Gundogan shapes ‘destiny’ with Manchester City but could still depart after Champions League final

Analysis Gundogan shapes ‘destiny’ with Manchester City but could still depart after Champions League final
Manchester City's German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan celebrates with the trophy on the pitch after the English FA Cup final football match between Manchester City and Manchester United. (File/AFP)
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Updated 04 June 2023
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Gundogan shapes ‘destiny’ with Manchester City but could still depart after Champions League final

Gundogan shapes ‘destiny’ with Manchester City but could still depart after Champions League final
  • The German’s match-winning performance in the FA Cup final could prove his penultimate for Pep Guardiola’s team
  • Teammate John Stones calls his captain an ‘incredible player’ after 2 goals secured a league and cup double for City

It seems somewhat bewildering that the influential Ilkay Gundogan stands on the brink of captaining Manchester City to the greatest season in their 129-year history — and yet could leave for nothing at the end of this month.

As manager Pep Guardiola and teammates urge him to resist the intoxicating beauty of Barcelona and sign a new contract extension, the midfielder may well leave it to fate to sway the outcome of his uncertain future.

Earlier this season, Gundogan told Arab News how he felt “it’s destiny” that he has been a game-changer for the club and helped them rewrite English football’s record books.

“Sooner or later you will be regarded for the good you are doing, not just in football,” said the German, 32.

The precedent was set last season by his two dramatic late goals to inspire City’s 3-2 final-day comeback win over Aston Villa, having been 2-0 down with 14 minutes left, and clinch the Premier League title.

This season too he has shown the ability to affect games with decisive strikes or cunning, controlled performances — he provides calm amid chaos.

On Saturday, Gundogan’s two goals clinched a 2-1 win over Manchester United and an FA Cup and Premier League Double — a second for City in four years.

The first effort was an exquisite right-foot volley into the top corner after 12 seconds — the fastest in the 151-year history of the FA Cup — and then followed by an ugly left-footed finish that bounced past David De Gea.

It was a combination of grace and grit, masterful and yet messy.

These qualities are usually reserved for the sport’s best players, the ones able to define games, and those revered by their fan base and appreciated by their peers.

Gundogan does not have a catchy chant like Bernardo Silva, nor serenaded in the manner of Kevin De Bruyne, but he has been every bit as vital to City’s progress and success since he joined in 2016, while still recovering from a serious knee injury at former club Borussia Dortmund.

He does not covet attention but deserves appreciation for his contribution.

“Exceptional” is how Guardiola described Gundogan, while England defender John Stones added: “What a player. On the big occasion we’ve all seen it, he turns up and scores incredible goals.

“How he dictates everything, he’s an incredible player and incredible person.”

“He’s been incredible for the seven years he’s been here,” said De Bruyne. “In the big moments he steps up. He isn’t afraid and he scores great goals. Definitely, he should sign now.”

No one would begrudge Gundogan financial security for his family with at least a two-year deal, with his next contract also likely to be his final one at an elite European club.

And no one would begrudge him the perfect ending next Saturday either, should City claim victory in Istanbul over Inter Milan in the Champions League final to match the 1999 Treble feat of neighbors United.

“We have a chance to do something special and win the Treble and we do not want to let this opportunity pass us by,” said Gundogan. “I can promise our fans we will do everything we can to win in Istanbul.

“It’s my seventh year now. I’ve never stayed that long at a football club. So that alone shows how much I appreciate the club, how much also I feel appreciated from the fans, my teammates, it’s an absolute joy to be part of this team, to work with Pep and his staff.

“Now we want to crown it with that final. The last game of the season, a very, very special one — maybe the most special so far for us all in our careers — and obviously we want to win it.

“We know it’s going to be a very uncomfortable game, a very uncomfortable opponent. I think it’s going to be tough, but this group of players has shown already we don’t avoid the tough challenges.”

On Saturday, once Bruno Fernandes had rolled home a penalty to cancel out Gundogan’s opener, City rose to the challenge in a tense first Manchester derby cup final.

