LONDON: Germany roared back to its best in a 6-0 demolition of Norway, while England also closed in on World Cup qualification, albeit in contrasting fashion in a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Slovakia on Monday.
An early Marcus Rashford blunder put England on the back foot but the 19-year-old forward made amends by scoring the winner to put his side five points clear in Europe Group F with two rounds remaining.
It proved much easier for Germany in Stuttgart.
Coach Joachim Loew had been looking for a reaction from his players after the fortunate 2-1 win over the Czech Republic on Friday, and Norway paid the price as the defending champions delivered a statement of intent.
“It was a lesson for us,” Norway coach Lars Lagerback said.
The fans also played their part in a carnival atmosphere — a stark contrast to the unsightly scenes in Prague, where a group of around 200 Germany fans chanted Nazi slogans and abused striker Timo Werner.
Werner was received warmly in Stuttgart, his hometown, and he repaid the fans with two goals as Germany moved five points clear of Northern Ireland. Loew’s side made it eight wins from eight games.
“It was a really joyful, spirited atmosphere. lt was an evening of football as you’d wish it,” German Soccer Federation President Reinhard Grindel said.
Northern Ireland’s 2-0 win over the Czech Republic in Belfast secured at last second place in Group C. Germany would need to lose both of its remaining games to surrender the top spot.
Group winners qualify automatically for the World Cup in Russia, while the top eight runners-up from nine groups go on to playoffs to decide the other four places allocated to Europe.
Here’s a closer look at the qualifying groups in action Monday:
GROUP C
Mesut Ozil got Germany off to a flying start, then set up Julian Draxler, before Thomas Mueller set up Werner with his heel for Germany’s third with just 21 minutes played.
Mueller also provided for Werner’s second, Leon Goretzka scored after the break, and Mario Gomez completed the rout with a little over ten minutes remaining.
First-half goals from Jonny Evans and Chris Brunt were enough for Northern Ireland’s first win over the Czechs at the sixth attempt.
GROUP E
Poland, Montenegro, and Denmark all won to keep automatic qualification up for grabs.
Poland stayed first by beating Kazakhstan 3-0, with Robert Lewandowski capping the victory by converting a late penalty in Warsaw.
Denmark thrashed Armenia 4-1 away, thanks to a hat trick from Thomas Delaney and a free kick by Christian Eriksen, to stay three points adrift of Poland.
Stevan Jovetic scored for Montenegro in its 1-0 win over Romania, but his side dropped below the Danes on goal difference with two rounds remaining.
Poland hosts Montenegro in the final round in what could be a decisive group game.
GROUP F
Rashford unleashed a dipping, angled finish from 20 meters in the 59th minute to earn England a sixth win in eight group games, having provided the corner that Eric Dier turned home to make it 1-1 in the 37th.
Rashford made amends for losing possession to Stanislav Lobotka and then failing to track the midfielder, who slotted in an opening goal inside three minutes to bring the majority of Wembley to a stunned silence.
Scotland benefited from its old foe’s win at Wembley, closing to within one point of Slovakia in fourth place with a 2-0 home victory over Malta. Slovenia stayed tied on points with Scotland by beating Lithuania 4-0 but climbed into third place on goal difference.
Germany, England close in on World Cup qualification
Germany, England close in on World Cup qualification
Matsuyama maintains one-shot lead over Morikawa on low-scoring day at Sentry
- Japan’s Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, got things going with a run of four straight birdies from the third through the sixth
- Sunday promised to be another Matsuyama-Morikawa duel
LOS ANGELES: Hideki Matsuyama piled up 11 birdies in an 11-under par 62 on Saturday to set the 54-hole tournament record at 27-under and maintain a one-shot lead over Collin Morikawa at The Sentry tournament at Kapalua, Hawaii.
Morikawa also posted a 62, his featuring nine birdies and an eagle.
With the winds that so often buffet the Plantation Course again largely absent, five players posted rounds of 10-under or better.
Matsuyama’s gave him a 54-hole score of 192 — one stroke better than the previous 54-hole tournament record.
Japan’s Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, got things going with a run of four straight birdies from the third through the sixth. He rolled in a 58-foot birdie putt at the par-five ninth to make the turn level with Morikawa.
After birdies at the 10th and 12th he took the lead for good with a three-foot birdie at the 14th. That launched a run of three straight birdies, and Matsuyama kept the momentum with an unlikely par at 17 after his tee shot wound up on the wrong side of the cart path.
He closed with a birdie at the par-five 18th, where he muscled his second shot to the edge of the green and two-putted to maintain his advantage on Morikawa.
“Collin played well and I just kind of followed him, so good day,” said Matsuyama, who is closing in on his 20th professional win and his 11th on the PGA Tour.
Morikawa hit 12 of 15 fairways and every green in regulation. He kept the pressure on Matsuyama all the way, starting with an eight-foot birdie at the fist.
After birdies at the third and fourth he curled in a 26-foot eagle putt at the fifth and was six-under for the day after a birdie at the ninth.
He added birdies at 11 and 12, and another pair at 15 and 16 before closing with a birdie at 18.
