Real Betis leads Chelsea 1-0 at halftime of Conference League final
The Morocco forward drove home a ninth-minute finish from Francisco 'Isco' Alarcon's pass after Chelsea defender Malo Gusto gave away possession outside his area.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Who do Linfield and Larne face in Europe?
Although Dungannon Swifts' dreams of reaching the group stage of the Conference League were extinguished by Vaduz after extra-time, Linfield and Larne's European journey continues this week. David Healy's Linfield won through to the third round of qualifying as goals from Matthew Fitzpatrick and Kieran Offord in the second leg at Windsor Park against Zalgiris saw them through 2-0 on aggregate. Larne held their nerve on penalties for the second time in the campaign to return to the group stage as they came through 5-4 in the shootout against Prishtina after a 1-1 draw in Kosovo. With both clubs playing the first leg of their third-round ties on Thursday, BBC Sport NI takes a look at the opposition. Linfield travel to the Faroes Linfield will be feeling good following their 2-0 win against Zalgiris after the scoreless draw in the first leg in Lithuania. They will seek to build upon that when they take on Vikingur Gota from the Faroe Islands in round three of qualifying, but their opposition have had their moments in European qualifying in the past. Vikingur won a third league title in their history in 2024 to take their place in the Champions League qualifiers, but lost out to Gilbralter's Lincoln Red Imps which saw them drop into round three of the Conference League qualifiers. Last year, they beat Latvia's FK Liepaja over two legs in qualifying before bowing out against Belgium's Gent, while their best European run occurred in the 2014/15 season when beating Latvia's FC Daugava and Norway's Tromso before falling to HNK Rijeka of Croatia. Domestically, this season has not gone to plan as they currently sit in fourth place in the Faroe Islands Premier League, 19 points behind leaders Kl Klaksvik. The first leg takes place in Torshavn on Thursday at 19:00 BST with the return leg at Windsor Park next Thursday. The winner will move into a final play-off against the loser of the Europa League tie between Shelbourne and Croatia's HNK Rijeka. Larne welcome Portuguese opposition Larne have twice come through on penalties in their qualifiers with the spot-kick success against Prishtina following another shootout win against FK Auda. Nathan Rooney's side now face Portugal's CD Santa Clara, with the first leg on Thursday at the Ballymena Showgrounds (20:00 BST) before the return next week. The club from Ponta Delgada - the largest city in the Azores Islands - does have the distinction of being the most westerly team to compete in European competition and first from the Azores, but they have so much more about them than geography. Following promotion from Portugal's second division in the 2023/24 season, Santa Clara enjoyed a solid campaign in the top flight last season with a fifth-place finish securing European football. They enjoyed a 3-2 aggregate win against Croatia's NK Varazdin to move into this third-round tie, coming back from a 2-1 deficit after the first leg as Vinicius Lopes and Gabriel Silva scored the goals to see them home. This is not the club's first experience of European football as they made it as far as the Conference League play-off round in 2021, only to be pipped to a place in the group stage by Serbia's Partizan. The winners of this tie will face either Shamrock Rovers or Ballkani from Kosova for a place in the group phase.
New York Times
7 minutes ago
- New York Times
How Manchester United can afford to spend big on Benjamin Sesko and explore more signings
Manchester United fans have a favoured refrain, often given prominence during leaner times, one which ends with the view they're 'never ignored'. It is a maxim proving true this summer. On the back of their worst domestic showing in half a century, with no European football on the horizon, staff numbers being scythed and, just five months ago, an owner claiming the club would have gone 'bust at Christmas' without cost-cutting measures, one might have expected a quiet transfer summer at Old Trafford. Advertisement No chance. Only two new faces have arrived so far, though Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo cost a combined £127.5million ($169.5m) in guaranteed transfer fees alone. Even with that spend and without permanent departures — though Marcus Rashford's loan to Barcelona does have a purchase option — United's name continues to crop up frequently in high-profile transfer discussions. For all their recent malaise, they remain one of the preeminent clubs in world football, at least off the pitch. The latest move they are working on is for RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko. The Athletic revealed on 30 July that the Slovenian striker is viewed as a priority signing by United's decision-makers. Like Cunha and Mbeumo before him, Sesko wouldn't come cheap. After Newcastle United sent an improved bid to Leipzig on Monday, Manchester United followed up with their opening bid on Tuesday of €75million plus €10m in add-ons and believe the player wants to join them. That Manchester United are able to commit so much money to deals this summer might perplex some. As well as up front, the club have been considering their options in midfield — and in goal too, even as current first-choice keeper Andre Onana is expected to stay put. At the same time, for all the talk of outgoings, nobody has yet been sold for any money this summer. Naturally, the question arises of how United can be so active. Even against a backdrop of tightening finances, United really can and are pondering more big spending. We say more not just because of Cunha and Mbeumo, but because of what has come before. Indeed, it is that 'before' which led Ratcliffe to bemoan, as recently as March, United still having sizeable instalments to pay on transfers long since inked. Cunha's signing was confirmed before United's June 30 year-end, meaning the £71.3m total cost of signing him, per the club's third-quarter financial report, fell into 2024-25 for accounting purposes. Alongside the £272.1m spent in the nine months to 31 March, that took United's outlay on player registrations last season to a staggering £343.5m — the third highest single-season mark in English football history (though Liverpool may soon bump them to fourth). It's