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Category: Football News

Cameroon continues AFCON Winning Streak

Posted on by Chirag

The African Cup of Nations saw its Round of 16 continue yesterday night as Cameroon survived the Islanders in Comoros with a late strike from captain Vincent Aboubakar.

The hosts, Cameroon played in their capital city of Yaounde as Toko Ekambi opened up the scoreline in the 29th minute.

In a surprising turn of events, the Islanders started out with Chaker Alhadur in goal. A left back as the goalkeeper due to 3 previous choices all out with Covid-19. However Alhadur did perform brilliantly only letting in 1 goal in for the first 70 minutes. Alas, he did finally let in another goal as the Cameroon Captain took the win home and continued their dominance into the Quarter Final Stage.

Cameroon who won two of their last three group games have really dominated throughout this tournament with great passing and finishing skills. Now they get ready to face Gambia in the Quarter Finals on Saturday night.

The Comoros scored 1 goal in the 81st minute but it just wasn’t enough as Cameroon’s Hongla made a challenge 35 yards from the goal and gave away a free kick that resulted in M’Changama scoring a goal for the Islanders.

Benzema Defending Lionel Messi?

Posted on by Chirag

The Real Madrid Star has apparently no bad blood with the former Barcelona captain and La Liga rival as Benzema has come out defending Messi’s poor start in France.

The French striker said, How is Messi not going to succeed? It’s just a time of adaptation, because he hasn’t scored many goals.

But look at what he does on the pitch. In any case, you can’t criticise a player like that, someone who criticises Messi doesn’t understand anything about football.”

Understanding the toll moving a club and switching countries takes on a player’s form, Benzema defended probably the biggest free transfer in football history so far.

Messi who joined PSG in the summer transfer window in 2021 after big drama in the Camp Nou has had a lot of appearances but not enough goals for the French club.

Barcelona weren’t able to re-sign Messi after his contract expired due to salary restrictions implied by La Liga as an organisation. With La Blaugrana in poor financial condition, even a free Messi couldn’t justify him re-signing and eventually the two parties ended the long relationship. 

Just 2 days later, it was final that Messi will be joining Paris and was given a hero’s welcome over in the French capital for whom he’s played a total of 17 matches and scored only 6 goals with 5 coming in the Champions League alone.

Ansu Fati Goes From Football Heaven to Injury Hell

Posted on by Chirag

The FC Barcelona star’s problems just don’t seem to end as he has now picked up a hamstring injury in his left hamstring against Athletic Club.

However that wasn’t the only issue Barcelona had against Athletic Club earlier this week, as they lost the match 3-2 in extra time to be disqualified from the Copa Del Rey and thus, are unable to defend their title.

Now Barcelona, who did play well against Athletic have had 2 big tournament exits as they lost the el clasico for the Supercopa de España and now the Copa Del Rey Round of 16. With Ansu Fati returning from his knee injury after so many months, it seemed like Xavi could finally use the 19 year old star and new number 10 properly and embrace the youth. 
However with this injury, Fati is expected to be out of action for another month almost as Barcelona get back to La Liga competition against Alaves tonight and soon start their Europa League campaign in February as they get ready to face Benfica.

United Boss Rangnik Back Ronaldo for Future Coaching Position

Posted on by Chirag

Manchester United’s boss Ralf Rangnik has had a weird stay with the red devils over the past couple of months. Ralf has implemented different practice sessions and different plays which have not gone well in the locker room and specially with big names like Cavani and more.

Now Ralf has seemingly confirmed a future path for one of the greatest players in football in Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Ronaldo, who is famous for yelling instructions when he’s off pitch, looked set to become a coach someday due to his intense level of interest in winning. Ralf said, “”I didn’t at all see or interpret that he was challenging me,” Rangnick said. “He just showed maybe too emotionally that he was not happy to be replaced. But, as I said, this was not the first time.

“I think if you have a look at the moment when Sir Alex [Ferguson] replaced or other coaches like [Maurizio] Sarri or whoever in the past, his reaction was pretty similar, which shows, in the end, it has got nothing to do with the manager at the time. It’s about his own ambition and his own desire to stay on the pitch.”

He continued: “I think at one stage Cristiano will also be a manager himself, maybe in a couple of years or maybe in 10 years if he plays another five years, and then he will have the same experience himself. I don’t blame him for that but, obviously any manager, I think it shouldn’t be too emotional.

