List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

AC Milan have signed forward Noah Okafor from Red Bull Salzburg. The 23-year-old Switzerland international has put pen to paper on a five-year deal running until June 30, 2028. Okafor came through the youth ranks at Basel, making his professional debut in 2018 and scoring seven goals in 54 games. He moved to Salzburg in January 2020 and attracted the attention of Milan after netting 34 times in 110 appearances, helping the club to four Austrian Bundesliga titles and three Austrian Cups. In announcing the move, a message on the Salzburg Twitter feed read: “Noah Okafor has joined @acmilan on a permanent transfer. “We’d like to thank him for the massive contributions he made to our club, and wish him nothing but the absolute best as he joins one of the biggest clubs in the world. See you soon, Noah.” Okafor made his international debut in June 2019 against England, while his first Switzerland goal secured his country’s qualification for the World Cup in Qatar. He was included in the squad for the finals and came on as a substitute in three of Switzerland’s four games. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

England have a precious first win in this World Cup but that very description is why they did not look like eventual winners of the tournament itself. That isn’t to say it will remain like this, but Sarina Wiegman has a lot of problems to solve, and a lot of work to do. Haiti at least more than set the tone for the latter. In something that has already developed into a bit of a pattern in these first few games, the supposed minnow deserved more than the 1-0 defeat they suffered through Georgia Stanway’s mercifully reordered penalty. Haiti’s brilliant young star, Melchie Dumornay, may well end up deserving a series of individual awards. She was by far the player of the match here, running the game. Haiti often gave England a runaround. The entire result ended up depending on Mary Earps standing her ground in a crucial final chance for Haiti. FOLLOW LIVE: England vs Haiti: Women’s World Cup latest scores and reaction after Lionesses secure victory The caveats to all of this shouldn’t be discounted, of course. The favourites have essentially been treating these group stages as a warm-up, even if they will not publicly say that. It could be seen in Wiegman’s line-up, which still had an element of testing a few positions and the manager not fully revealing her hand. On the other side, and this has played into that pattern, there’s been a will from some of the lower-ranked teams to seize the moment; to put it up the big nations. Haiti more than did that. This is a team and country that have gone through a tumultuous time, both in the political landscape of the nation and some of the controversies around the federation. It made it all the more impressive that the Haitian side did not look like one just making up the numbers. They instead looked like what they are: a side made up of a fair few players in the French league, not least Dumornay. They should now fancy their chances of getting through this group. England will have to really sharpen up to ensure they finish first, as expected. This was nothing like what was expected. And if it was a warm-up, it was furnace-hot. Really, it was a proper contest. The warning came as early as the first minute when England’s rustiness and Haiti’s readiness came together strikingly early. Millie Bright looked very much like she had barely played since March, as she passed an easy ball out of the back straight to Nerilia Mondesir. The danger came about 10 minutes later. Mondesir was again put through only to screw the ball wide, but the true threat here was the sensational Dumornay who put her through with a reverse pass. The entire Women’s World Cup was about to take note. Everyone could instantly see why Lyon secured her signing in January. Dumornay’s value has shot up. She was the best player on the pitch here, combining an energy and intelligence that ensured something looked like it was going to happen every time she was on the ball. This also reflected an issue with the game as a whole. England could get on the ball a lot themselves, with up to 71 per cent possession, but Haiti didn’t really allow them to control it. The personnel issues perhaps didn’t help. While Stanway and Keira Walsh attempted to set a pace in the middle, the latter was frequently marked, in a tactical move that looks like it’s going to be a challenge for the entire campaign, however long that is. It played its part in ensuring the midfield had nowhere to really move the ball with the wide players too isolated and Ella Toone regularly manoeuvred out of the game. England, not for the first time, had little recourse but to go more direct. This admittedly was the source of the essential game-breaking moment. With another ball in the air, Louis Batcheba inexplicably lifted both hands as if reaching for a line-out. Wrong sport, despite the setting, right decision. A penalty given, before another correct decision followed. Stanway struck her first penalty well but Kerly Theus did superbly to leap and force it wide. The issue was the advantage of having also stepped off her line. A retake was ordered and Stanway displayed supreme composure. The question in a moment of significant tension was whether she would go the same way. She instead went low, drilling the ball into the bottom corner. England were away, but not by much. If the expectation was that such a goal would finally kill Haiti’s enthusiasm, there wasn’t a bit of it. The back-and-forth over the penalty instead reflected how complicated the game continued to be for England. At only 1-0, there was always that unsettling feeling that one unfortunate – or, if Dumornay was involved, inspired – moment could change it all. The tension was visible in every break, every rushed clearance. It was never more acute than in the single most dramatic moment in open play, when Roseline Eloissaint suddenly broke through with less than 10 minutes remaining. She slightly snatched at her shot, though, allowing Earps to make a superb save that could yet be one of the most significant of England’s World Cup. The break was all the more concerning for Wiegman’s side, since it had come out of a period when Haiti tired. That was inevitable, but you couldn’t quite say that about another England goal. Wiegman did naturally change things a lot by bringing on Lauren James and Rachel Daly but it didn’t really change the mood of the game. That only came with the final whistle, and it was one of massive relief. Read More Sarina Wiegman admits unconvincing England lacked cutting edge in World Cup opener England underestimated Haiti in World Cup opener and revealed their Achilles heel Mary Earps is an England superstar – even if fans can’t buy her shirt Lucy Bronze: England’s legendary right-back in profile Alessia Russo: England’s attacking talent in profile Rachel Daly: England’s versatile goalscorer in profile

