Category: Football

Ethan Mbappe, the younger brother of France and Real Madrid star Kylian, scored the only goal of the game as Lille prevented Marseille from going top of Ligue 1 on Friday.

Mbappe, who also scored in a 1-1 draw with champions Paris Saint-Germain in October, netted the winner with the first clear chance of the game.

Latching onto a ball over the top from Nabil Bentaleb, Mbappe capitalised after Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli’s rash dash to the edge of his box after just 10 minutes.

Lille had the better of the opening stages but were indebted to goalkeeper Berke Ozer for a pair of stunning saves in the second half to deny English forward Mason Greenwood and Geoffrey Kondogbia.

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Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi was dumbfounded by his team’s poor performance.

“I am really annoyed, I wasn’t expecting a match like that,” he said. “We lost all of the second balls, we couldn’t string three passes together, we never got to the ball first.

“Our dribbling didn’t work… we weren’t as aggressive as we usually are. From the first minute to the last, we played passively.”

The defeat left Marseille third, ahead of Lille on goal difference and two points behind leaders Lens, who travel to Nantes on Saturday, when European champions PSG, in second, host Rennes.

READ: FIFA unveils groups for the World Cup 2026

Spurred on by World Cup 2026 fever, US President Donald Trump said Friday that American football should be renamed as the game played with a round ball, soccer, was the one true football.

“We have a little bit of a conflict with another thing that’s called football, but when you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called … football, there is no question,” Trump said at the World Cup draw.

“We have to come up with another name for the NFL (National Football League). It really doesn’t make sense when you think about it.”

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For Americans, the word “football” refers to American football, a sport primarily played with the hands, unlike what the rest of the world calls football.

Almost the entire country tunes in each year to the NFL championship final, the Super Bowl, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino made sure to emphasise on Friday to Americans that the World Cup 2026 would be the equivalent of 104 Super Bowls.

An all-round sports enthusiast, Trump has developed a particular affection for soccer that continues to grow as the World Cup 2026, which will take place next summer in the United States of America (USA), Mexico, and Canada, approaches.

READ: FIFA unveils groups for the World Cup 2026

The path to glory at the FIFA World Cup 2026 has now been laid out after the final groups were revealed during Friday’s draw ceremony in Washington.

The US President Donald Trump received FIFA’s new peace prize on stage at the Kennedy Centre before the draw for the first 48-team World Cup, which offered kind starts to the tournament for holders Argentina and much-fancied Spain in particular.

While the make-up of the groups was revealed along with the potential path through the knockout rounds for all the potential winners, the precise schedule for the competition will only be confirmed later on Saturday.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino will unveil the venues and kick-off times for all games from 1700 GMT, after which the teams will be able to focus on fine-tuning their preparations with barely six months left until the World Cup kicks off on June 11.

Lionel Messi’s Argentina will begin their defense of the trophy they won in Qatar in 2022 by facing Algeria, and will also play Austria and debutants Jordan in Group J.

Reigning European champions Spain will kick off their campaign against first-time qualifiers Cape Verde before also taking on Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group H.

Thomas Tuchel’s England, seeking to win a first World Cup since 1966, will be expected to top Group L ahead of 2018 finalists Croatia, Ghana and Panama.

Two-time winners France face awkward tests against Senegal and Erling Haaland’s Norway in Group I, which will be completed by a play-off winner from either Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname.

For the first time, the draw was done in such a way as to ensure the four highest-ranked nations were kept apart. Spain, Argentina, France and England cannot meet before the semi-finals, if all top their groups.

However, the path to that stage, with an extra knockout round now following the group phase, looks perilous.

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If the top seeds all win their groups, England could find themselves playing co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City in the last 16 and then Brazil in the quarter-finals, before a semi against Argentina.

Other possible match-ups include France and Germany being on a last-16 collision course and a potential meeting between Messi’s Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the quarter-finals.

The tournament will be held across the USA, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, with 16 more teams added to the global showpiece, up from the 32 nations involved in 2022.

While the US will host most matches, including the final at MetLife Stadium outside New York, three of the 16 venues will be in Mexico and two in Canada.

The opening game sees Mexico play South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil and surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco will meet in Group C, which also features Scotland and Haiti.

