Corner kings Arsenal beat Man Utd to close gap on Liverpool

Corner kings Arsenal beat Man Utd to close gap on Liverpool
Arsenal's William Saliba, left, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Manchester United at Emirates stadium in London, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 05 December 2024
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Corner kings Arsenal beat Man Utd to close gap on Liverpool

Corner kings Arsenal beat Man Utd to close gap on Liverpool

LONDON: Arsenal worked their set-piece magic to beat Manchester United 2-0 on Wednesday, ending Ruben Amorim’s unbeaten start to life in the Old Trafford hotseat and closing the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool.

United frustrated the home side and kept the crowd quiet at the Emirates in a cagey first half but Jurrien Timber broke the deadlock from a corner after the break and William Saliba repeated the feat.

The win leaves Arsenal in third place in the Premier League, behind Chelsea on goal difference and seven points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who were held to a 3-3 draw at Newcastle.

Amorim made six changes from the team that brushed Everton aside 4-0 at the weekend, dropping in-form Amad Diallo and Marcus Rashford from his starting line-up.

Gabriel was a significant absence from Arsenal’s defense, joining Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori on the injury list.

Amorim traveled to London with two wins and a draw from three matches in all competitions, keenly aware that Arsenal would be his biggest test yet.

The Gunners hogged possession in the opening moments and had the ball in the net in the fourth minute through Gabriel Martinelli, only for it to be ruled out for offside.

Mikel Arteta’s men should have been ahead just minutes later when Thomas Partey skewed his header wide from a corner.

Martinelli flashed just wide from another corner midway through the first half as Arsenal continued to look dangerous from set-pieces.

United were content to bide their time when they had the ball but they looked blunt in attack.

The visitors could have gone in ahead at half-time had Diogo Dalot not steered just wide with a right-footed shot in the 43rd minute.

The two teams, both in goalscoring form, produced a combined five shots in the opening 45 minutes, with none on target.

The game picked up tempo at the start of the second half, with Diallo replacing Tyrell Malacia for United.

Feeding off a more vocal crowd, a re-energised Arsenal put United under pressure, finally breaking the deadlock when Timber headed his first goal for the club from a Declan Rice corner.

Amorim reacted quickly, bringing on forward Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee and handing French teenage defender Leny Yoro his United debut.

Diallo won a free-kick after fine work on the right in the 66th minute and Arsenal were grateful to goalkeeper David Raya, who pushed away a powerful Matthijs de Ligt header from Bruno Fernandes’s free-kick.

Arsenal doubled their lead from a Bukayo Saka corner in the 73rd minute when Partey’s shot hit Saliba and beat Andre Onana.

Arsenal have scored more goals from corners — 21 — than any other side in the Premier League since the start of last season.

Onana got down well to save a Kai Havertz shot as Arsenal threatened to cut loose.

United just about managed to keep them out but Amorim will know that he has a big job on his hands.


Swiss move through to Euro 2025 quarterfinals with late Xhemaili goal

Swiss move through to Euro 2025 quarterfinals with late Xhemaili goal
Updated 42 sec ago
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Swiss move through to Euro 2025 quarterfinals with late Xhemaili goal

Swiss move through to Euro 2025 quarterfinals with late Xhemaili goal
  • Switzerland, who needed only a draw to advance based on goal difference, finished second in Group A behind Norway to go through to the knockout round for the first time
  • The desolate Finland players collapsed to the pitch in tears at the final whistle, while the Swiss lingered after the game’s end to pose for pictures

GENEVA: Switzerland’s Riola Xhemaili scored a last-gasp goal to salvage a dramatic 1-1 draw with Finland on Thursday that sent the joyous hosts through to the quarterfinals at Euro 2025, and heartbroken Finland home.

Switzerland, who needed only a draw to advance based on goal difference, finished second in Group A behind Norway to go through to the knockout round for the first time, and will face the winners of Group B, which would be world champions Spain as things stand now.

“I think we set ourselves a goal on the pitch, to write history, to go into the knockout stages, which we’ve never done before,” Swiss captain Lia Walti said.

Finland looked to be heading for the knockout round after Natalia Kuikka scored a penalty in the 79th minute, awarded after Viola Calligaris’s foul on Emma Koivisto. Center-back Kuikka calmly slotted home a low shot as Swiss goalkeeper Livia Peng dived the wrong way.

But, roared on by the home crowd, the Swiss kept up the attack in the breathless dying moments and Xhemaili, a second-half substitute, scored in the 92nd minute when Geraldine Reuteler mis-hit her shot on goal and Xhemaili was there to tap it in, blowing the roof off at Stade de Geneve.

