#1 PENALTY GOAL. ANOTHER GOAL. FREE KICK ASSIST.
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AAAAHHHHHH THE WAY SONNY WAS INVOLVED IN ALL GOALS FOR SOUTH KOREA NT TODAY. THAT’S MY CAPTAIN!!!!! 😍😍😍❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
#1 PENALTY GOAL. ANOTHER GOAL. FREE KICK ASSIST.#MY MAN IS UNSTOPPABLE#PROUD OF YOU SONNY!!!!! 🥹🥹🥹#son heung min#heung min son#a’s commentaries
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70 with chloe kelly
May I? - Chloe Kelly
Prompt 70 - “Can I kiss you?”
Italics = German
Reader is playing for Germany in the Euros final playing against Chloe, her girlfriend. Chloe has had enough of hiding your relationship and asks to kiss you.
_________________________
This was a match that you were dreading. You had to play against your girlfriend, Chloe and try to beat her. The worst part was that you didn’t know how each other would react when the other lost.
Neither team had managed to score within the first half of the match which soon changed in the 62nd minute when Ella Toone scored a goal assisted by Keira Walsh.
After that goal you got subbed on in place of Lea Shuller, with hopes that you would equalise and maybe even win Germany the match.
Fortunately for Germany, Lina Magull scored an amazing goal assisted by none other than yourself. It was now 1 - 1. You just had to get at least another goal to get above England.
_________________________
The game went into an extra 5 added minutes.
As you ran through some of the England players, you got just outside of the penalty box when you got brought down by Lucy Bronze which awarded Germany with a free kick in a rather dangerous area.
You got told to take the free kick and suddenly all the pressure was on you. You took two steps backwards and one to the left as you took a deep breath you ran up to the ball, kicking it hoping it would go into the goal…it didn’t.
“Fuck! Stupid! Fucking idiot!” You muttered to yourself angrily as it got announced that the game would go into extra time.
_________________________
It was now the 110th minute of the match, everyone was starting to get really tired and it showed because none other than your girlfriend, Chloe Kelly scored a banger of a goal.
Once Chloe had scored, she whipped off her shirt and ran around waving it in celebration which is when you struggled to hold back a smile because of how happy she looked but thankfully you did.
The match went on for another 13 minutes but you could feel that your team had given up hope, Germany had lost to England.
_________________________
When that final whistle blew signalling the end of the game you collapsed sobbing into the pitch floor. You knew that this was a possibility but it actually happening was horrible, I mean 2nd place was alright but being the Champions of Europe would have been a hell of a lot better.
You sat up and wiped your tears with the edge of your shirt, looking around the stadium, most of the fans were there supporting England, they were singing Sweet Caroline at the top of their lungs. You did love how passionate fans were when their team wins a major tournament.
Out of the corner of your eye you could see a little girl holding a sign asking for your jersey, even though you were an absolute mess you would do anything for your fans especially for the younger ones. One of the things you were well known for was how much you would do for the fans, depending on how much time there was you would try to get to almost everyone that you could because you knew that without them playing football professionally wasn’t possible.
You stood up quickly taking off your jersey as you walked over to the little girl who was buzzing with excitement because you were walking towards her which made you smile. You saw that the sign was written in German, so you started to speak to the little girl in German.
“Hello! Did you enjoy the game?” You bent down to the little girl’s level so she could hear you speaking. “YES! You were amazing! You're my favourite player ever!” The little girl shouted with pure excitement, to her she was in shock that she was actually speaking to you. “I guess because you're my number one fan you deserve a little present. Also, what’s your name, little one?” You say with a huge smile as you place your jersey on the small barrier so you could write a little message to the little girl.
“REALLY?! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! My name is Elke!” She shouted so loudly as you wrote a small message on the jersey saying that you would never forget your number one fan. “Of course! Thank you for coming to the game, I hope to see you again!” Your grin got wider as Elke talked to you as you handed her your game-worn jersey and lent over the barrier to give the little girl a hug.
_________________________
After walking away from Elke, the little girl who was such an avid fan at such a young age, you found yourself surrounded with a few of your Man City teammates who gave you sad smiles and quick hugs before you saw Chloe in all her glory.
Even though you had just lost the game you were incredibly proud of Chloe, I mean how could you not be? She was amazing and was finally getting the recognition that she deserved.
Chloe walked over to you wrapping you up in a hug and rubbed you back in comfort as you started crying into her shoulder. “I’m sorry for crying. I’m not even that sad that we lost, I'm just so proud of you.” You whisper into her ear making sure to cover your mouth so none of the cameras picked up what you were saying. “Thank you, baby could I-….can…Can I kiss you?” Chloe asks you emotionally as she squeezes you in the hug and you nod yes.
The both of you pulled back slightly from the hug so you could look at each other which you did lovingly. Chloe places her hand on your right cheek rubbing your cheekbone with her finger before leaning in and kissing you like it was your wedding night.
_________________________
Hope you liked this fic! Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!
Taglist: @sofakingwoso @dutch-gay86 @gt713 @mmmmokdok @xxforeverinadayxx
#chloe kelly#chloe kelly x reader#chloe kelly imagine#man city wfc#man city women#england women#lionesses#woso#womens football#woso fanfics#woso imagine#woso x reader#my fics#requested fic
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Railway Escape The Brig With Their Heads Held High
Saturday saw Railway entertain Brigg Town at Station View in Spring-like conditions that made playing and watching football a real pleasure.
The two teams found themselves within touching distance in the NCEL Division One table at the start of the day, with Brigg having the slight advantage, sitting four points above The Rail but also having played four games more.
So it was important for the home team to earn a result to keep pace.
Railway have over the course of the past few seasons, regained their reputation for being a tough place to visit and leave with points. If anyone thought that with Mick O'Connell leaving for Tadcaster Albion at the end of the last league campaign meant that would change - they are being proved wrong.
In fact, the team that Rob Youhill, Frazer Lancaster and Lee Parker have put together, are proving as difficult to beat as their predecessors were.
Certainly over the course of the early part of the 2023/24 season, they have been working hard and grinding out some notable results to put them comfortably placed in the table, still with a shot of climbing into the play-off spots by the end of the campaign.
It was surprising that from kick-off, the men from Station View struggled to get to grips with the way in which the visitors were playing; and it only took eight minutes for Town to take the lead.
A cross in by Scott Hutchinson was met perfectly by Dean McCarthy who rifled the ball home to make it 0-1.
Railway tried to respond, but the visitors continued to press forward and it took only another nine minutes for Brigg to get their second through Jack Boswell after a fine team move cutting through Harrogate's half, 0-2.
It wasn't looking good for The Rail, if they continued to be cut through like this, it would have been a question of how many Brigg would get before the end of the game.
You could hear and feel the unease of the home supporters, desperate for something to cheer about.
Railway dug deep and slowly but surely got a toe-hold in the game, creating a few half-chances and some hope that they could get something. It was just a glimmer of hope, but hope nevertheless.
Halftime and the teams went in, with Rob, Frazer and Lee having quite a bit of work to do.
The second half kicked off and as with any game poised at 2-0...the next goal was critical. A goal for Brigg would spell certain doom for Railway, but a goal for the home side would raise the atmosphere inside the ground...and well who knows what could happen after that!
What happened next was remarkable.
Four minutes in and Railway got the foothold that they needed...Finn Darvill getting his head to a ball in a crowded penalty area, glancing it down and across the goal, seeing it sneak inside the far post despite the despairing lunge with an outstreatched leg by the Brigg defender, 1-2.
