Howe hails 'huge moment' as Newcastle qualify for Champions League
Charly Alcaraz's 65th-minute header sealed a 1-0 win for the Toffees at St James' Park.
But Chelsea's win at Nottingham Forest and 10-man Aston Villa's 2-0 defeat at Manchester United meant the Magpies finished in fifth place on goal difference.
It meant Newcastle just edged out Villa for a place among European football's elite to cap a memorable season where Howe's men ended the club's 56-year trophy drought by winning the League Cup.
"It feels great, the achievement is huge," Howe told the BBC. "Naturally, when you lose the game there's a feeling of disappointment but I think we have to override that with (the fact that) over the 38 games, we deserved to qualify for the competition. It's a huge moment for the club."
He added: "We can't thank the players enough this year. We've got a great group who give their all in every game and that's all we can ask for. Today, I think we did that. We tried to win the game (against Everton), but it wasn't to be."
Newcastle fans found themselves in the unusual position of willing Manchester United to win as the minutes ticked by with their own side unable to find an equaliser.
"We were getting updated but I didn't want it to dominate my focus," said Howe. "It was only when it looked like we were struggling to score in that second half and our result was in jeopardy that the other results became more important for us, but all the way through the game we were still trying to find a way to score and claw ourselves a way back into the game.
"I think there was a point with about five minutes to go that it looked like, barring an amazing last five or 10 minutes, we were there."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Dutch girl footballers tackle crippling knee injuries
Cruciate ligament injuries can rule out a footballer for several months and teenage girls are especially at risk -- for physical and mental reasons. The study Esmee, a youth striker at FC Groningen in the north of the country, is taking part in aims to improve the movement of female teenage footballers like her. "A lot of girls of my age have had it. I'm happy to be able to do my bit to help out," the young player told AFP, breathless from the sprinting exercise. The Netherlands is a hotbed for women's football, with the national team crowned European Champions in 2017 and reaching the World Cup Final in 2019. The small country has 175,000 women club members, with the figure constantly rising. France, for example, has just over 250,000 for a much bigger population. "Girls are between four to eight times more likely to get injured than boys at puberty," said Anne Benjaminse, a professor at Groningen University. "The difference starts at around 12," the sports science specialist told AFP. 'Just bad luck' And the problem is not just physical -- Benjaminse is also looking into the mental health aspect which she believes plays a major role. Girls mature at different times to boys, ligaments are more fragile during periods. Add to this stress, mood, and fatigue and you get a potent cocktail that results in injury. "Divorce, death, moving around, but also a bad grade at school, an argument. These are small things to us but are big problems for them" that can contribute to physical injury, Benjaminse told AFP. Her study, run in co-ordination with European football's governing body UEFA and the Dutch Football Association, looks at girls and young women aged between 12 and 21. In addition to examining physical movement, participants fill out a form detailing their moods over the previous week, enabling researchers to make a link to mental health. The aim is that mental health and movement become a "standard element" in clubs' training methods at the same level as gym work and nutrition, she said. "This should no longer be called into question. Girls should be able to speak out if they don't feel right and coaches should take it into account," the 44-year-old said. Back on the pitch, Esmee Stuut performs shuttle runs with rapid changes of direction, with and without the ball, then takes on a defender who appears suddenly. Henderika Kingma, 28, manager of the FC Groningen women's team and Esmee's coach, says two of her players suffered cruciate ligament injuries right at the end of the season. "We have to do everything we can to prevent this injury happening to our young players," Kingma told AFP. "Thanks to this study, I know that my girls have become aware" of the issue, she added. Despite the study and raising awareness of the problem, sports scientist Benjaminse is also philosophical about the injury. "Sometimes it's just bad luck."
