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☆ Manchester United’s turbulent season plunges to new low after 4-0 humiliation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Manchester United’s season reached a new low on Monday after being thrashed 4-0 by Crystal Palace in the Premier League, a result which heaped more pressure on a club in crisis. The scoreline could have been more emphatic had United’s opponent been more clinical, but the defeat was still United’s heaviest in a poor season. The 20-time league champion now sits eighth in the table – United has never finished below seventh in the Premier League era. “As Manchester United, we should perform better. Crystal Palace was brilliant and could have scored more against Manchester United.

Persons: Opta, ”, Erik ten Hag, “ It’s, Rasmus Hojlund, Adrian Dennis, Alex Ferguson, Ferguson, Jamie Carragher, United, Casemiro Organizations: CNN, Manchester, Premier League, Reds, Manchester United, Getty, Liverpool, Sky Sports, Real Madrid, United, Europa League, Europa Conference . Chelsea, Arsenal, Sunday, Manchester City, FA, Wembley, European Locations: Crystal, AFP, United

☆ Jadon Sancho shines in Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Champions League semifinal first leg win over PSG
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Jadon Sancho rediscovered some of his magic as he helped Borussia Dortmund to a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of its Champions League semifinal clash on Wednesday. Sancho, who returned to Dortmund on loan in January after an unsuccessful big-money move to Manchester United, was his elusive best as he proved a constant thorn in the Parisians’ side. It means Dortmund holds a slender one-goal advantage going into the second leg at the Parc des Princes next week. He scored 50 goals and registered 64 assists in four seasons with Dortmund, before making the move to the Premier League and Manchester United. “Sancho looks like a different player entirely.

Persons: CNN — Jadon Sancho, Germain, Sancho, Niclas Füllkrug, Gianluigi Donnarumma, –, Füllkrug, Jean Catuffe, Lionel Messi, “ Can’t, Jadon, Erik ten Hag, “ Sancho, Man United, Ally McCoist, ” Organizations: CNN, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint, Champions League, Dortmund, Manchester United, PSG, Princes, League, Barcelona, Premier League, verve, Man, TNT Sports, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Wembley Locations: Paris, Dortmund, Parc, Manchester, Opta, @BlackYellow, Germany

☆ Mohamed Salah: Jürgen Klopp defends Liverpool star after Europa League exit
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said he was “disappointed” to see his side knocked out of the Europa League quarterfinals against Atlanta on Thursday, but insisted talisman Mohamed Salah was not to blame. Elsewhere on Thursday, fellow Premier League side West Ham crashed out of the Europa League quarterfinals after losing 3-1 on aggregate to Bayer Leverkusen. English Premier League title raceWith such disappointment in Europe for English clubs, all attention now turns back to the Premier League title race. Klopp, hoping to leave Liverpool with the perfect present of a league title, said his side can now fully focus on the remainder of the campaign. It faces Fulham in its next league game on Sunday.

Persons: Jürgen Klopp, ”, Mohamed Salah, Liverpool couldn’t, Salah, Juan Musso, ” Klopp, “ It’s, Mo, didn’t, that’s, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Klopp, “, Atalanta Organizations: CNN, Liverpool, Europa League, Atlanta, English Premier League, Atalanta, Africa, of Nations, Reuters, Anfield, Premier League, West, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal, Manchester City, Champions League, Sunday, Fulham Locations: Italy, Dublin, Ireland, Liverpool, West Ham, Europe, London

☆ A supercomputer is tracking one of most exciting soccer title races for years. It keeps coming up with different predictions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —A supercomputer is tracking one of the most exciting English Premier League title races in years and with three clubs involved, separated by a matter of points, it keeps spitting out different predictions as it analyzes thousands of simulations. Liverpool leads the title race on 70 points, with Arsenal second on 68 and City third on 67. Manchester City has the chance to win an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title. Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty ImagesTwists and turnsLiverpool’s result follows a successful night for Manchester City and Arsenal on Wednesday, with both teams easing to victories. The team now looks focused on winning a league title as the perfect way of saying thank you to Klopp after his years of service.