The Railway players raced back to the halfway line, wanting to keep the momentum up.
Less than a minute later, in the very next attack, a foul by Jordan Spencer saw the referee blow his whistle to give a free kick; however, before the players involved could get to their feet, there was a scuffle on the floor and the two sets of players came together, the situation threatening to boil over.
The referee consulted his assistant and produced a straight red for Dan Hickey. Whether it was a red is questionable, but if you get involved like this, then the referee has to make a decision. Railway found themselves down to ten.
This could have meant the end of Railway's comeback...but they weren't about to fold easily. The free kick was played into the penalty box, but was safely collected by Brigg's keeper, Lewis Hill.
Railway weren't allowing the man advantage to work against them, pressing forward time after time to try and find the equaliser.
The bright winter sun had now disappeared and as the minutes ticked by, the long shadow of defeat seemed to be looming over Station View.
Railway had been pushing hard, but each attack seemed to end in a shot off target, a clearance by one of the Town defenders, or the ball finding its way through to the Brigg stopper.
A reckless challenge in the 85th minute by Brigg Town's Prince Haywood on Railway's captain, Prince Attakorah, saw the latter go down in a heap and the referee again went to his assistant to consult about his next action.
Once again, if you make such challenges, then you risk the referee making a decision that you don't like. To be fair, this decision was an easy one.
Brigg found themselves down to ten and the momentum was definitely in Railway's favour. It was now a question of how many minutes the referee would add on, giving the home side a chance to snatch the equaliser. To be honest, there had been some long stoppages and it wasn't a surprise when he added around ten minutes.
Railway pressed, creating chance after chance...but as full-time approached, it appeared that Brigg would hold out.
The referee had checked the watch and he was preparing to blow his whistle, with Railway on the attack the ball was sent into the box one last time with Mike Morris timing his run to perfection to get between the two Town defenders, making contact with his right boot and sending it goal-wards.
A moment of uncertainty...all eyes on the trajectory of the ball...and then shouts of joy and relief as the fans saw the net ruffle; Railway had, what seemed at one point during the afternoon, an improbable equaliser, 2-2.
The goal was the final act and the last kick of the game. If Carlsberg did football games...they couldn't have come up with anything better...
What a rollercoaster of a game, one that in reality Railway snatched a result from deep out of the jaws of defeat.
By 5pm both teams were as finely matched on the pitch as they are in the table, with both sets of managers able to look back on what was an eventful game of football and a great advert for non league.
#photography#canon#sports#sport#harrogate#yorkshire#football#business#NCEL#Division One#Non League#nonleague#Brigg Town#Brigg#Harrogate Railway Athletic#The Rail#Railway
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For @wosobullshit or anyone who want to know the 2 last games of the group F
2’ Marta Cox (🇵🇦) score a beautiful free kick
Jamaica / France: 1-0
9’ Free kick for France after a foul from wendy natis (🇵🇦) - Selma bacha take it but didn’t score
21’ Maëlle Lakrar (🇫🇷) score a beautiful header!!! She was assisted by Clara Mateo !
Panama / France : 1-1
28’ Kadidiatou Diani (🇫🇷) score!! She was assisted by Vicky Becho
Panama / France : 1-2
37’ Kadidiatou Diani (🇫🇷) score a penalty after two hand in the panama’s box
Panama / France : 1-3
45 + 4’ Léa Le Garrec (🇫🇷) tries a center from afar but the ball ends in the goal!!!
Halftime: Panama / France : 1-4
50’ Kadidiatou Diani (🇫🇷) score a penalty after a hand in panama’s box!
3 goals for Kadidiatou Diani (🇫🇷) tonight!
Panama / France: 1-5
63’ penalty for panama after a foul from Elisa De Almeida (🇫🇷)
Yomira Pinzon (🇵🇦) take it and score after she had to retake it
Panama / France : 2-5
65’ free kick for France after a foul from Yomira Pinzon (🇵🇦) who has now a yellow card. It’s Amel Majri (🇫🇷) who take it but didn’t score
74’ Free kick for the panama but didn’t make it
82’ Free kick for panama, Marta Cox (🇵🇦) take it but didn’t score
86’ Another free kick for panama, Lineth Cedeño score a header after the hall did a rebond on the post. VAR was used but the goal is granted
Panama / France : 3-5
90 + 9’ Vicky Becho (🇫🇷) score!! She was assistes by Eve Perisset!
Panama / France : 3-6
Fulltime : Panama / France : 3-6
Panama is eliminated, France advance to the round of 16!!!
——————————————————————
30’ Yellow card for Cheyna Matthews (🇯🇲)
Halftime: jamaica / brazil : 0-0
85’ 0-0 again for Jamaica / brazil
Fulltime : jamaica / brazil 0-0
Brazil is eliminated, Jamaica advance to the round of 16!
#France wake up you need to be the 1st in the group#allez les bleues#omg i love being french#i love being a commentator pls recommend me if you don’t want to miss the games ✌️
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A Rapid Start for Argentina Bears Sixth World Cup Final, Twice Within 8 Years
Lionel Messi (left) and Luka Modric (right) will face each other in today's World Cup semifinal (📸 Getty Images via 90min)
The first semifinal (from the top half of the draw) of the World Cup saw Argentina, who is vying for their third World Cup title after 1978 and 1996; and Croatia, who has never won a FIFA World Cup title before, but notably made deep runs: becoming the third place in 1998 and runner-up in 2018. Uniquely enough, both France (who will play against Morocco tomorrow) and Croatia were the 2018 finalists, so there is a likelihood that they contest another final.
Furthermore, there is a possibility that this match ends dramatically with a penalty shootout to determine its outcome, considering the Croatian records coming to this match and how Argentina defeated the Netherlands in a similar manner, as well as their playing and coordinating pace. Whether or not this happened, would depend on the outcome of this match.
Lionel Messi successfully executed the penalty to secure the Argentinean lead in the first half (📸 Reuters via The Telegraph)
The first half interestingly started with several chances for Argentina, which signified their ability to play more aggressively despite the Croatian higher ball possession rate at 54% during the early parts of the first half. The Argentinean aggression started to pay off when they were closer to the target, where for example, Julian Alvarez's shot was saved by Dominik Livakovic. Croatia, on the other hand, defended well during a free kick happening after Nicolas Tagliafico's foul, where Luka Modric blocked the free kick.
Julian Alvarez's goal in the first half against Croatia (📸 BBC)
Unfortunately, Livakovic's attempt to save the ball from J. Alvarez resulted in Livakovic getting a yellow card, as well as Mateo Kovacic for complaining, as well as a penalty being rewarded to the Argentinean side. Lionel Messi successfully executed the penalty, securing Argentina a 1-0 lead. Furthermore, Messi became not only the oldest man to score 5 goals at a single FIFA World Cup at 35 years old but also surpassed Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina's top scorer in the FIFA World Cup final stages (with 11 goals). Several minutes later at 38', J. Alvarez took advantage of the non-existent Croatian defense on their pitch, where he received a wide-distance ball from Nahuel Molina, only for him to storm through the penalty box and ultimately score the second goal. Somehow, Argentina almost found a way to score a third goal in this half when Alexis Mac Allister received the ball from the corner and fired it straight to the penalty box, only for Livakovic to save it. Argentina led 2-0 by the end of the first half.
