EINDHOVEN, Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven coach Peter Bosz was left ruing missed chances after his side squandered several opportunities in a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last-16 first-leg tie on Tuesday.
“In the second half, we had loads of chances. It was a shame that we didn’t score a second,” Bosz told reporters after the game at the Philips Stadion.
Donyell Malen snatched a vital goal to earn the Bundesliga giants the away draw at his old club but wasteful PSV were left to wonder what could have been.
The big question pre-match was which Borussia Dortmund would show up: the team that topped the Champions League ‘Group of Death’ or the outfit struggling for consistency in the Bundesliga?
And it was a cagey opening in an intimidating atmosphere in Eindhoven, the home fans letting off a volley of fireworks at kick-off.
“We started very nervously, I think both sides were nervous in the first minutes,” said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic.
When the smoke cleared, the hosts had the better of the opening exchanges, Mexico international winger Hirving Lozano causing the Dortmund defense headaches down the left.
PSV midfielder Malik Tillman fluffed two gilt-edged chances in front of goal, once firing wide after a clever through-ball from veteran Dutch striker Luuk de Jong.
And the visitors punished PSV’s profligacy, taking the lead against the run of play in the 24th minute when Malen squeezed a deflected shot into the top corner.
Malen had been prolific for the Dutch giants, scoring 55 goals in all competitions in just 43 games, and chose not to celebrate in front of PSV’s hardcore fans.
The misfiring Tillman somehow then contrived to miss another goal that looked easier to score, this time with a header right in front of goal.
Then it was Belgian international winger Johan Bakayoko’s turn to scuff a shot wide, with the home fans starting to wonder if it was going to be one of those nights as they went into the break 1-0 down.
PSV haven’t lost at home all season and started the second half on the front foot.
They were soon level.
Tillman redeemed his earlier errors by winning a penalty in the 56th minute, which De Jong slotted calmly past Alexander Meyer.
Dortmund defenders were incensed at the penalty award, insisting veteran central defender Mats Hummels had nicked the ball before bringing down Tillman.
Terzic described it as a “hard decision” and even Bosz acknowledged: “You could see from the reaction of the Dortmund players they didn’t agree with it.”
“Zero percent a penalty. Zero,” Hummels himself told Prime Video after the game.
“Tillman was laughing all over the place. Bakayoko was laughing himself to death. They were all grinning for minutes later.”
The controversial equalizer opened the game up, with chances at both ends, a flick by Dortmund’s Marius Wolf forcing a sharp save from Walter Benitez in the PSV goal.
With 15 minutes to go, Bakayoko danced through the Dortmund defense but failed to get any purchase on his shot — summing up the night for PSV.
PSV midfielder Joey Veerman said: “I think that we had the second half completely under control and in the first half we had big chances.”
“When you look at the whole game, we had better chances than Dortmund,” he said, adding “I think that 1-1 is not all that bad a position” to take back to Dortmund.
Hummels admitted his team let the “charged atmosphere get to us too much” but was confident of advancing into the quarter-finals when the two sides meet again in three weeks.
“I saw a very beatable Eindhoven today. In our home game, the second leg, we simply need to play better with the ball. Then, I am very confident that we will progress,” said Hummels.
“We know we still have the second leg to play. Then, there will be 80,000 people on a Champions League night. We are unbeatable there,” added Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck.
PSV rue chances as old boy Malen earns Champions League draw for Dortmund
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PSV rue chances as old boy Malen earns Champions League draw for Dortmund
- PSV haven’t lost at home all season and started the second half on the front foot
Jordanians bask in glory of World Cup qualification
- Fans drove their cars through Jordan’s capital Amman late Thursday, honking their horns and chanting victory while others waved the national flag in triumph
- Jordan sealed their place on the penultimate day of Asian qualifying for the 2026 tournament, which will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada
AMMAN: Huge celebrations erupted in Jordan after the national team qualified for the 2026 World Cup, earning a spot in the tournament for the first time following a decisive 3-0 victory against Oman.
