Page 50 - Football

FIFA Women's World Cup: England thrash Australia 3-1 to play Spain in final

England moved on to its first Women's World Cup championship game with a 3-1 victory Wednesday over co-host Australia, ending the Matildas captivating run through the tournament. Australia superstar Sam Kerr started her first match of the tournament and scored for the Matildas but it wasn't enough to hold off European champion England. Ella Toone scored in the 36th minute to put England up 1-0 and the Lionesses dominated possession in the first half. Kerr's equalizer in the 63rd gave the 75,000-plus crowd some hope, but EEngland sealed it on goals from Lauren Hemp in the 71st and Alessia Russo four minutes from the end of regulation time. England and Spain will each be playing in the Women's World Cup final for the first time when they meet at Stadium Australia on Sunday. Australia will play Sweden for third place on Saturday in Brisbane.

Messi boosts Inter Miami to Leagues Cup final with 4-1 win vs Philadelphia

Lionel Messi keeps scoring goals, and Inter Miami keeps winning games. Messi ripped a shot from 30 yards past three Philadelphia defenders in the 20th minute that made fans who paid a record price for soccer tickets in the Philly area rejoice, and Inter Miami beat the Union 4-1 in a Leagues Cup semifinal on Tuesday night. Major League Soccer is Messi's league now. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner scored his ninth goal in six matches with his new team in front of a crowd that pushed 20,000 fans, with ticket prices soaring past USD 1,000 on the secondary market. There were few complaints. Certainly not from three Union season-ticket holders who ditched the home team's garb for a night and traded it for Messi gear. Or fans that lined up for Messi jerseys authenticity not guaranteed and the ones hungry at a food truck for Messi fries. And certainly not from the Union, who, of course wanted to win, but otherwise stuffed the coffers and received more worldwide attention on one night

UEFA Super Cup final, Man City vs Sevilla live match starts at 12:30 AM IST

Sony Sports Ten 2 HD/SD will live telecast Man City vs Sevilla Super Cup match with English Commentary in India from 12:30 AM IST on August 17

Kings Cup football: India drawn against higher-ranked Iraq in semi-final

The Indian senior men's team will face Iraq in the semi-final of the 49th King's Cup football tournament in Chiang Mai, Thailand on September 7. The match will take place at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai. Thailand will take on Lebanon in the other semi-final later on the same day, as per the draw announced by the Football Association of Thailand on Wednesday. The finall of the tournament will be played on September 10. The losing semi-finalists will meet in the third-place play-off. As per the draw mechanics, Iraq (as the highest FIFA-ranked team - 70th) and Thailand (as hosts and ranked 113th) were placed in separate match-ups, and drawn against the remaining two teams -- India, ranked 99th, and Lebanon, ranked 100th. India's last meeting with Iraq was a 0-2 defeat in a friendly in Baghdad in 2010. It will be India's fourth participation in the King's Cup in Thailand, with the most recent one coming in 2019, where the Blue Tigers went down to Curaao in the semi-fin

Premier League: Brighton's Caicedo completes medical, ready to join Chelsea

Central midfielders continue to be in big demand in the Premier League. While Moises Caicedo looks increasingly likely to join Chelsea and not Liverpool for a record fee for a British club, James Ward-Prowse sealed his immediate return to England's top division by ending a 20-year association with relegated Southampton to join West Ham on Monday. West Ham is using the money the club received for selling midfielder Declan Rice to Arsenal for a reported 105 million pounds (USD138 million) last month, with Ward-Prowse costing 30 million pounds (USD38 million), and Mexico international Edson Alvarez having already joined from Ajax for 38 million euros (USD41.9 million) last week. When I think about my game, it is based on hard work, graft, and giving 100%, Ward-Prowse said after signing a four-year deal. West Ham United has always been a club that has epitomized that. Caicedo is reportedly close to moving to Chelsea from Brighton for 115 million pounds (USD145 million), which would m

Pep Guardiola confirms De Bruyne out for 3-4 months with hamstring injury

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will be sidelined for three or four months because of a recurrence of his hamstring injury, manager Pep Guardiola said Tuesday. Guardiola said it was a serious injury and a decision would have to be made about whether De Bruyne requires surgery. De Bruyne came off with the injury midway through the first half of City's opening Premier League game, a 3-0 win at Burnley on Friday. It is the same problem that forced De Bruyne to be substituted during the Champions League final win against Inter Milan in June. Guardiola was speaking a day before City plays Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup a match between the winners of last season's Champions League and Europa League.

