May 2023 – Page 37

Julio Enciso’s stunning leveller cemented Brighton’s place in next season’s Europa League as Manchester City’s Premier League winning run was halted at 12 games by a thrilling 1-1 draw.

The 19-year-old Paraguay forward unleashed a thunderous, swerving effort into the top right corner from 25 yards seven minutes before the break to mathematically guarantee Albion a sixth-placed finish.

Phil Foden put the newly-crowned champions ahead at the Amex Stadium with his fifth goal in as many starts against the Seagulls.

But, despite bringing back a host of big names, Pep Guardiola saw his formidable side drop points for the first time since February 18 after Erling Haaland’s 79th-minute header was disallowed due to VAR spotting a shirt pull on Levi Colwill.

City boss Guardiola was angered by that decision and later shown a yellow card by referee Simon Hooper for his ongoing protestations.

Haaland had wasted two fine first-half chances, while Brighton’s Danny Welbeck rattled the crossbar from a free-kick and had a goal disallowed for offside, in addition to a Kaoru Mitoma effort being chalked off for handball.

The pulsating encounter was a fitting final home game of an unforgettable campaign for the record-breaking Seagulls and banished the remote chance of them slipping into the Europa Conference League on the final day at seventh-placed Aston Villa.

City were given a guard of honour by their hosts, four days on from securing their fifth title success in six seasons thanks to second-placed Arsenal’s defeat at Nottingham Forest.

Guardiola brought back Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne as part of six changes from Sunday’s celebratory 1-0 win over Chelsea, while Brighton captain Lewis Dunk began on bench just hours after his England recall due to ongoing calf and back issues.

Haaland – seeking to add to his 36 top-flight goals – should have put City ahead inside six minutes but wastefully headed over unmarked following Foden’s inviting delivery from the left.

Guardiola hailed rival manager Roberto De Zerbi as one of the most influential managers of the last 20 years in the build-up to the clash.

Yet City were guilty of causing their own problems in the opening exchanges with some risky passes out from the back.

The visitors were fortunate to escape Brighton’s high press on a handful of occasions before surviving in the 20th minute when Welbeck’s thumping free-kick cannoned back off the bar.

Haaland then overran the ball and saw it smothered by Seagulls goalkeeper Jason Steele after being slipped in by Foden before making amends by assisting the 25th-minute opener.

Riyad Mahrez’s superb through ball split Albion’s defence and Haaland raced clear to draw Steele and square for Foden, who slotted home to continue his fine scoring record against the Seagulls despite the best efforts of Jan Paul van Hecke on the line.

While City lifted the Premier League trophy at the weekend, Brighton jubilantly celebrated securing continental football for the first time by beating relegated Southampton 3-1.

And the Seagulls were determined to prolong the euphoria.

Mitoma saw his bundled finish ruled out and Facundo Buonanotte stung the palms of Stefan Ortega before the eye-catching equaliser arrived.

Enciso collected the ball from Colwill midway inside opposition territory and advanced to spectacularly lash high into the net from distance, prompting applause from City fans behind the goal.

Former Manchester United forward Welbeck then had a neat finish disallowed for an offside before Foden headed De Bruyne’s cross narrowly over at the end of a breathless first half.

The frantic, end-to-end action extended into the second period, albeit chances were largely at a premium.

Ilkay Gundogan flashed wide and Cole Palmer tested Steele, while Pervis Estupinan’s powerful drive flew marginally wide of the left post at the other end.

Treble-chasing City thought they had won it 11 minutes from time when Haaland found space to nod in a cross from substitute Palmer.

But, to the visible frustration of Guardiola, the close-range finish was overturned on advice from Stockley Park.

City complete their top-flight climax at Brentford before moving on to an FA Cup final against rivals Manchester United and a Champions League showdown with Inter Milan in Istanbul.

Substitute Garang Kuol grabbed a dramatic stoppage-time leveller as Hearts fought back to draw 2-2 with Rangers at Ibrox.

The Jambos needed a win for their bid for third place in the cinch Premiership and skipper Lawrence Shankland sensationally opened the scoring after less than a minute.

It took until added time in the first half for Rangers midfielder Todd Cantwell to level.

