Month: January 2023

Joelinton fired Newcastle a step closer to Wembley with the winner in an action-packed Carabao Cup semi-final first leg success at Southampton.

The Brazilian, who also saw a disallowed goal and was guilty of a bad miss,  secured a 1-0 win for the Magpies by burying a low cross from substitute Alexander Isak with 17 minutes to go on a breathless evening at St Mary’s.

Saints thought they had swiftly levelled through Newcastle academy graduate Adam Armstrong but his bundled effort was ruled out for handball following VAR intervention.

Joelinton had a first-half effort controversially chalked off for an adjudged handball, while he wastefully blazed over with the goal gaping early in the second period.

Southampton finished a frantic encounter with 10 men after defender Duje Caleta-Car was dismissed four minutes from time for a second bookable offence.

The hosts had sufficient chances to head to the north-east level but Nick Pope was in inspired form to stop Che Adams, in addition to Armstrong’s disappointment against his boyhood side.

Newcastle arrived on the south coast with manager Eddie Howe urging his side to go a step further as the club chase a first major domestic trophy since 1955.

The high-flying Magpies stuck with the team which began Saturday’s goalless Premier League draw at Crystal Palace, while struggling Saints made four changes, including full debuts to January signings Carlos Alcaraz and Mislav Orsic.

Howe’s men had the better of an uninspiring opening period which lacked quality and chances but contained a major talking point.

Newcastle midfielder Joe Willock was at the heart of the most promising openings.

The former Arsenal player twice fired woefully over when unmarked, before sparking the contentious 39th-minute incident by bursting clear on the left and cutting inside Lyanco to force a low stop out of Saints goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.

Although Mohammed Salisu managed to block Callum Wilson’s initial follow-up effort, Joelinton thumped home the resultant loose ball, only for referee Stuart Attwell to penalise him for handball.

VAR was introduced for this round of the competition but, despite serious debate about where the ball struck Joelinton, the onfield decision was not overturned.

There were then worrying scenes when Southampton winger Moussa Djenepo was forced off after a heavy collision with visiting goalkeeper Pope, to be replaced by Armstrong.

Newcastle were resounding 4-1 winners on this ground in the Premier League in November, leading to the dismissal of former Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Miguel Almiron opened the scoring that day and he created two golden chances early in the second period as the away side attempted to eradicate that first-half frustration.

Joelinton somehow fired over in the 53rd minute following Almiron’s neat one-two with Sean Longstaff on the right, before Sven Botman hit the side-netting from a more difficult opening a minute later.

Pope registered nine successive clean sheets after conceding here just under three months ago.

The England keeper underlined his international credentials by twice denying Adams, the first time after the Saints substitute was sent clean through by Alcaraz, before Newcastle snatched the advantage.

Sweden striker Isak burst away from Lyanco on the right and delivered a perfect low cross for Joelinton to finally put his name on the scoresheet.

Newcastle’s sold-out away end was still revelling in the prospect of a first Wembley cup final since 1999 when Southampton thought they had levelled.

Armstrong scruffily finished after Samuel Edozie turned the ball across goal but the joy was cut short by Stockley Park.

Tempers then threatened to boil over in the closing stages.

A coming together between Bruno Guimaraes and Lyanco sparked a mass brawl, before Caleta-Car, cautioned for scything down Almiron in the first half, was sent off for upending Allan Saint-Maximin.

Isak came close to doubling the advantage in added time but hit the side- netting after rounding Bazunu.

Newcastle now have a fixture-free week to prepare for the return meeting, while Saints go to St James’ Park following an FA Cup fourth-round clash with Blackpool.

Tommy Leigh’s extra-time penalty broke National League side Boreham Wood’s hearts and sealed Accrington a fourth-round tie at home to Leeds with a 1-0 win in the Emirates FA Cup.

The game was goalless after 90 minutes with League One Stanley, 39 places higher in the football pyramid, creating the more clear cut chances.

Shaun Whalley headed into Nathan Ashmore’s arms from close range on 57 minutes and the Wood keeper produced a superb save to deny Sean McConville from close range on 87 minutes.

However the National League mid-table side, who reached the fourth round last season, almost got an added-time winner but Toby Savin raced out to deny George Broadbent after a quick breakaway.

That took the tie to extra-time with substitute Zak Brunt then adjudged to have clipped the tricky Whalley in the area in the 97th minute.

Leigh has been assured from the spot and he rifled home his 11th goal of the campaign, sending Ashmore the wrong way.

Lee Ndlovu almost equalised with 10 minutes of extra-time left but his vicious strike was just wide.

Leeds boss Jesse Marsch was in the crowd at the Wham Stadium.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is stepping up his Milan comeback after filming himself with the ball at his feet at the club’s Milanello training ground.

