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
FC Barcelona’s Joao Cancelo celebrates scoring their third goal during their La Liga match against Celta Vigo at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona on Sept. 23, 2023. (Reuters)
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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.


Arsenal primed for Emery reunion as Man City fight to end slum

Arsenal primed for Emery reunion as Man City fight to end slum
Updated 08 December 2023
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Arsenal primed for Emery reunion as Man City fight to end slum

Arsenal primed for Emery reunion as Man City fight to end slum
  • Villa’s 1-0 win against Manchester City on Wednesday was the club’s most significant result for years
  • John Stones has urged Manchester City to keep their composure amid a worrying slump

LONDON: Arsenal’s grip on the Premier League’s top spot will be under threat from their old boss Unai Emery when the leaders travel to surging Aston Villa on Saturday.

If the Gunners slip up, Liverpool will seize pole position with a win against Crystal Palace, while reeling Manchester City aim to get back on track at Luton.

Here are the three talking points ahead of this weekend’s action:

 

When Unai Emery arrived at Aston Villa in October 2022, his new team were languishing just three points above the relegation zone.

Now, they sit third in the table ahead of a seismic showdown against leaders Arsenal that would have seemed impossible during the dark days before Emery’s transformative appointment.

Villa’s 1-0 win against Manchester City on Wednesday was the club’s most significant result for years, showcasing the impressive work done by Emery to revive a moribund club and infusing his players with belief they can do something special this season.

It is fitting that the latest test of Emery’s revolution comes against Arsenal, who sacked him in 2019 midway through a second troubled season in north London.

City manager Pep Guardiola labelled Villa as title contenders on Wednesday after Emery’s 50th match in charge served to underline his remarkable impact.

“I can come back in my mind and think how we were when we started this process,” Emery said. “We lost against Leicester and Arsenal at home. We couldn’t concede eight goals in two matches like we did.

“It was a key moment when we reacted in a meeting with the players, focusing more our idea and our style, building and being very demanding in it. The players, they reacted very well.”

 

John Stones has urged Manchester City to keep their composure amid a worrying slump that threatens to derail their bid for a fourth successive title.

City’s winless run extended to four league games on Wednesday as Aston Villa’s 1-0 victory increased the sense of concern surrounding Pep Guardiola’s side.

The treble winners were comprehensively outplayed, leaving Guardiola to admit he needed to “help” his “struggling” team.

Trailing Arsenal by six points, Stones believes City can use the pain of their stumble to stop the rot in a tricky assignment at Luton on Sunday.

The Hatters have already drawn with Liverpool at home and came within seconds of a point against Arsenal, before losing 4-3 on Tuesday.

“We have to use the hurt and the pain that is within us as motivation and fuel to put things right. I think everyone has that desire,” Stones said.

“We’ve been in these positions in previous seasons. I don’t think we or everyone should be hyping about what is going to happen. We have to stay calm as a team.”

 

As Liverpool head into a crucial period for their title ambitions, Jurgen Klopp’s irritation at a joke about his team’s quick turnaround to play Crystal Palace on Saturday laid bare the German’s desire to keep pace with leaders Arsenal.

The Reds boss branded a television presenter “ignorant” following his side’s 2-0 win at Sheffield United on Wednesday when he mentioned second-placed Liverpool travel to Palace at Klopp’s “favorite kick-off time.”

That was an ill-fated reference to Klopp complaining on previous occasions when Liverpool have been forced to play at 1230 GMT on a Saturday after a Wednesday evening match.

“That’s really brave to make a joke about that,” Klopp grumbled, but he will be reassured to hear Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk’s willingness to take on the challenge of coping with the gruelling schedule.

“Listen, we are in December and there are so many games to come. For us now, it’s a good start to December and we have plenty of big games to come. We should all look forward to it,” he said.

 

Fixtures

Saturday (1500 GMT unless stated)

Aston Villa vs. Arsenal (1730), Brighton vs. Burnley, Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool (1230), Manchester United vs. Bournemouth, Sheffield United vs. Brentford, Wolves vs. Nottingham Forest

Sunday (1400 GMT unless stated)

Everton vs. Chelsea, Fulham vs. West Ham, Luton vs. Manchester City, Tottenham vs. Newcastle (1630)


Italy’s anti-doping tribunal chases four-year ban for Pogba

Italy’s anti-doping tribunal chases four-year ban for Pogba
Updated 08 December 2023
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Italy’s anti-doping tribunal chases four-year ban for Pogba

Italy’s anti-doping tribunal chases four-year ban for Pogba
  • Proceedings by the Italian sports justice system are underway while the Turin public prosecutor’s office has also started a judicial investigation, as doping is a criminal offense in Italy
  • Pogba’s representatives said the testosterone came from a food supplement prescribed by a doctor he consulted in the US

ROME: France’s World Cup winner Paul Pogba is facing the possibility of a lengthy ban after Italy’s anti-doping tribunal called for a four-year suspension for the Juventus midfielder, a club source told AFP on Thursday.

Pogba, 30, was provisionally suspended in September after he tested positive for testosterone.

A month later a B sample confirmed the presence of the substance.