Attacker Fashion Sakala put Rangers ahead in the 47th minute but in the final seconds of three added minutes Kuol took advantage of some slackness to fire in the equaliser.

Michael Beale’s side are unbeaten in 19 home league games, with 16 victories and three draws, which is a positive.

But with Aberdeen dismissing St Mirren at Pittodrie, Hearts cannot catch the Dons, who will finish best of the rest outside the Old Firm.

Rangers, who will be runners-up behind Celtic, finish their season with a trip to St Mirren on Saturday but already planning is under way for next season.

The Light Blues announced before the game that 25-year-old midfielder Kieran Dowell would be joining the club from Norwich.

The club also asked fans to stay behind to pay tribute to Allan McGregor, Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, Scott Arfield and Filip Helander, all of whom will leave in the summer.

McGregor and Morelos started the game but ideas that it would be simply a sentimental night of reflection ended within seconds, following a long throw into the Rangers penalty area from Hearts defender James Hill.

Jambos midfielder Peter Haring helped it on, Rangers skipper James Tavernier tried to clear but only to Shankland whose header hit team-mate Josh Ginnelly and fell back to him to bundle over the line from two yards.

After a long VAR check referee John Beaton pointed to the centre circle and Hearts were officially in front.

Minutes later Haring sent Ginnelly through and his drive after turning defender Leon King was beaten away by McGregor.

It was not the start the home fans expected and the Rangers reaction was hesitant.

Hearts keeper Zander Clark had to deal with King’s long-range drive which deflected off Hill and Nicolas Raskin’s thunderbolt from distance before tipping a Sakala drive on to the post and behind.

Jambos interim boss Steven Naismith, a former Rangers striker, was booked for throwing on a ball to waste time just before the interval but there was time for Cantwell to get the break of the ball off Hill to run through and confidently slot the ball past Clark, with Morelos carrying on a feud with Naismith that had lasted a few minutes.

Two minutes after the restart Sakala took advantage of a slack header by defender Toby Sibbick at the edge of the box to squeeze the ball past Clark with the backtracking Hill unable to keep it out.

In the 64th minute Arfield got a huge cheer from the home fans when he came on as substitute along with Rabbi Matondo, with Glen Kamara and King making way.

Arfield’s curling shot from the edge of the box in the 73rd minute was pushed behind by Clark and the visitors survived the corner, albeit they seemed to be running out of belief.

Arfield had a shot from six yards blocked by Clark before Cantwell fired the rebound wide of the target.

Morelos got his acclaim when he was replaced by Scott Wright and the home side spurned more opportunities as the game fizzled out, only for Kuol, on for Alan Forrest in the 83rd minute, to pounce at the end to spoil the going away party.

Vinicius Junior watched on from the stands as his fellow Brazilian Rodrygo sealed a 2-1 victory for Real Madrid against Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga.

Madrid winger Vinicius was racially abused by Valencia supporters during Los Blancos’ defeat at Mestalla Stadium on Sunday, with the winger then sent off.

With that red card rescinded, injury kept Vinicius from featuring against Rayo on Wednesday, though Karim Benzema’s finish had seemingly set Madrid on their way to a comfortable victory.

Raul de Tomas’ excellent strike pegged Madrid back, but Rodrygo lashed home in the 89th minute to lift Los Blancos, temporarily at least, into second place.

Rayo were the more threatening in the opening exchanges – Alvaro Garcia heading over between Unai Lopez and Santi Comesana forcing Thibaut Courtois into action.

Yet Madrid went ahead just after the half-hour mark as Rayo were caught napping at a drop-ball, which was taken quickly by Toni Kroos. Federico Valverde and Benzema combined brilliantly to put the latter through and, after coolly rounding Stole Dimitrievski, he tucked home.

Moments after an untimely slip from Rodrygo saw a golden chance go begging for Madrid, Dimitrievski brilliantly denied Benzema a second, instinctively sticking out a hand to keep a close-range shot out.

Dani Carvajal volleyed wide from Luka Modric’s chip as Madrid looked to put the game to bed, a wise decision given their record of two defeats from their previous four meetings with Rayo.

Madrid’s failure to add to their lead looked to have cost them with six minutes remaining, substitute De Tomas thumping in a brilliant equaliser.

