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Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal (agg 2-3): Women’s Champions League quarter-final, second leg – live reaction | Women’s Champions League
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Chelsea would not have deserved it tonight, Arsenal defended really well.
There was a bit of spice at the end, with McCabe accused of a hair pull and Bompastor getting very agitated by the referee.
Full time: Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal (agg 2-3)
The late goal from Nuskens was just not enough in the end.
Bompastor was sent off for two bookings in quick succession in injury-time, as her frustrations got the better of her.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal, agg 2-3 (Nuskens, 90+4)
Could they?
90+3: Arsenal are doing their best to kill the game off in the corner. Russo tries to hold it up before in the end, Chelsea win a goal-kick.
90+2 mins: Mead hits the post! Maanum plays her in and she fires towards the corner but is repelled by the woodwork.
90 mins: Five minutes added on.
88 mins: RUDDY HECK! Van Domselaar is at it again, and this one is a worldie. A sublime cross from the right is met by a bullet Nuskens header, which the goalkeeper tips onto the post, before watching it dribble along the line until it is cleared.
Arsenal are very deep and inviting the pressure from Chelsea. Backs to the walls stuff for the final few minutes.
86 mins: DRAMA! James pings a shot from the edge of the box, which Van Domselaar palms straight out to Buurman, who somehow hits the post from a few yards.
84 mins: Russo does superbly well on the halfway line but then she decides to dribble all the way to the edge of the box by herself when Blackstenius is in space. Russo shot is weak in the end and Hampton easily catches.
Subs … Walsh off, Kaptein on. Caldentey and Blackstenius off, Maanum and Codina on. Five at the back for Arsenal.
82 mins: Chelsea almost get one of their own but Kerr’s header goes wide.
NO GOAL! Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal, agg 1-3
VAR performs it magic, finding Blackstenius inches off in the buildup. As you were.
GOAL? Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal, agg 1-4 (Blackstenius, 80)
Blackstenius heads home, but we have a VAR check …
78 mins: Baltimore flashes another cross into a dangerous position but no one is there to meet it.
Arsenal panic with the ball bouncing, James chests it down and tickles a shot wide.
76 mins: There is a bit of excitement down the other end when Kerr volleys from close range but she is A. offside and B. it is straight at the goalkeeper.
74 mins: Russo cuts in from the left and lets fly but she drags her shot wide.
There is a better chance for Arsenal soon after, as Mead picks out Blackstenius in space but the striker cannot react quick enough and her header is poor.
72 mins: Foord has a shot from inside the box but there are too many blue shirts between her and the net.
Arsenal have a corner on the left but it flicks off Wubben-Moy’s head and out.
70 mins: Mead and Holmberg on, Smith and Fox off for Arsenal.
68 mins: Caldentey gets into a good position to pass but holds onto the ball for too long, forcing Arsenal backwards. They seem quite happy to keep hold of the ball. The Gunners are plotting some subs, it would seem.
Charles does well on the left to dig out a cross but once again no one in Blue is making the right movement inside the box.
66 mins: The referee books Hinds for timewasting. She has been desperate to pull someone up for it.
64 mins: Needless to say, there is no red card. James and McCabe clash again soon afterwards, though. I suspect James frustrated by the state of the game.
62 mins: It is all Chelsea at the moment, with Arsenal struggling to get out of their own half. They will, however, be confident of having a few chances on the break soon enough.
James is booked for inadvertently standing on McCabe. A touch harsh. VAR are having a look to see if it should be a red, which would be lunacy of the highest order.
60 mins: Cuthbert goes off, as does Buchanan. Charles and Baltimore on.
59 mins: Bompastor will be looking at her bench right now, wondering how she can change this but she has few attacking options. Either way, a double substitution is on its way. Charless is one of the players coming on and Baltimore the other.
James takes a corner from the right but Foord manages to control the ball inside the box and drive forward.
57 mins: Bronze comes onto a bouncing ball and thrashes it well over the bar from 30 yards.
55 mins: Chelsea have two corners in succession but Arsenal just about survive. The second one ends with James whipping a shot onto the roof of the net.
53 mins: Arsenal have a corner on the left and they take their time before eventually taking it. McCabe sends the ball into the box and it is perfect for Blackstenius but her bullet header is blocked.
Down the other end, a wonderful Nuskens pass plays in Kerr, who has to check back but manages to take aim for the top corner, forcing the goalkeeper into a stunning save.
51 mins: James tracks back and does well to get the ball but then does not know what to do in order to clear the danger. She gets a bit lucky as Hinds fouls her but not James’ finest moment.
49 mins: Carpenter is booked after her mistake allows Hinds in behind her. Arsenal have a free-kick in a dangerous position on the left. Caldentey swings it in and the Blues clear, only for Fox to fire it straight back but Hampton comfortably catches.
47 mins: Russo lines up a shot from 20 yards but it is pretty wild, going a few yards wide.
Second half
Here we go again!
Half-time reading: Tom Garry was in Munich as Manchester United were eliminated by Bayern.
Half time: Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal (agg 1-3)
Almost no goal threat for 45 minutes, which will suit Arsenal far more than Chelsea.
45 mins: Three minutes to be added on.
Hinds replaces Catley.
44 mins: Another dangerous cross, this time from James but nowhere is there to get a touch on it. James is rightly fuming with her teammates’ lack of movement when it matters.
Catley’s race looks to be run.
42 mins: Chelsea are yet to have a shot on target. Not what is required when chasing a tie.
A problem for Arsenal as Catley is down rubbing her calf.
40 mins: Bronze comes across and clears the ball, ending up on the deck after being caught by Smith. The Chelsea defender thinks she deserves a free-kick but the referee awards Arsenal the throw.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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