Fans drove their cars through Jordan’s capital Amman late Thursday, honking their horns and chanting victory while others waved the national flag in triumph.
“We are all with you!” and “It’s getting closer, heroes” read messages written into the night sky in a spectacular drone light show.
Jordan sealed their place on the penultimate day of Asian qualifying for the 2026 tournament, which will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Ali Olwin netted a hat-trick as the 2023 Asian Cup runners-up etched their name in the history books.
They secured their spot in the World Cup when South Korea defeated Iraq, also on Thursday, 2-0.
The royal court published pictures of King Abdullah II wearing a national team jersey as he watched the game from the embassy in London, where he was on a visit.
“This historic qualification is well-deserved by our team, which includes stars and cadres of whom we are proud,” he wrote on X.
“Special thanks go to our loyal fans who have been our support and encouragement.”
Sohad Idrissi, a 48-year-old housewife who watched the game with her siblings, beamed with pride as she said that her side had played “a beautiful game and deserved to qualify for the World Cup.”
“Today the joy is two-fold: there is the joy of Eid Al-Adha, and the joy of Nashama qualifying,” she said, using a nickname for the Jordanian team.
Fadi Qalanzi, a 21-year-old university student, called the win “a dream that is finally coming true.”
“Our team put on a beautiful performance, and they truly deserved to qualify,” he added.
Osama Al-Shreeda, a 60-year-old retired civil servant, also called it a dream come true.
“I’ve been following Jordanian football since 1978, and a relative of mine used to play with the national team,” he said.
“It’s a great opportunity for our team and its players to be recognized globally,” he added, calling it an achievement not just for Jordan but for the wider Arab region.
“It was about time, this is a joy we’d been waiting for a long time,” said 55-year-old schoolteacher Nashat Badr.
Brazil held in Ancelotti debut, Paraguay move closer to qualifying
- Thursday’s result leaves the Selecao in fourth place in the qualifying table on 22 points while Ecuador, the surprise package in the campaign, remain in second on 24 points
- The top six teams in the 10-team qualifying group head directly into the World Cup draw while the seventh placed team must enter the inter-confederation playoffs
MONTEVIDEO: Carlo Ancelotti’s debut as coach of Brazil ended in a goalless draw in Ecuador in South American World Cup qualifying on Thursday.
Argentina, already assured of a place in next year’s tournament, beat Chile 1-0 in Santiago with a goal from Julian Alvarez, a result which guarantees Lionel Scaloni’s team top spot and leaves bottom placed ‘La Roja’ with virtually no hope of qualifying.
Ancelotti, the 65-year-old Italian, who left Real Madrid at the end of the European season, has been charged with taking Brazil through the latter stages of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
The former AC Milan and Chelsea manager replaced Dorival Junior, who was sacked at the end of March after the 4-1 thrashing at the hands of reigning champions and bitter rivals Argentina.
Thursday’s result leaves the Selecao in fourth place in the qualifying table on 22 points while Ecuador, the surprise package in the campaign, remain in second on 24 points.
Argentina lead the standings on 34 points and are the only team to have officially secured their place in the tournament which will be held in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Paraguay, who enjoyed a 2-0 win over Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay, sit in third place, level on points with Ecuador.
Ecuador knew a win would put them on the brink of qualification and there was a packed crowd at the Estadio Monumental in Guayaquil.
But the home side were dealt a blow just before kick-off when goalkeeper Hernan Galindez suffered a muscle strain in the warm-up and replacement Gonzalo Valle was hurriedly sent out to make his debut.
If Valle had any nerves they eased when he did well to parry a shot from inside the box from Vinicius Jr. who had been set up by Gerson following a turnover.
Chances were limited in a contest where neither side was able to get control of midfield.
The pattern continued after the break with Ecuador, missing their injured striker and talisman Enner Valencia, struggling to pose a threat.
