Connect with us

Sports

Frank hails Romero’s last-minute ‘perfect bicycle’

Published

on

Frank hails Romero’s last-minute ‘perfect bicycle’


Tottenham boss Thomas Frank hailed a “top performance” from skipper Cristian Romero after his brace salvaged a 2-2 draw against Newcastle.

The Magpies had enjoyed a series of promising opportunities throughout the game before Bruno Guimarães sent them ahead in the 71st minute.

Romero replied seven minutes later with an excellent diving header from Mohammed Kudus’ cross, before Anthony Gordon restored Newcastle’s lead from the penalty spot.

The Spurs skipper had the final say in a dramatic finale, scoring an overhead kick in the fifth minute of stoppage-time which bounced through the box and trickled into the bottom corner.

Speaking about Romero’s display, Frank said: “I think that was the perfect bicycle kick, hit with the shin, aiming for the bottom corner.

“Praising Cuti, I think he deserves that. A top performance defending. On the ball: coolness, calmness, duels, then get up there and score two goals.

“I think the bicycle kick will most likely get a little more praise but I think the header is more exceptional, the way he does that is better than many strikers.”

Romero’s eye-catching strike snatched a point for Spurs, who are still winless in their last five Premier League outings and sit 11th in the table, but Frank praised the “willingness” of his side following a tough run.

He said: “I really liked the character and mentality in the team and what this showed after three tough games.

“To go here to the fourth game in 10 days, the third away game at a very difficult place – go behind two times and come back shows everything about the willingness and mentality in the team.”

At 1-1, Newcastle restored their lead from the spot after Rodrigo Bentancur and Dan Burn tangled at the back post from a corner and referee Tom Bramall was called to the monitor.

He awarded a penalty, which Gordon converted, and Frank said: “The second one is very disappointing to concede because I think for me it’s never a penalty.

“Even speaking to some from Newcastle (they) don’t think it’s a penalty and we need consistency.

“I think the referee’s call on the pitch, he nailed it, and VAR can only be if it’s clear and obvious. But, I want to speak about us and the mentality coming back.”

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe described the two goals conceded as “hugely disappointing” following a strong display throughout the game.

He said: “We’re hugely frustrated with ourselves really. That was a game where we had to work really hard for the first goal.

“I thought we were the dominant team, knocking on the door through the first half.

“The goal came when it came and felt then we were in a strong position having been relatively comfortable defensively to them.

“To concede the two goals in the way that we did is hugely disappointing because we pride ourselves on being better than that defensively.”

Asked about the penalty decision, Howe replied: “I’ve just seen it again, the defender doesn’t look at the ball, he’s just focused on Dan and Dan goes down, so I can see why it was given.”



Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

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

Sports

Transfer rumors news Man United, Madrid, Barcelona eye Brown

Published

on

Transfer rumors news Man United, Madrid, Barcelona eye Brown


Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona are all keen on Eintracht Frankfurt left back Nathaniel Brown, while Atlético Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher could leave the club in January, which has United interested. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.

Transfers home page | Men’s grades | Women’s grades

TOP STORIES

Arsenal agree to sign twins from Hincapié’s former club – sources
Real Madrid boss Alonso calls for calm: ‘It’s a long season’
Liverpool’s Mac Allister: ‘No doubt’ about Wirtz’s quality

TRENDING RUMORS

– Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona are all keen on signing Eintracht Frankfurt left back Nathaniel Brown, according to Florian Plettenberg. Madrid in particular have sent scouts to watch the 22-year-old in action against Cologne and Atalanta, and the Germany international could be set to leave the Bundesliga in the summer of 2026 after what has been a breakout season. Brown won his first full international cap in October, and his crossing ability and attacking runs have earmarked him as one of the most exciting full backs in the German league. Eintracht are reported to be seeking a fee of around €60 million.

– Manchester United, Newcastle United, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur are all interested in signing Atlético Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher in January, according to Fabrizio Romano. The 25-year-old was a loan target for Manchester United last summer, but Atlético rejected their advances. Now, though, Atletico could be open to a €30m permanent deal, while Gallagher himself is looking for a move to advance his chances of featuring for England at the World Cup next summer. Gallagher was not seen as a top priority in the last window, but United boss Ruben Amorim is likely to be at the front of the queue in January.

Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford is considering leaving the club after just five months, following the subsequent arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma, according to The Daily Mail. Fellow City backup keeper Stefan Ortega is also contemplating his future, with both keen for more first-team action. Trafford, 23, arrived from Burnley for £27 million in the summer but hasn’t played a Premier League game since Donnarumma signed from Paris Saint-Germain on transfer deadline day. Trafford had hoped his move would help him land the England No. 1 jersey, but now his place in the squad is in jeopardy because of his lack of game time. Newcastle were linked previously and could be first in line for the former Burnley man when the transfer window opens.

Arsenal are considering a move for versatile Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi, according to The Mirror. The Gunners are looking for further attacking reinforcements and the 23-year-old could be available next summer before his contract runs out in 2027. Dortmund value the striker’s transfer at around €80 million after he racked up 28 goal contributions in his past 56 appearances, grabbing three goals and six assists so far in 2025-26. Adeyemi can play anywhere along the front line, with Chelsea and Manchester United also interested.

