Wednesday's briefing: England Under-21s feel the heat as Bale plans for big role
Gareth Bale is pursuing the purchase of Cardiff while Bayern Munich were beaten in their final Club World Cup game.
The heat is on for the Young Lions
Lee Carsley will not allow the heat to be an excuse as England Under-21s prepare to face the Netherlands in the European Championship semi-finals in Bratislava, where temperatures will swelter above 30 degrees celsius.
Carsley's side beat tournament favourites Spain in the quarter-finals to take a big step towards defending their title in Slovakia.
'We've not shied away from the heat,' Carsley said. 'We've exposed the players to it fully. We're ready for it. We're fully prepared now.'
Benfica beat Bayern
🦅 @SLBenfica secure an historic win against @FCBayern to move things around in Group C. 🔢
— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 24, 2025
Benfica topped Group C of the Club World Cup with a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich.
Andreas Schjelderup's early goal settled the match in sweltering conditions in Charlotte as the Portuguese side set up a last-16 tie with Chelsea or Esperance de Tunis.
This was their first ever victory over the German champions and Bruno Lage's side could be dark horses for the tournament.
Bayern dominated the second half and had chances to earn at least a draw, with Joshua Kimmich having a goal disallowed and Leroy Sane missing two big one-on-one chances, as they go through to play Flamengo.
Bale's big plans
Gareth Bale wants to buy Cardiff (Adam Davy/PA)
Gareth Bale believes he is the right person to lead Cardiff back to the Premier League and intends to be heavily involved if the investment group he is working with complete a takeover, a source close to the 35-year-old has said.
Bale spoke publicly about his interest in purchasing the League One club on Monday, saying it would be a 'dream come true' if a deal could be done.
Asked what sort of role Bale might take on, the source said: 'A very significant one. He is not going to be a bit-part player.
'This is a guy who has been super-successful and doesn't need to put his name to something just for the sake of it. He would be heavily involved. He believes he is the right person for this.'
Boro choose Edwards
A message from Rob 🤳 pic.twitter.com/2Qp0Gkeomg
— Middlesbrough FC (@Boro) June 24, 2025
Rob Edwards has been appointed as Middlesbrough's new head coach on a three-year deal.
The 42-year-old, who left Luton by mutual consent in January, replaces former Manchester United and England midfielder Michael Carrick, whose reign was brought to a close earlier this month after the Teessiders missed out on the Sky Bet Championship play-offs.
A statement on the club's official website said: 'Middlesbrough are delighted to announce the appointment of Rob Edwards as our new head coach.
'A Premier League promotion winner, he joins the club on a three-year contract and is joined in the dugout by Adi Viveash and Harry Watling.
What's on today?
England Under-21s will hope to emulate the senior team 12 months ago by beating the Netherlands in the European Championship semi-final.
Germany and France battle it out in the other semi-finals.
Group F of the Club World Cup comes to a close as Borussia Dortmund take on Ulsan HD while Mamelodi Sundowns play Fluminense.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, Inter Milan are up against River Plate and Urawa Reds play Monterrey.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
England U21 vs Netherland U21 – Euros semi final boosts: Mcatee to score, Young Lions to win & BTTS NOW 7/1 at Midnite
ENGLAND'S under-21s are looking book a spot in the European Championship final tonight when they face Netherlands in the semis. Midnite have a handful of top price boosts for the big game in Slovakia and we've picked out our favourite. Midnite new customer offer Midnite welcome offer Download the Midnite app or create an account online HERE* Register using the Promo Code: BETGETSPORTS Deposit a minimum of £10 Place a pre-match bet of £10 and a minimum of 4 legs, at minimum total odds of 3/1 Once that's settled - win or lose - you will receive £20 in free bets You will also receive 50 free spins England U21 vs Netherlands U21: Get £20 in free bets and 50 free spins HERE* England U21 vs Netherlands U21 offers England go into the semi final clash as favourites to book a spot in the final this weekend. Manchester City's James McAtee was a scorer in the win over Spain to reach this stage, with three of the four Young Lions games ending with both teams scoring. As mentioned, McAtee features in our selection of Midnite's top price boosts for tonight's game. You can get McAtee to score, England to win & BTTS at 7/1 - up from 6/1! Here's the list of price boosts on offer for tonight: Harvey Elliott anytime goalscorer - NOW 3/1 - CLAIM HERE Midnite new customer offer Want to join Midnite? Well here's how you can... Simply download Midnite's app or create an account online using the Promo Code: BETGETSPORTS Once that's done, deposit a minimum of £10 and stake a pre-match bet of £10 and a minimum of 4 legs, at minimum total odds of 3/1. Once that's settled - win or lose - you will receive £20 in free bets. You will also receive 50 free spins to spend on Big Bass Splash (valued at 10p per spin). Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chase their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – GambleAware – Read our guide on responsible gambling practices. For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
Western Telegraph
an hour ago
- Western Telegraph
Gareth Southgate says England team have ‘broken down barriers to winning'
