International Football
Ukraine stun Scotland to set up World Cup final play-off with Wales
Ukraine produced a stirring performance to beat Scotland in their World Cup play-off semi-final at Hampden Park on Wednesday.
An emotionally charged encounter was played against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, with this – a match of huge significance – the nation’s first competitive game since Russia’s invasion in February.
It was the visitors who settled quicker following a frantic opening to proceedings, but Craig Gordon was on his toes to make three crucial early saves.
The Scotland stopper tipped a half-volley from Viktor Tsygankov over the bar before miraculously denying Yarmolenko from point-blank range. Two minutes later Gordon was off his line sharply to smother Roman Yaremchuk as he bore down on goal.
The hosts’ opportunities were limited in the first half as Ukraine kept them at arms’ length. Grant Hanley headed over from a corner and a John McGinn effort suffered a similar fate following some good combination play down the left flank.
The opening goal was worthy of the occasion, and the scorer was apt. Shortly after the half-hour mark, Ukrainian national treasure Yarmolenko ran onto Ruslan Malinovksyi’s inch-perfect long ball before controlling expertly and lifting a deft finish over the onrushing Gordon and into the back of the net.
Ukraine tightened their grip early in the second half, imposing themselves and doubling their lead within five minutes. Roman Yaremchuk rose highest at the back post to send a downward header into the bottom corner and leave Scotland’s World Cup hopes dangling by a thread.
The visitors were oozing confidence and went close again when Yarmolenko danced int the box and tested Gordon at his near post.
John McGinn then missed a gilt-edged chance to pull one back when he somehow headed wide from a rebound when he was just a few yards out. Each keeper produced a save from half-chances at either end before Scotland did give themselves hope.
After he had already flapped at the ball a couple of times, a horrible double-error from goalkeeper Georgiy Buschan gifted the hosts a goal with 11 minutes to go. Buschan produced a weak punch and Callum McGregor squeezed a shot past his weak wrists that just edged over the line.
Scotland threw everything at the Ukrainians in what was left of the game but always looked susceptible on the break. After the away side had already spurned two glaring chances on the break, substitute Artem Dobvyk finally put one away with what was the last kick of the game – running clear and planting the ball beyond a rooted Gordon.
It’s Ukraine who advance to the World Cup play-off final against Wales.
-Reuters
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
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A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
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Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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