List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

Reigning champions the United States were knocked out of the Women’s World Cup after the VAR intervened in a dramatic penalty shoot-out against Sweden. Lina Hurtig’s winning penalty was found to have crossed the line following a check with the VAR officials after USA goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher appeared to have saved the effort. Replays showed the ball had just crossed the line and Sweden were able to celebrate a 5-4 win on penalties after a goalless draw in the last-16 clash in Melbourne. The back-to-back defending champions led 3-2 in the shoot-out but misses by Megan Rapinoe and Sophia Smith opened the door for Sweden to take it to sudden death. Goalkeeper Naeher scored for the United States but with their next effort Kelley O’Hara hit the right post to give Hurtig the chance to win it. Her shot was blocked by Naeher, who then reached behind her to claw the ball away as it looped up in the air, but she was a fraction too late to stop Sweden moving on to the quarter-finals. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The best goals at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, including strikes from Lauren James, Bia Zaneratto and Marta Cox.

Keira Walsh could make a stunning return for England’s last-16 World Cup clash against Nigeria. Walsh was carried off on a stretcher late in the first half of the Lionesses’ 28 July victory over Denmark, with fears that the influential midfielder’s tournament could be over, but scans revealed her knee injury was not as serious as first suspected. The 26-year-old took another step forward in her recovery when she joined her team-mates in training at the Central Coast Stadium on the eve of their last-16 showdown, before England flew to Brisbane ahead of the knockout encounter. England boss Sarina Wiegman said: “She is doing well. She started her rehab straight after we knew what was going on. “She has been on the pitch, she has been training today. Now we will wait until [we see] how she recovers from that training session and if she does well then she is available tomorrow.” The Dutch boss, who led the Netherlands to the World Cup final four years ago in France, would not reveal specifically what injury Walsh had sustained, but did add: “I can only say that there wasn’t a ligament injury. “Of course that moment in that game against Denmark, that was a very hard moment, but after the assessments and we knew what was going on we also said don’t take any assumptions. “Just wait until a proper assessment has been done. That’s what we did and then we got the green light to just get her rehab started. “Everybody is going on about injuries all the time, but the day after we noticed things were much better.” The moment Walsh was stretchered off – grimacing, telling team staff “I’ve done my knee” and fending off help from team-mates – England fans began to fear that she was the most recent victim of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) crisis facing women’s football. European champions Leah Williamson and Beth Mead were ruled out with that injury ahead of this tournament, while Fran Kirby also underwent surgery for a separate knee issue. Wiegman stuck to the Lionesses’ standard 4-3-3 formation in the immediate aftermath of Walsh’s injury and brought in Manchester City’s Laura Coombs for the remainder of the 1-0 Denmark victory, but against China handed Manchester United captain Katie Zelem her first England start and switched to a 3-5-2, which paid off with a thumping 6-1 victory. Wiegman added: “We have two options now. The way we played and what we did against China, we have taken that into consideration.” Nigeria head coach Randy Waldrum is confident in his plan for however England line up, with or without Walsh. He said: “Obviously, she’s a key player in the midfield for them. Kind of like we had to do for Australia and Sam Kerr, we had to prepare with and without, we have to do the same. “England has so many weapons. All of those players are playing all over the world in high profile settings. There are more that can do damage to us than just her. They’ve given us a lot of challenges to prepare for and it will just be another one if she comes in. “We have to prepare for both, as a coach I would expect her to go with a back three because they played ever so well like that. “We also know they’re going to adapt to how they can best play against us so we have to prepare for both situations, that’s what makes the job challenging because we don’t have a lot of time. We’ve tried this week to prepare for both and we’ll see which way they come out. “[Sarina Wiegman] has done a fantastic job with England, since she took over you can see the progression of the team. “When I look at a coach and try to analyse, if I don’t know them personally, you look at the team and tell if they have an idea. In their organisation, they look like they have a plan [and] a way they want to play.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Simone Biles makes stunning return after two-year break: ‘It means the world’ Andy Farrell says Jack Crowley can take ‘massive confidence’ from Italy showing Three players who boosted their World Cup hopes as England toiled against Wales