But Rodrygo had the last laugh with his powerful last-gasp strike, with the 22-year-old raising his right fist in a celebration synonymous with the “black power” salute.

What does it mean? Fans unite behind Vinicius

While Madrid will be eager to snatch second place ahead of rivals Atletico Madrid, Wednesday’s match was always going to be overshadowed by the treatment of Vinicius during that clash with Valencia, and over the course of the season in general.

The Santiago Bernabeu was fully behind him, though. Prior to kick-off, fans at one end of the stadium held up a banner reading: “We’re all Vinicius. Enough already.” During the match, Vinicius received a round of applause at the 20-minute mark.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has also now apologised to the Brazil international, who will be looking for action, not words, from the authorities.

Benzema hits 30… again

After an outstanding 2021-22 campaign, Benzema has not quite managed to scale the same heights this term.

But even when not at his very best, the forward is such a stellar finisher that he has still managed 30 goals across all competitions.

Benzema has now netted at least 30 goals in each of the last three campaigns, after hitting that landmark tally only twice in his previous 11 seasons with Madrid.

Milestone up for Don Carlo

Ancelotti has now coached Madrid in 150 league matches, with his record standing at 106 wins, 21 draws and 23 defeats.

He is the fourth coach in Madrid’s history to reach 150 LaLiga games, after Miguel Munoz (424), Zinedine Zidane (183) and Vicente del Bosque (153).

Key Opta Facts

– Benzema has scored 11 goals in 12 games against Rayo in LaLiga, an average of 0.92 per game.
– Only Erling Haaland has been involved in more goals (30 – 25 goals, five assists) than Benzema (27 – 22 goals, five assists) among players from the top five European leagues in all competitions in 2023.
– Valverde has provided seven assists with Real Madrid in all competitions this season, only one less than in his first four campaigns with Los Blancos.
– Rayo have lost their last 11 away games against Real Madrid in LaLiga.
– Rodrygo has scored seven goals for Madrid in LaLiga this season (32 games), the same total that he managed across his previous three seasons at the club (74 appearances).

What’s next?

Madrid face Europa League finalists Sevilla on Saturday, while Rayo host Villarreal.

Tottenham will be without Eric Dier for their final match of the season at Leeds after the defender underwent groin surgery this week.

Centre-back Dier has not started Spurs’ last three fixtures, having virtually been an ever-present during a difficult campaign for the club.

Dier was also left out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad on Wednesday for next month’s internationals and it has now been revealed he has had surgery.

“We can confirm that Eric Dier has undergone groin surgery this week and will, therefore, be unavailable for our final game of the season, away to Leeds United on Sunday afternoon,” a club statement read.

“The defender will commence rehabilitation with our medical staff before joining up with the squad ahead of the start of pre-season.”

Dier has made 42 appearances for Spurs this campaign but been playing with the groin issue for a number of months before deciding to have surgery, the PA news agency understands.

Kieran Dowell is relishing the pressure after signing for Rangers.

Ahead of their home cinch Premiership game against Hearts on Wednesday night, the Light Blues announced the pre-contract capture of the 25-year-old midfielder from Norwich on a three-year deal.

Dowell, who will officially become a Rangers player on July 1, told the club’s official website: “I’m buzzing and really glad to get it done early towards the end of the season.

“I know a lot of Rangers fans and Scottish lads from my previous clubs, and they just speak so highly of Rangers – the intensity of it, the pressure of it – and that is a really good pressure as you are expected to win every game.

“There were so many positives for me to come here.”

Dowell, who has had various loan spells at Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Derby and Wigan, becomes Michael Beale’s first signing of the summer as preparations begin for the 2023/24 campaign.

Dowell represented England at youth level and played his part in winning the Under-20 World Cup in 2017.

Beale said: “I am delighted to welcome Kieran to Rangers. He already has great experience in his career, with a number of Premier League appearances, and he is a player we feel will fit well into our squad and our style of football.

“I have seen him develop as a young player through the Everton academy and also through the England junior and under-21 team.

“He is a good fit for our squad and has already been a team-mate of Tom Lawrence, John Lundstram and Todd Cantwell in previous clubs.

“It is fantastic, as a club, to be able to complete our first signing ahead of the summer break and I am excited to see what the future holds for Kieran at Rangers.”