“Today was really, really good,” said Morikawa, whose six PGA Tour titles include the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 British Open. “Couple shots out there (were) a little squirrely, but for the most part the irons were center face — knew where they were going.”
His most recent win was the 2023 Zozo Championship in Japan, where he ended a near two-year title drought, and Morikawa was delighted that work he’d put in during the off-season was paying off in the opening tournament of the season.
“It’s nice to have it click together,” he said. “It doesn’t mean you’re immediately going to finish top 10, top five, have a chance to win. But it’s nice to be able to put it all together and shoot some scores in a tournament setting.”
Sunday promised to be another Matsuyama-Morikawa duel. Belgian Thomas Detry was four shots behind Morikawa after a 65 for 197.
South Korean Im Sungjae carded an impressive 62 to claim solo fourth on 198 while England’s Harry Hall posted a 66 for 199.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler wasn’t among the 60-strong field after hurting his hand in a Christmas Day cooking accident.
Barcelona cruise into Copa del Rey last 16 after another setback to register Olmo
- The league and the federation said on Saturday that the players can’t be registered again after already having been dropped because of the missed deadline
- Atletico Madrid advanced past third-division club Marbella thanks to a 16th-minute winner by Antoine Griezmann
MADRID: Barcelona endured another setback while trying to register Dani Olmo and cruised past fourth-division club Barbastro 4-0 in the Copa del Rey on Saturday.
After the Spanish league and national federation again denied Barcelona’s request to register Olmo and Pau Víctor for the rest of the season, Hansi Flick’s team routed Barbastro in the round of 32. Robert Lewandowski scored twice and Eric García and Pablo Torre added goals.
It was Barcelona’s first win after consecutive losses in La Liga to end last year.
Another setback would have added to the embarrassment of not being able to register Olmo and Victor because of a missed deadline to comply with the league’s financial fair-play rules.
The players were only registered through the end of 2024 and Barcelona failed to reinstate them to the squad because it couldn’t clear enough salary cap space.
Barcelona eventually were able to meet the financial fair-play rules but the league and the federation said on Saturday that the players can’t be registered again after already having been dropped because of the missed deadline.
The club is expected to resort to the courts to try to register the players.
Barcelona eliminated Barbastro at the same stage of the Copa last season.
Saturday’s match was delayed for a few minutes early in the second half after Barbastro player Jaime Ara injured his head in a collision with Barcelona defender Iñigo Martínez. Ara was carried off the field on a stretcher.
Garcia put Barcelona ahead in the 21st minute, Lewandowski scored before and after halftime, and Torre capped the victory in the 56th.
Atletico advance
Atletico Madrid advanced past third-division club Marbella thanks to a 16th-minute winner by Antoine Griezmann.
It was the 13th win in a row for Diego Simeone’s team across all competitions, tying the club’s record.
Sevilla eliminated
Sevilla were ousted by second-division club Almeria 4-1 despite taking the lead five minutes into the match through Isaac Romero.
Marko Milovanovic equalized for Almeria and Luis Suárez scored a hat trick to send the hosts through.
Athletic survive
Defending champion Athletic Bilbao needed penalty kicks to get past fourth-division club Logrones.
Athletic won 4-3 in the shootout after a 0-0 draw in regulation and extra time.
Other results
Osasuna advanced by beating Tenerife 2-1 and Real Betis eliminated Huesca 1-0 thanks to a first-half goal by Isco.
Isak fires Newcastle to victory at struggling Spurs
- Spurs’ ambition of a top- four finish already looks over after a run of one win in eight league games since a stunning 4-0 victory at Premier League champions Manchester City.
- Tottenham sit 11th in the table, but a spirited performance from Postecoglou’s stretched squad deserved more as Newcastle were left clinging on in the closing stages.
LONDON: Under-fire Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou said he was angry his injury-ravaged side did not get their rewards for a battling performance as Alexander Isak’s strike earned in-form Newcastle a 2-1 win on Saturday.
Both sides struck inside the first six minutes as Anthony Gordon’s controversial equalizer canceled out Dominic Solanke’s opener for Spurs. Isak then scored for the seventh consecutive Premier League game to claim a sixth straight win in all competitions for Newcastle.
The Magpies remain in fifth but move level on points with fourth- placed Chelsea in the battle for a place in next season’s Champions League. Spurs’ ambition of a top-four finish already looks over after a run of one win in eight league games since a stunning 4-0 victory at Premier League champions Manchester City.
Tottenham sit 11th in the table, but a spirited performance from Postecoglou’s stretched squad deserved more as Newcastle were left clinging on in the closing stages.
“I’m so proud, so happy with this group of players the way they played and I’m really angry that they didn’t get the rewards they deserved today,” said Postecoglou.
“I loved everything. The players were given an enormous task and didn’t make any excuses. We deserved to win the game today.”
Spurs were without first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario along with defenders Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies through injury plus the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur.
The loss of stand-in ‘keeper Fraser Forster to illness meant Postecoglou was forced to throw in Brandon Austin for his Spurs debut.
Slow starts, particularly at home, have been a major part of Spurs’ struggles under Postecoglou but they got off to a flyer. In front of the watching new England manager Thomas Tuchel, Solanke did his case for international recognition no harm with a fine downward header from Pedro Porro’s cross on four minutes.
