the upcoming international break.

Atletico gets 3-game partial stadium ban after trouble in Madrid derby

Atletico Madrid must close part of its Metropolitano stadium for three matches because of fan trouble in the derby against Real Madrid in the Spanish league at the weekend. The Spanish federation's competition committee said Wednesday that fans will not be allowed in a section that seats about 5,000 behind one of the goals at the Metropolitano. Atletico can appeal the decision. The section is where fans threw objects on the field after Madrid scored a goal in Sunday's league derby, prompting the referee to send the players to the locker rooms and interrupting the game for more than 15 minutes. At least one person who threw the objects was identified. The club said it would apply its internal policy for serious offenses to those involved in this incident. The match ended 1-1, with Atletico equalizing in stoppage time.

Messi back in Argentina's squad for WC qualifiers vs Venezuela and Bolivia

Lionel Messi will return to Argentina's national team for the South American World Cup qualifying matches against Venezuela and Bolivia. The 37-year-old star had missed recent matches because of an ankle injury. Coach Lionel Scaloni announced his squad Wednesday for the matches at Venezuela on Oct. 10 and five days later in Buenos Aires against Bolivia. Messi did not play the two previous rounds after sustaining an injury in the Copa America final against Colombia. Argentina won 1-0. Argentina leads South American qualifying with 18 points, followed by Colombia (16) and Uruguay (15). The top six teams will qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and the seventh position will play an international playoff for a berth. ___ Squad: Goalkeepers: Walter Bentez (PSV Eindhoven), Gernimo Rulli (Olympique Marseille), Juan Musso (Atletico Madrid) Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Germn Pezzella (River Plate), Marcos Acua (River Pla

UEFA Champions League highlights: Bayern, Real suffer shock away defeats

Unai Emery's side presented a difficult challenge for the Bavarians, who couldn't get past keeper Emiliano Martinez on the night.

UEFA Champions League matches on Oct 2: Liverpool, Real, Bayern in action

With Kylian Mbappe included in the traveling squad for the Real Madrid's UCL clash on Wednesday, the fans could be seeing a surprise comeback from injury for the 25-year-old forward.

Newcastle set up 4th-round meeting with Chelsea in English League Cup

Newcastle set up a fourth-round match against Chelsea in the English League Cup by beating fourth-tier AFC Wimbledon 1-0. Fabian Schar's coolly taken penalty in first-half stoppage time earned Newcastle a victory that was significantly more comfortable than the scoreline suggested. The game was played a week after the third-round fixture was scheduled to take place. It had to be rearranged and played at Newcastle's St. James' Park after flooding caused severe damage to the pitch at Wimbledon's Cherry Red Records Stadium. A crowd of 51,739 watched the rearranged game. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe made eight changes to the team which started Saturday's 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the Premier League. Schar was one of those retained and tucked away the spot kick after Wimbledon defender Joe Pigott was adjudged to have fouled Miguel Almiron in the area.

Borussia Dortmund fans blast 'UEFA mafia' for Champions League changes

Borussia Dortmund fans have made their opposition to Champions League reforms clear with a huge tifo blasting European soccer's governing body UEFA. The supporters displayed the words UEFA mafia behind one of the goals before Tuesday's match against Scottish team Celtic, above a banner saying You don't care about the sport all you care about is money! Another banner above showed a website link making clear the banners referred to Champions League reforms. This season UEFA has changed the structure to Europe's premier competition to add four more teams. The group stage has been scrapped for a league system with each of the now 36 participating teams playing eight opponents once in a first phase of the competition. Also before Tuesday's game, Celtic fans flew Palestinian and Lebanese flags.

Italy bid to host women's Euro 2029 ahead of co-hosting men's Euro 2032

Italy joined a busy bid race on Tuesday to host the 2029 European Championship in women's soccer, aiming to involve cities that will not stage games at the men's Euro 2032. Italy is competing with Germany, Poland, Portugal and a joint Denmark-Sweden project in expressing interest in the marquee women's tournament to UEFA. The decision by UEFA's executive committee is due in December next year. Across the Alps in neighboring Switzerland from Italy's announcement, the Women's Euro 2025 host launched ticket sales Tuesday for its tournament with a penalty shootout at 3,454 meters (11,333 feet) above sea level featuring former international players. The 2025 edition, being played in Switzerland next July 2-27, and the 2029 tournament Italy wants to host are 16-team events using eight stadiums. The men's Euro 2032 will be co-hosted by Italy and Turkey likely using five stadiums in each country for the 24-team, 51-game event. Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina said in a

ISL: Hyderabad get first point of season after 0-0 draw vs Chennaiyin FC

Hyderabad FC opened their account after a goal-less draw against Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) here on Tuesday. Hyderabad FC were down to 10 men after Parag Shrivas was sent off in the 71st minute when he got a second yellow card after a foul on Chennaiyin FC forward Connor Shields. However, the home team held together admirably well to keep the Marina Machans at bay and earn their first points of the campaign and register name on the points table. Boosted by the presence of Goddard and Allan Paulista upfront, Hyderabad FC seemed eager to attack right from the onset. They stretched the Chennaiyin FC backline by dragging their defenders wide as the duo of Goddard and Paulista entered the box from the centre to pounce upon the open spaces. One such instance in the ninth minute saw them come touchingly close to breaking the deadlock, with the opposition's backline being caught off-guard. Goddard was barely a few yards away from goal when he squared off a delivery for

UEFA Champions League highlights: ARS beat PSG; City, Barca get first wins

Premier League outfit Arsenal secured a comfortable win against French heavyweights Paris Saint Germain (PSG), as Mikel Arteta's men won 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium to get their first win of UCL 2024

UEFA Champions League 2024: Arsenal vs PSG live match timings and streaming

Both sides have met just twice over the years, and both games ended in a draw. With nothing to separate the teams, this game will surely tip the scales in favour of one or the other.