Mohmmed Habib: 'Bade Miyaan' of Kolkata Maidan's 'That 70s show'

He didn't have a bicycle kick like Shyam Thapa nor could he pulverise opposition with the bulldozer-like masculinity of Subhash Bhowmick. He was also not in possession of an aesthetically pleasing left foot, like Prasun Banerjee had, yet there wasn't a bigger crowd-puller than Mohammed Habib who ruled the hearts of Indian football fans from 1970 to 1980. The former India captain, who died on Tuesday aged 74, represented the country in 35 international matches and scored 11 goals, but it is his exploits for Mohun Bagan and East Bengal that became a part of Indian football's folklore. The Hyderabadi was part of the Indian football team that won the Asian Games bronze in Bangkok and was perhaps the second most revered No. 10 in the country after the late Chuni Goswami. The land of nizams gifted Indian football some of its greatest names from coach SA Hakim to Yusuf Khan and former India captain Syed Nayeemuddin but no one could tug the strings of a Kolkata football lover's heart like

Ronaldo to Neymar: Saudi Arabia is changing football one player at a time

Saudi Pro League has signed at least 22 big names from European football since January. The contracts are also bigger than usual. How is it doing so, and why?

Premier League: Varane's late goal help Man United beat dominant Wolves 1-0

Manchester United needed a rare goal from defender Raphael Varane and a slew of late saves from Andre Onana to eke out a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton after being outplayed for long periods of their Premier League opener. The former France center back headed home from point-blank range in the 76th minute after Aaron Wan Bissaka ran onto a lofted pass from Bruno Fernandes and lobbed a cross into the six-yard box on Monday. It was one of the few slick moves produced by United, which gave competitive debuts to Onana and midfielder Mason Mount and failed to look cohesive against a visiting team that dominated midfield and was a constant danger on the break. Wolves struck the post through Matheus Cunha early in the second half, while substitute Fabio Silva drew two saves from the feet of Onana in the closing stages as United hung on. Wolves had 23 shots the most by a visiting team at Old Trafford in the Premier League since 2005 but lacked a cutting edge just like last season, when it was

Durand Cup: Indian Air Force hold defending champs Bengaluru FC to 1-1 draw

Defending champions Bengaluru FC failed to break the Indian Air Force FT's defence to settle for a 1-1 draw in their Durand Cup opener here on Monday. Vivek Kumar (21st) put the Air Men ahead in the first half after a defensive error, only for BFC's Salam Johnson Singh to draw level in the 59th minute. The Bibiano Fernandes-coached side, who are playing a youth team, made all the substitutions to bolster their attack but failed to get the winning goal and settled for a point. Robin Yadav had the best chance of clinching it for the champions, when he followed an Edmund free-kick beautifully at the far post, but his header from hand-shaking distance found Air Force keeper Dinesh's glove, struck the left upright and went out for a corner. Playing in a 4-4-3 formation, BFC had the lion's share of possession in the game. They also had 14 shots at goal to their opponent's six, with six of those shots on target, but despite seven minutes added on in the end, the deadlock could not be ...

AIFF studying feasibility of allowing PIO footballers in national teams

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday formed a task force to conduct a feasibility study of allowing Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) to play in the country's national teams. Under the existing law of the land, PIOs and OCIs are not allowed to represent the country in international sporting events unless they adopt Indian citizenship. The task force, constituted by AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, will evaluate the PIO and OCI footballers playing at a higher level and the status of youth players. The task force, which will submit its report by January 31 next year, will be chaired by Punjab Football Association president Samir Thapar. Chaubey will name the other members of the task force after consultations with the chairman and the Executive Committee of the AIFF. "The Task Force's primary objective will be to collect data on footballers who are either Overseas Citizens of India or Persons of Indian Origin. It is a matter of great prid

Man United vs Wolves in EPL, Atletico Madrid starts its campaign in La Liga

A look at what's happening in European soccer on Monday: ENGLAND The first round of games in the Premier League concludes with Manchester United hosting Wolverhampton. United is set to give competitive debuts to two of its offseason signings midfielder Mason Mount and goalkeeper Andre Onana as the team looks to make a strong start to Erik ten Hag's second year in charge. Wolves will be under a new manager in Gary O'Neil, who has only been in charge a few weeks. SPAIN After a strong finish last season, Atletico Madrid begins its Spanish league campaign by hosting promoted Granada. Diego Simeone's Atletico kept the core of its squad in attack and midfield, and boosted its defense with Cesar Azpilicueta and Caglar Soyuncu. The attack will again be led by Antoine Griezmann as doubts still surround the permanence of Joo Flix. Granada is back in the first division after a single season in the second tier. Alaves, also back to the top flight in its first attempt following relegation, ..

