Zidane-inspired Gundogan looking to banish Germany’s World Cup anguish

Ilkay Gundogan believes Germany will not be scarred by the events of 2018. (AFP)
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Updated 19 November 2022
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Zidane-inspired Gundogan looking to banish Germany’s World Cup anguish

  • The Manchester City captain believes lack of expectation and a crop of talented youngsters will help Hansi Flick’s team in Qatar

As a group of people huddled around a television set in the corner of a Turkish restaurant one late night in July, 1998, a young Ilkay Gundogan observed intently.

It was to be his first exposure to the World Cup.

He was seven, blissfully unaware of how football’s historic competition between nations would eventually play a major part in his life and career.

Inspired by two goals from Zinedine Zidane, hosts France beat favorites Brazil 3-0 that night at a euphoric Stade de France in Paris.

“We were on holiday with my parents and my brother, and we stopped before we entered the hometown where my grandparents lived in Turkiye,” recalled Gundogan.

“We always stopped at a local restaurant at night and had soup there. I remember it had one of those old TVs in the corner and the game was on and people were watching. So that was my first memory connected to the World Cup.

“That game in 1998 there was Zidane and then came his (volleyed) goal against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League final a few years later for Real Madrid, so he was someone I remember and that everyone looked up to.

“He was one of the footballers I was idolizing in terms of how beautiful he played the game.”

It was to be eight years before Gundogan would again be captivated by the game’s showpiece.

Curiously, it was at the 2006 tournament in his homeland Germany and where Zidane infamously went from beauty to the beast.

The talismanic midfielder scored, but was then sent off in the final for a headbutt into the chest of Italy defender Marco Materazzi in an off-the-ball incident.

Italy won 5-3 on penalties as the game finished 1-1 after extra-time.

By then Gundogan, born and settled with his family in the city of Gelsenkirchen, was simply enamored by the huge spectacle of a World Cup.

“I was 15 then and at one of those fan festivals they had in Gelsenkirchen, watching games with my friends,” he told Arab News exclusively.

“I even won two tickets for the England game against Portugal in the quarter-final, the one with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, when they were fighting and Rooney was sent off. I was at that game, which went to penalties and England went out.

“That was the first World Cup game I went to… and the only one since as a fan. It was amazing.

“Gelsenkirchen is a small place and the only thing we had was football, the joy of life was football.

“Having it as one of the cities with a stadium for a World Cup and seeing it all happen there was something just unbelievable, fun and a joy for everyone.

“At that time I was thinking I was quite good at football, but not dreaming of playing in a World Cup. I didn’t think it possible then and was just a fan.”

But Gundogan made it all possible. 

Having come through the youth ranks at Bochum and then impressing at club level with Nurnberg, Borussia Dortmund and now English Premier League champions Manchester City, the midfielder has 63 caps to his name for Germany.

Yet, so far, the 32-year-old associates only hurt and frustration with the World Cup as a player.

When Germany won the trophy for a fourth time in 2014, he was an observer as injuries ruled him out of those finals.

Four years later, Gundogan’s experience was soured when he — and team-mate Mesut Ozil — were criticized for a pre-tournament photograph with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The row was defused when German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said no political message was intended by the players — both Muslims who were paying respect to their Turkish roots — and their stories were a reminder that people could have “more than one homeland.”

The national team then exited at the opening round for the first time in 80 years, humbled 2-0 by South Korea in their final group game.

“It was hard, of course,” admitted Gundogan. “We had all these expectations.

“Going there as the former champions, the public expectations were also high and to be brutally honest, we failed.

“We were not good enough and, at the end of the day, we kind of deserved to get knocked out of the group stage. It was very sad and frustrating for us.

“The reasons were probably a mix of everything. Maybe just the expectations of being champions in 2014, maybe most players were not prepared well enough, we were not on top of our game, and maybe not hungry enough … I don’t know.
“But we were just lacking in everything a little bit. On the pitch you could see it was not the atmosphere we wished that we had.

“Preparations were maybe not on point either and it was quite difficult.

“Even with the disappointment, I was hoping back then to play in another World Cup, but of course I had to see how things evolved and the development, both for myself and the team.

