Latest news with #MayaLeTissier
Telegraph
30-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Live England Women vs Portugal: Latest Lionesses updates from Nations League
Surprised with a few of Sarina Wiegman's selections tonight. Esme Morgan is preferred at centre back to Alex Greenwood, who is understood to be fit after returning from injury at the end of the domestic season. Jess Carter starts at left back over Niamh Charles, who was hooked at half-time during England's defeat in Belgium. Both Morgan and Carter came off the bench at half-time and kept a clean sheet in the second half so perhaps they have been rewarded for that. But it seems puzzling that neither Greenwood or Maya Le Tissier, who had such a good season for Manchester United, can get a look in.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Match Report: Man United Women 2-2 Paris Saint-Germain Women (7-6 on pens)
Manchester United Women beat Paris Saint-Germain on penalties to top their group in the Women Sevens Football series in Portugal. The Red Devils had previously vanquished AS Roma 3-2 and SL Benfica 3-1 but got off to the worst possible start in this match. Advertisement After just 12 seconds, Sakina Karchaoui swept in a flowing move that cut United to ribbons. The 29 year almost made matters worse for the Red Devils, as she went one on one with back-up keeper Safia Middleton-Patel but lifted the ball the wrong side of the post. This young United side never lie down however and after five minutes were level. Captain Maya Le Tissier won the ball in the centre of the park and fired the ball into the bottom corner to make it 1-1. Clearly two of the better teams in the tournament, they struggled to unlock each other's defences over the course of the first half. United were largely restricted to long-range efforts with Celine Bizet wildly firing over just before half-time. Advertisement PSG got off to another lightning fast start in the second half however, with Jennifer Echegini winning the ball in the area and firing past Middleton-Patel to restore the French club's lead. United tried to respond but Aoife Mannion's shot from distance was easily saved. Marc Skinner's side were able to draw themselves level just minutes later when Jess Simpson guided in a low cross across goal to make it 2-2. Both sides pushed for a later winner and Melvine Malard came closest for the Red Devils with just two minutes remaining. Unfortunately, she powered over a header from close-range. PSG almost grabbed a winner as the final seconds ticked by but their last ditch effort was well saved by Middleton-Patel. Advertisement United then played an extra time of five minutes where a golden goal would have won the match. Nonetheless, neither team could find a winner and it went to penalties. Interestingly, Kayla Rendall was brought on for a keeper change for the penalty shootout. Both teams kept their nerve until the seventh PSG penalty rattled the crossbar, giving the Red Devils a 7-6 win in the shootout. The victory meant United topped the group ahead of the French giants and will now face Manchester City in the semi-final later today at 16.30 UK time. The other semi-final will take place between PSG and Bayern Munich with the final following later tonight. Featured image Gualter Fatia via Getty Images Follow us on Bluesky: @
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Man United within touching distance of champions Chelsea, believes Le Tissier
By James Taylor Maya Le Tissier believes her Manchester United side are within touching distance of regularly going toe-to-toe with Chelsea as they aim to retain the Adobe Women's FA Cup. United secured their first major trophy with a 4-0 win over Spurs in last year's final, but next Sunday's showdown with the WSL champions presents a tougher challenge. Marc Skinner's side have just one win in 15 meetings with Chelsea, including a 1-0 defeat in the 2023 FA Cup final and losses in both league games this season. But after securing a return to European football with their league performances this season, Le Tissier feels they are moving in the right direction when it comes to closing the gap. Le Tissier said: 'We're so close to competing with them and we have been competing with them really well. 'Set plays have been the difference in those games. If we tidy that up and keep defending how we are, pressing how we are, I'm sure the mentality will be right on the day, as it has been for a few games now. 'We've experienced both sides of it. Obviously we lost in 2023 and won last year, so we've felt the emotion of both games and that's great for us with the experience that we have now. 'We played them last Wednesday, so we know we need to put in a very good performance to beat that team, but we really feel like we can do that. 'We've got a really special group here, and working as a team we can definitely do it. We'll draw on them emotions and experiences, not just the wins, but the losses as well.' The 23-year-old will lead the team out at Wembley for the first time, rounding off her first year as captain following Katie Zelem's departure. Despite the added pressure of the role, Le Tissier has embraced the responsibility and said she has become more comfortable as the season has progressed. 'Playing a final at Wembley - it's what you dream of,' Le Tissier said. 'We want to play under the highest of pressure and that's when the real players show up. You're on the world stage as well, 'It's just good fun and the whole day as well, with all your family there.' United will be boosted by the strong form of their 28-year-old American goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, who has kept 13 clean sheets in 19 WSL appearances this season. After joining from NWSL club OL Reign in 2023, Tullis-Joyce spent her first year at United as a backup. But following Mary Earps' departure for Paris Saint-Germain, she firmly established herself as the club's number one and earned her first senior cap for the United States in April. Barring injury, she will cap her stellar season between the sticks with a start at Wembley, having been an unused substitute in last year's triumph. Tullis-Joyce said: 'I'll prepare myself the same way that I have this season. 'Last season I was definitely just a sponge trying to absorb and learn as much as I could. 'I've found my way throughout this season. I'll keep it the same. Just take it moment by moment, letting me focus on my breath and focus on the play in front of me 'It's really fun to have a bit of a bigger role in the journey and make it to the final and see what it's all about now playing. And I am so excited to be with my teammates. 'The chemistry is what makes it so special to get to this moment.'
