Browsing: European

October 16, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

The continental championships currently taking place around the world will see a total of 52 teams book their places at next year’s ITTF World Team Championships in London.

There are 16 spots in each gender available via both the Asian Championships and European Championships, with eight in each of the African and American Championships.

The ITTF Oceania Championships has already taken place, with Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Tahitiâ€s menâ€s teams earning their spots, as did Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Cook Islands in the womenâ€s competitions.

The team tournaments at the continental championships in Africa and the Americas will finish on Sunday. The remaining 12 places at London 2026 go to England as hosts, plus 11 places from the world team rankings.

Asia

Powerhouse China lead the list of 16 Asian nations to qualify for the centenary ITTF World Team Championships 2026 in London.

Both the menâ€s and womenâ€s teams are defending champions and therefore did not need to qualify for London, but both took their customary continental titles at the Asia Championships in Bhubaneswar, India.

Among the other nations to qualify both menâ€s and womenâ€s teams are Japan, South Korea, India, Chinese Taipei, North Korea and Malaysia (pictured above).

The full list of qualifying nations is:

Men
China (reigning world champions)
Regional champions:Bahrain (west Asia), Kazakhstan (central Asia), India (south Asia)
Via continental championships: Japan, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, North Korea, Iran, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Qatar, Mongolia, Uzbekistan

Women
China (reigning champions)
Regional champions:Syria (west Asia), Kazakhstan (central Asia), India (south Asia)
Via continental championships:Japan, Singapore, South Korea, North Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Iran, Sri Lanka, Macau, Mongolia

Although China winning both continental titles is not a surprise, the menâ€s team had an almighty scare in an incredible semi-final against Japan.

Every match went to five games and China had to come from 2-0 down to take their place in the final. Tomokazu Harimoto (WR 4) put Japan in front by beating Liang Jingkun 12-10, 11-13, 13-11, 9-11, 11-9 and Sora Matsushima (WR 16) then sunk world No 1 Wang Chuqin 8-11, 11-4, 12-10, 9-11, 11-7.

World No 2 Lin Shidong started the comeback as he beat Hiroto Shinozuka (WR 31) 12-14, 11-2, 11-5, 10-12, 11-6 and Wang then beat Harimoto 8-11, 11-1, 11-9, 13-15, 11-8.

World No 7 Liang then clinched the gold as he came from 2-1 down to beat Matsushima 8-11, 13-11, 11-13, 11-4, 11-3. China went on to defeat Hong Kong 3-0 in the final.

In contrast, Chinaâ€s women came through to take the title without dropping a game, culminating in a 3-0 win over Japan in the final.

Europe

Spain celebrate their qualification

France women’s 3-0 victory over Slovenia in the play-off for 17th position on Thursday night earned them the final qualifying spot.

With England finishing inside the top 16 but not needing to qualify, as host nation for London 2026, 17th place also earned a spot.

Third seeds France had a disastrous group stage, with defeats to both France and Netherlands consigning them to the play-offs. But victories over Wales, Turkey and Slovenia, all 3-0, meant they salvaged their tournament.

The full list of qualifying nations is:

Men
France, Sweden, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Belgium, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Croatia, Denmark, Poland, Greece, Serbia, Moldova, Turkey.

Women
Germany, Romania, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Croatia, Slovakia, Austria, Czechia, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Hungary, Ukraine, Spain, England, Serbia, France

Source link

Oct 15, 2025, 09:55 AM ET

NEW DELHI — Rory McIlroy has expressed a desire to be the European Ryder Cup captain one day — but not until “the mid-2030s.”

McIlroy is playing his first tournament in India this week as he returns to competitive action after helping Europe retain the Ryder Cup by beating the United States in New York last month.

The 36-year-old Northern Irishman has played in the last eight Ryder Cups and, as the world No. 2 and current Masters champion, figures he’ll be in the team for a few more — not least in Ireland in 2027.

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

But he said Wednesday that sometime in the future he wants to lead the team as the captain rather than as its star player.

