England won a major women’s tournament for the first time as Chloe Kelly’s extra-time goal secured a 2-1 victory over Germany at a sold out Wembley on Sunday.

In front of a record crowd of 87,192 for any match in the history of the European Championships, Kelly prodded home a loose ball from close range to end English football’s 56-year wait for a World Cup or Euro victory.

England looked set for victory in the 90 minutes when substitute Ella Toone’s sublime chip over Merle Frohms put the hosts in front.

Germany showed remarkable resilience to bounce back as Lina Magull levelled 11 minutes from time.

But for once, England were not to be denied a major tournament success.

Kelly fought back from an anterior cruciate ligament tear to be fit in time for the tournament and made herself a national hero by being in the right place to pounce when Germany failed to clear a corner in the 110th minute.

Fortune did not favour Germany, who lost captain and top goalscorer Alexandra Popp to a muscle injury in the warm-up.

But England will feel their time for some luck was due as 12 months on from the Three Lions’ defeat on penalties to Italy in the Euro 2020 men’s final, the nation’s women went one better.

England manager Sarina Wiegman has now led the home nation to the title in back-to-back women’s Euros after leading the Netherlands to victory five years ago.

Under Wiegman, England are unbeaten in 20 games but were pushed to the limit by the eight-time winners despite missing the massive presence of Popp.

The Wolfsburg striker, who missed the entirety of Euro 2013 and 2017 through injury, had scored six goals in five games on route to the final.

Despite losing their major goal threat and facing the intimidating atmosphere of a full Wembley waiting to party, Germany showed remarkable resilience.

England were saved by desperate defending from a combination of Mary Earps, Leah Williamson and Millie Bright then prevented Marina Hegering from turning in a corner.

Wiegman did not make a change to the England starting line-up throughout the whole tournament as she resisted the clamour for Alessia Russo to start ahead of Ellen White up front.

Kelly strikes

White, England women’s all-time leading goalscorer, had the hosts best chance before the break but blazed Beth Mead’s cut-back over.

Germany started the second half even stronger and were inches away from the vital opening goal when Magull prodded just wide at the end of a flowing team move.

Strength in depth has been one of the key features of England’s success under Wiegman and the Dutch coach turned to Russo and Toone to turn the tide as they did in the quarter-final win over Spain.

The changes worked to perfection once more as Toone timed her run through the heart of the German defence to latch onto Keira Walsh’s through ball and showed the composure to coolly lift the ball over Frohms.

Lesser sides than the eight-time champions would have been broken, but Germany immediately pushed forward in search of an equaliser.

The excellent Magull smashed a shot off the post and Popp’s replacement Lea Schueller should have converted the rebound rather than rolling the ball into the arms of the grateful Earps.

Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s side were not to be denied, though, and fittingly it was Magull who sent the game to extra-time as the Bayern Munich midfielder slotted Tabea Wassmuth’s cross into the roof of the net.

The German attack was further blunted by Magull’s withdrawal at the end of 90 minutes due to a knock and both sides felt the pace of a physical encounter in the extra 30 minutes.

England just had enough left in the tank to finally get the job done as Germany failed to deal with the second ball from a corner and Kelly’s telescopic right leg flicked the ball home.

Source: AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo faces an uncertain future after the Manchester United striker’s attempt to force his way out of Old Trafford failed to spark the expected rush for his signature.

The Portugal superstar shocked United earlier this month with his bombshell exit request after the team’s failure to qualify for the Champions League.

Ronaldo would have anticipated a host of top clubs jostling to sign him.

But for the first time in his glittering career he is no longer a must-have item for Europe’s wealthy elite as Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain all appear to have turned their backs on the forward.

Concerns over Ronaldo’s declining work-rate and his notoriously demanding personality have left the 37-year-old in limbo.

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly was reported to have spoken to Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes about a deal to mark the new era at Stamford Bridge.

But Blues boss Thomas Tuchel is believed to have concerns about trying to integrate Ronaldo into his plans for a fluid front three after signing Raheem Sterling from Manchester City.

“We focused on our top target Raheem Sterling who we signed and everything else stays behind closed doors,” Tuchel said when asked about Ronaldo.

Selling Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona could have created space for Ronaldo at Bayern, but the German champions’ CEO Oliver Kahn poured cold water on that idea.

“As highly as I rate Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the greatest, a transfer wouldn’t be a fit with our philosophy,” he said.