The 41-year-old signed a one-year contract last July but has been sidelined ever since while recovering from knee surgery.

Ibrahimovic, who has scored 33 goals in 60 league appearances in his second spell with the Rossoneri, was a Serie A title winner last season.

Given his age, the end of his career is likely not far away. That is despite the former Barcelona and Manchester United player saying in September: “If I see a player stronger than me, I’ll stop. But I haven’t seen him yet.”

Ibrahimovic’s video shows him taking small steps with the ball at his feet, before pausing at the end of the penalty area and turning the camera to point at the goal. It then shows him smiling into the camera and raising his eyebrows, as though to signal his eagerness to get back into scoring action.

Milan, who are 12 points behind league leaders Napoli, have Champions League last-16 games against Tottenham coming up on February 14 and March 8, plus a Serie A derby with Inter on February 5.

Barcelona head coach Xavi has hit back at “silly” criticism about Gavi’s perceived overly physical playing style and told the midfielder to show even more passion.

The 18-year-old has featured in all 17 of league-leading Barcelona’s LaLiga fixtures this season, starting 12 of those.

Gavi leads the way among Barca players for fouls conceded this campaign with 41 – at least 22 more than any other team-mate and the third-highest tally in the division.

He also tops the list in terms of duels contested (146) among Barca players and is behind only Sergio Busquets (1.73) for tackles per game with 1.65.

Some have suggested Gavi too often gets away with bad challenges, having been cautioned only three times, but Barca head coach Xavi does not agree with that assessment.

“That seems silly to me. There is a referee who decides, right? In the end, he is the one who decides,” Xavi told reporters. “Gavi puts passion and courage into his game.

“I consider it that the whistle is blown for very few fouls on him. For me, it’s the other way around. He’s a player who’s fouled a lot and the whistle is blown for a few of them.”

Gavi’s playing style has earned comparisons to Brazil international Casemiro, who won 18 trophies in nine years at Real Madrid prior to joining Manchester United last August.

But Xavi feels the young midfielder is only praised when representing Spain, rather than when putting on the Blaugrana strip.

“It seems to me that when he goes to the [Spanish] national team he is wonderful, and when he plays for Barca, he crosses the line,” Xavi said.

“This is what it seems to me from the outside, yes. He’s an example of grit and courage [for Spain] and, when he’s at Barca, he is not liked, right?

“Well, it’s normal. It is normal. And on top of that, if we win, he is liked even less. It is the way that it is.

“To Gavi, I say be calm, to put in the same passion, or even more, and also more courage and sacrifice… and that he doesn’t stop. He doesn’t have to slow down.”

Gavi is in line to feature when Barca host Real Sociedad – who are third in LaLiga – in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

“It’s a key match for us,” Xavi added at Tuesday’s pre-match press conference. “It’s a quarter-final and a one-off match. We’re playing in front of 80,000 of our fans.

“We are in good form and they are in a good moment also in terms of results and confidence. I expect we’ll see a good game.”

Jude Bellingham is wanted by Europe’s top clubs because he is “an outstanding talent” who has proved he is the real deal, according to Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic.

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who wants Bellingham to join the Reds, spoke of how Bellingham should return home to England and develop his game.

“There’s still growth in him, and he can evolve, and I think staying in England until a certain age until he hits his peak years is very important for the boy now,” Gerrard said on BT Sport.

While Gerrard said he would love to take Bellingham out for dinner and sell the prospect of Liverpool to him, Terzic wants the teenager to stay where he is, and considers him further advanced than a player at any developmental stage.

“I don’t think there’s a player that’s been more speculated about in our squad right now than Jude has been in the last few weeks and months,” Terzic said.

“Because he’s an outstanding talent; because he is, I think, past that talent status, even though he’s only 19.”

England international Bellingham scored Dortmund’s opener as they beat Augsburg 4-3 on Sunday, and BVB go to Mainz on Wednesday seeking another three points to nudge them deeper into the battle for Champions League places.

Bellingham is suspended for the Mainz game, with the teenager’s absence a major blow.

This is his third season of being a regular in the Dortmund midfield, with his growing maturity and impact on the field all too obvious to Terzic. Bellingham has nine goals already this season, a personal best for a campaign.

“He is an extremely important player for us, who has now scored the first goal in a game for us again, who was extremely important in both attack and defence on Sunday,” Terzic said.

“And of course we will miss him tomorrow. But that’s the job of a good squad.

“We will now think carefully about how we can compensate this absence for tomorrow. We are sure that Jude will play a leading role again in the game in Leverkusen on Sunday. And tomorrow we will do the job without him.”

Terzic said Dortmund are looking “from day to day” at how Sebastien Haller comes on, as the former Ajax man continues his comeback after treatment for testicular cancer.

