MANCHESTER: With four of Europe’s most-prolific scorers, England has the firepower to end a nearly 60-year wait for silverware.
How Gareth Southgate deploys his riches could determine whether it is finally a glorious summer for the Three Lions or if the wait to add a trophy to England’s lone World Cup — won in 1966 — drags on.
England will lean on record scorer Harry Kane yet again at the European Championship in Germany but will also look for contributions from Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer.
“There’s definitely more options in the attacking areas,” Southgate said.
Southgate led England to the 2018 World Cup semifinals and the final of the last Euros — losing to Italy at Wembley Stadium — but he’s has been accused of being overly cautious.
“We’ve got a pretty set style of playing, the players enjoy that and we’ve had good results doing that. So we are not going to move far away from what we’ve been,” he said.
What that means, exactly, is not clear. Southgate has turned to young and unproven players after injuries and lack of form convinced him to omit regulars Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson and Kalvin Phillips. There will be a natural evolution because of that.
In what could be his final tournament as England manager, Southgate has packed his squad with bold, attacking options.
Kane finished his first season at Bayern Munich empty-handed but with a career-best 44 goals in 47 games to lead Germany’s scoring chart.
Bellingham, in his debut season at Real Madrid, scored 23 goals, won the Spanish league and topped it off with the Champions League title. Foden scored 27 in all competitions for Premier League champion Manchester City and was England’s footballer of the year.
Arguably the biggest bonus for Southgate is the emergence of Palmer, who was a fringe player at City before joining Chelsea for $51 million last summer.
The 22-year-old Palmer scored 27 goals in his first season of regular senior soccer. Only double golden boot-winner Erling Haaland scored more league goals in England.
It is an enviable depth of attacking talent, with Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and City winger Jack Grealish among Southgate’s other options.
“You can see across that forward line the number of goals they’ve scored for their clubs this year,” Southgate said. “So you need those options. You need people to be able to come in and refresh the team.”
England has so many options that Southgate could afford to leave out Rashford and Raheem Sterling, who have been important players in previous tournaments.
He has picked players for now — but also ones that could serve England for years to come. Even if his contract is due to expire at the end of the Euros, Southgate is still looking to the future.
But England fans are hungry for success now after the relative disappointment of exiting in the quarterfinals of the last World Cup. That was the first backward step since Southgate’s appointment in 2016 when there were doubts about whether he was the right candidate to end the nation’s search for a men’s trophy.
England was within a few penalty kicks of winning the last Euros, having led against Italy in the final. Southgate had gambled by bringing on Rashford and Jadon Sancho as substitutes at the end of extra time for the shootout. Both missed their spot kicks, as did Sako.
Still, Southgate has exceeded expectations — but the trophy wait goes on.
On the face of it, England’s forward line for the Euros could pick itself, with Foden and Palmer either side of Kane and Bellingham operating behind as a No. 10.
Perhaps only their lack of playing time together would convince Southgate to turn to Saka, who is a more established member of the England setup than Palmer. The 24-year-old Foden, too, is yet to fully stamp his mark on the team, despite now being a six-time title-winner with City.
It is not just about the players, but the system.
Southgate has preferred to deploy two more defensive-minded midfielders in the past — but his squad is without longstanding options in those areas in Henderson and Phillips.
Manchester United’s exciting teenager Kobbie Mainoo, Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher or Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold look like the likeliest to partner Declan Rice behind Bellingham in the advanced role.
“Clearly the profile of our midfield, for example, looks different and so the team will evolve because of that,” Southgate said.
The danger is that England could be exposed without a more disciplined figure in the guise of Henderson or Phillips alongside Rice. With a defense that has doubts over it because of injuries to key players Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, Southgate will think carefully about the shield he puts in front of it.
The strongest defensive units tend to go far in tournament soccer and England’s route to being runner-up in 2021 was built on the foundation of conceding just two goals in the entire competition. The winner, Italy, conceded four.
The challenge, as ever, is to get the balance right, and while Southgate has twice come close to lifting a trophy, his team has lacked that extra ingredient to get over the line.
With a forward line full of match winners at some of the biggest clubs in Europe, England looks equipped with players capable of providing the cutting edge in those decisive moments that tournament soccer produces.
England boasts firepower with Kane, Bellingham, Foden and Palmer to go far at Euro 2024
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England boasts firepower with Kane, Bellingham, Foden and Palmer to go far at Euro 2024
Formula E to enhance its ‘FIA Girls on Track’ initiative at all races in Season 11
- The gender-diversity program, now in its 7th year, has provided career and education advice and support to more than 4,500 young women
- The new race season begins in December and the Jeddah E-Prix, which replaces the Diriyah E-Prix, will take place at the city’s Corniche Circuit on Feb. 14-15
LONDON: Formula E has unveiled plans to expand and enhance its grassroots gender-diversity initiative, FIA Girls on Track, to give 50 young women the chance to participate in new race-day activities at each event on the 2024/25 calendar, including the Jeddah E-Prix on February 14 and 15.