The lead lasted barely over two minutes, albeit the equal- izer arrived in controversial circumstances.
Joelinton blocked Lucas Bergvall’s pass with his arm to gift Bruno Guimaraes possession and the Brazilian fed in Gordon to fire home. However, a VAR review deemed Joelinton’s handball was not deliberate and the goal stood. Isak needs no help to find the net on current form but got it from an under-manned Spurs defense seven minutes before half-time.
Radu Dragusin deflected Jacob Murphy’s low cross onto the foot of the Swedish striker, who took his tally for the season to 14 goals in all competitions.
Spurs were dealt a further blow as Dragusin, who had been a doubt due to illness, was forced off at the break, leaving Postecoglou without a single natural center back to choose from.
Midfielder Archie Gray and fullback Djed Spence deputized manfully as Tottenham did all the pressing in the second half.
Brennan Johnson blasted off the post after Pape Sarr’s effort had been parried by Martin Dubravka.
Victor Wembanyama after 100 NBA games: As he turned 21, his numbers are staggering
- Wembanyama is the seventh player in the last 45 years to have that many points through his first 100 games
- Wembanyama is the first player since O'Neal to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds before turning 21
Victor Wembanyama's days as a 20-year-old in the NBA are over. He turned 21 on Saturday.
And on the final day before that birthday, Wembanyama hit another milestone — 100 NBA games.
A look at where the San Antonio star ranks in certain statistical categories, at both his age and at the 100-game mark of his career.
Points: 2,278
Wembanyama is the seventh player in the last 45 years to have that many points through his first 100 games, joining Michael Jordan (2,721), Zion Williamson (2,524), David Robinson (2,476), Shaquille O’Neal (2,427), Luka Doncic (2,332) and Terry Cummings (2,305).
He's the 12th player to score that many points before turning 21. LeBron James — with 4,649, in 186 games before his 21st birthday — leads that list.
Wembanyama's 35 points on Friday in a win over Denver pushed his career average to 22.7 points, just a sliver ahead of where Kevin Durant was before turning 21. The only players with at least 50 games who averaged more points before turning 21: Williamson (25.7), James (25.0), Doncic (24.2) and O’Neal (24.0).
Rebounds: 1,053
Wembanyama is the first player since O'Neal to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds before turning 21.
O'Neal averaged 24 points and 14.2 rebounds in 54 games before that birthday. Wembanyama is averaging 22.7 points and 10.5 rebounds.
Assists: 386
Plenty of players have had that many assists before turning 21, or through their first 100 games.
But centers? That's where Wembanyama stands apart.
The only 7-foot centers with that many assists through 100 games were Bill Walton (who was listed somewhere between 6-foot-11 and 7-foot-1 during his career) and Brad Daugherty. Walton had 440, Daugherty 398.
Blocks: 366
Since blocks became an official stat in 1971-72, only two players had more in their first 100 games than Wembanyama.
Manute Bol had 425. David Robinson had 383. Again, that's good company.
“He's a tremendous shot-blocker," Denver coach Michael Malone said Friday.
3-pointers: 225
This one gets a little crazy. He has more 3-pointers through 100 games than Stephen Curry — the NBA's all-time leader — did.
Curry had 200 in his first 100 NBA contests. Wembanyama has 225 3-pointers, which ranks as 11th-most through 100 games in NBA history.
A reminder: He's a 7-foot-4 center, not a guard, even though he has all the guard skills.
Bahrain shock Oman for Gulf Cup glory
- Win sparked wild celebrations among the Bahrain fans in the crowd of almost 60,000
KUWAIT CITY: Bahrain won the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup on Saturday, defeating Oman 2-1 in a dramatic final in Kuwait City.
With 12 minutes remaining Oman were ahead, but two goals in two minutes late in the game gave Bahrain — with Mohamed Marhoon making the difference — a second triumph in the regional competition, six years after lifting the trophy.
For a long time at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, however, it looked as if the prize was heading to Muscat for a third time.
It took Oman, who defeated Saudi Arabia 2-1 in the semifinal on Tuesday, just 17 minutes to take the lead, and it came from a corner.
Ali Al-Busaidi swung over a cross, and there was Abdulrahman Al-Mushaifri to find a little space at the edge of the 6-yard box to head home in emphatic fashion.
Both teams continued to have chances, and it was always going to be the case that the next goal would be crucial.
It went to Bahrain, who leveled after 79 minutes. Marhoon was brought down in the area by Jameel Al-Yahmadi, and the hero of the semifinal win over Kuwait dusted himself down to fire home from the spot.
Just moments later and Bahrain were ahead thanks to more great work from the goal-scorer. Marhoon advanced to the left byline once more, and looked to pull back for waiting teammates in the area.
Instead, however, the ball was diverted into his own net by Mohamed Al-Musalami to spark wild celebrations among the Bahrain fans in the crowd of almost 60,000.
Oman did their utmost to get back on level terms, but Bahrain held on for the next 10 minutes of regular time and the 15 added on at the end, to start the new year in the happiest of fashions.
