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Tag: Bellingham

  • Nwaneri set to match Bellingham, Foden’s UCL feat

    Nwaneri set to match Bellingham, Foden’s UCL feat

    Ethan Nwaneri is set to join an exclusive troupe of English players when Arsenal face PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

    The 17-year-old has quickly become an indispensable member of Mikel Arteta’s squad in the absence of Bukayo Saka, who is not expected back from a hamstring problem until after the March international break.

    Nwaneri has been unable to complete the full 90 minutes in either of Arsenal’s last two Premier League games with Nottingham Forest or West Ham United, but the 2007-born talent was only suffering from cramp in both fixtures.

    As a result, Nwaneri is almost nailed-on to reprise his role on the right wing at the Philips Stadion, which will see the Premier League’s youngest-ever player make his first start in the Champions League.

    Such an appearance would be a particularly momentous one for Nwaneri, as only two English players have previously started a Champions League knockout game aged younger than 18, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham.

    Foden was also 17 when he started for Manchester City against Basel in a 2017-18 last-16 second leg, while a 17-year-old Bellingham was named in the first XI for Borussia Dortmund in a 2020-21 last-16 first leg versus Sevilla.

    However, Nwaneri will fall just short of becoming Arsenal’s youngest-ever Champions League player in the knockout rounds, as Cesc Fabregas was 17 years and 309 days old when he appeared against Bayern Munich in 2005.

    Nwaneri will be 17 years and 348 days old by the time Tuesday’s first leg rolls around, where the England U-19 international endeavors to build on an eye-catching record of seven goals in all tournaments this season.

    Nwaneri started and scored in Arsenal’s last league-phase game, a 2-1 victory over Girona, where he produced his trademark finish of cutting inside from the right and bending an effort into the corner.

    That narrow success marked Arsenal’s fourth straight win in the Champions League, and the Gunners are now aiming to earn five consecutive triumphs in a single edition for the first time since 2005-06, where they finished as runners-up to Barcelona.

  • Abuse of referee who sent off Bellingham ‘repulsive’

    Abuse of referee who sent off Bellingham ‘repulsive’

    The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has condemned the “repulsive” abuse suffered by referee Jose Munuera Montero since his decision to send off Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham.

    The England international was shown a straight red card by Montero during Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Osasuna for using foul language.

    Montero has since received abuse on social media, while his family have also been targeted.

    “The professional referees are absolutely repulsed by the attacks and threats that our colleague Jose Luis Munuera Montero is receiving through social networks,” the RFEF said in a statement.

    “These attacks add to the hatred and verbal violence through which we have to carry out our professional work every weekend, and that in the base categories becomes, even more regrettably, physical violence in many cases.”

    Former Birmingham City midfielder Bellingham said his language was misconstrued by referee Montero.

    “He believed that I said [something insulting] to him,” said Bellingham.

    “There was no intent to insult him, there was no insult, and for that reason I think you can see there was a misunderstanding.”

    Bellingham is now facing a lengthy ban, at a time when Real Madrid have allowed a seven-point lead to slip at the top of the La Liga table.

    Carlo Ancelotti’s side are winless in their last three league matches and are now level on points with rivals Barcelona but are second because they have an inferior goal difference.

  • Reaction as Man City lose to last-minute Bellingham strike for Real Madrid

    Fifth-round

    And then there were 16.

    Here is the draw for the fifth round of the FA Cup. These games will be played across the weekend of 1 and 2 March, however we don’t yet know the picks for TV.

    Preston North End v Burnley
    Aston Villa v Cardiff City
    Crystal Palace v Millwall
    Manchester United v Fulham
    Newcastle United v Brighton
    Bournemouth v Wolves
    Manchester City v Plymouth Argyle
    Nottingham Forest v Ipswich

    Is a penalty shootout just a lottery? Not according to Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

    “It was a tough one. This is the FA Cup, we knew how hard it was going to be,” he told BBC Radio Nottingham.

    “Credit to Exeter, but probably we didn’t do one of the best games. At the end we are happy, this is more important.

    “Penalties is not a lottery. We have to prepare them and the boys were really focused on doing things properly.

    “We take our penalty shots in training sessions and did really well .

    Where does this persistent myth of Pep only inheriting great sides come from?! Barca finished 3rd and 18 points off the pace the season before he joined. City scraped 4th on goal difference. He built both of those title winning sides! (Barca being the best ever side). Just odd that it persists despite being provably wrong with 2 seconds of thought!

    Exeter City 2-2 Nottingham Forest (Forest win 4-2 on penalties)

    Nottingham Forest beat 10-man Exeter on penalties

    “It was a heroic effort – it feels like we’ve been playing for about three days,” Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell told TodayPriceNG

    The Grecians are 18th in League One and Caldwell thinks the game against Nottingham Forest can help spur his side on for the rest of the season.

    “The players were outstanding. The mentality, the teamwork, the looking after each other and protecting each other in difficult moments was incredible. It’s something we have to take forward,” he said.