A bumper Saturday at the Women’s World Cup saw four games played across Australia and New Zealand. World champions the United States and Euro 2022 winners England started their quest to lift the trophy with wins as Haiti and Vietnam were beaten. Denmark and Japan also picked up victories over China and Zambia, respectively. Here the PA news agency takes a look at all of the action. Holders on form Two first-half goals from Sophia Smith got the United States’ defence of the Women’s World Cup under way with a 3-0 win over Vietnam in Auckland. But the tournament favourites were wasteful in front of goal, missing a penalty as they failed to turn their dominance – 28 shots to none – into a bigger win against outclassed but determined opposition. Rising star Smith fired them ahead after 14 minutes, running on to Alex Morgan’s flick to fire a shot past goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Tranh. The USA dominated the rest of the first half but failed to add to their lead: Julie Ertz, debutant Savannah DeMelo, Lindsay Horan, Smith and Morgan all having chances before Morgan wasted the best opportunity, Kim Tranh saving her weak spot-kick given for a foul on Trinity Rodman. Five-star Japan Japan made light work of World Cup debutants Zambia to start their campaign with a comfortable 5-0 win. Hinata Miyazawa hit a brace with Mina Tanaka striking between her two goals and Jun Endo adding a fourth to pull Japan well clear. There was still time for late drama as Zambia goalkeeper Catherine Musonda was sent off for conceding a late penalty. Substitute stopper Eunice Sakala saved Riko Ueki’s resulting spot-kick but Ueki scored on the second attempt after Sakala was deemed to have come off her line. Toil for England Georgia Stanway’s retaken first-half penalty was enough to earn England a nervy 1-0 victory over World Cup debutants Haiti in their Group D opener at Brisbane Stadium. This was not the decisive victory most had predicted for the European champions and world number-four side against a team 49 places below them in the FIFA rankings. Haiti came close to levelling more than once, including a late second-half chance repelled at the last by Mary Earps’ outstretched foot. While the Lionesses ultimately walked away with all three points, it was an underwhelming performance that will leave boss Sarina Wiegman with plenty of questions. Late Danes Likely to be England’s fiercest Group D rivals, Denmark sealed a 1-0 win over China courtesy of a late goal from substitute Amalie Vangsgaard. The Paris St Germain forward came on with five minutes remaining in Perth and broke the stalemate as she headed in Penille Harder’s corner as the clock ticked into the 90th minute. The goal survived a VAR check as the officials ruled that defender Rikke Sevecke had not prevented Xu Huan in the China goal from keeping out Vansgaard’s effort. Denmark and England now face off on Friday, with both sides aiming for improvements on their narrow victories. Picture of the Day Quote of the Day `I think it takes a little bit to find your feet. Coming into a major tournament the pressure is high and the build-up is so long England's match-winner Stanway Post of the Day Up Next Group G: Sweden v South Africa (6am Sunday, Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington)Group E: Netherlands v Portugal (8.30am Sunday, Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin)Group F: France v Jamaica (11am Sunday, Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney)all times BST Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Tadej Pogacar salvages pride but Jonas Vingegaard set to retain Tour title WTA investigates after Russia’s Vera Zvonareva barred from entering Poland Jon Rahm shoots stunning 63 to surge into contention at The Open

USC superstar quarterback Caleb Williams loves having former Arizona wide receiver Dorian Singer playing for the Trojans now.Caleb Williams is a shining example of how the better half of college football lives over at USC.The reigning Heisman Trophy winner stands as good of a chance as anyon...