Proceedings by the Italian sports justice system are underway while the Turin public prosecutor’s office has also started a judicial investigation, as doping is a criminal offense in Italy.

“I can confirm that we received this morning this notification from the anti-doping agency with four years (suspension) requested,” the Juve source told AFP.

The 2018 World Cup winner’s sample was reportedly taken at his club’s opening match of the Serie A season, a win at Udinese on August 20, during which he was an unused substitute.

Pogba’s representatives said the testosterone came from a food supplement prescribed by a doctor he consulted in the US.

Under the World Anti-Doping Code, Pogba is liable to a four-year suspension, which could be halved if he proves that he was not at fault.

The ban could even be limited to a few months if the use of the substance took place “out of competition and is not related to his level of performance.”

Since the announcement of his positive test, Pogba has been unable to train with Juventus, the club to which he returned in July 2022 after six seasons with United.

The recommendation from the tribunal is the latest in on and off the field issues for Pogba.

From being on top of the world Pogba has slowly slipped down to the depths, ravaged by injuries and a difficult personal life which he admits has been adversely affected by the vast sums of money earned by football’s top players.

In March 2022, intruders, who included childhood friends, broke into Pobga’s home and held him against his will, demanding 13 million euros ($14 million).

Pogba ended up paying 100,000 euros of the sum and the affair taught him that “the only people who can hurt are the people who are close to you.”

A knee issue kept him sidelined from the 2022 World Cup with France coach Didier Deschamps saying he hoped the playmaker “rediscovers his smile.”

A month after suffering the injury, his brother Mathias released a video in which he threatened to reveal secrets about his superstar sibling.

Juve have also suspended payment of his estimated annual salary of €8 million($8.4 million).


Eddie Howe refuses to point finger of blame at Kieran Trippier after costly Newcastle United errors

Eddie Howe refuses to point finger of blame at Kieran Trippier after costly Newcastle United errors
Updated 08 December 2023
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Eddie Howe refuses to point finger of blame at Kieran Trippier after costly Newcastle United errors

Eddie Howe refuses to point finger of blame at Kieran Trippier after costly Newcastle United errors

LIVERPOOL: Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe refused to point the finger at Kieran Trippier as the Magpies capitulated in the Premier League at Everton.

Three individual errors, as the game looked to be heading towards a 0-0 draw, saw the relegation-threatened Toffees, claim all three points at Goodison Park.

Late strikes from Dwight McNeil and Abdoulaye Doucoure, after Trippier handed them possession inexplicably, saw the hosts on their way, before the England full-back played substitute Beto onside as he slotted home the third in added time.

Despite that, Howe refused to point the finger at Trippier, instead placing the blame for defeat on the collective, rather than the individual.

The head coach said: “Kieran has been absolutely magnificent since signing for the club and has been the catalyst of our success. Collectively we were off our best today.

"We have to do better, there are reasons behind every performance and we have struggled to change players. That is a big miss with the quality of players out. The longer you do it, the harder it gets. I am disappointed, a missed opportunity, we did not grab it."

While Newcastle's home form has been up their with the title challengers, their away form has been the exact opposite. Howe's side have won just one game in the Premier League away from St James' Park, the 8-0 mauling of Sheffield United back in September.

"The game was there for us to win in the second half. The first half was even and we had them penned in in the second half. We conceded the first goal and it changed the momentum of the match. Frustrating and a chance missed," he said.

“Last year our away form was good, free-scoring and the defensive record was good. We have not got going on the road, apart from the Sheffield United game. Something for us to analyse."

In a season full of injury blows, the Magpies again suffered a scare with skipper Jamaal Lascelles withdrawn late on. Howe, however, has allayed fears this particular injury is anything serious.

Howe said: "I don’t think it is a serious one, it looks like a dead leg.

“You have to take into account Lewis Miley and his age, a huge ask but he handled himself really well. We have a lot of difficult situations at the moment which we have to manage. Today I have to call the performance as I see it, we weren't at our best."

Next up for United is another tough-looking trip to Tottenham Hotspur, who themselves have been faltering due to injuries.

"The beauty of football is that you have another game. We are desperate for help with players back and hopefully that will happen," said Howe.


Dortmund out of German Cup in 2-0 loss to Stuttgart. Third-tier Saarbruecken stun Frankfurt

Dortmund out of German Cup in 2-0 loss to Stuttgart. Third-tier Saarbruecken stun Frankfurt
Updated 07 December 2023
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Dortmund out of German Cup in 2-0 loss to Stuttgart. Third-tier Saarbruecken stun Frankfurt

Dortmund out of German Cup in 2-0 loss to Stuttgart. Third-tier Saarbruecken stun Frankfurt
  • There will be just three top-tier clubs among the eight in the quarterfinals and no team which has won the competition in the last 25 years
  • Third-division Saarbruecken’s dream run continued with a 2-0 win over last season’s cup runner-up Frankfurt

SAARBRUECKEN, Germany: Borussia Dortmund are out of the German Cup after losing 2-0 to Stuttgart on Wednesday as third-tier Saarbruecken knocked out Eintracht Frankfurt.