“I really have to say that I didn’t think that we’re going home because I really believed in this team, until the last second, and I knew we were going to score,” Xhemaili said.

“I knew that Geraldine Reuteler, she will hit the target, of course, because she’s one of our best players, so I was like, just stay on the right spot in the right moment and wait until the ball is coming and it did.”

The desolate Finland players collapsed to the pitch in tears at the final whistle, while the Swiss lingered after the game’s end to pose for pictures and their famed manager Pia Sundhage wrapped her assistants in huge hugs.

But for most of the nervy night, the game was far from a classic, with desperation showing in both sides with the stakes sky high.

Switzerland started brightly and put Finnish goalkeeper Anna Koivunen to work early with a couple of chances. But momentum shifted midway through the half to quiet the nervous crowd and Peng made a huge save on the goal-line seconds before the break to preserve the draw.

Intensity picked up over the second half and Sundhage threw virtually every attacker on her bench into the game in search of the equalizer, with the Swiss ending the night with 15 shots to Finland’s six.

“I am going to dance tonight,” a smiling Sundhage told SRF.

Kuikka said Switzerland were the better team on the night.

“They came to the game like they wanted to win and it kind of showed,” she said.


Healy wins hilly 6th stage, Van der Poel takes yellow jersey from Pogacar at Tour de France

Healy wins hilly 6th stage, Van der Poel takes yellow jersey from Pogacar at Tour de France
Updated 24 min 6 sec ago
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Healy wins hilly 6th stage, Van der Poel takes yellow jersey from Pogacar at Tour de France

Healy wins hilly 6th stage, Van der Poel takes yellow jersey from Pogacar at Tour de France
  • The 24-year-old Healy had won a stage on the Giro d’Italia before, but this was his first victory at cycling’s showcase race
  • The Slovenian star accelerated at the end of the stage but could not quite do enough to stop the yellow jersey going to the 30-year-old Dutchman Van der Poel, who is not considered a race contender

VIRE NORMANDIE, France: Irish rider Ben Healy won a hilly sixth stage of the Tour de France after a long solo breakaway on Thursday and Mathieu van der Poel took back the yellow jersey from defending champion Tadej Pogacar by one second.

The 24-year-old Healy had won a stage on the Giro d’Italia before, but this was his first victory at cycling’s showcase race.

“A stage win in the Tour is just unbelievable, it’s what I’ve worked for,” he said. “I grew up watching the Tour and wishing one day I could just be there. Participating in the Tour is already an achievement and to win a stage is just so so amazing.”

American rider Quinn Simmons finished 2 minutes, 44 seconds behind Healy in second place and Australian Michael Storer was 2:51 back in third spot.

Van der Poel finished eighth, and Pogacar was a little further back in ninth.

Stage 6 took riders over 201.5 kilometers (125 miles) from Bayeux to Vire Normandie, featuring six minor climbs before a sharp uphill finish with a 10 percent gradient.

The Slovenian star accelerated at the end of the stage but could not quite do enough to stop the yellow jersey going to the 30-year-old Dutchman Van der Poel, who is not considered a race contender.

“I would have loved to have a bit more than one second but I’m happy to have it again,” said Van der Poel, who struggled with the heat. “I’ll try my best to recover as good as possible and then we’ll see tomorrow, but first I’m going to enjoy the yellow jersey. I will probably only have it for one day.”

Two-time Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard finished 10th, just behind Pogacar, and is fifth overall.

The route favored allrounders and an experienced-looking eight-rider breakaway, including Stage 2 winner Van der Poel and Giro d’Italia champion Simon Yates, pulled away from the yellow jersey group around three-time Tour winner Pogacar.

Riding through rolling countryside they opened up a four-minute lead with 40 kilometers to go, which is when Healy decided to go for the stage win and pulled away from his rivals, who could not follow.

“Today’s stage really suited me, I had circled this day from the start,” Healy said. “I knew I needed to get away from the group, I think I timed it well and I caught them by surprise a little bit. Then I knew what I had to do: just put my head down.”

Friday’s stage is also hilly

Stage 7 is 197 kilometers long, starting from the port city of Saint-Malo and finishing with a climb up Mûr-de-Bretagne in Britanny’s picturesque Côtes-d’Armor department.

“When you see how Tadej is riding,” Van der Poel said, “if he attacks tomorrow, or Jonas as well, it will be very difficult not only for me but for the whole bunch to follow on this climb.”