Real Madrid star Vinicius was quiet for much of the game and with Rodrygo absent, Brazil also lacked potency in attack.
The best opening came in the 75th minute when Vinicius broke down the left and cut back to Casemiro, but the Manchester United midfielder, recalled to the national side by Ancelotti, saw a tame side-footed effort easily dealt with by Valle.
While there was no instant impact from Ancelotti, Vinicius, who played under the coach in Madrid, said he needed time to make his impact felt.
“I’m very happy to have Ancelotti here with us, because I’ve always said he’s the best coach I’ve ever worked with. Having the opportunity to work with him in the Brazilian national team is the best,” the winger told SporTV.
“He hasn’t had time to show his work, his game plan, because he’s only had two or three days of training,” he added.
Atletico Madrid striker Alvarez put Argentina ahead at the Estadio Nacional in the 16th minute with a deft finish after he had been put through by a perfectly weighted pass from Thiago Almada.
Lionel Messi came off the bench in the 57th minute but Chile sensed a chance to get something from the game and created more as the game progressed.
Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez made a series of crucial saves and Lucas Cepeda went closest with a fierce shot which struck the bar.
Cepeda then had the best chance of the game when he was found at the back post but he blasted his volley wide.
Messi set up Giuliano Simeone with a chance to make it 2-0 but the son of former Argentina captain and Atletico Madrid coach Diego, fired his shot into the side netting.
A header from midfielder Matías Galarza just 13 minutes into the game and a late penalty from Julio Enciso earned Paraguay a crucial victory over a depleted Uruguay.
The victory left Paraguay on the verge of securing their return to the World Cup for the first time since qualifying for the 2010 finals in South Africa.
Victory in Sao Paulo on Tuesday against Brazil would secure their place in the tournament.
The top six teams in the 10-team qualifying group head directly into the World Cup draw while the seventh placed team must enter the inter-confederation playoffs.
Yamal, Williams dazzle as Spain beat France in nine-goal thriller
- Yamal bagged a brace while Williams scored and provided an assist as the two wingers cut France’s makeshift defense to ribbons
STUTTGART, Germany: Spain starlets Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams dazzled as La Roja beat France 5-4 in a thriller in Stuttgart on Thursday, to set up a Nations League final with Portugal.
Yamal bagged a brace while Williams scored and provided an assist as the two wingers cut France’s makeshift defense to ribbons.
Mikel Merino and Pedri were also on the scoresheet for the Euro 2024 champions.
Kylian Mbappe netted a second-half penalty, but Spain were 5-1 up and cruising, before Les Bleus suddenly woke up as their opponents took their foot off the pedal.
France’s three late goals — a Rayan Cherki screamer, a Spain own goal and a stoppage time strike from Randal Kolo Muani — were not enough.
Spain held on to book an all-Iberian Nations League final against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal on Sunday in Munich, while France will face hosts Germany in Stuttgart for the bronze medal, earlier in the day.
Returning to Germany where they won the European Championship in dominant fashion a year ago, Spain seem a more complete team, despite their late fadeout.
France were more dangerous in the opening stages, with Didier Deschamps electing to channel his attack through Ousmane Dembele rather than Mbappe.
Dembele, fresh from Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League triumph, created an early chance for Mbappe, but the Real Madrid superstar wasted it, electing to pass rather than shoot when one-on-one with the ‘keeper.
Minutes later, Spain escaped again as Theo Hernandez’s long-range effort shaved the top of the crossbar.
Spain made France pay soon after, when Williams and Oyarzabal, La Roja’s two goalscorers in the Euro 2024 final, linked up with 22 minutes played.
After a tear down the right, Yamal threaded it to Oyarzabal, who held off three defenders with his back to goal before finding Williams, who rifled his shot into the top of the net.
Spain grabbed full hold of the match just three minutes later when Oyarzabal dinked the French defense, allowing Merino to collect and hammer past an off-balance Maignan.
France had the better chances later in the half, with Dembele finding space in the box three times only to blast straight at a grateful Unai Simon.
