Sport
Pogba scores a stunner as United beat West Ham 3 – 1
Pogba scores a stunner as United beat West ham 3 – 1. Goals from Paul Pogba, Mason Greenwood and substitute Marcus Rashford turned things around for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, who have fallen behind in all five away games this term but have won every match as part of a club-record nine successive away league victories.
Manchester United responded to their midweek Champions League defeat by Paris St-Germain by staging another Premier League fightback to beat West Ham United and climb to fourth in the table.
With London placed in Tier 2 following the end of the national lockdown on 2 December, the Hammers became the first side to welcome back fans in the Premier League after a nine-month absence.
David Moyes’ side made by far the better start and were rewarded for their first-half superiority when the unmarked Tomas Soucek headed in from a corner after 38 minutes.
They should have added more before the interval, but Pablo Fornals hit the post and Sebastien Haller slipped at the crucial moment after rounding goalkeeper Dean Henderson – who was making his first Premier League start for the visitors.
After being omitted with a crucial Champions League meeting with RB Leipzig looming on Tuesday, the introduction of Bruno Fernandes and Rashford coincided with a much-improved second-half display from Solskjaer’s side.
Pogba’s excellent finish from outside the box eventually stood following a VAR review to check whether Henderson’s long clearance to Rashford had curled out of play and then back in.
Rashford’s cool finish after Greenwood had slotted in from Alex Telles’ cross made it three goals in 13 minutes as United moved two points behind leaders Tottenham.
Another tale of two halves for United
This was nothing new for Manchester United under Solskjaer as they played poorly and went behind but once again found a way to win on the road.
With his side’s Champions League fate set to be decided in the midweek trip to Leipzig – where a point is required to reach the last 16 – Solskjaer’s decision to leave Fernandes and Rashford on the bench initially backfired.
Henderson, Pogba, Donny van de Beek and Greenwood all made starts in four changes to the 3-1 defeat by PSG, yet despite their fresh legs United made a lacklustre start.
They were fortunate not to find themselves more than 1-0 behind at the interval, Henderson doing well to smother Fornals’ close-range shot inside the opening two minutes and Aaron Wan Bissaka recovering brilliantly to stop Jarrod Bowen on the counter attack.
It was far from unfamiliar territory for Solskjaer’s side, who have now won a league-high 15 points from losing positions this season.
Rashford and Fernandes made a marked difference to United’s attacking play and overall confidence after half-time, but it was Pogba’s wonderful first-time strike into the top corner to restore parity.
United dominated from that moment, Greenwood scoring for the first time in eight league games after a brilliant touch and finish while Rashford eventually got the goal his impact deserved after earlier hitting the post.
A fourth straight league victory does not tell the full story for an inconsistent United side, but it was a much-needed boost before a crucial week which also includes a Manchester derby next Saturday.
Hammers aggrieved by VAR verdict
Moyes was furious that Pogba’s equaliser was allowed to stand, as Henderson’s curled clearance down the right allowed Rashford to pick out the France midfielder.
The video assistant referee reviewed whether the ball had gone out of play but the replays were inconclusive and the goal stood. The former Manchester United manager will also surely lament the fact his side could have established a much greater advantage as they dominated the first half.
With three shots each, both Fornals and Bowen registered more attempts than Manchester United’s players combined in that period, but only Soucek’s goal from Declan Rice’s glanced header separated the sides.
Bowen was the hosts’ standout performer as he frequently beat his marker and the former Hull winger had a goal disallowed for offside then narrowly missed from Vladimir Coufal’s low cross shortly after the restart.
Fornals hit the post while Haller lost his footing with the goal gaping after rounding Henderson as the Hammers failed to take the chances that could have made the game safe before the break.
That would have been well received by the returning home fans, who were back for the first time since 29 February, when a first league win in two months – preceded by protests against the club’s board – hauled Moyes’ struggling side out of the relegation places.
Their side is undoubtedly in better shape despite this defeat as they sit seventh in the standings after an opening schedule which has included games against all but Chelsea of last season’s top eight.
What’s next?
Manchester United travel to RB Leipzig in their final Champions League group match on Tuesday at 20:00 GMT. They then host derby rivals Manchester City on Saturday (17:30).
West Ham United are away to Leeds United on Friday (20:00).
Soccer fans in Nigeria have expressed their confidence that the Super Eagles will win the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
The Nigerian team qualified for the finals after defeating South Africa in the semi-final round of the competition. They face hosts Ivory Coast for the last game of the tournament today.
