NYON, Switzerland: The path to the 2024 Paris Olympics for European women’s soccer teams was made clearer on Tuesday when UEFA made the group-stage draw for the inaugural Women’s Nations League.
Two teams will advance from the top-tier Nations League Finals in February to join Olympic host France in the 12-team lineup in July next year. The Olympic tournament already includes 2019 Women’s World Cup winner the United States, Brazil and Colombia.
The Nations League Finals will involve winners of the four League A groups drawn on Tuesday that will play from September to December.
European champion England was grouped with Netherlands, the 2019 Women’s World Cup beaten finalist, plus their respective neighbors and rivals Scotland and Belgium.
Sweden, the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist, was drawn with Spain, Italy and Switzerland.
Germany will play Denmark, Iceland and Wales.
France’s group includes Norway, Austria and Portugal.
If England advances to the Paris Olympics, the team will represent Britain as it did in Tokyo.
The first Women’s Nations League involves 51 of the 55 UEFA member federations playing in three tiers. Russia is banned because of the country’s military invasion of Ukraine. No entry was submitted by Gibraltar, Liechtenstein or San Marino.
Path to Paris Olympics set for European women’s soccer teams
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Path to Paris Olympics set for European women’s soccer teams
- Germany will play Denmark, Iceland and Wales
- France’s group includes Norway, Austria and Portugal
Sharjah stun Al-Taawoun in late semifinal turnaround
- 2 goals in added time put UAE side through to AFC Champions League Two final
- Saudi team led from first leg, missed early chances to put tie beyond reach
SHARJAH: Sharjah scored twice in injury time on Tuesday to beat Al-Taawoun 2-1 on aggregate and move into the final of the AFC Champions League Two.
Trailing from the first leg of the semifinal in Saudi Arabia, the team from the UAE were facing defeat until goals in the 94th and 99th minutes turned the tie on its head and broke Al-Taawoun hearts.
The Saudi Pro League team have only themselves to blame as they could have been out of sight after 15 minutes.
Seconds after the start, Sultan Mandash raced free of the defense only to pull his shot just wide. Then, in the third minute, a defensive slip from Cho Yu-min gave Musa Barrow a golden chance just outside the area, but with just Adel Al-Hosani to beat, the Gambian pulled his first-time shot just wide.
Undeterred, the men from Buraidah continued to pour forward in a threatening fashion and were then given a penalty. In the 10th minute, Roger Martinez went down under a challenge in the area from Abdulrahman Shahin and while the referee gave nothing, VAR thought otherwise and the penalty was awarded.
Up stepped Dutch midfielder Aschraf El-Mahdioui, but the midfielder’s low shot was too close to the goalkeeper and too tame and Al-Hosani made the save.
It gave the home team and their fans a real lift. Al-Taawoun almost paid for their wastefulness midway through the first half. Free just inside the box, Ousmane Camara should have scored but his low shot was well saved by Abdulquddus Atiah.
It was then Al-Hosani’s turn to turn away a fierce drive from Faycal Fajr as the first half ended goalless.
The game remained in the balance. Midway through the second half, Luanzinho saw his free kick bounce off the top of the net. Soon after, Atiah had to get down well to make a save from a cross that had bounced through the area.
As Al-Taawoun defended more deeply, Sharjah continued to push forward in search of an equalizer.
It came, four minutes into injury time as Camara bundled home at the far post after Al-Taawoun had failed to deal with a free kick.
Five minutes later, the dramatic turnaround was complete. Caio Lucas slipped the ball into the left side of the area for Firas Ben Larbi to smash a first-time shot home. The home fans went crazy while the visitors sank to the floor in the knowledge that a glorious chance for Asian silverware had been snatched away.
The Emirati club will play either Lion City Sailors of Singapore or Australia’s Sydney FC in the final on May 18.
Iraq boots Casas citing unpermitted exit as World Cup hopes hang by a thread
- “We officially informed FIFA with that decision,” the IFA said
- Casas, 51, had been in charge since 2022 and led Iraq to lift the 2023 Gulf Cup
BAGHDAD: Iraq has sacked national team coach Jesus Casas Garcia after the Spanish manager left the country without permission, the Iraqi Football Association (IFA) said on Tuesday.
“The association announces the termination of the contract of Spanish coach Jesus Casas Garcia and his technical staff due to their serious breach of contractual obligations, including leaving the country without official permission and failing to comply with invitations and warnings issued to them by the association. We officially informed FIFA with that decision,” the IFA said in a statement on its Facebook page.
Casas, 51, had been in charge since 2022 and led Iraq to lift the 2023 Gulf Cup on home soil.
The dismissal comes after Iraq’s World Cup qualifying campaign hit turbulence with a 2-2 draw against Kuwait and a 2-1 defeat to Palestine last month.
Currently sitting third in Group B of the Asian qualifiers with 12 points, Iraq face a must-win scenario in their final two matches against South Korea and Jordan in June to have any chance of securing automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
McTominay and Lukaku power title-chasing Napoli to 3-0 win over Empoli
- McTominay nets twice to lead hosts to victory
- Lukaku sets up both goals and scores himself
NAPLES, Italy: Napoli cruised to a 3-0 win over relegation-threatened Empoli on Monday with Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku leading the charge as the hosts kept pace with Serie A leaders Inter Milan.
Second-placed Napoli were feeling the pressure after Inter’s 3-1 home win against Cagliari on Saturday but, with six rounds remaining, they trail the Milan side by three points with 68.
The Napoli duo were unstoppable at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona against Empoli, who are second from bottom and two points off the safety zone. The home side created chance after chance and wreaked havoc on the Empoli defense.
“Romelu is a great teammate. He demands a lot from all the team and me to score more goals and create more opportunities for him to score as well,” McTominay told DAZN.
“He’s obviously a great player. He’s had a great career, and we’re so happy to have him.”
It took 18 minutes for Napoli to open the scoring as Lukaku battled free in midfield and passed to the onrushing McTominay, whose low long-range shot bounced over Empoli goalkeeper Devis Vasquez’s outstretched hand and into the corner of the net.
Belgium striker Lukaku added his name to the scoresheet in the 56th minute, latching onto a perfect through ball inside the box and easily finding the net to double the advantage.
McTominay completed his brace in the 61st, again assisted by Lukaku who whipped a cross in from the right for the unmarked Scotsman to power home a header off the underside of the bar.
The two players linked up again shortly after as Lukaku played in McTominay for a counter-attack but the hat-trick opportunity was thwarted by the inside of the post.
Napoli’s comfortable evening took a hit in front of a noisy home crowd minutes later when Napoli defender Juan Jesus had to go off because of what looked like a hamstring injury.
Lukaku had one more chance just before being substituted but could not quite control David Neres’s cross and sent it wide.
In the dying minutes, McTominay had an opportunity to put the ball in the net again from close range but Vazquez produced a stunning save and the flag was in any case up for offside.
With the season moving toward a thrilling finale, McTominay said the focus must be on themselves despite Inter’s advantage.
“We must have fun and think about ourselves. We’re a strong team and must continue with this playing style and attitude. We must think about ourselves and then we’ll see what Inter will do.”
Napoli have a relatively easy run-in on paper with all of their last six opponents currently 10th or lower in the table. They next travel to bottom club Monza on Saturday.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe recovering from pneumonia
- 47-year-old sat out Sunday’s 4-1 Premier League win at home to Manchester United as he was kept in hospital
NEWCASTLE: Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is recovering in hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia and will miss this week’s matches, the Premier League club said on Monday.
The 47-year-old sat out Sunday’s 4-1 Premier League win at home to Manchester United as he was kept in hospital after feeling unwell for several days.
He missed Newcastle securing their first league double over the Old Trafford side since the 1930-31 season.
“A huge thank you to everyone connected with Newcastle United and the wider football community for your messages and warm wishes. They have meant a lot to me and my family,” Howe said in a statement from the club.
Howe has become a hero in Newcastle after arriving at the club in 2021 after coaching Bournemouth and Burnley.
He led the club to a League Cup final triumph over Liverpool in March, becoming the first home-grown coach to win one of England’s top domestic honors since 2008 and securing the club’s first domestic trophy in 70 years.
He was celebrated by 150,000 Newcastle fans in the streets of the city and honored with a massive banner unfurled outside St. James’ Park.
Jason Tindall and Graeme Jones will take charge of the team for the matches against visitors Crystal Palace on Wednesday and away to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Newcastle are fourth in the table with 56 points.
Messi and Miami fire blanks in front of record Chicago Fire crowd
- Chicago, coached by former USA boss Gregg Berhalter, limited Messi and his former Barcelona strike partner Luis Suarez to just a handful of opportunities
- The Fire should have grabbed all three points in the 88th minute when Bamba’s shot was parried out by Ustari but Maren Haile-Selassie put the follow-up shot wide
WASHINGTON: Inter Miami failed to score for the first time this season in Major League Soccer as they were held to a goalless draw by the Chicago Fire on Sunday.
A club-record crowd of 62,358 packed into Soldier Field for the visit of Lionel Messi and his Inter team to witness a gutsy display from the home side.
Chicago, coached by former USA boss Gregg Berhalter, limited Messi and his former Barcelona strike partner Luis Suarez to just a handful of opportunities.
The best effort from Messi, who played the full game, came in the third minute when he unleashed a snap shot from outside the box which was denied by a fine, diving save from Fire keeper Chris Brady.
There was no sense of Chicago being overawed by the big crowd at the stadium they share with the NFL’s Bears and they went close twice in the opening half with Mauricio Pineda forcing Oscar Ustari into a full stretch save and then Philip Zinckernagel striking the outside of the post from a narrow angle.
Suarez had a great chance to put Miami ahead just before the break when Noah Allen floated a ball in but the Uruguayan puts his shot over the bar.
After the break, Chicago enjoyed plenty of pressure with much of the creativity coming from former Lille winger Jonathan Bamba.
The Fire should have grabbed all three points in the 88th minute when Bamba’s shot was parried out by Ustari but Maren Haile-Selassie put the follow-up shot wide.
Bamba was denied again by Ustari moments later but in a frantic finale, Miami also could have stolen a win but, from a promising position, Tadeo Allende dragged his shot wide.
Miami had looked tired after their midweek exertions in their CONCACAF Champions Cup win over Los Angeles FC on Wednesday and coach Javier Mascherano appeared relieved they had picked up a point.
“We came with a very, very big load not only physically, but also mentally. So not losing is always important, too,” he said.
“I’ll take the positives, which is that we didn’t concede a goal. We’d been conceding goals for three games, and today we kept a clean sheet. ... Now, luckily, we have a long week of work, which is a bit of a break for us, after the start of the season we’ve had,” he said.
Former Miami coach Phil Neville saw his improving Portland Timbers team enjoy a 4-2 win at Sporting Kansas City with Venezuelan forward Kevin Kelsy scoring twice.
Portland are unbeaten in five games and move up to fourth in the Western Conference.
The Columbus Crew fought back from a goal down to enjoy a 2-1 win at St. Louis City.
Brazilian Joao Klauss opened the scoring for the home side before Crew defender Steven Moreira levelled with a side-footed volley.
Uruguayan Diego Rossi secured the win with a low drive from outside the box in the 55th minute.