“Absolutely, I would love to be a captain one day, and I feel very fortunate that I’ve had a front-row seat playing under some of the best captains in history in the Ryder Cup,” McIlroy said, name-checking Paul McGinley — the winning 2014 skipper — and Luke Donald, who led Europe in the last two matches.

“But,” he added, “I’d say not until the mid-2030s, hopefully, if I can keep playing well.”

McIlroy was on the end of a barrage of abuse from American spectators at Bethpage Black and occasionally gave it back to them in a febrile atmosphere that ended up being the subplot of the week.

He thinks that’s a shame, especially since Europe went on to become the first team to win an away Ryder Cup since 2012.

“Just over the last two weeks, being able to watch the highlights and just see, especially those first two days, in the foursomes and the four-balls how good [the] European team were,” McIlroy said. “The Americans would hit it close; we hit it closer. The Americans hole a putt, and we hole a putt on top, [and] it happened every single time.

“The unfortunate thing is people aren’t remembering that and they are remembering the week for the wrong reason. I would like to shift the narrative and focus on how good the European team were and how proud I was to be part of that team to win an away Ryder Cup.”

McIlroy also said he has been keen to play in India for some time as he seeks to make his schedule “more international.” In November, he’ll play in Abu Dhabi and at the European tour’s season-closing tournament in Dubai, and then at the Australian Open in December.

“I think over the last few years, I’ve enjoyed it even more — I’ve enjoyed the travel,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed getting to play in front of people that I’ve never played in front of before.”

As a self-confessed cricket “sicko,” McIlroy said he was disappointed he wouldn’t be able to squeeze in attending a match in India’s favorite sport during his trip.

“I’d love to come back and do that,” he said.

Five substitutes were introduced in the Premier League in May 2020 before football resumed during the coronavirus pandemic.

The league reverted back to three for the 2020-21 season, before five was voted in permanently from the 2022-23 season. A sixth substitute is allowed to replace a player without a suspected head injury.

Three extra squad places are seen as being able to reduce the workload on players after threats of strikes.

Last season Tottenham defender Archie Gray was included in 80 matchday squads for club and country, including friendlies, the joint highest in Europe with Real Madrid’s 20-year-old midfielder Arda Guler.

Gray, 19, made 48 appearances as Spurs won the Europa League and helped England Under-21s win Euro 2025 in the summer.

Sources close to the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) have doubts if 28-man squads would help players, given it would not stop them from travelling in a matchday squad or ease mental fatigue regardless of whether they play.

In June Uefa, the EFC, FifPro Europe and European Leagues launched a study to better assess different types of injuries, performance levels and player welfare.

Last month FifPro, the world players’ union, released its fifth annual report on the issue, looking at how much players played and travelled in 2024-25.

It wrote: “Even if the player does not end up playing any minutes, they still have to be physically present and fully participate in team preparations, mentally prepare, while often spending time away from home and undertaking international travel.

“As such, these occasions are also part of the player’s working time commitments.”

The EFC represents more than 800 men’s and women’s clubs from 55 countries, with Paris St-Germain, Inter Milan and Barcelona among those who attended last week.

Source link

October 13, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

Englandâ€s women were defeated 3-0 by seventh seeds and host nation Croatia as the European Championships got under way in Zadar.

With every Croatia player ranked significantly higher than their English counterparts, it was always a tall order for England to get anything out of the match.

However, Tin-Tin Ho (pictured above with coach Carlo Agnello) raised hopes of striking an early blow as she took the first game 11-8 against world No 72 Lea Rakovac, fighting back from 6-3 down.

The next two games followed an almost identical pattern as Rakovac forced an early lead and maintained it to the finish line as she got her nose in front.

Ho (WR 247) took her timeout at 1-4 in the fourth but it was to no avail as Rakovac brought up six match points and, although Ho saved two, the Croatian completed her 3-1 victory.

Tianer Yu (WR 290) started a little nervously against Hana Arapovic (WR 111) in match two and lost the first four points. She fought back and at 4-6, could have got into the game – only for her opponent to win the next five points.

The second was tight throughout and Yu was the first to bring up a game point at 10-9. However, the chance could not be taken and Arapovic ruthlessly took her own first chance.

