List of All Articles with Tag 'por'

Pep Guardiola has emulated Sir Alex Ferguson in several ways. Usually, however, that tends to be something to savour. As Manchester City’s most decorated manager became the first coach to lose three consecutive Community Shields since his Manchester United counterpart, he could have taken solace in the bigger picture. Call it the curse of the Community Shield, perhaps, but then, as now, its winners rarely went on to taste Premier League glory. Only one of the previous 12 victors – albeit City themselves in 2018 – have been able to call themselves champions of England 10 months later. Arsenal won the Community Shield in 2020 and only finished eighth that season. Three years on, they were happy to ignore history. The celebrations suggested it was more than just a pre-season trinket to them. “This is what I visioned when I joined,” said Declan Rice and although Arsenal hope their £105m recruit actually imagined something more glorious, the previous time they made a midfielder the most expensive Englishman of all time, Alan Ball won nothing in their colours. Rice had no trophies to show for the first 244 games of his club career: he has two in two now, even if the Europa Conference League and the Community Shield are not the most prestigious prizes in football. The broader question – and a perennial one at this stage – is whether the Community Shield is a marker for the campaign. Arsenal got a first glimpse of what £200m bought them. Rice was disciplined and diligent in midfield but an unspectacular outing may be a deceptive debut: for the majority of matches, he is likely to be a lone defensive midfielder, rather than dovetailing with Thomas Partey, in a team who seem primed to exchange attacking ambition for more mettle. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz was bought to operate in midfield and instead deputised for the injured Gabriel Jesus in attack. Arteta branded the £65m man “superb” but it felt a microcosm of the Chelsea Havertz: intelligent movement, eager pressing, ineffectual finishing. There is a case for saying that Havertz performed too accurate an impression of Jesus: Arsenal prospered last season by sharing the goals around, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard all getting either 14 or 15 in the Premier League. Leandro Trossard provided their Community Shield equaliser, even if it required a huge deflection. Whether Arsenal can afford profligacy in attack, or from Havertz, remains to be seen but the reinvention of the German in midfield may yet be the gamble that shapes Arsenal’s season, one way or another. Jurrien Timber’s bow may have been the most auspicious: quietly assured, the versatile Dutchman slotted in at left-back, though it is perhaps only his third-best position; Kieran Tierney, seemingly on his way out, fared less well when he replaced the Dutchman and Cole Palmer scored. That Arteta bought Timber and is bidding for David Raya is a sign he is willing to create a threat to those who had seemed entrenched in his team. Ben White could be dislodged by Timber, Aaron Ramsdale by Raya. The goalkeeper’s match-winning display showed he had produced the right response and suggested competition could be healthy. Ramsdale’s rhetoric was instructive, too. He argued a mental block against City, forged in three years of defeats, was lifted. That City had returned to training two weeks later than Arsenal and removed Erling Haaland at 0-0 offered the impression that victory meant less to them; the result will nevertheless assume an added importance if it helps shift the balance of power in the Arteta-Guardiola rivalry. A clearer indication may arrive when they meet in October. Perhaps then Arsenal will borrow from their Wembley gameplan, reuniting two defensive midfielders, fielding a back four who – unlike when Oleksandr Zinchenko twice faced City last season – are all specialist defenders, playing deeper to limit space both behind and in front of their rearguard. If last season’s Arsenal was about idealism and excitement, the surprise surge of a youthful team, perhaps this season’s side are charged with showing more physicality, solidity and nous against City, borrowing from a greater strength in depth to alter their style of play. Such wins can feel signs of progress, staging posts on the route to something greater. Arsenal beat Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea last season, taking 19 points from a possible 24 against them, but not City. But such occasions can also be a false dawn. After their triumph in the 2020 Community Shield, they won their first two league games, but only two of the next 12. They sank as low as 15th. A repeat feels implausible. But more than most, Arsenal know it is hard to judge precisely what winning the Community Shield signifies. Read More Kevin De Bruyne ‘way ahead’ of schedule on return from hamstring injury Kevin De Bruyne says new approach to added time ‘doesn’t make any sense’ Cole Palmer shows he can replace Riyad Mahrez — and become Man City’s missing piece Aaron Ramsdale makes his case to remain first choice – as Arsenal make their own one for major trophies