Persons: “, ”, Oli Scarff, Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, –, Arsenal breezed, Mikel Arteta, Martin Ødegaard’s, they’ll, Guardiola, David Price, ” Guardiola, Arteta, Klopp, Sheffield United – Klopp, Darwin, Conor Bradley, Mo Salah, Molly Darlington, Nunez, Ivo Grbic’s, Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo, ” Klopp, – it’s Organizations: CNN, English, League, – Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City –, Premier League, Liverpool, ”, Sheffield United, Manchester City, Reds, Aston Villa, Champions League, Crystal, team’s Champions League, Real Madrid, City, Manchester United, Old, FA, Arsenal FC, Getty, Invincible, Gunners, Luton, Reuters, Chelsea Locations: Liverpool, AFP, City, Luton, Old Trafford, Arteta, London, Chelsea

☆ Arsenal wins 6-0 in ‘one of the most one-sided games’ in Premier League history
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —In what was one of the most one-sided games in English Premier League history, a rampant Arsenal thrashed Sheffield United 6-0 on Monday. Many Sheffield United fans left before the end of the match at Bramall Lane. The club has struggled since being promoted to the English Premier League this season and currently sits bottom of the league on goal difference. The team has now conceded 12 goals in its last three league games, without managing to find the net once itself. Arsenal also made history on Monday, becoming the first side in English league soccer history to win three successive away games by five goals or more, according to Opta.

Persons: Captain Martin Ødegaard, Jayden Bogle, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, Jamie Carragher, Ben White, Bramall Lane, David Rogers, “, Mikel Arteta, postmatch, Carl Recine, ” Organizations: CNN, English Premier League, Arsenal, Sheffield United, Blades, Bramall, Gunners, Sky Sports, Premier League’s, Getty, ” Arsenal, Reuters, Manchester City, Liverpool, Brentford, City Locations: Bramall Lane, London

☆ Casemiro: Manchester United star backs under pressure manager Erik ten Hag to ‘grow’ beleaguered club
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Amanda Davies | Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Manchester United star midfielder Casemiro believes manager Erik ten Hag can still “grow” the English club, despite enduring a turbulent season so far. “Of course, Manchester United always needs more and more and always needs to be winning but we showed last season that we are capable of achieving great things.”Casemiro joined Manchester United in August 2022. “I’m very happy at Manchester United,” he said. “With his experience he’ll return Manchester United to the highest possible level. “It was always my challenge to help my teammates and Manchester United keep growing and of course, as we all want, return the club to being the best in the world,” he added.

Persons: Casemiro, Erik ten Hag, “ I’m, CNN’s Amanda Davies, ”, Alex Ferguson’s, “, ” Casemiro, Ash Donelon, I’ve, Jim Ratcliffe, “ He’s, it’s Organizations: CNN, Manchester United, United, Premier League, Champions League, Brazil, Real Madrid, Manchester City Locations: Brazil, Dubai, “, Manchester, Opta, United, Real, Liverpool

☆ Novak Djokovic laments ‘one of the worst’ performances at a grand slam as Jannik Sinner makes Australian Open final
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The 22-year-old Sinner will now contest the first grand slam final of his career having ended Djokovic’s bid for an 11th title in Melbourne. It also means that Djokovic’s pursuit of an outright record 25th grand slam title is put on hold after he was outplayed by the Italian across their three hour, 22-minute contest. “It was a very, very tough match,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “I guess this is one of the worst grand slam matches I’ve ever played – at least that I remember. Indeed, this was the first time in his career that Djokovic failed to produce a break-point chance in a completed grand slam match, according to Opta.

