Former Manchester City, Lazio and England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson has agreed in principle to take over as head coach of Iraq.
The 70-year-old met up with Iraq FA officials in Istanbul last week, according to Sky Sports, and is keen to take over the side that failed to make this summer’s World Cup. The Swede’s representative, Saif Rubie, said Eriksson has several options
and will make his final decision next week.
Eriksson has managed around the world. His last job saw him coach Shenzhen, after two other jobs based in China with Guangzhou and Shanghai. Before that he was one of the most sought-after coaches in the game. His five-year stint as England boss saw him take the Three Lions to the last-eight of two World Cups and the European Championships. But with the “Golden Generation” of Wayne Rooney, John Terry, David Beckham and Co. at his disposal, many think he should have achieved more — a 5-1 win over Germany the highlight of a reign that promised much but ultimately did not deliver.
His other experiences of international management have seen him coach Mexico and Ivory Coast, both short unsuccessful stints lasting little more than a year at each.
It was in club management during the 1980s and 1990s that Eriksson made his name, taking unfancied Swedish outfit Gothenburg to the UEFA Cup title in 1982. That led him to Portuguese giants Benfica, where once again he achieved both domestic and continental success.
He then went to Italy where he managed Roma, Fiorentina and Lazio, winning Serie A with Lazio before becoming one of the best-paid coaches in the world with England. AN
Sven-Goran Eriksson mulling move to become new Iraq boss
Sven-Goran Eriksson mulling move to become new Iraq boss
- Ericsson met with Iraq FA officials in Istanbul last week.
- Former England boss to decide in coming few days about the offer of becoming Iraq coach.
Next Gen ATP Finals get underway in Jeddah
- Van Assche, Michelsen win opening matches in Red Group afternoon session
- Tien, Fonseca secure dramatic Blue Group victories over Mensik and Fils, respectively
JEDDAH: The 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF got underway in Jeddah on Wednesday as King Abdullah Sports City hosted tennis stars of the future for the second consecutive year.
Featuring the world’s eight best 20-and-under men’s players, the event is being held in the Kingdom as part of a five-year partnership between the ATP Tour and the Saudi Tennis Federation.
The year-ending tournament is known for its unique scoring format of four-game sets and technological innovation, ensuring fast-paced matches and added drama starting with the Red Group in the afternoon session.
In the first match, sixth seed Luca Van Assche made a triumphant return to Jeddah by defeating fourth seed Juncheng Shang 4-3 (7-3), 2-4, 4-1, 4-3 (7-5) in an entertaining contest.
France’s Van Assche reached the semifinals in Jeddah last year and used his greater tournament experience to secure an impressive victory against his higher-ranked Chinese opponent.
Van Assche, 20, said: “I’m very happy to be back here. It was a great experience for me last year, now it’s my second time. The city is great, the facilities are beautiful, and the hotel is unbelievable.
“It was difficult match today because he’s an unbelievable player. He’s in the top 50, so I knew it was going to be a tough match, and I’m very happy with my performance. I managed to be very calm. I’ve been working a lot the last couple of weeks. I managed to be very consistent.”
Second seed Alex Michelsen soon followed Van Assche in the Red Group win column, fighting back from a set down against fellow American Nishesh Basavareddy to emerge from an enthralling battle with a 2-4, 4-3 (7-5), 4-3 (7-4), 4-2 victory.
Basavareddy is making his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals before making his ATP Tour debut, a consequence of his impressive run on the second-tier ATP Challenger Tour during the final stretch of the season.
The 19-year-old began brightly to suggest a surprise result could be on the cards, but Michelsen’s composure during two crucial tiebreaks swung the match in his favor. Trailing by a break and 1-2 in the fourth set, Michelsen won three straight games to secure his first victory on his second appearance in Jeddah.
Michelsen, 20, said: “Considering I went 0-3 last year, winning this first one felt really good. It’s always a good feeling and I felt really relieved to get that one done.
“He definitely handled (his debut) better than I did last year. He was rushing me very quickly from the beginning, and I didn’t have answers. Then I found my way into a couple of breakers. I feel like I served pretty well today, so that always helps.”
The evening session saw seventh seed Learner Tien deny third seed Jakub Mensik from completing a rousing comeback by sealing a dramatic 4-3 (8-6), 4-3 (7-3), 2-4, 2-4, 4-3 (10-8) triumph.
The 19-year-old American looked to be on course for a comfortable surprise victory over the ATP Rookie of the Year after winning the first two sets in tiebreaks, but the powerful Mensik soon found his rhythm and range to wrestle the momentum and level the match at two sets each.
The 19-year-old Czech moved to within three points of a superb comeback victory when he led the fifth-set tiebreak 4-1, but Tien dug deep to level at 5-5. Both players saved match points before Tien eventually clinched the win at the third attempt, completing a memorable win in his first professional match outside the US.