Nicolas Alvarez's second goal, scored in the second half to secure the Argentinean victory (📸 FIFA via Getty Images through Daily Mail)
The second half started with a possibility of the Croatian counter-attack, where they notably had more chances than the first. In 55', Croatia actually had a cleaner possession but lost it again at another point. Consequently, Argentina took another advantage and had another on-target chance, where Messi dribbled deep into the Croatian area and passed the ball to Enzo Fernandez who gave it back to Messi, where Livakovic saved his shot. The goal, however, came to fruition at 68', where Messi assisted J. Alvarez in getting through the Croatian defense, where the latter scored the third goal to secure the 3-0 lead. With this goal, J. Alvarez (22 years old) became the youngest player to score twice in a World Cup semifinal (or final) after Pele (who achieved it when he was 17 years old).
Another notable Argentinean chance in the second half came from Mac Allister, who received the ball juggled from Messi, and fired too wide to the right. Croatia had their chances, where after the corner, Dejan Lovren received the ball precisely at the penalty box but could not score within a matter of centimeters, and during the last free kick before the final whistle, where Lovren's shot went to the sky instead. When Daniele Orsato (the referee of this match) blew his final whistle, that confirmed the Argentinean 3-0 victory.
This flawless performance, especially where Ian Wright (the ITV pundit) said how this tactic nullified the Croatian midfield sector, enabled Argentina to advance to their sixth FIFA World Cup final, and the second within eight years (after becoming the runner-up to Germany 0-1 after extra time). In a post-match interview, Messi admitted that "the loss to Saudi Arabia may ruin their winning streak (by the time), but it made the team's mental even stronger, where we treat the match like a final." On the other hand, Croatia also had a fantastic tournament, having reached their second semifinal within just four years with their own depth, which includes the 20-year-old Red Bull Leipzig player, Josko Gvardiol, who is a stellar midfielder.
Argentina will face the winner of tomorrow's France v. Morocco in this Sunday's final, while the defeated team from the match will face Croatia in Saturday's third-place play-off. On another note, those two matches would add to "one more match" in Messi's and Luka Modric's possible last World Cup. Buckle up, because France v. Morocco would be lit in their own right: including a possibility of a more fast-paced game in a history-related clash, where other than the dark past and the relations to how it is today, Morocco has a likelihood to be Africa's (and Arab's) first World Cup finalist and defying the odds once more!
#fifa world cup 2022#fifa world cup#world cup qatar 2022#football news#football updates#semifinals#knock out stage#qatar 2022#world cup#qatar world cup#argentine national team#argentina#croatia
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Photos: South Korea beat Australia 2-1 to reach semifinals
South Korea has advanced to the semifinals of the Asian Cup with a 2-1 comeback win over Australia in extra-time at Al Janoub Stadium, after Son Heung-min scored the winner with a sublime free kick.
Australia had beaten South Korea by the same scoreline in extra-time in the 2015 final to lift their first Asian Cup. But during Friday’s match, it was the East Asian team who prevailed after netting yet another goal in stoppage time to force extra-time.
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Australia had taken the lead just before half-time when they cleverly switched flanks with neat passes in the box. Then, a cross from Australian player Nathaniel Atkinson found teammate Craig Goodwin, who had time to set himself up for a successful volley into the bottom corner.
Forward Martin Boyle could have made it 2-0 when he received a cross into the box, but goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo made two saves to deny him. Mitchell Duke’s volley from the rebound, meanwhile, went over the bar to give South Korea a reprieve.
South Korea coach Juergen Klinsmann made a tactical change in the second half, pushing Son further forward. The strategy worked when Son, a Tottenham Hotspur forward, was fouled in the box by Australia’s Lewis Miller in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Hwang Hee-chan stepped up: The Wolverhampton Wanderers forward took his time to calm his nerves before he fired his effort into the top corner to force extra-time — their fourth goal after the 90th minute at the tournament.
It was the second straight game for South Korea going to extra-time, after they beat Saudi Arabia on penalties. This time, Hwang won a free kick on the edge of the box from a foul conceded by Miller once again.
Son stepped up and saw his effort sail past the wall, beating goalkeeper Mathew Ryan to find the net. The goal sparked a wild celebration, with Klinsmann letting out a roar with his arms raised.
Australia’s attempts to fight back suffered a blow when Aiden O’Neill was sent off after a video assistant referee (VAR) review for a foul on Hwang, reducing Graham Arnold’s side to 10 men for the second half of extra-time where they could not find an equaliser.
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Late goals by Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano gave Japan an incredible 2-1 comeback victory over Germany in the World Cup on Wednesday, Njenje Media News reports.
Germany who are four times champions had looked to be cruising to victory via an Ilkay Guendogan penalty but paid a fatal price for missing chances.
The shock result was a repeat of their 2018 World Cup nightmare when, as defending champions, they lost their opener to Mexico and, after another defeat by South Korea, were condemned to an unheard of group-stage exit.
Germany looked in total command in the Group E clash but, with each missed chance, left the door open for Japan, who showed almost nothing in attack until a series of substitutions injected some energy in the second half.
Doan equalised in the 75th minute before Asano showed lovely control and smashed the winner in from a tight angle – causing an explosion of joy among the Japan bench.
It was a turnaround that looked scarcely believable as Japan struggled to get any foothold for most of the game.
Germany’s early dominance was rewarded when Joshua Kimmich picked out David Raum in acres of space in the box and goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda clumsily brought him down as he turned, with Guendogan dispatching the penalty in the 33rd minute.
Kai Havertz turned in what he thought was a second in first-half stoppage time and although the assistant referee was about the only person in the Khalifa International stadium not to notice he was a metre offside, VAR duly disallowed it.
There was initially little change to the pattern in the second half as Jamal Musiala shot over after a penetrating run and Guendogan clipped a post.
Gonda then made amends with four successive saves to deny Jonas Hofmann and Serge Gnabry, keeping his side in the game.
Manuel Neuer, appearing in his fourth World Cup, was also alert to save from Hiroki Sakai and did well again soon after to block from Takumi Minamino, only for fellow substitute Doan to smash in the loose ball.
Suddenly buoyed, Japan pushed on and Asano showed great strength to bring down a high free kick and hold off defender Nico Schlotterbeck and fantastic technique to hammer the ball into the smallest of spaces.
Germany launched all-out attack from then on, to no avail, and now face a potentially must-win game next against Spain.
Japan next face Costa Rica and will already be dreaming of the last 16. (Reuters/NAN)
The post World Cup: Another upset as Japan defeats Germany 2-1 appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
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USA open RWC Repechage with lop-sided win over Kenya
New Post has been published on https://thedailyrugby.com/usa-open-rwc-repechage-with-lop-sided-win-over-kenya/
The Daily Rugby
https://thedailyrugby.com/usa-open-rwc-repechage-with-lop-sided-win-over-kenya/
USA open RWC Repechage with lop-sided win over Kenya
The USA opened the World Cup Repechage tournament with a 68-14 win over Kenya on Sunday. Sticky conditions in Dubai contributed to some sloppy play from the Eagles in the first half, but they were always in control with their dominant scrum wearing down the Simbas pack.
It was a scrappy start to the game from both sides, and Siaosi Mahoni was then sent to the bin for a reckless clearout at a ruck. The USA regained possession and Paul Lasike crashed through the defense, with Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz powering over but his grounding was deemed a second-movement and the try was waved off.
