Sportorn is Designed to Keep You Up-to-Date with Everything You Need to Know About the World of Sport.
⎯ 《 Sportorn • Com 》

List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

We can do beautiful things – Micky van de Ven excited by Tottenham prospects
We can do beautiful things – Micky van de Ven excited by Tottenham prospects
Micky van de Ven has predicted Tottenham can achieve “beautiful things” under attack-minded Ange Postecoglou. The Dutch defender was thrown into the deep end in Sunday’s Premier League opener at Brentford after only three training sessions with his new team-mates, but impressed in the 2-2 draw. It had been a whirlwind week for Spurs with growing speculation over record goal-scorer Harry Kane eventually resulting in his departure for Bayern Munich on Saturday. A degree of optimism remains rife amongst supporters following a busy summer of transfer activity and with a new bold, front-foot approach set to be adopted by Postecoglou. “It’s an amazing club,” Van de Ven reflected after his debut. “I had a good meeting with the trainer and it was a really good meeting. “He’s a really good trainer. I love the club, I love the players and I think there is so much potential under this trainer so we will see where this season heads. “He has a good view on football, that’s what I think. Attacking football is what I love, playing with a lot of space in the back doesn’t matter for me. “Offensive football is what I like and I think if we play a lot of offensive football and we train, we train, we train then I think we can do some beautiful things.” Spurs had chased Netherlands Under-21 captain Van de Ven all summer and eventually secured his services on August 8 for an initial £34.5million fee, which could rise to £43.1million in add-ons. Despite featuring for Wolfsburg during pre-season, the 22-year-old had not completed 90 minutes all summer, but Postecoglou’s decision to include him in the starting XI was vindicated. Van de Ven admitted: “Everything is harder, it’s going quicker and it’s going up and down, up and down. There is no moment in the game where you feel you can rest a bit, you always have to be sharp and 100 per cent focused. “It is my first game with the team, so of course at the beginning we have to watch a bit how everything is going and afterwards you feel more comfortable. The guys are talking positive to you so that is also helping. “I trained three days with the team but they gave me some confidence and the trainer was talking to me and also gave me some confidence. I didn’t stress at all that I can’t do it. “All the trainers were positive, all the players were positive saying ‘do your job, do what you can do and we will help you’ and I think it went well.” Comparisons to Jan Vertonghen, another left-footed centre-back who started out in Eredivisie, occurred before Van de Ven had even signed his contract at Tottenham. He has a good view on football, that's what I think. Attacking football is what I love, playing with a lot of space in the back doesn't matter for me. Micky van de Ven on Ange Postecoglou The ex-Volendam defender revealed he used to study Vertonghen before the Belgian moved to Spurs, where he went on to make 315 appearances and become a hugely popular figure with the club’s fanbase. “I was always in the stadium when Jan Vertonghen was playing for Ajax so I always saw him play and always said he was a good left-footed, centre-back. I learned some from him as I watched videos of him,” Van de Ven added. “I watched a lot of times Spurs because a lot of players from Ajax also went to Spurs and also players from Holland. “Always when you see a player go to Spurs it is an amazing step if you went from Ajax, AZ, PSV to Spurs. “Of course with the history they didn’t win a prize for a long time but you never know what is going to happen.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Millie Bright confident England can cope with hostile atmosphere in Sydney Ben Stokes tipped to make U-turn and feature for England at World Cup Football rumours: West Ham growing frustrated with Harry Maguire delays
2023-08-15 19:17
Spain vs Sweden LIVE: Women’s World Cup team news as Alexia Putellas returns for semi-final
Spain vs Sweden LIVE: Women’s World Cup team news as Alexia Putellas returns for semi-final
Spain face Sweden in the first Women’s World Cup semi-final as both nations go in search of their first tournament crown. Sweden produced their best performance of the World Cup to defeat Japan 2-1 in the quarter-finals, knocking out the team of the tournament with a display of high-tempo pressing while continuing to take their chances at set-pieces. Centre-back Amanda Ilestedt is Sweden’s top-scorer with four goals so far, with the defender in the race for the World Cup golden boot. Spain required Salma Paralluelo’s extra-time goal to defeat Netherlands and have navigated a player mutiny under head coach Jorge Vilda to reach their first ever World Cup semi-final. Despite uncertainty off the field, Spain have shone on it, led by Barcelona stars Aitana Bonmati and the returning Alexia Putellas. The winner will play either England or Australia in Sunday’s World Cup final. Follow live updates from Spain vs Sweden as the semi-finals get underway, and get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today The Lionesses will need to beat an entire nation in the grip of World Cup fever Women’s World Cup golden boot: Who’s leading the top-scorer standings?
