Sancho praises Saka for redemptive penalty at Euro 2024 and says “you did it for me and Marcus“

Sancho praises Saka for redemptive penalty at Euro 2024 and says “you did it for me and Marcus“
Saka was one of the five England players to score in the shootout win over Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarterfinal on Saturday. (AP)
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Updated 07 July 2024
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Sancho praises Saka for redemptive penalty at Euro 2024 and says “you did it for me and Marcus“

Sancho praises Saka for redemptive penalty at Euro 2024 and says “you did it for me and Marcus“
  • Saka was one of the five England players to score in the shootout win over Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarterfinal on Saturday

DORTMUND: Jadon Sancho has praised Bukayo Saka for his redemptive penalty for England at the European Championship that went some way to banishing the memories of their high-profile shootout misses at the previous tournament in 2021.
Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Saka either missed or had their spot kicks saved in the shootout won by Italy in the European Championship final at Wembley Stadium in 2021. They are all Black players and they received vicious racist abuse on social media afterward.
Saka was one of the five England players to score in the shootout win over Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals on Saturday and Sancho sent a heartwarming message to his friend.
“I’m so proud of this guy!” Sancho wrote about Saka on his Instagram story.
“You did it for me and Marcus brother!”
Sancho and Rashford, who play for Manchester United, were left out of England’s squad for Euro 2024.
After the Switzerland game, Saka said penalties were “something I embrace” and added that he used the difficulties he experienced three years ago ”to make me stronger.”
“You can fail once but you have a choice if you put yourself in that position or not again,” Saka said.
“I’m a guy who is going to put myself in that position. I believed in myself. And when I saw the ball hit the back of the net, I was a very happy man.”


Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare

Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
Updated 05 October 2024
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Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare

Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
  • Mikel Arteta’s side were rocked by Cameron Archer’s shock opener for the winless visitors early in the second half at the Emirates Stadium
  • Bukayo Saka wrapped up Arsenal’s fifth win in seven league games

LONDON: Arsenal staged a stirring fightback to keep their Premier League title challenge on course with a 3-1 victory against struggling Southampton on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta’s side were rocked by Cameron Archer’s shock opener for the winless visitors early in the second half at the Emirates Stadium.
But Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli struck in quick succession to restore order, before Bukayo Saka wrapped up Arsenal’s fifth win in seven league games.
After finishing as runners-up to Manchester City for the last two years, the Gunners are again in contention for their first title since 2004.
Saka this week said he expects Arsenal to finally lift the Premier League trophy this season.
They sit in third place, one point behind leaders Liverpool, after extending their unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions.
Four days after their statement victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Arsenal faced a Southampton side who have managed only one point from seven games since their promotion.
Aaron Ramsdale, who appeared 78 times in the Premier League for the Gunners, made his Emirates return and nearly gifted Arsenal an early opener with a sloppy clearance, but Raheem Sterling squandered the chance.
Arsenal dominated the first half without testing Ramsdale until stoppage-time when he parried Thomas Partey’s strike.
In the 55th minute, Sterling was out-muscled by Mateus Fernandes in midfield and he played in Archer, who broke free of William Saliba to fire a deflected shot past David Raya.
Southampton’s lead lasted just three minutes as Saka dispossessed Flynn Downes before finding Havertz in space, who confidently drilled home for his fourth goal in his last four games.
On the hour mark, Arteta introduced Martinelli and Leandro Trossard in a pair of substitutions that turned the tide.
Saka’s fine cross found Martinelli unmarked in the 68th minute and the winger’s side-footed volley went in through Ramsdale’s legs.
Tyler Dibling’s deflected shot hit the foot of Raya’s post and Adam Armstrong’s effort cannoned onto the bar in a tense finale.
But as the Saints pushed for an equalizer, Trossard broke free.
Yukinari Sugawara’s interception only fell to Saka, who blasted past Ramsdale to keep Arsenal in pursuit of their title dream.


Bayern rivals Leverkusen and Dortmund drop points in Bundesliga

Bayern rivals Leverkusen and Dortmund drop points in Bundesliga
Updated 05 October 2024
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Bayern rivals Leverkusen and Dortmund drop points in Bundesliga

Bayern rivals Leverkusen and Dortmund drop points in Bundesliga
  • Dortmund slumped at Union Berlin to a 2-1 defeat without injured forward Karim Adeyemi
  • Defending champion Leverkusen squandered an early two-goal lead over promoted Holstein Kiel and drew 2-2