A cross-kick from Luke Carty resulted in a yellow to Geoffrey Okwach for dangerous play, the Kenyan winger leaping feet-first into the air. At last a score came for the Eagles through hooker Dylan Fawsitt, who peeled around the back of a lineout and charged through the line.
Darwin Mukidza attempted a long-range penalty goal for Kenya that was off-target. At the other end Fawsitt got a double on a straight-forward lineout drive. Before halftime Fa’anana-Schultz muscled over to redeem his earlier miss and make it 19-nil to the Eagles after 40 minutes.
Fawsitt got his hat trick not long into the second half from another lineout drive, and then Christian Dyer’s inside line caught the defense wrong-footed for another USA try. Kenya found a burst of inspiration and broke down the field, with Brian Juma on the end to get the Simbas on the board.
The Eagles fired back with three tries in quick succession. Nate Augspurger touched down after a Mitch Wilson break, then Dyer grabbed a brace at the end of a long attacking sequence that started at the USA’s 22-meter line. Dyer would match Fawsitt’s triple on a miss-out pass from AJ MacGinty.
Mike Sosene-Feagai was next to find the line from a driving maul, and then Wilson himself slipped through to make it an even 10 tries for the Eagles. A late consolation score went to Kenya as the loose forwards combined to free Joshua Weru for a breakaway try on debut.
Hong Kong will take on Portugal next to wrap up the first round in Dubai. Next week will see the Eagles playing the Dragons, while Os Lobos will square off against the Simbas.
SCORING
KENYA 14
Tries – B. Juma (55′), J. Weru (78′)
Cons – D. Mukidza 2/2 (56′, 79′)
Pens – D. Mukidza 0/1
YC – G. Okwach (16′)
USA 68
Tries – D. Fawsitt 3 (20′, 31′, 47′), J. Fa’anana-Schultz (38′), C. Dyer 3 (51′, 61′, 65′), N. Augspurger (58′), M. Sosene-Feagai (69′), M. Wilson (76′)
Cons – L. Carty 4/5 (32′, 39′, 48′, 52′), A. MacGinty 5/5 (59′, 62′, 66′, 70′, 77′)
YC – S. Mahoni (7′)
TEAMS
KENYA
1 Patrick Ouko (17 Andrew Siminyu 50′), 2 Eugene Sifuna (16 Teddy Akala 56′), 3 Ephraim Oduor (18 Joseph Odero 56′), 4 Malcolm Onsando, 5 Thomas Okeyo (19 Brian Juma 50′), 6 George Nyambua, 7 Daniel Sikuta (capt.) (20 Martin Owilah 56′), 8 Bethuel Anami (23 Joshua Weru 47′), 9 Samuel Asati, 10 Geoffrey Ominde (21 Brian Tanga 47′), 11 Jacob Ojee, 12 John Okoth, 13 Bryceson Adaka, 14 Geoffrey Okwach (22 Timothy Omela 50′), 15 Darwin Mukidza
USA
1 Jack Iscaro (17 David Ainu’u 52′), 2 Dylan Fawsitt (16 Mikey Sosene-Feagai 52′), 3 Paul Mullen (18 Nathan Sylvia 56′), 4 Siaosi Mahoni, 5 Cam Dolan (19 Greg Peterson 53′), 6 Vili Helu, 7 Cory Daniel, 8 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz (20 Moni Tonga’uiha 62′), 9 Ryan Rees (21 Ruben de Haas 58′), 10 Luke Carty (23 AJ MacGinty 58′), 11 Nate Augspurger, 12 Paul Lasike (22 Bryce Campbell 52′), 13 Marcel Brache (capt.), 14 Christian Dyer, 15 Mitch Wilson
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Tual Trainini (France)
Assistants: Damian Schneider (Argentina) & Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)
The post USA open RWC Repechage with lop-sided win over Kenya appeared first on Americas Rugby News.
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Salah downs Man City as Arsenal extend lead in Premier League
Mohamed Salah produced a moment of magic as Liverpool condemned Manchester City to their first Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday, with leaders Arsenal taking full advantage.
The Egyptian forward’s stunning goal in the 76th minute sealed a 1-0 win after a crackling contest at Anfield and leaves champions City four points behind the Gunners, who won by the same scoreline at Leeds.
Elsewhere, a Mason Mount double secured a 2-0 win for Chelsea at Aston Villa and Manchester United played out a 0-0 stalemate at home to Newcastle, while Southampton drew 1-1 with West Ham.
Liverpool and City could not be separated in the first half at Anfield but the game caught fire after the break.
Jurgen Klopp’s team had a glorious chance to take the lead early in the second half when Salah broke clear on goal but Ederson managed to get a faint touch to tip his shot wide.
City thought they had snatched the lead moments later through Phil Foden but VAR spotted a foul by Erling Haaland on Fabinho in the build-up and the goal was disallowed.
Instead it was Liverpool who struck, with Salah spinning past Joao Cancelo on the halfway line as the pair challenged for an Alisson clearance and racing away to fire beyond Ederson.
The game became heated in the closing stages and referee Anthony Taylor sent Klopp to the stands for the German’s angry reaction to a perceived injustice.
But Liverpool repelled City’s desperate attacks in the closing stages to secure just their third league win in nine games after poor start to the season.
– Saka winner –
Earlier, England midfielder Bukayo Saka slammed home emphatically 10 minutes before the interval at Elland Road as Mike Arteta’s Arsenal won for the ninth time in 10 league games this season.
Leeds substitute Patrick Bamford missed a penalty and his side had another spot-kick decision in stoppage time, initially awarded by referee Chris Kavanagh, overturned after a VAR intervention.
Earlier, play was suspended seconds after kick-off when the match officials lost contact with the video assistant referee and goal-line technology due to a power cut.
Kavanagh led the players off the pitch to a chorus of boos and play did not resume for about 40 minutes.
Chelsea’s fourth consecutive league win came courtesy of Mount’s two goals plus an inspired performance from goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Mount’s first came after Villa defender Tyrone Mings — in the sixth minute — miscued a simple header straight to the England midfielder, who finished coolly past Emiliano Martinez.
Despite their early gift, Chelsea struggled to find attacking fluency and were indebted to Arrizabalaga, whose best save came from a point-blank header from Danny Ings.
Mount doubled the visitors’ lead in the 65th minute, curling home a free-kick from 25 yards after he was brought down by Mings.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter heaped praise on Mount and said Arrizabalaga, who is keeping Edouard Mendy out of the starting line-up, had produced a “world-class performance”.
Cristiano Ronaldo was handed just his second start of the Premier League season against Newcastle but could not add to his tally of 700 club goals — a milestone he reached last week against Everton.
Eddie Howe’s visitors could have been ahead at the break after an impressive first half in which Joelinton hit the crossbar before turning the rebound onto the post.
But United rued two squandered late chances to win the game, with Fred and substitute Marcus Rashford both guilty.
United manager Erik ten Hag bemoaned the late misses.
“In the end we could — we should — have score the winning goal,” he told the BBC. “One from Fred, and then (Marcus) Rashford had to score.
“In the end we could have got the win, we deserved the win.”
Originally published at Irvine News HQ
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Player ratings as post-Casemiro era begins with victory
New Post has been published on https://excellentreview.online/player-ratings-as-post-casemiro-era-begins-with-victory/
Player ratings as post-Casemiro era begins with victory
Real Madrid began the post-Casemiro era with an awkward 4-1 victory over Celta Vigo on Saturday evening.