Real Madrid sign goalkeeper Kepa on loan from Chelsea after Courtois injury

Real Madrid has signed goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan from Chelsea to help make up for the absence of the injured Thibaut Courtois, the Spanish club said Monday. Kepa's signing comes four days after Courtois tore a ligament in his left knee during training. The injury will sideline the Belgian international for most of the season. Kepa arrives on a contract until the end of the season and will join a squad that already included Ukrainian Andriy Lunin, a reserve to Courtois who on Saturday started in the 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in the team's Spanish league opener. It wasn't immediately clear if Spanish international Kepa would arrive as a starter. Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti previously said he had full confidence in the 24-year-old Lunin, who is entering his fourth season with the club. Kepa had been in talks to join Bayern Munich but the deal fell through after Madrid showed interest in signing the 28-year-old player. Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said Sun

Neymar to Al Hilal: Brazilian star's medical to be completed today - Report

PSG bought Neymar in 2017 after paying a record 222 million euros transfer fee to Barca. Brazillian's PSG contract runs till 2025 but he has decided to leave the French club for Saudi club Al-Hilal

Neymar to leave PSG! Could choose between Al Hilal and Barcelona: Reports

Neymar, who was omitted from the first squad training before the Ligue 1 opener of PSG against Lorient, has not returned to training unlike Kylian Mbappe

Premier League 2023-24 full schedule, match timings (IST), live streaming

Check Premier League 2023-24 full schedule, match timings (IST), live telecast and streaming details here

Need time to adapt at Bayern Munich: Harry Kane after a loss on his debut

England captain Harry Kane said Sunday that he may need time to adapt to German football following a loss in his first game for Bayern Munich. Kane came on as a 64th-minute substitute in a 3-0 defeat to Leipzig in the German Super Cup on Saturday after being confirmed as a Bayern player earlier in the day. Obviously, I've spent my whole career, my whole life, in England and in the Premier League so it might take a bit of adapting to get used to a new league, he said. For me it's just about settling in, as comfortable as possible, understanding the different types of teams, the way I have to play and adapt. I've done that throughout my whole career, whether it's with Tottenham or the national team and I'll do that here. Bayern is next in action in the opening game of the Bundesliga season against Werder Bremen on Friday.

EPL 2023-24: Tottenham begins life without Kane with 2-2 draw at Brentford

Tottenham began life without Harry Kane with an entertaining 2-2 draw at Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday. All four goals came in an action-filled first half that gave a first indication of what Tottenham will look like without its talismanic striker under new manager Ange Postecoglou. A day after Kane sealed his move to Bayern Munich, Spurs dominated possession and scored from its only two efforts on target in the first half, and yet still had to come from 2-1 down after being undone defensively on a couple of occasions. While both teams settled into a more cautious rhythm after the break, the opening 45 minutes of Postecoglou's reign were enough to show that his underlying tactics will be a far cry from his predecessor Antonio Conte's defensive rigidity and focus on counterattacks. And while Spurs couldn't find a winner, a draw at Brentford could be seen as a positive first step given that Thomas Frank's team beat Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool at home

Kerala Derby: Goukulam edge past Blasters 4-3 in Durand Cup

Gokulam Kerala earned three valuable points along with bragging rights as they edged past formidable ISL outfit Kerala Blasters 4-3 in a Durand Cup group league game here on Sunday. There were four goals in the first-half and three in the second as Gokulam clinched their second straight victory in as many games to go on top of the group. Bouba Aminou (17th min), Sreekuttan (43rd min), Alex Sanchez (45+1 min) and Abhijith K (47th min) scored for the winners, while Emmanuel Justine (34th min), Prabir Das (54th minute) and Adrian Luna (77th minute) scored for the Blasters. For Indian Super League (ISL) side Kerala Blasters, this was their first game in the group and they will now be looking to win their remaining two, to remain in contention. Basit Bhat, who has been impressive in this tournament, won the corner after his long-ranger took a touch off a Blasters defender and deflected away from goal. Spaniard Nili Perdomo curled the right-footer in for Gokulam's Cameroonian captain Bo

Euro winner Roberto Mancini announces surprise resignation as Italy coach

Italy coach Roberto Mancini surprisingly resigned on Sunday, ending an an up-and-down tenure with the national team that included a European Championship title in 2021 but also a failed qualification for last year's World Cup. The Italian soccer federation issued a short announcement saying that Mancini communicated his resignation late last night, adding that a new coach would be named over the next days. The federation doesn't have much time with Euro 2024 qualifying matches against North Macedonia and Ukraine scheduled for Sept. 10 and 12, respectively. Mancini was hired in May 2018 to revive the Azzurri after they also failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup under predecessor Gian Piero Ventura. And he did by adding flair and youth to a team that won admirers all over the continent during the year-delayed Euro 2020. Mancini was hailed for his vision when he called up then-Roma forward Nicol Zaniolo before he had ever played in Serie A, but he also struggled to find top players