2023-08-15 15:15
Football rumours: West Ham growing frustrated with Harry Maguire delays
Football rumours: West Ham growing frustrated with Harry Maguire delays
What the papers say West Ham may yet pull the plug on a deal for Harry Maguire, according to The Telegraph. The Manchester United defender has been rumoured to be on the way to London Stadium for some time, but the paper says the Hammers’ management are growing increasingly fed up with the amount of time it is taking to finalise the deal and may decide to walk away if it continues to drag on. A host of Premier League and Serie A clubs are said to be lining up to sign Lille midfielder Carlos Baleba. The Daily Mail reports Liverpool, Newcastle, AC Milan and Juventus are all interested in the 19-year-old, with Brighton believed to be leading the charge for his signature. The Newcastle Chronicle says the Magpies have reached out to Arsenal over full-back Kieran Tierney. Any deal could be hard to come by for the north-east club however, with the Gunners reportedly likely to refuse to budge on their £30million price tag for the 26-year-old. And the Daily Mirror reports Arsenal defender Gabriel is the latest player to be targeted by the Saudi Pro League. Social media round-up Players to watch Hugo Ekitike: RMC Sport says Everton have opened talks with Paris St Germain over a loan deal for the 21-year-old forward. Nicolo Zaniolo: Aston Villa are on the verge of sealing a loan deal for the Galatasaray midfielder, according to Sport Italia. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live
2023-08-15 14:55
VAR correct not to award Wolves late penalty – Man Utd goalkeeper Andre Onana
VAR correct not to award Wolves late penalty – Man Utd goalkeeper Andre Onana
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana believes referee Simon Hooper and VAR were right not to award Wolves a last-gasp penalty in Monday night’s Premier League clash at Old Trafford. United opened their league account for the season in unconvincing fashion as Raphael Varane’s header 14 minutes from time was enough to earn a 1-0 victory that was barely deserved. Indeed, it looked like Wolves might get the chance to equalise from the penalty spot at the death when debutant Onana appeared to clatter into Sasa Kalajdzic, but the goalkeeper got away with it. Wolves boss Gary O’Neil said Onana tried “to take the centre-forward’s head off” and claimed Premier League referees’ boss Jon Moss apologised to him for the decision after the match. But asked if it was a penalty, Onana said: “No, goalkeepers make decisions, sometimes you are right, sometimes you are not. “I made a decision and I am responsible for everything. For me it was contact between two big guys and nothing happened. But for us, the most important thing was to win and I am happy for the victory. “Of course I was confident (it would not be given).” Onana made his Premier League debut following his summer move from Inter Milan. The Cameroon international, who worked with Erik Ten Hag at Ajax, has big boots to fill following on from David De Gea, and his style differs greatly from the Spaniard as he likes the ball at his feet. But he insists it is a case of him adapting to his new surroundings rather than the United defence changing their game. “Listen, I think I’m playing with some of the best defenders in the world because playing for Manchester United is not something easy,” he said. “I think I’m the one who has to adapt because United is a very big club and I’m proud to be able to perform here and proud to play alongside these defenders and if something has to change, I think we will do it. “At the moment everything is going right and we just have to continue working like this and I think it will be OK by the end of the season.” Few will have seen a performance like this coming from Wolves, whose plans for the season were thrown into disarray last week when boss Julen Lopetegui left, just five days before their opener, with O’Neil coming in. O’Neil, who was sacked at Bournemouth after keeping them in the English top flight last season, will have been thrilled at what he saw as his new side put in a slick counter-attacking display that had United on the run for the majority of the game. But old failings returned as they could not score with any of the 23 shots they had, which will have brought back memories from last season, where they registered just 31 times. “I think we keep doing more like today,” O’Neil said. “My initial thoughts around them not scoring enough goals last year was, we need to arrive in good areas, with good numbers more. “We have enough talent in the group so if we arrive in good numbers, the boys will score goals, no doubt. “I don’t think today was a reoccurrence of the pattern you saw last year. I think if the lads play that game 100 times, they score in 99 of them. “Keep arriving in those areas, keep working with the players to improve understanding and how many times we arrive and the lads will score some goals.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football rumours: West Ham growing frustrated with Harry Maguire delays On this day in 2008: Britain beat ‘invincible’ France to Olympic sprint gold Gary O’Neil claims referees’ boss told him Wolves should have had penalty
2023-08-15 14:53
College football rankings 2023: 5 teams in Top 25 who will be the first to lose
College football rankings 2023: 5 teams in Top 25 who will be the first to lose
The preseason college football rankings have been set with the AP Top 25 announced. Which ranked teams will be the first to lose this season?The AP Top 25 rankings have arrived right on schedule with the 2023 college football season set to kick off in just a couple of weeks.Last year, nine t...
2023-08-15 07:26
Andre Onana takes centre-stage in more than one way with Man United flattered by victory
Andre Onana takes centre-stage in more than one way with Man United flattered by victory
For Manchester United, the bare minimum was to make a better start to this season than last and the bare minimum was what they delivered. The least convincing of 1-0 wins required a goal from centre-back Raphael Varane when their midfielders and forwards rarely looked like scoring and when United often looked like conceding. They were spared by Wolves’ toothlessness as they scraped their way past a team widely tipped for relegation and whose manager had walked out last week. Even that is an improvement on 12 months ago, when Erik ten Hag’s reign began with a home defeat to Brighton and a 4-0 thrashing at Brentford, but this was a different kind of false start to a campaign. Even the clean sheet for the debutant Andre Onana was partly an indictment, of both his defence and the officials. The £43m goalkeeper somehow avoided conceding an injury-time penalty for clattering into the substitute Sasa Kalajdzic. He had already made two smart saves in as many minutes from another replacement, Fabio Silva. The problem was that he needed to. In a match where Wolves had 23 shots, six on target and an expected goals total of 2.23, all significantly more than their hosts’ tallies, perhaps the deceptive statistic was the scoreline. It flattered United. The more coherent gameplan came from Gary O’Neil, the manager getting to know his players, not Ten Hag, the one who has spent the best part of £400m assembling them. The side with the energy and the ideas were the one who were supposed to be in disarray, Wolves. If the players Julen Lopetegui left behind suggested his complaints that they needed new signings were overblown, they showed a solitary, but familiar, flaw at Old Trafford: they lacked a goalscorer. With one, they would surely have won. The division’s lowest scorers last season assembled a compilation of misses. United, the lowest scorers in the top six, discovered defenders were their best form of attack. After Bruno Fernandes dinked a pass forward, Aaron Wan-Bissaka lobbed a cross and Varane headed in. The presence of each in the box was a sign desperation was starting to take hold. As United had barely created anything of note since Jose Sa saved Marcus Rashford’s 11th-minute shot, their intervention assumed particular importance. Fernandes grew in influence in the latter stages but too many of the other attack-minded personnel were underwhelming. Mason Mount had been substituted at 0-0 and his was not a debut to savour. Alejandro Garnacho earned a starting spot with his performances in pre-season but, when it mattered, offered reminders he sparkled last season when brought off the bench, not when beginning games. One lob aside, Antony did not impress, even though his opponent, Rayan Ait-Nouri, is a left-back with defensive deficiencies. With injury denying Rasmus Hojlund a debut, Rashford led the