United's highest-ever single-season spend, though hardly out of character. They've spent more than £200m on new signings in each of the past three seasons, recouping comparatively little in return on sales. The £66.3m earned last season, per that third-quarter report, was United's second-highest player sales figure in the past decade; they still spent a record £277m net last season. Advertisement That includes Cunha, so this season's spend is lower than if we look at a transfer window basis. But still. The sums United have spent in recent years are huge, have contributed directly to the financial woes Ratcliffe aired earlier this year and, correspondingly, the huge ongoing job cuts. Assessing a club's ability to spend in the modern age really spans two different areas: profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and the presence of, or access to, actual cash. In terms of the former, United's purported PSR woes are less than once recently thought. As The Athletic revealed in June, that's in part because the club's PSR calculation is based on the results of Red Football Limited, thus stripping out some chunky costs at the PLC level, which don't come under the sphere of football activity. Figures for last season aren't yet known, but The Athletic estimated United could have lost £141m in 2024-25 without incurring a PSR breach. They didn't and, on the back of improved commercial and matchday income (offsetting a big drop in broadcast revenues) and a noteworthy drop in the wage bill, United likely still made a loss but a manageable one, at least in the context of the three-year £105m PSR limit. Though they will hope for a big improvement in the Premier League, United won't generate any TV money from Europe this year, and their continued high transfer spending won't help bring down a player amortisation bill which is nearing the £200m a year mark. There are, however, already elements helping toward reducing, or at least restraining, any 2025-26 losses. Rashford's departure might not have brought in a transfer fee but is calculated to generate a wage bill saving of £14m this season. United might not have sold anyone yet but they've benefited from others selling their former players; moves involving Alvaro Carreras, Anthony Elanga and Maxi Oyedele have earned them over £20m in sell-on fees. A further £5m has arrived from Chelsea after their failure to agree personal terms with Jadon Sancho to turn last season's loan permanent, though that sum will be eaten into if Sancho isn't sold this summer, as United are now back on the hook for his full wage. Those transactions help United's bottom line and, dependent on the timing of payments in those deals which have spawned sell-on fees, could help their cash position too. In truth, it's that, rather than too many PSR woes, which provides the clearest limiting factor on United keeping up their heady rate of transfer spending. Advertisement Projecting United's PSR headroom for 2025-26 is tricky (or foolish) as it requires estimating two full years of financials at a club undertaking significant change, particularly when it comes to expenditure. Yet based on United's third-quarter earnings statement, a loss last season in line with 2022-23's deficit doesn't seem unreasonable. That result drops off the PSR calculation this season, one figure replacing the other. In other words, our estimate of their ability to lose £141m in 2024-25 without a PSR breach could hold true again for this season. Their big problem in regard to available cash is past spending catching up with them. United's net transfer debt — instalments owed to clubs, less those owed from clubs — has exploded in recent years, from below £100m in June 2021 to £308.9m at the end of March. The signings of Cunha and Mbeumo have only added to the sum, with each of their fees spread over instalments. That is better in the immediate term than having to fork out nearly £130m right now (and so widens the scope for United to spend more this summer), but then they already owed a significant amount in fees in the near future; at the end of March, net transfer payments owed before the end of March 2026 stood at £175.5m. As well, the three-year payment term of the Cunha deal came after United had unsuccessfully sought five years of instalments, a clear sign of their need to be careful with cash. United have also invested much more in infrastructure recently, the Carrington Training Complex being the most obvious example, all of which further squeezes cash. The club's cash balance was £73.2m at the end of March, even after £238.5m of equity injections from Ratcliffe. That's still a lot of cash by most clubs' standards, but then United aren't most clubs. They have a lot of bills to pay. United have held a few revolving credit facilities (RCFs — effectively, corporate overdrafts which aid day-to-day liquidity) for a while, though only started dipping into them to deal with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Surprisingly, at the end of April, they paid off £50m of their existing RCF borrowings. In a roundabout way, that gave them extra borrowing scope this summer. On 28 April, following the £50m repayment, United had drawn down £160m across their three RCFs, which have — or at least had — an overall combined limit of £300m. At the end of April, therefore, United could draw down a further £140m if they chose to, though of course they'd be on the hook for extra interest costs in doing so. Activity since the third quarter report was filed on 6 June is unknown and won't be confirmed until the club's full year 2024-25 accounts are published. But on July 10, a new charge was registered against various United entities at Companies House in favour of Bank of America, which already acts as the security trustee across the existing £300m of RCFs. Advertisement A year ago, on 28 June 2024, a linked charge was filed, as United extended a £150m tranche of the RCF to expire in June 2027. The new charge suggests a further time extension related to the RCFs, or it is possible that United have increased their borrowing capacity, drawing down even more than the £140m we know was available to them at the end of April. When contacted by The Athletic, the club declined to comment on the matter, other than to state any changes to the nature or size of the RCFs would be detailed in the club's 2024-25 annual accounts, expected to be published in September. Separately, there's also the point of those staffing cuts and