“I love Cristiano Ronaldo and everyone knows how fantastic he is. But every club has a certain philosophy and I’m not sure if it would be the right thing for Bayern and the Bundesliga if we signed him now.”

United manager Erik ten Hag has repeatedly stated the club’s public position that Ronaldo is “not for sale”.

Yet, although Ronaldo finished as United’s top scorer last season, there is a growing sense in Manchester that his departure could benefit Ten Hag’s chances of building a side more suited to the style he created at Ajax.

United have flourished without Ronaldo on a pre-season tour of Asia and Australia, scoring 11 goals in victories over Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace.

Dwindling options

A dynamic front three of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho has shown what they are capable of.

All three of those players struggled last season after Ronaldo’s arrival changed the style of a United side that had finished second in the Premier League the season before.

Ronaldo’s time at Juventus also coincided with a decline in European results for the Italian giants, despite his goalscoring record of 101 goals in 134 games.

After witnessing two European giants struggle to accommodate the ageing five-time Ballon d’Or winner, there are few takers for the veteran goal-scorer.

Ronaldo’s iconic status at United, established in his trophy-laden first spell with the club, has also lost some of its lustre.

Andy Mitten, journalist and editor of the United We Stand fanzine, said: “His arrival was sprung on United at the last minute and the team which had finished third and second had to rip up their tactics and start again.

“They don’t see Ronaldo as United’s future and there are plenty of fans who’d go along with that.”

United’s rivals Manchester City, who won the race for Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, and Liverpool, who spent a fee that could rise to 100 million euros ($102 million) on Benfica’s Darwin Nunez, both opted to sign younger forwards just entering their prime.

A return to Real Madrid, where Ronaldo starred from 2009 to 2018, seems unlikely given Karim Benzema’s brilliant displays in their Champions League and La Liga-winning campaign last season.

Even PSG, habitual collectors of football’s marquee names, seem to be out of the running.

A switch to Real’s rivals Atletico Madrid remains a possibility, but with his options dwindling, Ronaldo may have to swallow his pride and stay at Old Trafford.

If that is too much for his ego to take, one last payday in the United States or Saudi Arabia could loom as definitive evidence of Ronaldo’s decline.

Source: AFP

Cameroonian basketball star Joel Embiid has been granted citizenship by France, clearing the path for him to play internationally for the Europeans.

The Philadelphia 76ers centre, who rejected a call-up to represent Cameroon at the 2017 AfroBasket championship, first opened the door to a nationality switch between 2016 and 2018.

The 28-year-old has had his naturalisation approved by the French government two months after the general manager of France’s national team, Boris Diaw, revealed Embiid had commenced his bid to obtain citizenship.

He benefited from a proposal by the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs to allow citizenship to be conferred on any French-speaking alien who “contributes by his eminent deeds to the influence of France”.

Recovering from thumb, finger and facial injuries after helping the Sixers to the NBA Eastern Conference play-off semi-finals, Embiid – who has no direct relationship with France – will be hoping to represent Les Bleus at the 2023 World Cup and Paris 2024 Olympics.

Embiid has never played in an official competition for Cameroon, making him eligible for another country, and the rules of basketball’s world governing body Fiba allow each team to have one naturalised player in its squad.

France’s gain is Cameroon’s loss

Born in the Cameroonian capital Yaounde in 1994, Embiid spent his childhood in the Central African nation before moving to the United States with his family aged 15.

Yet the Sixers star has always had a special bond with France, where he spent holidays as a child and where he still has relatives living.

Embiid said he was “a fan of France in general” and willing to spend more time there in an interview with French newspaper L’Equipe in 2018.

He held discussions with the French Basketball Federation four years ago, but gave up the idea of switching nationality to focus on his NBA career.

However, he and his camp revived the conversation with France earlier this year.

Cameroon’s basketball body, Fecabasket, told BBC Sport Africa back in May it would like Embiid to play for them, but admitted it could not prevent him appearing for France if Fiba regulations allow him to.

Embiid’s arrival would be a massive asset for the French team, who took bronze at the past two World Cups and silver at the Tokyo Olympics last year.

He has just had his best season in the NBA – becoming the first non-American to finish as best points scorer with an average of 30.6 points per game.

Embiid also ended the campaign on the MVP podium for the second year in a row, ultimately beaten to the top prize by Denver Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic.

Source: BBC

Paris St Germain announced Christophe Galtier as their new manager on Tuesday, shortly after the Ligue 1 champions parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino.

