FA Cup
FORMER SUPER EAGLES’ TARGET, TAMMY ABRAHAM SCORES HATTRICK IN CHELSEA’S FA CUP 4THH ROUND WIN
Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham who Super Eagles’ handlers pursued without success three years ago on Sunday grabbed a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over second-tier Luton Town to book the Premier League side’s place in the FA Cup fifth round away to Barnsley.
Chelsea took the lead in the 11th minute when a quick throw-in caught Luton’s defence napping, allowing Timo Werner to make a run down the right channel and cut the ball back for Abraham who fired a low shot past goalkeeper Simon Sluga.
Abraham doubled the lead six minutes later when he flicked a header from Reece James’ cross past Sluga, whose indecisiveness after coming off the line saw him stranded as the ball sailed over him into the net.
Luton pulled one back on the half-hour mark when Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga failed to keep out Jordan Clark’s low effort which squeezed between his hand and leg into the net.
But Chelsea began to dominate in the second half and the introduction of Callum Hudson-Odoi had an instant impact as his one-two with Billy Gilmour allowed him to fire the ball into the six-yard box for Abraham to get his third with a simple tap-in.
Werner had the chance to make it 4-1 with a penalty after he was fouled by Clark but the German, who has scored one goal in his last 15 appearances, saw his shot well saved by Sluga.
Manager Frank Lampard acknowledged that the misfiring forward will feel disheartened but said it will be up to him and the team to lift his spirits so he can get back to scoring ways.
The Germany international, who cost the club around 50 million euros (S$80.8 million), has looked low on confidence in recent weeks with his only recent strike against fourth-tier Morecambe in the Cup.
“I’m disappointed for him as Timo gave a lot with his performance today,” Lampard told reporters.
“He was a threat behind, his link up with Tammy, his link up with people around him, it (the penalty miss) is just one of those things. When it’s not going for you, it can happen.
“I missed penalties, I know the feeling. I know he will feel despondent… but he shouldn’t be. It’s my job and his team mates’ job to lift him and he will be fine.”
Arrizabalaga got a rare start and, although he made a mistake for Luton’s goal, Lampard said that was due to a “moment of complacency” from the team and pointed out that the Spaniard made amends after the break.
“On the flip side of that, Kepa makes a really top save in the second half to make sure it doesn’t go to 2-2,” he said.
“It’s very easy for people to focus on that but Kepa hasn’t been playing regularly. Today he’s come in – he’s been training excellently and is a good goalkeeper – and we can give him that one.”
Chelsea’s next opponents Barnsley beat fellow Championship side Norwich City 1-0 on Saturday.
-Reuters
Manchester City F.C. completed a domestic cup double on Saturday after a late strike from Antoine Semenyo secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chelsea F.C. in the FA Cup Final.
The decisive moment arrived in the 72nd minute when the Ghana international produced a clever finish from close range, turning sharply before back-heeling the ball beyond Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez after an inviting cross from Erling Haaland.
Semenyo’s goal transformed what had been a tense and cautious contest into an entertaining finale as both sides pushed aggressively in search of goals during the closing stages.
City nearly doubled their advantage when Rayan Cherki forced an excellent save from Sánchez, while Matheus Nunes struck the post as Pep Guardiola’s side intensified the pressure.
Chelsea also searched desperately for an equaliser but were unable to break through City’s disciplined defence.
The triumph handed Manchester City their eighth FA Cup title and completed an impressive domestic cup double following their League Cup success earlier in March.
For Semenyo, the winning goal marked one of the biggest moments of his career, with the forward delivering when it mattered most on English football’s grandest domestic stage.
Visit Sports Village Channel for more news:
Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick as Manchester City crushed Liverpool 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to cruise into the FA Cup semi-finals.
Champions Liverpool played well in the opening half-hour with Mohamed Salah wasting an early chance, but once Haaland had scored from the spot in the 37th minute after a foul on Nico O’Reilly, their resistance crumbled.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk conceded the penalty with a rash challenge, and there was little the Dutch defender could do as City played scintillating attacking football for the remainder of the game.
