List of All Articles with Tag 'ball'

France suffered a blow early in their Women’s World Cup campaign as they were held to a 0-0 draw by a battling Jamaica as the group stages continue in Australia and New Zealand. Les Bleues came into the tournament under new coach Herve Renard after Corrine Diacre’s controversial reign was brought to an end just four months before the tournament. But Renard could only watch as his side were stifled by the relentless pressing of the Reggae Girlz with Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Drew Spence leading the way for the underdogs in a deserved goalless draw, despite Shaw’s late red card for a second booking. The Netherlands, runners-up four year ago under Sarina Wiegman, earlier battled past World Cup debutants Portugal 1-0 in Group E thanks to Stefanie van der Gragt’s early header. The Dutch were defeated by the United States in the 2019 final, and will face the defending champions later in the group stage. The USA began their defence with a 3-0 win against Vietnam on Saturday. Elsewhere, England opened their Women’s World Cup campaign with a win but the Lionesses were pushed all the way by Haiti in what was a close contest in Brisbane. Georgia Stanway’s retaken penalty in the first half was enough to earn England a narrow victory, but goalkeeper Mary Earps had to make a big stop to protect their lead late on. Follow the latest World Cup scores, updates and news in today’s live blog Read More England survive Women’s World Cup scare — but Haiti highlight problems for Lionesses to solve Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup?

Rachel Daly admits it was difficult for her to have been benched in favour of Alessia Russo for England’s World Cup opener against Haiti on Saturday. Georgia Stanway’s retaken penalty secured the Lionesses a nervy 1-0 victory at Brisbane Stadium to begin their quest for a maiden World Cup, but they have not scored in open play since Ella Toone netted against Brazil in April’s Finalissima at Wembley. The Russo-or-Daly dilemma was a much-debated topic ahead of the 2023 finals, with Tottenham’s Beth England also amongst boss Sarina Wiegman’s attacking options. Asked how she felt about her manager’s decision, Daly said: “I think anyone would be (frustrated). No one is happy to sit on the bench. If you are, then you are not in the right place, not in the right career. “It’s a tough place for Sarina to be, to pick the team. I respect her decisions and I will support Alessia all the way and obviously I know Beth will do the same.” Versatile Daly started at left-back for every game of the Lionesses’ Euro 2022-winning run last summer, but has always played as a striker at club level and was selected as a forward for this tournament. The Harrogate native’s 22 goals for Aston Villa in the 2022-23 Women’s Super League season were enough to secure her the Golden Boot, while she also finished joint first for penalties converted with three. England was the WSL’s third-best scorer with 14, while Russo was joint fifth on 10 with Manchester United team-mate Leah Galton. Saturday’s Group D contest, against a Haiti side 49 places below the FIFA world number four-ranked Lionesses, did not do much to assuage fears about England’s attacking form. While Daly has full confidence in Wiegman, she did not rule out the possibility of trying to convince her boss to give her a shot in one of England’s two remaining group games against Denmark or China. Daly, who came on for Russo in the 76th minute on Saturday, said: “I think that’s the beauty of having a competitive squad. I think everybody is digging out for a position. It’s a headache Sarina has to have in multiple positions. I wouldn’t like to be in her shoes, obviously making such big decisions coming into tournaments. “But she’s a fantastic manager, we respect all of her decisions. It proved tonight that it works, so we are happy. “I think movement is probably one of my strengths. I just tried to come on and make a nuisance of myself for the defenders, stepping in off the back of Alessia’s big shift. She did brilliantly again, and I’m just ready when I’m called upon.” The retirements of striker Ellen White and midfielder Jill Scott last summer combined with injuries to Leah Williamson, Fran Kirby and Beth Mead meant there were five differences between Wiegman’s line-up on Saturday and her unchanged Euro 2022 starters, while Daly’s position switch also created an opening in the back line. All that change, Daly speculated, could have factored into why England did not look near their dominant best in a match many expected they would win handily. She added: “I mean you could put it down to a number of things, but I think we are quite a new side, a relatively new side. We have lost a lot of players through injury, retiring. We are still building, but I don’t think it’s a worry and a concern at the minute. Hopefully, more will come.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Erik ten Hag happy with display in Manchester United’s victory over Arsenal Emile Smith Rowe ready to bounce back from injury-plagued season On this day in 2017: Anya Shrubsole bowls England to Women’s World Cup victory