Yu led the third 6-0 but was forced to take her timeout as Arapovic fought back to 6-3. The Croatian led 8-7 and then 10-8. Yu saved the first match point but not the second.

Jasmin Wong (WR 806) had the double challenge of facing a player much higher than her and a defender – Ivana Malobabic (WR 118).

Wong started positively and led 5-2 but again Englandâ€s opponent ruthlessly exposed the gap in class as Malobabic reeled off eight points in a row and went on to win the first 11-7.

Thereafter it was a bit of a procession as a frustrated Wong could only win six points across the remaining two games and Englandâ€s fate was sealed.

Their remaining match in Group G is against Italy, the ninth-ranked team, at noon on Tuesday UK time.

Wales began their campaign with a 3-0 defeat to top seeds Romania in Group A, despite Anna Hursey almost turning around her match against Andreea Dragoman, who eventually won 3-2 (12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 11-9). Adina Diaconu bear Charlotte Carey in four in the opening match and Elizabeta Samara completed victory with a 3-0 win over Danielle Kelly.

Results

Womenâ€s Group G
Croatia 3 England 0
Lea Rakovac bt Tin-Tin Ho 3-1 (8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6)
Hana Arapovic bt Tianer Yu 3-0 (11-4, 12-10, 11-9)
Ivana Malobabic bt Jasmin Wong 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-2)

Source link

October 13, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

England dug deep to defeat fourth seeds Portugal to get their European Championships campaign off to a superb start.

Tom Jarvis, Paul Drinkhall and Sam Walker (pictured above) all won once to leave Portugalâ€s Joao Geraldo empty-handed despite a gutsy double.

The match also answered (at least based on this sample size) the question of whether left-handers or right-handers are best, Englandâ€s righties sinking a trio of Portuguese southpaws.

Geraldo (WR 109) made a blistering start in the first match, going on the attack from the off and winning the first 11-4.

Walker (WR 182) started to counter-attack to good effect in the second, keeping pace with his opponent before saving a game point and then levelling up the match, 12-10.

That pattern of attack and counter-attack continued in the third, Geraldo leading 5-1 but taking his timeout as Walker closed to 7-6 behind. It was nicely poised at 9-9 but it was Geraldo who took the next two.

Walkerâ€s timeout came at 5-2 down in the fourth and he worked his way back to 6-6 with some clever positional play. But he could never get a lead and Geraldo saw it out 11-9.

Jarvis was up against 17-year-old Tiago Abiodun and, for the first time in these championships in either menâ€s or womenâ€s competition, the England player was higher-ranked than their opponent.

It went as expected, Jarvis occasionally trailing by a point or two but always with a measure of control and on top at the end of games as he closed out a 3-0 win, with every scoreline 11-8.

Drinkhall (WR 382) versus Joao Monteiro (WR 221) saw a big gap on paper but perhaps not reflecting the players†true levels.

Monteiro took the first 12-10 and led the second 3-0, at which point Drinkhall took his timeout. Whatever was said, from that moment on, the Englishman was on fire – and at times unplayable. He raced through from 4-6 to 11-6 to level the match, and powered through 11-4 in the third.

The fourth was a bit closer and Monteiro was behind 6-5 when he took his timeout. But Drinkhall was not to be stopped. He brought up match points with a dead net cord – though his brilliant play merited a little reward. He took his second chance as Monteiroâ€s receive went into the net, and England led 2-1.

Match four turned into quite a battle as Geraldo took on Jarvis. After only four points of the match, Geraldo was complaining about the Jarvis serve, and the referee was called.

That came to nothing, though Jarvis was warned later in the game and would go on to have one fault called in the third.

Jarvis won the first 12-10 having saved a game point, but Geraldo hit back to take the second. Jarvis moved back in front, having to contend with a lengthy debate about a wet ball when he went 9-6 up – he ended up winning the replayed point too.

The match arguably turned on the Portuguese timeout in the fourth, taken when 6-5 down. Geraldo won five successive points from then to turn the game around.