The visitors faced plenty of pressure and conceded a lot of possession but flexed their quality on the counter and ran away with proceedings thanks to goals from Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde.
Oscar Rodriguez sent a tame free-kick Thibaut Courtois’ way to kick things off, before Valverde responded with a long-range effort that went soaring over the Celta bar.
Celta had a bright start but their momentum stalled 11 minutes in when VAR helped the referee award Real a penalty for a handball from Renato Tapia, and up stepped Benzema to slot home from 12 yards to open his account for the season.
The goal gave Real the confidence to try and exert their control but the hosts were evidently not intimidated and tried to play their way around the European champions, and they earned a penalty of their own 22 minutes in as Eder Militao was caught handling the ball as well. Up stepped Iago Aspas, who narrowly beat Thibaut Courtois to tie things up.
Buoyed by the equaliser, Celta continued to trouble Real and Franco Cervi came perilously close to putting the hosts ahead with a fierce strike from range that whistled wide of Courtois’ goal.
Real looked like they needed a moment of magic to regain control of this game and they got that from the wizard that is Luka Modric. His gorgeous curled strike from the edge of the D was inch-perfect and nestled into the corner of the net to put Los Blancos ahead on the scoresheet, but not the possession battle, at the break.
Celta were similarly as adventurous to start the second half and Goncalo Paciencia narrowly missed the chance to tie things up, dragging a fierce effort wide.
In the blink of an eye, Real were 3-1 up. Celta failed with a handball appeal at one end, and three passes later, Vinicius was one-on-one with Agustin Marchesin. He rounded the goalkeeper and slotted into an empty net to create some breathing room for his side.
Joseph Aidoo spurned an excellent chance to head a goal back shortly after the hour mark, and Celta’s profligacy was again punished immediately as Valverde, who had struggled massively until this point, slotted home on the counter with 25 minutes to go.
With five minutes left on the clock, another Real counter nearly led to a goal. Benzema won a penalty after being tripped in the box, but he gave the ball over to substitute Eden Hazard, who saw his effort well saved by the goalkeeper.
When all was said and done, the two sides were nearly even in terms of possession and shots on goal, but Real’s ruthless efficiency proved the difference.
Modric was magic / Quality Sport Images/GettyImages
Real Madrid (4-3-3)
GK: Thibaut Courtois – 6/10 – Didn’t have a whole lot to do. Even went the right way for the penalty. Unlucky.
RB: Dani Carvajal – 5/10 – Had a really tough time up against Galan. Didn’t have the legs to keep up.
CB: Eder Militao – 4/10 – Struggled against Paciencia’s physicality and was at fault for the penalty. Another off night.
CB: David Alaba – 6/10 – Solid at the back and even grabbed an assist on one of his forays forward. Can’t help but feel he would be more impactful at left-back.
LB: Ferland Mendy – 5/10 – Doesn’t have the creativity needed to link up with Vinicius and Benzema.
DM: Aurelien Tchouameni – 7/10 – Good play defensively. Swept up a lot of danger and inspired confidence heading into the new era. Nice and strong for the fourth goal. Still needs to work on his passing.
CM: Luka Modric – 7/10 – Not as impactful as usual but still flashed his class with an unreal goal and a glorious assist.
CM: Eduardo Camavinga – 7/10 – Effortlessly buzzed around the pitch to get involved at both ends. Has a great bond with Tchouameni already.
RW: Federico Valverde – 5/10 – Really awful in the first half. Guilty of one of the worst free kicks of all time. Turned things around impressively after the break but can’t get a high rating because of his woeful first 45.
ST: Karim Benzema – 6/10 – Took his penalty well but wasn’t as involved as usual. Some excellent pressing, however.
LW: Vinicius Junior – 7/10 – Brought out all the flicks and tricks to try and get Real going here. Ran into cul-de-sacs occasionally but clearly needed more support from his left-back to deal with the double-teams.
SUB: Antonio Rudiger (69′ for Carvajal) – 6/10
SUB: Lucas Vazquez (77′ for Alaba) – N/A
SUB: Dani Ceballos (77′ for Modric) – N/A
SUB: Eden Hazard (82′ for Vinicius Junior) – N/A
SUB: Marco Asensio (82′ for Camavinga) – N/A
Manager: Carlo Ancelotti – 4/10 – Didn’t seem to have a game plan. Was uncharacteristically animated from start to finish, clearly concerned about what he was watching. Hard to feel as though he played any part in this victory.
Player of the match – Luka Modric
Combine Fantasy Football and Blockchain with Sorare
If you love fantasy football, but appreciate the uniqueness of NFTs, then you need to check out Sorare.
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Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Celta Vigo – La Liga
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Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid: How to watch on TV live stream, kick-off time, team news & predictions
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Seven classic England v Germany meetings
England go to Germany on Tuesday in the Nations League in the latest instalment of one of their biggest rivalries.
Gareth Southgate's side beat Die Mannschaft in their last meeting in the Euro 2020 last 16, their first knockout win over their old rivals since the 1966 World Cup final.
Between those games, the Germans had the upper hand in major tournaments - although there was also a very famous win in qualifying for the Three Lions.
BBC Sport looks at some classic meetings between the two.
1966 World Cup final
Throwback to when England won the World Cup
England's finest football hour came against West Germany, winning the 1966 World Cup final 4-2 at Wembley.
Helmut Haller gave the Germans the lead before Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters goals turned it round. Had Wolfgang Weber not equalised in the 89th minute, England would have won 2-1 but without the iconic moments that were to follow.
Hurst scored twice in extra time - the first being adjudged to have crossed the line in an era before goalline technology - for the only ever World Cup final hat-trick. The late clinching goal was met with the famous piece of BBC commentary from Kenneth Wolstenholme - "there are people on the pitch, they think it's all over. It is now".
1970 World Cup
West German came from 2-0 down against England at the 1970 World Cup
West Germany got some revenge four years later when they came back from 2-0 down to beat England in the quarter-finals.
Alan Mullery and Peters put England in control but an error from keeper Peter Bonetti let in Franz Beckenbauer's effort and Uwe Seeler sent it to extra time.
Hurst had a goal disallowed and Gerd Muller volleyed in for 3-2 and the German win.
1990 World Cup
World Cup 1990 - England v Germany: England lose on penalties
In what would become a recurring theme, England were knocked out by Germany (or West Germany) on penalties in the 1990 World Cup semi-final.
The game ended 1-1, with the West Germans leading through a deflected Andreas Brehme free-kick before Gary Lineker's equaliser with 10 minutes to go.
Paul Gascoigne's tears - and Lineker's reaction to the bench - after a yellow card that would have ruled the midfielder out of the final have gone down in folklore.
In the end he need not have worried because Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle's missed penalties in the shootout meant Germany went to the final instead, where they beat Argentina.
Euro '96
Oh look, another penalty shootout defeat by Germany in a major tournament semi-final.
England were on the crest of a wave at their home tournament, including a famous 4-1 win over the Netherlands in the group stages and a penalty shootout victory over Spain in the quarters.
Alan Shearer gave the Three Lions a third-minute lead over the Germans but Stefan Kuntz levelled just 13 minutes later.
Gareth Southgate was the man to miss the crucial penalty this time, although it did land him a gig in a pizza ad with Pearce and Waddle.