A further 120 women will take part in behind-the-scenes activities the day before each race, as organizers offer exclusive access to young women interested in a career in motorsport or the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. The participants will even have a role to play on the victory podium at each race.
Formula E said it is reaffirming its commitment to education and gender inclusivity in motorsport by also extending the support it provides to grassroots initiatives, giving more young women than ever the chance to access and learn from the experiences within the all-electric competition. For example, it will provide e-karting opportunities and activities in schools and universities.
The expansion of the initiative is part of a broader, long-term strategy to advance gender equality by removing barriers, expanding opportunities and providing pathways for women to build careers in the sport, organizers said.
Most recently, in a world first within an FIA championship, Formula E organized an all-women’s test event that gave elite drivers, including Bianca Bustamante and Ella Lloyd of the NEOM McLaren race team, a unique opportunity to develop their skills in the latest version of the electric racing cars. The new GEN3 Evo is capable of 0-60 mph in 1.82 seconds, 30 percent faster than the current generation of F1 cars.
Driving for the Nissan Formula E team, Abi Pulling, who currently leads the junior-level F1 Academy championship, recorded the quickest time during the three-hour test session amid a field of 17 drivers representing the top tier of women’s driving. Bustamante managed the third-fastest time of the day in the NEOM McLaren car, with an impressive 1 minute 31.715 seconds.
Last season, Formula E expanded its Girls on Track experiences to include local girls and young women between the ages of 12 and 18, and delivered 27 events during 11 race weekends at the track and in communities.
Organizers said the initiative has supported more than 4,500 young women globally since its partnership with the FIA began. This season, they added, the program aims to reach more young women than ever, amid growing interest among them in careers in motorsport.
During each race weekend, 120 young women will take part in behind-the-scenes tours and workshops on the day before the big race. On race days, 50 young women will be granted exclusive access to the FIA Girls on Track space within the Fan Village, and have the option to attend inspirational career talks given by women working within Formula E, who will offer guidance and advice about varied career options in the sport across disciplines including engineering, technology, driving, team management, sustainability, and media and marketing.
“We’re committed to continuing to provide as much opportunity as possible to young women who want to come and work in the industry,” said Julia Palle, vice president of sustainability at Formula E.
“We’re all too aware of the imbalance between male and female roles, so with an ever-growing program of events and opportunities where women can learn and grow in confidence, the industry will begin to balance itself and benefit everyone involved.
“Our commitment to women, though, is not just at the grassroots but at the pinnacle of the sport too. In Madrid, hosting an all-women’s test session provided a crucial opportunity for them to test themselves using current technology that we hope will not only develop their own skill sets but be inspirational to many of the young women involved in our FIA Girls on Track program, too.”
After successful races in Diriyah over the past six seasons, Formula E announced this year that Jeddah will be the new race venue in the Kingdom, with the event taking place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the world’s fastest street track, in February.
Angel Yin rides a hot putter to 2-shot lead in LPGA fina
- Yin won $1 million last year in the Aon Risk-Reward Challenge, a bonus competition all year that measures how players fare on holes that have risk, such as a reachable par 5
- Very clear in her rearview mirror was Nelly Korda
NAPLES, Florida: Angel Yin rammed in a 30-foot par putt on her opening hole, setting the tone for a day of big putts and 3-under 69 that gave her a two-shot lead Friday in the CME Group Tour Championship and the chase for the $4 million prize.
Very clear in her rearview mirror was Nelly Korda.
Korda, coming off her seventh win of the season last week, opened with a 72 and was eight shots behind. She found a simple swing thought after the round and was back to her old self with a 66 that cut the deficit in half with 36 holes left to play.
“Golf is just crazy,” Korda said. “You go from playing so well last week to not being able to find the center of the clubface yesterday. Always humbles you, but what’s that you love so much about it. Went to the range after my round yesterday. Tried to find a different feel. Felt a little better out there today, and hopefully I can keep progressing.”
Yin followed that 30-foot par putt with a 40-foot birdie putt on the next hole. She also holed a birdie putt from about 35 feet on the 11th hole that put her in the lead for good.
She was at 10-under 134. Hye-Jin Choi (68) and Narin An (72) were 8 under.
Korda, who already has captured her first award as player of the year, was tied for fourth at 138 with four other players who are either major champions or have been No. 1 in the women’s world ranking — Jeeno Thitikul, Ayaka Furue, Ruoning Yin and Amy Yang, the defending champion at Tiburon Golf Club.
