Category: Football

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was appointed head coach of Bayer Leverkusen on Monday.

Ten Hag will replace Real Madrid-bound Xabi Alonso, who led Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title in 2023-24 and added the German Cup.

Leverkusen were unable to keep up the same pace this season, but still finished Bundesliga runners-up to Bayern Munich and qualified for next season’s Champions League.

Ten Hag has worked in German football before, spending two years in charge of Bayern Munich’s reserve team from 2013.

The 55-year-old Dutchman won the FA Cup and League Cup in his two full seasons at United and led the club to third in the Premier League in 2022-23.

United launched a review last summer and interviewed other candidates after they finished eighth in the Premier League, only to decide to stick with Ten Hag.

But after a poor start to the season, he was sacked on October 28 following a 2-1 defeat at West Ham. Before Manchester United, he helped Ajax to win three Dutch league titles.

“With Erik ten Hag we have brought in an experienced coach with impressive success on the pitch,” Leverkusen’s sporting managing director, Simon Rolfes, said in a statement, calling his success at Ajax “exceptional”.

“With three league titles and two domestic cup wins, he and Ajax dominated Dutch football from 2018 to 2022.”

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“And Erik demonstrated his quality as a coach with the ensuing success at Manchester United under difficult circumstances at times,” added Rolfes.

German media reported Leverkusen were also interested in Cesc Fabregas, coach of Serie A side Como, but the former Barcelona and Arsenal player elected to stay in Italy.

Erik ten Hag faces a summer rebuild in Leverkusen, with several Bundesliga-winning stars heading out of the door.

Centre-back Jonathan Tah has already confirmed his exit after 10 years at the club, with Bayern his likely destination.

Midfield maestro Florian Wirtz and winger Jeremie Frimpong also look set to leave, with German and English media reporting that both are headed to Premier League champions Liverpool.

While Tah will leave on a free transfer, Wirtz and Frimpong will command high fees, giving the Dutchman money to work with.

Ten Hag will also seek to rebuild his own reputation, which took a hit during an unhappy time at United.

Calling Leverkusen “one of the best clubs in Germany,” Erik ten Hag said he wanted to “continue the ambition shown in recent years.

“It’s an attractive challenge to set up something together in this period of change and develop an ambitious team.”

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Juventus secured a spot in the Champions League on Sunday by defeating relegated Venezia 3-2, edging out Roma, who won 2-0 against Torino, for Serie A’s final position by a single point.

Manuel Locatelli’s penalty in the 73rd minute won an exciting contest on the Venice Lagoon and secured Juve fourth place on the final day of an eventful season.

“It wasn’t easy with three matches away from home against direct rivals in the final few weeks. It’s a good achievement. I’m happy,” said Juve coach Igor Tudor, who, Italian media have reported, is to be replaced by Antonio Conte this summer.

Tudor, who took over from sacked Thiago Motta in March, said his fate would be made public before the upcoming Club World Cup which starts next month.

“Before, before. We’ll know soon and that’s the right way to do it,” said Tudor.

“If someone goes there but has no future at the club it’s not right that they go there. But not for me, for the club.”

Juventus looked set for a straightforward win when quickfire goals from Kenan Yildiz and Randal Kolo Muani put them ahead on the half-hour, after they had fallen behind to Daniel Fila’s strike in the second minute.

But Ridgeciano Haps gave Venezia, who had to win to have any chance of staying up, hope of survival nine minutes after the break and put Roma briefly fourth.

Claudio Ranieri’s Roma were two goals ahead at that point through a Leandro Paredes penalty in the 18th minute and Alexis Saelemaekers’ header seven minutes after the break, with fans of the capital club hoping Venezia would hold out.

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However, Locatelli calmly stroked Juve back into the lead and into Europe’s top club competition after Francisco Conceicao was clumsily brought down in the penalty area by Hans Nicolussi Caviglia.

Ranieri ended his coaching career just missing out on giving Roma their first Champions League qualification since 2018, after dragging his boyhood club up from near the relegation spots following his second return in November.

