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Haaland on fire for Man City, Arsenal maintain perfect start
Arsenal maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season with a fifth consecutive win but Manchester City’s new signing Erling Haaland stole the limelight with his second hat-trick in 6-0 romp over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.
Newcastle United’s record signing Alexander Isak scored on his debut to put his side ahead at Anfield but Liverpool snatched a 2-1 victory deep in stoppage time through Fabio Carvalho.
Tottenham Hotspur remained unbeaten but were held to a 1-1 draw at West Ham United.
Haaland’s eagerly-awaited arrival at Manchester City has seen the Norwegian make a spectacular impact.
After scoring three times in the second half in a win over Crystal Palace at the weekend, Haaland struck three times in the opening 38 minutes as rampant City overwhelmed Forest.
He has scored nine goals in five league games since joining City from Borussia Dortmund — a record.
“It was about keeping doing what we did in the second half against Palace, play, play, play — it was nice. It’s been good so far, I’m not complaining,” he said.
Haaland put City ahead in the 12th minute after a pass by Phil Foden and Foden provided the assist for Haaland’s second.
Haaland completed his treble with a powerful header.
Argentine Julian Alvarez, another new signing for the champions, scored twice after the break as City again displayed their formidable firepower.
City have 13 points from their five games and have scored 19 goals but Arsenal are setting the pace.
Mikel Arteta’s claimed a fifth win as they edged Aston Villa 2-1 at The Emirates — Brazilian strike duo Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli both on target for the Gunners.
STRUGGLING VILLA
Jesus opened the scoring in the 31st minute and Martinelli grabbed the 77th-minute winner, three minutes after struggling Villa had equalised when substitute Douglas Luiz scored directly from a corner.
“We are really happy because we are winning football matches the way we deserve,” Arteta said. “We need to improve and you could see that in the second half, but the way we played in the first half is really pleasing as a coach.”
Liverpool have made a stuttering start and when Isak, signed for a reported 59 million pounds from Real Sociedad, latched on to Sean Longstaff’s pass to put Newcastle ahead in the 38th minute it looked like being another night of frustration.
The 22-year-old had a goal disallowed in the second half as Liverpool were rocking.
Liverpool finally woke up and struck back in the 61st minute when Roberto Firmino drove home Mohamed Salah’s cut-back.
Newcastle defended desperately for a point but were left crestfallen when Carvalho thumped home the winner in the eighth minute of stoppage time to move up to fifth in the table on eight points, with Newcastle 11th on six.
“Football can go in both directions but tonight it went in the right one, a perfect end of the game,” said Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, who accused Newcastle of time-wasting.
His opposite number Eddie Howe was less happy.
“I am really proud of the players, proud of the commitment but that is very painful,” he said.
Tottenham, who could have joined Manchester City on 13 points, led at West Ham thanks to an own goal by Thilo Kehrer.
But Tomas Soucek earned West Ham a deserved point with a 55th-minute leveller.
Bournemouth, who sacked manager Scott Parker this week in after their 9-0 hammering at Liverpool, regrouped with a 0-0 draw at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
-Reuters
Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan HD had targeted their Group F opener as their best chance to get a win on the board at the Club World Cup, with Brazil’s Fluminense and German side Borussia Dortmund expected to advance from Group F.
South Africa’s Sundowns took all three points with a 1-0 win over the South Koreans and went top of the group after Fluminense drew 0-0 with Dortmund.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
African and Asian teams are not expected to make much of an impact at the new-look 32-team Club World Cup so points are like gold dust for the likes of the Sundowns and Ulsan.
KEY QUOTES
Miguel Cardoso, Mamelodi Sundowns coach: “We prepared tactically and strategically very well, and then we found a commitment between everybody. I think it was clear we made a very wonderful first half. It was important that we could keep the pace and not stray from the game plan in the second half, so that we could score a second goal that for little details or little centimetres, we could not do.”
Kim Pan-gon, Ulsan HD head coach: “We had targeted this game to win because we understand the other two teams in the group, Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund, are favourites. Our players gave their best efforts in this game and we’re very proud of their efforts. Now we need to recover quickly for the next game.”
