Brazilian forward Neymar has criticized his former coach at Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal, Jorge Jesus, after his first match with Santos on Wednesday. Jesus had questioned Neymar’s readiness to play ahead of the game. Neymar played in the second half of Santos’ 1-1 draw with Botafogo in the Sao Paulo state championship. Despite being out of action for an extended period due to injury, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star performed well. Speaking to reporters after the match, Neymar expressed his frustration with Jesus’ comments. “I’m ready to play. Of course, I won’t be able to play 90…
Author: Oluwaseun samuel
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Gabriel Martinelli will undergo a scan for a suspected hamstring injury following Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Wednesday. The Gunners were beaten 2-0 in both legs of their Carabao Cup semi-final, but the loss was compounded by Martinelli’s injury late in the first half, after the winger pulled up and had to leave the pitch. With Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus already sidelined with long-term injuries, Arsenal can’t afford another key player out for an extended period. The club will now anxiously await the results of the scan on Martinelli’s injury. “He felt…
Former Real Madrid left-back Marcelo has announced his retirement from football at the age of 36. The Brazilian made the announcement in a video posted on his X account on Thursday. “At 18, Real Madrid knocked on my door, and I arrived here. Now, I can proudly say that I am a true Madrileno,” Marcelo shared. “My journey as a player ends here, but I still have so much to give to football. Thank you for everything.” Marcelo is one of the most decorated players in football history, having joined Real Madrid in 2007 at just 18 years old. Over…
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has revealed the strategy that helped his team secure a 2-0 win over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg on Wednesday, advancing 4-0 on aggregate. Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon scored in each half to seal the victory, and Howe, speaking to Sky Sports after the match, explained that they specifically targeted Arsenal’s central defenders, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes. “We wanted to put pressure on them [Saliba and Gabriel], and to do that, we had to get bodies in the right areas and press high—that was our approach,” Howe said. “You know…
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has confirmed that Wojciech Szczesny is now his first-choice goalkeeper. Szczesny has been preferred over Inaki Pena as Barcelona’s starting goalkeeper in recent weeks. Pena had previously stepped in as the number one after Marc-Andre ter Stegen was ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a knee ligament injury last September. However, ahead of Barcelona’s Copa del Rey quarter-final against Valencia on Thursday, Flick confirmed that Szczesny holds the number one spot. “Szczesny is our first goalkeeper now, it’s confirmed,” Flick stated. “It’s not just about Iñaki or Szczesny, but about the whole…
The Premier League is considering sanctions for players whose goal celebrations are deemed to harm the game’s reputation or risk provoking opposition fans or players. This move follows criticism of some celebrations, with many feeling that certain actions crossed the line into mocking opponents. Iliman Ndiaye was booked for flapping his arms like a seagull after scoring Everton’s winner against Brighton, while Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly mimicked Erling Haaland’s ‘zen’ celebration in a 5-1 win over Manchester City, though he received no punishment. Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy has previously mimicked an eagle after scoring against Crystal Palace and taunted Tottenham fans…
Carlo Ancelotti has acknowledged that the opinions of senior players like Luka Modric must be respected after the Croatian veteran joined other Real Madrid players in criticizing Vinicius Junior during Wednesday’s win over Leganes. Ancelotti made several changes to his lineup for the Copa del Rey clash, bringing Vinicius on as a substitute at half-time, just before Leganes equalized to make it 2-2. Despite securing a stoppage-time victory, tensions flared in the second half, with Vinicius facing sharp criticism from Modric. As Madrid prepared to defend a corner, Modric was seen reprimanding Vinicius for what appeared to be a lack…
Barcelona advanced to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey on Thursday night with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Valencia at the Mestalla. Valencia, struggling at the bottom end of La Liga this season, were unable to find any relief in this quarter-final clash. Ferran Torres gave Barcelona the lead within the first three minutes, and just 15 minutes later, Robert Lewandowski’s replacement, Torres, doubled the advantage. Fermin Lopez made it 3-0 with just 25 minutes played, and Torres completed his hat-trick in only 30 minutes against his boyhood club. Valencia left the pitch at halftime to boos from the…
Liverpool will face Newcastle United in the 2025 Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium next month, when the first major trophy of the season will be handed out. After Newcastle booked their place in the March showpiece on Wednesday by completing a 4-0 aggregate rout of Arsenal, Liverpool followed on Thursday. The Reds prevailed 4-0 over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, successfully turning around an aggregate deficit. It took Liverpool just over half an hour to erase Tottenham’s narrow advantage from the first leg, with Cody Gakpo firing past Antonin Kinsky after Mohamed Salah’s cross made it all the way to…
A fan of Ghana’s renowned football club, Asante Kotoko, has tragically died after being stabbed during a match against local rivals Nsoatreman. The victim, Francis Yaw Frimpong, commonly known as Pooley, was killed following a heated argument with an unidentified individual during the game, according to a statement from Nsoatreman. The match, held on Sunday in the central town of Nsoatre, was marred by fan violence, with spectators throwing objects onto the pitch. The situation escalated when some fans stormed the field, attacking players and officials. After a brief pause, the match resumed, but Asante Kotoko ultimately lost 1-0 to…