    “We have to use this performance, we have to use this feeling and take this into the next 17 games.”

    Exeter City 2-2 Nottingham Forest (Forest win 4-2 on penalties)

    Nottingham Forest.There was also FA Cup football last night – it just never ends.

    Nottingham Forest are into the fifth round of the competition but Nuno Espirito Santo’s much-changed side – 10 changes in total – needed extra time and penalties to beat 10-man Exeter City at St James Park in the fourth round.

    In the shootout, Exeter’s Reece Cole had his effort saved, while Angus MacDonald smacked the bar for the hosts before Neco Williams scored the decisive penalty for Forest.

    Josh Magennis opened the scoring for League One Exeter after five minutes, but Forest were soon level, then ahead, through Ramon Sosa and Taiwo Awoniyi.

    Magennis got Exeter back in the tie with an equaliser from a set piece in the second half, although manager Gary Caldwell also watched his side go down to 10 men when debutant Ed Turns was given a straight red for an 87th-minute foul on substitute Morgan Gibbs-White.

    In the end, Forest avoided a potential banana skin and they will face Ipswich Town at the City Ground at the start of next month.

    Here’s my controversial Pep take….He is massively over-rated. Inherited the greatest side ever at Barca, took Bayern backwards and performed as expected at the richest club in the world. Of course, as a United fan, I’m sure I would be singing a different tune had Fergie convinced him otherwise

    I’ve always wondered, who is it that makes these Tifos? They’re hardly something you can just stitch together in

    The Champions League Final in Munich springs to mind. Yes, their City and their Stadium but it was Champions league

    Keep your Pep Guardiola takes and favourite Tifo memories coming in.

    Very shortly we’ll start building up to tonight’s Merseyside derby and Celtic’s match with Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

    Re 09:27 – When Pep arrived at City the spine of the team was Kompany, Fernandinho, Aguero, and David Silva. He’s won two titles and a treble since they left. Not only is it yet another moving of the goalposts as far as City are concerned (remember when we wouldn’t be a great team till we won in Europe), it’s demonstrably untrue to say Pep hasn’t had to rebuild the team

    Man City 2-3 Real Madrid

    Manuel Sanchez
    Spanish football journalist on the Football Daily podcast

    I think Real Madrid have taken a lot of pressure off themselves with the win. I think it will boost the confidence of the players a lot. They needed this.

    It has always been difficult for the Madrid mindset to get this kind of victory against Pep Guardiola when he was at both Barcelona and Man City. I think the players needed this and the fans needed this because they wanted this kind of victory against Guardiola and having the second leg at home now is a big advantage for them.

    I think the Madrid players have realised now how bad that City are at defending and how badly they handle their nerves at this moment. The level of confidence of Man City right now is so low and they need to smell that blood and come for it and I think they will go for it in the second leg a

    Nothing worse than a soft apple. A great coach is someone who is a serial winner, a great manager is someone who can make the most out of a depleted squad and still contend. Klopp, Mourinho, Fergie, Wenger…and I’d say up and coming for that list is Nuno. It’s the ability to inspire an underdog team to victory. Pep is a master tactician, but he isn’t the best manager.

    Man City 2-3 Real Madrid

    For Jack Grealish to get the nod, I mean, I was surprised. He started just based on his performance as this season.

    So, you know, gets the nod and then had a part in the Manchester City goal, didn’t he? Wonderful.

    Ball into Gvardiol and down in Haaland, finished. And then a few minutes later, he comes off, which pretty much summed up his season, really.

    He can’t find a rhythm. Let’s hope he has a possibility of making the second leg.

    Summary

    Champions League reaction as Bellingham’s winner for Real Madrid sinks Manchester City at Etihad

    Final Merseyside derby at Goodison: Everton v Liverpool (19:30 GMT)

    Celtic host Bayern Munich in Champions League (20:00)

    Nottingham Forest scrape through to FA Cup fifth round beating Exeter on penalties

    PSG, Juventus and Dortmund all win play-off first legs

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  • 2024 Ballon d’Or: Man City’s Rodri beats Vinicius, Bellingham to award

    2024 Ballon d’Or: Man City’s Rodri beats Vinicius, Bellingham to award

    Manchester City midfielder, Rodri has been announced as the winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or award.

    Rodri saw off competition from Real Madrid trio of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Dani Carvajal to take home the prize.

    The Spanish international becomes the second Premier League Player to win the coveted award in 16 years since Cristiano Ronaldo won it in 2008.

    The 28-year-old who picked up an ACL injury in September against Arsenal, enjoyed the standout season of his career in 2023-24, winning a fourth consecutive Premier League title and lifting the Euro 2024 trophy with Spain.

    He won the Best Player award from the tournament in Germany last summer despite being forced off at half-time in the final against England.

    He was helped on to the stage after arriving on crutches, having been ruled out for the rest of the season.

    Also, he went 74 games – and 475 days – without experiencing defeat for club and country during the past year, with the run coming to an end in the FA Cup final against Manchester United last May.