The French striker came off the bench on Sunday, and Terzic said: “We are just noticing that he is getting better and better from day to day. He feels better and better, he has found his rhythm again, and we just hope that we can increase the workload bit by bit.

“To what extent that will be enough for the starting line-up, whether that will be the case tomorrow or on Sunday or next week, we will see, but we are sure that he will play an important role again tomorrow.”

Barcelona have promised to “take every possible action” to overturn the decision to turf their women’s team out of the Copa de la Reina.

The Catalans have won the Spanish league and cup double for the last three seasons, but it emerged they fielded an ineligible player when beating Osasuna 9-0 at the last-16 stage of this season’s cup competition.

Osasuna were overpowered on January 10 but have been declared winners of the tie on a technicality, with Barcelona striker Geyse having played and scored when she should have been serving a suspension.

Brazilian Geyse was sent off in her previous match in the competition, playing for Madrid CFF against eventual finalists Sporting Huelva in last season’s quarter-finals.

Barcelona believe there are grounds for the ruling to be successfully challenged, with ESPN reporting the club are adamant Geyse was not listed on pre-match lists of disciplinary disqualifications issued by cup organisers the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

In a statement issued after Tuesday’s expulsion, the Camp Nou giants said: “FC Barcelona announces that the club is to continue to fight for the women’s team’s rights after they were sanctioned by the competition committee for fielding an ineligible line-up, with an appeal to be presented in due course.

“Should the sanction not be revoked on appeal, FC Barcelona will take every possible action, as it is considered that the line-up ended up being deemed ineligible due to technicalities in this case.”

Barcelona, who beat Real Sociedad 3-0 in the Supercopa on Sunday, appear well on course to claim the Spanish league title for a fourth season in a row after winning 14 consecutive games in the competition since the start of the season.

Barcelona have also been fined €1,001 by the RFEF over the ineligibility episode, while Sevilla have been thrown out of this season’s cup, too, after Nagore Calderon played in a 1-0 win against Villarreal, when she too had a suspension hanging over her from last season.

Sevilla said they presented arguments against such a punishment but will not appeal any further.

Fernando Santos has been appointed Poland head coach until 2026 following the end of his tenure with Portugal.

Santos, 68, was in charge of the Selecao for over eight years and guided them to success at Euro 2016 and the inaugural Nations League in 2019.

Despite those trophies, Portugal fans had become frustrated with the style of football Santos’ team played in recent years, with there being a perception of him underachieving given the wealth of talent at his disposal.

Santos’ Portugal contract was not due to expire until after Euro 2024, but he was removed from his role after the World Cup quarter-final defeat to Morocco last month.

Roberto Martinez has since replaced him.

Santos has not wasted much time in taking a new job either, however, with Poland his third international position in succession after also coaching Greece for four years prior to taking over Portugal.

He will be only Poland’s third non-native head coach after Portuguese compatriot Paulo Sousa, who had a brief spell in charge in 2021, and Leo Beenhakker.

Polish Football Association (PZPN) president Cezary Kulesza had essentially confirmed the hiring on Monday when he posted a photo of himself with Santos, the caption announcing a press conference for the following day.

Santos’ first goal will be to secure Poland’s qualification for a fourth successive appearance at the European Championship, with the 2024 edition to take place in neighbouring Germany.

He will then be tasked with leading Poland to the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States, after which his contract is due to end.

Three men have been arrested for alleged homophobic chanting during Liverpool’s goalless draw with Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday, Merseyside Police confirmed.

The men, aged 23, 37 and 49, were arrested on suspicion of “homophobic intentional harassment alarm and distress”.

The 37-year-old male has been bailed pending further enquiries, while the other two suspects will attend a voluntary interview.

Merseyside Police also revealed in a statement on Tuesday that 16 people were ejected from Anfield for various offences during the Premier League match.

The Football Association announced earlier this month it can now charge clubs if their fans use a homophobic chant that has been aimed at Chelsea players and supporters.

The chant was defined as a hate crime by the Crown Prosecution Service last year, with Chelsea welcoming that decision at the time.

The FA has investigated a number of such chants in recent weeks from supporters of Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Manchester City.

Merseyside Police superintendent Paul Sutcliffe said: “We’ll not tolerate hate crime of any form. We’ll bring to justice anyone found responsible for committing any offensive chanting.

“In this instance, if the three suspects are charged and found guilty for the offence, then we will be seeking football banning orders on them.”

– Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last eight home matches 
– Manchester United have won only two of their last six domestic away games 
– Recommended bet: Nottingham Forest or Tie double chance

In the week that Manchester United secured their place in this Carabao Cup semi-final, everything was going smoothly for Erik ten Hag’s men — victory over Charlton in the quarter-final followed by a Premier League defeat of Manchester City had supporters dreaming of glory on all fronts.

