Fulham v Man City
Erling Haaland celebrates scoring Manchester City's second goal in their Premier League win over Fulham at Craven Cottage on May 25, 2025. Victory meant City finished third in the table and qualified for the Uefa Champions League PA
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Khaleej Times
6 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Spain v France not a Ballon d'Or decider, says Lamine Yamal
Spain's Barcelona striker Lamine Yamal has said the Ballon d'Or award won't be decided by performances on Thursday when he and France's Paris St Germain forward Ousmane Dembele take part in the Nations League Final Four. Spain and France meet in Stuttgart for a place in the final, with the winners facing either Germany or Portugal who play in the other semifinal on Wednesday. Yamal and Dembele have been crucial for club and country this season and the prestigious golden ball trophy could end up with one of them in September during the ceremony in Paris. But the Barca striker challenged a journalist who asked whether Thursday's clash would be decisive for the voting. "If you had to give the Ballon d'Or, who would you give it to - the best player of the year or the one who wins on Thursday?" Yamal told Spanish broadcaster Cadena COPE on Monday. "I'm confident we'll win on Thursday, but whether we win or not, I'd vote for the player of the year because if something happens to me or Dembele on Thursday, who do you vote for? One who plays on Sunday? "I would give it to the best player of the year, and I'd keep it for myself." The competition is tough between the duo, with Dembele winning a Ligue 1, French Cup and Champions League treble, while the 17-year-old Yamal won LaLiga, the Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup. Dembele has scored 35 goals in all competitions for club and country this season, while Yamal has netted 19. The nominees for the 2025 edition of the Ballon d'Or award, which covers August 1-July 31, will be announced at the start of August, with the ceremony taking place on September 22.
Dubai Eye
9 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Pyramids crowned African champions, still in shadow of Cairo giants
Egyptian club Pyramids might have been crowned African champions on Sunday, but their Croatian coach Krunoslav Jurcic said they still faced a struggle to assert themselves in their own country. The club - who changed their name, moved to Cairo and won promotion to the Egyptian top flight seven years ago - triumphed in the Champions League with a 3-2 aggregate win over two legs against Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa. It was only a second trophy, after Egyptian Cup success last season, for the club in just their second Champions League campaign. They have been seeking to emerge from the shadow of Cairo giants Al Ahly and Zamalek, who have not only dominated Egyptian competition but the Champions League as well. "When I started with the team last season, we played excellent football and had a long run of winning matches in a row but even then, this was not enough to be champion here,' said Jurcic. "This year again, we were very close but you know that Al Ahly is the best club in Africa, they are very good, they are very strong and it's very difficult to compete against a club like them." The 55-year-old Jurcic was delighted that his appeals for support ensured a 30,000-strong crowd at Sunday's decider in the June 30 Stadium, usually largely empty for their games, where they won the second leg 2-1. Cairo's passionate football followers traditionally support either Al Ahly or Zamalek, with little affection for any of the other sides based in the city. 'I'm very grateful for the crowd that came today,' he said after lifting the trophy. 'Usually we get to the stadium 90 minutes before kickoff and there is no one here. 'It's disheartening for the players, and I find it's my job to transmit positive energy to try and get them up for the matches,' Jurcic added. The former Croatia international, who played for his country when they finished third at the 1998 World Cup, patrolled the touchline like a man possessed, jumping up and down and cajoling his players throughout the 90 minutes of action. 'I believe that I can transmit my energy in a positive way, and I think that we can be competitive in the future with all the best teams in Egypt. 'But whether we can stay a force is something to see in the future,' he added.
Dubai Eye
9 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Piastri wins in Spain, Verstappen on brink of a ban
Formula One leader Oscar Piastri won the Spanish Grand Prix in a McLaren one-two with Lando Norris on Sunday while Max Verstappen was left on the brink of a ban after a clash with Mercedes' George Russell. Polesitter Piastri won by 2.471 seconds to go 10 points clear of Norris with his fifth victory in nine races, and McLaren's seventh of the season. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc completed the podium in a race that left the drama to the end with a late safety car deployment. "It's a nice way to bounce back from Monaco. A superb weekend," said Piastri, who finished third last weekend in a race won from pole by Norris. Verstappen, who made four stops in total and ended up fighting on hard tyres against rivals with faster softs, collided with Leclerc and then twice with Russell after the safety car restart with six laps to go. Stewards handed the four-times world champion a 10-second post-race penalty for the second collision with Russell, which appeared deliberate, dropping Verstappen from fifth on the road to 10th. The Dutch driver was also given three penalty points to take his total tally to 11 for the 12 month period. One more before the end of June would incur a one-race ban. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes 2016 world champion and now a pundit for Sky Sports television, said Verstappen should have been black-flagged for what looked to him like intentional retaliation for the earlier contact. Another investigation into the clash with Leclerc drew no further action. Russell finished fourth while Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg finished a surprising and morale-boosting fifth for the future Audi team after passing Ferrari's seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton on the penultimate lap. Hamilton ended up sixth, Isack Hadjar seventh for Racing Bulls and Pierre Gasly eighth for Renault-owned Alpine to cap a solid weekend for the Frenchman celebrating soccer side Paris St Germain's Champions League win. Continuing the football theme, the race was attended by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and most of the England squad while the chequered flag was waved by Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski. FIRST POINTS Ferrari moved up to second from fourth in the constructors' standings, now 197 points behind McLaren. Verstappen remained third in the drivers' championship but now 49 points behind Piastri in what is becoming a McLaren battle. Home hero Fernando Alonso scored his first points of the season in ninth for Aston Martin, who had only one car on the grid due to Lance Stroll's withdrawal through injury after Saturday's qualifying. Piastri led away at the start with Verstappen seizing second from Norris while Hamilton and Leclerc moved up to fourth and fifth as Russell lost out. Hamilton let Leclerc through on lap 10 of 66 after the two Ferraris had run nose to tail. Norris took back second place from Verstappen on lap 13, the Dutch driver making no attempt to defend against the quicker McLaren and pitting in the next lap for fresh tyres. Verstappen took the lead again on lap 23 after Piastri pitted, with Norris making his first stop on lap 21 and coming out behind the Red Bull, but that lasted only until Verstappen pitted for a second time on lap 30. He came in for a third stop on lap 47 but Norris pitted the lap after to defend second place. A safety car deployment on lap 55, after Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli beached his Mercedes in the gravel, bunched up the field and triggered a rash of stops. The McLarens came in together for fresh tyres, double-stacking, and resumed ahead of Verstappen who had only hards available to him. "That safety car just came at the wrong time," he said.
