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Roque fires Barca to narrow win over Osasuna

Roque fires Barca to narrow win over Osasuna
Barcelona’s head coach Xavi Hernandez reacts during their Spanish La Liga match against Osasuna at the Olimpic Lluis Companys stadium in Barcelona on Jan. 31, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 01 February 2024

Roque fires Barca to narrow win over Osasuna

Roque fires Barca to narrow win over Osasuna
  • Barcelona cut that down to eight with a largely drab win over their mid-table visitors
  • Osasuna had defender Unai Garcia sent off for two yellow cards

BARCELONA: Barcelona ground out a 1-0 win over Osasuna to move third in La Liga on Wednesday as Xavi Hernandez started his long farewell as coach of the champions.
The coach said he was stepping down at the end of the season after a heavy defeat last weekend left the Catalans 11 points behind league leaders Girona.
Barcelona cut that down to eight with a largely drab win over their mid-table visitors, earned by young Brazilian striker Vitor Roque’s first goal for the club.
Osasuna had defender Unai Garcia sent off for two yellow cards, but Barcelona could not put the game to bed.
The Catalans also trail second-place Real Madrid by seven points despite playing one extra match.
“This win tastes good, it was a tough gave given what we’re coming off of, Osasuna put in a lot of intensity and the important thing is the three points and to keep adding more,” Pedri told DAZN.
“La Liga is complicated but I’ve seen worse things turn around. We’ll keep trying to add three points out of three and let’s see if those in front slip up.”
After leading Barcelona to La Liga glory last season, Xavi’s team crumbled and in January were thrashed in the Spanish Super Cup final by Real Madrid and knocked out of the Copa del Rey.
Xavi insisted he would fight on to try and win La Liga and the Champions League, hoping his decision would change the team’s dynamic but the first-half performance was as uninspired as any in his two-year tenure.
The coach brought Ferran Torres back into the side after Saturday’s 5-3 defeat by Villarreal, the final straw which saw him announce his future exit.
However the Spaniard limped off after just a few minutes and was replaced by midfielder Fermin Lopez.
Robert Lewandowski headed wide and Jules Kounde nodded over from Ilkay Gundogan corners, before Lopez’s cross-turned-shot was saved by Aitor Fernandez from a tight angle.
Explosive 16-year-old winger Lamine Yamal, starting his fourth game in 11 days for Barca, swung in a superb cross which Gundogan sent narrowly wide with a flicked header when he should have scored.
It brought the chilly Olympic Stadium to life, with some fans chanting Xavi’s name and the coach sent on Roque.
The 18-year-old, nicknamed Tigrinho — little tiger — was almost immediately on the scoresheet, netting with a smart header at the near post from Cancelo’s superb cross.
Roque’s next involvement was to draw a foul from Garcia, who was dismissed for dragging the striker down.
Barcelona capitalized on the extra space with Yamal stretching the defense and drawing a save from Fernandez, with his follow-up effort blocked too.
Substitute Raul Garcia clipped the post with a low effort after Osasuna snatched the ball back high up, which was as close as Jagoba Arrasate’s side came.
“If this team has anything, it’s faith — we tried until the end, and it’s a shame we didn’t at least get a draw,” said Osasuna coach Arrasate.
Lewandowski curled home a second for Barcelona but it was disallowed for a clear offside and the hosts saw out the final stages to keep their three points.
“I think Vitor puts a lot of speed into the game, he’s got goals, he’ll bring us a lot,” said Pedri.
“He breaks loose constantly and that’s important for the midfielders.”
Later Wednesday fourth-place Atletico Madrid host neighbors Rayo Vallecano in a derby, aiming to move back ahead of Barcelona on goal difference.


Japanese football player Kazuyoshi Miura says he will play next season at age 58

Japanese football player Kazuyoshi Miura says he will play next season at age 58
Updated 16 November 2024

Japanese football player Kazuyoshi Miura says he will play next season at age 58

Japanese football player Kazuyoshi Miura says he will play next season at age 58
  • Miura will turn 58 in February
  • He intends to play next season for his fourth-tier Japanese club, Suzuka

TOKYO: Japanese football player Kazuyoshi Miura is several generations older than his teammates. His contemporaries retired decades ago. Lionel Messi is 37, and Cristiano Ronaldo is 39 — mere youngsters compared to Miura.
Miura will turn 58 in February, and the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported this week that he intends to play next season for his fourth-tier Japanese club, Suzuka. It will be his 40th season playing in professional football.
Miura is widely listed as the oldest active professional football player.
Miura scored 55 goals in 89 appearances and was a star with Japan’s national team in the 1990s.
He has played professionally in Brazil, Italy, Croatia, Australia and Portugal. He made his debut in 1986 with Brazilian club Santos, a side made famous by Brazilian star Pele.


Japan beat Indonesia 4-0 to extend group lead in Asian World Cup qualifying

Japan beat Indonesia 4-0 to extend group lead in Asian World Cup qualifying
Updated 16 November 2024

Japan beat Indonesia 4-0 to extend group lead in Asian World Cup qualifying

Japan beat Indonesia 4-0 to extend group lead in Asian World Cup qualifying
  • Japan tops the group on 13 points with five games remaining in the round.
  • Australia, Ƶ and China all have 6 points, followed by Bahrain with five and Indonesia with 3

JAKARTA: Japan defeated Indonesia 4-0 on Friday to move seven points clear at the top of Group C in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Two goals in each half mean the Samurai Blue stays on course for an eighth successive World Cup appearance.
After a bright start from the home team, the 78,000 fans at a sold-out Gelora Bung Karno Stadium were silenced after 35 minutes as Daichi Kamada broke down the left and sent a cross which defender Justin Hubner put into his own net from close range.
Takumi Minamino then scored from inside the area off Kaoru Mitoma’s pass to extend the lead five minutes before the break.
Hidemasa Motira took advantage of an errant pass from Indonesia’s goalkeeper to make it 3-0 early in the second half and Yukinari Sugawara rounded out the scoring in the 69th minute.
Japan tops the group on 13 points with five games remaining in the round. Australia, Ƶ and China all have six points, followed by Bahrain with five and Indonesia with three.
The top two from each of the three groups will be guaranteed a place at the World Cup, with the third- and fourth-place teams progressing to the next stage.
 