“We’re sorry for the fans, but we gave everything, and when you give everything, you can only be satisfied,” said Ranieri, who retires for the second time in the space of a year.

Ranieri remained coy on who would replace him for next season, only saying that “the president will decide when to announce his appointment”.

Como’s Cesc Fabregas and Gian Piero Gasperini, whose third-placed Atalanta lost 3-2 at home to Parma, are the most commonly reported names cited as Ranieri’s successor.

A Europa League place is still some achievement for Roma, given where they were when Ranieri arrived, especially with local rivals Lazio not having any European football next season after losing 1-0 at home to Lecce, who stayed up.

Lazio dropped out of the European places with their defeat at the Stadio Olimpico, and Fiorentina claimed the UEFA Conference League spot with a 3-2 victory over Udinese.

Venezia, meanwhile, join bottom club Monza and Empoli, 2-1 losers at home to relegation rivals Verona, in Serie B.

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Mohamed Salah has been voted Premier League player of the season for the second time after inspiring Liverpool’s march to a record-equalling 20th English title.

Salah earned the prize after scoring 28 league goals — five more than anyone else — and producing 18 assists for Liverpool so far this term.

Heading into Sunday’s final game against FA Cup winners Crystal Palace, the 32-year-old Egyptian superstar is two assists off the single-season record held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

This award is decided after votes from the public are combined with those from a panel of football experts. He also won it in the 2017-18 campaign.

He has broken the run of Manchester City players winning the award for the past four seasons.

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Salah’s teammate Virgil van Dijk was the last non-City player to win the award in 2018/19.

Van Dijk, who like Salah signed a new contract with Liverpool earlier in the campaign, was one of the players Salah beat in the voting.

The others were Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, Arsenal’s Declan Rice, Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, Brentford talisman Bryan Mbeumo, and Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest.

Earlier this month, Mohamed Salah was named the Football Writers’ Association player of the year, securing almost 90 percent of the votes, marking the biggest winning margin this century.

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Napoli climbed back to the top of Italian football after sealing the Serie A title on Friday, bouncing back from disaster to win the Italian championship for the fourth time.

Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku netted in a 2-0 win over Cagliari at a packed and wild Stadio Diego Armando Maradona as Napoli secured their second league crown in three years on the final day of the season.

Napoli finished the season a point ahead of closest rivals Inter Milan who won 2-0 at Como, the outgoing champions’ opponents having to play half the match with 10 men after goalkeeper Pepe Reina was sent off just before half-time of his last ever match.

Friday’s triumph crowned a season which started with few thinking Napoli could challenge Inter after finishing 10th as reigning champions last term.

“It’s happened again and it’s fantastic… we’ve had a really great season and it’s all thanks to the boys who wanted to put themselves out there, especially those who won the league two years ago,” said coach Antonio Conte.

Conte has taken Napoli by the scruff of the neck but did nothing to squash rumours that he will leave in the summer after one season in Naples due to his frustrations at a lack of investment from owner Aurelio De Laurentiis.

“I have a good relationship with the president and his family,” said Conte when pressed on his future by DAZN.

“I’ve had the opportunity to get to know him and him me, we’re celebrating together and we’re two winners. Maybe we’re a bit different, but we’re two winners.”

Inter’s win meant nothing as another Scudetto party was kicked off in Naples by the fans’ new heroes McTominay and Lukaku, with fans lighting flares and setting off fireworks in the streets in celebration.

Scotland midfielder McTominay, named player of the season, signed with the league campaign already underway in August and immediately made an impact on a team still reeling from last season’s disaster.

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His 12th goal of his first Serie A season, three minutes before half-time, was a fitting way for Napoli to break the deadlock, as he has been the symbol of the team’s renewal under Conte.

“I’m lost for words. It’s incredible you know, the sacrifice that every single player in the group has put forward to the cause,” said McTominay.

“And the people deserve it because they’ve been behind us from day one, and for me to come and experience this is a dream.”