Notably, Scotland and Brazil will meet for the fifth time at a World Cup.

Germany’s opponents in Group E will be the Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Caribbean minnows Curacao, while Portugal face Uzbekistan, Colombia and a play-off winner.

The United States got a manageable draw, with Paraguay, Australia and a European play-off winner in Group D.

The top two teams in each group advance to the last 32, joined by the eight best third-placed teams.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage Draw

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Winner of UEFA play-off D*

Group B: Canada, Winner of UEFA play-off A*, Qatar, Switzerland

Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland

Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Winner of UEFA play-off C*

Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador

Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Winner of UEFA play-off B*, Tunisia

Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand

Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay

Group I: France, Senegal, Winner of Fifa play-off 2*, Norway

Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan

Group K: Portugal, Winner of Fifa play-off 1*, Uzbekistan, Colombia

Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

*UEFA play-off A: Italy, Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina or Northern Ireland

*UEFA play-off B: Ukraine, Poland, Albania or Sweden

*UEFA play-off C: Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo or Romania

*UEFA play-off D: Denmark, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland or North Macedonia

*Fifa play-off 1: DR Congo, Jamaica or New Caledonia

*Fifa play-off 2: Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname

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Arne Slot insisted Friday that Liverpool have taken a “step forward” in their past two matches and believes Florian Wirtz is finally finding his feet as he attempts to save the club’s season.

Liverpool’s Premier League title defence has collapsed in recent weeks, with six defeats and just two wins in their past nine league games.

But despite their disastrous run, they are just two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea ahead of Saturday’s trip to struggling Leeds.

Ninth-placed Liverpool have taken four points in their past two matches, with a 2-0 victory at West Ham followed by this week’s 1-1 draw at home to Sunderland.

That followed three thumping defeats — a 3-0 reverse at Manchester City before a 3-0 loss at Anfield against Nottingham Forest, and a 4-1 defeat at home to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.

“Four points out of two games is different than the last two home games we played,” Liverpool manager Slot told reporters.

“We lost both and conceded seven goals. In the last two games, we were one deflection away from keeping two clean sheets.”

The Dutchman added: “That’s a step forward if you compare that to seven goals conceded in two games. We did not concede a set-piece in both games, which is also important.

“As a result of that, maybe we got two results, and I think there are also positives to take from the players we’ve brought in during the summer that I see they are getting more and more consistent in their performances.

“Florian (Wirtz) is maybe the most obvious one, but I see the same with Milos Kerkez as well. Alex (Alexander Isak) scored his first (Premier League) goal a game ago.

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“So there are positives to take, but of course still not where we want to be, let that be obvious and clear. But compared to where we were after the last two losses with 3-0 and 4-1, there are also things that we’ve done better.”

Liverpool spent around £450 million ($600 million) on new players in the summer transfer window, revamping their attack with the big-money arrivals of German playmaker Wirtz and Isak.

But both players have been slow to settle, with Wirtz yet to score in any competition although it was his run and shot that led to Liverpool’s equaliser against Sunderland on Wednesday. It was credited as an own goal.

Slot admitted his first aim was to get back into the top four, which brings with it a Champions League place.

He said the fact Liverpool were still within touching distance of the top four showed the strength of the Premier League.

“It gets better and better every single season, for obvious reasons, because everybody has so much money,” he said.

“And that tells you indeed how close the margins still are, but it’s definitely our first aim to come back to top four.”

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Kylian Mbappe scored twice and set up another as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to cut Barcelona’s La Liga lead back down to one point on Wednesday.

Xabi Alonso’s side curtailed a run of three consecutive league draws away from home with one of their best displays of the season at Athletic’s San Mames.

Mbappe opened the scoring early on as Trent Alexander-Arnold provided his first La Liga assist, with Eduardo Camavinga nodding in the second before the break.

French superstar Mbappe slammed home another in the second half for his 16th league goal of the season to seal Madrid’s victory.

One negative for Los Blancos were apparent injuries for Alexander-Arnold and Camavinga in the second half, with both players replaced.

Mbappe missed a penalty in the same fixture last winter while still finding his feet at Madrid, later saying that was his “rock bottom”, but on his return, Athletic found themselves up against arguably the best player in the world.