They withstood late pressure and calmed nerves with the steely defense and resilience that will be required too against Inter, as Stones added: “Our mindset and approach, our courage, was incredible. We’ve crossed this hurdle now and we can dream — hopefully we can do it.”

This Wembley showpiece was a big hurdle for City, tactically and mentally, against a United side also keen to remain the only English side to win a Treble.

But Erik Ten Hag’s side were not aggressive enough, nor able to produce the attacking quality to breach a backline that has conceded just the Fernandes spot-kick in this season’s competition.

The Dutchman said United were “broken” in defeat and he now has a difficult task to fix them.

If there is to be a takeover from Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani or INEOS CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe, it needs to be quickly finalized by the Glazer family to aid Ten Hag’s summer plans.

It would be wrong to say United are spineless, but they need improvements in the spine of their side, from goalkeeper to striker.

Despite De Gea’s 17 clean sheets that won him the Golden Gloves award for the most in the Premier League, the Spaniard has made notable errors that have put his future under intense scrutiny — and his positioning was suspect for both goals.

Ten Hag said: “In this moment, I don’t want to talk about such issues of criticism because we played all a great season, including David De Gea.

“As a team, we didn’t do the jobs we had to do and if you want to win trophies, details in big games make the difference and it’s hard to accept, but we have to.

“Of course it’s a motivation, you have to feel it in your stomach, it hurts. It has to be fuel.”

Ten Hag will have to stoke United’s fire with new signings and, while Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount is in talks, the caliber of West Ham captain Declan Rice, Tottenham’s Harry Kane or Napoli’s Victor Osimhen should be high on the wish list.

“I have only one plan, that is to improve this club and to improve this team,” added the United boss, whose side finished third in the league and won the League Cup.

“I will fight for it. We have to work — the manager, the staff, the players, to get the progress in.”


FIFA announce sale of Club World Cup 2023 match tickets

FIFA announce sale of Club World Cup 2023 match tickets
Updated 25 September 2023
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FIFA announce sale of Club World Cup 2023 match tickets

FIFA announce sale of Club World Cup 2023 match tickets
  • Seven clubs, including Saudi’s Al-Ittihad, will contest the continental championship from Dec. 12th to Dec. 22nd
  • 20th edition of the global club tournament will feature a debut appearance from European champions Man. City

RIYADH: Club World Cup 2023 match tickets will be available for purchase from Tuesday Sept. 26th at FIFA.com/tickets.

Seven clubs will contest the continental championship in Saudi Arabia from Dec. 12th to Dec. 22nd.

Al-Ittihad, winners of the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) 2022-2023, will represent hosts Saudi Arabia.

The 20th edition of the global club tournament will feature a debut appearance from European champions Manchester City.

It will also feature Concacaf champions Club Leon of Mexico, Japan’s Urawa Reds, Egypt’s Al Ahly and New Zealand’s Auckland City.

The line-up will be completed by the yet-to-be determined Copa Libertadores winners.


Saudi U-23 football team beat Vietnam 3-1 in Asian Games

Saudi U-23 football team beat Vietnam 3-1 in Asian Games
Updated 25 September 2023
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Saudi U-23 football team beat Vietnam 3-1 in Asian Games

Saudi U-23 football team beat Vietnam 3-1 in Asian Games
  • The Greens will face the Indian team in the qualifying rounds on Thursday

HANGZHOU, China: The Saudi under-23 football team qualified for the second round of the event in the Asian Games after defeating Vietnam 3-1 on Sunday.
Scoring for the Green Falcons were Mohammed Al-Yami in the 43rd minute, Mohammed Maran in the 87th minute, and Zakaria Hawsawi in the 90th minute.
The Greens will face the Indian team in the qualifying rounds on Thursday.
In tennis, Ammar Al-Haqbani of the Saudi team qualified for the round of 32 in the men's singles competitions, after defeating Qatar'sRashid Naif, 2-0, in the round of 64.