A weird situation.

Georgia Stanway’s retaken first-half penalty was enough to earn England a nervy 1-0 victory over World Cup debutants Haiti in their Group D opener at Brisbane Stadium. This was not the decisive victory most had predicted for the European champions and world’s number-four side against a team 49 places below them in the FIFA rankings. Haiti came close to levelling more than once, including a late second-half chance denied at the last by Mary Earps’ outstretched foot. While the Lionesses ultimately walked away with all three points, it was an underwhelming performance that will leave boss Sarina Wiegman with plenty of questions ahead of Friday’s meeting with Denmark. England fans were out in full force ahead of kick-off in the Queensland capital, where ‘Football’s Coming Home’ could be heard from a riverside rally and ex-Arsenal forward Ian Wright posed in a Lotte Wubben-Moy shirt beneath Story Bridge. For so much of the build-up of this tournament, the conversation around the Lionesses centred on their ongoing dispute with the Football Association over bonus payments and other commercial issues. On a clear Thursday night, England wanted their football to do the talking, yet it was Haiti who enjoyed the first spell of attack, winning an early corner before Chloe Kelly, the hero in last summer’s Euro 2022 final, tested Haiti goalkeeper Kerly Theus with a curled effort. One of the biggest dilemmas for Wiegman ahead of this tournament was who she would entrust as her number nine and – for this opener at least – it was Alessia Russo who led the England attack and rolled an early effort at Theus. England fans, who by the noise inside the stadium comprised the majority of those in attendance, felt their hearts leap to their throats when Roselord Borgella broke free and was one-on-one with Earps but rolled her effort past the far post. The Lionesses thought they had won a least a penalty when Dayana Pierre-Louis clattered into Kelly on the byline and appeared to clip her knee with a stud, but the Haitian midfielder got away with just a yellow card after it was determined – following a lengthy VAR check – that Russo had committed a foul in the build-up. Soon after that decision, however, Batcheba Louis was punished for a handball and Stanway stepped up to the spot. Theus sparked a jubilant Haitian celebration when she saved Stanway’s first effort, but VAR again intervened and Venezuelan referee Emikar Calderas ruled the keeper had encroached and the penalty was retaken. Stanway did not make the same mistake twice as she fired low into the left corner for what felt like an uneasy lead at the end of a stop-start first half. Melchie Dumornay, the 19-year-old midfielder bound for Lyon after this tournament, forced Earps into a leaping save shortly after the restart before Russo was twice denied in quick succession. Chelsea’s Lauren James made her World Cup debut after replacing Hemp, just ahead of another nervy moment for England when Dumornay found Haiti skipper Nerilia Mondesir in plenty of space before Jess Carter recovered the ball. James tried to get something started by delivering a cross to Russo, who came close but saw her attempt tipped over the crossbar, before Bright skied an effort and Theus picked crosses from Alex Greenwood and James out of the air. On came Rachel Daly for Russo in the 76th minute as Haiti pushed for an equaliser, which nearly came via Roseline Eloissaint but for the outstretched foot of Earps to deny the substitute from 18 yards out. Carter’s well-timed challenge broke up another Haiti run into the Lionesses’ final third, with Earps able to punch away the resulting corner. The chances came for the Lionesses to double their advantage but never the finishing touch as England finished with the result, but probably not the performance, they wanted. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live England’s chances of winning fourth Ashes Test set back by rain Brian Harman hoping history repeats itself after claiming huge halfway lead Denise O’Sullivan hails ‘unbelievable’ Ireland fans at World Cup

With the retirement of England’s record goalscorer Ellen White in the wake of last summer’s Euros triumph, much of the responsibility for providing the side’s attacking threat could now fall upon the shoulders of Alessia Russo. Russo, 24, who has just moved from Manchester United to Arsenal on a free transfer, grew in influence as that tournament progressed, regularly emerging from the bench to replace White and scoring twice in a 5-0 thrashing of Northern Ireland, as well as netting arguably the goal of the tournament in the semi-final: an utterly outrageous backheel to embarrass Sweden. Born and raised in Maidstone, Kent, Russo is of Sicillian heritage and took to football from an early age, both her father Mario and older brother Giorgio having played at non-league level. Women’s World Cup LIVE: Latest updates as England face Haiti Rising through the youth ranks of first Charlton Athletic and then Chelsea, she briefly appeared for Brighton and Hove Albion in 2017 before enrolling at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she spent two years playing college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels alongside Lotte Wubben-Moy, scoring an impressive 28 goals across 58 games over two seasons before having to curtail her time in the United States because of the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Subsequently signing for Manchester United, she has scored 22 goals in 48 games for the Red Devils over the last three seasons, form that has earned her the attention of Sarina Wiegman and a move to the multiple title-winners, where she will link up next season with Lionesses’s teammates Leah Williamson, Wubben-Moye and Beth Mead and European greats Vivianne Miedema and Stina Blackstenius. The goalscoring form of both Rachel Daly and Bethany England last season means Russo’s place in the starting lineup as White’s natural replacement is by no means a given, however. Read More How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today