line, threatening intermittently but often starved of service, in a performance to indicate why he is actually better coming from the left. Meanwhile, Lisandro Martinez was booked for needlessly chopping down Pedro Neto and hauled off at half-time before he could be sent off. That Victor Lindelof replaced him was another slight to Harry Maguire, whose last taste of Old Trafford may be as an unused substitute. But United were less than the sum of their parts. If the statement results this weekend, in different ways, came from Manchester City and Newcastle, they can at least take solace in the fact they are not playing catch-up from the opening weekend. Wolves, meanwhile, may have the bittersweet distinction of producing the best performance among the teams who remain pointless. This was supposed to be an ideal time to play them after a summer of strife. They had done a fine impression of a club in chaos off the pitch, but not on it. O’Neil’s first game came five days after he was parachuted in, six after Lopetegui finally talked his way into unemployment, but the former Bournemouth manager seems a skilled troubleshooter. There was continuity on the pitch, however: all 11 starters were at Molineux last season and the sole newcomer, substitute Matt Doherty, is also a Wolves old boy. A team with technical excellence and considerable physicality missed only the finishing touch. Otherwise, they counterattacked well. Pablo Sarabia shot just wide after Matheus Cunha galloped 50 yards to lead a break. A barnstorming run, followed by an effort Onana saved, was another illustration of what the £44m man can bring Wolves; the problem is that, so far, he has not delivered goals. He drove a shot past the far post. He clipped the upright from four yards, following a delightful flick from Neto. He took his return since the start of last season to two goals in 38 games. Ridiculously, Wolves did not start with any player who scored more than two league goals last year. None opened their account for the season and United could be grateful for their impotence. Read More Gary O’Neil claims referees’ boss told him Wolves should have had penalty O’Neil derides decision to not award Wolves penalty at Man Utd ‘VAR is pathetic’: Stelling and the best reactions to Onana penalty incident Raphael Varane header earns Manchester United opening victory over Wolves Man United vs Wolves LIVE: Premier League result and reaction How Sandro Tonali and his Italian predecessors fared on Premier League debuts
2023-08-15 06:55
Gary O’Neil claims referees’ boss told him Wolves should have had penalty
Gary O’Neil claims referees’ boss told him Wolves should have had penalty
Premier League referees’ boss Jon Moss apologised to Gary O’Neil and told him Wolves had been denied a “blatant” stoppage-time penalty in their 1-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford, according to the Wolves boss. United’s debutant goalkeeper Andre Onana clattered into Sasa Kalajdzic deep into time added on, but Simon Hooper did not react and VAR Michael Salisbury deemed there was no foul, with an incredulous O’Neil instead booked for his reaction. O’Neil said after the match he though Onana was trying to take Kalajdzic’s head off, and then revealed he had received an immediately apology from Moss. “Having just spoken to Jon Moss, fair enough he came straight out and said it was a blatant penalty and it should have been given,” O’Neil said. “I sometimes feel bad. I’ve spent a lot of my day with him trying to understand the new guidelines and how to not get myself booked which I’ve failed in, but fair play to Jon in coming out. “He said it was clear and obvious and he can’t believe the on-field referee didn’t give it and he can’t believe VAR didn’t intervene. It’s probably made me feel worse to be honest because once you know you’re right you feel worse about leaving with nothing.” United boss Erik ten Hag tried to play down the incident, but he was largely alone in thinking the officials got the decision right. “When VAR looked at it and decided not to give it of course we are pleased,” the Dutchman said. “It’s about the referee and the VAR. I think the two players come together and Andre didn’t interfere with the action from them because first was the touch on the ball and then came Andre.” The controversial decision was not the only thing that left the impression United had