Furue also is in a tight battle for the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average, and she pulled within a fraction of a point of Haeran Ryu.
Yin’s round had enough bogeys to slow her momentum, along with a discussion with a rules official over where she took her drop after going in the water on the par-3 fourth hole.
“It looked like I took an improper drop where I went up closer than I should have, where I should have dropped further back,” Yin said, who was asked to review footage. “They thought I didn’t take the drop properly. I explained to them that I believe I did take the drop properly.”
She said it was discussed with everyone in her group. She said a marshal never volunteered any information. The drop stood, she took bogey and was moving on.
“I believe my drop was right,” Yin said.
Korda, meanwhile, grazed the cup with birdie chances and then made it up for it on the third hole when her 8-iron from the rough landed so perfectly that it rolled into the cup for an eagle. That sent her on her way.
The key to getting her game on track was more hinge in taking the club away and taking a shorter swing. It all came together. Korda also said she finally was able to get some rest after a busy week of awards.
Yin won $1 million last year in the Aon Risk-Reward Challenge, a bonus competition all year that measures how players fare on holes that have risk, such as a reachable par 5. That $1 million meant a lot to her, and she said it gave her some financial freedom.
What would $4 million mean?
“Even bigger financial freedom,” she said.
Kane hat-trick sends Bayern eight points clear
- Bayern, still yet to lose in the league in 2024-25, were dominant throughout but kept at bay by some dogged defending from their Bavarian neighbors
- With 61 minutes gone, the ball connected with Augsburg’s Mads Pedersen’s outstretched arm in the box, bringing the England captain to the spot after a VAR review
MUNICH: A second-half Harry Kane hat-trick took Bayern Munich to a 3-0 home win over Augsburg on Friday, sending them eight clear atop the table ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
Bayern, still yet to lose in the league in 2024-25, were dominant throughout but kept at bay by some dogged defending from their Bavarian neighbors.
With 61 minutes gone, the ball connected with Augsburg’s Mads Pedersen’s outstretched arm in the box, bringing the England captain to the spot after a VAR review.
Kane cooly converted to give Bayern the lead.
In stoppage time, Kane went down in the box after contact from Keven Schlotterbeck and Bayern were again awarded a penalty after a VAR review, which the 31-year-old converted.
Schlotterbeck was sent from the field after picking up a second yellow for his challenge.
Kane then added a third, this time controlling a cross and heading in, his seventh hat-trick since joining Bayern.
The England captain now has 14 goals in 11 league games for Bayern this season, five of which have come from the spot.
Leipzig can cut the gap back to five when they play at struggling Hoffenheim on Saturday, while defending champions Bayer Leverkusen host Heidenheim.
The German giants received a boost pre-match, with captain and veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer cleared to start after missing training with a rib issue.
Bayern were in control of possession and field position but could not break through.
Augsburg offered little in attack but defended stoutly, holding Bayern’s glittering attacking riches at bay.
Augsburg goalie Nediljko Labrovic held firm to snuff out first-half chances from Jamal Musiaia and Leon Goretzka.
The Bavarian giants, still smarting after going trophyless for the first time in 11 seasons last campaign, eventually broke through with half an hour remaining, breaking Augsburg’s resolve.
Riding high in the league, Bayern have struggled in the Champions League format, sitting 17th after four games — six behind leaders Liverpool.
Tuesday’s home match with PSG, who are even further down the Champions League table, could be crucial for the German side in their top-eight bid to avoid the extra playoff round.
Conor McGregor must pay 250,000 euros to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules
- Nikita Hand said the 2018 assault left her heavily bruised and suffering post-traumatic stress disorder
- McGregor later said on the social platform X that he would appeal the verdict
LONDON: A woman who claimed mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded nearly 250,000 Euros ($257,000) on Friday by a civil court jury in Ireland.
Nikita Hand said the Dec. 9, 2018, assault after a night of partying left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she fabricated the allegations after the two had consensual sex. His lawyer had called Hand a gold digger.
The fighter, once the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship but now past his prime, shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men found him liable for assault after deliberating about six hours in the High Court in Dublin.
He was mobbed by cameras as he left court but did not comment. He later said on the social platform X that he would appeal the verdict and the “modest award.”
Hand’s voice cracked and her hands trembled as she read a statement outside the courthouse, saying she would never forget what happened to her but would now be able to move on with her life. She thanked her family, partner, friends, jurors, the judge and all the supporters that had reached out to her online, but particularly her daughter.
“She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six years throughout this nightmare to keep on pushing forward for justice,” she said. “I want to show (her) and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.”
