List of All Articles with Tag 'b'

Two down, one to go. Perhaps it is a sign of the FA Cup’s diminishing status that it seems the least of the trio, perhaps a sign of its historic importance that Pep Guardiola sounded genuinely delighted to win it. “The emotions are so, so special,” he said. For the record, and it can be obscured by much else on a sizeable CV, he is now the only manager to win each of the main English, Spanish and German knockout competitions two times. There was a time when it represented arguably the biggest prize in the domestic game, another when the double was the ultimate achievement. Only four clubs did it in 97 years. In the last 38, nine have: over three decades, more than a quarter of champions have also ended the season with the FA Cup. It is a sign of how a concentration of resources at the top have altered the footballing landscape. Manchester City are an extreme case, even if the man who proved their Wembley match-winner, Ilkay Gundogan, was a £16m bargain. But if the 2023 FA Cup will have a greater significance than most, it is probably for two reasons. This was, in more than 150 years, the first final to double up as a Manchester derby. It may not be the last if City maintain their dominance and Erik ten Hag’s revival of Manchester United proves more than a fleeting affair. Both of these neighbours had arguably underachieved in the competition in the previous decade, even though each had won it once; they had claimed eight League Cups between them in the same time. And there is the importance of the FA Cup as part of a package, as one-third of a potential treble. If City’s legacy and reputation rests in part in the hands of the lawyers, given the 115 charges of breaching Premier League financial regulations, on the field, it depends on the continent. “We have to win the Champions League to be recognised how the team deserves to be,” said Guardiola. The idea is nothing new: the different element is that he has started to admit it as the prospect has grown likelier. Many a City fan would rather win the Premier League than the Champions League but it always felt disingenuous when Guardiola used to argue he would, too. “You have to put the pressure on yourself to be recognised as something good, so you have to win in Europe,” he has now admitted. Europe seems the final frontier for this most European of sides. The most seismic FA Cup – on its own, anyway – in City’s history may forever remain the 2011 tournament that Yaya Toure decided in their favour; it opened the floodgates. Then, there was a novelty value. Now, the distinctions can feel statistical: Gundogan scored the quickest goal in FA Cup final history after a mere 13 seconds. It took a contentious penalty to stop them becoming the first team since 1903 to win the competition without conceding. Their eventual goal difference was 19-1. Riyad Mahrez had delivered the first semi-final hat-trick since Alex Dawson’s in 1958. The fact the Algerian’s treble came against Sheffield United was both indicative and deceptive. “Many times we arrive in the semi-finals,” said Guardiola; they can be their undoing, the proximity of Champions League knockout ties tending to stop them flourishing on all fronts. Yet City finish this season’s competition having knocked out the teams who came second and third in the Premier League and, including Chelsea, three of the supposedly big six. They have beaten five of next season’s top flight even if two of them, Burnley and Sheffield United, had a rather greater focus on promotion. There are signs of how the FA Cup is secured this season. Erling Haaland has scored 52 goals this term but has only found the net in one FA Cup match, even if it did bring him a hat-trick against Burnley. Neither Mahrez, their top scorer in this season’s competition, nor Julian Alvarez, who was tied for second, actually took part in the final. Phil Foden, another of those to get three goals, was limited to a cameo. City’s squad is not as large as is often imagined but they have quality in such depth that their first 18 or so players are outstanding; United could reflect that theirs are perhaps not when they brought Wout Weghorst off the bench. The man who played most minutes in City’s FA Cup campaign was, indirectly, the instigator of that record-breaking goal, Stefan Ortega, whose punt forward led to Gundogan’s wondrous strike. In his own way, the second-choice goalkeeper is a reason for glory, and not merely with his collection of clean sheets. Guardiola’s willingness to pick his reserve goalkeeper has cost him in previous seasons, with Zack Steffen culpable in successive semi-final defeats. Ortega has proved an upgrade, just as City showed defensive resolve when United threatened an equaliser. But it will be Ederson who faces Internazionale, charged with completing the treble, to get the prize City want more than the FA Cup and the recognition that has eluded them Read More Man City’s FA Cup victory provides no clues on how to stop them Ilkay Gundogan, Man City’s master of timing, sets up chance for perfect goodbye Pep Guardiola urges Man City to cement greatness by winning Champions League Elton John joins Manchester City’s FA Cup celebrations Man City vs Man Utd player ratings as Ilkay Gundogan wins FA Cup final Man City’s FA Cup victory provides no clues on how to stop them

'I was like, 'God, why can't I get over this?' He couldn’t either,' said Chilli in an interview about her struggle to move on from ex-boyfriend Usher

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia’s war has killed at least 500 Ukrainian children since it started more than 15 months ago

Karim Benzema will leave Real Madrid this summer when his contract expires.