Tien said: “A really tough match. I had the lead early and then found myself down in the fifth (set tiebreak), but really happy to get through. The crowd the whole time was great, cheering for both of us a lot. It was a great place to play with the lights and all the effects on break points and stuff like that. It was a really cool match.”
The drama continued into the final match of the day as eighth seed Joao Fonseca stunned top seed Arthur Fils 3-4 (9-11), 4-2, 4-1, 1-4, 4-1. The 18-year-old Brazilian is the youngest player in the field and was the last to qualify, while 20-year-old Fils is the highest-ranked star in Jeddah at world No. 20. Despite being separated by 125 places in the PIF ATP Rankings, Fonseca delivered a superb display to clinch a fine victory on debut against the 2023 finalist.
Day 2 will start with the Red Group in the afternoon session with Shang against Basavareddy followed by Michelsen versus Van Assche. The evening session will focus on the Blue Group, beginning with a heavyweight clash between Fils and Mensik, before Tien and Fonseca conclude the action.
Dembele nets 2 and Donnarumma injured as PSG beat Monaco to increase French league lead
- Ousmane Dembele scored a brace and striker Goncalo Ramos put PSG back in the lead with seven minutes left as he headed in a corner
- The match was brought forward because of a scheduling conflict with the Trophee des Champions between the two clubs on Jan. 5 in Doha
MONACO: Runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain opened a 10-point lead at the top of the French league standings before the yearend break with a 4-2 defeat of Monaco on Wednesday in a match marred by Gianluigi Donnarumma’s injury.
Ousmane Dembele scored a brace and striker Goncalo Ramos put PSG back in the lead with seven minutes left as he headed in a corner after coming in as a substitute in the lively encounter at the Stade Louis II.
Monaco remained in third place, level on points with second-place Marseille, who have one match in hand.
Donnarumma’s face was bloodied after being hit by an opponent’s cleat. The Italy international took the studs of Wilfried Singo’s cleat in the 17th minute. Singo, whose shot had been blocked, tried to jump over the sliding Donnarumma but instead struck his face.
Pictures showed that Donnarumma was cut below his right eye. Singo, who had already been warned, was lucky to avoid a red card.
Donnarumma was left lying on the pitch while receiving treatment. He finally stood up and walked away to be replaced by Matvey Safonov.
Desire Doue had put PSG in front in the first half before Eliesse Ben Seghir leveled from the penalty spot after the interval and Breel Embolo gave Monaco the lead at the hour mark.
Dembele then scored his first goal of the evening from a rebound in the 64th minute. He added more luster to PSG’s win deep in stoppage time when he completed his brace.
The match was brought forward because of a scheduling conflict with the Trophee des Champions between the two clubs on Jan. 5 in Doha during the weekend that the French league resumes.
Atalanta dominant again with 6-1 win over Cesena in Italian Cup, Roma rout Sampdoria
- Roma also eased through against lower-league opposition, beating Sampdoria 4-1 to secure a last-eight match against AC Milan
- The quarterfinals will be played in February
MILAN: Serie A leaders Atalanta continued their domination of domestic soccer this season with another hefty victory in the Italian Cup albeit against second-division Cesena.
Charles De Ketelaere and Lazar Samardzic both scored twice as Atalanta cruised to a 6-1 win to book a place in the quarterfinals against Bologna.
Roma also eased through against lower-league opposition, beating Sampdoria 4-1 to secure a last-eight match against AC Milan.
The quarterfinals will be played in February.
Fresh from a club record 10th straight league victory, Atalanta — which lost the cup final to Juventus last year — showed no signs of easing up, even against lower league opposition.
Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini opted for a surprisingly strong starting lineup and Atalanta was 2-0 up in less than 10 minutes and 4-0 up by halftime following goals by Davide Zappacosta, De Ketelaere’s double and Samardzic’s first.
Marco Brescianini added a fifth early in the second half and Atalanta finally eased off the gas, although Samardzic doubled his tally in the 71st.
Substitute Joseph Ceesay netted a consolation goal in the final minute for Cesena.
Ranieri beat former club
Roma coach Claudio Ranieri steered his side to a morale-boosting victory over one of his many former clubs and avoided a potential upset against Sampdoria, who had already knocked out two Serie A teams.
Roma had lost in the league 2-0 at Como, who were one of the top-flight teams Samp had beaten on its cup run — the other being city rivals Genoa.
However, an early double from Artem Dovbyk and a delightful solo effort from Tommaso Baldanzi had Roma 3-0 up inside 25 minutes.
Gerard Yepes pulled one back for Samp in the 61st but Roma restored its three-goal advantage through substitute Eldor Shomurodov, moments after he replaced Dovbyk.
Holders Liverpool reach League Cup semis, Arsenal advance
- At the Emirates Stadium, Brazilian striker Jesus finally found the back of the net on home turf for the first time in 2024
LONDON: Liverpool moved into the League Cup semifinals as the holders won 2-1 against managerless Southampton, while Gabriel Jesus ended his goal drought with a hat-trick in Arsenal’s 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
Rare goals from Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott at St. Mary’s sent the 10-time League Cup winners into the last four for a record 20th time.