The United States’ Women’s World Cup hopes are on the line as the defending champions face Sweden in the last-16 in Melbourne. The USA only scraped through Group E as runners-up, with the four-time champions avoiding an early exit by the narrowest of margins as Portugal hit the post in stoppage time Vlatko Andonovski’s side are under pressure after failing to win two World Cup group stage matches for the first time in their history, and face a Sweden side who cruised into the last-16 with three wins out of three. Sweden defeated the USA 3-0 on their way to winning the Olympics silver medal two years ago, and the side ranked third in the world will be confident that they can pull off the upset. Earlier, Jill Roord scored her fourth goal of the tournament as the Netherlands marched into the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over South Africa at Sydney Football Stadium. Follow live updates from USA vs Sweden as the World Cup last-16 continues. Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? When do England play next? Women’s World Cup fixtures and route to the final

The first match of any season involving top-flight clubs is the Community Shield, and that’s exactly where we find ourselves once more ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Arsenal and Manchester City will meet at Wembley on Sunday to battle for the first, and most minor, piece of silverware of the year, with the Premier League winners and runners-up having both been head-to-head in the transfer market this summer as well as towards the back-end of last term. It was Pep Guardiola and his side who were triumphant on the pitch, winning the treble including the league ahead of the Gunners, but Mikel Arteta has managed to convince Declan Rice to move to north London instead of the northwest after leaving West Ham where he was captain. We’ll likely see both clubs at least in the mix for major honours much later on this season, but the first meeting could be a far more open affair with minutes on the pitch and honing of tactics more important than the trophy on offer. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match. When is the Community Shield? Arsenal take on Man City at Wembley on Sunday 6 August, with a 4pm BST kick-off. Where can I watch it? The match will be broadcast live free-to-air, with UK viewers able to watch on ITV and STV. It can also be streamed via ITVX and the STV Player. What is the team news? The Gunners have added £105m signing Declan Rice to their midfield as well as former Chelsea man Kai Havertz, who played up front for the Blues but may be another central option for Mikel Arteta. Jurrien Timber will also be looking for involvement after the versatile defender joined from Ajax. In attack, Eddie Nketiah is likely to start the season as the man in possession of the centre-forward jersey, with Gabriel Jesus sidelined after surgery. For Man City, Pep Guardiola will turn to new signing Mateo Kovacic to fill the void left by Ilkay Gundogan’s departure, but the Josko Gvardiol deal is not done in time for the defender to feature here. The likes of Julian Alvarez or Cole Palmer will hope for more involvement this season in attack too, after Riyad Mahrez’s departure left one fewer face competing for a spot. Kevin de Bruyne will miss out with injury, Predicted line-ups ARS - Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Partey, Odegaard, Rice, Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli MCI - Ortega, Stones, Dias, Laporte, Ake, Rodri, Kovacic, Foden, Alvarez, Haaland, Grealish Odds Arsenal 19/5 Draw 16/5 City 4/5 A further selection of tips and selected odds for the Community Shield can be found here. Prediction City to get their hands on another piece of silverware, albeit one which will make no difference to the rest of the season. An eventful opener is on the cards at Wembley: Arsenal 1-2 Man City Read More Can Mikel Arteta become Pep Guardiola’s greatest nemesis – or merely the latest? Barcelona landed one Man City star for free - now Pep Guardiola won’t allow another Mikel Arteta offers injury update on Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus It’s not normal – Pep Guardiola worried about physical demands on Man City squad Aaron Ramsey: Riches of Saudi league no contest for ‘priceless’ Cardiff return Arsenal will need ‘unheard of’ points tally to win title – Mikel Arteta

