Football Blog (Page 225)

[ad_1] The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of global sport. It’s a spectacle unlike any other, a festival of football of such prestigious magnitude. It’s hard to imagine a football world without the World Cup, and yet there was a time (admittedly a while ago now) where that was the case. Here’s everything you need to know about the first World Cup, how the tournament came about and more. The inaugural World Cup took place in 1930 in Uruguay. Only 13 teams took part at the first edition – Uruguay, Argentina, USA, Yugoslavia, Chile, Brazil, France, Romania, Paraguay, Peru, Belgium, Bolivia and Mexico. TheRead More →

[ad_1] Updates from the qualification draw for Euro 2024. Credit: 90min.com[ad_2]Read More →

[ad_1] Diego Costa has spoken of his delight at receiving a warm reception from Chelsea fans on his return to Stamford Bridge, insisting his exit was down to former manager Antonio Conte and not for a lack of love for the club. Costa spent three seasons in west London and played a starring role in two Premier League title wins, scoring 59 goals in 120 games for Chelsea before signing for Atletico Madrid again after a fall-out with Conte. He made his first return to Stamford Bridge on Saturday with new side Wolves on Saturday, falling to a 3-0 defeat at his former club. HeRead More →

[ad_1] Paris Saint-Germain dropped points in Ligue 1 for only the second time this season after failing to find a way through against a resilient Reims on Saturday night. PSG were without Lionel Messi and a handful of others because of injury, while coach Christophe Galtier also opted to start without Neymar or Achraf Hakimi. Reims goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf pulled off a flying save to deny Fabian Ruiz in the early exchanges. But while it was PSG who unsurprisingly dominated possession, they were severely outgunned in attack by the hosts, who managed 24 attempts on goal in total. But the quality in front of goalRead More →

[ad_1] The Philadelphia Union head into the final day of the 2022 regular season with their MLS Cup Playoffs spot long since secured, but with plenty left to play for. Jim Curtin’s side host Toronto FC having come down from a five-game winning streak, taking just a single point from matches against Atlanta United and Charlotte FC without scoring a goal – and conceding four against the latter. Should CF Montreal beat Inter Miami on Sunday, the Union would need a win themselves against TFC to secure top spot in the East, which would ensure home Playoffs matches right up until the MLS Cup finalRead More →

[ad_1] Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola joked he was ‘so upset’ with Erling Haaland following Saturday’s 4-0 Premier League win over Southampton because the Norwegian only scored once. Haaland has made a mockery of Premier League defences since arriving in England in the summer, scoring 15 times in just nine games so far – including three hat-tricks – and only drawing a blank once. In all competitions, it is a round 20 goals in 13 matches. City were already 3-0 up before Haaland got in on the act. “I’m so upset with him he didn’t score three goals, that’s why the petition is to sackRead More →

[ad_1] Rangers ensured they kept pace with Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership with an emphatic 4-0 victory over St Mirren on Saturday. The visitors came into this one in excellent form, with a 2-0 win over the league leaders in their recent past, but they were nowhere near a match for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side. Rangers were ahead after just a few minutes when Antonio Colak finished off a moment of penalty box pinball which stemmed from a fierce strike from Borna Barisic. The left-back’s effort struck the post and found its way to Colak, who was in the right place atRead More →

[ad_1] United States Men’s National Team goalkeeper Matt Turner has revealed how he’s working alongside Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to improve his ball-playing skills. Turner joined the Gunners from the New England Revolution in June having established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in MLS – winning the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2021. Despite being a top-class shot-stopper, Turner has often been criticized for his ability to play out from the back – something he’s been hard at work rectifying since arriving in London. “If you watch me last year, two years ago, you’d say I have improved! Obviously, there’s aRead More →

[ad_1] A late winner from Giorgos Giakoumakis saw Celtic wipe out St Johnstone’s own stoppage time equaliser and claim three points in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday afternoon. Alexander Mitchell’s dramatic stoppage-time strike looked to have given the hosts a point after Andrew Considine’s own goal had given Celtic the advantage. However, Giakoumakis pounced in the 96th minute, converting Alexandro Bernabei’s stunning cross to make it 2-1 and take the Scottish champions five points clear of second-placed Rangers. Considine turned Sead Haksabanovic’s cross past home goalkeeper Remi Matthews to give Ange Postecoglou’s side the lead, though the visitors scuppered a number of chances to buildRead More →

[ad_1] Erling Haaland is scoring quite a few goals at the minute, if you haven’t noticed. And while we’d all love to have him in our six-a-side teams during the week, he’s Manchester City’s property for the foreseeable future. When he first broke onto the scene, there was a lot of speculation about the then-unknown quantity. But as a self-confessed fan of English football with family ties in Leeds and Manchester, Three Lions supporters couldn’t help but think; what if? Here’s what you need to know about Haaland’s international allegiances. As he was born in Leeds, Haaland qualified to play for England. His father, Alfie,Read More →