Persons: CNN — Novak Djokovic, Jannik, Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, ” Sinner, “, Chung Hyeon, Nole ’, ” Djokovic, I’ve, Sinner, Louise Delmotte, it’s Organizations: CNN, Melbourne –, Wimbledon Locations: Melbourne, Italian, Friday’s, Wimbledon

☆ Zheng Qinwen: Chinese star reaches landmark grand slam semifinal at the Australian Open
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Zheng Qinwen became just the fourth Chinese woman to reach the semifinal of a grand slam after coming from behind to defeat Anna Kalinskaya at the Australian Open. Against Yastremska, the 21-year-old will join Zheng Jie, Li Na and Peng Shuai in the list of Chinese women to reach a grand slam semifinal. Of those, only Li has ever won a major: the French Open in 2011 and the Australian Open in 2014. According to Opta, Zheng is also the fourth Asian player in the Open Era to reach the final four of a grand slam before turning 22. Prior to this year’s Australian Open, she had made one previous appearance in the quarterfinals of a grand slam at last year’s US Open.

Persons: Zheng Qinwen, Anna Kalinskaya, Zheng, Dayana Yastremska, ”, “, – I’m, ” Zheng, Kalinskaya, Cameron Spencer, Zheng Jie, Li Na, Peng Shuai, Li, Opta Organizations: CNN Locations: Russian

☆ Novak Djokovic defeats Taylor Fritz to reach 11th Australian Open semifinal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Novak Djokovic continued his pursuit of a record-breaking 25th grand slam title with victory against Taylor Fritz in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Remarkably, Djokovic is now on a 33-match winning streak in Melbourne and remains on course to win an 11th Australian Open crown. Fritz, meanwhile – playing in his third grand slam quarterfinal and first at the Australian Open – engineered two set points at 6-5 only for the world No. After taking the first set in a tie break, Djokovic was immediately broken and trailed for the remainder of the second set as Fritz leveled the match. One daunting statistic for his next opponent: Djokovic has never lost any of his 10 previous semifinals at the Australian Open.

Persons: CNN — Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Djokovic, Opta, Monica Seles, “, ” Djokovic, Fritz, meanwhile –, ’, Julian Finney, Margaret Court, – Djokovic, Daniel Pockett, Andrey Rublev Organizations: CNN, Getty Locations: Melbourne, Australian

SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — Last-place Sheffield United scored the latest goal on record in the Premier League — in the 13th minute of a wild period of stoppage time — to salvage a 2-2 draw with West Ham on Sunday. Two players had already been shown red cards in added-on time when Oli McBurnie was fouled by West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola in an aerial collision. “That is the least we deserved," Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder said. Vladimir Coufal was booked for his part in a melee after Brewster's foul and picked up a second yellow card moments later for a foul on James McAtee. West Ham stayed in sixth place and is five points behind Tottenham in fifth.

Persons: —, Oli McBurnie, Alphonse Areola, McBurnie, Fabianski —, Dirk Kuyt's, Chris Wilder, “, Ben Brereton Diaz, Maxwel Cornet, James Ward, Prowse, Danny Ings, Gustavo Hamer, Rhian Brewster, Vladimir Coufal, James McAtee, West Ham, ___ Organizations: SHEFFIELD, Sheffield United, Premier League —, West, Premier League, Liverpool, Arsenal, Burnley, Villarreal, Emerson, Tottenham Locations: England, West Ham, Chile

☆ Australian Open: Top seed Iga Świątek knocked out of tournament by 19-year-old Linda Nosková
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Iga Świątek’s bid for a fifth grand slam title came to a shock end on Saturday as she was defeated by 19-year-old Czech star Linda Nosková in the third round at the Australian Open. Poland’s Świątek looked in control of the third-round contest when it was on serve at 4-3 in the second set, but Nosková, ranked No. Her victory also means that there is only one former grand slam champion in the top half of the women’s draw at this year’s tournament, Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka. After starting the year with a run to the semifinals of the Brisbane International, Nosková defeated compatriot Marie Bouzková and American McCartney Kessler in the first two rounds at Melbourne Park. Against Świątek, she hit 10 aces, including a crucial one in the final game of the match, and 35 winners.

