Mane seals Senegal win over Cameroon for Africa Cup progress; Cape Verde also in

Senegal's midfielder Sadio Mane celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Africa Cup of Nations 2024 Group C football match between Senegal and Cameroon at the Stade Charles Konan Banny in Yamoussoukro on Jan. 19, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 20 January 2024
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Mane seals Senegal win over Cameroon for Africa Cup progress; Cape Verde also in

  • Senegal moved to the top of Group C with successive wins and were assured of finishing among the top two
  • Cape Verde became the first country to reach the knockout stage with a comfortable 3-0 win over Mozambique earlier
  • Guinea are virtually assured of progress after Aguibou Camara secured a 1-0 win over Gambia in Friday’s late game

YAMOUSSOUKRO, Ivory Coast: Sadio Mane scored late to seal a 3-1 win for defending champions Senegal over Cameroon and secure progress to the Africa Cup of Nations knockout stage on Friday.

Mane was mobbed by teammates after sweeping in the third goal in the fifth minute of injury time, capping an impressive performance after Ismaila Sarr scored one goal and set up another for the Lions of Teranga.

Senegal moved to the top of Group C with successive wins and were assured of finishing among the top two.

“We’ve played two games. We have seven. It’s important to stay focused,” Senegal coach Aliou Cissé said.

Five-time champions Cameroon’s hopes of progress hinge on beating bottom-of-the-table Gambia and hoping for a favor from Senegal against second-placed Guinea in their final group games on Tuesday.

Guinea are virtually assured of progress after Aguibou Camara secured a 1-0 win over Gambia in Friday’s late game.

Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana started for Cameroon after missing the team’s first game against Guinea because of his late arrival. His first significant contribution was to send an attempted pass out of play.

The game started with, it seemed, most fans still trying to make their way into Charles Konan Banny Stadium.

Senegal’s strong start was rewarded in the 16th minute when Sarr turned to fire inside the right post after Onana failed to clear a corner.

Long lines of fans were still waiting to enter the stadium when the game paused after 30 minutes for a cooling break.

When the game resumed, Senegal remained dominant. Kalidou Koulibaly and his defense snuffed out any opportunities for Cameroon.

Cameroon defender Enzo Tchato need to step in to block a good chance for Mane before the break, and Tolo Nouhou produced a fine tackle after it to stop Abdou Diallo, who was later booked, ruling him out of Senegal’s final group game.

Senegal did not enjoy the same superiority in the second half, so when Habib Diallo slid in to meet Sarr’s low cross in the 71st, it provided relief for the many Senegalese fans who had by now made their way into the stadium.

Jean-Charles Castelletto’s scored Cameroon’s consolation in the 83rd. Mané made sure of the win.

Blue Sharks finish top

Cape Verde became the first country to reach the knockout stage with a comfortable 3-0 win over Mozambique earlier.

Goals from Bebé, Ryan Mendes, and Kevin Pina gave the Blue Sharks their second win from two games to finish on top of Group B above heavyweights Egypt and Ghana with a game to spare.

Cape Verde have six points, followed by Egypt on two, with Ghana and Mozambique both on one point before the final group games on Monday. The top two in each group are assured of progress, while the four best third-place finishers in the six groups also go through.

Cape Verde are playing in the Africa Cup for just the fourth time. The small Atlantic island nation reached the quarterfinals in 2013.

“What we can deliver together is up there with the best of them,” defender Roberto “Pico” Lopes told The Associated Press before the 2-1 win over Ghana.


Turkiye rally for 2-1 win in friendly against US, who lose 3rd straight under Pochettino

Updated 08 June 2025
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Turkiye rally for 2-1 win in friendly against US, who lose 3rd straight under Pochettino

  • With a year to go before co-hosting the World Cup, the US play Switzerland on Tuesday at Nashville, Tennessee, in another friendly, then open the CONCACAF Gold Cup against Trinidad and Tobago on June 15
  • Preparing for the start of their World Cup qualifying campaign in September, Turkiye have six wins, one loss and one draw in their last eight games

EAST HARTFORD, Connecticut: Turkiye took advantage of a sloppy defense to beat the US 2-1 in a rainy friendly on Saturday, dealing the Americans their third straight loss as Arda Guler and Kerem Akturkoglu scored in a 2-minute, 20-second span midway through the first half.