“Fortunately enough I will have it now and hopefully we can do much better.”

With former Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick having replaced Joachim Low in charge and emerging talent, including Jamal Musiala, 19, and 17-year-old striker Youssoufa Moukoko in the squad, Gundogan believes they will not be scarred by the events of 2018.

“Too many things have changed since then for that to affect us in Qatar,” he said. “We have a different coach now and 95 percent of team has changed. 

“The experience is there and we can still use it, but it’s a completely new challenge, and the development over the past year has been positive even though we have had highs and lows.

“But it’s all a learning process and if we are able to filter everything we have lived in the last few months and get it to our best then we can have a really good tournament.”

In a group with Spain, Japan and Costa Rica, Germany are not among the favorites this time and, with no major expectations, Gundogan added: “Not having the pressure can be good because not everyone is going to put us up there as a main contender, but I always believe it’s what you make out of the situation.

“It’s important to get momentum, have the team vibing and to create a good atmosphere.

“I think there will be a lot of teams on the same level.

“The standard of the game has become so high and the development in other countries has gone in the right way so everyone is able to compete. 

“Japan are our first game and they have good players with good technical abilities so it will be tough, and we have Spain too.

“After the group stage you can say more, who looks settled and who looks strong.”

The Middle East’s first World Cup may provide a surprise winner but, while Gundogan is hoping Germany will be victorious, he believes England also have the strength to finally end their 56-year wait to lift the trophy again.

“There’s pressure on them, but it’s normal and I feel it shows the quality they have,” said the City captain. “Individually, they have one of the best teams.

“They have, in every position, two players who are on a world-class level. But that brings all the responsibilities of how people expect you to perform.

“That also does not mean you are the best team and it’s not about the best 11 players, but the most harmonious team. England did well at the Euros, went to the final, and I would not be surprised if they also go very far at the World Cup. 

“Of course they can win it with the quality they have in the squad, they are definitely able to go for it.

“Everyone is also looking at Brazil and Argentina, but that doesn’t mean anything. At the end, the one who deserves it should win it — and I hope that will be us… inshallah.”


Coach Ivanizevic slams Tsitsipas after early Wimbledon exit

Updated 11 sec ago
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Coach Ivanizevic slams Tsitsipas after early Wimbledon exit

  • Stefanos Tsitsipas was forced to retire from his Wimbledon first-round match while trailing to French qualifier Valentin Royer
  • ‘He wants to but he doesn’t do anything. All ‘I want, I want’, but I don’t see that progress… I was shocked’
Goran Ivanizevic gave a scathing assessment of Stefanos Tsitsipas, saying he has “never seen a more unprepared player” in his life following the Greek world number 26’s opening round exit at Wimbledon.
Tsitsipas, the 2021 French Open and 2023 Australian Open runner-up, was forced to retire from his Wimbledon first-round match while trailing 6-3 6-2 to French qualifier Valentin Royer on Monday due to a back injury.
The 26-year-old, who said he had no answers to his ongoing fitness problems after his elimination, appointed Croatian Ivanizevic as his coach in May after a string of disappointing results at the Grand Slams.
Tsitsipas, a former world number three, has reached only one quarter-final in his last nine Grand Slam tournaments.
“It’s simple and it’s not simple. I’ve talked to him a lot of times. If he solves some things outside of tennis, then he has a chance and he’ll return to where he belongs, because he’s too good a player to be out of the top 10,” Ivanizevic told Serbian network Sport Klub after Tsitsipas’ exit.
“He wants to but he doesn’t do anything. All ‘I want, I want’, but I don’t see that progress... I was shocked, I have never seen a more unprepared player in my life. With this knee, I am three times more fit than him. This is really bad.”
Ivanizevic, who won Wimbledon as a player in 2001, helped Novak Djokovic claim nine of his 24 Grand Slam titles before leaving his team in March last year. He then had a short stint with Kazakh world number 11 Elena Rybakina this season.

