Category: Football (Soccer)

Football (Soccer) News

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Cult hero Mancini delivers derby win for Roma after Serie A scheduling nightmare | Nicky Bandini

After a spring of boardroom civil war, the Giallorossi’s two-goal hero put his side on the verge of a historic return to Champions League

A Rome derby on the penultimate weekend of a Serie A season could never be a low-stakes occasion. Scudetto wins come rarely in Italy’s capital city – Roma and Lazio have only five between them – leaving neighbourly bragging rights as the next-most important prize on offer. It is an intense, bitter rivalry that has produced countless iconic moments – from Francesco Totti taking selfies under the Curva to a cup-winning goal by Senad Lulic – if sadly also many violent clashes between supporters.

And, of course, it matters more when either side has tangible objectives left to play for. As recently as late April that did not appear very likely. Roma were sixth – five points adrift of the Champions League places – and Lazio ninth. But then the Giallorossi got on a roll, just as Milan and Juventus started dropping points. A win in the derby now could propel them into the top four, if either of those sides slipped up again.

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‘Prince William called me a Rolls-Royce once’: Ezri Konsa enjoys royal approval at Aston Villa

  • England defender thanks Prince of Wales for his support

  • William expected to be in Istanbul for Europa League final

Ezri Konsa has said the Prince of Wales referring to him as a “Rolls-Royce” counts as the greatest compliment of his career and that Aston Villa are grateful for his royal backing. Prince William, arguably Villa’s best-known supporter and a patron of the Football Association, is expected to be in Istanbul for Wednesday’s Europa League final. Villa are seeking their first trophy since the League Cup in 1996 and will face the German side Freiburg in Turkey.

Konsa has opened up on the surreal nature of support from the heir to the throne. William was in the Villa Park directors’ box for Villa’s second-leg 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, which cemented Villa’s place in a first major European final since 1982.

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Premier League and FA Cup final: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Bafflement at Old Trafford, Chelsea’s Wembley drought goes on and Leeds give fans cause for optimism

Luke Shaw’s first goal in over three years for Manchester United was a further reminder of the left-back’s capabilities. This has been his best season at Old Trafford having featured in all 37 league games thus far, leaving his injury-prone past forgotten. Considering Shaw’s experience and quality, he should be considered for a spot at the World Cup. Thomas Tuchel does not have a vast array of riches in the position and Shaw’s consistency has been key to Michael Carrick’s turnaround at Old Trafford. “He deserves to go,” said Carrick after the win against Nottingham Forest. “His consistency, his performances, his experience, his qualities. He’s an excellent full-back.” Nico O’Reilly is the current first choice for England and he has a very different profile from Shaw, having converted from playing as a central midfielder under Pep Guardiola. Tuchel may want to take Shaw to provide variety and reliability, which would be a sensible approach. Will Unwin

Match report: Manchester United 3-2 Nottingham Forest

Match report: Newcastle 3-1 West Ham

Match report: Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool

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Inter poised as Curtis Jones enters final year of Liverpool contract

  • Midfielder has not yet agreed extension at Anfield

  • Liverpool value Jones at around £35m

Inter are expected to renew their interest in Curtis Jones this summer, when the Liverpool midfielder will enter the final 12 months of his contract.

Jones has been in talks with his boyhood club over a new deal for several months but no agreement has been reached on an extension. The Italian champions, who inquired about the 25-year-old in January, remain keen on the England international and are likely to make another approach in the summer window.

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European football: Roma close to Champions League return after beating Lazio

  • Sevilla safe despite defeat against Real Madrid

  • Tiny Elversberg seal first promotion to Bundesliga

Roma took a huge step towards returning to the Champions League by beating Lazio 2-0 in a feisty derby which finished with both teams down to 10 men, while Napoli won 3-0 at Pisa to secure a top-four spot.

Gianluca Mancini smashed home two headers from corners, one in each half, at the Stadio Olimpico to move Roma up to fourth thanks also to Juventus’s shock 2-0 home defeat by Fiorentina.

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Marco Silva tight-lipped on Fulham future after Robinson rescues point at Wolves

The Fulham manager, Marco Silva, insisted he had not made a decision on his future after his side’s European hopes were all but extinguished by Sunday’s 1-1 draw at relegated Wolves.

The visitors got themselves on level terms when Antonee Robinson equalised from the spot in first-half stoppage time, after Thomas Kirk gave a penalty for Mateus Mané’s late challenge on Timothy Castagne after a video assistant referee review. Wolves had taken the lead through Mané as they sought a first victory since beating Liverpool on 3 March.