Jarvis led the decider 5-2 at the turn-around, took his timeout at 5-4 and trailed 5-7. He worked his way back to 8-8 but Geraldo, bristling with aggression, won the next three points to level the match at 2-2.

And so it came down to Walker versus Abiodun and the Englishman started like a train, leading 8-1 and finally winning the first 11-7 as the youngster clawed back.

Abiodun kept the momentum going, leading 9-6 and then closing it out 11-9 in the second, having taken his timeout at 9-8.

But Walker took charge from 3-3 in the third, opening up a three point gap which he maintained as the players exchanged points to 9-6, and then clinching the game 11-7.

The pattern repeated in the fourth, from 3-3 to 6-3 and then on to 9-6. And two points later it was all over as the England bench leapt to their feet in celebration.

England now play Greece – who lost 3-1 to Portugal yesterday, in the final group match at 9am UK time tomorrow.

On Sunday, Englandâ€s women were defeated 3-0 by seventh seeds and host nation Croatia.

With every Croatia player ranked significantly higher than their English counterparts, it was always a tall order for England to get anything out of the match.

However, Tin-Tin Ho raised hopes of striking an early blow as she took the first game 11-8 against world No 72 Lea Rakovac, fighting back from 6-3 down.

The next two games followed an almost identical pattern as Rakovac forced an early lead and maintained it to the finish line as she got her nose in front.

Ho (WR 247) took her timeout at 1-4 in the fourth but it was to no avail as Rakovac brought up six match points and, although Ho saved two, the Croatian completed her 3-1 victory.

Tianer Yu (WR 290) started a little nervously against Hana Arapovic (WR 111) in match two and lost the first four points. She fought back and at 4-6, could have got into the game – only for her opponent to win the next five points.

The second was tight throughout and Yu was the first to bring up a game point at 10-9. However, the chance could not be taken and Arapovic ruthlessly took her own first chance.

Yu led the third 6-0 but was forced to take her timeout as Arapovic fought back to 6-3. The Croatian led 8-7 and then 10-8. Yu saved the first match point but not the second.

Jasmin Wong (WR 806) had the double challenge of facing a player much higher than her and a defender – Ivana Malobabic (WR 118).

Wong started positively and led 5-2 but again Englandâ€s opponent ruthlessly exposed the gap in class as Malobabic reeled off eight points in a row and went on to win the first 11-7.

Thereafter it was a bit of a procession as a frustrated Wong could only win six points across the remaining two games and Englandâ€s fate was sealed.

Their remaining match in Group G is against Italy, the ninth-ranked team, at noon on Tuesday UK time.

Wales began their campaign with a 3-0 defeat to top seeds Romania in Group A, despite Anna Hursey almost turning around her match against Andreea Dragoman, who eventually won 3-2 (12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 11-9). Adina Diaconu bear Charlotte Carey in four in the opening match and Elizabeta Samara completed victory with a 3-0 win over Danielle Kelly.

Coach Carlo Agnello and Tin-Tin Ho and England bench

Results

Womenâ€s Group G
Croatia 3 England 0
Lea Rakovac bt Tin-Tin Ho 3-1 (8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6)
Hana Arapovic bt Tianer Yu 3-0 (11-4, 12-10, 11-9)
Ivana Malobabic bt Jasmin Wong 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-2)

Men’s Group D
England 3 Portugal 2
Joao Geraldo bt Sam Walker 3-1 (11-4, 10-12, 11-9, 11-9)
Tom Jarvis bt Tiago Abiodun 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-8)
Paul Drinkhall bt Joao Monteiro 3-1 (10-12, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7)
Geraldo bt Jarvis 3-2 (10-12, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8)
Jarvis bt Adiodun 3-1 (11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 11-6)

Source link

Celtic’s European Cup win in 1967 remains one of the most iconic nights in the club’s storied history, almost 60 years on.

The Scottish side’s 2-1 victory over Inter Milan at the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon saw them become the first British club to win the European Cup and it was all done with a homegrown squad, the majoirty of whom were born within a ten-mile radius of Celtic Park.

