Page 31 - Football

Conte has work to do after Napoli 'melted like snow in the sun' at Verona

Antonio Conte has a lot of work to do. Conte became Napoli's fifth coach in little more than a year when he was hired in June and on Sunday he saw his new team crumble 3-0 at Hellas Verona in his first match back in Serie A. "We melted like snow in the sun after the first goal," Conte said. "We should apologise to the Neapolitan people, who follow us with passion. I am the coach and it is right that I take full responsibility. In the second half there was an unacceptable performance. "We should be ashamed, and I have to be ashamed as I am coach. Those who know me know that today my heart is bleeding, and I hope that some of the players are also bleeding so that would mean that at least we are on the right path." Dailon Livramento and Daniel Mosquera twice scored on their league debuts to hand Verona the win on the opening weekend of the Italian league season and there was further bad news for Napoli as it lost key player Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to injury. Napoli has been in a slu

Premier League 2024/25 HIGHLIGHTS: Manchester City beat Chelsea 2-0 in campaign opener

Pep Guardiola's men entered the tie hoping to start yet another season dominantly as they aim to win a record-extending 5th title on the trot this year and didn't disappoint either.

East Bengal, Mohun Bagan supporters join hands to protest Kolkata horror

Supporters of arch-rivals East Bengal and Mohun Bagan gathered near the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata on Sunday evening in an unprecedented show of camaraderie to protest the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The supporters gathered outside the stadium even as a Durand Cup match between the two major Indian football clubs was cancelled amid concerns over the law and order situation. In a rare sight, supporters of the two clubs held each other's flags and raised slogans demanding justice for the victim's family, with a huge contingent of the police keeping a vigil on the situation. Supporters of the Mohammedan SC, another major football club, also joined the protests a while later. Actor Usashi Chakraborty and theatre personality Sourav Palodhi were among the protesters wearing the jerseys of the clubs they support. As the protests spilled onto the busy EM Bypass and blocked the traffic, police chased the agitators in a high-voltage drama and

Bayer Leverkusen beat Stuttgart on penalties to win maiden German Supercup

Bayer Leverkusen is taking its knack for late goals into the new season. Patrik Schick equalized in the 88th minute to secure a 2-2 draw and Leverkusen went on to defeat Stuttgart 4-3 on penalties in the German Supercup on Saturday. Though it's considered the least important title of the season, both teams played as if it were the last. Referee Tobias Stieler issued a host of yellow cards and sent off Leverkusen debutant Martin Terrier in the first half for an ankle-threatening tackle on Stuttgart's Ermedin Demirovic. Victor Boniface gave Leverkusen an early lead but Enzo Millot replied almost straight away and Stuttgart went on to hit the crossbar and the post. Germany forward Deniz Undav put Stuttgart ahead 2-1 in the 63rd, a minute after coming on. Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso sent on Schick, Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong to boost his team's attacking threat for the final 15 minutes. As so often last season, his move paid off when Schick leveled the score in the 88th. In

Serie A: Late penalty sees Genoa hold defending champion Inter to 2-2 draw

Marcus Thuram's double was not enough to let Inter Milan kick off its title defense with a win as a late penalty helped Genoa draw 2-2 in their Serie A opener on Saturday. Thuram had been a revelation in his first season in Italy with 15 goals and 14 assists across all competitions and he netted once in each half in Genoa to give Inter the lead after Alessandro Vogliacco's surprise opener. However, Genoa was awarded a penalty deep in stoppage time and Junior Messias scored from the rebound after Yann Sommer saved his spot kick. It was a rare Serie A match featuring two coaches who were also in charge of their teams last season. AC Milan is one of 14 teams which have a new coach in the league and Paulo Fonseca's first match in charge saw his team score two very late goals to salvage a 2-2 draw at home to Torino. Simone Inzaghi's Inter ran away with the Serie A title last season and looked strong from the start in Genoa, with both Thuram and Hakan alhanoglu having early chances. But