The draw is wide open after the latest setback for Dortmund, who have been impressive in the Champions League this season but underwhelming in Germany, and Saarbruecken’s back-to-back upsets after ousting Bayern Munich in the previous round.

There will be just three top-tier clubs among the eight in the quarterfinals — Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart and Borussia Moenchengladbach — and no team which has won the competition in the last 25 years.

Enzo Millot assisted Serhou Guirassy for Stuttgart’s opening goal in the 54th minute as the Guinea striker slipped between two defenders to score his 18th goal of the season. Maximilian Mittelstadt set up the second for substitute Silas in the 77th.

The result widens the gulf between Dortmund’s domestic and European form. Edin Terzic’s team leads a Champions League group also containing Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle. Its form in German league and cup games in recent weeks has been a concern, with five points from its last five games — including a 2-1 loss to Stuttgart last month — and now the cup exit.

For Stuttgart, the win is the latest success of an impressive season, with the club also third in the Bundesliga.

Third-division Saarbruecken’s dream run continued with a 2-0 win over last season’s cup runner-up Frankfurt.

Saarbruecken had an opening goal ruled out in the 20th minute when Kai Brünker headed in at a corner but video review spotted a push by one of his teammates.

Even after that reprieve, Frankfurt struggled to get into the game and Brünker finally scored a goal that counted in the 64th when the defense left him in space.

More poor Frankfurt defending in the 78th allowed Luca Kerber to score Saarbruecken’s second goal, and things got even worse soon after for the visiting team with a straight red card for Noel Futkeu. The striker had only come off the Frankfurt bench six minutes earlier in his first-team debut but aimed a kick at an opponent with the ball nowhere near.

It was Frankfurt’s fourth consecutive loss in all competitions after having lost just twice all season before that.

It’s far from the first cup surprise for Saarbruecken, who knocked out German champion Bayern in the second round in October. Saarbruecken also stunned Germany by reaching the semifinals in 2019-20 despite being in the fourth tier at the time. It didn’t qualify for the German Cup again until this season.

League leader Bayer Leverkusen eased to a 3-1 win over second-division Paderborn to extend its unbeaten season to 21 games in all competitions. Xabi Alonso’s team was left with concerns over an injury to key attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.

Victor Boniface, Exequiel Palacios and Patrik Schick all scored, while two more Leverkusen goals were ruled out for offside on video review. Sebastian Klaas scored for Paderborn.

Wirtz limped off shortly before halftime after what the team described as a “painful blow to his ankle.”


Rubiales ‘seemingly forcefully kissed’ an England player on face at Women’s World Cup

Rubiales ‘seemingly forcefully kissed’ an England player on face at Women’s World Cup
Updated 07 December 2023
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Rubiales ‘seemingly forcefully kissed’ an England player on face at Women’s World Cup

Rubiales ‘seemingly forcefully kissed’ an England player on face at Women’s World Cup
  • In a written submission to the committee, Hewitt was quoted saying she watched as Rubiales “cupped and stroked” the face of the England player Laura Coombs
  • Rubiales responded in the report by accusing Hewitt of “hypocrisy” because she had also embraced players

ZURICH: Former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales “seemingly forcefully kissed” an England player on her face before kissing Jenni Hermoso without her consent at the Women’s World Cup, according to English Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt.

A FIFA disciplinary committee report released Wednesday said Rubiales, who was given a three-year ban in October, acted with “a sense of complete impunity” at the trophy ceremony after Spain’s 1-0 win over England in Sydney on Aug. 20.

In a written submission to the committee, Hewitt was quoted saying she watched as Rubiales “cupped and stroked” the face of the England player Laura Coombs.

Hewitt, who was standing next to Rubiales, found the gesture to be “slightly odd and then he seemingly forcefully kissed the English player Lucy Bronze on her face,” the report said.

Rubiales responded in the report by accusing Hewitt of “hypocrisy” because she had also embraced players. He added that Hewitt’s portrayal of him as “some sort of creep is absolutely disgusting.”

The committee said it had considered a more severe sanction after his behavior following the championship final.

Rubiales’ actions after Spain had been crowned world champions prompted a player rebellion and accusations of sexual assault.

“All incidents assessed collectively, appear to reveal a sense of complete impunity on the part of the respondent within the football environment,” the committee said in its written grounds of its decision. “It was absolutely and categorically expected of him to maintain and embody the highest levels of professionalism, beyond the usual standards, especially at a moment where his country was at the apex level of women’s football.

“In this regard, the committee could not stress enough that — regardless of the emotional state he was in during and after the match — (Rubiales’) behavior was inexcusable and unacceptable, especially considering his high rank within the football ecosystem at the time.”

Rubiales resigned as the president of Spanish football on Sept. 10, having initially vowed not to stand down.

The committee said it had considered factors such as the reputation of football and “more importantly, on (Hermoso’s) mental state.”

“The committee wished to stress that it was tempted to impose more severe sanctions in view of the seriousness and gravity of the incidents at stake as well as of the profound negative impact that (Rubiales’) actions had on the image of FIFA, women’s football and women’s sport in general,” it said.