– Barcelona boss Hansi Flick is keen to reunite with Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck, having given him his debut for the Germany national team, according to Mundo Deportivo. Schlotterbeck, 26, has so far decided against extending his contract at Dortmund, which is due to expire in 2027, meaning he is likely to leave the club next summer. Bayern Munich are keen on signing him, but Dortmund are unwilling to let him go to their league rivals. That leaves Barcelona and Real Madrid as favorites to make a move, though Liverpool are also reported to be interested.

EXPERT TAKE

play

1:50

Should Mo Salah remain on the bench for Liverpool right now?

Steve Nicol and Shaka Hislop debate Liverpool’s starting XI after Mo Salah was dropped to the bench against West Ham.

OTHER RUMORS

– Manchester United and Chelsea are both in talks to sign 17-year-old center back Luis Eduardo from Gremio after he starred for Brazil at the recent U17 World Cup. (Transfermarkt)

– Tottenham Hotspur are keen on Manchester United midfield targets Carlos Baleba (Brighton) and Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace), but the Londoners are aware that both transfers could come with challenging fees upward of £100 million. (TEAMtalk)

– Aston Villa and Sunderland are among the clubs hoping to land 19-year-old Rangers star Bailey Rice on a free transfer this summer. (Daily Mail)

– Sunderland are keen to land former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi from Lazio, with the 26-year-old hoping to return to the Premier League (iNews)

– Newcastle United goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos has indicated that he would like to make permanent his current loan move to Sevilla, despite having two years left on his contract at St James’s Park. (Marca)

– Inter Milan lead a number of European clubs in their interest in Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi, who is contracted until 2028. (Rudy Galetti)

– Inter Milan center back Stefan de Vrij, 33, is a target for Nottingham Forest and is out of contract in the summer. Football Insider)

– Former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is eyeing a return to Europe following the end of his contract with Mexican club Monterrey, with AC Milan interested in signing the 39-year-old defender. (Calciomercato)

– AC Milan are keen on signing prolific striker Jean-Philippe Mateta from Crystal Palace, who has indicated that he could be interested in a move away from the Premier League. (TalkSPORT)

– English clubs have joined Juventus, Inter and AC Milan in their admiration of Cagliari goalkeeper Elia Caprile. (Gazzetta dello Sport)

– Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham could leave the club after just five months and French side Paris FC are interested, though Dortmund would only consider a loan. (Mirror)



Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Football world braces for 2026 World Cup draw with Trump presiding | The Express Tribune

Published

on

Football world braces for 2026 World Cup draw with Trump presiding | The Express Tribune


Top seeds include defending champions Argentina, host nations USA, Mexico and Canada


WASHINGTON:

The draw for the 2026 World Cup — the biggest edition of football’s global showpiece ever held — takes place in Washington on Friday with US President Donald Trump expected to feature prominently in proceedings.

The expanded 48-team tournament — up from the 32-nation field that competed at the 2022 Qatar World Cup – will be played across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19 next year.

Trump’s attendance at the Kennedy Center ceremony underscores his rapport with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, who has made several visits to the White House and even joined Trump at international summits in the years since the joint North American bid was awarded the tournament in 2018.

Infantino’s close relationship with Trump is widely expected to see the US leader be named as the first recipient of a new FIFA Peace Prize, which will be awarded at the draw

Trump has made the World Cup a centerpiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.

But he has not hesitated to bring domestic politics into the event, threatening to move World Cup matches from Democratic-run cities if he deems conditions to be “unsafe”.

In a sign of the global tensions surrounding a World Cup which will have 11 of its 16 venues in the United States, Iran said it will boycott the draw because US authorities refused to grant visas to several members of its delegation.

The president of the Iranian football federation, Mehdi Taj, said: “We have told the head of FIFA… that it is purely a political position and that FIFA must tell (Washington) to desist from this behaviour.”

First-time qualifiers 

The pretenders to the title which a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina won for the third time in 2022 in Qatar will be drawn into 12 groups.

The top seeds are Argentina, the host nations USA, Mexico and Canada, record five-time winners Brazil, two-time champions France, four-time winners Germany as well as Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands and Belgium.

The evergreen Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be 41 when the tournament kicks off, has said his sixth World Cup finals with Portugal will be his last and he would relish crowning his long career with a first global title for his country.

The enlarged cast list also means an opportunity for a handful of first-time qualifiers, including Cape Verde, Jordan and the tiny Caribbean nation of Curacao.

With six of the field still to be decided in playoffs, the favourites will want to avoid Italy, who won the World Cup as recently as 2006 but have not qualified since 2014.

Despite an error-strewn qualification campaign, the Italians can still reach the finals by winning two sudden-death games.

The opening match will be held at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which also hosted the 1970 and 1986 finals, before the tournament unfolds over nearly six weeks, culminating in the final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Because of the complexity, teams will only learn the full details of their match venues and kickoff times on Saturday, a day after the draw.

Supporters’ groups have warned fans could face eye-watering sums for tickets for the most attractive games due to FIFA’s decision to use dynamic ticket pricing.

Prices on popular secondary market websites in the United States such as Stubhub and Seatgeek have already skyrocketed, with prices for the July 19 World Cup final in New Jersey starting at around $7,000.



Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

The Terps are finally healthy. Good thing: Big Ten play is next.

Published

on



Maryland had its ideal starting lineup in place for Tuesday’s 89-63 win over Wagner. A trip to Iowa is next.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending