LISBON, Portugal: Premier League leader Arsenal were held 2-2 at Sporting Lisbon in their Europa League round-of-16 first-leg match Thursday.
Hidemasa Morita’s own goal in the 62nd minute salvaged the draw for Arsenal ahead of the return leg at Emirates Stadium next Thursday for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Morita deflected Granit Xhaka’s long-distance drive into his own net.
Arsenal, boosted by a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Bournemouth on Saturday, dominated early possession and went ahead through William Saliba.
The defender headed in the opener for Arsenal from a corner from Fábio Vieira to capitalize on early pressure in the 22nd.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made six changes to his starting lineup compared with Saturday, giving defender Jakub Kiwior his debut at the back alongside Saliba.
Arsenal strikers Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah were missing for the game in Lisbon while former Arsenal right back Hector Bellerin was not available for Sporting due to a knee injury.
Sporting equalized with almost an identical reply as Arsenal’s defense looked vulnerable.
Gonçalo Inácio headed home off a Marcus Edwards corner past goalkeeper Matt Turner 12 minutes after Saliba’s goal.
It was Sporting’s first goal against Arsenal in their fifth encounter in European competitions.
Ten minutes into the second half, Sporting turned the game around, with Paulinho putting the hosts ahead on a rebound.
Arsenal held 2-2 at Sporting in Europa League round of 16
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Arsenal held 2-2 at Sporting in Europa League round of 16
- Hidemasa Morita's own goal in the 62nd minute salvaged the draw for Arsenal
- Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made six changes to his starting lineup compared with Saturday
Man City sign kit deal worth reported £1 billion
- City’s extension of their contract with Puma ranks as the largest kit manufacturing partnership
- “We joined forces with Puma with the ambition to challenge ourselves and go beyond the expectations,” City Football Group chief executive Ferran Soriano said
LONDON: Manchester City have signed a blockbuster new kit deal with Puma worth a reported £1 billion ($1.34 billion) over the next 10 years.
City’s extension of their contract with Puma ranks as the largest kit manufacturing partnership in Premier League history.
Having agreed a £65 million per year deal with the German company in 2019, City’s new arrangement is believed to be worth a £100 million per year until 2035, according to British media reports.
That figure shatters the £90 million per year deal signed by Manchester United with Adidas in 2023.
Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are both reported to have kit deals worth in excess of £100 million per year.
“We joined forces with Puma with the ambition to challenge ourselves and go beyond the expectations. We have achieved this and more over the last six seasons,” City Football Group chief executive Ferran Soriano said.
“Puma have seamlessly integrated into our organization, and we have enjoyed many historic moments together, engaging fans globally.”
Puma chief executive Arthur Hoeld added: “Puma’s partnership with Manchester City has been a great success both on and off the pitch.
“Trophies, a perfect stage for our performance products and commercial success were exceptional.”
City’s massive deal comes after the club’s first season without major silverware since 2016-17.
Pep Guardiola’s men finished third in the Premier League after winning the title for the previous four seasons.
They also suffered a shock FA Cup final defeat against Crystal Palace and crashed out of the recent Club World Cup in the last 16 against Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.
Chelsea’s Club World Cup triumph a ‘statement’, but what might be the cost?
- Maresca could not have asked for much more after arriving off the back of leading Leicester City to promotion
NEW YORK: For Chelsea, victory in Sunday’s Club World Cup decider completed a fine first season under Enzo Maresca, and also finally brought the curtain down on a marathon campaign that they must hope does not catch up with them down the line.
The Cole Palmer-inspired 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain at the MetLife Stadium outside New York was Chelsea’s 64th game of a season which lasted 11 months.
By any measure it was one of Chelsea’s best ever campaigns, with their Club World Cup triumph — placed on a par by Maresca to winning the Champions League — following victory in the UEFA Conference League and a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League.
Maresca, an ex-assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, could not have asked for much more after arriving off the back of leading Leicester City to promotion.
“It has been a fantastic season but I am especially happy for the players,” said the Italian, who has succeeded in putting together a coherent team out of the endless line of new signings being brought in by the club’s owners.
“We have said many times that talent alone is not enough. You need to find a way for them to all fit together.”
It all represents considerable progress from just two years ago, when the Stamford Bridge side finished in the bottom half of the Premier League.
Maresca incorporated more new faces during the Club World Cup, with Joao Pedro making a remarkable impact — the Brazilian forward cut short a holiday to complete a £60 million ($79 million) transfer from Brighton and Hove Albion, and went on to score twice in the semifinal against Fluminense and once in the final.
Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr and Andrey Santos all joined up ahead of the month in the United States, while Jamie Gittens has since arrived from Borussia Dortmund and fellow winger Estevao Willian now joins from Palmeiras in Brazil.
Chelsea will hope those signings, added to a squad led by the likes of Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, can make a real push for the Premier League title off the back of their impressive triumph at FIFA’s new tournament.
“It’s a big statement,” captain Reece James told English media shortly after lifting the trophy alongside US President Donald Trump.
“I’m happy with how much the club has progressed and how next season you know we’ll be competing in the Premier League, to win the title and compete, and to go far in the Champions League as well.”
Chelsea have also pocketed a stunning $115 million in prize money from the Club World Cup, but what if there comes a point in 2025/26 when their exploits of this season catch up with them?
While Chelsea have been competing at the Club World Cup in draining weather conditions, Premier League champions Liverpool and runners-up Arsenal have enjoyed extended off-season breaks.
Manchester City were also at the Club World Cup but they went out over a week earlier.
Global players’ union FIFPro has been the leading voices expressing concerns about the demands on the game’s biggest stars in an ever-expanding calendar.
One of the safeguards it proposed in a study published before the tournament was a mandatory four-week off-season break, along with four-week retraining periods before returning to competition.
Chelsea’s off-season is drastically reduced, with their first match of the next Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace slated for August 17, exactly five weeks after the Club World Cup final. They have a friendly against Bayer Leverkusen on August 8.
“Tomorrow I have three weeks of holiay which is all I want right now because I have not stopped in 15 months,” said Maresca on Sunday.
It remains to be seen if Maresca and his players come back sufficiently refreshed before attacking a season in which they hope to go far in the Champions League, and which will end with the World Cup in North America.
PSG face an even tighter squeeze after a historic campaign for Luis Enrique’s team, capped by their triumph in the Champions League final.
Their first competitive match of next season will be the UEFA Super Cup against Tottenham Hotspur in Italy on August 13, exactly one month after their defeat in New York — a chance to win more silverware, but at what cost?
Chelsea boss Maresca hails ‘great triumph’ in winning Club World Cup
- Maresca: I have the feeling that this competition is going to be as important, if not more important than, the Champions League
- Maresca only took over at Chelsea a year ago but was previously on the coaching staff under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City when they won the Champions League in 2023
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey: Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca insisted winning the Club World Cup meant as much as winning the Champions League after his side beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final of the first edition of FIFA’s new competition on Sunday.
“I have the feeling that this competition is going to be as important, if not more important than, the Champions League,” said Maresca after adding the trophy to the UEFA Conference League title his team won in May.
Maresca only took over at Chelsea a year ago but was previously on the coaching staff under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City when they won the Champions League in 2023.
“I was lucky to be on the coaching staff of a team that won the Champions League a few years ago, but this competition features the best teams in the world and I think we can value it on the same level,” said the Italian.
“It is a great triumph for us and it will allow the Chelsea fans to have that on our shirt for the next four years, so it is a source of pride.”
Maresca said he instructed his players to go out and take the game to PSG from the off — they went on to net all three goals in the first half with Cole Palmer netting a brace before Joao Pedro added his name to the scoresheet.
“The message was to let them understand that we were here to win the game and I think in the first 10 minutes we showed them that,” Maresca said.
“That set the tone of the game, and then the quality of the players was also important.”
England international Palmer was named player of the match after bagging a brace and setting up Joao Pedro’s goal.
The 23-year-old therefore lived up to his superstar billing — his face has appeared on billboards around New York advertising the tournament, alongside the likes of Real Madrid duo Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
“To score the goals was a great feeling, as was the way the team showed fire out there — the gaffer’s game plan was spot on,” he said.
“I just try to do my job every time I go onto the pitch and hopefully I will continue.
“I have seen the billboards in Times Square and outside Madison Square Garden and it is obviously a nice feeling to be alongside those players,” he added.
Rampant England and France reach Women’s Euro 2025 quarterfinals
- England will face Sweden in Zurich on Thursday, a repeat of the semifinal at the last Euros three years ago which the Lionesses won 4-0
- France will take on Germany in Basel in the last quarterfinal on Saturday, and are on the same side of the knockout draw as world champions Spain who face hosts Switzerland on Friday
ST. GALLEN, Switzerland: Holders England reached the quarterfinals of Women’s Euro 2025 on Sunday after thrashing Wales 6-1 and taking second place in Group D behind France, who won 5-2 in a thrilling match with the Netherlands.