Doug Ghim clings to one-shot lead at John Deere Classic

Updated 05 July 2025
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Doug Ghim clings to one-shot lead at John Deere Classic

  • Ghim, a 29-year-old Illinois native, is hoping to land his maiden PGA Tour victory in his home state
  • The round of the day belonged to defending champion Davis Thompson, whose bogey-free 63 catapulted him to 11 under

SILVIS, Illinois: Doug Ghim shot a 3-under par 68 and held onto a one-stroke lead over Max Homa and a group of contenders at the John Deere Classic on Friday in Silvis, Illinois

Homa is part of a five-way tie for second after also posting a 68 late Friday afternoon at TPC Deere Run. He matched Ghim at 12 under with a birdie at the par-5 17th hole, but after finding a bunker off the 18th tee he failed to save par and dropped back a shot.

Ghim, a 29-year-old Illinois native, is hoping to land his maiden PGA Tour victory in his home state.

“They couldn’t make it today but I’m anticipating family coming (Saturday), and I’m excited about that,” Ghim said.

Ghim made an eagle for the second straight round, holing out from 179 yards away at the par-4 15th.

“I guess holing out two days in a row is always nice,” he said. “It’s been couple years since I think I holed out from the fairway. To get two back-to- back days is a great.”

He reached 13 under for the tournament with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 4-5, but Ghim bogeyed his closing hole, No. 9.

Homa entered the week an abysmal No. 122 in the FedEx Cup standings amid a disappointing season, but now he’s in the mix for his first win since 2023.

“I don’t think really much changes” on the weekend, Homa said. “I mean, just play the golf course. You’re going to have to shoot really low. If you went out there and tried to do something specific, I’m not so sure that is going to work. Somebody can go out there and shoot 11-under out there and jump everybody.

“So just go do what we did today and play another round of golf. Just keep waiting until the back nine on Sunday basically.”

The round of the day belonged to defending champion Davis Thompson, whose bogey-free 63 catapulted him to 11 under. Tied with Homa and Thompson are Brian Campbell (66), David Lipsky (67) and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo (66).

“(On Thursday) I hit a lot of great putts early but they were just burning the edges,” said Thompson, who made four birdies on each nine Friday. “Then I was able to make a few on the back nine (Thursday) and just ride that momentum into today.”

Colombia’s Camilo Villegas (66) and Si Woo Kim of South Korea (67) are part of a group at 10 under as the second round finished up late Friday.

Rickie Fowler dropped four shots in a four-hole span on his back nine, with two bogeys and a double bogey, but he birdied No. 17 to finish up a 1-over 72 and get to 5 under, which wound up being the cut line at the end of the day.

Notable names who missed the cut included Tom Kim of South Korea (4 under), Australian Jason Day (2 under), J.T. Poston (1 under) and Canadian Adam Hadwin (2 over).


Germany off to winning start after beating Poland 1-0 in Women’s Euro 2025

Updated 05 July 2025
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Germany off to winning start after beating Poland 1-0 in Women’s Euro 2025

  • Germany are one of three big contenders for overall victory in Switzerland alongside world champions Spain and holders England
  • Peter Gerhardsson’s team are now unbeaten in 13 games after a second straight win over the Danes, with Sweden running out emphatic 6-1 winners in the Nations League last month

ST. GALLEN, Switzerland: Germany made a winning start to their Women’s Euro 2025 campaign with Friday’s 2-0 win over Poland which moved the eight-time continental champions top of Group C.

Christian Wueck’s side lead Sweden, 1-0 winners in a Scandinavian derby with Denmark, on goal difference after coming through a hard-fought group opener in St. Gallen thanks to goals in the second half from Jule Brand and Lea Schueller.

Germany are one of three big contenders for overall victory in Switzerland alongside world champions Spain and holders England.

But the “Frauenteam” were far from their best for most of the match, with Wueck frequently bellowing at his charges to up their game.

And they lost captain Giulia Gwinn to what looked like a knee injury before half-time following a nasty fall in a challenge with Ewa Pajor.

“She’s injured her knee and will undergo an MRI tomorrow, at which point we’ll know what’s happened,” said Wueck.

“It was a tough, hard-fought victory. Poland made it very, very difficult for us with their style of play... We’re happy with the result and we know that we can do better.”

Germany had won all six previous encounters with Poland but the game was even until Brand cut inside and unleashed an unstoppable shot six minutes after half-time.