Jack McGlynn scored 59 seconds in for the US, who were missing many regulars as coach Mauricio Pochettino revamped his roster following a dismal performance at the CONCACAF Nations League final four in March.

With a year to go before co-hosting the World Cup, the US play Switzerland on Tuesday at Nashville, Tennessee, in another friendly, then open the CONCACAF Gold Cup against Trinidad and Tobago on June 15.

The Americans dropped to 5-4 under Pochettino, who took over after first-round elimination last year’s Copa America led the US Soccer Federation to fire coach Gregg Berhalter. They have lost three straight for the second time in a year.

Pochettino changed eight starters from the Nations League loss to Canada in March, keeping only left back Max Arfsten, winger Diego Luna and forward Patrick Agyemang.

Defender Alex Freeman, a 20-year-old son of former NFL All-Pro receiver Antonio Freeman, started in his US debut. Matt Freese, a starter at Major League Soccer’s New York City, made his debut in goal. Matt Turner, the usual starter since 2022, didn’t play for Crystal Palace after March 1.

McGlynn scored when he ran onto a pass from Malik Tilman, took several touches, cut inside and curled a left-footed shot from just outside the penalty area inside the far post for his second goal in five international appearances. It was the earliest US goal since Shaq Moore scored 20 seconds in against Canada during the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Turkiye tied it in the 24th minute when Freese tapped the ball to Johnny Cardoso, whose pass ricocheted off a leg and past Freese for Guler’s fifth international goal.

Then in the 27th, Miles Robinson tried to clear Oguz Aydın’s shot and the ball went to Akturkoglu, who one-timed a bouncing shot past Freese for his 12th international goal and sixth in eight games.

Turkiye goalkeeper Berke Ozer also made his international debut. Preparing for the start of their World Cup qualifying campaign in September, Turkiye have six wins, one loss and one draw in their last eight games.


Tuchel slams England’s lack of ‘seriousness’ in win over Andorra

Updated 08 June 2025
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Tuchel slams England’s lack of ‘seriousness’ in win over Andorra

  • Tuchel’s side were booed at the final whistle in Barcelona after Harry Kane’s 50th minute tap-in saved England from a humiliating draw
  • “I liked the attitude how we started the game, the first 25 minutes, but I didn’t like the last 25 minutes, the last half an hour,” Tuchel said

BARCELONA: Thomas Tuchel slammed England’s attitude and accused them of a lack of “seriousness” during Saturday’s lacklustre 1-0 win against minnows Andorra.

Tuchel’s side were booed at the final whistle in Barcelona after Harry Kane’s 50th minute tap-in saved England from a humiliating draw with a team ranked 173rd in the world.

Although England have won all three of their World Cup qualifiers since Tuchel took charge, they have struggled to fulfil the German’s desire for a more attacking style of play.

Their labored efforts against Andorra infuriated Tuchel, who saw alarming signs that his players threw in the towel in the closing stages.

“I didn’t like the attitude how we ended the game,” he said.

“I liked the attitude how we started the game, the first 25 minutes, but I didn’t like the last 25 minutes, the last half an hour.

“I think we lacked the seriousness and the urgency that is needed in a World Cup qualifier.

“We played with fire and I didn’t like the attitude in the end. I didn’t like the body language and I think it was not what the occasion needed.”

England sit top of Group K as they progress toward next year’s World Cup, yet they will need to improve signficantly to make an impact in the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Tuchel was relieved to secure the victory after Andorra pushed for a late leveller, but he conceded his team had played with a lack of energy.

“In the end we played with fire, honestly. I felt it almost like in a cup game where the favorite does not smell the danger,” he said.

“I didn’t feel a team that is aware it’s only 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier because we were not happy with ourselves.

“I’m not blaming them. I even feel like they felt ‘OK, we’re not happy and this is stuck today, it will not happen today’.

“Step by step the energy dropped. We needed exactly the opposite but we couldn’t deliver and so we got away with a win.”