This will be the second match between both teams. The elephants of Ivory Coast suffered a 1- 0 defeat in their encounter with the Super Eagles at the group stage. Nigerian soccer fans say they are confident that the team will also win the final game.
Moshood Olatunji says, “We’re taking the cup. We’re not bragging and we’re not being pretentious and we’re not underestimating any group. But I think the Nigerian team started slow and they really worked as a team. The thing they had that I could see was the teamwork. They play for each other, they’re not playing for the coach, they’re actually playing for each other as a team. And I think if they carry that attitude into the finals, there’s no stopping us.”
Maxwell Ogbaje says, “I’m not surprised that we got to where we are today. We actually have a strong team. We have been at our best. It’s not just by chance, people see it that the one zero, one zero has always been a lucky thing, but it’s not. There’s actually good effort from the team that has brought that success.”
“Let them keep doing what they are doing especially the back 5. It’s a fantastic tactic that the coach Peseiro has been able to knock the boys with, so they should do what they do. They should be tight behind and they should take their chances. They should hit them on the counter and I believe if they are able to do that and they stay together, then Nigeria will be able to carry the day,” says Sam Maimagani.
It’s the eighth time Nigeria has made it to the finals in the Africa Cup of Nations and the 4th for Ivory Coast.
Nigeria is already a three-time winner of the Africa Cup of Nations and a triumph in today’s encounter will make it the 4th in 10 years.
A win for Ivory Coast will make them a three-time champion of the AFCON. Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu is expected to be at the game today to cheer the Super Eagles to victory.
Source: SABC
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Bayern Munich leapfrogged rivals Borussia Dortmund to clinch their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title in a last-day drama in German football on Saturday, May 27.
In a climactic season finale, Bayern Munich ended up celebrating an unexpected title win while Dortmund’s dream of their first league trophy since 2012 was left in tatters following a 2-2 draw with Mainz.
Dortmund were leading by two points before their last match for the season but were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Mainz on Saturday, allowing Bayern to finish in first place with a goal difference.
RB Leipzig and sensational Union Berlin are third and fourth respectively and will also compete in the Champions League next season.
Hertha Berlin and Schalke 04 have been relegated, while VfB Stuttgart will go into the relegation playoff.
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India is looking to a new generation of talented young cricketers led by teenage batter Shafali Verma to propel them to a first Women’s T20 World Cup title this month. Long-serving skipper Mithali Raj and record-breaking fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, trailblazers for women’s cricket in India, both retired last year.
New captain Harmanpreet Kaur said both players are still on hand to give advice, but it is time to look forward. Whenever we need they are always available to us, that’s what you expect from senior players,” the 33-year-old told a recent press conference.
“Nobody can fill their places, but the young girls who are getting the chances are doing well. One of the players who has grabbed her chance is Verma, an attacking opening batter who led India to victory in the inaugural U19 T20 World Cup in South Africa last month.
The 19-year-old will be back on familiar ground for the T20 World Cup, which is again in South Africa. It starts on February 10 and India are chasing a breakthrough first title, having been runners-up behind hosts Australia in the last edition, in 2020. Their first match is against arch-rivals Pakistan on February 12 in Cape Town.
Verma made her international debut at the age of just 15 and was in the team that reached the T20 World Cup final in 2020.
She also played in the one-day World Cup and was a member of the Indian side which took silver at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The youngster looks up to big-hitting England batsman Liam Livingstone for inspiration and considers Indian great Sachin Tendulkar a role model. After captaining India to victory in the U19 World Cup, Verma said: “This is just the beginning.”
“When I entered the Under-19s, I only focused on winning the Under-19 Cup and we have won that today,” ESPNCricinfo quoted her as saying. I will look to take this winning confidence with me and win the senior World Cup.”
Besides Verma, the India team also includes Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma and Renuka Singh. The women’s game is making inroads in the cricket-mad country, with the inaugural Women’s Premier League set for March, ahead of the men’s IPL.
Last month, India’s cricket board auctioned off five women’s IPL teams for $572.5 million. The new generation “are ready to be the representatives of the modern generation of women’s cricketers”, cricket journalist Sharda Ugra told AFP.
“The women’s IPL is going to start and they are the perfect representation of the kind of Indian women cricketers that belong to the T20 generation. They have the right mindset and they are very, very talented.
Source: eNCA
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