been lucky to take three points from their opening Premier League match, with Raphael Varane’s 76th-minute header decisive in a laboured performance from the hosts. With O’Neil only a few days into his tenure, Wolves impressed with their attacking intent. They registered 23 attempts at goal, the most for any visiting team at Old Trafford since Chelsea had 25 in November 2005, another match that ended in a 1-0 win for United. Scoring goals was an all-too-familiar problem for Wolves last term but O’Neil was encouraged by what he saw. “Huge credit to the lads,” O’Neil said. “There’s been some negativity surrounding the place but they’ve committed to what we asked of them and gone toe to toe with a top side at a difficult place to come and they’re disappointed. “For the amount of shots we’ve had and the expected goals, we deserved at least a point… “Bigger picture stuff and where we want to take the group, tonight is a big step four days in. Coming to a place like this it could have gone very differently.” United struggled to find any flow and were second best in the second half until Aaron Wan-Bissaka latched on to a dinked ball from Bruno Fernandes, and lifted the ball over for Varane to nod home. “It was a tough game,” Ten Hag said. “I think we can do much better on the ball. We proved that last season and also in pre-season but the pre-season is not the season and when the league starts opponents are more aggressive. “Our decision-making could have been better and were not aggressive enough from that point of view, but there are a lot of positives to take. We fought for our lives and we survived with three points so well done.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Raphael Varane header earns Manchester United opening victory over Wolves How does Moises Caicedo’s Chelsea transfer compare to previous big-money deals? Majid Haq ‘disgusted and horrified’ following racial abuse while umpiring
2023-08-15 06:50
‘Keeper almost took our forward’s head off’: Gary O’Neil derides decision to not award Wolves penalty
‘Keeper almost took our forward’s head off’: Gary O’Neil derides decision to not award Wolves penalty
New Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil was full of praise for his players’ performance even in defeat at Old Trafford, with Manchester United winning 1-0 desite the visitors having plenty more chances during the match. A vibrant performance saw Wolves go close a number of times before Raphael Varane netted the winner, but a late collision between debutant goalkeeper Andre Onana and the away team’s substitute striker Sasa Kalajdzic could have proven a gamechanger - but after a VAR review, no penalty was awarded. The former Cameroon international leapt for a cross but missed the ball and forcefully hit Kalajdzic in mid-air, leaving the striker on the deck, but referee Simon Hooper decided it wasn’t a foul and his team of officials opted against recommending a pitch-side second look. O’Neil was pleased with what he saw in terms of performance after just a few days’ training together, but noted his side needed to find a cutting edge. “I’m disappointed of course that we drive home with nothing. What they gave and how much they committed to the gameplan, they were incredible,” he told Sky Sports at full time. “It was a really good performance but we wanted points and we don’t get any. “We tried to overload the middle and create a little box to make a four versus three. It’s similar to what I’ve always done, it’s not me that created the performance it’s the group of players that put it in. Unfortunately we found a way to not score.” On the late penalty incident, however, he was adamant it should have gone his team’s way - which also seemed to be the prevailing opinion of most onlookers. “I thought live it was a penalty. It looked like the keeper almost took our centre-forward’s head off. Really surprised, I think it’s a foul. If you go for the ball and clatter a player that hard it has to be a foul, but I’m not overly surprised we didn’t get it,” O’Neil continued. “I thought as he jogged over he was going to the screen but in the end he’s booked me and not the goalkeeper for smashing [Kalajdzic]. “I understand it, I don’t accept it fully. For the onfield referee it’s a difficult decision, we can’t just leave it. A lot of people have said it’s a stonewall penalty but we shouldn’t talk too much