Page 6 - Football

Messi shines on return, helps Inter Miami overcome Philadelphia 2-1

Lionel Messi made an immediate impact for Inter Miami against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night, with what became the winning goal in a 2-1 victory that lifted the Herons into first place in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference. Messi returned to the lineup and scored less than two minutes after subbing into the match early in the second half. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner took a pass from Luis Suarez on the right side of the penalty box, made a quick move and sent a right-footed shot past two defenders into the net for a 2-0 Inter Miami lead. It was Messi's second goal in three Major League Soccer matches this season. He did not start the match, but was cleared to play earlier in the week after missing some time including two World Cup qualifiers for Argentina with an adductor injury. Daniel Gazdag got the goal for Philadelphia (4-2-0) in the 80th minute, but Inter Miami held on from there. Messi also was dealing with an issue with his left thigh along with the ..

Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest seal FA Cup 2025 semi-final spots

Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest booked places in the semifinals of the FA Cup on Saturday. Eberechi Eze starred for Palace with a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win at Fulham. Goalkeeper Matz Sels was the hero for Forest with two saves in a 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Brighton after the game ended 0-0. Eze's match-winning performance came after he also scored for England in Monday's World Cup qualifying win over Latvia. That's what we expect from him, and that's why we love him, Palace defender Marc Guehi said. I tell him every day he's one of the best, but it's not about saying it, it's about showing it and he's done it. On Sunday, second-division Preston faces Aston Villa and Manchester City travels to Bournemouth. Palace on winning road streak ==================== With victory at Fulham, Palace recorded a club-record sixth away win in row, according to statistician Opta. It's this group, the character of this group, the attitude of this group, the work rate of this g

FA Cup highlights: Crystal Palace beat Fulham 3-0, advance to semis

Crystal Palace advanced to the semifinals of the FA Cup with a 3-0 win over Fulham on Saturday. Palace became the first team to book its place in the next round with victory at Craven Cottage in the quarterfinals through goals from Eberechi Eze, Ismaila Sarr and Eddie Nketiah. Eze struck a brilliant long-range effort in the 34th minute and then provided the cross for Sarr to head in for the visitors four minutes later. Nketiah came off the bench to complete the win in the 75th. Brighton was hosting Nottingham Forest later Saturday. On Sunday, second-division Preston faces Aston Villa and Manchester City travels to Bournemouth.

Brazil coach Dorival fired after worst defeat in World Cup qualifiers

Brazil coach Dorival Jnior was fired on Friday after 14 months amid poor results and disappointing performances from the national team. Jnior's sacking by Brazilian Football Confederation president Ednaldo Rodrigues came three days after a 4-1 defeat to bitter rival Argentina in Buenos Aires, Brazil's heaviest defeat in a World Cup qualifier. The confederation announces that Dorival Jnior's cycle is over, Rodrigues told media in Rio de Janeiro. From now on, we will work in the search for a substitute. Much has been said about (the confederation) contacting A, B or C coach, but I should say that (comment) was never coming from this president or anyone that the president authorized. Brazil is fifth in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The top six qualify automatically. Under the 62-year-old Jnior, Brazil won seven matches, drew another seven, and lost two. But it has won only one of its last four games. The team scored 25 goals and conceded 17. In the Copa America la

Spanish Court to try Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti for tax fraud

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will stand trial on tax evasion charges in Spain on Wednesday. Spanish state prosecutors have accused the highly successful Italian coach of defrauding the state of 1 million euros ($1 million) in 2014 and 2015. A Madrid-based court set the trial date on Friday. State prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of up to four years and nine months on two counts of tax fraud. They accused Ancelotti in March 2024 of having used shell companies to hide his true earnings. Ancelotti has denied any wrongdoing. The 65-year-old Ancelotti is one of soccer's most successful coaches. He is the only coach to have won the Champions League five times, three with Madrid and twice with AC Milan, and the only coach to have won domestic league titles in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. He coached Madrid from 2013-15 before starting his current stint in 2021.