South Africa’s players soaked in the applause at the end; although defeated by the Netherlands, they left the Women’s World Cup with their heads held high. After reaching the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time, a place in the quarter-finals proved to be a step too far but only after they pushed the 2019 runners-up in a contest that could have played out very differently on another day. It took a sensational performance from Netherlands goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar to end South Africa’s dream run. Van Domselaar was superb, player of the match after denying the excellent Thembi Kgatlana while she threatened to tear the Netherlands apart. Kgatlana was electric, with the noise inside the stadium rising as the waves of South Africa counter-attacks rolled towards goal, Despite Jill Roord’s early opener, the equaliser felt like it was coming as long as Kgatlana could repeatedly run at the terrified Dutch defence. A Netherlands system and philosophy that is built on possession and control could do nothing to stop the South Africa captain once she took off. But thankfully for the Netherlands, they still had Van Domselaar, and without her this last-16 tie could have veered off course. Even as the Netherlands steadied in the second half, Van Domselaar continued to frustrate South Africa with a stunning save as she reached to stop Linda Motlhalo’s strike. By then, South Africa were already faced with a long road back: while Van Domselaar looked unbeatable at one end, South Africa’s Kaylin Swart made a glaring error at the other, allowing Lineth Beerensteyn’s tame shot to squirm through her grasp. It finally gave the Netherlands a sense of comfort that South Africa didn’t allow them to have in large spells at the Sydney Football Stadium. Roord’s free header to give the 2019 finalists the lead came after just nine minutes but the Netherlands weren’t able to settle because of the threat Kgatlana carried. The speed and directness of the South Africa attack, which cut through the Netherlands in straight, penetrating lines, always looked likely to cause an immobile defence problems and it didn’t take much for the Banyana Banyana to find the gaps. The Netherlands were terrified of Kgatlana and her breathtaking pace, with South Africa able to release her down the sides of the Netherlands’ back three throughout the opening period. Kgatlana had the beating of all three of the Dutch backline: first driving at Stefanie van der Gragt and flashing a strike across goal that was tipped over by Van Domselaar, then again as she took on Sherida Spitse in a flurry of step-overs and fired a shot that was saved at the near post. It was the first two saves of a busy afternoon for Van Domselaar, and the start of a running battle with Kgatlana. Neither Kgatlana or South Africa could have realistically asked for more opportunities. The Netherlands continued to leave themselves open to the counter-attack and a simple ball down the left channel was all it took to release Kgatlana for the third time, leaving Spitse chasing behind. Van Domselaar had to be as quick, closing the angle well and smothering the shot. By half time, Kgatlana had seen four shots saved by the Dutch goalkeeper, with South Africa leading the Netherlands for chances despite having only a third of the possession. An upset was very much on the cards, but perhaps the chance had already gone. After half time, the Netherlands stopped allowing breaks through the middle of the pitch and took command while using all of their tournament experience. To add to that, the Netherlands have a system that can suffocate opponents, taking the ball away from them. Along with Japan, and England in their third game against China, Andries Jonker’s side have been able to find advantages through their wing-backs, creating width with a system that gives every player another simple option to pass to. Still, it required a gift of a second goal for the Netherlands to finally have some breathing space, as Beerensteyn was released by Lieke Martens with a lobbed pass over the South Africa defence. Beerensteyn’s shot was chipped towards goal but Swart saw it squirm through her grasp, dribbling into the empty net. It was the second cheap goal South Africa had conceded, after Roord headed in the opener from a yard out after a corner wasn’t properly cleared. Martens’ header was hacked up and not out, leaving Roord to score her fourth goal in as many games at this World Cup. South Africa were denied an immediate response after falling two goals down, as Van Domselaar produced another excellent save to tip Motlhalo’s fiercely struck shot around the post. It allowed the Netherlands to close it out, even if Danielle van de Donk picked up a yellow card that will rule her out against Spain in the next round. After all the upsets in the group stage, that is a tie that shows that the heavyweights are now taking charge. But South Africa exit having left their mark. “We lit up the tournament,” said Desiree Ellis, who was left disappointed but not down, and motivated as she called for the change that will lead to South Africa taking a further step forward in four years time. “There are no underdogs now,” Ellis said. “We could have won the World Cup, but we do not have what other teams have.” Underfunded and without a professional women’s league or commercial sponsors, with players who are still working 9-5 jobs, the Banyana Banyana had punched well above their weight. And as South Africa departed with a lap of honour that was not for the victors, they had more than made their point. Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? When do England play next? Women’s World Cup fixtures and route to the final Keira Walsh returns to England training in Women’s World Cup boost Netherlands vs South Africa LIVE: Women’s World Cup result and final score Japan continue to shine as Spain orchestrate recovery to reach last-16