It is another busy weekend of top-flight football in Europe and we have picked out five goalscorers worth following in fixtures from the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A.

Back Miguel Almiron to score at anytime @ 7/2

Monday’s 0-0 draw with Leicester was enough to secure Champions League qualification for Newcastle but winger Miguel Almiron will have been disappointed not to get on the scoresheet.

The lively Paraguayan had four shots against the Foxes, hitting the woodwork with one attempt, and he is worth backing to find the net against troubled Chelsea on the final day of term.

Almiron, who also had four attempts in last week’s win over Brighton, has amassed 11 goals in 28 league starts this season and has enjoyed his trips to London, scoring at Tottenham and claiming a brace at Fulham.

Back Emiliano Buendia to score at anytime @ 16/5

Brighton have had a gruelling end to the season, playing their last nine Premier League fixtures in just over a month, so they may not be at their sharpest against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Villa’s Emiliano Buendia has been operating in an advanced position recently and he should get chances to add to a tally of five league goals this term.

Buendia had five shots in this month’s defeat at Wolves and hit the crossbar in Villa’s last home game, a 2-1 win against Tottenham.

He can trouble a Brighton side who, despite enjoying an overall fine season, have lost 3-1 at Nottingham Forest, 4-1 at Newcastle and 5-1 at home to Everton during this hectic period.

Back Arnaud Nordin to score at anytime @ 23/10

Montpellier striker Elye Wahi has impressed in Ligue 1 this season with 17 goals, including four in a remarkable 5-4 defeat to Lyon earlier this month.

However, Wahi’s team-mate Arnaud Nordin also poses a threat to visitors Nice as he has scored four times in his last eight appearances, including hitting a brace against fourth-placed Monaco and one against third-placed Marseille.

Nordin, who came off the bench to score in February’s defeat to PSG, was also on the scoresheet last weekend at Nantes, where he had six shots in Montpellier’s 3-0 victory.

Back Andrej Kramaric to score at anytime @ 3/1

Stuttgart are scrapping to avoid relegation from the Bundesliga and they have kept only two clean sheets in 33 league matches this season so Hoffenheim forward Andrej Kramaric looks a big price to hamper their survival prospects.

Kramaric, Hoffenheim’s first-choice penalty-taker, scored twice in January’s 2-2 draw with Stuttgart and he comes into the rematch in excellent form, having found the net seven times in his last nine appearances.

Back Ciro Immobile to score at anytime @ 3/4

We are keeping it simple with the final goalscorer selection as prolific Lazio striker Ciro Immobile should be too sharp for visitors Cremonese.

Immobile has had a lean season by his own high standards, not helped by injuries and a car accident in April, but he has scored in his last two Serie A matches.

The Italy international also notched twice in the first 21 minutes of September’s 4-0 away win against Cremonese and should be looking forward to another crack at a defence that conceded five goals at home to Bologna last weekend.

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LaLiga president Javier Tebas has apologised for suggesting Vinicius Junior was being “manipulated” when the Real Madrid winger called out racism he has suffered in Spain.

The Brazil international took to social media to speak out after being abused in Sunday’s game at Valencia, saying it was a problem he had endured throughout the league.

Tebas’ response on Twitter, in which he said “Before you criticise and insult LaLiga, you need to inform yourself well, Vini Jr. Don’t let yourself be manipulated”, was roundly criticised for not addressing the issue and the LaLiga boss has now said sorry.

“I think that the message, and the intention I had, was not understood by a significant number (of people), especially in Brazil,” he told ESPN Brazil.

“I did not want to attack Vinicius, but if most people understood it that way, I need to apologise. It was not my intention, I expressed myself badly, at a bad time.

“But I had no intention of attacking Vinicius, but rather clarifying a situation, because Vinicius had recorded a video supporting LaLiga’s actions.”

Tebas, in defending the league’s approach – especially in relation to Vinicius – added: “If I hurt someone, they thought I was racist, it’s far from reality.

“I feel sorry for what happened, and that’s why we denounced it. And we didn’t just denounce it, we took special actions at his games.

“We spoke to the clubs, so that they could provide more security, identify fans. LaLiga takes care of Vinicius. And, if they misunderstood what happened I have to apologise.”