BERLIN: Bayern Munich won without playing on Saturday as Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund dropped points to modest opponents.
Dortmund slumped at Union Berlin to a 2-1 defeat without injured forward Karim Adeyemi, who starred in the team’s 7-1 rout of Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Defending champion Leverkusen squandered an early two-goal lead over promoted Holstein Kiel and drew 2-2. It was only Kiel’s second point in its debut top-flight season.
Leverkusen played in a special black jersey with red trim to commemorate the club’s 120th anniversary, and for Xabi Alonso it was also a special occasion – the Spanish coach took over exactly two years before.
Leverkusen fans didn’t have to wait long to celebrate after Victor Boniface opened the scoring in the fourth minute and Jonas Hofmann made it 2-0 four minutes after that. Leverkusen looked set for a rout.
But the home team failed to make more of their dominance — Boniface had another goal ruled out for offside — and Kiel secured a lifeline before the break when Max Geschwil scored after a corner. Fiete Arp scored an unlikely equalizer from the penalty spot in the 69th.
Also, Freiburg won at Werder Bremen 1-0, and Wolfsburg enjoyed a 3-1 win in Wolfsburg.
St. Pauli was playing Mainz later.
League leader Bayern visit second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.


Motta tight-lipped on Pogba’s Juve future after doping ban reduction

Motta tight-lipped on Pogba’s Juve future after doping ban reduction
Updated 05 October 2024
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Motta tight-lipped on Pogba’s Juve future after doping ban reduction

Motta tight-lipped on Pogba’s Juve future after doping ban reduction
  • Pogba, a World Cup winner with Les Bleus in 2018, will be able to return to competitive football from March 11 next year
  • “The club will assess the situation and make a decision if necessary. Paul was a great player but he hasn’t played for a long time,” coach Motta told reporters

ROME: Thiago Motta refused on Saturday to say whether Paul Pogba had a future at Juventus after the France midfielder’s four-year doping ban was slashed to 18 months.
Pogba, a World Cup winner with Les Bleus in 2018, will be able to return to competitive football from March 11 next year following Friday’s ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Italian media report that Juve might still seek to terminate Pogba’s contract, which runs until the end of June 2026 and is reportedly worth up to 10 million euros ($10.97 million) a season.
“The club will assess the situation and make a decision if necessary. Paul was a great player but he hasn’t played for a long time,” coach Motta told reporters ahead of Sunday’s Serie A fixture with Cagliari.
“All I’m thinking about is our match tomorrow, nothing else really matters as far as I’m concerned.”
Juventus refused to comment on Pogba, who tested positive for testosterone following the Turin club’s opening Serie A fixture of last season, a 3-0 win at Udinese in August 2023.
He was provisionally suspended the following month and then banned for four years by the Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal in February, a sanction which put the 31-year-old’s career at risk.
Pogba’s representatives said the testosterone came from a food supplement prescribed by a doctor he consulted in the United States.
Pogba collected four Serie A titles in his first stint at Juventus between 2012 and 2016 but had a string of problems on and off the pitch after his 2022 return from Manchester United.
During the 2022-23 season, Pogba made just 10 appearances for the club, mainly due to a knee injury that also ruled him out of the World Cup in Qatar, where France lost out to Argentina in the final in December 2022.
He was also the victim of a case of organized extortion, for which six men, including his brother Mathias, were last month ordered to stand trial.
Since Pogba last played for his club at Empoli in early September last year, Juve have switched manager from Massimiliano Allegri to Motta and brought in a host of new players as part of a rebuild.
Juve, who finished third last term without Pogba, splashed out over 120 million euros on midfielders Teun Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz and Khephren Thuram in a busy summer on the transfer market.


Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace

Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
Updated 05 October 2024
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Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace

Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
  • Arne Slot has now won nine of his first 10 games since succeeding Jurgen Klopp
  • Victory also came at a cost for Liverpool as goalkeeper Alisson Becker limped off in the closing stages ahead of a much more testing run of fixtures after the international break

LONDON: Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to four points thanks to Diogo Jota’s winner in a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Arne Slot has now won nine of his first 10 games since succeeding Jurgen Klopp, but will be frustrated that the visitors invited a late onslaught from the winless Eagles.
Victory also came at a cost for Liverpool as goalkeeper Alisson Becker limped off in the closing stages ahead of a much more testing run of fixtures after the international break.
Defeat leaves Palace still in the bottom three with just three points from their opening seven games.
Slot’s seamless start to succeeding saw him become the first Liverpool manager to win eight of his first nine games after beating Bologna 2-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday.
However, the Dutchman has been quick to point out that tougher tests lie ahead of his side’s Premier League title credentials.
Liverpool face Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Manchester City in their next six Premier League games.
Slot saw both sides of his team at Selhurst Park as they failed to make the most of their first-half dominance, but held out at the back for a fifth clean sheet in seven league games.
Palace did have the ball in the net inside 30 seconds but Eddie Nketiah had strayed offside before flicking in Ismaila Sarr’s cross.
Liverpool quickly took control and the lead after just nine minutes when Jota stole in ahead of Marc Guehi and Trevoh Chalobah to prod in Cody Gakpo’s low cross.
Jota was guilty of passing up the visitors’ best chance to add to their lead before the break.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s teasing cross did not get the finish it deserved as the Portugal international sliced well wide of the target.
Palace finally flickered into life in first-half stoppage time when Sarr was denied by a fine save from Alisson after finding a gap in the Liverpool defense.
The pattern continued into the second period with Liverpool unable to put Palace to bed.
Salah should have done better when he fired straight at Dean Henderson after being picked out by a perfect Virgil Van Dijk pass.
Jota then headed wide a glorious chance from Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick.
Slot’s men were nearly made to pay after Jean-Philippe Mateta’s introduction perked up the Palace attack.
Alisson got down low to his left to parry Nketiah’s effort before the Brazilian beat away Eberechi Eze’s powerful strike.
But Liverpool were dealt a body blow with 12 minutes remaining when Alisson pulled up with a muscle injury.
Normal back up Caoimhin Kelleher was also absent due to illness so Czech international Vitezslav Jaros was forced into his Liverpool debut.
Jaros had to make one huge save from Eze and also rushed impressively off his line to deny Mateta a sight of goal.
Arsenal and Manchester City could cut the gap at the top back to one point later on Saturday.
But Liverpool will go into the upcoming international break at the summit and happy with the start to life under Slot.