Ammar will next meet on Monday the 60th ranked player in the world, Zhizhen Zhang of China's.
His sister, Yara, lost to Mongolia's Maraljo Shumjav in the round of 64 of the women’s singles tennis competition in two sets to zero.
Ammar and Yara will open the tennis doubles competition at 3 p.m. Monday, facing the Indonesian national team. 

In Taekwondo, the Saudi Arabia's Wahid Mughais was eliminated from the quarter-finals of the individual poomsae competition, after losing to Vietnam's Tran with a score of 7230 against 7490 points.
Wahid had qualified for this round by defeating the Bangladeshi Hussein Noureddine with a score of 7400 against 6460 points.
His colleague Abrar Bukhari dropped out of the competition after losing to Pakistan's Naila with a score of 7340 against 7180 points.

The Saudi under-23 football team qualified for the second round of the event in the Asian Games after defeating Vietnam 3-1 on Sunday. (Supplied)

In e-sports, Saudi Arabia's Ahmed Mujahid retired from competitions early after losing to Vietnam's Duc Hieu Trong with a score of 2-0, and losing to (Non Martinez) from Macau with the same score.
In boxing, the Kingdom's Musa Al-Hawsawi lost his match to Kyrgyzstan's Azat Usenaliev by knockout in the second round of the round of 32 competitions in the over 63-kilogram category.
Saudi rowers Sultan Al-Shali and Turki Al-Aarif ended their participation in the tournament after finishing 12th in the overall standings of the doubles competition in the (LM2x) category. The duo finished the race with a time of 6.56.63 minutes.
In handball, the Saudi handball team lost its first match to Japan with a score of 29 against 37 points. The first half of the match ended with a Japanese lead of 20-14 points.
The Greens Hand will play their second match in the tournament, when they meet the  Mongolian team at 4 p.m. on Monday.


Newcastle thrash Sheffield United 8-0 in Premier League

Newcastle thrash Sheffield United 8-0 in Premier League
Updated 24 September 2023
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Newcastle thrash Sheffield United 8-0 in Premier League

Newcastle thrash Sheffield United 8-0 in Premier League
  • Victory lifts Newcastle up to eighth and within five points of the top four

SHEFFIELD: Newcastle came close to matching the Premier League's record margin of victory as they thrashed Sheffield United 8-0 at Bramall Lane on Sunday.
Eddie Howe's side ran riot with goals from Sean Longstaff, Dan Burn, Sven Botman, Callum Wilson, Anthony Gordon, Miguel Almiron, Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak.
The biggest winning margin in the Premier League era is 9-0, a score recorded by Manchester United against Ipswich and Southampton in 1995 and 2021 respectively.
Liverpool won 9-0 against Bournemouth last year, while Leicester managed it against Southampton in 2019.
Sheffield United's largest ever league defeat sent the Blades to the bottom of the Premier League table.
With just one point from their first six games back in the English top flight, Paul Heckingbottom's future as manager is now in doubt.
"The first-half goals we conceded were really poor, but it's the second half I'm upset with," said Heckingbottom.
"The errors that led to goals, a lot of things I'd never seen before, and there's certain things that aren't acceptable."
Newcastle had lost three of their opening five league games of the season to dampen expectations that the Saudi-backed Magpies could challenge for the title.
Howe's men had been in the Champions League for the first time in 20 years on Tuesday as they played out a 0-0 draw away to AC Milan.
But Newcastle showed no signs of fatigue and they exhibited their strength in depth as they became the first side in Premier League history to have eight different scorers in one match, not including own goals.
"I thought we were really good, and once the goals came the confidence returned," said Howe.
"What a response from the players in the past week."
Sheffield United had started the game brightly at an emotional Bramall Lane as tributes were paid to Maddy Cusack.
The 27-year-old, who was the longest-serving player in the club's women's side and also worked in the club's commercial department, died earlier this week.
However, the hosts fell apart as Newcastle struck three times in a 14-minute spell.
Longstaff swept home Gordon's cross before centre-backs Dan Burn and Sven Botman headed home from Kieran Trippier crosses.
Trippier had a hat-trick of assists shortly after the break as he set up Wilson.
It was 5-0 just after the hour mark when Gordon capped a scintillating display by cutting inside and curling a fine 20-yard shot into the bottom corner.
Almiron's sweet strike found the bottom corner to make it six before Guimaraes converted a loose ball in the area.
Substitute Isak completed the rout by latching on to a loose header from Tom Davies.
Victory lifts Newcastle up to eighth and within five points of the top four.