His blond hair swinging behind him in a ponytail, Haaland netted his second two minutes into first-half stoppage time with a well-placed header from an excellent Antoine Semenyo cross.
Semenyo got on the scoresheet himself five minutes after the break, latching on to a ball in behind from Rayan Cherki and chipping it beautifully past Giorgi Mamardashvili, and Haaland completed his treble with a shot off the underside of the crossbar in the 57th minute.
Liverpool’s woes continued when Mohamed Salah, who is set to leave the club at the end of the season, capped off a poor performance by having his penalty saved by James Trafford, snuffing out any faint hopes Liverpool might have had of a comeback
As the game turned into a victory parade, many Liverpool fans started heading for the exits, and City manager Pep Guardiola rang the changes, replacing Haaland with Omar Marmoush, the Norwegian striker receiving a standing ovation as he left the field.
In the other quarter-finals, Chelsea take on Port Vale and Southampton host Arsenal later on Saturday, with Leeds United travelling to West Ham United on Sunday.
The semi-finals will take place at Wembley, and Haaland is relishing a return to the stadium.
“First half, we struggled a bit, but then we after around 30 minutes we kept going and in the end it’s an amazing game. Another Wembley trip for us is amazing and important,” he told broadcaster TNT.
“I think (my form this season) has been a bit too much up and down, which is not good enough. I cannot keep on thinking about what I could have done differently or what didn’t happen, or what happened. I have to think about the next game.”
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Arsenal will be without injured England attacker Noni Madueke when they face Southampton in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final, but Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber may return from injury, manager Mikel Arteta said.
Madueke was among the 11 Arsenal players who withdrew from international duty last month over injuries and fitness management, as the club eye their first Premier League title since 2004.
“When you have to communicate the state of every player, we are always honest and a medical decision had to be made. That was clear what the conclusion was,” Arteta told reporters on Friday.
“It makes us so proud that we had that many players in the national team. Players are desperate to play for their nation. I know how important it is to them. We are fully supportive of that and when we can do it, we do it.”
Madueke picked up a knee injury during England’s friendly with Uruguay, missing the game against Japan. But Arteta said his condition was not as bad as a knee injury that kept him out for six weeks.
Martin Zubimendi, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Timber, Leandro Trossard, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were unavailable for their countries.
Arteta did not disclose how many of them will be available for Saturday’s game, as Arsenal look to shake off last month’s League Cup final loss to Manchester City with a return to Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals.
“We’re in a position right now where we need to make the strongest line-up we possibly can to win every competition,” he said. ” We are two or three games away from the FA Cup and we know how important that competition is for us.”
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
France and Senegal Renew Famous World Cup Rivalry in Group I Opener
Argentina Begin World Cup Title Defence Against Ambitious Algeria
Iraq Return to World Cup Stage After 40 Years, Face High-Flying Norway in Group Opener
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
NIGERIAN FOOTBALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SANUSI CHARGES NIGERIAN COACHES TO BE UPRIGHT, DILIGENT
- International Football1 week ago
Eriksen Suffers Fresh Collapse During Denmark Friendly, Reviving Memories of Euro 2020 Ordeal
- World Cup1 week ago
Pelé’s 1970 World Cup Hideaway Becomes Tourist Attraction as Mexico Hosts Tournament for Record Third Time
- World Cup1 week ago
Strike Threat Looms Over USA-Paraguay World Cup Match at SoFi Stadium
- World Cup1 week ago
Iran’s World Cup team arrive in Tijuana with US tensions high
- International Football1 week ago
Iwobi Salutes Nigerians Ahead of Landmark 100th Super Eagles Appearance
- World Cup1 week ago
Nine injured in shooting near England’s World Cup base camp
- WAFCON1 week ago
Falcons Truly Super in 3-0 Defeat of Senegal in Ikenne
- World Cup6 days ago
World Cup, America’s 250th Independence Anniversary Set Stage for Historic Summer