Mbappe almost sent Real Madrid ahead in the fourth minute, but Unai Simon made a smart save at his near post, and then parried a Vinicius effort.

Madrid came out of the blocks strongly against eighth-place Athletic and took the lead in the seventh minute, through a brilliant Mbappe goal.

Alexander-Arnold picked out the forward with a fine long pass, and Mbappe drifted menacingly towards the box and produced a perfect finish to beat Simon.

Gorka Guruzeta fired over and forced Thibaut Courtois into a good save at the other end, on one of Athletic’s rare forays forward.

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Their best chance came when Nico Williams and Alex Berenguer combined, but Courtois produced a superb stop to deny the latter.

It woke Madrid back up, and they took control once again, threatening twice through Vinicius, who was connecting efficiently with Mbappe.

The Brazilian winger hit the outside of the post with a low effort from a tight angle, with Simon out of his goal attempting to block him off.

The goalkeeper made an excellent save to thwart Vinicius one-on-one a few minutes later after Eder Militao sent him through on goal.

Madrid grabbed their second before the interval at the end of a fine team move, with Mbappe nodding Alexander-Arnold’s cross back across goal for Camavinga to head home from point-blank range.

Courtois tipped over Mikel Jauregizar’s fierce effort from range early in the second half to stop Athletic from earning a foothold in the game.

The first of two sour notes came for Madrid when Alexander-Arnold pulled up with an apparent muscular injury and had to be replaced by Raul Asencio.

Mbappe put the game beyond doubt with another long-range effort, which flew in at the near post for his 25th goal across all competitions. Simon might have done more to keep it out, perhaps undoing some of his earlier good work.

Camavinga was taken off hurt later on in another potential injury blow for former Real Sociedad player Alonso, on an otherwise dream outing in the Basque Country against his former rivals.

The coach even got a warm embrace from Vinicius when he substituted the Brazilian, despite the player seeming to be at loggerheads with him over the past few weeks.

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Bayer Leverkusen knocked Borussia Dortmund out in the last 16 of the German Cup, Ibrahim Maza scoring the only goal in a 1-0 away win on Tuesday.

Maza’s 34th-minute strike put the 2024 cup winners on track for victory and exact instant revenge on Dortmund, who beat them 2-1 in their own backyard in the Bundesliga three days ago.

The goal was: “a bit of instinct and a bit of luck too, but that’s part of it — that’s normal in football,” Maza told Sky Germany.

Leverkusen will be joined in the quarter-finals by RB Leipzig, who beat Magdeburg 3-1 at home, along with Hertha Berlin and St Pauli, who won earlier on Tuesday.

Forlorn Dortmund defender Waldemar Anton told Sky Germany his side would “need a day or two to process” the “incredibly brutal” defeat, adding “we set ourselves high goals and we wanted to win this competition.”

Bundesliga heavyweights Dortmund and Leverkusen had met 109 times in all competitions dating back to the early 1950s, but had never faced off in the German Cup.

Dortmund had an early penalty shout waved away when former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah held Carney Chukwuemeka inside the box.

A goalscorer in Leverkusen’s shock 2-0 Champions League win at Manchester City, the 20-year-old Maza danced through some sleepy Dortmund defence to blast his side in front.

Leverkusen netted again on the hour mark through Martin Terrier in a move started by Maza, but the strike was chalked off for a narrow offside.

 

Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi had a chance to level deep into stoppage time, but he headed inches wide of the post.

Elsewhere, Christoph Baumgartner scored twice as RB Leipzig came from a goal down to beat lowly Magdeburg.

Magdeburg, sitting dead last in the second division, took an early lead through a Silas Gnaka penalty.

Leipzig hit back with a long-range rocket from Antonio Nusa and led 2-1 at halftime after Baumgartner scored.

Assisted by Nusa, Baumgartner scored again early in the second half to see the two-time cup winners through.

Earlier on Tuesday, St Pauli broke out of their recent Bundesliga funk to win 2-1 at three-time winners Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Pauli had lost their last nine league matches, but goals from Martijn Kaars and Louis Oppie, either side of a header from Gladbach’s Haris Tabakovic, had the Hamburg-based side marching into the final eight.