Keira Walsh has returned to full England training ahead of the Women’s World Cup last-16 match against Nigeria on Monday, just days after the Lionesses midfielder was stretchered off against Denmark. It was confirmed that Walsh had not suffered an ACL injury after she was left on crutches following England’s second match of the World Cup, although the Champions League winner remained with the squad following scans. Walsh missed England’s 6-1 win over China in the final match of Group C, with Sarina Wiegman changing her formation to a 3-5-2 in the midfielder’s absence, but her quick return to training has boosted hopes that the 26-year-old could play again at the tournament. Wiegman will give an update as to whether Walsh will be available for selection at her press conference in Brisbane later on Sunday, with England facing Nigeria in the last-16 clash the following day. Walsh was part of a full squad of 23 players who took part in training on Sunday. England have three players on yellow cards who will be suspended for the quarter-finals if they pick up another against Nigeria and the Lionesses make it through. Georgia Stanway, Lucy Bronze and Lauren Hemp are all a yellow card award from a one-match suspension, with yellow cards wiped out following the last-16. Read More Netherlands vs South Africa LIVE: Women’s World Cup latest score and updates as knockout stages continue Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today When do England play next? Women’s World Cup fixtures and route to the final

The Women’s World Cup knockout stages continue as the Netherlands take on South Africa in Sydney. South Africa were one of the stories of the group stage, as they stunned Italy with a dramatic 3-2 win to reach the last-16 for the first time. Led by star forwards Thembi Kgatlana and Hildah Magaia, the dangerous Banyana Banyana will be targeting another upset against the 2019 finalists. Netherlands topped Group E ahead of the United States and are an experienced side under Andries Jonker. The World Cup has been defined by shocks so far and the Netherlands will be wary of another, as they look to set up a quarter-final meeting with Spain, who thrashed the Switzerland on Saturday. Japan are also through to the last-16 and will face the winner of the heavyweight clash between defending champions USA and Sweden. The USA are looking vulnerable after scraping through Group E, and the defending champions going out at this stage would leave the tournament wide open. Follow live updates from Netherlands vs South Africa as the World Cup last-16 continues. Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? When do England play next? Women’s World Cup fixtures and route to the final

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has expressed his concern about the demands on players in light of changes such as an expanded Club World Cup and more time being added on in games. After winning the Champions League to complete their treble last term, City will compete in December’s Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia – what is planned to be the final edition featuring seven teams, with the next a 32-side competition taking place in the United States in the summer of 2025. Meanwhile, the significant increase in time added on seen at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, designed to tackle timewasting, is something set to apply to Premier League matches this season. Every year is getting worse and worse, and will be worse. I don’t know how it is going to end, honestly Pep Guardiola on the physical demands faced by players Speaking ahead of his side opening their 2023-24 campaign with Sunday’s Community Shield clash against Arsenal, Guardiola said: “I know at the end of next season, we are going to make a (Club) World Cup in the United States after finishing the season, two or three more weeks. That means the holidays will be 15 days or maybe three weeks. “I think it doesn’t exist already, pre-seasons. The problem is here (touching his head) – exhausted. Look already how many players are injured in pre-season, in bad conditions, humidity, hot, the pitches are not really good, especially in the States. “It is what it is, so we have to adapt, adjust – but it is not normal. “Now, for example, every game we’re going to play for 100 minutes. Wasting time – from my point of view it is not going to be solved by extending 10 more minutes. It’s more tiring for the players. It’s too much. “FIFA, UEFA – more competitions. The World Cup – more teams. This (Club) World Cup – I don’t know how many teams. “I don’t know what (is going to happen) in the future, for the players, even the managers, to prepare. That’s why you have to see exactly how much you demand of the players. “Every day, season by season, it’s difficult to handle for the players. They love to play but they need also recovery, with the stress and tension they have. They make a show like they do in front of 55-60,000 people – that is a lot of energy, mental energy, and every week, to do it, is a lot. “But every year is getting worse and worse, and will be worse. I don’t know how it is going to end, honestly.” As City prepare to hunt down further silverware, Guardiola has stressed the need for a game-by-game approach in which they “respect incredibly the opponent, do our best to win in the way we believe is better – and after we will see”. And he added: “I would say honestly we are closer to not repeating the treble than winning it, we are closer to not winning the Premier League than winning it. And no team ever won four in a row. “Last season – I didn’t start thinking we are going to win the treble. We started, ‘let’s go to try to win (the Community Shield) against Liverpool’ and we lost 3-1. “And after (that) we won and step by step, good moments. Normally we arrive (in the last few months of the season) in a good mentality and shape, and this is what we are going to try to do again.” June’s maiden Champions League triumph for City added to five league titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups they have won since Guardiola took charge in 2016. The Catalan signed a new contract running to 2025 last November, and when asked if he had thought at all about leaving after securing the treble, he said: “I signed a contract because I feel comfortable. “Nothing changed, for the fact of win or not win. It is how I am happy, and the people is happy, the board especially, the hierarchy, because in the end they decide which manager has to lead this group of players. If they are satisfied, I still am satisfied. “I want to defend what we won and year by year, maybe at the end of the season I am tired, or I say we will talk with the club, or maybe extend more, I don’t know.”

Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko is closing in a return to action after playing 11 minutes in the Game4Ukraine at Stamford Bridge. The left-back has not featured for the Gunners in their pre-season campaign due to the calf injury he picked up at the end of last season, but he made a cameo appearance in the charity match he helped to organise. The Ukrainian teamed up with compatriot Andriy Shevchenko for the match in order to raise funds for those affected by Russia’s illegal invasion in his home country. He captained one of the star-studded teams and, just 24 hours before Arsenal take on Manchester City in the Community Shield, played in the opening exchanges before being replaced. A minute’s silence and video address from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy preceded kick-off and an entertaining game, which also featured a 15-minute cameo from Chelsea’s Ukraine international Mykahilo Mudryk, ended 2-2. Mark Noble and Darijo Srna scored for Team Zinchenko while Clarence Seedorf and William Gallas bagged for Team Shevchenko.

Rangers’ cinch Premiership title challenge suffered the earliest of blows with a shock 1-0 defeat by Kilmarnock in the opening day of the season. Michael Beale’s disjointed side had laboured in the first half at Rugby Park and there was no improvement after the break before they were stunned by Brad Lyons’ counter after 65 minutes. The 26-year-old Northern Irishman pounced inside the box to fire the home side ahead and in the end it was enough to keep the three points in Ayrshire. The defeat was a huge setback for Light Blues boss who has signed nine new players so far. Beale knows the margin for error over 38 games in the traditional two-horse title race in Scotland is slim and there is little time for ironing things out on the training ground – the first leg of their Champions League qualifier against Servette is at Ibrox on Wednesday night. Champions Celtic began their campaign earlier in the day with a 4-2 win over Ross County at Parkhead so there was immediate pressure on the visitors to get the win, but there was a lack of cohesion in both teams, perhaps understandably. Derek McInnes’ side had only four players from last season in the starting line-up – stand-in captain Lyons, Danny Armstrong, David Watson and Lewis Mayo, who was signed on a permanent deal from Rangers after a loan spell. Of Beale’s new boys; Jack Butland, Kieran Dowell, Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima and Cyriel Dessers made their competitive debuts and Brazilian striker Danilo would come on later. Killie, with four ViaPlay Cup games under their belt already, made it difficult for the Govan side, nullifying most of the threat. In the 28th minute, backtracking Mayo brilliantly took the ball off Dessers’ toe as the former Cremonese striker raced through from a Sima pass but the offside flag was up. Killie keeper Will Dennis, on loan from Bournemouth, dived bravely inside his busy six-yard box to gather a loose ball from a James Tavernier corner before he saved a decent low drive from Dessers. The 23-year-old then tipped a powerful John Lundstram drive over the crossbar for a corner which he comfortably clutched out of the air, but it was a relatively quiet 45 minutes for him and the Killie defence. Rangers tried to press with more vigour after the break but the home side remained resolute in defence and increasingly confident when they broke. On the hour mark, seconds after Dowell headed wide following a corner, he was replaced along with Dessers. Todd Cantwell, a surprise omission, and Danilo came on for Rangers while for Killie, Marley Watkins made way for club captain Kyle Vassell. And then Killie took the lead. Rangers defender John Souttar failed to deal with a long throw-in from Watson and Lyons swept the ball past Butland from six yards. Minutes later, with the Light Blues in disarray, Butland did well to save a ferocious drive from Kyle Magennis before Armstrong curled a shot just wide. Ryan Jack came on for Lundstram and Kemar Roofe replaced Lammers as Rangers, in some desperation, tried everything to rescue a point at least but Dennis was well-protected for the 90 minutes and the six minutes of added time.

Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney and fellow Hollywood star Hugh Jackman watched Wrexham’s long-awaited English Football League return end in a 5-3 home humbling at the hands of MK Dons. Saturday’s encounter was an emotional occasion in north Wales as a sell-out crowd watched their side play their first Sky Bet League Two game since 2008. But Wrexham returned with a bump in front of ambitious owners Reynolds and McElhenney, with the dominant Dons becoming the first side to win at the SToK Racecourse since November 2021. These sides were two divisions apart just three months ago and the visitors quickly showed their quality, taking a two-goal lead just 10 minutes into Graham Alexander’s first game in charge. Ben Foster could not prevent Eoghan O’Connell’s own goal or Mohamed Eisa’s excellent solo effort, with Jacob Mendy reducing the deficit just before half-time as Wrexham celebrated a first EFL goal in 5,572 days. But the start of what manager Phil Parkinson called a “new era” proved a chastening one, with Jonathan Leko drilling home from distance and then beating Foster again as the Dons pulled further ahead. Wrexham grabbed one back through hometown hero Jordan Davies, before the Dons’ Daniel Harvie and home substitute Anthony Forde completed the scoring in stoppage time. The hosts were without injured star striker Paul Mullin and new signing James McClean at the Racecourse, where Parkinson’s men looked nervy and went behind in the sixth minute. O’Connell headed Ethan Robson’s free-kick into his own goal, with MJ Williams soon seeing a shot hit the post before the Dons’ second arrived in the 10th minute. Eisa showed excellent skill and perseverance before eventually prodding underneath Foster to stun the Racecourse faithful and delight the 1,115 away fans. Ryan Barnett had cut in to flash a strike over at the other end shortly before, but Wrexham struggled to deal with the two-goal gut punch and created little in the way of clear-cut chances. Foster did well to stop a Leko effort from the edge of the box as MK Dons pushed for a third, only for Wrexham to reduce the deficit in the 42nd minute. Billy Waters saw his effort denied by Dons goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray, with Mendy firing home the rebound and restoring hope. Wrexham looked to kick on when the second half got under way, only to fall further behind to a thumping 51st minute Leko strike as referee Tom Reeves allowed play to continue despite Andy Cannon being left in a heap. Parkinson made a triple change but his side were soon further behind, with impressive Leko beating the offside trap and then Foster to net his second of the afternoon in the 64th minute. Substitute Ollie Palmer saw an effort smothered and fellow introduction Davies flashed narrowly over as Wrexham looked to pull one back, with the latter finally burying home a stunner in the 82nd minute. Wrexham pushed for more and Forde curled home brilliantly in stoppage time, although Harvie had just extended the visitors’ lead as the Dons ran out deserved winners. Read More Why James McClean needs Wrexham just as much as the club needs him ‘Finally snagged an invite!’ Hugh Jackman joins Ryan Reynolds at Wrexham game Why Wrexham can’t bank on another Hollywood ending Carl Starfelt makes likely farewell Celtic appearance in opening day SPL win Andre Onana and Mason Mount have Old Trafford debuts to forget in pre-season friendly Aaron Ramsey: Riches of Saudi league no contest for ‘priceless’ Cardiff return