England defender Lucy Bronze revealed she made a post-match beeline to console “upset” Lauren James after the forward was shown what could be a World Cup-ending red card in the Lionesses’ nervy last 16 victory over Nigeria. James will miss at least her side’s quarter-final clash with either Colombia or Jamaica after she was sent off late in Monday night’s knockout match in Brisbane for deliberately stepping on the back of Nigeria defender Michelle Alozie. Bronze was one of the 10 Lionesses who doggedly defended their way through 30 minutes of extra time in the goalless draw before Bethany England, Rachel Daly, Alex Greenwood and Chloe Kelly wrapped up the 4-2 win on penalties. Bronze said: “Obviously she’s going to be disappointed in herself. I went straight off the pitch after the game to make sure she was OK. “Obviously she was a little bit upset and rightfully so and more than anything she just feels bad for the team. I said to her, ‘We’ve made it through. It’s a team, it’s not just one player.'” James’ World Cup fate will now be decided by FIFA’s disciplinary committee, who could extend her ban to three matches, which would see her miss the rest of the tournament even if the Lionesses reach a first-ever final. The first red card of the competition was shown in the group stage to Nigeria’s Deborah Abiodun for her tackle on Canada’s Ashley Lawrence, who will join James at Chelsea after signing a three-year deal with the Blues on 1 July. Abiodun’s punishment was extended to three matches after she served the first game, so the same outcome for James, who boss Sarina Wiegman said “lost her emotions” in the incident, is a real possibility. Bronze and Greenwood are the only two Lionesses to have featured in the past three World Cups, while this is the 21-year-old Chelsea forward’s first. James is the younger sister of Chelsea and England defender Reece James and said before the tournament that she hoped to use the World Cup to carve out an identity separate from her sibling, whose name is regularly mentioned in tandem with hers but rarely, if ever, vice versa. She had begun to do so in stunning style before she was sent off in the 87th minute of Monday night’s match-up, scoring the only goal in England’s 1-0 group stage victory over Denmark before netting two and picking up three assists in the Lionesses’ 6-1 win over China, in the process becoming the only England player of either gender to contribute to five goals in a single World Cup contest. Bronze said: “Although LJ is the youngest in the team, she’s had to mature from a young age because she’s been thrown into the spotlight, whether that’s to do with her brother and her family, or that she’s a fantastic player on her own. “In the last game, everyone put the spotlight on her. She deals with it very, very well. She likes hanging around with the older players, myself, Jordan (Nobbs), Alex Greenwood, we are the three that she comes to asking for advice. “LJ didn’t start the first game, she didn’t feature at all during the Euros. “She’s a massively talented player. We all know that and obviously we’re very disappointed to lose a player of her calibre going into the next game. No one’s going to be more disappointed than LJ. It’s important to support her.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football rumours: Harry Kane imposes deadline on move away from Spurs Billy Vunipola nearing comeback after being named in England’s World Cup squad Leigh wing Tom Briscoe hoping to hurt Hull KR in Challenge Cup final again

What the papers say Harry Kane has reportedly placed a time limit on any potential move to Bayern Munich. According to the Telegraph, the Tottenham forward will abandon his pursuit of a transfer if no deal is agreed by the end of this week, with the German club believed to be preparing one final offer for the 30-year-old England captain. The Times says Bernardo Silva is close to agreeing terms on a contract extension with Manchester City. However, citing Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, the paper reports the 28-year-old Portugal midfielder is prepared to wait a few days before signing in order to leave a window open for a potential Barcelona approach. Liverpool are believed to be considering their options after a third bid for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia was rejected. According to the Liverpool Echo, the Reds view the 19-year-old as a long-term replacement for Fabinho, but Saints will not part with him for anything less than £50m. And the Guardian reports West Ham have signed Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez in a £32m deal. Social media round-up Players to watch Neymar: The Brazil forward has informed Paris St Germain he wants to return to Barcelona, according to L’Equipe. Jorginho: The Times says the Italy midfielder could leave Arsenal for Turkish club Fenerbahce. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The Republic of Ireland is predicted to have a €65.2bn (£56.3bn) budget surplus by 2027.

Travis Jankowski had a go-ahead RBI groundout in the eighth and Leody Taveras followed with a sacrifice fly, and the Texas Rangers won their season-best seventh straight game by beating the Oakland Athletics 5-3

Pete Alonso homered in consecutive at-bats and tied a career high with six RBIs as the New York Mets withstood a long rain delay and snapped a six-game losing streak with an 11-2 rout of the Chicago Cubs

Patrick Bailey put the Giants ahead with a two-run double when Randal Grichuk misplayed his drive to left, and San Francisco eventually rallied for six runs in the ninth inning of an 8-3 victory that sent the Los Angeles Angels to their season-worst seventh consecutive loss

Anthony Edwards and Cam Johnson each scored 15 points, and USA Basketball used a 20-0 run in the second half on the way to rolling past Puerto Rico 117-74 on Monday night in the first World Cup tune-up game for the Americans

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone made the most of his AL-leading sixth ejection this season during a 5-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox

Chiamaka Nnadozie’s Nigeria lineup had two chances hit the crossbar in a scoreless draw and only missed out on the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals after losing a penalty shootout against England

Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro was ejected arguing a checked-swing call on a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox

Freddy Peralta struck out 13 to match his career high and allowed just one hit over seven innings in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 12-1 blowout of the Colorado Rockies on Monday night