-Reuters
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With a year until Mexico makes history as the first three-time World Cup host, the dream of a spectacular showcase is colliding with the practical challenges of modernising the iconic Azteca Stadium for global soccer’s premier event.
Beneath the imposing silhouette of Mexico’s football cathedral – where Pele dazzled with Brazil in 1970 and Maradona’s ‘hand of God’ propelled Argentina to glory in 1986 – construction crews tackle the formidable task of bringing one of the sport’s most storied venues into the 21st century.
The stakes are magnified as the ‘Santa Ursula colossus’ will host the tournament’s opening match, a global spectacle that will focus the world’s attention on Mexico from day one.
Renovations will expand the stadium’s capacity from 87,000 to 90,000, with upgrades centred on meeting FIFA standards through new changing rooms, enhanced hospitality zones, revamped VIP areas and additional seating in spaces previously occupied by boxes and lounges.
While government officials and football administrators envisioned the project as a symbol of national pride, the renovation process has eroded trust between developers, local residents and other stakeholders.
Stadium administrators announced in February that they had secured a 2.1 billion peso ($110.19 million) credit line from local financial group Banorte – along with a controversial new name: Estadio Banorte.
FIFA regulations mean the stadium will be referred to as “Estadio Ciudad de Mexico” during the World Cup, yet the rebranding has sparked a fierce backlash from some fans, who view it as sacrificing football heritage for commercial interests.
HARSH REALITY
The backlash over the stadium’s new name represents only one facet of the mounting tensions. Box and suite holders – some with relationships spanning decades – have threatened legal action after FIFA announced it would commandeer their seats during the tournament, overriding established contracts.
One member of the Mexican Association of Box Holders has already filed a legal challenge to defend access rights.
Beyond the stadium walls, frustration runs equally deep. Residents of Santa Ursula and surrounding neighbourhoods fear that promised infrastructure improvements like pedestrian bridges and transit lines will fail to address fundamental issues including inadequate lighting, water shortages and persistent traffic congestion.
“We’re not the stadium’s backyard,” one local resident told Expansion Politica. “But we’re always treated that way.”
By contrast, Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico’s other two host cities, face fewer obstacles.
Guadalajara’s 48,000-seat stadium, opened in 2010, has already hosted major events including the 2011 Pan American Games, while Monterrey’s 53,500-capacity venue, inaugurated in 2015, needs only minor upgrades – primarily new turf and a pitch ventilation system.
“We’ll install a system to ventilate and oxygenate the pitch before replacing the grass,” said Alejandro Hutt, Monterrey’s Host City Manager. “That will be an important legacy from the World Cup and beyond.”
As construction continues, Javier Aguirre’s Mexico squad are building towards a crucial summer, with a Gold Cup title defence ahead and friendly matches against Turkey this week, followed by Japan and South Korea in September.
After failing to advance beyond the group stage at Qatar 2022 – their worst World Cup performance since 1978 – Mexican fans crave more than just a well organised tournament. They want to see Mexico break the ‘fifth-game‘ curse and reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1986, the last time they were World Cup hosts.
-Reuters
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All contenders are now known for this year’s President Federation Cup grand finale, following Saturday’s elimination of Edo Queens and Ibom Angels in the women’s semi-finals.
Multiple-winners Rivers Angels saw off the stiff challenge of Ibom Angels of Uyo 1-0 in Aba, while Nasarawa Amazons bumped Edo Queens 2-0 in Ayingba.
Cup holders Rivers Angels, who have won the competition nine times, will have their hands full against 2005 and 2019 champions Nasarawa Amazons of Lafia.
In the men’s competition, Abakaliki FC of Ebonyi are getting set to tackle Kwara United FC in the final.
Results of Semi Finals (Women)
- Rivers Angels (Rivers) 1-0 Ibom Angels (Akwa Ibom)
- Edo Queens (Edo) 0-2 Nasarawa Amazons (Nasarawa)
Results of Semi-Finals (Men)
- Abakaliki FC (Ebonyi) 0-0 Ikorodu City (Lagos) – Abakaliki FC win 5-4 on penalties
- Kwara United (Kwara) 1-0 Rangers Int’l (Enugu)
WOMEN’S FINAL
- Rivers Angels vs Nasarawa Amazons
MEN’S FINAL
- Abakaliki FC VS Kwara United
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