McTominay’s acrobatic volley from Matteo Politano’s cross broke the ice in a tense stadium, as supporters watched a clutch of good chances come and go while Inter took the lead through Stefan de Vrij in the 21st minute in Como and briefly moved top of the division.

And Lukaku made sure that Napoli would secure title glory five minutes after the break when he collected Amir Rrahmani’s long pass and held off Yerry Mina before ramming home the goal which sealed the deal.

Joaquin Correa doubled Inter’s lead just as Lukaku scored, cutting inside Ivan Smolcic before confidently sliding home his second goal of the season.

But Inter now turn their attentions to the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in Munich, where Simone Inzaghi’s team will try to win club football’s biggest prize after conceding the Scudetto to Napoli.

Twelve points lost from winning positions played their part in Inter losing the title and the second-string team sent out at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia suggested that Inzaghi was already thinking ahead to next weekend.

Inter had been gunning to repeat the treble won under Jose Mourinho in 2010 earlier in the season but the Champions League is now their only chance for a trophy from a long, and draining campaign which they could end with nothing.

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Barcelona winger Raphinha signed a contract extension until 2028 on Thursday after a spectacular season.

The Brazilian, whose previous deal was set to expire in 2027, was vital as Barcelona won a domestic treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

“Barcelona and Raphinha have reached an agreement for the renewal of his contract, which will link him to the club until June 30, 2028,” said the Catalan giants in a statement.

Raphinha, a candidate to win the Ballon d’Or, has scored 34 goals and provided 25 assists in 56 matches across all competitions.

The 28-year-old is the joint top goalscorer in the Champions League with 13, but Barcelona were knocked out in a thrilling semi-final tie against Inter Milan.

He netted a hat-trick in Barca’s group stage win over Bayern Munich and a brace in the recent Clasico win over Real Madrid, which took Barca to the verge of their La Liga conquest.

Raphinha’s contract renewal follows coach Hansi Flick’s on Wednesday, with the German penning a new deal until 2027.

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Teenage winger Lamine Yamal, 17, is also expected to sign a new contract in the coming weeks.

His agent Jorge Mendes told reporters “he will renew (his deal) soon”, after having lunch with Yamal on the outskirts of Barcelona on Thursday.

Raphinha and Yamal have been devastating on the flanks for Barcelona, either side of veteran striker Robert Lewandowski.

The Catalans have scored 99 goals in 37 La Liga matches and are hoping to pass a century on Sunday when they visit Athletic Bilbao in the last match of the season.

Raphinha arrived in 2022 from Leeds United for around £55 million ($74 million) and helped Barcelona win La Liga in his first season.

However, he came close to leaving the club after a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, but was convinced to stay by Flick.

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Real Madrid’s Croatian midfielder Luka Modric said Thursday he would leave the Spanish giants after the Club World Cup this summer.

“Everything in life has a start and an end… on Saturday I will play my last match at the Santiago Bernabeu,” said Modric, 39, in a post on Instagram, as he reaches the end of his contract with Los Blancos.

“I’m leaving with a full heart, filled with pride, gratitude and unforgettable memories.

“And even though, after the Club World Cup, I’m no longer going to wear this shirt on the pitch, I will always be a Madrid fan.”

Luka Modric has played nearly 600 games for Real Madrid since joining from Tottenham in 2012, winning six Champions League and four La Liga titles among other trophies.

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Modric struggled at the start of his Madrid career after a move worth around 35 million euros ($40 million) but quickly found his footing and developed into one of the world’s best midfielders.

Luka Modric won the Ballon d’Or in 2018 for his performances with Madrid and also his country, as Croatia finished as runners-up at the World Cup in Russia.

“Throughout these years I’ve experienced incredible moments, comebacks that seemed impossible, finals, celebrations and magical nights at the Bernabeu,” continued Modric.

“We won it all and I was very happy. Very, very happy.”

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Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has extended his contract until June 2027, the Spanish champions said Wednesday.

The German-led Barca to a domestic treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup in his first year at the helm.

“Barcelona and Hansi Flick have reached an agreement for the renewal of his contract which will tie him to the club until 30 June 2027,” said Barcelona in a statement.

