New York, July 2 (IANS) Senegal’s midfielder Pape Gueye has decided to take a break from playing for his international side while the current management remains in charge. The 27-year-old’s decision comes after his side’s painful exit from the round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup with a 3-2 defeat to Belgium in a match they had looked to have under control.Senegal led 2-0 through goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr before Romelu Lukaku pulled one back for Belgium in the 86th minute.Three minut…
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Seattle, June 20 (IANS) USA defender Alex Freeman described his maiden FIFA World Cup goal as an emotional and unforgettable moment after helping his side secure a 2-0 victory over Australia and seal top spot in Group D in Seattle on Saturday.Freeman thought his celebrations had been cut short when the assistant referee raised the offside flag after he found the net in the second half at Seattle Stadium. However, a VAR review overturned the decision, sparking jubilant celebrations among the home…
Accra, June 13 (IANS) Ghana’s government has strongly criticised Canada’s decision to refuse a visa to midfielder Thomas Partey, a move that will prevent the player from featuring in the country’s opening FIFA World Cup match against Panama on June 17.The Ghanaian Foreign Ministry described the decision as “high-handed and extremely unfair” and confirmed that it had formally protested to Canadian authorities while seeking a review of the ruling.According to the Ministry, Canadian officials based…
Madrid, June 1 (IANS) Villarreal on Monday confirmed former Rayo Vallecano coach Inigo Perez as their new first-team coach, with the 38-year-old signing a three-year contract until the end of June 2029.Perez, who retired from playing in 2022, replaces Marcelino Garcia Toral, who left the club at the end of last season despite leading Villarreal to a third-place finish in La Liga behind FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, securing Champions League qualification for the second consecutive season.He arri…
Madrid, May 24 (IANS) The 2025-26 La Liga season ended Saturday night with Barcelona champion, Real Madrid second and Oviedo, Mallorca and Girona relegated to the second tier. Some clubs can look back with satisfaction, while others face an uncomfortable summer. Here are the end-of-term marks in Spain’s top flightFC Barcelona finished top of the class, with Hansi Flick’s side recovering from a slow start, perhaps affected by the loss of defender Inigo Martinez to Saudi Arabia, to dominate the co…
Madrid, May 21 (IANS) The top-flight La Liga heads into a dramatic final weekend, with two European places and two relegation spots to be decided in a tense two-hour spell in Spain on Saturday night.Barcelona have already been crowned champions, Real Madrid are guaranteed to finish second, and Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, and Real Betis have secured places in next season’s Champions League.Real Sociedad have qualified for the Europa League after winning the Copa del Rey against Atletico Madrid i…
Istanbul, May 21 (IANS) Aston Villa claimed their first European trophy in 44 years and a maiden UEFA Europa League title as goals from Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers sealed an emphatic win against Freiburg.Villa have become the 31st different winners of the UEFA Cup/Europa League, and the sixth from England. They are the third new victors in the last six seasons, along with Atalanta in 2023/24 and Emery’s Villarreal in 2020/21.Emery has become the first coach to win this to…
Madrid, May 18 (IANS) The struggle to qualify for European football next season and avoid relegation remains wide-open after the penultimate round of matches in La Liga on Sunday.Vinicius Jr scored in the 15th minute as Real Madrid won 1-0 away to Sevilla, who was safe from relegation with results elsewhere in its favor.In the race to qualify for Europe, Celta Vigo remains sixth after a 1-1 draw away to Athletic Bilbao. Williot Swedberg scored an early goal for Celta, while Inaki Williams levele…
Madrid, May 14 (IANS) Already-crowned La Liga champion FC Barcelona lost 1-0 away to Deportivo Alaves.Three days after securing the title, Barcelona appeared to suffer the effects of its celebrations on Sunday and Monday, producing a performance well below its usual level.The only goal of the match came from Ibrahim Diabate in the final play of the first half. The Alavés striker capitalized on a layoff inside the area to beat goalkeeper Szczesny with a low shot and score his first goal at Mendi…
Madrid, May 8 (IANS) Spain has secured an extra UEFA Champions League place for next season after Rayo Vallecano reached the UEFA Conference League final with a 1-0 victory over Strasbourg on Thursday night.The Madrid-based side completed a 2-0 aggregate semifinal win to book a place in the first European final in the club’s history. More importantly for Spanish football, the result guaranteed Spain second place in this season’s UEFA coefficient rankings, surpassing Germany in the list.Spain…