about that - we’ve come to Old Trafford and had 23 shots after a tough spell. The group deserve huge credit but we don’t want credit without taking points.” Opposing manager Erik ten Hag said: “The ball was gone I don’t think Andre had any influence on the touch. VAR was on our side so we’re happy with the points.” Sky Sports’ panellists on the night were split, with Jamie Carragher suggesting he didn’t expect the ref’s decision to be overturned, while Karen Carney and Gary Neville both felt it should have been a spot-kick to Wolves. Read More Onana takes centre-stage in more than one way as Man United fall flat Curiously expensive mediocrity cost Wolves a manager and now threatens their future Julen Lopetegui quits Wolves on eve of new Premier League season
2023-08-15 05:58
‘VAR is pathetic’: Jeff Stelling and the best reactions to Andre Onana penalty incident against Wolves
‘VAR is pathetic’: Jeff Stelling and the best reactions to Andre Onana penalty incident against Wolves
Manchester United earned a victory at Old Trafford as they hosted Wolves for their opening Premier League match of the season. Raphael Varane headed the hosts ahead in the second half to earn Erik ten Hag’s men all three points but things could have been very different if a VAR decision had gone against the hosts. Wolves, who were the more dominant side on the night, had a penalty shout late in stoppage time. Pedro Neto swung a cross in from the right wing and targeted the back post. Manchester United’s goalkeeper, Andre Onana, came off his line to claim the ball but arrived late. He missed it and cleaned out Wolves substitute Sasa Kalajdzic in the process with the pair clashing heads as Kalajdzic crumpled to the deck. Referee Simon Hooper initially played on as VAR looked at the incident. As the replays were shown it looked increasingly likely that the United goalkeeper may have given away a penalty but the decision went his way much to the befuddlement of many on social media. BBC pundit and former England star Gary Lineker tweeted: “United got away with one there. If the referee had given it they certainly wouldn’t have overruled the decision.” Jeff Stelling, the recently departed presenter of Sky’s Gillette Soccer Saturday, was less composed and labelled the VAR decision “pathetic” saying: “Remind me if I have said this before but VAR. pathetic. How can that not be a Wolves pen? Just a joke as it has been since its inception.” Other takes agreed that Onana had committed a foul with Sky’s Michelle Owen tweeting: “Contact with consequence… how is that not a penalty?! #MNF” ITV’s Mark Pougatch claiming that VAR didn’t do its job to overturn the “howler”. He said: “So VAR gets involved to give a penalty against Son at Brentford yesterday but decides to let that one go… to start the season. “VAR was introduced to eradicate the howler. Personally didn’t think the Brentford penalty was in that category. But THAT was a howler. I know nothing. #MUNWOL” Over on Sky Sports, former Manchester United captain Gary Neville agreed that the penalty should have been awarded saying: “The reason I think it was a penalty was because Onana was nowhere near the ball. I think he was never getting there, he was always under it so he could’ve made a decision before he jumped.” Had the decision been overturned Wolves would have been awarded a late penalty and the chance to equalise which was what their performance deserved. Unfortunately this one went against them and Manchester United claimed the points. Read More O’Neil derides decision to not award Wolves penalty at Man Utd Raphael Varane header earns Manchester United opening victory over Wolves Onana takes centre-stage in more than one way as Man United fall flat Man United vs Wolves LIVE: Premier League result and reaction How Sandro Tonali and his Italian predecessors fared on Premier League debuts Football rumours: Manchester United weighing up approach for Amadou Onana
2023-08-15 05:55
How many No. 1 teams in preseason AP Top 25 won a national championship?
How many No. 1 teams in preseason AP Top 25 won a national championship?
The preseason AP Top 25 college football rankings were released on Monday with Georgia at No. 1. But is that bad news for the Dawgs' 3-peat hopes?The Georgia Bulldogs are the No. 1-ranked team in the 2023 preseason AP Top 25 college football rankings. That's no surprise given that Kirb...