Tuchel had admitted before the game that it might be hard to crush Andorra by a huge margin because his players were tired after a draining domestic campaign.

Nine of England’s squad will jet off to the Club World Cup after Tuesday’s friendly against Senegal in Nottingham.

First, Tuchel will demand a more positive performance at the City Ground next week.

“We will not stop to encourage them and make clear after we have a proper look at the match what we want from them,” he said.

England supporters made up the majority of the crowd at the RCDE Stadium and their displeasure was audible throughout a limp game that felt more like a pre-season friendly.

Tuchel could not blame them for expressing their frustration, with jeers for the team mixed with abusive songs about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“The booing is OK.”

“They were underwhelmed and not happy with our performance, especially how we ended the first half, so I don’t think we can blame them for that,” he said.

“We cannot even blame them how we ended the match. In the opposite. I thought they were fantastic throughout the whole match.

“I did not hear anything about what you said about abusive songs or chants (about the Prime Minister), so if it happens of course it’s not acceptable but I didn’t hear it.”


Italy already fear missing yet another World Cup after Norway nightmare

Updated 07 June 2025
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Italy already fear missing yet another World Cup after Norway nightmare

  • Norway already had two wins under their belt in Group I before Friday’s match in Oslo
  • A 2-1 defeat at the San Siro in the first leg left Italy chasing the tie in Germany

OSLO: Italy’s World Cup qualification campaign has barely begun and already the country is worried about the shocking possibility of failing to reach the final tournament for a third consecutive time after a humiliating defeat by Norway.

Norway already had two wins under their belt in Group I before Friday’s match in Oslo, while Italy had yet to play, having been involved in the Nations League quarter-finals in March, losing out to Germany.

A 2-1 defeat at the San Siro in the first leg left Italy chasing the tie in Germany and they found themselves 3-0 down at the break before staging a second-half comeback to salvage a draw, and some pride.

It was the same story on Friday for Italy at the Ullevaal Stadium, at least as far as the opening act went. Norway roared into a 3-0 lead in the first half but this time there was no Italian fightback in a goalless second half.

“Enough!” screamed the Gazzetta dello Sport front page on Saturday, after Italy suffered their third loss in a four-game winless run, with the newspaper adding that for Italy the “World Cup is already at risk.”

Next year’s World Cup takes place in the United States, Canada and Mexico but in the two decades since Italy won the tournament for the fourth time, they have struggled to perform or, more recently, to even get there.

Berlin 2006 seems a lifetime ago now, with Zinedine Zidane sent off for his head butt to Marco Materazzi’s chest and Italy lifting the trophy after a penalty shootout win over France.

The next two World Cups saw Italy exit at the group stage, and while they triumphed at Euro 2020, on either side of that success they missed out on the World Cup after playoff defeats to Sweden and North Macedonia.

With Italy now playing catch-up and only the group winners qualifying automatically, La Repubblica’s front-page headline “Azzurri humiliated in Oslo, the playoff nightmare returns” hints at the frightening possibilities ahead.

Italy’s loss came less than a week after Inter Milan’s 5-0 mauling at the hands of Paris St. Germain in the Champions League final and on both occasions the tired-looking losers were outclassed by a hungrier, more creative side.

Italy manager Luciano Spalletti was spared following last year’s dismal Euros but is now under real pressure and nothing but a convincing win at home to Moldova on Monday will do, with media and fans increasingly calling for a change of leadership.


Reports: Bayern agree deal with Leverkusen to take Tah to Club World Cup

Updated 08 June 2025
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Reports: Bayern agree deal with Leverkusen to take Tah to Club World Cup

  • Tah’s contract with Leverkusen ran to the end of June, meaning he could only join Bayern on a free transfer from July 1
  • Any agreement to let Tah join Bayern before his Leverkusen contract ends would suggest pragmatism has won out at Leverkusen

MUNICH: Bayern Munich have reportedly agreed a deal with Bayer Leverkusen to take Germany defender Jonathan Tah to the Club World Cup.

Kicker magazine and other media outlets reported Saturday that Bayern, which had announced Tah’s signing “without a transfer fee” on May 29, have agreed to pay Leverkusen up to 4 million euros ($4.6 million) for the player to take a full part in the Club World Cup starting in the United States on June 14.

