Category: Sport News

Yamal’s breathtaking strike helped Spain beat France 2-1 in the semi-final in Munich.

Dani Olmo scored Spain’s second after Randal Kolo Muani had opened scoring for France and Spain will now face either England or Netherlands in Sunday’s final

The Netherlands came from behind to see off Turkey and set up a semi-final against England at Euro 2024.

An own goal from Mert Muldur, bundling the ball over his goalline under pressure from Cody Gakpo, meant the Dutch clawed back the lead having trailed at the break.

Centre-back Samet Akaydin had deservedly put Turkey in front when he headed in Arda Guler’s dinked cross, capping an impressive first-half display.

He ran over to the Turkey fans, kissed the badge on his shirt and knelt to pray in front of them, while substitutes sprinted down the touchline.

But their celebrations would not last as the Netherlands, who had a poor first half, responded after the break, buoyed by substitute Wout Weghorst.

They found an equaliser through Stefan de Vrij’s header, moments after Weghorst made a crucial interception inside his box to stop Turkey’s Kaan Ayhan from getting to a rebound.

Turkey almost doubled their lead when Real Madrid’s Guler bent a brilliant free-kick onto the post but did not capitalize when they had their chances.

It means Ronald Koeman’s side will now take on England in Dortmund on Wednesday 20:00 WAT after Gareth Southgate’s team beat Switzerland on penalties, with a place in the final against either France or Spain at stake.

Gareth Southgate’s side, who were rescued by Jude Bellingham’s spectacular late equaliser in the last 16 against Slovakia, were in trouble once more when Breel Embolo stole in at the far post to put Switzerland ahead with only 15 minutes left.

Bukayo Saka then produced a moment of individual brilliance of the sort England have relied on heavily throughout the tournament to equalise with a fierce low shot five minutes later.

Extra time failed to find a winner, England going through with a set of flawless penalties after goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saved Manuel Akanji’s first spot-kick.

Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Saka and Ivan Toney were all successful before substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold hammered home the decisive penalty in front of England’s delirious supporters.

They can now look forward to a semi-final against the Netherlands in Dortmund on Wednesday at 20:00 BST.

France beat Portugal in a penalty shootout to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2024 after a tense showdown in Hamburg.

Theo Hernandez scored the winning penalty after substitute Joao Felix hit the outside of the post with his effort, the only miss.

Players sprinted over to the other end of the pitch to celebrate with fans afterwards, while Portugal, who had overcome Slovenia via a shootout five days ago, were left feeling deflated while they applauded their supporters.

It marks the end of an era for Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who confirmed this week it would be his final Euros.

In the quarterfinals, the Spanish team defeated the hosts of the tournament, Germany, with a score of 2-1.

Germany become the first host nation ever to be knocked out of the European Championship at the quarter-final stage – heartbreak in Stuttgart and across the nation.

Mikel Merino is the last-gasp hero for Spain, who progress to face either France or Portugal in the first semi-final tie in Munich on Tuesday night.

On May 9, Spain will play against the winner of the Portugal vs. France match in the semifinals

Erik ten Hag has won two major trophies as Manchester United manager including last season’s FA Cup

Ten Hag’s future as United boss had been in doubt at the end of the season but the club decided to keep the Dutchman and he has been given an extra two years to continue at Old Trafford.

The deal continues on existing terms, and there is increased support around Ten Hag from strengthened football leadership.

Discussions also continue on the potential refresh of his coaching staff.

Turkey ended the beautiful run of Austria in the Euro 2024 last night, July 2, as coach Ralf Rangnick and his boys couldn’t do much against the Turkish side.

Austria stunned the world of football during the Euro 2024 group stage as they finished top of Group D, above European heavyweights like France, and the Netherlands.

Recall that Austria recorded two wins in the group stage, a 3-1 bashing of Poland, and a 3-2 unexpected victory over the Netherlands.

They were expected to continue with the form against Turkey but they couldn’t. They went behind as early as in the first minute of their round of 16 clash.