Saturday’s Scottish Cup final ironed out the European qualifiers and plans for next season. Celtic’s win over Inverness denied Caley Thistle a place in Europe and ensured Hibernian qualified through their fifth-placed finish in the cinch Premiership. The result guaranteed group-stage football for Aberdeen and also gave Hearts a later start. Here the PA new agency looks at Scotland’s five European qualifiers. Celtic Entry: Champions League group stageDraw date: August 31First game: September 19-20 Possible opponents: Celtic will be in pot four, meaning they cannot draw Newcastle for example. Although the seeds have not been finalised, a worst-case draw could see the Hoops facing Manchester City, Real Madrid and Milan. A kinder draw could see them come up against Benfica, RB Leipzig and Red Star Belgrade. Prospects: Celtic will need to finish in the top three of their group to extend their European run beyond Christmas. A top-two finish would see them enter the Champions League knockout stages while third secures entry to the Europa League. Rangers Entry: Champions League third-qualifying roundDraw date: July 24First game: August 8-9 Possible first opponents: Michael Beale’s side have four possible opponents in the non-champions path, including Sturm Graz and Serbians TSC Backa Topola. Other potential opponents could be Servette, Panathinaikos or Belgian or Ukrainian sides. Prospects: Rangers will be looking to make the Champions League group stages again and will need to win two ties to do so. Defeat at either stage would see them drop into the Europa League. They are guaranteed group-stage football whatever happens with two qualifying defeats sending them into the Europa Conference League. Aberdeen Entry: Europa League play-offsDraw date: August 7First game: August 24 Possible first opponents: There are a host of variables before the Dons enter the fray but Swiss side Lugano will definitely be among their six possible opponents, while Slavia Prague and Olympiacos might also be on the list. Prospects: The Dons will reach the Europa League group stage if they win their play-off and drop into the Conference groups if not. Hearts Entry: Europa Conference League third-qualifying roundDraw date: July 24First game: August 10 Prospects: Hearts will need to win two ties to secure a second consecutive season in the Conference League group stages. Possible first opponents: Hearts will be unseeded and earlier rounds will determine the list of seeds but AZ Alkmaar, Dinamo Kyiv, Partizan Belgrade and Rapid Vienna will be among them. Hibernian Entry: Europa Conference League second-qualifying roundDraw date: June 20-21First game: July 27 Prospects: Hibs need to win three ties to make the group stages. Possible first opponents: Hibs will be seeded and a list of 45 unseeded clubs will be split into groups nearer the draw date. UEFA normally uses a regional basis when formulating the groups so potential opponents could be Swedish sides Hammarby or Kalmar plus, depending on earlier results, Crusaders or Connah’s Quay. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Josh Tongue impresses and Ben Duckett shows pedigree – 5 England things Michael van Gerwen clinches second US Darts Masters title in New York On this day in 2009: Andy Robinson appointed Scotland head coach

'Ted Lasso' star Brett Goldstein publicly declared his love for Beth Rylance in 2021, but things have gone downhill since then

Sophie Ellis-Bextor is proud of her career and has stopped "diminishing" her work.

A source claimed that Kim Cattrall only consented to take part in Season 2 of the show under specific terms

ISTANBUL European planemaker Airbus is seeing a more predictable pattern in its industrial activities and what appears to

Despite never having been a professional mixed martial artist, the former 'Fear Factor' host has earned the respect of the global MMA fandom

Singer Dua Lipa is known for pop hits such as 'Levitating' and 'IDGAF', but it turns out the English-Albanian musician does ‘GAF’ about the UK government’s rhetoric around immigrants – including around Albanians. Speaking to The Sunday Times, the 27-year-old, whose parents are Kosovo Albanians, said “of course it hurt” when Home Secretary Suella Braverman spoke of an “invasion” of immigrants and “Albanian criminals” in the Commons back in November. The artist said: “All those words thrown around about immigrants? I always felt London was an amalgamation of cultures. It is integral to the city. “So when you hear the government talk about Albanians, for example, it hurts. It’s short-sighted and small-minded, but it’s the way a lot of people think. “No matter how we try and change the rhetoric, there will always be those who think, ‘immigrants are coming into the country and taking jobs!’ “However, immigrants who have come here have earned their keep by working incredibly hard. There needs to be empathy, because people don’t leave their country unless they have to out of necessity, out of fear for their family.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Last year, Braverman told MPs: “[2022] has seen a surge in the number of Albanian arrivals – many of them, I am afraid to say, abusing our modern slavery laws. “Albania is not a war-torn country, and it is very difficult to see how claims for asylum really can be legitimate claims for asylum. I would also note that we see a large number of Albanian migrants arriving here and claiming to be victims of modern slavery. “Again, I really am circumspect about those claims, because Albania is, of course, a signatory to the European convention against trafficking - the original convention that underlies our modern slavery laws - and if those people are genuinely victims of modern slavery, they should be claiming that protection in Albania.” At the time when Braverman made the remarks, the prime minister of Albania, Edi Rama, slammed the comments for “fuelling xenophobia”. While Lipa said she likes “being vocal about politics all over the world”, she added she would “stay away from politicians”. Nevertheless, the 'Physical' singer has been praised online for her intervention: And it’s not the first time Braverman has been called out for her choice of language around immigrants, as at the start of the year she was confronted on her use of terms such as “invasion” by a child survivor of the Holocaust. After the woman – 83-year-old Joan Salter – asked Braverman why she feels the need “to use that kind of language”, the home secretary replied to say she “won’t apologise for the language that I’ve used” to “demonstrate the scale of the problem” around immigration. “We mustn’t shy away from saying there’s a problem. I will not shy away from saying we have a problem with people exploiting our generosity, breaking our laws and undermining our system,” she said. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Filipino-American media personality Bella Poarch lost 6 million views on a TikTok video that launched her to viral stardom