In the German capital, Hertha Berlin thumped 2024 finalists Kaiserslautern 6-1, with 16-year-old Kennet Eichhorn becoming the youngest goalscorer in the competition’s history.

Bayern Munich, winners a record 20 times, play at Union Berlin on Wednesday, while holders Stuttgart are away at Bochum.

READ: Barcelona make Atletico Madrid comeback to extend La Liga lead

Barcelona produced an impressive comeback to beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday and move four points clear at the top of La Liga.

Alex Baena fired Atletico ahead, but Raphinha equalised for the champions before Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres slotted home to end the visitors’ run of 13 straight league games without defeat.

Barca might have been more comfortable had Robert Lewandowski not ballooned a first-half penalty over the bar at the partially rebuilt Camp Nou.

Real Madrid, second, visit Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, aiming to peg Barcelona back, while Diego Simeone’s Atletico are fourth, six points behind the Catalans.

This was Barca’s fifth consecutive Liga win after losing the Clasico against Madrid in October, but they have not shone consistently in that period, and coming against a title rival, this display gave Flick’s side a welcome boost.

Barcelona were without defender Ronald Araujo, who is taking a mental health break according to Spanish reports, along with ill midfielder Frenkie de Jong and the longer-term absentees.

After a 3-0 thrashing at Chelsea last week in the Champions League, followed by a shaky win over Alaves to claim pole position in La Liga, nerves were jangling at Camp Nou.

Following a tense start, Atletico took the lead with, predictably, a ball in behind Barcelona’s persistently high defensive line.

Baena scampered through on goal and beat Joan Garcia, barely celebrating because he could sense the linesman’s raised flag behind him.

However, a VAR review showed the Spaniard was level with Pau Cubarsi when he broke, and the goal was reinstated.

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Barcelona responded rapidly and levelled in the 26th minute when Pedri, back fit to start, played in Raphinha.

The Brazilian winger, another player recently back from injury, took the ball around Jan Oblak and slid it into the empty net.

Barcelona should have taken the lead, but Lewandowski spurned a penalty, blazing high and wide of Oblak’s goal after Pablo Barrios brought down Dani Olmo.

The Polish veteran almost made amends moments later, but Oblak brilliantly clawed out his header from Lamine Yamal’s cross.

Raphinha pulled an effort wide early in the second half when he should have hit the target, and Giuliano Simeone could not get a clean shot away with the goal beckoning at the other end.

Olmo, who netted twice against Alaves on Saturday, sent Barcelona ahead with a slick finish after Lewandowski managed to bundle the ball into his path.

Olmo, a playmaker who has struggled for consistency at Barca amid various physical problems, sustained a shoulder injury falling as he shot and was replaced by Marcus Rashford.

Pedri, who was controlling the game for Barca, also went down hurt after 70 minutes, and Flick replaced him, with fans left hoping it was only a scare ahead of next week’s important Champions League match against Frankfurt.

Atletico substitute Thiago Almada had his team’s best chance of equalising, but after bursting across the penalty area, he lost balance and screwed his finish wide as Joan Garcia scrambled.

READ: Manchester City’s Haaland makes ‘huge’ Premier League history

Erling Haaland said he was “proud” to make history as the Manchester City striker became the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals in Tuesday’s pulsating 5-4 win against Fulham.

Haaland’s clinical finish in the first half at Craven Cottage took him to his century in just 111 league appearances for City.

The 25-year-old broke the previous record set by former Newcastle and Blackburn star Alan Shearer, who took 124 matches to reach 100 goals.

“It’s huge, and I’m really proud. Of course, it’s a massive thing, 100 club is a nice thing to be in, and I’m happy,” Haaland said.

“I knew about the record, that’s what I tried to do. I try to help the team score goals, that’s my job.”

Haaland, who signed from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, had failed to score in his previous three games against Newcastle, Bayer Leverkusen and Leeds.

He broke that mini-drought with the latest milestone in his glittering City career. Of Haaland’s 100 goals, 71 came with his left foot and 17 with his head.

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“When you’re a striker for Man City, you should be delivering great numbers,” he said. “That’s my job, people should criticise me if I don’t, and that’s normally what they do. I should deliver.”