“Also, in front of the TV cameras, I don’t think that this will be for the benefit of anyone; not to his benefit, not to the benefit of the team-mates. In the end, it’s an emotional game and players are being emotional and I didn’t take it personally at all.”

Breaking News: Barca Crash Out of Copa Del Rey as Real Madrid Qualify

Posted on by Chirag

Last night the Copa Del Rey had their last matchday of the Round of 16 with both Barcelona and Real Madrid in action simultaneously. 

As the Blancos faced Elche in a comparatively easy encounter as Barcelona went toe to toe with Athletic Club.

Barcelona started out great with the likes of Pedri, Ferran Torres and Ansu Fatti in the mix early on. Ferran Torres also got his first goal for Barcelona after he struck from outside the box with an inward curler for the opening goal of the match. 

Athletic quickly equalised and Pedri took back the lead for Barcelona. However in the 86th minute, the bigger possession and more shots on goals finally paid off as Athletic Club equalised again. With the match in extra time, Athletic Club got lucky as they received a penalty kick.

A controversial decision by the referee gave Athletic a penalty after the ball touched Alba’s arm which seemed unintentional and part of his natural movement. But after the winning goal scored through the penalty, it didn’t matter. Athletic Club had the lead and the time on their side. By this time Barcelona had also lost Fatti to a hamstring injury and eventually lost the match and a chance at the Copa Del Rey title.

Real Madrid had it comparatively easy over in the Manuel Martinez Valero Stadium as an early goal by Isco and a very late goal in extra time by Eden Hazard got Real the win and through to the quarter finals.

Ronaldo Fumes After Being Subbed Last Night

Posted on by Chirag

Possibly the greatest player in the world, Critstiano Ronaldo who plays for Manchester United, was playing and leading alongside the red devils at 2-0 when he was subbed off by Ralf Ragnick as United went on to concede a goal and score one to finish the match at 3-1.

After this away win, United now stand at 7th place firmly with 21 matches played in this season so far. 

However, Ronaldo was not happy after the match and showed his disappointment with the system when he commented, “Why me? Why me … Why would you take me off?” he was seen to mutter as he trudged off the pitch before throwing his jacket to the floor.”

Meanwhile, the coach, Ragnick said, “That is normal – a striker wants to score – but he has come back from a little injury and it was important to remember we have got another game coming up.”

“The only reaction I noticed is he was asking me ‘why me?’ and I said I had to take a decision in the interest of the team. I didn’t expect him to hug me after being subbed, I know how goal-scoring players tick.”

“I have no issue whatsoever with Cristiano, he came back from an injury and didn’t train for one and half weeks. Why should I not make use of the players on the bench?”

Tuchel Admits Chelsea Aren’t Happy

Posted on by Chirag

The German coach finally admitted that the blues have lost their way and form and nothing is full of joy at the club anymore.

“(Even) in the reaction of the goal (we scored), you can see that we are tired,” Tuchel told BT Sport. “We are relieved but there is no joy. We look tired, and we are. … You can see we are mentally tired. We need some days off, there’s no other solution. It’s normal that they (Ziyech & Lukaku) talk, it’s normal that they’re not happy.”

The third club in the Premier League currently drew against Brighton yesterday and since the surprising draw, the blues have been in a poorer mood.

In the last 16 matches Chelsea have seemingly only kept a clean sheet in 4 matches in all competitions. This paired with the feud between coach Thomas Tuchel and striker Romelu Lukaku has put the blues in an unsatisfactory mood and playing form.

They prepare to host guests Tottenham Hotspurs on Sunday as they try to claw their way back to a competitive side and fight for the title.

Check Out the Winners of the FIFA End of Year Awards

Posted on by Chirag

FIFA held its end of the year award ceremony last night which saw some surprising winners and some well deserved winners.

The night started with a small surprise as Tuchel’s coaching got him past the likes of Pep Guardiola in the race for the FIFA Men’s Coach of the Year. The blues have really taken a step in the right direction since 2020 when the former Chelsea player Frank Lampard set up a great team only to eventually hand over his work to Thomas Tuchel who got Chelsea the Champions League win as well.