Greenwood stars in Marseille debut; Angel Gomes injured in Lille's win

Mason Greenwood scored twice in his debut for Marseille in a 5-1 victory over Brest in their French league opener Saturday, while Lille's game against Reims was halted for more than 30 minutes after Angel Gomes was knocked unconscious in a collision and needed lengthy treatment. Greenwood, the former Manchester United forward who made a controversial move to Marseille this summer, had a hand in all five goals as he also provided two assists and won a penalty that Elye Wahi converted. Greenwood's first Ligue 1 appearance was greeted with boos that echoed throughout the Francis-Le Bl stadium every time he touched the ball. The 22-year-old forward was arrested in 2022 and later charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault. The case was dropped last year. Brest, which finished third last season and is set to compete in the Champions League, struggled throughout the match. A missed penalty by Romain Del Castillo in the first half highlighted their lack of .

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah breaks Premier League scoring record

Mohamed Salah broke a Premier League scoring record in Liverpool's opening game of the season. By netting Liverpool's second against Ipswich, the Egypt star took his tally of goals in the opening round of a Premier League season to nine more than anyone else. He previously shared the record with Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer. Salah's goal put Liverpool 2-0 ahead at Portman Road.

Premier League 2024/25 HIGHLIGHTS: LIV beat IPS 2-0; ARS bag 2-0 home win vs WOL

Arne Slot's men beat Ipswich 2-0 at Portman Road with Jota and Salah on the scoresheet for the Reds. Arsenal beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

Durand Cup derby cancelled amid protests over doctor's rape in Kolkata

The Durand Cup derby between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, scheduled at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Sunday, has been cancelled because of the prevailing unrest in the city, sources said. The decision was taken following a meeting between the Kolkata Police officials and organisers of the tournament. "Both the teams will be awarded a point each, while the fans will get full refund for the tickets they bought," an official told PTI. It is also learnt that all the Durand Cup matches slated in Kolkata could be shifted to Jamshedpur. An official communication is awaited. There has been widespread protests following the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in the city on August 9. On Saturday, the Indian Medical Association called for a 24-hour nationwide strike to protest the rape and murder of their colleague.

Aspas grabs late winner as Celta Vigo beats Deportivo Alaves 2-1 in Spain

Iago Aspas avoided an early red card thanks to a video review, had a goal chalked off just before halftime and then capped an eventful game by scoring Celta Vigo's winner against Deportivo Alaves in the Spanish league on Friday. The 37-year-old Aspas was the focal point for Celta for much of last season and picked up where he left off in its opening game, netting in the 84th minute to seal a 2-1 victory for the hosts. He had been shown a red card after seven minutes when his arm made contact with Antonio Blanco, but it was downgraded to a yellow after a VAR review. Blanco's cross to Kike Garcia then set up the opening goal for Alaves 10 minutes later. Aspas had a goal disallowed for offside before halftime but Celta equalized midway through the second half thanks to Williot Swedberg's superb strike with the outside of his boot. Aspas then received Swedberg's defense-splitting pass to score the winner with six minutes left. Iago is eternal, Alaves coach Luis Garcia said. He gets o

Premier League: Brazil striker Evanilson joins AFC Bournemouth from Porto

Brazil striker Evanilson signed for Bournemouth from Porto on Friday in a deal worth a reported 40 million pounds ($51.6 million), a club record for the English team. The 24-year-old Evanilson scored 13 league goals in Portugal last season and netted a hat trick in the group stage of the Champions League against Royal Antwerp in October. Evanilson will replace Dominic Solanke, who joined Tottenham on Saturday in a deal worth a reported 65 million pounds ($83 million). Evanilson is a hugely sought-after striker," Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake said, and for us to bring him to the club in a record-breaking deal shows our ambition and intent. Tottenham has also bought winger Wilson Odobert, a France Under-21 international, from relegated Burnley for a reported 25 million pounds ($32.3 million) while promoted Ipswich has signed Sam Szmodics, the top scorer in the Championship last season, from Blackburn and Kalvin Phillips on loan from Manchester City. Southampton signed stri