Merih Demiral scored the match opener in the first minute and the Turkish side maintained the slim lead throughout the first half.

In the 59th minute of the second half, Demiral scored his second goal of the match to make it 2-0 for Turkey.

Coach Ralf Rangnick and his boys didn’t go down without a fight as Michael Gregoritsch scored the consolation goal for the Austrians.

Quarter Final Fixtures:

Cristiano Ronaldo was reduced to tears after missing a penalty in extra time of Portugal’s round-of-16 match against Slovenia at Euro 2024.

The 39-year-old stepped up to take the spot-kick after Vanja Drkusic was deemed to have fouled Diogo Jota in the penalty box.

The match had been stuck at 0-0, with Ronaldo desperate to break the deadlock and book Portugal a place in the quarter-finals against France.

But his shot was saved by Slovenia goalkeeper Jan Oblak, who tipped the ball onto the post.
Shortly after, the players took a brief break as they reached the halfway point of extra time. Ronaldo was visibly distraught and was spotted in floods of tears.

The Portugal captain even needed a pep talk from team-mate Bruno Fernandes as they walked back out for the second half of extra time.

Fortunately for Ronaldo, Portugal still progressed to the quarter-finals by winning the resulting penalty shoot-out.

They are drawn alongside hosts Dominican Republic, Ecuador and New Zealand.

16 teams will compete for the title of world champions from October 16 to November 3.

Flamingos, throughout the qualifying campaign, were impeccably triumphing against the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, and Liberia to secure their eighth World Cup qualification.

Olowookere and his team will be looking to advance further after finishing third in the most recent competition in 2022.

Kenya and Zambia are the other African teams competing in the competition with the trio on the charge to give Africa its first title at this level.

Former Italian football star Roberto Baggio was robbed and assaulted at gunpoint in his northern Italy residence, according to local police.

Reuters reports that the incident occurred on Thursday evening, while Baggio was watching the Italy-Spain Euro 2024 match with his family. The perpetrators took advantage of the situation, stealing valuables from Baggio’s home.

According to reports, a group of at least five armed individuals forcibly entered Roberto Baggio’s villa in Altavilla Vicentina, northern Italy, at 10pm local time.

The intruders allegedly struck Baggio on the head with a gun butt, then confined him and his family to a room while they proceeded to steal valuable items, including jewelry, watches, and cash, as reported by Il Corriere della Sera.

The legend was said to have suffered a deep wound.

Reports indicate that Roberto Baggio, the former Ballon d’Or winner, courageously tried to confront the intruders, but one of them responded by striking him on the head with the butt of a gun.

Once the danger had passed, Baggio managed to break free from the room where he and his family were being held and promptly contacted the authorities to report the incident.

He was taken to hospital in Arzignano where he received stitches to his forehead, local sources reported. His family members were not harmed.

Baggio, 57, had a sterling career playing for top-tier clubs like Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan. He also made 56 appearances for the Italian national team, netting 27 goals, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in Italy’s football history.

England missed out on the chance to seal top spot in Group C with a match to spare as they drew 1-1 with Denmark in Frankfurt.

It was a familiar story from Gareth Southgate’s side, who do still sit top of the group with four points from their opening two games. They took an early lead as Harry Kane turned home from close range, but then sat back and allowed their opponents to take charge.

The Three Lions would have booked their place in the last-16 as group winners with victory, but instead have work to do against Slovenia if they are to avoid finishing second a likely clash with Germany.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will in the coming days charge Victor Osimhen, for improper conduct over his verbal attack on the former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria, Finidi George.

Finidi who was the coach of the team until Friday when he tendered his resignation letter following the announcement by the NFF that they will be appointing an expatriate coach, was called out by the Napoli forward who was angry over reports that the coach questioned his commitment to the team.

According to a board member of the NFF:

“Osimhen is a role model and the only way we can help the incoming coach stamp his authority is by using him to set an example. He crossed the line with his outburst even when Finidi called him to explain he still didn’t doom it fit to retract his statements.

We won’t condone that and after the Salah break, we will sit on the issue. I can tell you he won’t be in the team until he says sorry for his actions”, he concluded.

