Football (Soccer) News
After both legs produced 3-3 draws, Davide Frattesi struck in extra time to send Inter to the final
20 secs: Inter started quickly in Barcelona; Barca nearly return the favour here. Torres is found in space in the Inter box down the right, but the flag pops up for offside before he can roll a pass across for Raphinha to tap home.
Inter get the ball rolling. Another 3-3 draw, please! We’ll have extra time and possibly penalties if so.
Continue reading...The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected appeals from Grupo Pachuca and potential replacement club Alajuelense
Mexican soccer club León finally lost their legal match against Fifa on Tuesday and are officially out of the Club World Cup. Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC or another Mexican team, Club América, will likely be the late replacement in the United States next month after a yet-to-be-scheduled one-game playoff.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport said its judges rejected León’s attempt to overturn being removed by Fifa from the 32-team tournament for being in the same ownership group as another Club World Cup qualifier, Pachuca.
Continue reading...Watford have sacked Tom Cleverley as their head coach after the club finished 14th in the Championship in his first full season. Cleverley took over on an interim basis in March 2024 and was given the job permanently last summer. After five wins since the turn of the year, and one point from the final five games, the 35-year-old has lost his job.
The sporting director, Gian Luca Nani, said: “We thank Tom for his service – not just in his role as head coach but for everything he has given Watford as a player and member of staff.
Continue reading...Aston Villa officials have made clear the club’s unhappiness with the Premier League for agreeing to bring forward Tottenham’s trip to Villa Park by 48 hours in order to help them prepare for a Europa League final they have not reached yet.
Spurs were originally scheduled to play Villa on 18 May but the encounter will now take place on 16 May after a rescheduling request based on the club’s European commitments was accepted by the League. The Europa League final takes place in Bilbao on 21 May. Spurs lead Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt 3-1 after the first leg of their semi-final last Thursday and are perhaps right to feel confident about progressing to what would be their first major European final in six years before Thursday’s return at the Aspmyra Stadion, located in the Arctic Circle.
Continue reading...The Galaxy became the first team to lose a game without allowing a shot Sunday, falling to 0-11 after winning their sixth MLS Cup title in December.
Nottingham Forest aren’t finished just yet. A typically wholehearted performance from Nuno Espírito Santo’s side capped by an instinctive equaliser from Murillo rescued a point that could eventually prove priceless for their hopes of reaching the promised land of the Champions League.
It is to their immense credit that with three matches still to play, a team that ended last season in 17th place is still in contention to dine at Europe’s top table. Having fallen behind to Eberechi Eze’s penalty in front of a joyous Crystal Palace crowd still basking in the glory of their upcoming appearance in the FA Cup final, that Forest were back on terms within four minutes spoke volumes about the spirit Nuno has created at the two-time European champions since replacing Steve Cooper. Eze almost won it for Palace at the death but his shot cannoned off the crossbar to give the travelling supporters hope that their dreams could still come true.
Continue reading...Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros react to the LA Galaxy’s latest loss which still leaves them winless this MLS season. What is going on with the Galaxy and who is to blame for their abysmal form? Christian and Alexis then bring on Professional Referee Organization referees Natalie Simon and Alyssa Nichols to chat why they became refs and how VAR helps or hurts their jobs. Later, Christian and Alexis then react to the latest news around soccer in another edition of Rápido Reactions including Harry Kane’s first trophy, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s awkward goodbye & EA FC’s newest cover athlete.
The Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has been declared fit to return from a hamstring injury but is set to start on the bench in their Champions League semi-final second leg at Inter on Tuesday, the Barça manager, Hansi Flick, confirmed.
The 36-year-old Polish international, who has scored 40 goals for Barcelona in all competitions this season, had been sidelined for his club’s last four games. After sustaining the injury during Barça’s 4-3 victory against Celta Vigo on 19 April, he missed the Copa del Rey final victory against Real Madrid and the first leg of the semi against Inter.
Continue reading...In a freakish season at the top and bottom of the league, competing incentives for the rest are unusually fractured
As Eddie Howe delivered his post-match press conference after Newcastle’s draw against Brighton on Sunday, Chelsea, his club’s rivals for Champions League qualification, took an early lead against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. Howe gave a wry smile and was immediately asked whether it annoyed him that Liverpool had made six changes to their lineup from the side that had sealed the league title against Tottenham last week. Being Howe, and therefore both unflappable and impossibly earnest, he replied that team selection was their business: “Liverpool have got to do what Liverpool have got to do for them. I’m not involved in their football club, so I’ve got no opinion on that.”