2002 World Cup qualifying
Michael Owen
Michael Owen's hat-trick in Munich helped him win the Ballon d'Or
In one of England's most impressive qualifying victories ever, Sven-Goran Eriksson's side hit five goals in Germany in 2001.
Carsten Jancker gave the Germans an early lead but Michael Owen - who won the Ballon d'Or that year - hit a hat-trick and Liverpool team-mates Steven Gerrard and Emile Heskey also netted.
England went on to qualify for Japan and South Korea via a late David Beckham goal against Greece, while Germany ended up losing the World Cup final after going through the play-offs.
2010 World Cup
A game that helped change football forever as Frank Lampard's shot that crossed the line but was not given was used as a big factor in arguments for the video assistant referee system years later.
That would have made it 2-2 but it stayed 2-1 and Germany went on to win 4-1.
The game was also famous for the moment Gareth Barry made Mesut Ozil look like Usain Bolt.
Euro 2020
Watch: What England's win over Germany means for fans
England finally beat Germany in a major tournament knockout game, for the first time in 55 years, in the Euro 2020 (played in 2021) last-16 tie at Wembley.
Raheem Sterling gave Southgate's side the lead from Luke Shaw's cross and Harry Kane added a second from Jack Grealish's ball.
Some 40,000 fans were delirious but in a change it was Italy, not the Germans, who beat England on penalties - in the final.
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EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC TOPS FC TULSA ON 3-1 VICTORY
EL PASO, Texas – May 4, 2022 – Locos Earn First Back-to-Back Win as Western Conference Position Improves
EL PASO, Texas – May 4, 2022 – El Paso Locomotive (3-5-1, 10 points, West-8) recorded a 3-1 win over Eastern Conference foe FC Tulsa at Southwest University Park on Wednesday night. Forward Lucho Solignac scored a brace while Midfielder Dylan Mares recorded a goal and an assist in the night.
“We created good chances,” said Head Coach and Technical Director John Hutchinson “Of course we expect to win the game, but sometimes when teams go down to 10 men they sit behind the ball and it’s hard to break them down. I thought we got behind and broke them down really well, we just didn’t have too much luck in the front of goal. The goals we scored were very good. It’s just about being professional and putting in a professional performance and we had done that tonight. We take the points, we’ll come in tomorrow, look at the video, prepare Friday and have another difficult game Saturday.
The match got off a fiery start with Tulsa finding the opening goal within the first three minutes off a free kick opportunity. The cross from Matshidiso Moloto found the head of J.J. Williams to provide Tulsa with an early lead that was just as quickly nullified by Locomotive. After switching the play on the field, Midfielder Christiano Francois found Mares unmarked at the penalty spot to head the ball into the goal for an equalizer. Locomotive’s offensive continued as the club tested Tulsa’s goalkeeper Sean Lewis. Locomotive gained an advantage in the 33rd minute however as the referee showed Moloto a red card leaving Tulsa down to 10 men for the remainder of the match.
Locomotive ran away in the second half, testing the FC Tulsa defense with 7 shots on goal, finding two through Solignac. The first game in the 64th minute with a half volley within the six-yard-box that slipped through Lewis’ legs and into the corner of the net for what ultimately became the game-winning goal. Lucho once again put the game to sleep with a goal in the 89th minute finishing a team goal that started with the flick from Francois before landing at Mares who cut the pass to Lucho to secure the 3-1 win and the three points at Southwest University Park.
UP NEXT: El Paso Locomotive has another fast turnaround as it welcomes LA Galaxy II to Southwest University Park on Saturday, May 7 in a match that will be closed out with a fireworks show. Fans can purchase tickets to Saturday night’s match online at eplocomotivefc.com/tickets or by calling 915-235-GOAL.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN
TUL: J.J. Williams (Matshidiso Moloto), 8th minute: Off a set-piece, Moloto sent the ball in the far post where Williams jumped head above the rest to head it into the back of the net.
ELP: Dylan Mares (Christiano Francois), 11th minute: In a switched play, Locomotive caught FC Tulsa ball watching as Dylan Mares stayed front and center at the goal. Francois expertly chipped the ball to find Mares unmarked as he headed it in to equalize.
ELP: Lucho Solignac (Aaron Gomez), 64th minute: Starting from a cross from Christiano Francois that was headed into the air by an FC Tulsa defender, Gomez headed it back central to find Lucho who put in the half volley through the legs of the FC Tulsa goalkeeper into the back of the net.
ELP: Lucho Solignac (Dylan Mares), 89th minute: Again, beginning from a beautiful flick from Francois to find Mares, the Locomotive midfielder cut the ball back in the center to find Lucho on a run in the middle of the box. Lucho redirected in on an open net to put the game to bed 3-1.
NOTES:
- Forward Lucho Solignac scored another brace to make it five goals in three games.
- Locomotive recorded its first back-to-back wins in the 2022 USL Championship season after picking up two 3-1 wins over Loudoun United and FC Tulsa.
- Locomotive continues to move up in the rankings, claiming the 8th spot in the West immediately following the result on Wednesday.
Match: El Paso Locomotive vs FC Tulsa
Date: May 4, 2022
Venue: Southwest University Park
Weather: 85F and clear skies
Scoring Summary 1 2 F
El Paso Locomotive 1 2 3
FC Tulsa 1 0 1
TUL – J.J. Williams (Matshidiso Moloto), 8’
ELP – Dylan Mares (Christiano Francois), 11’
ELP – Lucho Solignac (Aaron Gomez), 64’
ELP – Lucho Solignac (Dylan Mares), 89’
Lineups:
El Paso Locomotive FC (4-3-3): Evan Newton; Eder Borelli (Nick Hinds, 91’), Andrew Fox, Yuma (Matt Bahner, 62’), Chapa Herrera (Harry Brockbank, 62’), Richie Ryan (Eric Calvillo, 91’), Dylan Mares, Diego Luna, Ricardo Zacarias (Aaron Gomez, 62’), Christiano Francois, Lucho Solignac
Subs not used: Philipp Beigl, Shavon John-Brown
FC Tulsa (4-2-3-1): Sean Lewis: Jorge Corrales, Ronald Rodriguez (Johnny Fenwick, 86’), Adrian Diz Pe, Matheus Silva, Eric Bird, Joaquin Rivas (Kembo Kibato, 69’), Matshidiso Moloto, Petar Cuic (Maduabuchi Obinwa, 80’), Rodrigo da Costa (Marlon Ramirez, 80’), J.J. Williams
Subs not used: Austin Wormell, Alberto Membrila, Jesus Hernandez
Stats Summary: ELP | TUL
Shots: 17 | 6
Shots on Goal: 11 | 2
Saves: 1 | 8
Corner Kicks: 12 | 0
Fouls: 10 | 10
Offside: 5 | 1
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
TUL – Matshidiso Moloto (Ejection), 8’
TUL – Rodrigo da Costa (Caution), 11’
TUL – J.J. Williams (Caution), 55’
TUL – Petar Cuic (Caution), 74’
ELP – Eder Borelli (Caution), 84’
ELP – Matheus Silva (Caution), 85’
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More sugar rush striker au?
((I know this took forever to answer and I apology
If you don’t follow the sportball I am sorry for writing about soccer. If you do follow the sportball I am sorry for calling it soccer shfgjk))
~~~
There are a lot of cursed numbers in the world that evoke negative emotions. 13 is a common candidate, 666 if you’re particularly concerned about demons, 69 and 420 have their internet infamy. But for Nora, those could not possibly compare to the pure, distilled wrath she felt in her heart for a particular sequence of numbers that had been parroted by Coach Ozpin all practice:
5-4-1.