Man City stand between the FA Cup and another underdog fairytale

Manchester City is the only thing standing in the way of a soccer fairy tale in the FA Cup. Take away City the behemoth of the English game over the past decade and the clubs remaining in the famous old competition heading into this weekend's quarterfinals have not won a major trophy between them this century. Heck, four of them have never won any major silverware. What a chance, then, for Fulham, Crystal Palace, Brighton, Nottingham Forest, Preston, Aston Villa and Bournemouth to create some history and spark some more life into English soccer. In the modern-day English game, trophies and titles are typically concentrated in the hands of a few clubs. Leicester (2016) is the only team outside a group of five Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United to have won the Premier League since Blackburn in 1995. Only three teams outside that star quintet have won the FA Cup this century Portsmouth (2008), Wigan (2013) and Leicester (2021). This season might prove an

Bayern Munich warns Canadian soccer federation over Davies' injury

Bayern Munich is considering legal action against the Canadian soccer federation following Alphonso Davies' serious knee injury in a match of little importance. We're demanding a full investigation into the events from Canada Soccer and expressly reserve the right to take legal action, Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen told the Bild tabloid on Friday. Davies tore a ligament and sustained other damage in his right knee during Canada's 2-1 win over the United States in the third-place decider for the CONCACAF Nations League tournament on Sunday. Davies returned to Munich where the full extent of the injury was determined on Wednesday. The left-back underwent surgery and will be out for several months, Bayern said. The club is alleging that Canadian officials did not provide appropriate care for the player. Sending a clearly injured player with a damaged knee on a 12-hour intercontinental flight without a thorough medical assessment is, in our view, grossly negligent and a

Spanish court overturns footballer Dani Alves' rape conviction on appeal

Former Barcelona player Dani Alves won his appeal against a sexual assault conviction as a Spanish court overturned the ruling Friday. Alves was found guilty in February 2024 of raping a woman in a nightclub in December 2022 and sentenced to four years, six months in prison. The former Brazil and Barcelona defender denied wrongdoing during the three-day trial. That court ruled Friday that there was insufficient evidence to rule out Alves' presumption of innocence. Dani Alves is innocent, and that has been proven, his defense lawyer Ins Guardiola told Catalan radio RAC1. Justice has finally been served. The Alves trial was the first high-profile case since Spain overhauled its laws in 2022 to make consent central to defining a sex crime in response to an upswell of protests after a gang-rape case during the San Fermin bull-running festival in Pamplona in 2016. The legislation popularly known as the only yes means yes law defines consent as an explicit expression of a person's will,

Argentina secure WC spot, celebrate it with 4-1 win over rivals Brazil

Defending champion Argentina celebrated throughout Tuesday as the team secured its place at the 2026 World Cup hours before an historic 4-1 win over archrival Brazil. Bolivia's failure to beat Uruguay meant Argentina had enough cushion in South American qualifying to secure one of the continent's six direct spots for the 48-team World Cup set to be co-hosted next year by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. After Bolivia's 0-0 draw with Uruguay at El Alto, about 85,000 raucous Argentina fans kicked off the festivities at the Monumental de Nunez Stadium despite the absence of Lionel Messi. They were chanting into the night in Buenos Aires, now more confident their team can defend the World Cup title. For Brazil, its worst deficit in South American World Cup qualifying history compounded pressure on coach Dorival Jnior. Brazil is in fourth place in South American qualifying with 21 points, 10 behind Argentina but only two behind second-place Ecuador, which was held to a 0-0 draw by Chile. ..

FIFA details Club World Cup prize money with $125M target for the winner

The winner of FIFA's first 32-team Club World Cup in the United States could earn $125 million as details of a $1 billion prize money fund were finally published Wednesday. FIFA said it allocated $525 million in guaranteed fees for teams taking part in the June 14-July 13 tournament, ranging from $38.19 million to the top-ranked European team likely Real Madrid to $3.58 million for the Oceania representative Auckland City. A further $475 million is earned by results in the 63 games, with $2 million paid for winning group stage games, $7.5 million for playing in the round of 16 and $40 million to the team that wins the final at MetLife Stadium near New York. The golden trophy has been sitting in the Oval Office at the White House this month after FIFA President Gianni Infantino delivered it to President Donald Trump. The prize fund was delayed until a global broadcast deal was belatedly agreed in December with streaming service DAZN, which then got a major investment from a ...