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Brentford 2-2 Crystal Palace, Leeds 1-0 Brighton, Everton 1-3 Sunderland: Premier League – live

Sunderland and Bournemouth were the big winners on a day of twists and turns in the race for Europe

Bradley Lowery, the Sunderland mascot whose battle with neuroblastoma helped raise than more £1m before his death in 2017, would have been 15 today. There will be a minute’s applause at Hill Dickinson Stadium after 15 minutes of today’s game, and two fans – one of each club – have cycled to the ground from the Stadium of Light to raise funds for the Bradley Lowery Foundation. Hats off to them.

Two more goals have been scored in a thrilling end-of-a-season game at Old Trafford, and Bruno Fernandes has equalled a major Premier League record. Clickity click click click!

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‘Not even one beer’: Guardiola curbs City’s FA Cup celebrations with title to play for – video

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City would not have 'even one beer' to celebrate Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup final triumph over Chelsea due to the title race, though the manager was coy regarding his future.

Antoine Semenyo’s 72nd-minute flicked finish gave City a second trophy of the season at Wembley following March’s Carabao Cup win over Arsenal.

'Home [now] – not even one beer,' he said. 'Next Monday after Aston Villa, we’re going to celebrate it with the women’s team. The club said that to me [with] some parade in Manchester because we must celebrate with both teams.

'There is no time [to celebrate]. Chelsea had seven days to prepare for the final, we had three days and yesterday [Friday] was a nightmare. We spent six hours from the city to here. The trains are a little bit of a problem in this country.'

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Sydney FC break Newcastle hearts in penalty shootout to book place in A-League grand final

  • Sky Blues claim semi-final on penalties and will face Auckland FC in decider

  • Coach Patrick Kisnorbo hails ‘mental toughness’ of Sydney side

Sydney FC’s head coach Patrick Kisnorbo has hailed the “resilience and mental toughness” of his side as they punched their ticket to the A-League Men grand final, winning a pulsating semi-final against premiers Newcastle on penalties.

The Sky Blues opened the scoring on Saturday night through Piero Quispe’s 64th-minute goal, before a relentless Eli Adams made it 1-1 with a thunderous strike late in injury time to send the game into extra time at McDonald Jones Stadium.

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Pacific Northwest Sportswatch Daily Listings

(All times Pacific)
Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts
Sunday, May 17
MLB BASEBALL
7:20 p.m.

San Diego at Seattle — NBC

SOCCER (MEN'S)
6 p.m.

MLS: Portland Timbers vs. Inter Miami — Apple TV

NWSL: Angel City vs. Portland Thorns — ESPN2

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV.

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Saints and sinners: if Southampton are found guilty of spying they should be punished | Jonathan Wilson

There needs to be a zero-tolerance approach to stealing other clubs’ secrets – Kim Hellberg’s emotional response shows just how deep this goes

Kim Hellberg was clearly upset and his press conference after Middlesbrough’s defeat at Southampton in the Championship semi‑final playoff second leg became unexpectedly moving as a result. In football, the Boro manager said, you accept that some teams have greater resources than others but where the coach of the less well-off team can gain an advantage is in the “tactical element”; it is in effect the only weapon he has. And if that weapon is made less effective by an opponent cheating, it is understandable that Hellberg should feel that his profession, the skillset he has developed to test himself against his peers, has been betrayed.

That disgust is, no doubt, genuine enough, and it is perhaps difficult for those of us who do not work in that world fully to grasp how frustrating it must be if strategies and ploys carefully conceived and practised are rendered ineffective, not by the in-game acuity of an opponent, but by espionage. But it is admittedly hard to square that righteous anger with the image published in the Mail this week of a sheepish young man lurking behind a tree with a phone.

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Pep Guardiola swears he’s not leaving Manchester City before contract ends

  • FA Cup final will be 24th trip to stadium as City manager

  • Spaniard aiming to win 17th major honour in decade

Pep Guardiola has described his ­decade managing Manchester City as “fucking fun”, and suggested Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea might not be the last time he leads the team out at Wembley.

While Guardiola’s contract expires in summer 2027, there is increasing expectation that he will depart the club in the close season. Saturday’s final will be City’s 24th cup appearance at the national stadium under the Spaniard, with Guardiola aiming to claim the 17th major trophy of his 10 years in charge.

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