other cost-saving measures having a tangible effect on cash flow. Savings might be a drop in the ocean compared to if United could get rid of millions in player salaries at the drop of a hat, but they can't, and the amount of redundancies since Ratcliffe's arrival will clearly have an impact. United also projected adjusted EBITDA (an accounting measure they use as a proxy for operating performance) for 2024-25 in the £180m-£190m range, a marked increase on 2023-24's £147.7m, which should have translated to stronger operating cash flows last season. Even now, United still have the capacity to spend if they wish to. Cash needs to be rather more carefully managed than was the case in the past at Old Trafford, but a combination of recent actions and the club's continued ability to borrow, if they wish to, means there are avenues available to them. Still, it is expected, both inside and outside the club, that sales will be made. It isn't controversial to say United need to improve at selling, having lagged behind peers for a long while. That ballooning transfer debt is proof enough of their need to get better at player trading — and there's no time like the present. Alejandro Garnacho and Antony are the most obvious candidates for sales which might make United decent money this summer. Meanwhile, the prospect of Sesko arriving heightens the chance of Rasmus Hojlund departing just two years into his five-year deal. Advertisement Hojlund signed from Atalanta for an initial £64m which, after tagging on agent fees and the Premier League's transfer levy, leaves his current book value at £43m. United will consider offers of £30m (though the player has said he wants to stay). That would be an eight-figure loss for PSR purposes — but could well generate some useful cash for the present. Additional reporting: Mark Critchley and Laurie Whitwell (Top image: Getty Images)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Norris and Piastri 'will not properly fall out'
McLaren Formula 1 boss Zak Brown says Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will "not properly fall out" as their title fight comes to a head. Brown, McLaren Racing's chief executive officer, said he expects the pair to "swap paint again at some point" after Norris ran into the back of Piastri in Canada in June. But he added: "I don't think they'll properly fall out because of the communication, trust and respect we all have, and they have for each other. "We're very fortunate to have the two personalities that we have. We love the challenge. I'm looking forward to them racing each other." Norris cut Piastri's lead to nine points with victory in last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, the last race before F1 heads into its summer break. Will McLaren be worried about Norris-Piastri relationship? I'm not making life easy for myself - Norris Piastri has won six races to Norris' five this season, and they have won 11 of the 14 races so far between them. Racing resumes at the Dutch Grand Prix on 29-31 August and Brown says he expects their battle to remain fair. "I've said to both of them individually, at windows of opportunity, has your team-mate ever done anything to annoy you? 'Never'. And that's what they both said," Brown added. "So there's competitiveness brewing. We're not feeling any tension. As the championship builds I'm sure that tension will grow, but like Montreal - I'm glad we got it out of the way, because it was a non-event, Lando owned it, Oscar understood, it was a mistake." Brown said that although he expects the two drivers to end up colliding again, he was "very confident it won't be deliberate". He added: "I'm positive they're never going to run each other off the track, and that's where you get into bad blood." And he said that McLaren would deal with any tension that evolves in the same way they have managed the relationship between the drivers so far. "If something bubbles up, we'll deal with it," he said. "And how we operate, which is [in] an open, transparent, deal with it right away [manner]. "It seems like from the outside looking in, when you've seen battles between other team-mates, you've kind of seen it brewing, and you kind of go like 'have they jumped on that, or are they just kind of letting it build up?' "We'll take the air out of the balloon right away, if we feel like anything's bubbling up, but we've not seen any of it." Brown said it was vital for McLaren for the two to remain on good terms because they both have long-term contracts. "They're going to be racing against each other for a long time in the same team," he said, "so it's important that relationship continues to grow, because the relationship's not just about this year, but it bleeds into next year, and they're going to be together for a long time". 'They both can smell the championship' Brown believes Red Bull's Max Verstappen is still in with an outside chance of the title, even though the Dutchman is 97 points behind Piastri. But he said that if it comes to a point where the championship is clearly between just the two McLaren drivers, he and team principal Andrea Stella plan to discuss with Norris and Piastri how to handle the inevitable situation where one wins the title and the other loses it. Brown said: "They both can smell the championship, and only one can win it, so I'm sure it'll be hard on the one that doesn't win the championship, assuming the other one does. "We'll just sit down and actually have a conversation, and go: 'Right, one of you is going to win, and it's going to be the best day of your life, one of you is going to lose, and you're going to be [devastated], how do you want us to handle that, how do you want us to act? "We'll be very considerate about that approach, because that's the way we think, it comes back to thinking about our people." Brown rejected as "not accurate" what he called "the narrative" around Norris that he was mentally more fragile than Piastri. "Lando's open, he kind of wears his emotions on his sleeve, so to speak," Brown said. "Everyone's different, but he's in a great place. I've never seen him in a better place. He's doing an awesome job." He compared the current commentary about Norris to a previous one, in which some observers claimed he was not capable of winning from pole position - after a handful of victories slipped away last year. Brown said: "The, he can't win from pole stat, now that he's won four, or five races, from pole, no-one seems to be talking about that."