Flick replaced Xavi Hernandez after Barcelona finished last season without a trophy and has made a quick impact in Catalonia.

The former Bayern Munich and German national team coach originally signed a deal until 2026.

Flick’s Barca have thrilled both in Spain and in the Champions League, where they reached the semi-finals but were knocked out by Inter Milan in a blockbuster tie.

The Catalans have scored 99 goals in 37 La Liga matches on the way to winning the title, with the final game of the season on Sunday at Athletic Bilbao.

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A young Barca side, led by a swashbuckling attacking trio of 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and veteran Robert Lewandowski, have restored their reputation on the European stage after years of struggle.

Flick continued his own strong record in finals, with victories over Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup finals extending his record to seven won from seven played, five of those with Bayern.

“The excitement that the German has brought to the club in his first year in charge has made Barcelona a feared opponent once again in Europe,” continued the club in their statement.

“Flick has won 43 of the 54 games he has been in charge, a win rate of 73 percent, the best in a first season since Luis Enrique recorded 83 percent.”

Barcelona were not widely considered favourites to win the league after last year’s La Liga and Champions League winners Real Madrid signed French superstar Kylian Mbappe.

However although the former Paris Saint-Germain forward has netted 41 goals, Madrid finish the season without a major trophy.

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Brennan Johnson’s scrambled goal ended a 17-year Tottenham Hotspur trophy drought with a battling 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

Spurs, who had not won European silverware since 1984, will play in next season’s Champions League, while failing to qualify for it is a severe financial set-back for Manchester United.

Despite their triumph in Bilbao, manager Ange Postecoglou’s future is still on the line following a shambolic domestic campaign, with Spurs sitting a place below United in the lower reaches of the Premier League table.

The Australian furiously insisted he was “not a clown” on the eve of the final and had the last laugh on a nerve-racking night at the San Mames, as he made good on his claim to always win a trophy in his second season in charge of a club.

“This is what it’s all about, this club hasn’t won a trophy for 17 years, honestly, this is what it means, it means so much,” Wales winger Johnson told TNT Sports.

“Ever since I came here it’s been (people saying) ‘Tottenham are a good team, but they never get it done’ — we got it done!”

Fans came from far and wide to pack Athletic Bilbao’s stadium, some taking quite preposterous routes and sleeping in cars to avoid eye-watering prices, but they could not escape a final lacking in quality.

It was a match between teams languishing in 16th and 17th place respectively after dismal Premier League campaigns and that was the essence of it too, played at high intensity but with low confidence, and a prize on the line so big it overawed.

There were a large number of turnovers, neither side keeping the ball with any ease, moves ending in panicked defending and balls being thumped to safety, or a litany of clumsy fouls.

Manchester United fans chanted Ruben Amorim’s name, backing their Portuguese coach despite the club’s worst Premier League season in half a century.

In the early exchanges, 22-year-old United winger Amad Diallo, one of the few players high on self-belief, flashed a shot across goal and then left Destiny Udogie spinning as he dribbled past.

Spurs made the breakthrough after 42 minutes and, perhaps fittingly, it came in the form of a scrappy goal.

Tottenham midfielder Sarr, who had completed just a single pass to this point, curled in a cross to the near post for Johnson.

The winger’s attempted flick bounced off Shaw’s shoulder, brushed Johnson’s boot again and crossed the goal-line in slow motion with Andre Onana unable to claw it out with a desperate arm.

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Spurs sat back in the second half, for once pragmatically trying to protect their slender advantage and look for opportunities to strike again on the counter-attack.

They nearly found one when Yves Bissouma played in Dominic Solanke, but the striker could not control the ball.

Spurs had just 27 percent possession by the end, with three shots, just one on target.

Manchester United almost equalised when Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario came off his line but failed to claim a set-piece pounded forward from deep.

The ball dropped for Rasmus Hojlund but his header over the stranded Spurs stopper was sensationally cleared in acrobatic fashion by Micky van de Ven.