So, she could understand it a little bit. The current varsity team was basically overflowing with defenders, though none of them were particularly good, so, yeah, put an extra center-back out there. But...one forward? Just one?
For context, in seasons past, the Beacon High School Varsity Soccer Team would field a good ol’ 4-4-2: four defenders, four midfielders, and two forwards. For the previous two years, those two forwards had been Nora, and her teammate Ruby Rose. They got along just fine, not too concerned about one another since neither of them were ever in any danger of losing their status as starters. No one at Beacon was as fast or as skilled as them with the ball at their feet, and if Nora had to guess, 9 out of every 10 goals the team ever scored were either hers or Ruby’s. They did not exactly get along with each other, but if they were getting playing time and opportunities to score, they could be tolerant of one another.
But now, with this ingenious new formation Oz was implementing, that meant only one of them could start, while the other would spend most of the match sitting on the bench with the other substitutes. The thought of having to do that made Nora’s blood boil, and so there was only one option—outdo Ruby in every way imaginable. Stay late after practice, practice twice as much on the weekends, and get in Oz’s ear about making her the starter every week.
But she knew Ruby would be doing the same. If she knew anything about her, it was how determined she was to be the best. And yes, that meant being better than Nora. Especially better than Nora.
She was fine with that, of course. That would only motivate her even more.
“If we scored a goal, I scored it. If I didn’t score it, I assisted it. If I didn’t assist it, we never scored in the first place.”
Nora really wasn’t surprised to see Ruby here too. Of course she was going to start training after school twice as often, just like she was. Once Nora returned from refilling her water bottle at the water fountain down the hall, she reentered the locker room to see Ruby still in her practice attire. She wore a dark red shirt and white shorts, red socks over shinguards and bright red boots. Her medium length black-and-red hair was held back by a thin headband. She passed by Nora, leaving the locker room just as she was entering. She exchanged a look with her, but said nothing. The tension was so thick Nora could practically feel it lingering in the air around her. Fair enough, she thought. They didn’t need to talk to know what was going on—they were teammates, sure, but now they were rivals, two star players fighting for one starting spot.
It was an overcast and cool afternoon, and it would probably rain soon. Nora had no intentions of letting that stop her, though. They don’t call off matches for rain, so why should she call off practice? She was working on set pieces, setting up the yellow metal free kick dummies side-by-side to serve as a wall of defenders. Her and Ruby often split free kicking duties whenever a foul was called during games. It was a perfect starting point for trying to outdo her.
After she got the dummies set up, she looked across he field to the other end. She saw Ruby doing a dribbling course, orange cones strewn about. She moved so quick and precisely, and the ball followed her like it was magnetically attracted to her feet. She turned corners, doubled back, turned toward her goal and struck the ball. It bounced off the crossbar and rocketed up into the air. Ruby watched it reach it’s apex, and as it fell back down toward her, she leapt up, twisted herself in the air, and swung her upper body sideways, striking the ball with her forehead. Right into the inner side netting of the goal. A goalkeeper would’ve been helpless to save such a perfect header.
Ruby landed, and stood with her hands on her hips, as if admiring her work. Then she turned and looked over her shoulder towards Nora.
Nora realized then that she’d been staring for a while, and she looked away quickly, trying to act natural as she paced away from her own goal to practice her free kicks. Her face burned despite the cool faint mist that had begun to blow through the air as the storm clouds drew closer.
Nora thought back to when she was a kid, how she’d watch pro soccer on TV no matter who was playing. She could remember always picking out a player and watching them the entire match. Even if they were nowhere near the ball, if they were on screen, Nora watched them, studied the way they’d pick and choose their positioning, their pace, their runs. One day, she watched a women’s club match. She couldn’t remember anything about it, who the teams were or how significant the match was, except for the way the match ended. It was in the 90th minute, score tied at 2 all, and the player she’d been watching the entire time stood in the penalty box as a teammate took a corner kick, sent the ball her way, and she seemed to soar through the air like a superhero, literally head-and-shoulders above everyone else near her. She headed the ball with such force and accuracy that it shot into the upper corner of the goal. The goalkeeper didn’t even move, because the goal was practically scored the moment the star striker touched it.
To this day, Nora didn’t know who that player was. She had been seven years old at the time and didn’t get the chance to catch her name. But even all this time later, that one goal inspired her. Of the thousands of goals pro players score around the world every year, that single one was the reason why Nora was here on this pitch today. For that reason, she simply started calling it The Goal. It was that important to her.
And as she lined up to take her first practice free kick, she froze. She looked back over towards Ruby, who had resumed her dribbling drills.
When Ruby had headed the ball just now, it looked eerily similar to The Goal. Nora remembered, the woman who’d scored The Goal had black hair, her shirt was red. Nora was certain that she even wore a thin headband like Ruby’s.
Ruby had unknowingly recreated the singular formative moment of Nora’s football fanaticism, practically alone on a high school field. Like it was nothing. For no one to see…but her.
Nora hated this feeling, and she knew it all too well. Who was she kidding? Ruby had always been better, she’d always been the ace. And Nora knew this, because how could she be better than someone that she couldn’t help but look up to?
She shook her head and gritted herself, feebly trying to focus back on her training. She approached the ball set in front of her and struck it.
It bounced off a yellow dummy’s chest and rolled right back to her feet.
“…Fuck.”
~~~
Introducing the Sugar Rush Striker AU
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Why DvD is NOT having bad season like fans and some journalists claiming, base on stats (league only) and why benching DvD and Nobbs is wrong decisions:
DvD played 419 min so far in the league (46 min pg) and started 4 games (Bristol, Brighton, United and Spurs). She played all of her min in Attack role, mainly as AM. She have 1 goal and 1 assist in 4 starts but let's look further into the stats, not less important. As you know the AM (10 role) is a box to box role that have Attack responsibilities to link the play forward but also a lot of defense one.
* Nobbs mostly min played was as a winger but i will note her attacking stats also to answer why she also need to start games in the wing
Attack stats:
We will start with progress distance in pass pg (prgdist) that show the % of our midfielders moving the ball forward pg: DvD (24%), Little (22%), Nobbs (22%), Roord (19%).
Shot creating action (SCA) pg: DvD (3), Little (1.7), Nobbs (5.8), Roord (3.1)
Goal creating action (GCA) pg: DvD (0.2), Little (0.6), Nobbs (1.7), Roord (0.8). She need to improve this stat for sure no doubt but taking in to account that this stat also depends on the finish of the player that received the pass it directly led us to key passes (passes that directly lead to a shot (assisted shots)).
Key Passes (kp) pg: DvD (1.7), Little (0.86), Nobbs (3.6), Roord (1.2) .
* reminding you that Nobbs played as a winger most of the games. Also we need to take in to account that Mead and mcCabe are the ones that take corners and free kicks and it directly leading them to better stats like sca, gca and kp (also Little that take penalties).
we talked about the attack but to win games you also need to concede less goals than you scored and defending is the responsibility of every position in the pitch. the midfield is the defensivee line of the defensive line even when it is part of the attack, their role is crucial to keep the opponent away from our goal and to break the opponent play. Stats like tackles, interceptions, press and blocks will show us the work they do all over the pitch.
defense stats:
Tackles (TKL) pg: DvD (first in the team with 4), Little (1.5), Nobbs (1), Roord (1.7).