The former manager, who led the Three Lions to consecutive European Championship finals in 2020 and 2024 and the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, accepted the honour from the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle on Wednesday. He is the fourth England boss to be knighted, after Sir Walter Winterbottom, Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson, and the only manager of the England men's team to lead them to two major tournament finals. Sir Gareth said that managing his country for eight years was 'an amazing privilege' but admitted he was 'not missing that either', having resigned from the role following England's 2-1 final defeat to Spain in July last year. Reflecting on his spell in charge, he told the PA news agency: 'We've broken down so many barriers to winning. Ultimately we didn't quite get to where we wanted to, but we're in a great position now to take things forward.' Sir Gareth was knighted by the Prince of Wales, who is the president of the FA (Jonathan Brady/PA) Sir Gareth was succeeded as England manager by Thomas Tuchel ahead of next year's World Cup, when it will be 60 years since the national side won its only major honour. Asked how he assessed the squad's chances heading into the tournament, Sir Gareth said: 'What I learned doing the job is it's important that people on the outside respect the space inside, so best that I stay out of the way and let them get on with it. 'They're a brilliant group of players and staff to work with, and I wouldn't be here without everything they contributed and helped me with, so I hope they can go the next step.' Under Southgate, England ended its 55-year wait for a men's final at Euro 2020, delayed 12 months by Covid, before being agonisingly beaten on penalties by Italy at Wembley. A late defeat to Spain three years later again saw the side just miss out on silverware. Sir Gareth took charge of 102 England matches in total to add to the 57 caps he won for the national team as a player between 1995 and 2004. He was recognised for his services to association football in the New Year Honours in December. Asked how it felt to be knighted, Sir Gareth told PA he was 'more emotional than I thought I might be' and described it as an 'amazing honour'. He also paid tribute to William, who is president of the FA, as an 'amazing supporter' of both England and his favourite club team Aston Villa, who Sir Gareth played for during his 16-year career. Sir Gareth added: 'He's a genuine football fan, and he was deeply passionate about the team doing well and how he might help as president of the FA and was I getting the right support when I needed it. So it was an immense backing to have. 'He kindly thanked me for what I'd done.' In an address at the University of London in March, Sir Gareth spoke about how the belief and resilience gained throughout his career in football had 'picked me up when I've been down, grounded me in success, and given me purpose amidst the noise of public life'. The former defender said he was 'enjoying exploring other areas' since stepping down as England manager last year, including through work supporting young men and raising awareness of the importance of role models. He added: 'I'm excited about the future. Obviously I've had 37 years in football, so it's a long time and I've enjoyed taking a step back and being involved in other things.'
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Claudia Schiffer's film-maker husband in talks to buy stake in Brentford after supermodel seen at Premier League game
OWNERSHIP SCHIFF-T Claudia Schiffer's film-maker husband in talks to buy stake in Brentford after supermodel seen at Premier League game Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CLAUDIA SCHIFFER'S film-maker husband is in talks to invest in Brentford. Matthew Vaughn, 54, is best known for producing Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - the gangland caper that featured former footballer Vinnie Jones. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Claudia Schiffer's film-maker husband Matthew Vaughn wants to buy Brentford Credit: Getty - Contributor 5 The German was one of biggest supermodels in the 1990s Credit: Rex 5 Schiffer was in the Gtech stands last season to watch Brentford vs Nottingham Forest Credit: PA The British producer and director married former supermodel Schiffer in 2002. Schiffer, 54, was spotted in the posh seats at the Gtech Community Stadium alongside their two daughters for Brentford's home defeat to Nottingham Forest in December 2024. Now Vaughn is said to be working with South African businessman Gary Lubner on buying a minority stake in the Bees. Brentford declined to comment. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL BEE THE ONE Arsenal make £9.3m bid for Brentford star Norgaard, with Partey set to leave But reports claim owner Matthew Benham would be willing to sell between ten and 20 per cent of his shares for £40million to £80m, valuing the club at £400m. Gambling and statistics mogul Benham has spent more than £100m of his own money transforming Brentford. The Bees have climbed from League One to the top half of the Premier League and opened a new stadium since he took full control of the club in 2014. But Benham is understood to recognise that outside investment will be necessary if Brentford are to continue to thrive and develop. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS The Bees have already seen boss Thomas Frank leave for Tottenham and are set to lose another star player, Bryan Mbeumo, this summer. Extra cash would give them a better chance of competing with rivals on wages and transfer fees. Why Thomas Frank is the PERFECT manager for Tottenham Vaughn, who also directed Layer Cake and X Men: First Class, would bring some showbiz glamour to Brentford - whose current shirt sponsor is Hollywoodbet. He is also rich. The production company he co-owns with Schiffer, Marv Studios, revealed a profit of £77.4m in its last accounts. But Lubner is a more wealthy and controversial figure. He is the former CEO of Belron, the owners of Autoglass, and is one of the biggest donors to the Labour Party during the leadership of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. In 2023 alone, Lubner contributed more than £4.5m to Labour coffers. 5 Schiffer married Vaughn in 2002 and have three children together Credit: Getty