Jim Craig was playing at right-back that evening, as he added European football’s biggest prize to his list of 14 domestic trophies won during his eight-year spell with the club.

“He had more run-ins with Jimmy Johnstone. Jock was once giving a team talk and, when he finished, he asked if there were any questions. Jimmy’s hand shot up, which was a surprise because Jinky had sat through the whole talk looking at his nails. Jimmy said, ‘How long’s the flight?’ He was terrified of flying and that was all he was interested in, not the team talk or any of the tactical stuff.”

Source link

October 10, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

Tom Jarvis says heâ€s ready to “step up and contribute more†when England start their European Team Championships campaign in Croatia.

In the absence of the injured Liam Pitchford, Jarvis is the team leader in terms of world rankings – though he defers to both Paul Drinkhall and Sam Walker in terms of experience.

Speaking during the teamâ€s preparation camp at the Elite Training Centre in Sheffield, Jarvis admitted Englandâ€s squad will feel a bit different without Pitchford at the forefront.

How to follow England at the Championships

Keep up to date with the latest from Zadar by following Table Tennis England on Instagram

The tournament is also being streamed live on ETTU.TV

England’s group matches (UK time) are:

• Sunday 12 October (6pm): England women v Croatia (T3)
• Monday 13 October (9am): England men v Portugal (T2)
• Tuesday 14 October (9am): England men v Greece (T3)
• Tuesday 14 October (12pm): England women v Italy (T3)

“Itâ€s the first time in about 10 years weâ€ve not had the normal four players, with Pitch not available and Connor (Green) coming in,†said Jarvis, “so it will be a bit different. Maybe itâ€s time for me to step up and contribute more.

“Weâ€ve still got Paul, whoâ€s been there and done it all and can still play to a really high level when we need him, and Sam with all his experience.

“Weâ€ll all have to try to step up and bring the best out of each other.â€

Jarvis travels to Zadar, on Croatiaâ€s Dalmatian coast, with a couple of good wins under his belt at the China Smash, where he says he showed his best form since his run to the last 16 of the World Championships in Doha in May.

The fourth member of the squad is Green, who is fresh from winning bronze at the Europe Youth Top 10, and Jarvis credits the teenager with helping him during his memorable run in Doha.

“Connor brings a really good new energy to the team,†said Jarvis. “He had a good result at the Youth Top 10 and weâ€re all really pleased for him.

“Itâ€s nice to see the programme getting good results – weâ€ve all been waiting for that next person to come through after me.

“I was sharing a room with him at the World Championships in Doha and it was a really good vibe and helped me to perform well.â€

England are in Group D and face Portugal at 9am UK time on Monday, followed by Greece at the same time on Tuesday.

Jarvis said: “Portugal are obviously a strong team and have won it before (in 2014) with a similar team. Theyâ€re a bit older now but still know how to win as a team.

“I think Greece is tough for us. Their No 1 (Panagiotis) Gionis is a defender and is tricky so weâ€ll have to think about who will match up best and try to take a point off him, and their other players are good as well.â€

England would normally be plotting a way to qualify for the 2026 World Championships by reaching the last 16 in Zadar – but as hosts for the Worlds, qualifying is not something they need to worry about.

Head coach John Murphy says the approach is to aim to reach at least that stage but also to build momentum in the team running into London 2026.

“Obviously we would like to advance in the group,†said Murphy, “That’s the first goal, to make the knockout stages.

“To lose the player of Pitchâ€s qualities is obviously very difficult for the team, that’s never easy to lose your No 1 player, but it does open up doors for younger players like Connor Green.

“We’ve obviously got Paul and Sam, who have played in multiple World and European Team Championships. And Tom had a very good World Championships.

“Portugal probably start as favourites in the group, I would say, and I would say it’s probably a 50-50 between ourselves and Greece.

“But both matches are winnable when we play at our best and so I think the goal is to obviously qualify from the group.

“I think, aside from performance, it’s about trying to have a good team spirit leading into the next team championships, which is the Worlds in London and to come out of this Europeans – regardless of the result – with some kind of momentum into London.

