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Arsenal rescues 2-2 draw with Bayern in Champions League after Kane scores against old rival

Arsenal rescues 2-2 draw with Bayern in Champions League after Kane scores against old rival
Bayern Munich's German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer tackles Arsenal's English midfielder Bukayo Saka during the UEFA Champions League quarter final first-leg football match between Arsenal and Bayern Munich at the Arsenal Stadium, in north London, on April 9, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 10 April 2024

Arsenal rescues 2-2 draw with Bayern in Champions League after Kane scores against old rival

Arsenal rescues 2-2 draw with Bayern in Champions League after Kane scores against old rival
  • The hosts had taken a 12th-minute lead through Bukayo Saka and dominated the early stages until former Arsenal player Serge Gnabry made it 1-1 in the 18th following a mistake by defender Gabriel

LONDON: Harry Kane got his customary goal against Arsenal on his return to north London, but Bayern Munich couldn’t leave with the win this time.
Leandro Trossard’s second-half equalizer rescued a 2-2 draw for Arsenal against Bayern in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals Tuesday after Kane had scored against his old rival yet again.
Trossard rolled in a low shot in the 76th minute to cancel out Kane’s first-half penalty and leave the teams evenly balanced ahead of next week’s second leg.
“It was a tough game. Of course we are never happy when we don’t win,” said Kane, who now has a competition-high seven goals in the Champions League this season and 15 against Arsenal in his career.
The hosts had taken a 12th-minute lead through Bukayo Saka and dominated the early stages until former Arsenal player Serge Gnabry made it 1-1 in the 18th following a mistake by defender Gabriel.
Kane then put Bayern ahead from the penalty spot in the 25th, but two of Arsenal’s substitutes combined for the equalizer as Gabriel Jesus teed up Trossard in the area.
“We started so well. We could have scored two or three goals after taking the lead,” Trossard said. “You can see what kind of quality Bayern Munich have to hurt us.”
The last time these two teams played, Bayern routed Arsenal 10-2 on aggregate after two 5-1 wins in the round of 16 in 2017. There was, however, a sense that things would be very different this time as Arsenal is top of the Premier League while Bayern is having its worst Bundesliga season in more than a decade and has ceded the title race to Bayer Leverkusen.
But Kane, who scored a record 14 goals in north London derbies between Tottenham and Arsenal before joining the German powerhouse this season, made sure Bayern returns to Germany with at least a slight advantage for the second leg at home next Wednesday.
Kingsley Coman nearly scored a 90th-minute winner for Bayern, but his flick-on from close range hit the post, while Saka had a penalty appeal turned down in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
The game went ahead as scheduled despite an alleged Islamic State terror threat against Champions League matches this week, and there were no incidents at the Emirates before or during the game.
In the other quarterfinal Tuesday, Real Madrid and Manchester City drew 3-3 in Spain.
Bayern got the draw despite playing without any away fans in the stadium because of a UEFA sanction against the club, which meant Arsenal was able to fill all 60,000 seats with home supporters.
And that crowd was raucous after a strong start for Arsenal.
The opening goal came when Ben White teed up Saka inside the area and the England winger rolled a low shot between two defenders and inside the far post, out of reach of the diving Manuel Neuer.
White had a great chance to double the lead in the 16th after Bayern failed to clear the ball and Kai Havertz set up the defender in the area, but his shot went straight at Neuer.
Soon after, a sloppy Arsenal mistake led to the equalizer.
Gabriel turned the ball over in midfield to give Bayern a quick counter, and Leon Goretzka slipped the ball through for Gnabry to slide in and slot the ball past goalkeeper David Raya.
Bayern was then awarded the penalty when William Saliba tripped Leroy Sane in the box, and Kane — who was greeted by a chorus of boos every time he touched the ball — sent Raya the wrong way before rolling the ball into the right corner.
“In the Champions League you cannot give anything to the opponent,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. “We have given them two goals today.”
Raya saved two penalties in a shootout against Porto in the round of 16, which had given Kane plenty of material to study before the game.
“It was one of them where I have done a bit of research of his games against Porto,” Kane said of Raya. “It was nice to see him go early and make it easier for me.”
After Trossard’s equalizer, there was still some late drama as Saka had a chance to round Neuer deep into stoppage time but collided with the goalkeeper and went to the ground. However, referee Glenn Nyberg waved play on and replays suggested Saka stuck his leg out to initiate the contact.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, meanwhile, was fuming that his team didn’t get a second penalty for handball when Raya played a short goal kick to Gabriel, who inexplicably picked up the ball and retook the goal kick.
Tuchel said Nyberg told his players that Gabriel had made “a kid’s mistake” and that he wouldn’t give a penalty for that in a Champions League quarterfinal.
“This is a horrible, horrible explanation,” Tuchel said.


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

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

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

Japanese soccer 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 soccer 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 soccer.
Miura is widely listed as the oldest active professional soccer 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 Pelé.


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.