Page 26 - Football

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

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

Check Premier League 2024-25 team rankings and key goal stats in Matchweek 6 here

Serhou Guirassy scores twice in Dortmund's 4-2 comeback win over Bochum

Serhou Guirassy scored twice and won a penalty as Borussia Dortmund overturned a two-goal deficit to beat local rival Bochum 4-2 in the Bundesliga ahead of facing Celtic in the Champions League next week. Dortmund had been demolished 5-1 by Stuttgart last week and the pressure on new coach Nuri Sahin seemed to be mounting when his team conceded two early goals against Bochum. In the space of five minutes, Matus Bero scored off a smartly executed one-two through the center, then Dani de Wit made it 2-0 after teammate Myron Boadu had snatched the ball off Dortmund's goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. On the sideline, Sahin spread his arms wide in a gesture of indignation. Dortmund clawed its way back into the game, first with a Guirassy header just before halftime to cut the deficit to 2-1, then a penalty from Emre Can leveled the score after a clumsy foul on Guirassy. It was Dortmund's turn to slice through Bochum on the counter after that, Karim Adeyemi playing a perfect through-ball for ...

Barcola scores twice as PSG extend unbeaten run with 3-1 win over Rennes

Bradley Barcola scored one goal in each half and Lee Kang-in added a third as Paris Saint-Germain beat Rennes 3-1 to extend its unbeaten run in the French league. Barcola took a pass from Ousmane Dembl after half an hour on Friday and steered a right-foot shot inside the far post. Lee got his third goal of the season to double the home side's advantage 12 minutes into the second half and Barcola added his second with a simple tap in after 68 minutes. Arnaud Kalimuendo scored a consolation goal for Rennes from the penalty spot. Rennes had a second goal chalked off by VAR with two minutes to end any hopes of a comeback. Barcola's fifth and sixth goals of the season take him to the top of the Ligue 1 scoring charts, one clear of Marseille's Mason Greenwood. PSG has 16 points from its first six games. Marseille is also unbeaten and has 13 points from five games. The south coast club plays at Strasbourg on Sunday. Rennes is in eighth place with seven points from six games. Auxerre be

FIFA suspends Argentina goalkeeper for 2 matches in World Cup qualifiers

Argentina's soccer association (AFA) said that FIFA suspended goalkeeper Emiliano Martnez for two matches of South American World Cup qualifying in October. The decision rules out the 32-year-old from official games in the round-robin competition against Venezuela and Bolivia on Oct. 10 and 15. AFA said in a statement that FIFA's disciplinary commission sanctioned Martnez due to incidents in two World Cup qualifying matches against Chile and Colombia earlier this month. The soccer body did not describe which incidents led to the punishment. Martnez made an obscene gesture after his team's 3-0 win against Chile by holding the Copa America trophy close to his genitals, as he did after the South American team lifted the World Cup title in Qatar in the end of 2022. Later, he slapped a local cameraman after Argentina's 2-1 defeat against Colombia in Barranquilla. Argentina's soccer body said it absolutely disagrees with FIFA's decision. Argentina leads South American World Cup qualif

ISL 2024: Borja Herrera's hat-trick powers FC Goa to season's first win

Led by Borja Herrera's sensational hat-trick, FC Goa secured their first win of their Indian Super League 2024-25 campaign as they edged past hosts East Bengal 3-2 here on Friday. The visitors started the game brightly as they made some impactful moves into the final third. The likes of Dejan Drazic, Borja Herrera and Boris Singh made openings early on in the game. Their persistent attacks were soon rewarded when Drazic's cross from the left was parried away by East Bengal goalkeeper Debjit Majumder. However, the stray ball fell to Borja in space and the Spaniard slotted it into the net in the 13th minute. The Gaurs kept troubling the East Bengal FC backline with their darting counter-attacks. In such an instance, Boris Singh won possession from Hijazi Maher on the right flank in a dangerous area. The youngster came up with a perfectly weighted cut-back to find Borja in the box, who slammed it home again in the 20th minute to double the lead for the visitors. However, the Carles .

Genoa's match vs Juventus to be played without fans after crowd trouble

Genoa's Serie A home match against Juventus will be played behind closed doors on Saturday, three days after crowd trouble before and after the Italian Cup derby. Friday's decision came after violent clashes between Genoa and Sampdoria fans that saw more than 50 people injured, including 41 police officers who were attempting to control the fiery crowds. Most of the trouble happened after the match, which Serie B side Sampdoria won on penalties. As punishment, no fans will be allowed into Genoa's stadium on Saturday. Sampdoria is expected to face a similar punishment for its next home match, against Juve Stabia on Oct. 4.