The womenâ€s team of Tin-Tin Ho, Tianer Yu, Jasmin Wong and Ella Pashley secured their place at the Euros via the qualifying tournament in Sarajevo earlier this year.

There is no doubt Ho is the leader of a young quartet, with Yu and Pashley each making their major tournament debut and Wong having featured at the last team Europeans two years ago.

Ho was undefeated at the qualifying tournament and says the squad is aiming to build on their performance in Bosnia.
“We had a very good team spirit,†said the Londoner. “We were quite disciplined as a team and when we had any bad moments that pulled us through. Hopefully we can continue with that.â€

England are in Group G, where they meet hosts Croatia as 6pm UK time on Sunday and then Italy at midday on Tuesday.

“Itâ€s a good group, thereâ€ll be a lot of good matches,†said Ho. “Both teams are strong and have good players and there are different styles as well – I think Croatia have a defender.

“The aim is just to do the best we can do and itâ€s a chance for the team to get experience. Theyâ€ve had some at the qualifying event and itâ€s good for them to continue and get more experience at big events. I think itâ€s good weâ€ve got keen young players coming through and itâ€s looking positive.â€

And on the horizon of course is the 2026 Worlds in Hoâ€s home city. She added: “Iâ€ve not played a Worlds for a while and obviously never played a home Worlds – everything weâ€re doing now at the WTTs and in training is aimed towards that and itâ€s great to have that buzz and excitement around what weâ€re working towards.â€

Coach Carlo Agnello will be on the womenâ€s bench and feels the team can go in with no pressure.

“I hope Tin-Tin can pass her experience on to Ella and Tiana, who will play their first European Championships and try to learn for the future and have a good experience.

I think just being around best players in Europe and see them in the practice hall, see how they prepare and then being against them in the match, it’s an experience that’s priceless for the future and something you need to go through if you want to become a good player yourself.

“Qualifying was a was a great step for them, I think was a great achievement. And now that weâ€ve reached the final stage, I think we should go in there without pressure, try to go every match 100% and see what’s possible.

“If everyone’s playing on their top level and we can be a team on the bench, I think something is possible.

“Let’s go and enjoy, give everything and see where we end up.â€

Source link

Sevilla thrashed Barcelona 4-1 on Sunday, ending the champions†unbeaten start in La Liga and denying them an opportunity to return to the top of the table.

Hansi Flick, Barcelonaâ€s manager, said: “Today, I have to accept this defeat, and Iâ€m looking positive, in a way. We also see the negative points in our game, which we have to change. The first half wasnâ€t good … we had no solutions to play out, it was really not good. But in the second half, the reaction, I appreciate a lot. What we did, how we played, it was really good to see.

“With this defeat, this emotion … itâ€s important that we keep it, and when we start again after the break, we will fight. We will fight for every title.â€

Sevilla took the lead in the 13th minute, after Isaac Romero went down while jostling for the ball with Ronald Araújo near Barcelonaâ€s six-yard box. Alexis Sánchez sent former Arsenal teammate Wojciech Szczesny the wrong way to convert the spot kick.

Romero doubled Sevillaâ€s lead in the 37th minute, but Marcus Rashford scored from Pedriâ€s lobbed pass to make it 2-1 just before half-time.

Barcelona had a chance to equalise when Adnan Januzaj brought down Alejandro Balde, but Robert Lewandowski fired wide from the spot in the 76th minute before José Ãngel Carmona and Akor Adams scored two late goals, as the visitors remained two points behind the leaders, Real Madrid.

“Itâ€s one of the happiest days of my life. We deserved to win from start to finish,†said José Ãngel Carmona, who scored Sevillaâ€s third goal.

The Barcelona midfielder Pedri said: “We lacked intensity, we couldnâ€t get the ball out of our half, we didnâ€t know what to do with the ball … we were never at our best. We need to improve a lot of things so that we can start winning games again after the break.â€

Celta Vigo and Atlético Madriddrew 1-1 in the late game. Atléticoledthrough a sixth-minute own goal from Carl Starfelt before Clément Lenglet was sent off five minutes before half-time. The hosts took advantage midway through the second half when Iago Aspas equalised but Celta could not find the winner.