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Going back to Guernsey: the quiet start that helped Maya Le Tissier make a noise
Black and white jerseys hang from a washing line tied on to a shipping container and, inside the adjacent clubhouse, a group of lads are sipping cold beers on a bank holiday Monday afternoon. This is St Martins AC, a quintessential community club hidden down the narrowest of side roads on the island of Guernsey. Hanging proudly in a frame above the club's bar is a No 4 shirt bearing the name: 'Le Tiss'. As the Manchester United captain enters her old clubhouse to greet her former teammates, they immediately exchange banter. Maya Le Tissier is back home among those who saw her grow up from a toddler kicking a ball around to a 23-year-old who will, on Sunday, lead her team out at Wembley. 'I owe everything to the island and my support network,' Le Tissier says, looking out across the St Martins pitch where she used to play in a hugely talented midfield alongside the Bournemouth men's player Alex Scott. 'It's not quite Old Trafford, but coming here is just as special.' The match that changed her life was not actually played on the island, but instead came at Southampton's training centre in Marchwood. It was a game she was not originally meant to play. A 10-year-old Le Tissier had accompanied her dad to watch his boys' academy side face Southampton. 'She came on the trip with her boots in her bag, carrying the drinks for the lads. We had about four injuries so we were down a player and Maya said 'can I go on and play?' and we said 'yes, of course,'' recalls Rob Jones, a family friend and former coach of Le Tissier. 'At the end of the game, the Southampton coaches said: 'Who is that girl? She's amazing.' From that moment she sort of had an epiphany, realising how good she was.' Jones is speaking in the cafe at Guernsey's immaculate, newly built stadium, Victoria Park, where he is the stadium director, and where Le Tissier is helping out with a youth session before making the youngsters' days with signed balls and selfies. She is greeted like a big celebrity. Some of the youngsters had been on the same flight as her the night before, having gone specifically to watch her play at Old Trafford in the Manchester derby. When she was their age, though, she was in a boys' team. 'In Guernsey football, there was no pathway for girls at the time, 12, 13 years ago,' Jones says. 'There was girls' kick-a-round stuff on Sunday mornings but she was far too good for that. Playing with the boys is where she got her steel, determination and willpower. She read the game really well and, physically, she was stronger than the lads at 11, 12. She was not afraid to get stuck in.' With a population of around 64,000, in Guernsey, footballers who 'make it' are rare. Tell a taxi driver you are here to interview a footballer and they ask: 'Maya or Matt?' The Lionesses defender is not a direct relation to the former Southampton forward. The surname Le Tissier, deriving from the old French word for a weaver, is common here. To call the island peaceful would be an understatement. Cars are often left unlocked. On the day of our visit, the worst offence reported in the local newspaper was a man urinating in public. With its charming coves, it is easy to see why Le Tissier loves to return, still training at St Martins AC to keep fit when she is home for Christmas. She was coached by her dad, Darren, from the age of four, enjoying huge success alongside Scott – who was a year younger but so skilful he was playing up an age group – but she would eventually leave the island to pursue her career, a decision she says was 'easy', adding: 'That's all I wanted to do. I think my family found it hard, with me leaving at quite a young age, but hopefully they can see that it all played out well. I wanted to create a pathway, because no one had ever done it before me in the women's game from Guernsey, to show people they can break through.' She chose Brighton, where she would combine training with studying at the nearby Worthing College, cycling the journey between the two, and staying with a host family. Later the same year, still aged 16, she made her senior debut. Her proud dad, who can still recall the Rudimental and Jess Glynne songs that were playing in the car as he and Maya drove to Brighton to look around the facilities, recalls: 'Hope [Powell] and Amy [Merricks] were just so good for Maya. Maya would swallow every bit of information she was given. Hope used to say: 'You've got to push yourself, there's no point swimming in a comfy lane.' We were so grateful for Brighton.' Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion Remarkably, since cementing her place in Brighton's team in the 2020-21 campaign, she has started every WSL match for five consecutive seasons, the first two of those at Brighton and the past three at Manchester United. Further still, she has played every single minute of the past two league campaigns. The secret is her dedication to keeping fit and Darren says: 'Maya's different. She sacrifices absolutely everything to ensure she's 100%. She realises that your career is short. She's very happy-go-lucky off the pitch but, when it comes to football on the pitch, she's just steely and determined to win and nothing gets in the way of that.' This season, despite not turning 23 until April, she has been Manchester United's captain. Fellow United defender Gabby George, speaking the following day, says Le Tissier is 'everything we would want from a captain' and describes her dedication to gym work as inspirational to the squad. Accepting the captaincy is something