Connect with us

Sports

Arsenal 2-0 Port Vale (Sep 24, 2025) Game Analysis – ESPN

Published

on

Arsenal 2-0 Port Vale (Sep 24, 2025) Game Analysis – ESPN


Eberechi Eze got his first Arsenal goal as Mikel Arteta’s men laboured to beat League One Port Vale 2-0 in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

After Eze struck just eight minutes into the match this should have turned into a comfortable night for the Gunners against a side who, despite back-to-back wins sit 19th in the third tier, but they struggled to create clear chances until substitute Leandro Trossard finished it off in the 86th minute.

Still it was enough for Arsenal, semifinalists last season, to progress as they seek to win this competition for only a third time.

Roared on by the biggest Vale Park crowd this century, 16,326-strong, Port Vale came charging out of the traps in the opening five minutes, but no sooner had Arsenal got a foothold in the game they led through Eze’s first goal since his £60 million move from Crystal Palace.

Arsenal made the goal look easy as Bukayo Saka won back possession and switched play to the left. Myles Lewis-Skelly’s dummy wrong-footed Jesse Debrah as Gabriel Martinelli’s low ball left Eze with a simple close-range finish.

Eberechi Eze celebrates scoring his first Arsenal goal.

Eze was part of a strong Gunners side featuring nine changes from Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City as Saka returned to the starting XI after a hamstring injury, Christian Norgaard made his first start and there was a debut in goal for Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The last time these two sides met 27 years ago Arsenal needed penalties to win an FA Cup third-round replay here, having been held goalless at Highbury, and despite Arsenal taking an early lead here this turned into another tough scrap against determined opposition.

For all their possession — 78 percent in the first half — Arteta’s men struggled to carve out clear opportunities as the hosts defended in numbers.

Just as they did in the first half, Port Vale start the second half on the front foot but they were then almost hit on the counter-attack as goalkeeper Joe Gauci had to come racing out of his box to take the ball from Martinelli’s feet.

Having seen his side fail to build on their early lead, Arteta turned to 15-year-old Max Dowman, who replaced Saka just after the hour to chants of ‘He’s got school in the morning’ from the 3,000 travelling Arsenal fans.

Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel soon followed him into the fray but Arsenal’s immediate concerns were at the back.

A wayward pass from Christhian Mosquera went straight to Ben Garrity on the edge of the Arsenal box. He laid it off for Rhys Walters, but a moment’s hesitation allowed Arsenal to get back in numbers.

Next, substitute Devante Cole hit a dipping shot from the edge of the box that went narrowly over.

Gyokeres should have killed it off in the 78th minute, played through on goal by Dowman, but he took too long and Cam Humphreys slid in to block.

But then, with time running down, William Saliba launched a long ball forward which Trossard controlled neatly as he cut inside to beat Gauci with a low finish as home fans appealed in vain for what would have been a tight offside call.



Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

2026 Winter Olympics: Live updates from Milan Cortina

Published

on

2026 Winter Olympics: Live updates from Milan Cortina


The second Sunday of the 2026 Winter Olympics is a busy one for fans of Team USA.

Mikaela Shiffrin skis in the giant slalom — the race she won at the 2018 Olympics, and her second shot at a medal in Milan Cortina. It’s also the race where she suffered a severe injury with a puncture wound in 2024. Shiffrin has had to deal with PTSD from the crash, and competing again in Olympic giant slalom is part of her comeback. Speedskater Erin Jackson will attempt to defend her Olympic gold in the 500 meters. Pairs figure skating begins, with Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea the top American pair. They had clutch performances to help the U.S. win gold in the team event and have an outside chance of a medal. And U.S. men’s hockey will be back in action against Germany.

Key events (all times ET)

  • 4:00 a.m. — Women’s giant slalom

  • 11:03 a.m. — Women’s 500m speedskating

  • 1:45 p.m. — Pairs figure skating

  • 3:10 p.m. — Men’s hockey (USA vs. Germany)

MORE: Medal tracker | Full schedule of events | Olympics 101

Here’s a live look at the top moments from Sunday’s events.




Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

The biggest sporting event in Milan on Saturday wasn’t the Olympics

Published

on



With a global sporting spectacle going on nearby, locals in Milan flooded San Siro to witness a riveting Derby d’Italia between Inter Milan and Juventus.



Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Jamaica unveil snazzy kits ahead of World Cup playoffs

Published

on

Jamaica unveil snazzy kits ahead of World Cup playoffs


We’re four months away from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but if they manage to qualify, Jamaica might have already sewn up the competition for the snazziest kits with their new home and away strips unveiled Friday.

Both ensembles have been designed in collaboration with the Bob Marley Foundation and as such are positively drenched in the vivid red, green and gold colors that have become synonymous with the legendary reggae star and Rastafarian culture.

The home shirt has a yellow-gold base overlaid with a weave pattern that makes it look like the crocheted garments and Rasta headwear Marley wore in the 1970s. There are also horizontal bands in black, red and green that span the shirt and feature a pattern intended to resemble vinyl records.

The away shirt is arguably even livelier, with the Jamaican national colors once again used to create a black alternative design that pays homage to the rocksteady rhythm of the island’s music.

The dark base is covered in line-drawn patterns inspired by soundwaves, vinyl records and even the reels of old cassette tapes. The Reggae Boyz/Girlz tag on the collar is also inspired by the font used by Marley’s record label, Tuff Gong. Added to that, the use of the classic trefoil logo in gold just caps everything off nicely.

Marley was known to love soccer and regularly played in matches against fellow musicians and even professional players, notably several members of Brazil‘s famous teams of the 70s. As such, there is a tag attached to the lower hem of both 2026 jerseys that bears a portrait of the icon alongside his well-known quote, “Football is freedom.”

All that’s left now is for Jamaica to actually qualify for their first World Cup since 1998. The Reggae Boyz finished second behind surprise package Curaçao in Concacaf Group B, meaning that two rounds of interconfederation playoffs in March still stand between them and a place at this summer’s tournament.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending