Latest news with #MARCAinENGLISH
NDTV
a day ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Indonesian Footballer Falls Into Deep Ditch Celebrating Goal, Video Viral
Football is incomplete without the players performing celebrations after scoring a goal. From Cristiano Ronaldo's 'Siuuu' to Mo Salah's 'bow and arrow' celebration, football is filled with such gestures. While most of them are innocent and cause no harm, an Indonesian footballer took his celebration a touch too far, which could have resulted in serious injuries. In a now-viral video from a match in the Independence Cup 2025, Indonesia U-17 striker Mierza Firjatullah fell into a pit whilst celebrating his goal against Tajikistan U-17 at the North Sumatra Stadium in Deliserdang. The incident transpired in the 34th minute of the match when the 16-year-old scored with a brilliant header. Ecstatic by his strike, Firjatullah ran straight towards the crowd to celebrate and jumped over the advertising hoardings and sprinted beyond the fencing, landing straight into a 10-foot deep pit, next to the fans' enclosure. The players, coaches and stewards immediately ran towards the pit to check if the player was safe or hurt. Fortunately, Firjatullah managed to stick the landing and did not fall awkwardly on his joints or any other delicate body part. After being startled, he could be seen celebrating with the fans. Firjatullah was helped out of the ditch by staff and continued playing briefly before being substituted in the 59th minute. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. See the viral video here: 🚨 Indonesia U-17 player Mierza fell into a 10-foot ditch while celebrating a goal against Tajikistan. The 16-year-old is fine and injury-free 🙏 #soccer #viral #football — MARCA in English 🇺🇸 (@MARCAinENGLISH) August 14, 2025 'If it was offside...' As the video went viral, garnering thousands of views and hundreds of comments, a section of users joked about what would have happened if the referee ruled the goal offside, while others blamed the stadium administration for not putting up taller fencing. "Imagine if the goal was considered offside," said one user, while another added: "This is how I jump to conclusions." A third commented: "He must be an away player. A home player would know their home ground and not jump." A fourth said: "Oh my god! He almost ended his own career. But that fence needs to be build a little higher." The Independence Cup is a four-team tournament held from August 12 to 18, 2025. The four-nation tournament also includes Mali and Uzbekistan.
Metro
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Metro
De la Fuente reveals why he took off Lamine Yamal in Spain's defeat to Portugal
Luis de la Fuente says he brought off a 'tired' Lamine Yamal in Spain's Nations League final defeat to Portugal as he needed to inject some 'energy' into his side. Sunday night's showpiece had been widely billed as a meeting between five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and 17-year-old Barcelona sensation Yamal – one of the frontrunners for this year's prize. And it was Ronaldo's Portugal who eventually prevailed, but it took extra-time and penalties to decide the victors after an absorbing contest at Munich's Allianz Arena. Nuno Mendes cancelled out Martin Zubimendi's opener with a superb low strike beyond Unai Simon in the 26th minute, only for Mikel Oyarzabal to restor Spain's advantage at the end of a frantic first half. But Ronaldo outmuscled Marc Cucurella to find an equaliser for the Portuguese just past the hour mark before Roberto Martinez's men came out on top via a nerve-shredding shootout. An emotional Ronaldo was pictured in floods of tears as Portugal secured the title for a second time, six years after winning the inaugural tournament in 2019. Meanwhile, Yamal and Co were lift to lick their wounds, with the teenager clearly less than impressed to be taken off for Yeremy Pino midway through extra-time in Germany. 'We wanted to give the game a bit more energy,' De la Fuente told reporters at his post-match press conference when quizzed on the decision. 'The introduction of Yeremy Pino and Alex Baena gave us that energy, that control of the game that we had lost, as well as our finishing and shooting.' De la Fuente believes Yamal was showing signs of fatigue after a long and gruelling season, in which the youngster had made 62 appearances in all competitions for club and country. 'He is tired because he has been competing since Thursday, there has been little rest. He has had a very difficult year,' the Spanish head coach added. 'He is 17 years old and we have to behave accordingly. 'Today, we understood that it was time to replace him to give another player the opportunity to come in, so that he brings a little more energy.' LAMINE YAMAL EXPLODES AFTER BEING SUBBED OFF!😡🚨This was the Spanish player's reaction after being taken out by Luis de la Fuente—he threw his bottle and clearly showed his frustration with the decision!❌What could've happened if he had stayed on the pitch?🤔#LamineYamal — MARCA in English 🇺🇸 (@MARCAinENGLISH) June 8, 2025 Ronaldo urged fans to give Yamal the time and space he needs to develop at his own pace prior to the clash. Speaking in the mixed zone after Portugal's victory, he repeated the sentiment, while backing the winger to enjoy a 'very long career' at the top. 'He's going to win a lot of titles, both collective and individual,' the 40-year-old Portuguese captain told Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo. 'He's only 17 years old… I repeat: he's a kid with a lot of room for improvement. 'He's a phenomenon, but we have to leave him alone, that's what I ask. 'He has a very long career ahead of him and will surely win the Nations League many times.' More Trending On De la Fuente's decision to bring Yamal off, Ronaldo replied: 'Your coach is a phenomenon. 'He knows better than I do what the team needs… I'm not a coach. 'He's already won several titles with Spain. What more do you want me to say? 'If the coach made the decision, it was because he thought it was the best thing to improve his team.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Football fan dies after falling from stand during Portugal v Spain final MORE: Portugal vs Spain TV channel and live stream: How to watch Nations League final in the UK tonight MORE: Franck Ribery hits back at Cristiano Ronaldo over Ballon d'Or claim