Nigeria winger, Chidera Ejuke has joined La Liga club, Sevilla on a three-year deal.

Ejuke linked up with Sevilla on a free transfer after leaving Russian club, CSKA Moscow at the end of last season.

The 26-year-old spent last season on loan at Belgian Pro League outfit, Royal Antwerp. The former Heerenveen player scored five goals and provided six assists in 39 appearances for Antwerp.

Ejuke also played for Antwerp in the UEFA Champions League last season.

He has been capped eight times by Nigeria.

Netherlands survived an early scare to defeat Poland 2-1 in Hamburg in the opening game of Group D at Euro 2024 as former Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst came off the bench to score a late winner.

The result means the Netherlands top the group ahead of France facing Austria in the other match from the opening gameweek in Düsseldorf on Monday.

NFF wanted him to continue in his role as Head Coach and they bring in a foreign Technical Adviser, but he decided to resign and allow the new foreign coach to be in charge of the team without him.

More to follow…

Erik Ten Hag will remain as manager of Manchester United following a post-season review by the club’s board.

It is understood Manchester United are now talking to Ten Hag about extending his contract, which is about to enter its final season.

United instigated their review immediately after the FA Cup final.

Ten Hag went into the game against Manchester City at Wembley amid a backdrop of reports claiming he was going to be sacked no matter the outcome.

Instead, United’s deserved 2-1 victory allowed the club hierarchy to approach the review in a more positive light.

Benin Republic beat the Super Eagles for the first time on Monday, defeating them 2-1. That scoreline leaves Nigeria’s World Cup qualification on the line.

Nigeria have only a miserable three points from four World Cup qualification games and are at the risk of missing the next football tournament.

World Cup Qualification table:

The club announced the departure of the Nigerian in a statement on its website on Friday.

The 27-year-old was released by the Foxes following the expiration of his contract.

The Midland club also added that talks are still ongoing with Wilfred Ndidi to extend his stay at the Kings Power stadium.

Iheanacho joined Leicester from Manchester City in 2017 on a five-year deal. He then signed an improved three-year contract with the club in 2021.

“Also leaving Filbert Way is Kelechi Iheanacho, bringing to an end his seven-year stint in the East Midlands,” the statement reads.

“Signing from Manchester City in August 2017, the popular forward has scored 61 goals in Leicester colours, including the winner against his former club in the FA Community Shield final at Wembley in August 2021.”

Iheanacho’s most productive season with the Foxes was the 2020/21 campaign when he scored 19 goals in 39 matches. He also scooped one English Premier League (EPL) player of the month that season.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are set to face South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in a crucial 2026 World Cup qualifier match at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Friday.

The match is pivotal for both teams as they vie for the top spot in Group C.

Nigeria, currently third in the FIFA World Cup African qualifiers table, is looking to secure a win that would catapult them to the top of the group before their next match against Benin Republic.

The Super Eagles have drawn their first two games, both ending 1-1 against Lesotho and Zimbabwe, leaving them in a tight spot against second-placed South Africa.

The reason is the overcrowded FIFA calendar at the end of next season which includes the new expanded format of the Club World Cup, held in June and July 2025.

More to follow…

Kylian Mbappe has reportedly signed his contract to join Real Madrid as a free agent ahead of next season.

Mbappe, 25, told PSG back in February that he will leave the club when his contract expires this summer.

The forward has long-been linked with a move to Real Madrid in a long-running transfer saga and almost joined Los Blancos in the summer of 2022, before he made a late u-turn and penned a new deal with the Ligue 1 side.

But now, he will finally represent the Spanish giants after Fabrizio Romano claimed everything has been agreed and that Mbappe had penned a contract with the club.

🚨⚪️ Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid, HERE WE GO! Every document has been signed, sealed and completed.

Real Madrid, set to announce Mbappé as new signing next week after winning the Champions League.

Mbappé made his decision in February; he can now be considered new Real player. pic.twitter.com/MMqEp1C0pK

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 2, 2024