Persons: Iga, Linda Nosková, Rod Laver, Poland’s Świątek, Nosková, Opta, Amélie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport, “ I’m, ” Nosková, “, I’m, Cameron Spencer, Elina Svitolina, Golubic, Belarus ’ Victoria Azarenka, Marie Bouzková, McCartney Kessler, ” Organizations: CNN, Nosková, Australian, Belarus ’ Victoria, Brisbane International, Melbourne Locations: Czech, Belarus

☆ Manchester United on the brink of an early Champions League exit after chaotic draw against Galatasaray
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Manchester United is on the brink of an early Champions League exit after twice throwing away a two-goal lead in a chaotic 3-3 draw with Galatasaray. In the Champions League, you get punished for your mistakes, so we have to learn from that.” Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag to TNT Sports after his team's 3-3 draw to Galatasaray on November 29. United has now conceded 14 goals in just five Champions League group matches, the most by an English club after five games in the competition’s history, according to Opta. Bayern had already qualified for the knockout stages ahead of the team’s 0-0 draw with Copenhagen on Tuesday. The team’s only chance of reaching the Champions League knockout stages is to beat Bayern Munich at Old Trafford in the final group game and hope that Copenhagen and Galatasaray draw.

Persons: Erik, Alejandro Garnacho, Captain Bruno Fernandes, Hakim Ziyech’s, Andre Onana, Scott McTominay, Muhammed Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Hag, Garnacho, Yasin Akgul, –, Erik ten Hag, Murad Sezer Organizations: CNN, Manchester United, League, Galatasaray, Cameroon, Getty, TNT Sports, Champions League, Bayern, Copenhagen, Premier League, Manchester City, Reuters, Newcastle, FA, Red Devils, Bayern Munich Locations: AFP, Copenhagen, England, Europe, Old Trafford

☆ Man City 84% likely to win Premier League, predict Opta
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v Chelsea - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - May 21, 2023 Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan lifts the trophy as he celebrates with team mates after winning the Premier League Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Manchester City have one Premier League point less than they had after 12 games last season but according to data analysts Opta are overwhelming favourites to claim a fourth successive title. City, according to Opta Analyst, have an 84.6% probability of lifting the trophy again with Liverpool given only a 9.1% chance and last season's runners-up Arsenal on 5.6%. Back-to-back defeats for Tottenham Hotspur mean that, according to Opta, their title hopes are virtually non-existent at 0.3%, the same as Aston Villa. Manchester United, currently in sixth place, are predicted to finish seventh and only have a 5.9% chance of finishing in the top four, although that has risen slightly of late. Newcastle United have a 25% chance of a second-successive top-four finish while Chelsea are predicted to finish ninth.

Persons: Lee Smith, Pep, Martyn Herman, Toby Davis Organizations: Soccer Football, Premier League, Manchester City, Chelsea, Etihad, Premier, League, Burnley, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa . Manchester United, Newcastle United, Thomson Locations: Manchester, Britain, City

☆ Jessica Pegula: US star defeats world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to reach semifinals of WTA Finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Jessica Pegula defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets to advance past the group stage and reach the semifinals of the WTA Finals. Rybakina defeated Maria Sakkari 6-0 6-7 7-6 in Tuesday’s other match, meaning the Greek player has been eliminated after losing her second straight match. Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays American Jessica Pegula of United States during day 3 of the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico. It is only the fourth time since 2000 that a player on the WTA Tour has recorded three wins over world No.