Le Tissier admits took careful thought, given her age: 'I was honoured. It's not something that I thought would ever come, with Zel [Katie Zelem] leaving. I had a real, big think about whether I wanted to do it. It's not something I would ever take lightly. It's a big thing. I had a coffee with Marc [Skinner, the United manager] to speak about it and I spoke to my family and thought, 'yes'. I've definitely had to develop my leadership qualities, mostly off the pitch, as a leader, [but] I've really enjoyed it.' We move to Icart Point, a clifftop with stunning sea views along one of her favourite dog-walking spots, 24 hours after she and George had helped United clinch a Women's Champions League by coming from 2-0 down to draw with Manchester City, a beaming Le Tissier says: 'To come back from two down at Old Trafford, with so much on the line, it just shows how strong we are now – we might not have the most experienced team but our mentality is so strong.' Next, attention turns to Wembley, where they will contest the cup final for a third consecutive year, this time as the holders, after last year's 4-0 win over Tottenham. 'That was honestly like the best day of my life,' Le Tissier recalls. 'We knew there were probably quite a few players who were going to leave so to be able to do it with that team … [she pauses to smile] and also the year before we'd lost to Chelsea, so we knew how badly that hurt. 4-0, it was sunny, all my family were there, it was just a sick day!' For Sunday's showdown with Chelsea, about 30 of her family and friends will be there and– by the sounds of it – the flights from Guernsey will be jam-packed with residents heading to watch the island's favourite daughter. Whether she lifts the cup or not, she has already won this island's heart.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arsenal WSL runners-up after resisting Manchester United fightback for 4-3 win
It was more nervy than it needed to be but Arsenal secured a second-place finish ahead of Manchester United with the win in a seven-goal thriller. A point would have been enough for the home team to earn a place in the third round of qualifying for next season's Champions League, but a three-goal advantage with 20 minutes remaining was reduced to one in the space of six minutes to keep the jeopardy alive and the atmosphere among the 46,603 tense to the finish. Manchester United's captain, Maya Le Tissier, had said Champions League football was 'all that matters' , but the visiting team fought with the intensity of a team keen to put in a strong performance before their FA Cup final showdown with the WSL champions Chelsea a week on Sunday. Related: Chelsea complete unbeaten season, Arsenal 4-3 Manchester United: WSL final day – live For Arsenal, this was a chance to turn things around before a second Champions League final after two heavy league defeats, to Aston Villa and Brighton, and they did so, their Emirates Stadium send-off in full swing at the final whistle. 'I'm happy we showed a much better version of ourselves, said Renée Slegers, their manager. The attention before kick-off had been on the home team's goalkeeper, with Daphne van Domselaar unavailable because of an ankle injury there were doubts about the reliability of backup Manuela Zinsberger. However, it would be Phallon Tullis-Joyce – who will share the WSL golden glove with Chelsea's Hannah Hampton after the latter kept a clean sheet against Liverpool – who would make a clanger in the second minute to give their rivals the lead, failing to hold on to Alessia Russo's ball in that allowed Chloe Kelly to pounce and fire into the empty net. The mettle of the under-fire Zinsberger would be tested soon after, the Austrian rising to tip Ella Toone's goalbound strike from distance over the bar. It was a confidence-boosting save, but a minute later the visiting team had the equaliser, a whipped-in corner was headed back towards the near post where an unmarked Toone was on hand to nod in. Arsenal retook the lead quickly after the break, Grace Clinton tangling with Caitlin Foord in the box and Mariona Caldentey coolly converting the resulting penalty. Five minutes later and the Gunners had a two-goal advantage, Frida Maanum collecting the ball from Katie McCabe before curling it into the net at the far post from a tight angle. They should have had another penalty soon after, Celin Bizet almost pushing the ball away with the palm of her hand but the referee waved away the appeals. The home team need not have worried, they had the fourth just past the hour mark, Kelly working hard before playing the ball to Kim Little who turned and powered the ball past Tullis-Joyce. United reduced the deficit with 20 minutes remaining though, McCabe passing under pressure straight to Elizabeth Terland whose strike took a deflection off Steph Catley to wrongfoot Zinsberger. The pressure was heaped on soon after, the referee pointing to the spot after McCabe brought down Bizet and Le Tissier hammered it in. Marc Skinner said the revival showed United were more mentally tough this season. 'If this was last season, we would have gone down to 6-1 ,' he said. 'From that perspective, it was right for us to stay aggressive. It's a game where you've got to try to win and we're a different beast this year.' Up next is a final apiece, United in the FA Cup and Arsenal against Barcelona in the Champions League on 24 May in Lisbon. 'The Chelsea game will be different, but it's given me a lot of ideas,' said Skinner. Slegers said: 'Barcelona is going to be a totally different game. They have a different style of play, so they will challenge us in different ways.'