Tackles won (TKLW) pg: DvD (first in the team with 2.1), Little (1.2), Nobbs (0.7), Roord (0.7).
Interceptions (INT) pg: DvD (0.2), Little (0.8), Nobbs (0.2), Roord (0.3)
Tkl+Int pg: DvD (first in the team with 4.2), Little (2.4), Nobbs (1.2), Roord (2).
Press pg: DvD ( firsst in the team with 20.2), Little (11), Nobbs (10.7), Roord (12.6).
Blocks pg: DvD (2.5, second only to Maier), Little (1.5), Nobbs (0.5), Roord (0.5).
another very important stats that affect attack and defense is Recoveries.
Recoveries pg (more then 300 min play): DvD (12), Little (10.7), Nobbs (9.5), Roord (9.8).
conclusion: Yes, DvD did a few mistakes that cost us but i could name few players that did the same this season and previous seasons but to judge her season so far just from this is wrong. to forgive some players but not others is wrong. mistakes is a part of the game and part of every player game. every position in the pitch is more then score and assist. From these stats DvD is our best player in intercepting and breaking the opponent game even when she played in attack. If you take into account the free kicks, corners and penalty takers she is also one of our best creating player from open play when she played in attack so in fact with these stats she's not having bad season but quote the opposite. Joe choose to set our best player in breaking opponent play on the bench and not starting her is the wrong decision like he choose to set Nobbs that played on the wing and have way better stats then the two other wingers. Now ask yourself what it's going to do to their confidence.
P.S- i also think that he need to give Lisa opportunity (she only started 1 game so can't bring stats but from what i saw she deserve it).
Stats credit: fbref.com
#danielle van de donk#arsenal wfc#woso#soccer#arsenal women#dvd#daniëlle van de donk#jordan nobbs#football
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Senegal Edged Ecuador In A Thriller, the United States Advanced
A Recap of Groups A & B of the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The scenes as the final whistle blew, where Senegal advanced to the knock-out stage after defeating Ecuador 2-1 (📸 AS USA)
Yesterday saw the conclusion of Groups A and B of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which confirmed the Netherlands' qualification to the knock-out stage, as well as naming 3 more qualifiers: Senegal (Group A), England, and the United States (both came from Group B). On the other hand, Qatar's elimination was further confirmed after they were outplayed by the Netherlands 0-2 due to Cody Gakpo's and Frenkie de Jong's goals throughout the two halves. They became the second host country since 1992 to be eliminated in the group stage, with a distinction to South Africa's 2010.
The other match of Group A sees the thrilling battle between Senegal and Ecuador, where Senegal initially led at 43' on Ismaila Saar's penalty. However, as soon as the second half started, Moises Caicedo scored an equalizer right in response to the corner, before Kalidou Koulibaly quickly responded minutes later with a half-volley right after the free kick to send Senegal to the lead, and the victory 2-1 by the end of the match.
The final standings of Group A (📸 AS USA)
As a result, the Netherlands strengthened their qualifying position by leading by 7 points, followed by Senegal who scored 2 wins by the end for 6 points. Ecuador left in third place, while Qatar was eliminated empty-handed since they only got 0 points by the end of the group stage.
Meanwhile in Group B...
Christian Pulisic scored a goal via a header to send the United States leading 1-0 before he sustained an injury afterward (📸 Sky Sports).
Two contrasting, but equally high-tension matches, appeared in two different forms: the Battle of the Brits (England v. Wales), and the most anticipated Iran v. United States (for some current geopolitical reasons).
In the first half, while England and Wales tied in a goalless manner, the United States started to lead by Christian Pulisic's goal at 38', where he "sacrificed" his header in a collision with Alireza Beiranvand, the Iranian goalkeeper, suffering a pelvic contusion afterward after being rushed to a nearby hospital. This score would then stay until the end of the match, where Iran tried to increase their intensity in the second half, but could not able to maximize their chances, knowing how well the United States defended.
Marcus Rashford's goal celebration after he scored his first goal in the match against Wales (📸 Daily Mirror)
However, England was proven to be the dominant Brit in this match against Wales. A perfect corner execution from Marcus Rashford opened the goal party at 49' before it was followed by Phil Foden's completion of the previous assists from the left to score another goal around 52'. England kept pressuring Wales until it bore another fruit with another Marcus Rashford goal after receiving a right-wing assist from Kalvin Phillips with a stunning finish at 67', where the pitch was left undefended by the Welsh.
The final standings of Group B (📸 Sky Sports)
As a result, both England and the United States secured their qualifying position to the knock-out stage, scoring 7 and 5 points, respectively, while leaving Iran and Wales to elimination.
With this outcome, the first two matches of the Round of 16 are set, which sets the Netherlands to face the United States and England to face Senegal in the other half. On paper, this might have looked like the Netherlands and England to take the match, but knowing the depth and surprises that this year's World Cup gives, we never know, it could also be the other way round, with the penalty shootout to the rescue should there be a draw and extra time!
#fifa world cup 2022#fifa world cup#world cup qatar 2022#football news#football updates#group stage#world cup#knock out stage#qatar 2022
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Chelsea - West Brom 3.04.2021
Match a teams who fight for different objective. Chelsea fights for top4, but West Brom fights for staying in Premier League. Theoretically, easy game for Chelsea and easy three points, but was it in practise…?
Match started kinda boring. Both teams played and attacked but they hadn’t showed anything interesting. In 24th minute, Big Sam needs to change O’Shea because of ankle injury. Ivanovic was his replacement. Three minutes after this change, Alosno from a free kick tried to score. His shot hit the post but ball was still on a pitch so Pulisic kicked it into a net and made 1:0 for Chelsea. After couple minutes, Silva saw a second yellow card which maked it red and from this time, Chelsea was playing in 10. In 37th minute, West Brom’s coach needs to change Ivanovic who had a muscle injury. His replacement was Robinson. Referee added 4 minutes to a first half. In 47th and 49th minute, Pereira found a way to defeat a Chelsea goalkeeper. On a break was 1:2 for West Brom.
Beginning of the second half was for Chelsea. They tried really hard to scored on 2:2. West Brom’s defence hand’t let them for it. After 20 minutes, West Brom created counterattack. Furlong from the right side played a ball to Robinson who changed the score on 1:3. Couple minutes later, West Brom made the same thing but from the right side. Pereira played to Diagne, and he scored on 1:4. Chelsea didn’t gave up and tried to scored. They did it in 71st minute. In penalty area, Werner played a ball to a Mount who scored on 2:4. The Blues tried to scored another goals but West Brom’s defence and goalkeeper hadn’t let them. In extra time, West Brom made another counterattack. Pereira passed the ball to Robinson who scored on 2:5. Referee was looking on VAR if there was offside, but goal was correctly.
For West Brom this is important win, because they still have a change to stay in Premier League. For Chelsea, this lost is first when Tuchel became their coach. Next game West Brom will play in their stadium against Southampton. Chelsea will be playing two games on different stadiums. Firstly, they have a much against FC Porto in quarterfinal of Champions League. Next, they have Crystal Palace.
27′ Pulisic
45+2′ Pereira (Johnstone assist)
45+4′ Pereira
63′ Robinson (Pereira assist)
68′ Diagne (Pereira assist)
71′ Mount (Werner assist)
90+1′ Robinson (Pereira assist)
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