Erik ten Hag was pleased by Manchester United’s display in and out of possession as they kicked off their US pre-season tour with a win against fellow title hopefuls Arsenal. Having beaten Leeds in Oslo and Lyon in Edinburgh, the Red Devils kicked off the main stint of 2023-24 preparations at a sold-out MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday. Newly-appointed captain Bruno Fernandes all too easily beat Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale before Jadon Sancho struck following an error by Gabriel in a 2-0 win wrapped up by half-time. “I think it’s very good,” United boss Ten Hag said. “The way we played, I was really pleased, how active we were in and out of possession. “That is the way we want to play and that is the only period of the year you can really work in training and translate it to games without it having consequences. “But still, we want to win, and I think the lads showed we played a good game. “Of course, they are all great games. We have to go and it helps us to progress and especially those opponents, they are good. “Arsenal is a really good opponent. They played incredibly good last season in the Premier League, so yeah, that’s good to match with them, then you will be better.” The main negative was the second half injury to Amad Diallo, who left MetLife Stadium on crutches with his left foot in strapping. There are more youngsters with us now and they’re all doing very good. But I don’t want to rise expectations too high Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag Ten Hag will be hoping the youngster has avoided any kind of significant injury on a night when 18-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo produced a promising performance. “It’s fantastic,” the Dutchman told MUTV. “Manchester United is famous for always bringing young players up and it can be done. But we have to see. “We have confidence, he is playing with confidence and I really like his performance. But this year, he showed it in spring, then he got injured. We are really happy. “There are more youngsters with us now and they’re all doing very good. But I don’t want to rise expectations too high. “We have to see. The Premier League is tough but, definitely, you can see we have some really good young players who can play a role in the squad. But the bar is high.” United continue on to San Diego, where their reserves take on Wrexham before the first team faces Real Madrid in Houston and Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas. Arsenal beat the MLS All-Stars 5-0 in Washington DC on Wednesday night and head to Los Angeles to take on Barcelona looking to bounce back from losing to United. Barca had to cancel their Saturday friendly against Juventus as “a significant part of the Blaugrana squad has a viral gastroenteritis”. An Arsenal spokesperson said they are in close contact with the LaLiga champions and fully confident their match against them will take place as planned on July 26. Mikel Arteta is hoping for a response from his squad, saying after the loss to United: “Yes (this is a good lesson for us). “You asked me yesterday about my thoughts on how difficult or easy the season is going to be. “It’s going to be more challenging, more difficult, the level and preparation of the team is excellent and we knew today, they had already played two games before this one and we knew the test was going to be really demanding, like it’s going to be on Wednesday against one of the best teams in the world. “I don’t like losing and I don’t like the feeling that I have right now. “So, the boys have to train right now, in that space thinking how we are going to be better to win the next match.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Emile Smith Rowe ready to bounce back from injury-plagued season On this day in 2017: Anya Shrubsole bowls England to Women’s World Cup victory Time to show we are a ‘big team’ says Bruno Fernandes

Emile Smith Rowe is feeling fresh, fit and ready to prove his worth at Arsenal after a “really tough”, injury-interrupted season. The academy graduate came through the ranks in north London and, having established himself as an exciting performer under Mikel Arteta, was rewarded with a new long-term deal two years ago. Smith Rowe made his senior England debut later in 2021 but things went awry last term. The 22-year-old underwent groin surgery to rectify an issue that has been plaguing him since a loan spell at RB Leipzig in 2019, restricting him to 14 club appearances and no starts. This was my first time having surgery, so it was a really hard decision to take but I went for it Emile Smith Rowe “I am feeling good, it’s good to be back with the boys, back on the pitch with my team-mates,” the 22-year-old attacking midfielder said. “My ambition is to get some more minutes this season and really push on. “Last year was really hard for me, so I just want to kick on now and prove that I can play for this club. “It was really tough because I had surgery twice, so it was really hard. “But my family, friends and the club helped me a lot to get through it. I’m just really happy to be pain free right now and get fit. “This was my first time having surgery, so it was a really hard decision to take but I went for it. “I’m happy that I don’t feel anything there anymore. I am really happy to be fully fit now.” Smith Rowe, who came on in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Manchester United in New Jersey, is also buoyed by his starting role in England’s Under-21 European Championship final win against Spain. It was, he says, an “amazing experience” to triumph in Georgia – success that will only add to his hunger for silverware as Arsenal look to build on last season’s Premier League runners-up spot. “I am at a big club at Arsenal,” Smith Rowe said. “If I didn’t have competition, there wouldn’t be no point. “I have to push myself every day in training, keep working hard. “It’s tough competition but it’s good at the same time. I need to keep working hard and believing in myself. “We’re very ambitious, we want to win trophies. We’re back in Champions League, which is good for the club so really ambitious for us and I want to push on now. “There’s definitely a lot of confidence going into the new season. “We’re a young team as well, so to get that far last season was really good from us. “But, of course, we want to win trophies, so we are going to definitely try and be stronger this year and take it a step further.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live On this day in 2017: Anya Shrubsole bowls England to Women’s World Cup victory Time to show we are a ‘big team’ says Bruno Fernandes Day five of fourth Ashes Test: England face battle with elements in victory push