Persons: Jessica Pegula, Sabalenka, Pegula, Elena Rybakina, Rybakina, Maria Sakkari, “, ”, I’ve, Aryna, Clive Brunskill, Sakkari Organizations: CNN, WTA Locations: Cancun , Mexico, Kazakh, Belarus, United States

☆ Kickers worth their weight in gold at Rugby World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Nick Said | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

There have been 14 tries scored in the previous eight World Cup finals, less than two per match, with 73% of the points in those deciding games coming from kicks at poles. The tournament in France has already shown that when two heavyweights collide it is the boot that makes the difference. The Wallabies scored two tries to one in that match but it was kicks at poles that took Fiji to the win. The conditions so far in the tournament have been made for kickers with warm weather and the particular balls used. Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Thomas Ramos, Richie Mo’unga, George Ford, Emiliano Boffelli, Opta, Nick Said, Ken Ferris Organizations: Ireland, South Africa, Springboks, New Zealand, Blacks, Fiji, Australia, Pacific Islanders, Wallabies, Argentina, Samoa, Nations, Rugby, Thomson Locations: MARSEILLE, France, Paris, Fiji, Portugal, Georgia

☆ Arda Güler: Real Madrid sign 18-year-old soccer sensation dubbed ‘Turkish Messi’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Real Madrid have signed 18-year-old soccer sensation Arda Güler from Turkish side Fenerbahçe, the Spanish club announced on Thursday. Güler is one of the most highly sought-after prospects in the sport and his signing was rumored to be a contest between numerous big-name teams. But Real eventually won the race to add his talent and potential to its squad, with Güler signing a six-year contract with the club. I also want to be a legend of Real Madrid. Güler is also a part of the Turkish national team squad, making his debut as a 17-year-old.

Persons: Arda Güler, Güler, Florentino Pérez, Lionel Messi, Turkish Messi, ”, Fenerbahçe, Vinícius Jr, Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Aurélien, Vinícius Organizations: CNN — Real Madrid, Real, Los, supremo, Argentine, Turkish, Lig, Turkish national team, Wales Locations: Spanish, Real Madrid, Fenerbahçe, Real’s, Madrid

☆ Iga Świątek continues defense of French Open title with straight sets victory over American Coco Gauff
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Iga Świątek remains on course to retain her French Open title after easing past Coco Gauff 6-4 6-2 to reach the semifinals at Roland-Garros. In a rematch of last year’s final, Świątek ultimately had too much quality for Gauff to handle as her relentless power and consistency eventually broke the American down. It wasn’t easy, especially with the wind today, but I’m happy I’m through to the semifinal.”Swiatek remains on course to successfully defend her French Open title. It proved to be the beginning of the end for Gauff, who was powerless to stop Świątek’s inevitable march to victory. Świątek, according to Opta, is the first player since Conchita Martinez in 1995 to reach the semifinals at the French Open having dropped 15 games or fewer.

Persons: Coco Gauff, Garros, Świątek, Gauff, Beatriz Haddad Maia, “, Swiatek, Julian Finney, Lesia Tsurenko, Conchita Martinez, Sabalenka, Karolína Muchová, Ted Lasso, ” Świątek Organizations: CNN, Roland, WTA, Tennis, Getty, Świątek, Garros, Madam Locations: Paris

☆ Manchester City: Pep Guardiola's side lays claim to being Premier League's greatest ever team
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —When all is said and done, it is looking increasingly likely that this iteration of Manchester City will go down as the greatest team in Premier League history. A 'Premier League Champions' banner is revealed outside Manchester City's stadium on Saturday. Catherine Ivill/Getty Images Europe/Getty ImagesIndeed, defender Rúben Dias recently called Guardiola the “main piece” of this City team. Back in February, the Premier League accused Manchester City of more than 100 breaches of the league’s finance rules and referred the club to an independent commission. The Premier League told CNN it had no comment to make on the issue, while Rosen said he wasn’t taking press inquiries.