However, a draw at Crystal Palace and morale-sapping defeat at Arsenal soon followed, crushing the Red Devils’ brief hopes of a league title challenge and sending them into this week’s match at a low ebb.

Now, their League Cup ambitions face a serious test in Nottingham as resurgent Forest are growing in confidence as they move steadily away from the Premier League relegation zone.

In recent months, Forest have been transformed from whipping boys to dangerous underdogs at the City Ground, and manager Steve Cooper will be keen to use home advantage to gain a precious first-leg lead.

Team news

Forest’s on-loan goalkeeper Dean Henderson has been ruled out for several weeks with a thigh tear — and would have been ineligible against his parent club anyway — but former United winger Jesse Lingard could feature against his old club after recovering from a hamstring problem.

Striker Taiwo Awoniyi and midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate are both sidelined until March with groin and hamstring injuries respectively, while defender Giulian Biancone is out for the season with an ACL injury.

Left-back Omar Richards is close to returning from a hairline fracture of the leg, while centre-back Moussa Niakhate should also be back within a couple of weeks from a hamstring injury that has ruled him out of most of the season so far.

Midfielder Ryan Yates is a slight doubt due to illness.

United striker Anthony Martial will face a late fitness test to see if he can return from a thigh injury but a similar problem will rule full-back Diogo Dalot out of the trip to the City Ground.

Defensive midfielder Casemiro returns from suspension but attacking midfielder Donny van de Beek has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury and attacker Jadon Sancho remains unavailable.

The stats

United’s 3-0 victory over Forest at the end of January was part of an impressive run of 10 successive wins at Old Trafford, but Ten Hag’s men have been nowhere near as formidable on the road.

United have won just two of their last six domestic away games and even those two victories were far from dominant — they nicked a 93rd-minute winner at Fulham and edged to a late 1-0 success against struggling Wolves.

Defeats at Arsenal and Aston Villa, and draws at Crystal Palace and Chelsea, suggest the Red Devils might struggle again at the City Ground.

Cooper’s men are steadily improving on the road but at home are becoming a serious force, remaining unbeaten in eight matches and defeating Tottenham in the Carabao Cup and Liverpool in the league during that run. 

They have also held Chelsea and Brentford amid a sequence of four wins and four draws, with one of those ties ending in a penalty shootout victory over Wolves in the last round of this competition.

Prediction

Forest have suffered just two defeats in their last 11 games and one of those can be disregarded given it was a reserve team that Cooper sent out in the FA Cup loss at Blackpool.

The fact that the other defeat was a heavy loss to United does muddy the water, but Cooper has finally crafted a resilient and dangerous unit out of his avalanche of summer signings and will be confident of getting a result in the first leg.

Ten Hag’s men have suffered a knock to their confidence after recent setbacks and the United manager will need to keep rotating his squad given the club has 10 matches to cram in over the next five weeks.

The first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final is likely to be a game in which he rests a few of his star men and a team who had managed just one clean sheet in their last eight domestic away games is likely to concede against as a result — adding both teams to score to Bet Builder selections looks sensible.

However, an in-form and focused Forest side will be aiming higher than simply scoring against their vaunted visitors and Cooper’s men look value to make home advantage count.

With the safety net of the draw, back the Nottingham Forest or Tie double chance — available at 5/4 with LiveScore Bet.

Barcelona have seen hopes of a women’s league and cup double scuppered after it emerged they fielded an ineligible player against Osasuna in the Copa de la Reina.

Osasuna lost the last-16 match 9-0 on January 10 but have been declared winners of the tie on a technicality, with Barcelona striker Geyse having played and scored when she should have been serving a suspension.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Osasuna said: “The Royal Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] has favourably resolved the claim made by the Osasuna Women’s Foundation in relation to the improper team selection committed by Barcelona Football Club in the round-of-16 match of the Copa de la Reina played on January 10 in El Sadar.

“The disciplinary judge has decided ‘to give FC Barcelona the game as lost and to consider the tie resolved in favour of CDF Osasuna Femenino’.

“It is possible to file an appeal to the appeals committee against the resolution published this morning by the federal body.”

Barcelona, who beat Real Sociedad 3-0 in the Supercopa on Sunday, appear well on course to claim the Spanish league title for a fourth season in a row after winning 14 consecutive games in the competition since the start of the season.

They were defending the Copa de la Reina they won by beating Sporting Huelva 6-1 in last year’s final, and reports have said Barcelona, who have also been fined €1,001 by the RFEF, plan to appeal against their expulsion.

Brazilian player Geyse was sent off in her previous match in the competition, playing for Madrid CFF against Sporting in last season’s quarter-finals.

Sevilla have also been expelled from this season’s cup after Nagore Calderon played in a 1-0 win against Villarreal, when she too had a suspension hanging over her from last season.