2023-08-15 05:46
Raphael Varane header earns Manchester United opening victory over Wolves
Raphael Varane header earns Manchester United opening victory over Wolves
Manchester United survived a late VAR scare as Raphael Varane’s second-half goal saw them edge past an impressive Wolves to get their Premier League campaign off to a winning start at Old Trafford. Varane headed home from close range with 14 minutes remaining to ensure an unconvincing display from Erik Ten Hag’s team ended in a 1-0 victory that was barely deserved. Indeed, it looked like Wolves might get the chance to equalise from the penalty spot at the death when goalkeeper Andre Onana appeared to clatter into Sasa Kalajdzic, but referee Simon Hooper waved away protests and VAR backed his decision. It felt harsh as few will have seen a performance like this coming from Wolves, whose plans for the season were thrown into disarray last week when boss Julen Lopetegui left just five days before kick-off, with Gary O’Neil coming in. O’Neil, who was sacked at Bournemouth after keeping them up last season, will have been thrilled at what he saw as his new side put in a slick counter-attacking display that had United on the run for the majority of the game. But it was old failings that came back to haunt them as they could not take any of their chances, with the electric Matheus Cunha hitting the post in the second half. United will know a display like this will not be good enough, but they at least got the job done to ensure they join Manchester City and Arsenal in taking maximum points in the opening weekend of the campaign. There was a small scale demonstration outside the ground before kick-off as United fans again chanted against the Glazers and the lengthy sale process of the club, which has been going on since November. However, planned protests against the possibility of Mason Greenwood being integrated back into the squad did not extend beyond the odd banner, with the forward’s fate still unknown as the club are still in a consultation phase following the conclusion of their internal investigation. The off-the-pitch issues have not clouded what was a promising pre-season for Ten Hag’s men, though they could not translate that into a cohesive performance in the opening 45 minutes. In fact, to much surprise given their build-up to the season, Wolves were the better team as they had United running scared with pace on the break, creating two excellent openings to take the lead. In the 26th minute a lightning counter attack saw Cunha surge forward and pass to Pablo Sarabia, but it was slightly behind him and the Spaniard saw his drilled effort go just wide with the aid of a deflection. Another slick move saw roles reversed six minutes later as Sarabia’s excellent pass played in Cunha, but he dragged his shot wide after bursting into the box. That acted as something of a wake-up call to United, who came to life in the final 10 minutes of the first half. There were loud shots for a penalty when Marcus Rashford headed against the arm of Nelson Semedo, but the Wolves defender managed to tuck his limb in just in the nick of time. But Wolves rediscovered their counter-attacking verve after the break and should have led in the 50th minute. Another lung-busting break from Cunha, who ran virtually the length of the pitch, saw him lay the ball off to Sarabia and it came back to him at the far post, but, slightly off balance, his shot clipped the outside of the post. The hosts were petrified of Cunha and their defence parted in alarming fashion five minutes later but saw a low shot saved by Andre Onana. Cunha was at it again in the 71st minute with another run that had United floundering and the loose ball fell to Pedro Neto, but he shot straight at Onana. There was an inevitability about what was to come as Wolves paid for their lack of cutting edge when United stole the lead in the 76th minute. Bruno Fernandes unlocked the defence to play in Aaron Wan-Bissaka and his cross from the right was headed home by Varane from close range. Wolves knocked on the door for an equaliser and Fabio Silva had a hat-trick of chances but was denied by Onana’s legs twice while Luke Shaw produced a goal-saving block to earn his side victory. The visitors thought they should have had a penalty in the sixth minute of time when Onana went walkabouts, but Hooper and VAR denied them. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live How does Moises Caicedo’s Chelsea transfer compare to previous big-money deals? Majid Haq ‘disgusted and horrified’ following racial abuse while umpiring Mings vows to bounce back as Kane settles in – Monday’s sporting social
2023-08-15 05:27
College football rankings 2023: Winners and losers from preseason AP Top 25
College football rankings 2023: Winners and losers from preseason AP Top 25
Let's dissect the winners and losers from college football's first AP Top 25 Poll of the season.With the AP Top 25 Poll being released on Monday afternoon, there were some college football teams that were ecstatic about their ranking, while there were others who felt less than stellar....
2023-08-15 05:26
«221222223224»