The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual violence unless they come forward publicly, as Hand has done. Under Irish law, she did not have the anonymity she would have been granted in a criminal proceeding and was named publicly throughout the trial.
Her lawyer told jurors that McGregor was angry about a fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and took it out on his client.
“He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” attorney John Gordon said in his closing speech. “A devious coward and you should treat him for what he is.”
Gordon said his client never pretended to be a saint and was only looking to have fun when she sent McGregor a message through Instagram after attending a Christmas party. He said Hand knew McGregor socially and that they had grown up in the same area.
She said he picked her and a friend up in a car and shared cocaine with them, which McGregor admitted in court, on the way to the Beacon Hotel.
Hand said she told McGregor she didn’t want to have sex with him and that she was menstruating. She said she told him “no” as he started kissing her but he eventually pinned her to a bed and she couldn’t move.
McGregor put her in a chokehold and later told her, “now you know how I felt in the octagon where I tapped out three times,” referring to a UFC match when he had to admit defeat, she said.
Hand had to take several breaks in emotional testimony over three days. She said McGregor threatened to kill her during the encounter and she feared she would never see her young daughter again.
Eventually, he let go of her.
“I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she testified.
She said she then let him do what he wanted and he had sex with her.
A paramedic who examined Hand the next day testified that she had never before seen someone with that intensity of bruising. A doctor told jurors Hand had multiple injuries.
Hand said the trauma of the attack had left her unable to work as a hairdresser, she fell behind on her mortgage and had to move out of her house.
Police investigated the woman’s complaint but prosecutors declined to bring charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely.
McGregor, in his post on X, said he was disappointed jurors didn’t see all the evidence prosecutors had reviewed.
He testified that the two had athletic and vigorous sex, but that it was not rough. He said “she never said ‘no’ or stopped” and testified that everything she said was a lie.
“It is a full blown lie among many lies,” he said when asked about the chokehold allegation. “How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings.”
McGregor’s lawyer told jurors they had to set aside their animus toward the fighter.
“You may have an active dislike of him, some of you may even loathe him – there is no point pretending that the situation might be otherwise,” attorney Remy Farrell said. “I’m not asking you to invite him to Sunday brunch.”
The defense said the woman never told investigators McGregor threatened her life. They also showed surveillance video in court that they said appeared to show the woman kiss McGregor’s arm and hug him after they left the hotel room. Farrell said she looked “happy, happy, happy.”
McGregor said he was “beyond petrified” when first questioned by police and read them a prepared statement. On the advice of his lawyer, he refused to answer more than 100 follow-up questions.
The jury ruled against Hand in a case she brought against one of McGregor’s friends, James Lawrence, whom she accused of having sex with her in the hotel without consent.
Aubameyang winner for Al-Qadsia dents Ronaldo’s title hopes
- Portuguese opened scoring after 32 minutes for the Yellows
- Gabonese superstar snatched the win
RIYADH: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put a huge dent in the title hopes of Cristiano Ronaldo as Al-Qadsiah beat Al-Nassr 2-1 on Friday.
The former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona forward scored the all-important goal as the newly promoted team moved level with the Riyadh giants on 22 points.
It was even more impressive as Ronaldo opened the scoring after 32 minutes as his side looked to move to within two points of leaders Al-Hilal.
It was not the most spectacular strike from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. Mohamed Simakan’s right-sided free-kick was spilled by goalkeeper Koen Casteels and there was Ronaldo to fire home the loose ball to put Al-Nassr within touching distance of their local Riyadh rivals and record his seventh league goal of the season.
But Al-Qadsiah were back on level terms eight minutes before the break. Turki Al-Ammar found space down the left but there was still work to do when his cross entered the area. The ball was chested down by Julian Quinones before the Mexican international shot home.
If that shocked the hosts in Riyadh, then there was more, and worse, to come five minutes into the second half. Nahitan Nandez received the ball on the left and while his looping cross to the far post looked too deep, Quinones hooked the ball back across goal for Aubameyang to head home from the closest of ranges.
It was a massive blow for Al-Nassr who then threw everything forward in an attempt to get something from the game to keep the pressure on the top two.
But it was not to be and Al-Hilal will go nine points clear of their local rivals if they defeat Al-Khaleej on Saturday.
Earlier on Friday, Al-Ahli triumphed for a second successive game in the league to make it three in all competitions, winning 1-0 at Al-Fayha. A 21st-minute penalty was converted by former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez to give the inconsistent team from Jeddah a vital three points that take them into sixth place. Elsewhere, Al-Shabab drew 1-1 at Al-Okhdood to stay fourth.
Al-Hilal can build a four-point lead at the top of the league on Saturday but Al-Ittihad, just a point behind, are in action on Sunday as they take on Al-Fateh.