Bruno Fernandes is confident Manchester United will prove they are a “big team” as they attempt to kick on from a promising first campaign under Erik ten Hag. This time last year, the Dutchman was sifting through the mess left by a wretched 2021-22 campaign in which embarrassing results compounded incoherent performances. Ten Hag quickly stamped his mark on the team and oversaw United’s first trophy win since 2017, with the Carabao Cup triumph followed by a third-placed Premier League finish. The Old Trafford giants also lost the FA Cup final to Manchester City and newly-appointed captain Fernandes is demanding more this time around. Manchester United have to fight for everything. This club deserves that Bruno Fernandes “We did a really good season,” the skipper said. “It was not successful, but I think that our season was good. “We started in the wrong way. We had two bad results, our away games were not the best. We didn’t get the best results. But I think overall the season was good. “Obviously it was the first season for the manager, first season for many players.” He continued: “Now we know that we have to improve game-wise and we will. We will improve it and we will show that we are a big team. “Manchester United have to fight for everything. This club deserves that. “We know when you come to a club like this that you have to fight for all the trophies that you are included in. That’s what we have to do. “Fight for them, try our best to win every game that we have and that’s it.” It is really good to be captain of Manchester United, it is a big achievement in my career but now there is a lot of work to do Bruno Fernandes United certainly appear on the right track, with Mason Mount brought in from Chelsea and Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana following him to the club this week. The Red Devils are now pushing for a striker to bolster a side that beat fellow title hopefuls Arsenal 2-0 on Saturday in New Jersey thanks to goals from Fernandes and Jadon Sancho. The Portuguese scored as he led the side as permanent skipper for the first time since Ten Hag decided to take the armband off of Harry Maguire. “There was a feeling I would like it to be me but I didn’t hear,” Fernandes said of the decision. “The manager wanted to tell the team together. It is really good to be captain of Manchester United, it is a big achievement in my career but now there is a lot of work to do. “The manager chose me because of what I was doing last season and the way he worked with me. “He liked the way I work, my discipline, everything I give, my passion, everything I give, so I don’t see why I should change. “(The approach) will be the same. I don’t need to change anything. “You have to be as natural as you can because they all know me, they know I am really vocal, that I try to be open with everyone, be clear and try to help in the way I think is the best. “Sometimes I can be wrong and not be the best way, but they know me really very well, so they know I will give everything for them. “Everything I said to them is because I think they can do good things because they are big players in the dressing room.”

Manchester United capitalised on a pair of Arsenal errors as newly-appointed captain Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho got their US tour off to a winning start. Erik ten Hag’s side finished third last season and took on the Premier League runners-up on Saturday evening at a sold-out MetLife Stadium – potential host of the 2026 World Cup final. United emerged victorious from the sides’ first meeting on American soil, Fernandes and Sancho striking in a 2-0 friendly win against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. Gunners goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale was at fault for the opener as Fernandes all too easily beat him from distance, fresh from being named Harry Maguire’s successor as captain. An air kick by Gabriel led to Sancho’s sublime second, the forward racing through to thrash home at the near post in front of 82,262 spectators in New Jersey. Some of those had gone home by the time a pre-arranged penalty shoot-out took place after the final whistle. Both teams wanted to take the opportunity to practise spot-kicks in front of a large crowd, United winning that too as Fabio Vieira blazed over in a 5-3 victory. United new boy Andre Onana warmed-up with his new team-mates but watched from the stands as Arsenal handed first starts to Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber. The friendly got off to an intense start in East Rutherford, Antony dragging a poorly-hit effort wide before Gabriel Martinelli rifled narrowly off target at the other end. Play was swinging from end to end and Arsenal would have taken an 11th minute lead without the superb reactions of Tom Heaton. Bukayo Saka fired over for Martinelli to get away a thumping shot that the United goalkeeper stopped superbly, before denying the Brazilian’s follow-up. The early ferocity quickly tapered off in the summer heat with a goalkeeping error bringing the game back to life in the 29th minute. Heaton played a long ball over to impressive 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo high on the right, who cut inside and laid off to Fernandes. The Portuguese took aim with a hopeful 25-yard strike that all too easily beat Ramsdale. The Arsenal goalkeeper was again picking the ball out of his net in the 37th minute. Gabriel’s awful air kick was seized upon by Sancho, who drove through on goal and kept his cool under pressure to rifle into the top corner of the near post beyond Ramsdale. Antony had attempts to make it three during a heated end to the first half. Lisandro Martinez was booked after a poor challenge on Saka saw both sides clash and Fernandes pulled furious boss Ten Hag away from officials at half-time. Amad Diallo was among 10 United introductions at the break but soon limped off through injury. Arsenal made only one half-time alteration and started well, nearly clawing one back when Eddie Nketiah slammed across the face of goal from a quickly-taken Martin Odegaard free-kick. The Arsenal captain was left in a heap by Maguire in a tackle that saw him shown yellow, but play had been broken up by swathes of alterations by both teams. Kai Havertz headed over and Facundo Pellistri missed the target as the clock wound down, Brandon Williams leaping to clear an Emile Smith Rowe header off the line late on. United followed up their friendly win by triumphing in the subsequent shoot-out. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jonny Clayton wins thriller against Luke Humphries to make Blackpool final Robert Taylor in dreamland after new team-mate Lionel Messi celebrates his goal Aston Villa bring in France winger Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen

From considering his future on non-league Lincoln Moorlands Railway’s bench to Lionel Messi celebrating his goal, Inter Miami midfielder Robert Taylor’s story is something else. The eyes of the footballing world were focused on DRV PNK Stadium on Friday evening as the Argentinian magician began his new chapter Stateside. Messi’s Miami debut has been years in the making and proved worth the wait as he came off the bench to score a stunning free-kick winner against Cruz Azul in stoppage time. The 2-1 League Cup victory was a dream debut for the 36-year-old and a surreal moment for new team-mates like Taylor, who also played alongside Sergio Busquets for the first time. “It’s amazing, it’s great, of course I’m excited,” Taylor said. “He’s just come in and brought a lot of energy to the team. His play means he makes the right decisions all of the time in training and in the games which is why it’s so good. “It’s a great feeling. The way to win it as well. To witness that free-kick and the quality he brings to the team, it’s unbelievable.” The night was particularly special for Taylor, who said it was “pretty sick” to know Messi celebrated his thumping opener off a post. It is just the latest chapter in a scarcely believable rise for the Finland international, who played for top clubs in his homeland, Sweden and Norway after struggling to make an impact in England. The 28-year-old spent periods with Nottingham Forest, Barnet and Lincoln, from where he was farmed out on frustrating, fruitless loans to Boston Town and Lincoln Moorlands Railway. “If someone told me a few years ago when I sitting on the bench for Lincoln Moorlands that I’m going to play with Busquets and Messi I would have just laughed in their face,” Taylor said with a grin. “I was sitting on the bench, I wasn’t able to get any minutes in non-league and the coach told me I’m not strong enough or basically good enough. I was just sitting on the bench watching. “It tested me when I was younger. I was calling my parents back home in Finland and saying maybe I want to look for something, other options.” Taylor’s father Paul is an English former footballer who played for KuPS in Finland, where he still lives and he stayed up to watch the madness unfold out in Fort Lauderdale. It is a night that will live long in the memory but not one that Miami will be basking in the afterglow of for long given they are looking to bounce back from a poor Major League Soccer season. “Of course it’s an unbelievable feeling for everyone in the team but eventually we’ll have to get used to it and not get too emotional around it, we just have to focus on the game,” Taylor added. “I think everyone needs to enjoy the win but now we need to focus on the fact we’ve got Atlanta next.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Aston Villa bring in France winger Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen Brian Harman maintains five-shot lead heading into final round at The Open Marcus Trescothick hails Joe Root’s ‘golden arm’ as England edge closer to win

Hugh Freeze has every reason to be optimistic about Auburn's future, but 2023 could be rough.Although Auburn hiring Hugh Freeze was exactly who the Tigers needed to bring in for the long term, he doesn't seem to grasp how challenging of a first year it could be for him down on The Plai...

Florida A&M University football coach Willie Simmons has suspended "all football related activities" after an unauthorized music video was shot inside the locker room, he said Friday on Twitter.

Outstanding content.

Don't count former Alabama star quarterback Greg McElroy among the many Tennessee football believers for this season.Let's just say that Greg McElroy thinks the Tennessee hype train is getting a tad out of control.The former Alabama starting quarterback thoroughly dominated the Vol...

AC Milan have signed forward Noah Okafor from Red Bull Salzburg. The 23-year-old Switzerland international has put pen to paper on a five-year deal running until June 30, 2028. Okafor came through the youth ranks at Basel, making his professional debut in 2018 and scoring seven goals in 54 games. He moved to Salzburg in January 2020 and attracted the attention of Milan after netting 34 times in 110 appearances, helping the club to four Austrian Bundesliga titles and three Austrian Cups. In announcing the move, a message on the Salzburg Twitter feed read: “Noah Okafor has joined @acmilan on a permanent transfer. “We’d like to thank him for the massive contributions he made to our club, and wish him nothing but the absolute best as he joins one of the biggest clubs in the world. See you soon, Noah.” Okafor made his international debut in June 2019 against England, while his first Switzerland goal secured his country’s qualification for the World Cup in Qatar. He was included in the squad for the finals and came on as a substitute in three of Switzerland’s four games. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live