Just before half-time, the narrowest of offsides robbed Spain of what would have been an incredible third.
In a clearly rehearsed free-kick play, Yamal found Martin Zubimendi behind the lines, who cut it back for Huijsen.
The second-half played out line the first, with France missing two big chances before Spain again scored a quick-fire double.
With 54 minutes played, Yamal won and converted a penalty, taking the ball from Williams before calmly slotting home.
France were reeling but Spain’s starlets had no sympathy, Williams setting up Pedri for a fourth just one minute later.
Mbappe won and converted a penalty with 59 minutes played but Yamal stepped up again to snuff out French hopes of an unlikely comeback, scoring Spain’s fifth with just over 20 minutes remaining.
Spain made four changes a their thoughts turned to Sunday, allowing France to score two late consolation goals.
Substitute Cherki scored a long-range effort and then forced Spain into conceding an own goal through Daniel Vivian.
Kolo Muani’s goal came in the fourth minute of stoppage time to cut the deficit to one, but France had left their comeback too late, as Spain held on.
Jordan qualify for World Cup for first time
- Ali Olwan scored a hat-trick in Jordan's 3-0 win over Oman earlier on Thursday
AMMAN: Jordan have qualified for the World Cup for the first time at the 11th attempt after South Korea's 2-0 win over Iraq confirmed the west Asian nation's progress to the finals.
Ali Olwan scored a hat-trick in Jordan's 3-0 win over Oman earlier on Thursday before South Korea's win in Basra confirmed the country's progress to the 2026 finals in North America.
The Jordanians can no longer be overtaken in second place in Group B by third-placed Iraq.
Uzbekistan earn first World Cup qualification, Australia, Jordan close in
- Goals from Musab Al-Juwayr and Abdulrahman Al-Obud earned Saudi Arabia a victory that puts Australia’s celebrations on hold
- Jordan also moved to the cusp of qualification as Ali Olwan’s hat-trick delivered a 3-0 win over Oman
HONG KONG: Uzbekistan qualified for the World Cup for the first time on Thursday as a 0-0 draw with the UAE confirmed the nation’s progress to next year’s finals as Australia and Jordan moved to the verge of booking berths in North America.
Aziz Behich’s 90th minute strike earned the Socceroos a 1-0 win over already-qualified Japan in Perth in Group C to keep Tony Popovic’s side three points clear of Saudi Arabia, who won 2-0 against Bahrain in Riffa.
Goals from Musab Al-Juwayr and Abdulrahman Al-Obud earned Saudi Arabia a victory that puts Australia’s celebrations on hold until the two nations meet in Jeddah on Tuesday.
But Australia’s vastly superior goal difference means they can lose that meeting with the Saudis by up to four goals and still advance to a sixth consecutive World Cup finals as second-placed finishers behind the Japanese.
Jordan also moved to the cusp of qualification as Ali Olwan’s hat-trick delivered a 3-0 win over Oman in Muscat to leave Jamal Sellami’s side waiting for the result from South Korea’s clash with Iraq in Basra later on Thursday in Group B.
Uzbekistan goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov made a string of second-half saves in Abu Dhabi to frustrate the UAE and earn his nation their first World Cup qualification since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Abbosbek Fayzullaev had hit the crossbar with a 54th minute header for the visitors but it was Yusupov who frustrated the Cosmin Olaroiu-coached Emiratis, who needed to win to maintain their hopes of automatic qualification.
The draw means the UAE will now progress to the fourth round of qualifying as the point earned guarantees a third- or fourth-placed finish in Group A.
Indonesia guaranteed their involvement in the World Cup preliminaries would continue into the fourth round as a 1-0 win over China also ended the qualification hopes of Branko Ivankovic’s side.
Ole Romeny’s 45th minute penalty separated the sides in Jakarta to ensure Indonesia would finish in either third or fourth place in Group C, thereby progressing to the next phase, which will be played in October.
