World Cup 2022: Olivier Giroud's winner gives France a 2-1 quarterfinal win over England
France’s attempt to win back-to-back World Cups is still on after a 2-1 win over England in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Olivier Giroud put France ahead in the 78th minute when he headed the ball off Harry Maguire’s shoulder and into the back of the net. England had a chance to tie just a few minutes later after Theo Hernandez bowled over Mason Mount in the penalty box. After a video review, the referee was summoned to the monitor and granted the obvious penalty kick. France then saw out the final 13 minutes of the game as England pressed forward for the tie.
wftv.comDropped by Man United, Maguire becomes an issue for England
Harry Maguire has been dropped by Manchester United despite being its club captain and the most expensive defender in soccer history. The big question now: How will that affect his place in England's team ahead of the World Cup? Central defense is suddenly a huge concern for Southgate 10 weeks ahead of the World Cup in Qatar. ___BRAITHWAITE RESURGESLeaving Barcelona might have been just what Martin Braithwaite needed to boost his chances of securing a spot in Denmark's World Cup squad. Alves was a regular for Brazil in World Cup qualifying and also won the gold medal at last year's Tokyo Olympics.
wftv.comMan United beats Liverpool 2-1 against backdrop of protests
MANCHESTER, England — (AP) — Against a backdrop of protests against the club’s ownership, Manchester United delivered a performance of intensity and spirit to beat fierce rival Liverpool 2-1 on Monday and finally claim its first points in the Premier League this season. Suddenly, the heat is on Liverpool — widely expected to be a title contender again this season — with Jürgen Klopp’s team still waiting for a win after three games and now languishing behind United in the standings. Mohamed Salah scored an 81st-minute consolation but it was another below-par display from Liverpool. The pressure was on United after losses to Brighton (2-1) and Brentford (4-0) to open the season, and the players fed off a frenzied atmosphere that seemed to affect Liverpool early on. It's down to United to string a run of similar battling performances together, starting at Southampton next weekend.
wftv.comMan City doubles down on United's anguish for derby glory
APTOPIX Britain Soccer Premier League Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Manchester United, at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, March 6, 2022. Just further confirmation of the divergent paths these one-time rivals are on in the Premier League. It took City only five minutes to go in front. It was Mahrez’s turn to contribute the goals in the second half at the Etihad Stadium — starting with an assist from De Bruyne. “I’m such a demanding man, but I know my limits and I know the players’ limits and the second half in all terms (was excellent)."
wftv.comEuro 2020 final review finds England fans endangered lives
An investigation into the disorder at the European Championship final says aggression by England fans exposed an “embarrassing” part of the national culture that endangered lives and should lead to fans being barred from stadiums if they are chanting abuse and under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
New stars, old problems for Man United in Champions League
Switzerland Soccer Champions League From left, Manchester United's Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Harry Maguire leave the pitch after of the Champions League group F soccer match between BSC Young Boys and Manchester United, at the Wankdorf stadium in Bern, Switzerland, Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. Even new signings Ronaldo and Raphaël Varane — four-time Champions League winners together at Real Madrid — could not save the stellar and expensively assembled Man United team from defeat against unheralded Young Boys. Leading 1-0 from Ronaldo’s 13th-minute strike, Man United failed to get a shot on goal the rest of the way. The story of Solksjaer's managing in the Champions League has been highs and lows with little middle ground. Ronaldo has never played in the Europa League for Man United, Real Madrid or Juventus.
wftv.comGreenwood's goals well timed before Ronaldo returns to Man U
Britain Soccer Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers' Raul Jimenez, right, and Manchester United's Harry Maguire battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England, Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021. (Nick Potts/PA via AP) (Nick Potts)LONDON — (AP) — Mason Greenwood is making sure Manchester United doesn't neglect his scoring abilities when Cristiano Ronaldo returns. The latest ensured an underwhelming United performance at Wolverhampton still ended in a 1-0 victory on Sunday. The winner at Wolves only came in the 80th minute and after United required David De Gea’s sensational double save with about 20 minutes to go to thwart Romain Saïss. ___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.
wftv.com'We can rest when we retire': Rashford rejects burnout fears
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford rests during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Sunday, March. “It’s the life of a footballer — we can rest when we retire,” Rashford said Wednesday, a day before appearance No. Indeed, his priority is winning trophies with United, which hasn’t happened for nearly four years now — since capturing the Europa League under Jose Mourinho in 2017. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the semifinals have been the ceiling for United in cup competitions and Rashford said it’s time to put that right. “We unfortunately got kicked out of the Champions League and our focus was to win the Europa League," he said, "and we are not going to be happy with anything less than that.
Winning run ended by Man U but City running away with title
Manchester United won 2-0. Manchester United's 2-0 victory on Sunday halted City's winning run at 21 matches in all competitions. The most important number to Guardiola is 11 — the points advantage City holds over second-place United. City running away with the title seemed unimaginable in November when it lost to then-leader Tottenham. After a one-two with Marcus Rashford, the left back scored his first league goal since 2018, putting the ball through Rodri’s legs.
Chelsea beaten by Everton; Manchester derby stalemate
(Tim Keeton/Pool via AP)MANCHESTER – The People's Club welcomed back its fans and Chelsea felt the full force. It means third-place Chelsea can be overtaken — if Leicester beats Brighton on Sunday — and front-runners Tottenham and Liverpool can pull further away at the top of the Premier League. “The impact was really strong — we were really pleased," Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti said. There was no atmosphere, no intensity and no goals as Manchester United and Manchester City drew 0-0 in the 183rd derby. The rivals are both unusually low in the Premier League, too.