Mumbai City FC aims happy homecoming against high-flying Bengaluru FC

Mumbai City FC would look to notch their first win of the Indian Super League (ISL) this season and move up the points table when they face high-flying Bengaluru FC in a clash between two heavyweights here on Wednesday. Bengaluru have made a commanding start, winning all their three outings so far to sit atop the points table, while Mumbai are surprisingly placed at 11th after two away matches, with just one point. Mumbai have found the back of the net in their previous eight matches at home and are looking to equal their longest such ISL run, having done so in nine meetings between October 2022 and February 2023. Interestingly, they have also won their previous three matches versus Bengaluru. Bengaluru have scored one-third of their goals in the competition this year within the opening 15 minutes, the highest such rate for any team so far. Mumbai City head coach Petr Kratky said his team needs to avoid conceding goals from set-pieces. We need to get better in the area where it's

Messi and Inter Miami are on the brink of the MLS Supporters' Shield

There are any number of ways for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami to wrap up the Supporters' Shield and claim the No. 1 overall seed for the MLS Cup playoffs that start later this month. Here's the easiest path: Win on Wednesday. The preseason Major League Soccer title favorites with a lineup featuring Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets are on the brink of another trophy. They can clinch the Supporters' Shield, given to the team with the top MLS regular-season record, on Wednesday night with a win at Columbus. It's a great opportunity for us," Inter Miami midfielder Matias Rojas said. We're taking it step by step. This team has built itself one step at a time. So, on Wednesday, we will go to win and achieve that goal. It would take total collapse over their final three matches for Inter Miami to not go into the playoffs with the No. 1 overall seed, and the Supporters' Shield would become the second trophy in club history following the Leagues Cup title that was won i

UEFA Champions League matches on Oct 1: Dortmund, City, and Barca in action

The new league stage now features 36 teams taking part in a single league, where the top 8 teams will earn automatic qualification to the knockout stages.

Cristiano Ronaldo scores winner for Al-Nassr in AFC Champions League Elite

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winning goal as Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia defeated Al-Rayyan of Qatar 2-1 in the AFC Champions League Elite group stage on Monday. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner missed Al-Nassr's opening 1-1 draw against Al-Shorta of Iraq two weeks ago because of a viral infection. On Monday, he had a goal ruled out for offside, but his shot into the top corner with 14 minutes remaining in Riyadh proved to be decisive. Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane headed home for Al-Nassr just before the break and the points seemed secure when Ronaldo added a second. Al-Rayyan came back in the game three minutes from the end when Roger Guedes scored from close range. Al-Nassr, seeking a first Asian title, hung on, however. Riyad Mahrez scored his first goal of the season as Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia won at Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates 2-0 for a second straight win. The Algerian attacker, who joined the Jeddah club from Manchester City in 2023, had been struggling for ...

Dembele left out of PSG game against Arsenal on disciplinary grounds

On the eve of Paris Saint-Germain's biggest match this season, forward Ousmane Dembl was left out of the squad to take on Arsenal in the Champions League and criticized for a lack of commitment. If someone does not comply with the requirements from the team, it means that they are not ready, PSG coach Luis Enrique said on Monday ahead of Tuesday's group match at Emirates Stadium. It's such an important week, with such an important game coming up, we need every player to be fully available." Enrique was questioned during a news conference about Dembl's absence in London after L'Equipe newspaper and RMC Sport media reported that he decided to snub the France player even though he is not injured. Enrique did not give more details about the reasons but denied he had an argument with the forward. L'Equipe reported the duo verbally clashed after PSG's 3-1 win against Rennes in the French league over the weekend. Dembl delivered an assist during the match. There is just a problem of ...

Injured Real Madrid goalie Courtois to miss Champions League clash

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will miss Real Madrid's match at Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday because of a muscle injury. Following tests on Monday, Courtois was diagnosed with an abductor injury in his left leg, Madrid said. Courtois was hurt in the 1-1 draw at Atletico Madrid in the Spanish league derby on Sunday. He played the entire match at Metropolitano Stadium. Madrid began the defense of its Champions League title by beating Stuttgart 3-1 at home. Included in Madrid's squad was Kylian Mbapp, who missed the derby against Atletico because of a hamstring injury.

La Liga 2024-25 points table, standings, top 5 highest goal-scorers

Both Barca and Real are followed by Atletico Madrid (15 pts), Mallorca (14 pts), Villarreal (14 pts), and Athletic Club (13 pts), rounding off the top 6 at the moment.

Bundesliga 2024-25 points table, standings, top 5 highest goal-scorers

Bayern's Harry Kane has continued where he left off last season, already netting 5 goals and providing 4 assists in the league. Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz is following him with 4 goals.

Football icon Sunil Chhetri becomes top goal-scorer in ISL history

Chhetri who announced his retirement from international football this year, in June, has continued to contribute for his club