Tah’s contract with Leverkusen ran to the end of June, meaning he could only join Bayern on a free transfer from July 1 – unless the clubs came to an agreement beforehand.

There was little goodwill between the clubs after Bayern’s failed attempt to sign Tah – Leverkusen’s captain – last season, when Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro lashed out against Bayern’s Max Eberl. Bayern’s public pursuit of Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz this season further inflamed tensions between the rival clubs.

Any agreement to let Tah join Bayern before his Leverkusen contract ends would suggest pragmatism has won out at Leverkusen.

Real Madrid set the precedent by paying a reported fee of up to 10 million euros ($11.4 million) to get England right back Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his Liverpool contract one month before it was due to expire, so he could play at the Club World Cup, rather than waiting to sign him with a transfer fee.

Bayern will also need to reach agreement with Hoffenheim if they want to take Tom Bischof to the tournament.

Leverkusen face a summer of rebuilding following Xabi Alonso’s departure as coach, Tah and wing back Jeremie Frimpong ‘s departures for Bayern and Liverpool, respectively, and Wirtz’s expected transfer to Liverpool.

Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka suggested Friday he would be open to a switch amid reported interest from AC Milan, a change from his previous position.

Leverkusen hired former Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag to replace the Real Madrid-bound Alonso, while they have also signed highly rated teenager Ibrahim Maza from second-division club Hertha Berlin, and 21-year-old defender Tim Oermann from relegated Bochum before promptly loaning him to Austrian champion Sturm Graz.

They also loaned promising midfielder Francis Onyeka to Bochum for next season in the second division.


Spain-Portugal final more than just Cristiano vs Yamal says Ronaldo

Updated 08 June 2025
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Spain-Portugal final more than just Cristiano vs Yamal says Ronaldo

  • Ronaldo however said the focus on the two individuals was overblown, calling Spain “maybe the best national team in the world“
  • “There are different generations, one is coming in and another is exiting the stage. If you want to see me as another generation, then that’s OK”

MUNICH: Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo acknowledged he was “another generation” to Spain starlet Lamine Yamal but said Sunday’s Nations League final was more than just a battle between the duo.

The final in Munich has been framed as a showdown between veteran Ronaldo, 40, one of the game’s biggest names, and 17-year-old Yamal, the most exciting young talent in world football.

Ronaldo scored the winner to send Portugal past Germany into the final and Yamal was named man-of-the-match after bagging a brace in Spain’s wild 5-4 semifinal win over France.

Ronaldo however said the focus on the two individuals was overblown, calling Spain “maybe the best national team in the world.”

“There are different generations, one is coming in and another is exiting the stage. If you want to see me as another generation, then that’s OK.

“When you talk about a clash between Cristiano and someone else, that’s not how it works. The media always try to hype things up, which is a normal thing, but it’s one team versus another team.”

“You’ve been talking about Lamine a lot and you’re right to do so because he’s very good,” Ronaldo told journalists, adding “but I’d like to talk about the team.

“They’ve got Nico Williams, great midfielders like Pedri and their coach (Luis) de la Fuente is very good, very strong, very disciplined.”

Portugal last beat their Iberian neighbors in a competitive fixture in 21 years ago at Euro 2024, a match which Ronaldo started.

Like Yamal, Ronaldo burst onto the scene at a young age.

Aged just 18, Ronaldo impressed so much for boyhood side Sporting in a 3-1 win over Manchester United in a friendly in Lisbon that the English club decided to buy him, bringing him to Old Trafford less than a week later.

Like a young Ronaldo, Yamal has consistently impressed since bursting onto the scene, winning a league and cup double with Barcelona this season after lifting the Euro 2024 title in Germany last summer.

The Portuguese veteran asked media to allow the teenager to grow and improve without pressure, reminding them the Spanish star “with funny hair” was just “three years older than my son.”

“The kid has been doing very well, but what I ask is for you to let him grow, not put him under pressure. For the good of football, we need to let him grow in his own way and enjoy the talent he has.”

Both Spain and Portugal have already won the Nations League. Spain are the current champions from their win in 2023, while Portugal won the inaugural tournament back in 2019.