Crisis averted as Man United and Solskjaer come out fighting
After his team’s stirring comeback in a 3-1 win at Everton in the Premier League, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer didn’t hold back, either. Edinson Cavani capped the fightback with his first goal for United deep in stoppage time. ZIYECH STARSLike United, Chelsea also fought back from conceding an early goal and ultimately swept aside Sheffield United in a 4-1 win. And like United, Chelsea had a creative playmaker pulling the strings as the catalyst for the recovery. “We played against him in the Champions League last year,” Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said of Ziyech.
Van Dijk injury causes concern for frustrated Liverpool
Early in what proved to be a painful Merseyside derby for Liverpool, Van Dijk was the subject of a reckless lunge by Jordan Pickford that saw the Everton goalkeeper clatter into the extended right leg of the Netherlands defender. Van Dijk roared in agony and, tellingly, stayed down. There was no official word from Liverpool on the potential length of his absence, but Van Dijk reportedly left hospital on crutches in the evening. Van Dijk might have been marking Keane and Calvert-Lewin for both of those Everton chances. For Southampton’s second goal, Kurt Zouma underhit a back pass before goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga made two errors in a matter of seconds to allow Che Adams to score.
Disjointed and overrun, Man Utd slumps to loss on EPL return
(Richard Heathcote/Pool via AP)Manchester United began its Premier League campaign with a performance as disjointed as its offseason. Maybe the 3-1 home loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday shouldn’t really have come as a surprise. After all, United only ended a pandemic-prolonged 2019-20 season 33 days ago with a demoralizing loss to Sevilla in the Europa League semifinals. “We knew Manchester United didn’t play last week and that we had the mental advantage,” Palace winger Andros Townsend said. On a day when 21 goals were scored in four games, there were also wins for Everton, Leeds and Arsenal.
Man United defender Maguire on trial for assault in Greece
England soccer player Harry Maguire leaves a court building on the Aegean island of Syros, Greece, on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020. The Manchester United captain was arrested during a brawl on the neighbouring holiday island of Mykonos. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)THESSALONIKI Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is due to go on trial in Greece on Tuesday on assault charges following his arrest after a brawl last week on the island of Mykonos. Maguire, who was released from custody over the weekend, is not expected to be present at the trial on the nearby island of Syros. The England defender and two other unnamed defendants have been charged with assault and swearing in public, and Maguire has also been accused of attempting to bribe a police officer following his arrest.
Man United's Bailly taken off after 2nd clash of heads
Manchester United's Eric Bailly receives treatment after a clash of heads during the English FA Cup semifinal soccer match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in London, England, Sunday, July 19, 2020. (Andy Rain, Pool via AP)LONDON Manchester United defender Eric Bailly was wheeled off on a stretcher and wearing an oxygen mask after a second clash of heads during Sunday's FA Cup semifinal against Chelsea. Bailly had returned to action after an aerial collision with Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma. But during a lengthy stoppage, Bailly staggered on the touchline before being placed on a stretcher and wheeled off the Wembley touchline on a stretcher by medical staff wearing protective clothing as part of coronavirus prevention measures. There was applause from the few people inside Wembley, where fans are locked out due to the pandemic.
De Gea mistakes see Chelsea beat Man U to reach FA Cup final
(Andy Rain, Pool via AP)LONDON At least David De Gea was spared having a crowd inside Wembley to witness his latest mistakes in the Manchester United goal. Gifted goals to beat United 3-1 on Sunday, Chelsea will be returning to the national stadium on Aug. 1 to face Arsenal in an all-London FA Cup final. Olivier Giroud's close-range deft touch from Cesar Azpilicueta's cross was pushed into his own goal by De Gea. De Gea hadnt played in the competition since the 2018 final when Chelsea beat United. It means Frank Lampard's first season as Chelsea manager will end with a cup final.
Chelsea humbled by Manchester United on Premier League opening weekend
Daniel James of Manchester United scores the fourth goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Chelsea FC at Old Trafford on Aug. 11 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)(CNN) - Frank Lampard's first Premier League game as Chelsea manager ended in a humiliating defeat by Manchester United at Old Trafford. A goal for 21-year-old James shortly after he had come onto the pitch was the icing on the cake. The Blues, however, continued to trouble the United goal and struck the post again shortly before halftime through Emerson. Rashford found himself in space inside his own half and carried strongly towards the Chelsea goal.
Harry Maguire completes record $97M move to Manchester United
Harry Maguire of Leicester looks on during the pre-season friendly match between Stoke City and Leicester City at the Bet365 Stadium on July 27, 2019, in Stoke on Trent, England. It was announced Aug. 5, 2019, that Maguire has signed a(CNN) - Harry Maguire has become the most expensive defender in football for nearly $100 million from Leicester City to Manchester United, eclipsing the price paid by Liverpool for Virgil van Dijk. The central defender has signed a six-year deal at United, which finished sixth in Solskjaer's first season with the club. "I am delighted to have signed for this great club," said Maguire, who made 76 appearances for Leicester. However, when Manchester United come knocking on your door, it is an incredible opportunity.