Lewandowski, Cancelo lead Barcelona to 3-2 comeback win over Celta with 3 goals in final 10 minutes

Lewandowski, Cancelo lead Barcelona to 3-2 comeback win over Celta with 3 goals in final 10 minutes
Updated 23 September 2023
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Lewandowski, Cancelo lead Barcelona to 3-2 comeback win over Celta with 3 goals in final 10 minutes

Lewandowski, Cancelo lead Barcelona to 3-2 comeback win over Celta with 3 goals in final 10 minutes
  • “It was a great fightback,” said Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández
  • “I made many mistakes, but you just have to keep focused and play until the end,” Cancelo said

BARCELONA, Spain: Robert Lewandowski scored two late goals before João Cancelo snatched the 89th-minute winner to lead Barcelona to a 3-2 comeback win over Celta Vigo at home in the Spanish league on Saturday.
Rafa Benítez was eying his first big win since returning to coaching in Spain with his team ahead 2-0 before Lewandowski struck in the 81st minute. Cancelo then set up Lewandowski to equalize in the 85th before the Portugal right back completed the turnaround.
“It was a great fightback,” said Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández, who signed a contract extension through 2025 on Friday. “It is true we were disorganized at times and didn’t make the ball flow like in other games, but the team won in faith and courage.”
Barcelona are tied on points with the surprising Girona at the top of the table after their fellow Catalan club routed Mallorca 5-3. Real Madrid are one point behind both before visiting Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
Jorgen Strand Larsen put Celta ahead in the 19th and substitute Anastasios Douvikas made it 2-0 in the 76th while their five-man defense held the defending champions in check — until the final minutes.
Cancelo joined Barcelona on the final day of the transfer window on loan from Manchester City. He has made an immediate impact by giving Barcelona a versatile right back, and it was never more evident than when he joined in a last-gasp push against Celta.
After Lewandowski had given Barcelona hope by scooping a shot over goalkeeper Ivan Villar, Cancelo acted as a midfielder to provide an assist for the Poland striker to make it 2-2. His next move was to make a run through the heart of the defense where he met a lobbed pass by Gavi Páez and guided it home.
Cancelo said he was relieved to have helped his new team after having had what he called a poor performance after turning the ball over several times.
“I made many mistakes, but you just have to keep focused and play until the end,” Cancelo said. “We didn’t play well and Celta did well defending its area. But it is always better to play poorly and win, than to play well and lose.”
It was a bitter loss for Benítez, who took over Celta this summer for his first job in Spain since his short-lived stint with Real Madrid in 2015. Celta have only one win in six games under the coach that led Valencia to league titles back in 2002 and 2004.
“I think we played well for most of the game, but in that final stretch I have the feeling their last two goals were preventable,” Benítez said. “Tiredness could have played a part, but those goals can be stopped if you are well positioned. I hope this helps us grow because for 80 minutes we were superb.”
Barcelona lost midfielder Frenkie de Jong near the end of the first half. Gavi Páez replaced him. Xavi said that De Jong would undergo tests to determine the nature of the injury.

GIRONA GROWS
The undefeated Girona are the revelation of the season so far. The modest team from Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region that are partially owned by Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi ownership have won five straight games after drawing their opener.
After beating Granada 4-2 last round, they have now scored nine goals in their past two games.
“(Being at the top of the standings) is anecdotal, we are happy for the victory. Winning five in a row in the first division is not an easy task,” coach Míchel Sánchez said.
“Even more important than the results is the sensation we have, knowing that we are competing well and have a clear idea of how we want to play.”
Mallorca went ahead early through a fourth-minute penalty converted by Vedat Muriqi. But Girona roared back with goals by David López, Artem Dovbyk, Iván Martín, Yangel Herrera and Sávio before substitute Ábdon Prats reduced the deficit for Mallorca with a late brace.
Also, Sevilla drew 0-0 at Osasuna.