And Brand was on hand in the 66th minute with a perfect cross for Bayern Munich striker Schueller, who made sure of the points with a simple header.

Germany have now won six matches on the bounce, scoring 26 goals in that run, but looked some way below the standard shown by tournament favorites Spain on Thursday, with England facing France on Saturday.

Poland acquitted themselves admirably in their European Championship debut but Barcelona’s Pajor, who has scored 51 goals for club and country this season, was uncharacteristically wasteful with her finishing.

Pajor walloped a great chance at Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger just before Schueller doubled Germany’s lead and did the same with a close-range header with nine minutes remaining.

Filippa Angeldahl scored Sweden’s winner in the 55th minute in Geneva after exchanging passes with Kosovare Asllani and firing into the far corner.

Sweden should have doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Madelen Janogy headed Hanna Lundkvist’s pinpoint cross narrowly wide, while moments before Stina Blackstenius was denied by Frederikke Thogersen’s brilliant goalline clearance.

“It was an enormous sense of joy and relief. There are so many nerves when you start a tournament that it was a wonderful feeling to score that goal,” Angeldahl told reporters.

Peter Gerhardsson’s team are now unbeaten in 13 games after a second straight win over the Danes, with Sweden running out emphatic 6-1 winners in the Nations League last month.

Sweden kept a tight handle on Denmark’s skipper Pernille Harder, although she did smash an effort off the crossbar with nine minutes remaining.

The Bayern Munich forward was also involved when VAR decided not to award a penalty to Denmark in the opening minutes for a potential handball by Madelen Janogy, who was marking Parder.


Sabalenka fights off Raducanu, Alcaraz marches on, Keys and Osaka crash at Wimbledon

Updated 05 July 2025
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Sabalenka fights off Raducanu, Alcaraz marches on, Keys and Osaka crash at Wimbledon

  • A record 36 seeds in the men’s and women’s singles failed to reach round three and the upsets continued Friday as women’s sixth seed Madison Keys and four-time major winner Naomi Osaka departed

LONDON: Women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka fought off inspired home favorite Emma Raducanu in a cauldron-like Center Court atmosphere to keep her Wimbledon quest on track but it was the end of the road for two other Grand Slam champions on Friday.

Sabalenka edged a ferocious contest under the roof after requiring eight set points in the opening set and then roaring back from a 4-1 deficit in a sizzling second.

“Wow! What an atmosphere, my ears are still hurting, it was super loud,” a relieved Sabalenka said on court after wrapping up the win on her third match point.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, chasing a third successive Wimbledon title, was also put through the wringer by Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff before sealing a last-16 spot with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.

A record 36 seeds in the men’s and women’s singles failed to reach round three and the upsets continued on Friday as women’s sixth seed Madison Keys, the Australian Open champion, and four-time major winner Naomi Osaka departed.

Japan’s Osaka looked every bit the Grand Slam great for a set before losing 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. American Keys racked up 31 unforced errors in a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Germany’s Laura Siegemund, at 37 the oldest woman left in the singles draw.

Sabalenka is the only top-10 seed left in the top half of the draw and, with only three remaining in the bottom, she might be starting to think this could be her year.

If she does win the trophy to add to her two Australian Opens and one US Open, she will look back on Friday night under the Center Court roof as perhaps the turning point.

Had she lost the opening set the partisan crowd might well have roared former US Open champion Raducanu to victory.

Even after clinching the first set with a deft volley, Sabalenka found herself in trouble as 40th-ranked Raducanu blazed ahead and had a point for a 5-1 lead. But she then switched on the after burners to overwhelm the flagging Briton.

“Emma played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win,” said the 27-year-old Belarusian. “I had to fight for every point to get this win.”

Home hopes

Raducanu’s loss ended hope of a British hat-trick on day five after Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie sailed through to the last 16 in impressive fashion.

Local favorite Kartal moved on with a remarkable display against French qualifier Diane Parry, claiming nine games in a row to come from 1-4 down to win 6-4, 6-2.

Norrie kept the home flag flying in the men’s singles by beating Italian Mattia Bellucci 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-3 to set up a meeting with Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry, who overcame Brazilian wonder kid Joao Fonseca 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4).