Held to a surprise 2-2 draw against Fulham in the Premier League last weekend, Liverpool got back on track with a 20th win from 24 games in all competitions under Arne Slot, who has lost just once since arriving from Feyenoord to replace Jurgen Klopp.
Slot, who watched the quarter-final from the stands while he served a touchline suspension, opted to rest Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk as the Premier League leaders made eight changes.
Liverpool’s understudies were too strong for Southampton and Nunez ended his poor recent form with a clinical finish after Jan Bednarek made a hash of clearing Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pass in the 24th minute.
It was only Nunez’s fourth goal in all competitions in a difficult season for the Uruguay striker, who had gone six games without scoring.
Elliott doubled Liverpool’s lead in the 32nd minute, drilling low past Alex McCarthy from 12 yards for his first goal this season.
Cameron Archer reduced the deficit in the 59th minute with a superb curling strike from just inside the area.
Southampton were furious when a late Jarell Quansah challenge on Mateus Fernandes didn’t result in a penalty.
But there was no escaping yet another defeat for Southampton in caretaker boss Simon Rusk’s first game after Russell Martin was sacked following Sunday’s 5-0 thrashing by Tottenham.
“It was a very good and important win. We saw a lot of players that maybe don’t start,” Slot said.
“We handled it really well and only conceded one or two chances. We have to defend the trophy because the club won it last season.”
At the Emirates Stadium, Brazilian striker Jesus finally found the back of the net on home turf for the first time in 2024.
Jesus’ only previous goal in 20 appearances in all competitions this season had come against second-tier Preston in the League Cup.
The 27-year-old’s first goals in nine games were well-timed after Arsenal were booed off following Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Everton in the Premier League.
The Gunners, who last won the League Cup in 1993, are six points behind Liverpool and Mikel Arteta made eight changes as he prioritized Arsenal’s rematch with Palace in the top flight on Saturday.
Arteta’s gamble paid off after an early shock when Jean-Philippe Mateta punished weak defending from Jakub Kiwior to put Palace ahead in the fourth minute.
But Jesus equalized with a composed chipped finish in the 54th minute before lashing Arsenal in front after narrowly beating the offside trap in the 73rd minute.
Jesus sealed his treble with another clinical effort in the 81st minute and former Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah’s header four minutes later came too late to save Palace.
“Sometimes I have this problem with a lack of goals,” Jesus said. “I’m working a lot in training, finishing more, putting myself in a good position. I think my hard work has paid off.”
Sandro Tonali scored twice as Newcastle beat Brentford 3-1 at St. James’ Park.
Magpies boss Eddie Howe named a full-strength side and was rewarded with a comprehensive victory that moved his club a step closer to emulating their run to the 2023 final.
Newcastle, who have not won a major trophy since the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, took the lead through Tonali’s fine finish from the edge of the area in the ninth minute.
The Italian midfielder netted again two minutes before half-time and Fabian Schar tapped in after 69 minutes.
Yoane Wissa’s stoppage-time strike was little consolation for Brentford.
The last quarter-final sees Tottenham host Manchester United on Thursday.
Barca overturn Man City to top Women’s Champions League group
BARCELONA: Holders Barcelona beat Manchester City 3-0 in the Women’s Champions League on Wednesday to pip their opponents to top spot in their group.
Claudia Pina opened the scoring for the dominant three-time champions late in the first half, before double Ballon d’Or winners Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas assured Barcelona of first place in Group D.
Both sides had already qualified for the quarter-finals but the question of who would claim the kinder draw in the knockouts was still to be decided when the teams met in Catalonia.
The hosts dominated from the get-go with Salma Paralluelo, Ewa Pajor and Esmee Brugts going close.
Bonmati nearly caught out Khiara Keating on 27 minutes with a chipped effort from distance, but the ball just skipped wide of the far post with the goalkeeper stranded.
Keating was on form and kept City level with a fine save to tip over Brugts’ curling effort just after the half-hour.
The visitors nearly caught Barcelona with a sucker-punch when Jill Roord found space 30 yards out and rattled the crossbar.
But Keating was again soon called into action to deny Pajor one-on-one as City tried desperately to keep the hosts at bay going into half-time.
Pina finally made the breakthrough with a clinical finish after the ball ricocheted to her in the box one minute before the break.
Even at 1-0 down, the English side were still set to go through as group winners thanks to their 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture at the start of October.
Bonmati, a day after claiming her second FIFA Best award, showed her class in the 57th minute as she raced clear, held off a defender and slotted through the legs of Keating to send Barcelona top of the group on goal difference.
Substitute Putellas made the victory safe for the Catalans shortly after coming off the bench with a deflected strike from outside the box on 69 minutes.
In Vienna, Hammarby of Sweden beat Austrians St. Poelten 2-1 to finish third in the pool.
Later, Arsenal host Bayern Munich with top spot in Group C at stake.