France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
Brazil, Ecuador book World Cup berths, Uruguay on brink
The five-time world champions punched their ticket to the finals in Canada, the United States and Mexico thanks to Vinicius Jr. The Real Madrid star poked in from close range in the 44th minute in Sao Paulo after a cross from new Manchester United signing Matheus Cunha. It was the perfect gift for the Italian Ancelotti on his 66th birthday, having seen his new side held 0-0 by Ecuador last week in his first game as coach. Former Real Madrid boss Ancelotti praised his team's "commitment" and "attitude". "It was a good match with a very good first half, although obviously we suffered a bit because Paraguay are very solid opponents and we slowed down a bit in the second," he said. Uruguay's 2-0 win over Venezuela in Montevideo had raised the prospect of qualification for both Brazil and Paraguay at Corinthians Arena. Paraguay needed only a point to qualify while Brazil knew they could advance with a win. In the event it was Brazil who seized the opportunity presented by Venezuela's loss with Vinicius scoring the only goal just before half-time. Brazil had struggled to create many chances up until that point, with Cunha squandering a golden chance in the 35th minute after heading wide from point-blank range. Cunha made up for it with a key part in the goal, capitalizing on good work from Raphinha to dart into the box and whip in a low cross for Vinicius, who stabbed home the finish. The win lifted Brazil into third place in the South American standings with 25 points from 16 games, guaranteeing them a top-six finish and an automatic qualifying berth. Looking ahead to next summer, Ancelotti said he had "a very long list" of 70 players in mind, including Neymar, who was missing with injury. He added: "I really liked those who were with me in this squad for their commitment, their attitude, and the atmosphere." The defeat left Paraguay with 24 points, meaning they need one point to secure their first World Cup appearance since 2010. - Ecuador book place - Surprise package Ecuador joined Brazil by sealing qualification with a point following a 0-0 draw with Peru in Lima. In other games, Uruguay edged closer to qualification with their win over Venezuela while Chile were eliminated with defeat to Bolivia. Goals from Rodrigo Aguirre and Giorgian de Arrascaeta secured all three points for Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay to leave the two-time world champions firmly on course for a place in next year's finals. Like Paraguay, Uruguay need only a point from their final two games to qualify. Venezuela, who are bidding to reach the World Cup for the first time in the nation's history, are seventh with 18 points from 16 games. Argentina, who have already qualified, came from behind to frustrate Colombia with a 1-1 draw in Buenos Aires. Liverpool star Luis Diaz fired Colombia into the lead with a superb 24th minute goal, and the Colombians were given a further boost midway through the second half when the world champions were reduced to 10 men after Enzo Fernandez's dismissal. But Colombia's hopes of a vital win were dashed nine minutes from time when Thiago Almada weaved into the box and found the target to level. The top six finishers in South America qualify automatically for the World Cup, with the seventh-placed team advancing to an intercontinental playoff. Bolivia defeated Chile 2-0 to end the former South American champions' hopes of qualification. It is the third straight World Cup that Chile have missed out on.
France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
A step too far? New Club World Cup set to have far-reaching impact on football
The 32-team tournament, with one billion dollars in prize money on offer, has been crammed into an already overloaded schedule leading to concerns it will push elite players to breaking point. It also threatens to upset the balance of domestic and continental club competitions, giving competing teams huge financial advantages over rivals. Consider the leading clubs in Europe, which is sending 12 teams including Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea. The chances are high that some will go deep into the Club World Cup, with a maximum of seven games to be played up to the July 13 final. The riches on offer are extraordinary, up to a possible $125 million for the top-performing European team. "The Club World Cup model affects the ecosystem of national leagues, especially in Europe," Javier Tebas, the president of Spain's La Liga, told radio station Cadena Cope. But while the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona will not be in the United States and so will miss out on the cash prizes, they will be able to give players a much-needed rest. "I think it will have a huge impact and it will give Liverpool and Arsenal a huge advantage in the next season to not be there," said England manager Thomas Tuchel when asked about the consequences for the Premier League. Lavish sums Those clubs are already among the world's wealthiest without taking into account the sums being lavished by FIFA, but what about teams elsewhere. It will become harder for clubs in South Africa to challenge Mamelodi Sundowns once they leave with a guaranteed minimum of almost $10 million -- the equivalent of the prize money for winning nine domestic titles. The amateurs of Auckland City already dominate in Oceania before being handed over $3.5 million just as an appearance fee. But if taking part here will be perhaps the ultimate career highlight for their players, it just adds to the demands on those at top clubs. The introduction of the competition was met with opposition in Europe, and global players union FIFPro has warned that the wellbeing of many of its members is being threatened by the huge workload they face. Too many games? Portugal midfielder Vitinha has played 52 matches for PSG this season, including the Champions League final win over Inter Milan on May 31. There have also been eight games for Portugal, including the Nations League finals last week. Now he is off to the United States with PSG, with potentially no holiday until mid-July. The next French season is then due to start in mid-August, at the same time as the Premier League and La Liga. And at the end of next season Vitinha should be back in North America with Portugal at the expanded 48-team World Cup. Such demands on leading stars are why player unions in Europe last year raised the threat of strike action in a bid to cut down on the number of matches. "The problem is the accumulation of excessively long and intense seasons back to back," said Maheta Molango, chief executive of England's Professional Footballers' Association. "Players don't think just about the summer, they think about how they are not going to have a holiday for the foreseeable future." Meanwhile, domestic leagues do not see why they should change to accommodate FIFA's new tournament. "International organisations and especially FIFA have increased the number of matches they organise, so now we have a calendar that is beyond saturation," said Mathieu Moreuil of the Premier League. Other competitions are being devalued because the Club World Cup is taking place at the same time, like the CONCACAF Gold Cup, also being played in the United States. USA coach Mauricio Pochettino is unable to call on leading players like Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah because they are at the Club World Cup with Juventus. "That is the circumstance that we have and we need to adapt," said Pochettino, the former PSG coach who may disagree with the view of Luis Enrique, currently in charge of the French side.