Galtier joins PSG after leaving Nice last month, having guided them to a runners-up finish in the French Cup and fifth place in Ligue 1 last season.

The 55-year-old Frenchman joined Nice in 2021 after leading Lille to their first Ligue 1 title since 2011 in the previous campaign. Before joining Lille, Galtier spent eight seasons at Saint Etienne, where he won the French Cup in 2012-2013.

Galtier’s appointment comes after PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi put an end to speculation surrounding France great Zinedine Zidane, dismissing reports that PSG had been in talks with the 1998 World Cup winner about becoming their new boss.

Pochettino, who was appointed by PSG in January 2021, won the Ligue 1 title in 2021-22 and the French Cup in 2020-21 but failed to deliver in the Champions League, the only major trophy that has eluded PSG since Qatar Sports Investment took over in 2011.

PSG, eight times league winners since the takeover, were Champions League runners-up in 2020 but they were knocked out in the last 16 last season by eventual champions Real Madrid.

Pochettino came in with a strong resume after making Tottenham Hotspur perennial top-four finishers in England’s Premier League and guiding them to the Champions League final in 2019.

Despite having a star-studded squad at his disposal at PSG, with Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi leading the attack, Pochettino failed to win the other domestic trophies on offer, lifting only the league title last season.

Pochettino leaves PSG after 84 competitive games in charge, having won 55, drawn 15 and lost 14.

Source: REUTERS

Cristiano Ronaldo missed training with Manchester United on Monday due to “family reasons”, just days after the Portugal star reportedly told the club he wants to leave.

United players who had been away on international duty over the close-season were scheduled to meet up with the rest of the squad on Monday.

But, according to British media reports, Ronaldo did not attend, with his reason for failing to appear at United’s training ground accepted by the club.

However, the 37-year-old’s absence will be interpreted as the latest salvo in his bid to engineer a move away from Old Trafford.

Ronaldo is said to be disappointed by United’s decline since he returned to the club from Juventus last year.

United failed to qualify for this coming season’s Champions League after finishing sixth in the Premier League.

Despite the arrival of new manager Erik ten Hag from Ajax, Ronaldo reportedly does not believe United can challenge for major honours in the near future.

In the twilight of his career, Ronaldo would prefer to join a club capable of satisfying his desire to compete for the game’s top prizes.

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, who has a year left on his United contract, has played 19 consecutive seasons in the Champions League and is the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.

The former Real Madrid star’s agent Jorge Mendes has reportedly sounded out Bayern Munich and Chelsea about a potential move, yet United are said to be adamant Ronaldo is not for sale.

Ronaldo was United’s top scorer with 24 goals last term, but his campaign was marred by public shows of frustration on several occasions as the team struggled under first Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then interim boss Ralf Rangnick.

Ronaldo’s absence from training comes as United are due to leave for their pre-season tour of Asia and Australia on Friday.

Source: AFP

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah on Friday signed a long-term contract extension, putting an end to a lengthy saga about his future at the Premier League club.

The Egypt international has signed an extension until 2025, with the deal coming after strike partner and Senegal forward Sadio Mane left to join German Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich on a three-year deal last month.

“I feel great and (I am) excited to win trophies with the club. It’s a happy day for everyone,” Salah said in a statement on the club website.

“It takes a little bit of time, I think, to renew, but now everything is done so we just need to focus on what’s next.

“I think you can see in the last five or six years the team was always going (upwards). Last season we were close to winning four, but unfortunately in the last week of the season we lost two trophies.”

Salah scored 23 league goals for Liverpool last season to share the Premier League golden boot with Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min.

He was named the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year and also took the top honour from the Football Writers’ Association.

The 30-year-old scored 31 goals in all competitions for Liverpool and helped them capture the League Cup and FA Cup. They were beaten 1-0 by Real Madrid in the Champions League final in May.

Salah, who joined the Merseyside outfit from Italian side AS Roma in 2017 and has scored 156 goals in 254 appearances, would have been available to leave them on a free transfer at the end of next season.

He is now expected to lead a new-look front line for Juergen Klopp’s side in the absence of Mane and Divock Origi — who left the club — with Uruguayan forward Darwin Nunez having joined in the close season.

“My message (to the fans) is the players in the team want to give our best next season to try to win all the trophies,” Salah added. “As usual, you stay behind us and give us a big push and I’m sure we are going to win trophies again (together).”