Pogba and Juventus end contract mutually before he returns from doping ban

Pogba and Juventus end contract mutually before he returns from doping ban
Updated 15 November 2024

Pogba and Juventus end contract mutually before he returns from doping ban

Pogba and Juventus end contract mutually before he returns from doping ban
  • The Serie A club never seemed overly enthusiastic about welcoming Pogba back
  • “Juventus Football Club and Paul Pogba announce that they have reached a mutual agreement for the termination of their contract as of Nov. 30, 2024,” the Bianconeri said

TURIN, Italy: Paul Pogba will no longer be a Juventus player from next month.
Juventus announced on Friday they came to “a mutual agreement” with Pogba to cancel his contract despite the France World Cup winner having a ban for doping slashed last month.
The Serie A club never seemed overly enthusiastic about welcoming Pogba back after his four-year ban for doping was reduced to 18 months following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The 31-year-old Pogba, who will be free to resume his career in March 2025, had said he was ready to give up money to play for Juventus again.
“Juventus Football Club and Paul Pogba announce that they have reached a mutual agreement for the termination of their contract as of Nov. 30, 2024,” the Bianconeri said in a brief statement. “The club wish Paul the very best for his professional future.”
Pogba tested positive for testosterone in August last year and the Juventus midfielder was handed the maximum punishment by Italy’s anti-doping court.
But CAS judges cut Pogba’s ban as they acknowledged a lack of intent and said his positive test was the result of erroneously taking a supplement prescribed to him by a medical doctor in Florida.
Pogba’s contract with Juventus was set to expire in June 2026.
“My time at Juventus has come to an end. It has been a privilege to pull on the shirt of the Bianconeri and to share so many special memories together,” Pogba said in a statement.
“I cherish the memories we made. They live on. Even in the most difficult moments over the past year, your support was crucial and I want to thank Juve fans around the world for their compassion.”
Pogba was the most expensive soccer player in history when he joined Manchester United from Juventus for a fee of 105 million euros ($113 million) in 2016.
He starred in France’s World Cup triumph in 2018 and returned to Juventus as a free agent in 2022. But injuries limited him to just eight Serie A appearances in his second spell at the club before his ban last year.
“I am looking forward to the next chapter of my career and to stepping out on the pitch with my next club,” Pogba added.


Ruben Amorim has declared his mission for Man United

Ruben Amorim has declared his mission for Man United
Updated 15 November 2024

Ruben Amorim has declared his mission for Man United

Ruben Amorim has declared his mission for Man United
  • Amorim said on Friday, “I will try to do everything to put this club in the place that it belongs. And I believe a lot that we are going to succeed”
  • “We know that we need time, but we have to win time. To win time is to win games”

MANCHESTER, England: Ruben Amorim has told Manchester United fans he will do everything to bring the good times back to the 20-time English champion.
United’s new coach has been charged with ending more than a decade of decline at Old Trafford since former manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and their Premier League dominance fizzled out.
Amorim — hired from Sporting Lisbon this month — is embracing the challenge and said on Friday, “I will try to do everything to put this club in the place that it belongs. And I believe a lot that we are going to succeed.”

The 39-year-old Portuguese is the sixth permanent manager/coach since Ferguson retired after winning his 13th league title.
David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag all failed to return United to the summit of English and European soccer in a period when Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have dominated domestically.
It is unlikely Amorim will change that after coming in partway through a season in which United made their worst league start since 1986.
“We know that we need time, but we have to win time. To win time is to win games,” Amorim told United’s in-house channel. “But the most important thing for me is identity. So, since day one we will start with our identity.”
Asked what could be expected from his team in the first weeks of his reign, he added: “I want to say beautiful things to you, but I’m really honest. But what I can say is that I think you will see an idea.”


Green Falcons arrive in Jakarta for World Cup Asian qualifier against Indonesia

Green Falcons arrive in Jakarta for World Cup Asian qualifier against Indonesia
Updated 15 November 2024

Green Falcons arrive in Jakarta for World Cup Asian qualifier against Indonesia

Green Falcons arrive in Jakarta for World Cup Asian qualifier against Indonesia
  • Saudi national football team to hold closed training session before facing hosts on Nov. 19

JAKARTA: The Saudi national football team will train behind closed doors in Jakarta on Saturday in preparation for their 2026 World Cup Asian qualifier match against Indonesia next Tuesday.
The Green Falcons arrived in the Indonesian capital on Friday and are scheduled to face off against the hosts on Nov. 19 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, as part of the sixth round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The national team delegation was welcomed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport by the Saudi Ambassador Faisal bin Abdullah Al-Amoudi.
Yasser Al-Misehal, president of the Ƶ Football Federation, expressed his appreciation to the embassy for the warm reception and the facilities provided to the team following their arrival from Melbourne.
The Green Falcons will hold a closed training session on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Gelora Jakarta Stadium.