Georgia Stanway started England on their way from the penalty spot in the 13th minute and further goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones made sure of passage to the last eight.
England will face Sweden in Zurich on Thursday, a repeat of the semifinal at the last Euros three years ago which the Lionesses won 4-0.
But the Swedes look a tough proposition after topping Group C with a perfect nine points and swatting aside Germany on Saturday.
“We just wanted to be confident and enjoy it and I think we obviously play better football when we do that. I think there was more flow to the game tonight, there was better connections,” said midfielder Keira Walsh.
“(Sweden are) going to be a really tough opposition but we’re just going to keep trying to focus on what we’re doing, keep being confident, playing good football.”
France, meanwhile, will take on Germany in Basel in the last quarterfinal on Saturday, and are on the same side of the knockout draw as world champions Spain who face hosts Switzerland on Friday.
The French finished the group stage three points ahead of England after making it three wins from three thanks to Delphine Cascarino’s decisive double.
San Diego Wave forward Cascarino has been excellent in Switzerland, and she made sure that France would top the group with the key goals in a superb comeback from a goal down.
France, who opened the scoring through Sandie Toletti in the 22nd minute, trailed at the break to a Victoria Pelova strike and Selma Bacha’s clumsy own goal.
But Marie-Antoinette Katoto levelled for France just after the hour and the match was done six minutes later thanks to Cascarino’s fine finishes.
First Cascarino lashed France back ahead with a sumptuous, dipping long-range strike, before rolling in the fourth after Sandy Baltimore watched her shot ricochet off both posts.
Sakina Karchaoui completed the scoring from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
“I’m having a good Euros, and it’s a real pleasure to play in a major tournament. I’m pleased and I hope that we can go a long way,” Cascarino told reporters.
In St. Gallen, England knew a win would be enough to seal a spot in the next round regardless of what happened in Basel, and once Stanway slotted home her penalty after being brought down by Carrie Jones there was no way back for Wales.
Eight minutes later Toone doubled England’s lead after Wales failed to clear and the Manchester United forward tapped home after her initial effort was blocked on the line by Lily Woodham.
Toone then turned provider on the half-hour with a perfect searching cross for Hemp, before Russo rolled home from close range just before half-time to get off the mark for the tournament.
Mead drilled home England’s fifth in the 72nd minute, but Hannah Cain gave Wales fans something to cheer about by lashing a fine consolation goal past Hannah Hampton.
And Beever-Jones completed the rout one minute from the end to send England through on a high.
Cole Palmer leads Chelsea to 3-0 win over PSG to win Club World Cup
- Cole Palmer produced a scintillating first-half masterclass as Chelsea demolished Paris St. Germain 3-0
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey: Cole Palmer rang up two goals and one assist in a sensational first half and Chelsea toppled Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 to win the FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday.
Palmer scored in the 22nd and 30th minutes and Joao Pedro tacked on the third goal right before halftime, capitalizing on Palmer’s fine touch into the box. Robert Sanchez, meanwhile, saved six shots in his best showing of the tournament.
Chelsea, who won the 2021 Club World Cup that featured only eight teams, battled past Portugal’s Benfica and Brazilian sides Palmeiras and Fluminense in the knockouts to face Paris Saint-Germain — six weeks removed from their first UEFA Champions League trophy.
PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma made two saves on five shots on goal. The European champions had allowed just one goal in their first six matches of the Cup.
The frustrated Parisians went down to 10 men in the 85th minute when Joao Neves pulled Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella by the hair, was caught on video review and shown red.
Cucurella made a crucial stop to keep the game scoreless in the 16th minute. Fabian Ruiz made a great pass across the box to Desire Doue, who could have shot it but instead tried a centering pass to a teammate that Cucurella intercepted.
Six minutes later, Palmer — whose first attempt barely missed wide left in the eighth — got the scoring started.
Malo Gusto picked up a wayward header from PSG’s Nuno Mendes and ran into the box. After a fancy dribble to create space, his shot was blocked right back to his feet, so he fed Palmer for a left-footer to the bottom left corner.
Levi Colwill earned the assist on the second goal for his long ball downfield to Palmer. From there, Palmer calmly dribbled toward the center of the 18-yard line and fired the same low, left-footer for an identical goal.
In the 43rd, Palmer tapped a pass between two defenders for Pedro, who popped his shot over a sprawling Donnarumma’s right shoulder.
Sanchez dove to meet Neves’ stoppage-time header just before the goal line. His heroics continued in the second half, as he swatted away a shot by Ousmane Dembele from close range.