The next couple of awards were for the Goal of the Year and the Fair Play award. In March, against Arsenal, Tottenham’s Erik Lamela scored a peach of a goal as he put the ball through a defender’s feet to get it into the far corner. That goal didn’t get the Spurs a win in the North London Derby but was enough to get Lamela the Best Goal of the Year award last night.

Denmark and their medical and coaching staff were honoured next with the Fair Play Award in accordance with their incredible reaction to the devastating Christian Eriksen incident during the Euro 2020 last year. The Danish midfielder collapsed mid match against Finland due to a cardiac event. The incident was horrifyingly scary but the players on pitch and medical staff reacted quickly by helping out the fallen Eriksen. Christian later recovered from this and continued playing in Italy before just recently joining Brentford in the Premier League.

In a surprising turn of events neither Donaruma nor Neur got the Goalkeeper of the Year award as Chelsea’s Mendy took the gold home. The Female Goalkeeper of the Year award went to the Lyon and Chile star Christiane Endler for her remarkable year.

Finally the Player of the Year award came around with players like Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe, Salah and more in contention. After this year’s Ballon D’or not going to Lewandowski, winning the Player of the Year award finally gave the Polish star some relief and respect. As for the Women’s Player of the Year, the Barcelona star and Ballon D’or winner, Putellas took the gold back to the Camp Nou.

Liverpool Back in The Hunt!

Posted on by Chirag

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool were on a path of destruction at home as they hosted Brentford in a thrilling Sunday fixture. 

The reds last hosted Brentford back in 1989 when Liverpool beat them 4-0 in a great encounter between the two English sides. This time around, Liverpool fell a goal short of that record as they beat Brentford by 3 goals to nil.

Klopp’s team built a lot of pressure on Brentford’s defence and keeper throughout the match and especially in the first half. They even tried to highlight Brentford’s weakness at their near post when conceding corner kicks. 

Eventually, Fabinho opened up the scoreline for the reds as he scored the opening goal at 43 minutes, just a couple of minutes before the half.

In the second half, Brentford looked better but still ages away from Liverpool’s level as they failed to dominate with possession and barely got a couple of shots on target as they missed two amazing opportunities for a goal.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain put another nail in the coffin on the 69th minute with his header into the net as Liverpool led by 2 goals to nil. Moments later, Minamino and Firmino’s in box 1-2 passes set up the perfect strike for Minamino as he buried that coffin and finished the match at 3-0.

Liverpool now sit at 45 points and second in the premier league. Their opponents Chelsea stand at 43 points with the difference being not just the 2 points but also an extra match left for Liverpool to play. 

As the red and blue battle for 2nd and nearest competitor for the leaders, Manchester City sit comfortably in 1st place at 56 points, 9 points ahead of Liverpool. With 16 match days left in this incredible season, City will need to win as much as possible in order to keep the gap between them and Liverpool the way it is. Any losses for City and any wins for Liverpool will just close down the gap as the season comes towards its end.

Erling Haaland Leaving Borussia Dortmund?

Posted on by cbtfhome

The young football sensation Erling Haaland’s future has been a point of conversation since the 2021 summer transfer window. Now with the January transfer window open and big moves happening all around the world, it looks like Borussia Dortmund have been nagging Haaland to decide his future.

The striker hinted at leaving the yellows this season for better pastures but his destination was still unknown. He has mentioned earlier that he would rather go to the La Liga than the Premier League if given the choice and Spanish club presidents like Barcelona’s Laporta have come out and said they would like to sign Haaland in the coming summer.

However, he remains at Borussia right now with a contract extending till 2024. The biggest factor is the release clause set at €75 Million. Clubs like City, Munich, Chelsea and more have shown interest in paying the 75 Million to get Haaland out of his contract and into their clubs.

“The last six months, I have chosen not to say anything out of respect for Dortmund,” Haaland told Viaplay. “But now the club has started to pressure me into making a decision, but all I want to do is to play football. But they press me to make a decision now about my future. So that means I have to make a decision soon. I have said from the beginning that I want to focus on football, because that is when I am at my best, not when other things come into my mind.”

“Now they have put pressure for a while. So it is time to get things started. All I want to do is to play football, but I can’t do that now.”

Haaland who scored 78 goals in his first 77 appearances in all competitions for Borussia will be a major player to look out for this transfer season.