Premier League 2024: Ipswich Town v Liverpool live time (IST), streaming

Starting their campaign on August 17, Ipswich will host heavyweights Liverpool at Portman Road on Sunday. Their hopes would be pinned on 20-year-old winger Omari Hutchinson

Premier League 2024: Arsenal vs Wolves live time (IST), streaming

Arsenal have permanently signed Spanish goalkeeper David Raya, along with Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori for the 2024-25 season

Premier League: Manchester United vs Fulham live time (IST), live streaming

United have signed striker Joshua Zirkzee, defenders Leny Yoro, Matthijs De Ligt, and Noussair Mazaraoui in the summer transfer window

Mauricio Pochettino in talks to become new coach of US soccer team

Mauricio Pochettino and the U.S. Soccer Federation are working toward a deal for him to become the men's national team coach, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. Pochettino, the former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain coach, has agreed to take over as the U.S. coach but the deal is not complete, the person said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement was not finalized. Pochettino would succeed Gregg Berhalter less than 22 months before the Americans host the 2026 World Cup. The USSF declined to comment. A 52-year-old Argentine, Pochettino would become the first foreign-born coach to head the U.S. since Jurgen Klinsmann from 2011-16. He has coached Espanyol in Spain (2009-12), Southampton (2013-14), Tottenham (2014-19) and Chelsea (2023-24) in England and Paris Saint-Germain in France (2021-22), leaving after winning a Ligue 1 title. Matt Crocker, the USSF's sporting director in charge of the search, was Southampto

Premier League 2024-25 format, VAR rules for relegation and promotion

The new Premier League season is just 4 days away as the 2024/25 kicks off on August 17 with Manchester United taking on Fulham at the Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford.

Serie A side Napoli signs Antonio Conte as new manager for 2024-25 season

He's back. Antonio Conte has returned to Serie A with the mission of helping Napoli recover from one of the worst title defences in Italian league history. Napoli ran away with the title in 2023 but had a torrid time last season and finished a woeful 10th. Instead it was one of Conte's former teams, Inter Milan, which stormed to the Serie A crown, ending up 19 points ahead of closest challenger AC Milan. Conte is Napoli's fourth coach since Luciano Spalletti left after steering the southern team to its first title in more than 30 years. Rudi Garcia, Walter Mazzarri and Francesco Calzona all had spells in charge last season but couldn't stop the slump. They didn't have Conte's pedigree, however. Conte set Juventus on the way to a decade of dominance when he led the Bianconeri to the first three of its nine straight Serie A titles. He was then the man to end that streak in 2021 when in charge of Inter. In between that he also bagged a Premier League title with Chelsea. However, C

Premier League 2024-25 full schedule, live time, streaming and telecast

With new promotions in the name of Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton joining the fray, it will be another action-packed season at both ends of the Premier League points table.

Givson Singh speaks ahead of crucial Durand Cup tie vs North East United

Odisha FC is one of the teams taking part in the tournament and hope to qualify for the knockouts with a do-or-die clash against group E toppers North East United on August 16th

Premier League to have different look this year. Here's what's changed

The Premier League rarely stands still. For the 2024-25 season starting on Friday, there are five newly hired managers, around $1.6 billion worth of new players (and counting), new offside technology, updated financial regulations and a tweaked match schedule. COACHING CHANGES A quarter of the coaches will be taking charge of a Premier League game for the first time, with Liverpool ( Arne Slot ), Chelsea ( Enzo Maresca ) and Brighton ( Fabian Hurzeler ) all having new managers and both Southampton (Russell Martin) and Ipswich (Kieran McKenna) gaining promotion with managers owning no top-flight experience. Throw in Julen Lopetegui being the new guy at West Ham after 4 1/2 years of David Moyes at the helm and Steve Cooper replacing Maresca at Leicester, and the dugouts will look different this season. Most of the intrigue, however, will focus on Slot and what style he implements at Liverpool after the team's nearly nine years with the popular Jurgen Klopp. Rock n' roll could turn int