He produced a sumptuous finish to put City ahead in the 17th minute against Fulham, giving him 15 league goals this term and 20 in all competitions.

Jeremy Doku provided the assist with a precise cut-back, and Haaland timed his run perfectly to unleash a ferocious blast that whistled past Fulham keeper Bernd Leno from 12 yards.

With City now only two points behind leaders Arsenal, Haaland added: “It’s important, Arsenal came here and won here. Fulham are a great team, but we shouldn’t think too much about Arsenal.

“We should focus on ourselves. Today wasn’t good enough, and we know this. We need to improve as a team, and that’s what we’ll do.”

Haaland still has a long way to go to break Shearer’s most significant record, with the former England captain holding the Premier League’s all-time scoring mark on 260 goals.

“I know about it, but I don’t think too much about it,” he said.

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Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said Tuesday French superstar Kylian Mbappe was vital to the team for more than just his prolific goalscoring.

The striker slammed home four against Olympiacos in the Champions League last week and has 23 goals in 19 games across all competitions this season.

Mbappe has called on Madrid to be united in recent weeks as the Spanish giants struggle for consistency under Alonso.

“He’s been very good individually, helping the team a lot,” Alonso told a news conference ahead of Wednesday’s trip to face Athletic Bilbao in La Liga.

“It’s not just about goals for Kylian, which in the end is the most important thing, but he does other hugely fundamental things like leadership, influence, helping his team-mates, and that’s so important day to day.”

Madrid are a point behind champions Barcelona after a third consecutive top-flight draw on Sunday, at Catalan minnows Girona.

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Spanish media have speculated Alonso’s future as Madrid coach is at stake if the team do not improve.

The Basque coach admitted he has spoken recently to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez about turning the team’s form around.

“The conversations are very positive, in a good tone, wanting to improve the results, and that’s what we’ve spoken about,” said Alonso, who conceded Madrid have been erratic this season.

“I think we’ve lacked consistency in our game, and we want to play better in the next one,” continued the coach.

“We’ve lost a bit of quality in our play, we’ve lost a little bit of energy.”

Madrid will be without French left-back Ferland Mendy for the visit to Bilbao.

Mendy was “diagnosed with a hamstring injury”, said Madrid in a statement on Tuesday, less than a week after returning from a thigh problem against Olympiacos in the Champions League, for his first appearance of the season.

Spanish media said the new injury would keep Mendy out for around three weeks.

READ: Slot admits ‘superhuman’ Salah unhappy after West Ham snub

Arne Slot admitted on Tuesday that “superhuman” Mohamed Salah was unhappy about being omitted from Liverpool’s team for their vital 2-0 win against West Ham, but praised his attitude.

The Egypt forward was an unused substitute at the London Stadium on Sunday as Liverpool boss Slot made changes following a terrible run of nine defeats in 12 games in all competitions.

Misfiring Salah, 33, has scored just four Premier League goals this season — in stark contrast to his haul of 29 last season, a tally that won him the Golden Boot.

Slot told reporters that during his reign as manager at Anfield, Salah had been a “superhuman being” but that he had not been at his best in recent weeks.

“As with all players around the world, there are also phases in your time at the club that you are human,” he said. “But he’s scored so many goals for us, and I’m sure he will in the future.”

Slot, whose eighth-placed team hosts high-flying Sunderland on Wednesday, said he was not surprised by Salah’s reaction to being left out, praising his professionalism.

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“That’s a normal reaction from a player that’s good enough to play for us,” he said. “And I say it mildly, because he’s been so outstanding for this club for so many years, and will be for us in the future.

“So, yeah, of course, a player isn’t happy when they’re not playing. He wasn’t the only one who wasn’t happy that he wasn’t starting, I can tell you.”

The Dutchman said that Salah had been supportive of his teammates.

“You cannot be a player that’s available every three days and play on that high standard if you go with your emotions,” he said.

“But Mo is so disciplined, knows what to do to stay fit, and no matter if he plays well, doesn’t play well, if he plays or if he doesn’t play, he will always be that top professional.”

Slot said that Salah was scheduled to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations on December 15.

“As always in these situations, there’s a player involved, there’s the nation involved — Egypt in this situation — and the club. And there are always talks about what is best for all three of us,” he said.

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