Source: REUTERS

Romelu Lukaku said he was “very happy” to be back after the Belgian international striker arrived in Milan on Wednesday ahead of his return to Inter Milan on loan from Chelsea.

A beaming Lukaku emerged from Linate airport in the early hours of Wednesday morning and gave his short but delighted response to the handful of reporters awaiting his arrival.

The 29-year-old will undergo a medical later in the day before making his long-awaited Inter comeback official.

Chelsea agreed to a reported deal in which Inter will pay an initial eight million euros ($8.42 million) plus a further potential three million euros in bonuses for the loan.

Lukaku will again lead Inter’s attack as they attempt to regain the Serie A title after taking a pay cut — a reported 8.5 million euros for the coming campaign.

Lukaku leaves London after failing to make an impression for a second time at Chelsea, not meeting high expectations following a £97.5 million move from Inter last summer.

He had made himself a fan favourite over two years at Inter after scoring 64 times in 95 games and driving them to their first Serie A title in over a decade, the 2021 Scudetto ending both an 11-year drought and Juventus’ grip on Italian football.

However the financial problems of Inter’s owners the Suning Group, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic led to coach Antonio Conte leaving the club almost as soon as the title was won.

He claimed the cost cutting required by Inter would have prevented him building the team he wanted to challenge domestically and in Europe.

Lukaku followed Conte out the door after then European champions Chelsea offered a whopping sum which eased some of Inter’s financial issues, and started well on his return to Stamford Bridge.

Coach Thomas Tuchel said “he was the type of guy we were missing” after he netted four times in his first four games, but his next goal didn’t come until early December and injury, Covid-19 and poor form kept him out of the team.

He then infuriated Chelsea fans by conducting an interview with Sky Sport Italia in which he expressed his unhappiness and said he had Inter in his heart and wanted to return.

Those comments also led Inter’s hardcore ultras to say they weren’t interested in having him back, considering his move to Chelsea a betrayal of his claim to love the Milanese club.

They told other fans not to arrive en masse to welcome Lukaku back as he is now “just one of many” after previously being “treated like a king” by supporters.

Lukaku will be critical to coach Simone Inzaghi’s bid to snatch back the league crown from AC Milan after they finished two points behind their local rivals last term.

Source: AFP

Bayern Munich confirmed the signing of Sadio Mane from Liverpool on Wednesday, as the Senegal forward signed a three-year deal with the Bundesliga champions.

Bayern have reportedly paid a fee which could rise to 41 million euros ($43 million) for Mane.

The 30-year-old won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Club World Cup titles during six years on Merseyside.

“My agent told me that there were also enquiries from other clubs, but for me, the feeling was right from the start when Bayern presented their plan with me,” Mane told German daily Bild.

“It was the right club at the right time.

“It is one of the biggest clubs in the world and the team are always fighting for all the titles.”

Mane added he wants to “do everything to make sure I win titles with my teammates”.

Bayern won a 10th straight Bundesliga title last season.

Mane, voted African footballer of the year in 2019, is a versatile attacker who has spent the majority of his career on the wing but can also play through the middle.

His arrival will ease the pain for Bayern if wantaway striker Robert Lewandowski leaves the club, while Serge Gnabry is also stalling over a contract extension.

“Sadio Mane is a global star, who underlines the appeal of Bayern and will increase the attractiveness of the Bundesliga as a whole,” said Bayern president Herbert Hainer.

“Fans come to the stadiums to see unique players like this.”

‘Top international star’

The signing of Mane takes some pressure off Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic after Lewandowski made it clear he would not extend his contract which expires next year.

Mane netted 120 goals in 269 games for Liverpool.

“In Sadio Mane, a top international star is coming to FC Bayern, who has left his mark on world football,” said Salihamidzic.

“We’re proud to have brought him to Munich.

“The fact that he’s joining FC Bayern shows that our club and he have big aims.”

Mane left Senegal at the age of 19 to join Metz and spent a season in France before joining RB Salzburg, where he learned German.

He switched to the Premier League when he joined Southampton in 2014 and moved to Liverpool two years later.

Mane played leading roles as Liverpool won the 2019 Champions League and ended their 30-year wait for the English league title in 2020.

“It is really strange to no longer be a Liverpool player but I had an unbelievable time,” he told Liverpool’s website. “I am going to be Liverpool’s number one fan forever.”

Mane, Senegal’s record goalscorer, was part of the team which won the Africa Cup of Nations in February, converting the winning penalty in the final shoot-out against Egypt.

Source:  AFP