Vinicius threatened to leave the pitch in the second half at the Mestalla after being subjected to alleged monkey chants and Real, who said the incident constituted a “hate crime”, filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office.

Valencia were given a partial stadium ban for five matches and fined 45,000 euros (£39,000) – a punishment the club called “totally disproportionate” as they confirmed they would lodge an appeal, while head coach Ruben Baraja vowed to fight back against “smears”.

England manager Gareth Southgate has led calls for stricter punishment since his side came close to walking off the field after players were subjected to racial abuse during a match in Bulgaria in 2019.

“It is a disgusting situation. I think it is so bad that it looks like it is going to force change. I am hoping there will be something positive to come from it,” Southgate said on Wednesday.

“If anyone suggests to me we don’t have a problem in society with racism then there is another example of what we are dealing with, and more examples of people burying their heads in the sand, quite frankly.

“Hopefully it is a story that doesn’t just disappear in 24-48 hours without there being some significant change.”

Vinicius, whose red card against Valencia on Sunday was rescinded, missed Real’s game at home to Rayo Vallecano with a minor knee complaint but was at the ground to see his team-mates wear shirts with his number and name on the back before kick-off.

Crystal Palace have confirmed captain Luka Milivojevic and midfielder James McArthur will leave at the end of the season.

The duo are two of the most experienced members of the Eagles’ squad with McArthur joining the club in 2014 while Milivojevic signed during the 2016-17 campaign.

Former Serbia international Milivojevic has played 198 times for Palace and scored 28 goals, which puts him third in the club’s all-time Premier League goal-scorer standings.

Chairman Steve Parish told the official club website: “We have been lucky to have a professional like Luka at the club for so long.

“He has contributed an immense amount to the team both on and off the pitch and is a crucial figure in our long stay in the Premier League.”

Milivojevic added: “It has been a privilege to spend almost seven years at such a special club.

“When I look at the club now compared to when I arrived, I see a team full of ambition to reach higher and higher – you can be sure I will be following the results from afar.

“To play in the Premier League is every player’s dream and to do it for so long at Crystal Palace has been an honour. I hope that I have made you all proud.”

Meanwhile, McArthur will depart after racking up 252 appearances for Palace since he joined from Wigan nine years ago.

Parish added: “An absolute stand-out professional, on and off the pitch, James’ leadership and character will be hard to replace.

“I’d like to personally thank him for his contribution to the club and wish him and his family nothing but the very best for the future. We look forward to one day welcoming him back; he will always be welcome at Selhurst Park.”

McArthur said: “If you’d have told me when I first came to Crystal Palace that I’d be here for nine seasons, I’d have found it hard to believe because it’s rare in football to spend so long at such an amazing Premier League club.

“The support that I’ve had personally and the support that they give the team is like at no other club.

“When times are tough, Palace fans really get behind the team, and that’s so important to all of us. I will always be a fan of the club.”

Palace have several other players out of contract this summer, including Wilfried Zaha, and finish their season at home to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Carlisle boss Paul Simpson insists he never thought his side would be in the fight for promotion as they prepare for their Sky Bet League Two play-off final with Stockport on Sunday.

The Blues qualified for the play-offs after finishing the regular campaign in fifth position and came from behind in the tie against Bradford to book their place at Wembley, with a 3-2 aggregate win.

Simpson took over at Brunton Park in February 2022 with the club battling against relegation to the National League and has gone on to lead them to within one game of promotion.

The 56-year-old is aiming for his third promotion with the Cumbrian club, having been player-manager from 2003 to 2006, but admitted a lot of work needed to be done when he walked through the door.

Simpson told the PA news agency: “No, I did not think we would have been in this position.

“There were lots of things that needed to be changed. I didn’t think it was an absolute disaster but certain issues needed to be resolved.

“It was a big challenge to try bring all the different factions of the football club back together – there was a big difference between the office staff and players, there was not a good feeling with that, dislike towards the directors, no local businesses involved. I wanted to bring everyone back together.

“Everyone has pulled together over the last five home games where we are getting big crowds and that has been really satisfying.”

The Blues come up against Stockport, who are aiming to make it back-to-back promotions after they were crowned champions of the National League last season, and will aim to do what Simpson did with Carlisle in his previous spell in charge, taking them from non-league to the third tier in consecutive years.