☆ Fábián Marozsán: World No. 135 provides 'shock of the season' by upsetting Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets at Rome Masters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

135 Fábián Marozsán provided what the ATP Tour called the “shock of the season” by upsetting Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets at the Rome Masters on Monday. “I’m very happy, I couldn’t imagine this one,” Marozsán said after his remarkable victory. Marozsán and Alcaraz embrace after their match. The crowd, the weather, the court, so I’m just very happy I’m doing my job. Alcaraz is one of the favorites to win the French Open which begins later this month after an excellent season so far.

☆ Bournemouth's Billing scores 9.11 seconds after kickoff at Arsenal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) - Bournemouth's Philip Billing scored one of the quickest goals ever in the Premier League to put his side in front at leaders Arsenal on Saturday. Relegation battlers Bournemouth launched an audacious raid down the right straight from the kickoff and the ball was played across for Billing to side-foot into the net. Opta, the Premier League's match data partner, timed the goal at 9.11 seconds which makes it the second-quickest in the Premier League era. The quickest goal ever scored in the Premier League was Shane Long's effort 7.69 seconds after kickoff for Southampton against Watford in 2019. Reporting by Martyn Herman Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Defending champion France ends Morocco’s Qatar 2022 dream and reaches fourth World Cup final
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Defending champion France ended Morocco’s 2022 World Cup dream on Wednesday thanks to a 2-0 victory at the Al Bayt Stadium. France is the first defending World Cup champion to reach the final in two decades. Lionel Messi and Argentina now await as France seeks to win back-to-back World Cup titles. They deserve a lot of credit for this World Cup. We’ll enjoy it now and get ready for the last match of this World Cup.”

☆ World Cup quarterfinals: Qualifying teams, fixtures and schedule
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Alasdair Howorth | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —We are waiting on two teams to qualify for the World Cup quarterfinals, but six have already booked their places in the last eight. ETWhere: Education City StadiumAccording to Opta, Croatia has a 2.86% chance of winning the World Cup. But this team looks like it could be the first since 2002 to bring the World Cup trophy back to its spiritual home. ETWhere: Al Bayt StadiumAccording to Opta, England has a 18.83% chance of winning the World Cup. Which begs the question: is this the best England team since 1966, when it last won thee World?

☆ Bellingham has gone to another level, says Southgate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - England manager Gareth Southgate already knew Jude Bellingham was something special but even he has been surprised at how the 19-year-old has taken the World Cup by the scruff of the neck. After his goalscoring World Cup debut against Iran two weeks ago, Bellingham drove England into the quarter-finals with a commanding display in Sunday's 3-0 win over Senegal. In the last five months that has gone to another level," Southgate said of the Borussia Dortmund player, who is reported to be a 100 million pounds ($123.41 million) target for Liverpool. England team mate Phil Foden, 22, who set up two goals on Sunday, predicted Bellingham would become the best midfielder in the world. England were struggling to contain Senegal in the first half but Bellingham suddenly seized control of the match, and his first-half statistics said it all.

☆ Analysis: Age gap no problem for France's deadly striking duo
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( William Schomberg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Giroud looked set for a secondary role for France until the team's number one centre forward Karim Benzema pulled out with an injury on the even of the tournament. That understanding was clear for all to see as Poland were cut apart by France's strikers. "It's still a long way to go and, obviously, you need to enjoy the game," he said. "If we attack, try to attack, it's a bit different. Additional reporting by Bartosz Dąbrowski in Gdansk, Poland; Writing by William Schomberg; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Germany knocked out of World Cup after extraordinary finale to Group E
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Germany was knocked out of the 2022 World Cup on Thursday after a quite extraordinary finale to Group E, despite beating Costa Rica. As he did in the famous victory over Germany, Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu used his substitutes masterfully, bringing on Dōan and his left-footed strike brought Japan level. Wataru Endo celebrates with teammates after Japan qualified for the knockout stages of the World Cup. Costa Rica took a stunning lead as Juan Pablo Vargas prodded home after an frantic goalmouth scramble to leave Germany trailing. With just over 20 minutes remaining in the two games, Spain and Germany – both recent World Cup winners – were in danger of going home.

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