Wenger defends Club World Cup amid Klopp criticism

Wenger defends Club World Cup amid Klopp criticism
Updated 11 July 2025
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Wenger defends Club World Cup amid Klopp criticism

Wenger defends Club World Cup amid Klopp criticism
  • Wenger: Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and I don’t share Jurgen Klopp’s view at all. I feel that a Club World Cup, a REAL Club World Cup was needed
  • Wenger also pointed to the unexpectedly high attendance figures as evidence of the competition’s success

NEW YORK: Arsene Wenger has dismissed Jurgen Klopp’s criticism of FIFA’s revamped 32-team Club World Cup, calling the tournament a “fantastic competition” and emphasizing the support it has received from participating teams, players, and managers.

Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, described the expanded summer competition as “the worst idea ever invented” in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt two weeks ago. Wenger, now FIFA’s chief of Global Football Development, countered these remarks on Thursday during a FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG) briefing in New York.

“Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and I don’t share Jurgen Klopp’s view at all,” Wenger told reporters. “I feel that a Club World Cup, a REAL Club World Cup was needed. If you make an inquiry today with all the clubs who were here at this competition, I’m basically sure that we have 100 percent of answers of people who want to do this again. So that’s basically the best answer.”

Wenger also pointed to the unexpectedly high attendance figures as evidence of the competition’s success. “The decisive question is, do the fans like it? Attendance projections were low, but in reality, they were much higher. The answer is there,” he added.

The tournament has provided FIFA with a testing ground ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will take place across North America. Wenger acknowledged that the summer heat in the US posed challenges but said FIFA has learned valuable lessons to address these issues.

“The heat in some games was a problem,” Wenger admitted. “We tried to combat that with cooling breaks and watering the pitches during breaks. We learned a lot on that front.”

He singled out Orlando as one of the venues where pitch conditions proved difficult, though he praised the quality of natural grass pitches overall. Philadelphia’s surface, he said, would serve as a benchmark for future competitions in the US.

Looking ahead, Wenger said FIFA is considering using covered stadiums in cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Houston to host early matches in next year’s tournaments. He also revealed that FIFA analysts have studied the impact of heat on player performance, finding that temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) affect high-speed running and sprints more than overall distances covered.

“Certainly next year, there will be more roofed stadiums as we have to follow the TV schedule. We are learning to be better equipped to deal with these conditions,” Wenger said.

The inaugural 32-team Club World Cup concludes on Sunday, with Paris St. Germain taking on Chelsea in the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.


Tottenham signs forward Mohammed Kudus from West Ham

Tottenham signs forward Mohammed Kudus from West Ham
Updated 11 July 2025
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Tottenham signs forward Mohammed Kudus from West Ham

Tottenham signs forward Mohammed Kudus from West Ham

LONDON: Tottenham completed the signing of Ghana forward Mohammed Kudus from West Ham on Thursday and was reportedly close to adding Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White as well.

Tottenham did not disclose details of the deal for Kudus but British media said it was worth 55 million pounds . The 24-year-old Kudus scored 19 goals in 80 appearances for West Ham during a two-year spell after joining from Ajax.

Tottenham is rebuilding under new coach Thomas Frank and Gibbs-White was reportedly set to have a medical at Tottenham ahead of a proposed 60-million  transfer.

Gibbs-White joined Forest in the summer of 2022 following their promotion to the Premier League and was instrumental in delivering European football to the club for the first time since 1996, with seven goals and eight assists in 34 Premier League games this past season.

 


Jorge Jesus set to return to Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr: Portuguese media

Jorge Jesus set to return to Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr: Portuguese media
Updated 10 July 2025
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Jorge Jesus set to return to Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr: Portuguese media

Jorge Jesus set to return to Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr: Portuguese media
  • Jesus is expected to arrive in Riyadh on Monday to sign a contract and begin pre-season preparations

RIYADH: Portuguese media have reported that Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr have reached an agreement with coach Jorge Jesus to take charge of the club’s first team ahead of the 2025-26 season.

According to A Bola, one of Portugal’s leading sports newspapers, Jesus is expected to arrive in Riyadh on Monday to sign a contract and begin pre-season preparations. 

The deal is reportedly for one year with an option to extend, and is being described as one of the most high-profile managerial moves of the summer considering Jesus’ time with Al-Hilal.

While Al-Nassr has yet to confirm the appointment, the return of Jesus to the Saudi Pro League, this time with Al-Hilal’s fierce rivals, would mark a major development ahead of the new season. 

Reports also suggest that Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo played a key role in endorsing Jesus for the job, owing to their close relationship and Ronaldo’s belief in the coach’s ability to lead Al-Nassr back to silverware.