And of course he was right to say so, partly because it’s true and partly because criticising other managers’ team selections is a slippery slope. All clubs have their own priorities and their job is to do what is right for them, with all due nods to the integrity of the league and satisfying those who have paid for tickets or broadcast rights. Liverpool have won the title early: giving fringe players a run out is a prerogative they have earned, and it’s not their concern how that affects other sides. But at the same time, Chelsea were given an easier game than they probably would have been had they met Liverpool a week or two earlier before the league title was wrapped up.
Continue reading...Simone Inzaghi dreamed of a quadruple but European success is now the Nerazzurri’s best chance of silverware
The Inter team that lined up to face Verona on Saturday was so heavily rotated it even included a backup manager. OK, their first-choice boss Simone Inzaghi was technically suspended, but seeing his assistant Massimiliano Farris trot out for the pre-game interview only reinforced a feeling that we were not about to watch the real thing.
For months, Inter had tried to compete at full focus on every front, Inzaghi speaking of the ambition to win a quadruple. Then they lost three games in a week, falling behind Napoli at the top of Serie A and suffering elimination from the Coppa Italia by neighbours Milan. Suddenly their most ambitious target, the Champions League, looked like it might be their most realistic shot at claiming any silverware.
Continue reading...Jamie Vardy targets double century, Jérémy Doku makes his mark and Arsenal rue the absence of Gabriel Magalhães
There is rarely an opportunity for champions to show a sentimental side. It is such hard work to win a title over a 38-game season, with the race often going down to the wire. Arne Slot had four matches to spare and used the trip to Stamford Bridge to give first league starts of the season to Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott. The former has been used frequently as a late sub while the latter is often brought on to make an attacking impact, but the form of their teammates and Elliott’s long-term injury have limited chances under Slot. Jarell Quansah was given a rare start and Federico Chiesa was permitted a fifth league game which qualifies him for a medal. The four have rarely let Liverpool down; no one can blame Quansah for the own goal but he looked understandably rusty and tired when he gave away the penalty. They will have to decide if they want to be bit-part players at a title-winning club or drop down to be key men elsewhere. Will Unwin
Match report: Chelsea 3-1 Liverpool
Match report: Brentford 4-3 Manchester United
Match report: Leicester 2-0 Southampton
Match report: Manchester City 1-0 Wolves
Match report: Aston Villa 1-0 Fulham
Continue reading...Kylian Mbappé scored twice as Real Madrid fought off a late comeback attempt from Celta Vigo to secure a 3-2 win on Sunday and stay within four points of the La Liga leaders Barcelona, whom they visit in next weekend’s Clásico.
Real’s fourth win in succession kept their title dream alive with four matches to go in the Spanish top flight, while Celta Vigo remained seventh after their third loss in four league games. “The most important thing was the win. We played a good first half, but then we fell apart … they are a great team and they put us in trouble,” midfielder Federico Valverde told Real Madrid TV.
Continue reading...A 26-year-old fan of Serie A side Atalanta was stabbed to death during clashes between Atalanta and Inter supporters in the northern city of Bergamo, Italy’s police said.
The groups of supporters clashed in a pub in Bergamo on Saturday night after one of the Inter supporters chanted provocatively, the head of the carabinieri office in Bergamo, Carmelo Beringheli, said.
Continue reading...RB Leipzig’s Yussuf Poulsen scored a stoppage-time goal to snatch a 3-3 draw against Bayern Munich on Saturday and delay the Bundesliga leaders’ title celebrations by at least a day. Poulsen struck seconds before the end to leave Bayern on 76 points, nine ahead of Leverkusen, who travel to Freiburg on Sunday. Bayern, with two games left to play, will secure their 34th league crown should Leverkusen fail to win.
It was supposed to be triumphant afternoon for Bayern, but they found themselves on the back foot from the start with the hosts piling on early pressure. Leipzig had two big chances before Benjamin Sesko completed a quick break with a superbly curled shot past Jonas Urbig in the 11th minute.
Continue reading...Andoni Iraola’s side came from behind to boost their European hopes with victory at the Emirates
Bournemouth get the ball rolling. Zabarnyi goes long down the right, looking for Tavernier. Too long. Goal kick.
The teams are out! Arsenal in their famous red shirts with white sleeves, Bournemouth in a third kit which [MBM reporter squints, adjusts pince-nez] “draws its inspiration from our seaside roots, finished in deep lagoon green with an aquatic themed design on the front featuring subtle seashells and waves.” We’ll kick off after a verse or two of North London Forever.
Continue reading...