The United boss knows his side were under-estimated heading into the post-season, but has acknowledged the size of the task in hand if they are to stop Stockport – a side that finished the season unbeaten in 13 before coming from behind to beat Salford in their respective play-off semi-final.

Simpson continued: “Some of our local media were saying that we are the team that everyone wanted to play.

“I find it disappointing and disrespectful to the players that have been outstanding all season.

“We haven’t achieved anything apart from getting to Wembley and now we have to try and get a promotion. When you get to a play-off final there is nothing for coming second.

“I’m sure the stadium and surroundings will get to the players – I know from experience what Wembley does to players and staff so it’s our job to help each other.”

Callum Guy helped put Carlisle in front with a terrific strike in extra-time last weekend against one of his former teams, scoring just his fourth goal in Blues colours.

The 26-year-old is aiming to win his first promotion as a player.

He said: “The weekend can’t come quick enough.

“I’ve not scored a league goal before this year but I’ve managed to score four this year. I think I’ve just taken a few more risks this year, obviously it helps when my team is doing really well.

“We’ve showed over the two legs against Bradford, with the crowds that have been there, we can handle the big occasion and we can score goals in them.”

Times are changing for Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun.

Last week, the 21-year-old striker put a long-running saga to bed when switching his international allegiance from England to the nation of his birth, the United States.

Now his club future is in the limelight as a goal-laden spell with French side Reims approaches its conclusion.

With the Gunners reportedly ready to consider offers for the youngster despite his impressive campaign, we put Balogun under the microscope.

Early promise

Born in New York City, Balogun moved to England with his Nigerian parents aged two and joined the Gunners’ Hale End academy six years later.

His goalscoring exploits at youth level quickly gained him a reputation, most notably when firing Arsenal’s Under-18s side to the 2018-19 league title with 25 strikes in just 19 appearances.

The 2020-21 campaign brought five first-team cameos in the Europa League, where goals against Molde and Dundalk prompted the North Londoners to extend his contract until summer 2025.

And though a half-season loan at Championship side Middlesbrough last term brought mixed results, his efforts in France this year have been nothing short of sensational.

Only Kylian Mbappe, Alexandre Lacazette and Jonathan David have bettered Balogun’s 20-goal haul in Ligue 1 — all while playing for a Reims side currently sat in the division’s bottom half.

Lost Lion

Balogun’s international career has also had a dramatic start.

A regular in Lee Carsley’s England U-21s squad, the pacy forward bagged his seventh goal in 13 appearances for the Young Lions against Germany last September.

Yet seemingly frustrated by the lack of a senior call-up, he flirted publicly with the idea of switching his allegiance to Nigeria or USA — with the latter subsequently launching a charm offensive.

Asked about Balogun’s situation in March, England boss Gareth Southgate said: “It is up to the player to weigh up where his heart feels.

“Is he prepared to wait a little bit for an opportunity if he backs himself and feels he can push his way into our squad? Because anybody who has followed us will know that we will give young players a chance.”

Things came to a head last Tuesday when FIFA approved a request for him to switch nations, with Balogun saying: “My decision to represent the United States came together with my family.

“In the end, it became a no-brainer, but for sure it’s just something I wanted to do and it feels like I’m at home here.”

Gunners dilemma

Balogun’s fine season in the north of France has given Arsenal a decision to make.

Mikel Arteta is reportedly still unconvinced the 5ft 10in forward can replicate his fine form in the Premier League — especially as a first-choice centre forward.

As well as Gabriel Jesus, he would likely find himself behind fellow academy graduate Eddie Nketiah in the Emirates pecking order next term.

But Balogun is reluctant to revert to a fringe player after his heroics with Reims and is willing to push for a move away from North London if first-team action cannot be guaranteed.

In demand

A fee of around £30million will supposedly be enough to tempt Arsenal into a sale, with no shortage of interested parties.

Champions League semi-finalists AC Milan currently lead the race, with the Rossoneri having already made contact with Balogun’s representatives.

Also keen are RB Leipzig and Marseille, while there is interest closer to home from both Leeds and West Ham.

Given his age, the Gunners could do far worse than insert a buy-back clause in any agreement.

If not, he could well become of the club’s — and England’s — biggest regrets.