Kartal had earlier reeled off nine games in a row after a slow start to beat French qualifier Diane Parry 6-4, 6-2 and set up a clash with Russian Pavlyuchenkova.

French Open winner Alcaraz extended his winning run to 21 matches by beating Struff but it was a Jekyll and Hyde performance as he again showed vulnerability.

“I was suffering in every service game... 0-30s and breakpoints down. It was stressful. Every time he could push me, he did. I was trying to survive,” Alcaraz said.

The 22-year-old will face Russian 14th seed next after he beat French qualifier Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-2, 6-3.

Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Amanda Anisimova ensured there would be some Fourth of July celebrations for Americans.

After being taken the distance in his first two matches, fifth seed Fritz had a slightly easier ride as he beat Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1 to reach the last 16 where he will face unseeded Australian Jordan Thompson.

Despite spending more than nine hours on court, Fritz said he felt fresh ahead of his Sunday assignment with Thompson.

“This is going to sound crazy,” said Fritz, who has been suffering tendinitis in his knee and had to deal with a bruised arm after a fall. “My body is actually feeling better after each match. I feel like somehow it felt the worst after my first round but now it’s getting better.”

Anisimova, the 13th seed, also reached the fourth round with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Hungarian Dalma Galfi.

Shelton, who was left seething after his second-round clash with Rinky Hijikata was suspended late on Thursday with him about to serve for the match, needed around one minute to finish the job on Friday, hitting three aces and an unreturned second serve to take his place in the last 32.

French showman Gael Monfils also had to resume his match but the 38-year-old could not prevent a 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 7-6(5) 6-4 defeat by Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics.

“I don’t really know. I wish I could win this match today but that’s sport. I’m going to rest a couple of days and go back on court and try to be ready for the US tour.”

It was the end of the road for Monfils’s wife Elina Svitolina too as the Ukrainian 14th seed fell 6-1 7-6(4) against 24th seed Elize Mertens.


PSG ‘dead’ unless they keep improving: Luis Enrique

Updated 05 July 2025
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PSG ‘dead’ unless they keep improving: Luis Enrique

  • PSG played an entertaining attacking style with three forward on their way to Champions League glory

ATLANTA: Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said Friday his team will keep adapting and improving to pursue future success and if they failed to do so they would be “dead.”
The European champions face German giants Bayern Munich on Saturday in the Club World Cup quarter-finals in Atlanta and the Spanish coach said they will not keep relying on the same system.
PSG played an entertaining attacking style with three forward on their way to Champions League glory, but Luis Enrique said one day he would diverge.
“We will change it because teams adapt — in football there is nothing magical,” Luis Enrique told reporters.
“When you overcome the press, your opponent adapts, when you create superiority in an area, your opponent adapts, there is no magic formula.
“There is no coach who has a system or a move, and that’s it, that’s the difficulty of modern football, all coaches are prepared, all players are better physically and technically than ever.”
“So you adapt, you improvise, and you become unpredictable for your opponent, or you are dead.”
Luis Enrique said playing the same way that led PSG to a first treble this season would not suffice going forward.
“It’s not enough to do what we’ve done this past season in the next, we have to change, we have to improve things,” added Luis Enrique.
Bayern Munich beat PSG 1-0 in November in the Champions League group stage, before the French side found their stride and went on to triumph in the competition for the first time.
“We have a little bit of revenge to take, we know they’re a tough team, but we’re much stronger than in November,” said Ousmane Dembele, who was sent off in Munich.
“A lot has changed — the players have clearly raised their level, I’ve raised my level too, and we have a lot of confidence. We know what we need to do on the field, we can beat any team.”
The 28-year-old is a leading Ballon d’Or contender after a superb campaign, although has only made a brief cameo as a substitute in the Club World Cup thus far.
Dembele suffered a quadriceps injury during the Nations League at the start of June and came on in PSG’s 4-0 romp against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.
The forward said he is now “100 percent” fit but it is up to Luis Enrique whether he starts against Bayern at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“It’s not the time to give information to my opponent — we’ll see tomorrow,” said Luis Enrique.