Italy already fear missing yet another World Cup after Norway nightmare
Norway already had two wins under their belt in Group I before Friday's match in Oslo
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Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Tuchel slams England's lack of ‘seriousness' in win over Andorra
BARCELONA: Thomas Tuchel slammed England's attitude and accused them of a lack of 'seriousness' during Saturday's lacklustre 1-0 win against minnows Andorra. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport Tuchel's side were booed at the final whistle in Barcelona after Harry Kane's 50th minute tap-in saved England from a humiliating draw with a team ranked 173rd in the world. Although England have won all three of their World Cup qualifiers since Tuchel took charge, they have struggled to fulfil the German's desire for a more attacking style of play. Their labored efforts against Andorra infuriated Tuchel, who saw alarming signs that his players threw in the towel in the closing stages. 'I didn't like the attitude how we ended the game,' he said. 'I liked the attitude how we started the game, the first 25 minutes, but I didn't like the last 25 minutes, the last half an hour. 'I think we lacked the seriousness and the urgency that is needed in a World Cup qualifier. 'We played with fire and I didn't like the attitude in the end. I didn't like the body language and I think it was not what the occasion needed.' England sit top of Group K as they progress toward next year's World Cup, yet they will need to improve signficantly to make an impact in the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Tuchel was relieved to secure the victory after Andorra pushed for a late leveller, but he conceded his team had played with a lack of energy. 'In the end we played with fire, honestly. I felt it almost like in a cup game where the favorite does not smell the danger,' he said. 'I didn't feel a team that is aware it's only 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier because we were not happy with ourselves. 'I'm not blaming them. I even feel like they felt 'OK, we're not happy and this is stuck today, it will not happen today'. 'Step by step the energy dropped. We needed exactly the opposite but we couldn't deliver and so we got away with a win.' Tuchel had admitted before the game that it might be hard to crush Andorra by a huge margin because his players were tired after a draining domestic campaign. Nine of England's squad will jet off to the Club World Cup after Tuesday's friendly against Senegal in Nottingham. First, Tuchel will demand a more positive performance at the City Ground next week. 'We will not stop to encourage them and make clear after we have a proper look at the match what we want from them,' he said. England supporters made up the majority of the crowd at the RCDE Stadium and their displeasure was audible throughout a limp game that felt more like a pre-season friendly. Tuchel could not blame them for expressing their frustration, with jeers for the team mixed with abusive songs about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 'The booing is OK.' 'They were underwhelmed and not happy with our performance, especially how we ended the first half, so I don't think we can blame them for that,' he said. 'We cannot even blame them how we ended the match. In the opposite. I thought they were fantastic throughout the whole match. 'I did not hear anything about what you said about abusive songs or chants (about the Prime Minister), so if it happens of course it's not acceptable but I didn't hear it.'
Arab News
9 hours ago
- Arab News
Gauff fights back to beat Sabalenka to French Open crown
PARIS: Coco Gauff battled back from a set down to beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a Grand Slam final for the second time with a dramatic victory in the French Open showpiece on Saturday. The second-ranked American dug deep to claim a 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-4 victory and her second major title after also defeating Sabalenka at the 2023 US Open. The 21-year-old more than made amends for her emotional 2022 final loss to Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros, outlasting Sabalenka over two hours and 38 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier. It was a second straight Grand Slam final loss for Sabalenka after her defeat by Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January. Gauff was rock solid after falling a set down, while Sabalenka made 70 unforced errors in windy conditions in a match which followed a very similar pattern to Gauff's victory at Flushing Meadows two years ago. Belarusian Sabalenka was aiming to become the only current women's player to win three of the four Grand Slam events after her US Open triumph last year and back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2023 and 2024. But Gauff instead moved 6-5 ahead in their head-to-head record, proving the more consistent player in the first women's Slam final between the world's top two since Caroline Wozniacki beat Simona Halep in Melbourne in 2018.
Asharq Al-Awsat
10 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Cristiano Ronaldo Is Almost Certain He Won't Play at Club World Cup
Cristiano Ronaldo says he's almost certain he will not be playing at the Club World Cup, dealing a blow to FIFA president Gianni Infantino's hopes of having one of soccer's biggest attractions at the tournament. The Portugal captain confirmed Saturday that he received 'quite a few' offers from participating clubs to play for them at the tournament starting June 14, but had decided against accepting any of them. 'Some things make sense to talk about, other things don't, and, as a person says, you can't take part in everything,' Ronaldo said. 'You have to think about the short, medium and long term. It's a decision practically made on my part not to go to the Club World Cup, but I've had quite a few invitations to go.' The 40-year-old soccer legend was speaking in Munich a day before Portugal's Nations League final against Spain. Infantino had suggested last month that Ronaldo, who is still contracted to Saudi team Al-Nassr until the end of June, could switch to one of the 32 clubs taking part in the Club World Cup because of a unique transfer window created for the tournament. Ronaldo did little to quell that speculation when he posted 'this chapter is over' after Al-Nassr's last Saudi Pro League game of the season. He was linked with several Club World Cup participants, including Brazil's Palmeiras. A switch to Al-Nassr's crosstown rival Al-Hilal – the one Saudi club that qualified – was also mooted as a potential solution to having Ronaldo play at the tournament, where his great rival Lionel Messi will be playing with Inter Miami. FIFA would have welcomed the boost that Ronaldo's presence could provide for ticket sales, though such a switch to a bitter local rival for a short period would be unthinkable for players in Europe's leagues. Ronaldo fired Portugal into the Nations League final on Wednesday with a 2-1 win over host nation Germany. His winning goal was his record-extending 137th for Portugal. If he plays Sunday, he will make his record-extending 221st national team appearance.