Spurs sent on captain Son Heung-min for the ragged Richarlison, with the South Korean international a surprising non-starter.

United defender Harry Maguire scored a vital goal against Lyon on United’s thrilling run to the final, and was thrust up front late on, but Spurs shut him out.

Shaw had a chance to redeem himself at the end for his part in Johnson’s goal, but his header was pushed to safety by Vicario.

United suffered a 21st defeat this season and a fourth against Spurs, who claimed their third Europa League trophy.

Amorim said winning the trophy would not solve United’s many deep-lying problems, but could set the club up well for the future, however United leave Bilbao without even that.

“We managed not to score again, which makes it hard to win matches,” said Amorim.

For only the second time in 35 years, United will not play European football next term.

“For a club like Manchester United, it’s nowhere near good enough,” Shaw told reporters.

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Pep Guardiola has said he could quit his position as Manchester City manager if he is given too large a squad next season, as he can no longer bear to leave out large numbers of fit players from his team.

City will head into the post-season looking to rebuild an ageing squad, with several senior players expected to follow Kevin De Bruyne out of the Etihad after the Belgian played his final home game for the club in Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth.

This season has seen City’s unprecedented run of four successive top-flight English titles come to an end, while their defeat by Crystal Palace in last weekend’s FA Cup final meant they will finish without a major trophy for the first time in eight years.

Injuries have hit Manchester City hard this season, but Pep Guardiola, always in favour of a smaller group of players, insisted: “I said to the club I don’t want that (a bigger squad).

“I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, and I will stay.

“It’s impossible for my soul to (tell) my players in the tribune that they cannot play.”

The Spaniard added: “Now it happened to add players immediately. Maybe for three or four months, we couldn’t select 11 players, we didn’t have defenders, it was so difficult. After, people come back, but next season it cannot be like that.

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“As a manager, I cannot train 24 players and every time I select, I have to have four, five, six, stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. This is not going to happen. I said to the club I don’t want that.”

Despite the injury problems suffered this season — notably the lengthy absence of Rodri, who made his first appearance since September as a second-half substitute on Tuesday — Guardiola said he would rather bolster his squad with academy players.

“If I have injuries, unlucky, we have some players for the academy, and we do it,” he said.

Manchester City needed to win on Tuesday to keep their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League in their own hands, and a draw at Fulham on Sunday should now be enough to make sure of a place among European football’s elite.

Omar Marmoush opened the scoring with a fine strike, and although De Bruyne missed an open goal, Bernardo Silva doubled the lead before half-time.

After City’s Mateo Kovacic and Bournemouth’s Lewis Cook saw red in quick succession, Nico Gonzalez got a late third for City before Daniel Jebbison’s stoppage-time consolation goal.

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Portuguese police announced Tuesday the recovery of the Women’s Champions League trophy after it was stolen from the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, which will host the upcoming final between holders Barcelona and Arsenal.

The theft occurred during a league match between Sporting Lisbon and Vitoria Guimaraes on Saturday, but was not reported to police until the following day.

“Several individuals wearing balaclavas forced open a gate” in the garage of the stadium, where the tournament’s showpiece will be played on May 24, the police said in a statement.

In addition to the trophy, other items of equipment belonging to UEFA were also taken.

These items, along with the trophy, have since been returned to European football’s governing body, a police spokesman told AFP.

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Thirteen suspects have been identified, according to a police statement, which gave no details of the operation that led to the recovery of the stolen items.

The investigation is ongoing and the police said they expect to recover more items and make further arrests in the coming days.

For the unversed, Arsenal and Barcelona will face each other in the Women’s Champions League final, set to be played in Lisbon on 24 May, Saturday.

Barcelona reached the final after thrashing Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate in their semi-final, while Arsenal reached the Champions League final for the first time in 18 years after completing a remarkable fightback to beat eight-time champions Lyon at the Groupama Stadium.

Their hard work has earned them a place in their first European final since 2007, the year they achieved a historic quadruple.

They will face the reigning champions, Barcelona, who earlier on Sunday triumphed over Chelsea.

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