Category: Football

MARGAO: Defending champions Spain edged past Germany in a hard-fought second semi-final, while Colombia downed Nigeria 6-5 on penalties as the two sides set to collide in the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup summit clash on Sunday.

The exciting semifinal between the two teams remained equally balanced in regulation time despite some close attempts from both ends.

Spain came close to scoring in the 10th minute when Vicky Lopez broke clear down the left and fired in a magnificent cross that Cristina Libran headed against the crossbar.

The enthralling semifinal remained evenly balanced in the second half as well and it seemed to have entered the shootout before Spain broke the deadlock.

Lucia Corrales scored the match-winning goal in the 90th minute, poking the ball in from close range to power her team to the final on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Colombia beat Nigeria 6-5 on penalties after full-time ended goalless, in the semi-final earlier here.

Comfort Folorunsho botched her sudden death penalty, giving Colombia the victory in a game in which the Flamingos couldn’t string three passes together.

Following their respective semifinal triumphs, Spain and Colombia will lock horns in the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup final on Sunday.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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BARCELONA: Ousmane Dembele shone with an opener and three assists as Barcelona outclassed Athletic Club 4-0 in a home game on Sunday to stay three points behind table leaders Real Madrid in LaLiga.

Barcelona retains the second position with 28 points while Madrid tops the standing with 31 points after they beat Sevilla 3-1 on Saturday.

Barcelona dominated the visiting side right from the start as they netted the ball thrice in 10 minutes in the first half, starting with Dembele’s header in the 12th minute after Lewandoski’s assist.

Dembele then went on to assist Sergi Roberto who doubled the lead in the 18th minute before France forward put a brilliant cross to Lewandowski who made a powerful shot to make it 3-0 four minutes later. Dembele set up a late fourth as Ferran Torres also joined the action.

Meanwhile, in another matchday 11 fixture on Sunday, Villareal edged past Almeria 2-1 thanks to a late strike by Nicolas Jackson.

Antonio Griezmann, however, scored a brace to put Atletico Madrid 2-1 up against home side Real Betis.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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MARGAO: Vicky Lopez’s twin late strikes lifted defending champions Spain from 0-1 down to a comprehensive 2-1 victory over Japan in the fourth quarterfinal to book a semifinal spot in the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup 2022.

The exciting quarterfinal between the two teams remained equally balanced in the first half despite some close attempts from both ends.

Spain, however, spoiled the opportunity to claim an early lead as Carla Camacho missed the penalty in the 37th minute following a foul by Toko Koga.

Japan took the field with greater determination in the second half and launched the attack on the Spanish defence.

The domination soon turned into a goal when Momoko Tanikawa hit a long-range stunner to hand her side an early lead.

The defending champions held their nerves calm despite the deficit and kept attacking on the counter. Lopez then neutralized Japan’s lead – following a melee in the penalty box – with a perfectly targeted strike.

Spain’s counterattack left Japan panicking and as a result, gaps began to emerge in their defence. Lopez – fuelled with momentum – made the most of the situation and struck again in the dying minutes of second-half injury time and powered her side to a thrilling victory.

The defending champions Spain will now face Germany in the second semifinal on October 26.

Meanwhile, in another quarterfinal, Colombia breezed past Tanzania 3-0 to end their dream run in the debut mega event.

Colombia launched an early attack on Tanzania and got their first breakthrough within the first three minutes when captain Linda Caicedo beat Zulfa Makau with ease.

The spirited Tanzanian side suffered yet another blow just after 13 minutes when Yesica Munoz headed Cristina Motta’s cross into the net.

Colombia piled misery on Tanzania as Gabriela Salazar struck for her side with a spot-kick in the 32nd minute.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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MUMBAI: Nigeria edged past the United States of America (USA) with a 4-3 penalty kick shootout to qualify for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup semifinals for the first time.

The two sides engaged in an evenly-contested match and remained level at 1-1 at the regulation time as USA’s Amalia Villarreal neutralized Nigeria’s early lead in the 40th minute.

Earlier, Nigeria’s Omamuzo Edafe netted the ball in the 27th minute to hand her side an early lead.

The thrilling quarterfinal entered into a penalty shootout after the two sides could not be separated in regulation time.

Edidiong Etim, Edet Offiong, Miracle Usani and Omamuzo Edafe scored for Nigeria in the shootout while Folorunsho missed the target.

Emeri Adames, Taylor Suarez and Mia Bhuta scored, on the other hand, scored for the USA, while Emri and Jackson missed from the penalty spot.

Nigerian goalkeeper Chikasmo Jiwuaku made a crucial stop on the USA’s fifth and final shot in the intensely competitive shootout and powered her side to glory.

Nigeria progresses to its first-ever semifinal at the competition, where it will meet either Colombia or Tanzania, while the USA made its first participation in the U-17 WWC knockout round since 2008.

