UK News
Sunderland v Tottenham, Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa and more: Premier League – live | Premier League
Key events
Gosh, Brobbey chases down as Romero seeks to shepherd back to Kinsky, there’s a little shove from the striker and a collision follows, Romero running through the keeper’s head. De Zerbi wants a second yellow for Brobbey but the ref isn’t showing one, and there’s a lengthy pause while treatment is administered to both Spurs players.
De Zerbi was preparing a triple change, which he makes after the goal: Tel, Sarr and Palhinha replace Gray, Bergvall and Richarlison.
GOAL! Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Mukiele 61)
AND THERE IT IS! Mukiele takes the ball off Sadiki, who moves down the right as a decoy, allowing his full-back to veer infield, beat the nearest defender, and lash a shot looking inside the near post, only for Van de Ven to extend a leg and deflects the effort inside the far, leaving Kinsky stranded. That feels like a crucial moment in the season…
As they did in the first half, Spurs find Richarlison pulling left, and again, his finish is tame, passed straight at Roefs. De Zerbi needs to do something, I think, because he team look impotent, whereas Sunderland are more menacing.
We might have a new entry into my Players I’d Struggle Most to Have XI: Brian Brobbey is pushing to join Antonio Rudiger in the team.
It’s been a slow start to the second half at Sunderland, neither side threatening. I wonder if De Zerbi might gamble and try Simons, because his side has a serious lack of guile, invention and quality.
Watkins goes for the line and Williams slides in to block; there’s no contact but both hurt themselves and after a pause, both seem fine to continue.
Tielemans is caught trying to play out and Jesus moves through the centre, opting to shoot from the edge when he might’ve continued, wafting over the top. Villa will know they’ve got away with one.
“Not news, but Villa are soooooo much better with Tielemans in that midfield unit,” reckons Benjamin Gravestock. “Makes all the players round him better, too.
Villa got sucker-punched, properly, there – Forest were showing nothing very much at the time. Bizot is a solid enough ‘keeper but if Martinez is going to physically deteriorate – this recurring back issue seems to be more recurring – I’m not sure he’s ever going to regain the heights he once hit and Bizot hasn’t shown enough to convince me he has the chops to be the no. 1.
Was heartened to see a link with James Trafford in the summer and think he would have a good chance of being the main guy next season but my football supporting friends think he’ll stay because Pep sees him as ‘the future’. Given Donnarumma seems to have quite a lot of future available to him, I think Trafford/Villa would be an excellent match.
Am hopeful we can kick on in the second half; Villa need to build a run after the extended disappearance in the Ber-tieleginnmar-a Triangle (sorry).”
Yup, agree on Bizot, and Donnarumma isn’t going anywhere, I shouldn’t think – at 27, he could easily play another decade at similar level. Trafford is too good to wait around, too, so I’b be surprised id he’s not on the move again this summer.
Forest finished the first half strongly and they’ve started the second well too, Hudson-Odoi curling a cross to the far post and Igor Jesus is up … but, under pressure, he heads down and wide of the near post.
We go again…
Righto, I’m going to restart my computer in the hope it improves matters – currently, I’m watching Sunderland on my laptop and Forest on my phone, with no game permitted by my main screen.
Half-time scores
Crystal Palace 0-1 Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa
Sunderland 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Udogie crosses low from the left and someone, O’Nien I think, slides to intercept but leaves the ball there for Solanke – this is a chance – but the finish is a little rushed, sidefooted hard and allowing Roefs to block when a dink probably means 1-0.
We’re into added time and, when Sunderland put a ball into the box from a free-kick and the flick-on lands in Brobbey’s path, Kinsky is out quickly and well to block the punched shot, Mukiele lashing the follow-up into Gallagher’s body.
And here it comes, Osula sliding in pursuing a low cross from Miley, looking like he might score with his buttocks before adjusting legs, cramp football-style and, from a seated position, flicking in. It loos simple, but it’s excellent improvisation.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-1 Newcastle United (Osula 43)
The man brought in today puts Newcastle in front; hopefully we’ll be shown the goal properly shortly.
“Strange world Daniel,” writes Stephen O’Sullivan. “I’m actually watching Palace v Toon clear as a bell here in Kuala Lumpur. Palace a whisker away from the lead.”
Isn’t it just. I fear my new internet connection, much better and faster than the one it replaced, so they told me, is in fact not so.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa (Williams 38)
Forest move down the right and, when Hutchinson crosses, Hudson-Odoi retrieves, rolling back for Williams, who takes responsibility and, shaping to shoot for the far corner from the edge, instead drags a low shot back through McGinn’s legs and inside the near, Solskjaer-style; that’s a terrific finish, and we’re level.
…then smashes it over the top.
…he takes his time preparing himself too…
I bet Xhaka fancies this…
It’s a really tight game at the Stadium of Light but Sunderland look likelier, Brobbey’s physicality and nous causing Spurs’ centre-backs a problem. And, as I type, he tempts Van de Ven into a foul, converted into a yellow card by the dissent which follows, and his team now have a free-kick on the edge of the box, well right of centre.
More importantly, why doesn’t Brobbey have a song to this?
Brobbey struggles for the ball with Porro, eventually introducing elbow to coupon. So Porro goes down, as one might – now that you ask, obviously I’d have brushed it off myself – and the ref shows a yellow card. That’s the right call, just about; I can’t pretend I’m not suspicious as to Brobbey’s intentions, but it was more of a jab than a swing, so there’s just enough ambiguity to keep it 11 v 11.
Sunderland win a throw, hurled in by O’Nien, and when the ball is only half-cleared, it drops on to Xhaka’s laces, on the edge of the box, right of centre … and he connects beautifully, his shot zipping fractionally wide.
I’d not be surprised to see Chris Wood come on for Forest at half-time – currently, they lack a box presence, constantly moving the ball but with no one to aim at or play off.
At Selhurst, it’s still Palace 0-0 Newcastle, but aggravatingly, I’m not currently allowed to watch the game. Hopefully, a half-time turn-off-and-on sorts things.
Here come Villa again, again feeding a pass into Rogers, who turns around the corner and into the path of Watkins, through the middle. The first touch is heavy but works nicely, inciting Sels to come out … only for the finish to bobble just past the post.
NO PENALTY TO SPURS!
This felt inevitable. Alderete won the ball, so there’s no foul, and you almost feel for the ref, sheepishly having to explain to the crowd that he totally misinterpreted what he saw.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
Source link
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.
Source link
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoHSBC UK & Visa test AI shopping with live payments
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoMouser warns against viral hacks to cool overheating phones
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoValarian lands USD $50 million backing for sovereign AI
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoNew romantasy bookshop attracts queues of customers
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoSNP & Palantir launch AI tools for SAP transformations
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoKane tops England influencer rankings after Mexico win
-
Traffic & Transport4 weeks ago‘I felt my spine and body split’: the woman who was hit by a child on a Lime bike – and denied compensation | Ebikes
-
Oxford Events4 weeks agoHenley Festival 2026 highlights: Five nights of unforgettable performances and festival moments