Chloe Kelly has already secured her place in English football history after coming off the bench in last summer’s Euro 2022 Final to stab home the winner in extra-time as Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses beat Germany 2-1, tearing off her shirt and whirling it maniacally in the air in one of the most instantly-iconic celebrations Wembley has ever seen. Kelly had almost missed the tournament with a knee injury but returned to triumph, her moment of euphoria as joyous and empowering a moment as any sport anywhere has ever produced. Since then, she was England’s top scorer in February’s Arnold Clark Cup and scored the winning penalty against Brazil to win the Finalissima, proving once again that she is a big game player of the very highest calibre. Women’s World Cup LIVE: Latest updates as England face Haiti Still only 25, the Londoner grew up in Hanwell, just a bus ride away from the national stadium, the youngest of seven siblings who credits her career to playing street football with her five brothers from a young age. Starting out at Queens Park Rangers, she was soon spotted by Arsenal and progressed through the Gunners’ youth ranks to make her senior debut against Watford at 17, scoring just 22 minutes into that match. In 2016, she was loaned out to Everton, who later made the signing permanent. She would score 16 times for the Toffees in 45 appearances before moving to Manchester City in 2020, where she has since netted another 16 in 48. At international level, she has worked her way up from under-17s to the senior squad, making her Lionesses debut versus Austria in November 2018 in a 3-0 win. With Beth Mead ruled out, Kelly will be competing with the likes of Lauren James for a starting place on the right-wing for England in Australia and New Zealand this month, where her directness again promises to terrify opposition defences. Read More How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule

Like international teammate Chloe Kelly, Manchester United midfielder Ella Toone will forever be remembered for scoring in the Euro 2022 final at Wembley last July. While Kelly’s winner and celebration made the headlines, in truth it was Toone’s equaliser that was the finer finish, the substitute staying onside to beat the German defence, latching onto an exquisite pass from Keira Walsh and delicately lofting the ball over Merle Frohms into an empty net. She had already netted a crucial equaliser against Spain in the quarter-finals of the same tournament when the Lionesses were beginning to look beaten and has since scored in another final for England, the Finalissima to be exact, setting her side on the path to a 4-2 win on penalties over the South American champions Brazil. Women’s World Cup LIVE: Latest updates as England face Haiti Growing up outside Wigan, Toone, 23, began her playing career with Astley and Tyldesley Girls, where she was spotted by United and drafted into its youth set up in 2007 at the age of just eight, her potential obvious even then. However, after finding her opportunities for advancement limited, she left in 2013 at 14 to join Blackburn Rovers, breaking into the first team in 2015 and scoring an impressive 13 goals in 20 appearances. Between 2016 and 2018 she was with Manchester City, but played for them just five times before returning to United for its inaugural season in the FA Women’s Championship. She has gone on to play 99 times for the Red Devils and score 34 goals, appearing to particularly relish turning out against Leicester, having scored four against them and then five over the course of two separate encounters in 2019. Like Rachel Daly, it was Phil Neville who first called her up for England duty and nurtured her talent at international level, work that has continued under Sarina Wiegman and which has seen her bag two hat-tricks in qualifying for the World Cup against Latvia and North Macedonia. She will be expected to start this time around in place of the injured Fran Kirby. Read More How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule

Despite being a Manchester City fan so committed to the club that she had pet goldfish named Shaun Goater and Nicolas Anelka as a child, Keira Walsh was also a keen student of “tiki-taka”-era Barcelona growing up in Rochdale, admiring the total control demonstrated by Pep Guardiola’s sides through elegant possession football. These days, Pep is managing City and it is Walsh herself sitting at the heart of Barca’s midfield. She made that move last summer for a world record fee after starring for the Lionesses at Euro 2022, pulling the strings at the centre of the park like another of her idols, David Silva, always knowing precisely when to play the killer pass. Women’s World Cup LIVE: Latest updates as England face Haiti There was no finer example of this than the perfectly-weighted long ball she dinked into Ella Toone for England’s opener against Germany in the final, for which she was deservingly named player of the match. Another famed instance of Walsh’s artistry in action came at the SheBelieves Cup in Japan in 2019, when she played in Beth Mead with a pass that took out no fewer than eight separate opposition players in one move, a clip of which swiftly went viral. Her performances during the Euros inspired French journalist Julien Laurens to hail her as “the best player in the world”, an accolade that will place renewed pressure on her to stamp her authority on the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer. Walsh, now 26, abandoned youthful passions for badminton and cricket to commit to football, emerging from Blackburn Rovers’ youth system before transferring to her beloved City in 2014, where she made 118 appearances and became known to the club’s Oasis-besotted fans as “WonderWalsh” in tribute to her dependable presence. Former teammate Jill Scott, incidentally, has said her nickname among the Lionesses is “Sat Nav Foot” for the extraordinary precision of her passing. For England, Walsh has effortlessly succeeded Fara Williams in central midfield, having been handed the captain’s armband in just her seventh outing for the Lionesses, aged 21, and is no doubt the first name on Sarina Wiegman’s team sheet these days. Read More How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule

With the Lionesses’ Euro 2022-winning captain Leah Williamson forced to miss out on the World Cup through injury, coach Sarina Wiegman has entrusted the responsibility for leading the team to experienced Chelsea centre back Millie Bright. Bright has been passed fit for England’s match against Haiti after recovering from knee surgery and the defender will lead the Lionesses in their Group D opener. Now 29, Bright grew up in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, overcoming infant pneumonia and asthma to enjoy a career as a top level athlete, although her first love was equestrianism, not football. Women’s World Cup LIVE: Latest updates as England face Haiti Showing early promise when she did take to the field aged nine, she was soon scouted playing for Killamarsh Dynamos by Sheffield United and joined their academy before moving to Doncaster Rovers Belles aged 16 in 2009. Making her debut that same year and scoring on her first start, Bright spent a year on loan at Leeds Ladies before establishing herself at Doncaster, where she played with future Lionesses Mary Earps and Bethany England. In December 2014, she signed for Chelsea and has remained with the West London club ever since, picking up four Barclays Women’s Super League titles, three FA Women’s Cups and reaching the UEFA Champions League Final, scoring 14 times across 218 appearances. For England, she was an essential part of the side that reached the semi-finals of the last FIFA World Cup in France in 2019 and of last summer’s triumphant Euros team. She has represented her country, to date, 66 times and scored five international goals, striking up solid defensive partnerships with Williamson and Houghton during that time and posing a significant aerial threat from set plays. Read More How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener 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?

Arsenal defender Lotte Wubben-Moy was a squad player with England’s triumphant Euro 2022 side but will be ready to step up to the first team at the World Cup should Sarina Wiegman call upon her, with a number of high-profile defensive injury concerns making that increasingly likely. The Londoner, born to Dutch and English parents in Bow, has been with the Gunners since she was a child except for a stint in US college soccer with the North Carolina Tar Heels between 2017 and 2020, where her roommate was Alessia Russo, with whom she has just been reunited at club level. By enrolling at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the pair were following in the footsteps of fellow Lioness Lucy Bronze, but there time in North America was sadly curtailed by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which at least enabled her to return to North London. Now 24, Wubben-Moy has played 66 times for the Gunners over the course of her two stints with the club since 2015, scoring five times and counting England colleagues Leah Williamson and Beth Mead among her illustrious teammates. She was also captain of England’s successful under-17s side between 2015 and 2017 and has since picked up 10 caps for the senior side, a total she will be hoping to add to in Australia and New Zealand. However, perhaps Wubben-Moy’s biggest contribution to the Lionesses came immediately after the Euros, and off the pitch. While the Lionesses have become an important voice in asking for better for women in sport, and for inclusion in general, Wubben-Moy has been at the forefront of it. A player who understands her role in society, was her idea to demand equal access to sport for girl’s in school after the Euros final, leading to £600m of funding being pledged by the Government. Wubben-Moy’s affinity for Arsenal and the local area is well known – and her new deal with the club includes a commitment to support upcoming local community projects. The centre-back also spoke out against the hosting of the Qatar World Cup due to the country’s laws on homosexuality. Wubben-Moy is in a relationship with the professional cyclist and former Giro d’Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart. Read More Keira Walsh: England’s deep-lying playmaker in profile Millie Bright: England women’s football captain in profile England women World Cup fixtures and route to the final