Yamal fires back at Van der Vaart after Spain's Nations League triumph

Lamine Yamal has made it clear he wasn't happy with criticism from former Netherlands player Rafael van der Vaart. Yamal helped Spain get past the Dutch in the quarterfinals of the Nations League on Sunday. After the penalty shootout, the 17-year-old Yamal lowered his shorts just below the waist, directly addressing Van der Vaart's reported comments as a Dutch television pundit that he was bothered by the Spanish teenager's attitude last week during the 2-2 draw in the first leg in the Netherlands. Van der Vaart was quoted by Spanish media as saying that Yamal didn't seem motivated, noting he was playing with his shorts lowered and with gestures that showed indifference. He said Yamal was handily defeated in his duel with Dutch left back Jorrel Hato in that first leg. Yamal's teammate, Nico Williams, also lowered his shorts alongside Yamal after the shootout win in Valencia. On Instagram, Yamal posted the photo of him and Williams with shorts lowered and a couple of images of Van

Reece James leads England to 3-0 win over Latvia in the WC qualifier

Reece James scored a brilliant free kick and Eberechi Eze grabbed his maiden international goal as England beat Latvia 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley Stadium on Monday. James, making his first start in 2 1/2 years, curled a 25-meter free kick into the top corner after 37 minutes. The goal was his first in 18 England appearances and broke down a stuffy Latvia side. Midway through the second half, with the home crowd starting to get restless, young midfielder Morgan Rogers combined well with Declan Rice to pave the way for a Harry Kane tap-in. Then Eze cut in from the right and his shot hit the back of the net after taking a slight deflection. England is the hot favorite to win Europe Group K and qualify for the 2026 World Cup. New coach Thomas Tuchel, in just his second game in charge, was content with the result if not the performance against a side 136 places behind it in the FIFA rankings. The German praised the returning James, a player he knows from his time managing

Goalkeeper apologises for ball boy incident during Irish soccer match

A goalkeeper facing sanctions from the Irish soccer federation has apologized following an incident last week during which he appeared to shove a ball boy to the ground. The incident took place during the first half of a match between Cliftonville and Carrick Rangers in the Northern Ireland Football League. Video footage published by the BBC showed Carrick Rangers goalkeeper Jack McIntyre pushing the boy to the ground after he handed the ball over to the goalkeeper. Carrick Rangers, which lost the match 3-0, said in a statement the club and McIntyre want to apologize for any distress caused, adding that it will also endeavour to make contact with the ball tender and their family. Local media reported that the Northern Ireland police service said enquiries into the incident were continuing. The referee did not book McIntyre for his gesture. Any internal disciplinary investigation will, in accordance with employment good practice, remain confidential between the employee and employe

Blatter, Platini acquitted again in FIFA financial misconduct trial

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini won again in court Tuesday and now lead 2-0 in trial verdicts against Swiss federal prosecutors. The former FIFA president and former UEFA president were acquitted for a second time on charges of fraud, forgery, mismanagement and misappropriation of more than $2 million of FIFA money in 2011. Blatter, now aged 89, gave little reaction listening to the verdict of three cantonal (state) judges acting as a federal criminal appeals court. The attorney general's office in Switzerland had challenged a first acquittal in July 2022 and asked for sentences of 20 months, suspended for two years.