Meanwhile, in another quarterfinal match, Germany outclassed Brazil 2-0 to make it to the semifinals.

In a one-sided affair, Germany’s Marie Steiner opened the scoring and handed an early lead to her side.

Germany’s early lead lasted till the conclusion of the regulation time but Melina Kruger struck the second five minutes into the stoppage time to power the side to a commanding 2-0 victory.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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BARCELONA: Robert Lewandowski put in yet another sensational performance to take Barcelona back on the winning track in LaLiga after El Clasico loss on Sunday as they cruised past Villareal 3-0, here at Camp Nou on Thursday.

With the resounding win, second-placed Barcelona are now three points behind table-topers Real Madrid who defeated Elche on Wednesday and surged to 28 points.

Barcelona scored thrice in seven minutes to outclass opponents in the first half as Lewandowski scored a brace before Ansu Fati added another goal.

The Poland striker hit home from inside the area for the first time in the 31st minute and doubled the lead four minutes later with a precise curling shot from the edge of the box.

Fati increased the lead three minutes later with a close-range shot which hit the goal post first.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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ELCHE: Reigning Champions Real Madrid sealed a comfortable 3-0 win against the bottom side Elche on Wednesday to extend their lead at the top of the LaLiga table.

With the win, Madrid maintained their unbeaten streak of the current season and went six points clear of second-placed Barcelona who will be facing Villareal in an away game on Thursday.

Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio scored a goal each as coach Carlo Ancelotti decided not to rest his key players against the easy target following a stunning 3-1 victory over arch-rivals Barcelona in the El Clasico on Sunday.

Valverde opened the scoring for Madrid, who had three goals ruled out by VAR for offside, as he hit a brilliant technical goal from the edge of the area.

Ballon d’Or winner Benzema, whose strikes had been disallowed twice, finally managed to etch his name on the scorecard in the 75th minute after a magnificent back-heel pass from Rodrgygo, who also assisted Substitute Asensio for the third goal.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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MUMBAI: Veronica Mapunda’s strike powered Tanzania to hang on for a 1-1 draw against Canada on Tuesday to qualify for the quarter-finals in their maiden FIFA U7 Women’s World Cup campaign.

In the last Group D fixture between Tanzania and Canada, the debutant side held their nerves calm as they forced a tie, which resulted in them qualifying for their first quarter-finals in the U17 Women’s World Cup.

With the quarter-finals berth on stake, Canada took the field with an attacking approach and tested Tanzania’s defences multiple times.

The domination soon turned into a goal as Amanda Marrie Allen fired the ball into the nets on penalty in the 14th minute, following an offensive tackle by Tanzania’s defence.

Canada’s early lead in the must-win game shortlived as Mapunda neutralized Canada’s lead to 1-1 after her left-foot strike crashed into the nets.

The rest of the match witnessed Canada searching for the tie-breaker but Tanzania’s defence denied their march and kept the scoreboard intact at 1-1 till the final whistle.

Following their draw against Canada, Tanzania sealed a quarter-final spot as they finished Group D with four points, behind Japan with nine.

On the other hand, Japan kept their unbeaten run intact as they downed France 2-0 to finish Group D standings on top in the other fixture on Tuesday.

Momoko Tanikawa opened the scoring for Japan in the 29th minute to push France on the back foot.

France kept searching for the equalizer in the remainder but it was Japan’s Sayami Kusunoki, who struck in the stoppage time to enhance Japan’s lead to 2-0.

Following the conclusion of the group stages, all four quarter-final matches of the mega event have been set and will take place on October 21 and 22.

The table-toppers of Group A – the United States of America (USA) – will take on Nigeria on Friday, while Germany will take on Brazil on the same day.

Tanzania will lock horns with Colombia in the third quarter-final on Saturday, whereas, the table-toppers of Group D – Japan – and defending champions – Spain – will collide in the fourth quarter-final.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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PARIS: Karim Benzema was rewarded for his remarkable success with Real Madrid by winning the Ballon d’Or at a star-studded ceremony in Paris on Monday, while Spain’s Alexia Putellas retained the women’s prize.

Benzema, who is the first French winner of the most prestigious individual award in football since Zinedine Zidane in 1998, scored 44 goals in 46 games for his club last season as Real won the Champions League and La Liga.

Fifteen of his goals came in the Champions League, including hat-tricks in knockout wins against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea and three more across both legs of a stunning semi-final defeat of Manchester City.

The 34-year-old, who also won the UEFA Nations League with France, succeeds Lionel Messi with the Argentine not nominated this year after claiming the prize for the seventh time in 2021.

“The Ballon d’Or might be individual but it’s still a collective award. This is the Ballon d’Or of the people,” Benzema declared.

“Winning this trophy was always something that was in the back of my mind,” he added.

Benzema pushed Sadio Mane into second place, although the Bayern Munich and Senegal star did have his off-field work recognised as he was given a new award named after former Brazil star Socrates.

Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City was third, with Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski coming fourth.

Winning the award, organised by France Football magazine, caps a remarkable career revival for Benzema, who was frozen out of the France team for five and a half years because of his involvement in a blackmail scandal over a sextape involving teammate Mathieu Valbuena.

He was later handed a one-year suspended prison sentence and fined 75,000 euros ($73,848).

He returned to the national team for last year’s European Championship and will now go to the World Cup in Qatar with France next month.

“There were moments that were much more difficult for me, for example when I wasn’t with the national team, but I am really, really proud of my journey,” he added.

Benzema turns 35 on December 19, the day after the World Cup final, and is the oldest winner of the Ballon d’Or since the very first, Stanley Matthews in 1956.

The former Lyon striker is also the fifth Frenchman to win the prize, with Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini and Jean-Pierre Papin all getting their hands on the trophy before Zidane.

The award was previously based on a player’s performances over the course of the calendar year.

But the format has changed, with the prize now based on a player’s record over the last season.

That may have helped Putellas win the women’s award despite suffering a serious knee injury in July that saw her miss the European Championship with Spain.

Instead, Putellas’s performances with Barcelona were recognised after she top-scored in the Women’s Champions League to help the Catalans reach the final, which they lost to Lyon.

“It makes me even more annoyed to be injured, but I am very happy to be here,” Putellas said.

“To retain the trophy is much harder. When I injured my knee I thought my chances of winning it had gone but in the end the jury based their decision on the whole of last season, of which I only missed one month.”

The 28-year-old edged out Beth Mead, who scored six goals for the England side that won the Euro on home soil.

Sam Kerr of Chelsea and Australia came third.

It is just the fourth time a women’s Ballon d’Or has been awarded, with Norway’s Ada Hegerberg winning the inaugural prize in 2018 and Megan Rapinoe triumphing in 2019.

There was no ceremony in 2020 due to the pandemic, before Putellas won her first a year ago.

Her injury means she is unlikely to make it a hat-trick next year, although she hopes to play again this season.

“The knee is doing well. I just need to focus on recovering and if everything goes as I hope — and as the doctors and my club hope — I will be back playing this season,” she said.

Barcelona and Spain midfielder Gavi won the Kopa Trophy for the best player aged under 21, while Lewandowski received the award for last season’s top goalscorer, renamed the Gerd Mueller Trophy.

Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois won the prize for best goalkeeper of the year.

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BILBAO: Antoine Griezmann scored the winner as Atletico Madrid edged past home side Athletic Club 1-0 to jump into the top three of the LaLiga table on Saturday.

Athletic failed to continue their undefeated streak, recording two wins and a draw, in the last three games against Atletico Madrid.

Griezmann scored the match’s lone goal early in the second half after a brilliant cross from Morata to take his side home.

Meanwhile, in another thrilling game on Saturday, Elche came from behind to deny Valencia a home win as Pere Mille scored a brace to finish on a 2-2 draw.

Edinson Cavani scored twice within ten minutes to put Valencia 2-1 up before the second half. Mille, however, netted the equalizer in the 67th minute after a penalty in the first half.

At San Moix, Nemanja Gudelj struck in the 53rd minute to help Sevilla seal a close 1-0 win over Mallorca as the two teams engaged in a tough contest.

Chrithian Stuani scored late into the stoppage time to help Girona escape a home defeat over Cadiz in another matchday nine fixture on Saturday.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

 

 

 

MARGAO: Tanzania stunned France 2-1 in the Group D fixture of the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and registered their first victory in the mega event.

Tanzania, fresh from their disappointing 0-4 loss to Japan in their debut game, entered the field and displayed utter domination over their opposition.

Diana William Mnaly then soon converted her side’s domination into a goal in the 17th minute as she guided Aisha Juma Mnunka’s cross with a well-directed strike to hand her side an early 1-0 lead.

Assa Sidibé then botched a regulation header into handball which led the referee to award another penalty kick to Tanzania after VAR.

Having already failed to convert a penalty into a goal, Tanzania’s defender Christer Joh Bahera fired the ball cautiously into the top of the post and put her side into a commanding 2-0 lead in the 60th minute.

France then got a vital opportunity to quickly cut Tanzania’s lead to 2-1 as Lucie Calba made no mistake in converting the penalty into her side’s first goal.

Tanzania’s defence did tremendously well to keep France at bay for the rest of the game and blocked multiple attempts from the French side for an equalizer as the former side ran away with an astonishing 2-1 victory.

Meanwhile, in the Group C fixture, Colombia humbled China 2-0 after coming from a frustrating 0-1 loss to defending champions Spain.

Colombia’s Linda Caicedo stole the show for her side as she netted twice in the ninth and 23rd minute respectively to propel her side to a much-needed victory in the mega event.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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