Djokovic ‘shakes rust off’ to make third round of Shanghai Masters

Djokovic ‘shakes rust off’ to make third round of Shanghai Masters
Updated 05 October 2024
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Djokovic ‘shakes rust off’ to make third round of Shanghai Masters

Djokovic ‘shakes rust off’ to make third round of Shanghai Masters
  • The Serbian beat American Alex Michelsen in a thrilling two-set match that finished 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (11/9)
  • Sinner dispatched Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-1, 6-4, while Alcaraz made short work of China’s Shang Juncheng, winning 6-2, 6-2

SHANGHAI: Novak Djokovic said it took time to “get the rust off” as he fought through two tiebreaks to make his way into the third round of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday.
The Serbian beat American Alex Michelsen in a thrilling two-set match that finished 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (11/9).
Meanwhile Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz showed why they were top in the world as they raced through to the next stage with confident straight-set wins.
Sinner dispatched Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-1, 6-4, while Alcaraz made short work of China’s Shang Juncheng, winning 6-2, 6-2.
Four-time Shanghai champion Djokovic did not have it quite so easy against 43rd ranked Michelsen.
Introduced as the “Greatest Of All Time” as he walked onto the court, he received a rapturous welcome from the packed stadium.
But Michelsen started the first set strongly, breaking Djokovic early and going 1-4 up — to the displeasure of the crowd, fully behind the 37-year-old former world number one.
To their delight, the Serbian levelled, and then hit his stride in the tiebreak, winning it 7-3.
The reverse happened in the second set when it was 20-year-old Michelsen’s turn to catch up to take it to the tiebreak.
Djokovic admitted to being “surprised” by Michelsen.
“It took me a little bit of time to get the rust off and to start feeling better on the court,” he said.
“I was very glad to keep calm when it mattered in both tiebreaks.”
The crowd, already in a frenzy after Djokovic spoke Mandarin at the end of the match, went wild as he showed off a new trick — a sentence in the Shanghainese vernacular.
World number one Sinner has said he is not in a “comfortable” situation thanks to a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appeal a decision by tennis authorities to clear him of wrongdoing after he twice tested positive for a steroid in March.
His recent blistering winning streak was broken by Alcaraz in the China Open final on Wednesday.
But there was no tiredness on display from either player on Saturday, with 23-year-old Sinner looking completely unruffled in the first set against the 93rd-ranked Daniel.
Daniel fell behind again in the second set and despite rallying halfway through to gently test Sinner, the Italian kept his cool, ending the set 6-4.
“I had only one practice session yesterday but I felt very comfortable on the court,” he said after the match.
Sinner will face Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Sunday.
“It will be a tough one tomorrow, very physical, because me and Tomas know each other quite well now,” he said.
Earlier, arch-rival Alcaraz also looked comfortable throughout, breaking in the first game, with teenager Shang unable to make much headway against the world number two.
Despite their enthusiasm for Shang, the crowd could not resist Alcaraz’s charm.
At the Spaniard’s encouragement, they broke into loud cheers when he won a particularly exciting rally in which he hit a tricky backwards shot to keep the point alive.
“I just had one practice then was straight into this match, so to be able to show this level in the first match, I’m just really proud,” 21-year-old Alcaraz said after the match.
Alcaraz will next face another Chinese player, wildcard Wu Yibing, who beat 25th seed Nicolas Jarry in the second round.
The tournament lost its second top-ten player on Saturday, as Andrey Rublev fell to 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik, joining Norwegian Casper Ruud on the notable casualties list.
The Russian, a finalist at last year’s Shanghai Masters, roared in jubilation after winning a tiebreaker to take the first set.
But 65th-ranked Mensik broke Rublev in the first game of the second set, and again in the fifth to draw even.
The Czech then came from behind in the third to beat the world number six for the second time this year, with a final score of 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 6-3.