NZ qualifies for 2026 FIFA World Cup after 3-0 win in Oceania final

New Zealand will play at the 2026 World Cup after beating New Caledonia 3-0 on Monday in the final of the Oceania confederation qualifying series. The New Zealand All Whites reached the World Cup for the third time after qualifying in Spain in 1982 and South Africa in 2010. They join hosts Canada, the United States and Mexico and Japan, which last week became the first team to qualify for the 48-team tournament. New Caledonia still has a chance to qualify through a six-team inter-continental playoff involving teams from the Asian, African, North and Central American and South American confederations. New Zealand had a setback when its captain, Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, was forced from the field with a hip injury in the 53rd minute with the score still 0-0. Wood is the focus of the New Zealand attack, scoring three headed goals in New Zealand's 7-0 semifinal win over Fiji on Friday. Up stepped an unlikely star in Wood's absence. In the 62nd Michael Boxall, the 36-year-o

CONCACAF Nations League 2025: Mexico beat Panama 2-1 to lift the title

Ral Jimnez scored his second goal on a penalty kick in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, and Mexico beat Panama 2-1 to win the CONCACAF Nations League tournament for the first time. Jimnez, the 33-year-old Fulham striker, dominated the week at SoFi Stadium with all four of Mexico's goals in El Tri's two matches. After he scored on a header in the eighth minute against Panama on Sunday night, he used a stutter-step approach before perfectly striking a penalty awarded when defender Jos Crdoba touched the ball with his inexplicably outstretched arm while chasing after it in the 90th minute. "It's fantastic to come back after what I've been through," Jimnez said. "I'm really happy. This is just a great example that you never have to lose faith, and continue. You know what you're capable to do." This remarkable tournament is only the latest chapter in the comeback story of Jimnez, who incurred a serious head injury while playing for Wolves in November 2020. After fracturi

India eyes win against Bangladesh after 3-0 triumph over Maldives

A 3-0 thrashing of Maldives in their first international match of the year will certainly boost their confidence, but India will be wary of a tricky Bangladesh in their 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying round match here on Tuesday. India notched a commanding win over lower-ranked Maldives here on March 19, which marked the first win under the charge of Manolo Marquez. The win was also significant as the talismanic Sunil Chhetri led the team with a superb goal in his international return, his 95th in India Jersey. Bangladesh have been familiar but tricky rivals for India and historically it has not been easy outings whenever the two sides faced each other. India though are currently ranked much higher in the FIFA chart -- 126th as against 185th on Bangladesh. The last match between the two sides had ended in a 1-1 draw in the 2021 SAFF Championships in Maldives with Chhetri scoring India's goal. Chhetri had also scored India's both goals in the 2-0 win over their eastern neighbours in a

Xavi, Rivaldo among new additions for Barca vs Madrid Legends Faceoff

Xavi Hernández shared that he was thrilled to relive the legendary rivalry in front of the passionate Indian crowd

Udanta in, Brandon out: India announces squad change for Bangladesh tie

Key mid-fielder Brandon Fernandes has been released from the Indian team due to an injury ahead of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying round match against Bangladesh here on March 25. Winger Udanta Singh has replaced him in the squad. Fernandes picked up the injury during India's 3-0 win over Maldives in an international friendly match on March 19. He slipped on the turf late in the first half and was stretchered out of the field. "Brandon Fernandes has been released from the Indian squad due to an injury he picked up in the match against Maldives. Udanta Singh has joined the Indian camp in Shillong," the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Friday. Speaking after the Maldives game, head coach Manolo Marquez had confirmed that Fernandes would not be available for the Bangladesh match. India are already without striker Manvir Singh and pacy winger Lallianzuala Chhangte, both due to injury, though the talismanic Sunil Chhetri came out of international retirement to help the te

FIFA Club World Cup: Mexico's Leon disqualified over multi-club ownership

Mexican team Leon was kicked out of the Club World Cup on Friday after FIFA's appeals committee upheld a decision that it violated a rule that forbids multi-club ownership. Leon and fellow Mexican club Pachuca had both qualified for this summer's Club World Cup in the United States but have the same owner, Grupo Pachuca. After having evaluated all evidence on file, the chairman of the FIFA Appeal Committee has decided that CF Pachuca and Club Len failed to meet the criteria on multi-club ownership, FIFA said in a statement. Before the decision was announced, Grupo Pachuca had argued that the two clubs operate independently. It also promised to sell Leon, but has not done so. Leon recently signed Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez in an attempt to be more competitive at the Club World Cup, where it had been set to face Chelsea, Brazilian club Flamengo and ES Tunis of Tunisia. FIFA said Leon's replacement in the tournament will be announced at a later date.