Christian Pulisic missed a penalty as Milan had to settle for a 0-0 draw away to Juventus on Sunday, denying the visitors a return to the top of the Serie A standings.

After Napoli and Roma, along with Inter, all registered wins over the weekend, the pressure was on Milan and Juventus to keep pace at the top, leading to a cagey game.

Massimiliano Allegri was back at Juventus as an adversary, taking on the club where he won five league titles in his eight seasons in Turin, but there was no happy return for the Milan manager.

The first half brought little in the way of entertainment, but both sides did manage to create scoring opportunities, with the hosts let down by the struggling striker Jonathan David.

David had the goal at his mercy when set up by Pierre Kalulu in the box but lost his footing at the crucial moment while for Milan, Santiago Giménez continued his Serie A scoring drought.

A corner shortly after the break gave Juventus a gilt-edged chance to take the lead but the Milan keeper Mike Maignan spread himself to keep out Federico Gattiâ€s shot from point-blank range. Minutes later, Milan had their golden opportunity when Lloyd Kelly bundled over Giménez in the box but Pulisic blazed his penalty over the bar.

Second-half goals from André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Rasmus Højlund helped Napoli battle back to earn a 2-1 home win over Genoa.

Napoliâ€s perfect start to the league campaign was ended by a 2-1 loss at Milan last weekend, and Antonio Conteâ€s side risked a second successive defeat before a spirited fightback.

skip past newsletter promotion

Sign up to Football Daily

Kick off your evenings with the Guardian’s take on the world of football

Privacy Notice:Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

after newsletter promotion

Conte opted to rest Kevin De Bruyne, for the first 50 minutes at least, after the Belgian midfielder had started all seven games this season, bringing in winger David Neres, but it was Anguissa who proved vital to Napoli.

Napoliâ€s Rasmus Højlund (centre) celebrates scoring the winner against Genoa to cap a spirited comeback. Photograph: Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse/Shutterstock

Genoa took the lead with an audacious piece of magic from Jeff Ekhator in the 33rd minute. Brooke Norton-Cuffy rounded Mathias Olivera, took the ball into the area and squared a pass which 18-year-old Ekhator finished off with a deft back-heel strike from just inside the six-yard box.

Leonardo Spinazzola also came on and it was his cross which led to Napoliâ€s equaliser 12 minutes after the break with their first effort on target.

Genoaâ€s Johan Vásquez got to the cross ahead of Højlund but the loose ball bounced kindly for the unmarked Anguissa to pounce with a header. Then, 15 minutes from time, Anguissaâ€s shot was parried away by the keeper and this time Højlund was there to capitalise with a low strike from the edge of the six-yard box.

Roma fell behind early but came away with a 2-1 win at Fiorentina, to leave the hosts waiting for their first league win of the season.

Gian Piero Gasperiniâ€s Roma had conceded just one goal in their five league outings but it was Fiorentina who were in front in the 14th minute when a ball over the top by Hans Nicolussi Caviglia found Moise Kean. Kean twisted and turned his way towards the area before rifling a shot from outside the box into the far top corner to net his first goal of the season.

The lead lasted all of eight minutes before Artem Dovbykâ€s backheeled flick from inside the box ended with Matías Souléâ€s first-time cannoned shot from the edge of the area which left Fiorentina keeper David de Gea with no chance.

Roma took the lead on the half-hour mark from a corner. Bryan Cristante lost his marker and powered a bullet header from outside the six-yard box.

Kean had another chance before the break but this time his effort smashed off the upright and in the second half Fiorentina substitute Roberto Piccoli saw his strike from distance bounce off the crossbar.

In Ligue 1 on Sunday night, Paris Saint-Germain were held 1-1 at Lille. Nuno Mendes put the visitors ahead in the 66th minute before Ethan Mbappé scored an equaliser against his former club five minutes from time. PSG stay top with 16 points while Lille climb to seventh.

Source link

Richard Masters, the Premier Leagueâ€s chief executive, has denied that the English top flightâ€s transfer spending is damaging European football, arguing instead that it “breathes life†into rival competitions.