Juventus fall to first defeat of season as 3 glaring errors contribute to 4-2 loss at Sassuolo

Juventus fall to first defeat of season as 3 glaring errors contribute to 4-2 loss at Sassuolo
Updated 23 September 2023
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Juventus fall to first defeat of season as 3 glaring errors contribute to 4-2 loss at Sassuolo

Juventus fall to first defeat of season as 3 glaring errors contribute to 4-2 loss at Sassuolo
  • It was Juve’s first loss of the fledgling campaign after three wins and a draw
  • It was the third straight league match in which Leão scored

MILAN: Juventus fell to their first loss of the season after three glaring errors contributed to a 4-2 defeat at struggling Sassuolo in Serie A on Saturday, including a bizarre late own goal.
Bianconeri goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny first gifted the home side the lead when he failed to make a routine save on a shot from Armand Laurienté in the 13th minute.
Another mistake from Szczęsny gave Sassuolo a 3-2 lead in the 82nd and Juventus then added a comical own goal in injury time.
Szczęsny left his goal to take a free kick near the corner flag, passing the ball across the pitch to Gatti as Juventus tried to launch a final attack in search of an equalizer. However, the defender came under quick pressure and passed the ball back toward the goal — seemingly forgetting that his goalkeeper was not there — and it bobbled into the empty net.
It was Juve’s first loss of the fledgling campaign after three wins and a draw. On Tuesday they play Lecce, which are the only side still undefeated in the Italian league along with Inter Milan.
Sassuolo had only three points from their opening four matches but took the lead when Laurienté’s shot went straight at Szczęsny but the power behind the strike saw the ball bounce off the goalkeeper’s gloves and off the turf before going into the back of the net.
Juventus leveled in the 21st when Federico Chiesa whipped in a cross from the left but, under pressure from United States midfielder Weston McKennie, Matías Nicolás Viña prodded the ball into his own net.
Domenico Berardi restored Sassuolo’s lead shortly before halftime when he swept a finish into the bottom left corner but the home side’s hopes of getting an impressive win appeared to evaporate when Chiesa’s effort was deflected in with 12 minutes remaining.
However, Sassoulo went ahead again four minutes later after Szczęsny palmed Laurienté’s fierce strike straight at Pinamonti, who headed in the rebound for his fourth goal in three matches.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Gatti added the worst howler of the day right at the end.

LEÃO SCORES AGAIN
Rafael Leão appears back to his best and the AC Milan forward helped the Rossoneri bounce back from a disappointing week with a 1-0 win over Hellas Verona in Serie A on Saturday.
Leão scored the only goal of the delayed match in the eighth minute to help his team get back to winning ways. Milan were humiliated 5-1 by Inter Milan in the city derby last weekend before being held 0-0 by Newcastle in their Champions League opener on Tuesday.
It was the third straight league match in which Leão scored. The 24-year-old forward had a mixed campaign last season as he appeared distracted by off-the-field issues with his contract, which he renewed in June.
A mistake by the Verona defense allowed Olivier Giroud to win the ball back in midfield and he sent it through to Leão, who used his impressive pace to surge between two opposition players and slot into the bottom right corner.
The match almost didn’t go ahead, however, as the San Siro pitch was waterlogged following heavy rain and hail in the hour before kickoff. It eased off and the water drained quickly so the match was able to get underway 25 minutes late.
Christian Pulisic went close to doubling Milan’s lead in the 72nd when he raced into the right side of the area and left Verona defender Paweł Dawidowicz scrambling as the US international turned and curled in a shot, which Lorenzo Montipò managed to palm out from under the bar.
Milan moved level on points with league leader Inter, which play at Empoli on Sunday.