Masters made the claim as he took stock of the Premier Leagueâ€s global position and laid out plans for its growth. Noting that Englandâ€s elite clubs had a “bigger share of the worldâ€s best players†from this summerâ€s record-breaking £3bn spending, Masters said: “Seven of our clubs were net recipients in lots of inter-Premier League transfers. But a lot of that money does percolate out of the big European leagues, a substantial portion of that, and breathes life into their own transfer markets. So I donâ€t see how itâ€s suffocating [the European game].

“I think there is a clear juxtaposition between the amounts of money being spent on the Premier League and the other leagues. But I think thatâ€s a good thing. Provided itâ€s within the rules, itâ€s a good thing. It shapes our competition. And itâ€s an indication that our clubs want to drive supporter interest, and itâ€s the interest in the audience which drives our media values.â€

The Premier Leagueâ€s financial dominance has long been underpinned by its media revenues and Masters, who was speaking at The Summit, part of Leaders Week London, said the competition had seen 27% growth in revenues “term on term†in international markets. He defended the longstanding model of selling deals to broadcasters in individual markets but said the Premier League was also “stepping towards†launching its own one-stop digital broadcast service, with a revamped Premier League Productions set to open new studios in the capital.

“Premier League Studios is opening up in Olympia next summer,†Masters confirmed. “So weâ€re putting ourselves in the supply chain, the content supply chain, principally to serve our international broadcast partners and so that we have stronger control over the content.

“But it also gives us the option to go forward, and we have also relaunched our digital platforms this summer with the objective of getting closer to fans. So weâ€re stepping towards that optionality. I donâ€t think there will ever be … a switch-on-switch-off moment for the Premier League.â€

skip past newsletter promotion

Sign up to Football Daily

Kick off your evenings with the Guardian’s take on the world of football

Privacy Notice:Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

after newsletter promotion

On the subject of the 3pm blackout, by which UK broadcasters are prevented from showing live games played at the traditional Saturday kick-off time, Masters said the Premier League remained committed to it for “a certain foreseeable futureâ€. But he argued there was no room to further grow broadcast offerings without a shift in the policy. “Our current domestic broadcast arrangements means that we are now essentially licensed to the outer limit,†he said.

Source link

Fifa are likely to schedule World Cup matches involving major European nations after midnight UK time next year in an effort to combat heat issues that affected the recent Club World Cup.

It had been anticipated World Cup kick-off times would mirror those at the Club World Cup, when the earliest games started at 17:00 BST, followed by 20:00, 23:00 and 02:00.

However, while 17:00 and 20:00 would suit European broadcasters, the former would be a midday kick-off on the United States east coast and the latter a midday kick-off on the west coast.

Paris St-Germain manager Luis Enrique complained about his team having to play in near 40 degree heat in their Club World Cup opener against Atletico Madrid in Los Angeles, which started at 12:00 local time.

Numerous coaches and players were affected by the heat and humidity, with Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez complaining of dizziness while playing.

Asked during his speech at the Leaders Conference in Twickenham for the major lessons learned from the Club World Cup, Victor Montagliani, who as president of the North and Central American Confederation Concacaf is in charge of the event, replied: “Kick-off times.”

With 48 teams at the World Cup, there are 11 consecutive days in the group phase that have four games, each played at different times, when 12:00 kick-offs were expected to be commonplace.

While five of the 16 stadiums being used in the United States, Canada and Mexico either have roofs as standard or a sliding roof that can offer shade, it is impractical for all the early kick-offs to be scheduled in them.

When pressed to expand on his comments, Montagliani, who is also a vice-president of world governing body Fifa, said: “Kick-off times are always an issue in our region because summers are hot in Canada and US.

“We’re having conversations daily with European media and other world media, in terms of what’s best and which are the stadiums that you can play at 3pm. That’s all in the mix now.

“Once the actual schedule comes out after the draw, we will do our best to ensure it’s taken into consideration. Will it be that every game will be absolutely perfect from a kick-off time, from a TV perspective? I don’t know.”

Source link