Latest news with #RoyalAntwerp
Associated Press
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
After 90-year wait, tiny Union can seal Belgian title on final weekend for European soccer leagues
Maybe this is the year that Union Saint-Gilloise finally wins the Belgian league title. It's been a 90-year wait. The small club in Brussels loved by the city's international community takes a one-point lead into the final round Sunday after near misses in the past three seasons — their first in the top tier since 1973. 'The fact that we are in this position is the reward for the hard work that has been going on here for years,' Union's 37-year-old coach Sébastien Pocognoli said Friday, in comments reported by Belgian daily Het Nieuwsblad. Elsewhere, league titles in Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Poland will be decided this weekend before the European club season peaks with the Champions League final. Union's time has come? Twice, in 2022 and 2024, Union led the regular season standings then faded in the championship playoffs to let Club Brugge take the title. The epic 2023 title race had a dramatic ending when a helicopter carrying league officials and the trophy had to turn away from Union's tiny Joseph Marien Stadium. Three teams separately held the lead in the in-play standings in the closing minutes — including Union in the 89th — before Royal Antwerp seized the title in stoppage time. Only Union and Brugge are in contention Sunday when both have home games. Union hosts Gent and Brugge plays Antwerp. Union will seal its first title since 1935 with a win. A tie on points sends the title to Brugge on a tiebreaker of higher position in the regular season. Union had a slow start under new coach Pocognoli, after more sales of star players for eight-figure fees. Led by goals from Promise David, Union moved up to third in the regular standings. This time, Genk was the leader that collapsed in the playoffs. Union surged with a run of five clean sheets including a 1-0 win at Brugge on April 24 to go top for the first time. 'We have everything in our own hands, that is the reality,' said Pocognoli, who won a Dutch league title with AZ Alkmaar when coached by Louis van Gaal. Salzburg's slump The decline of Salzburg seems more than a one-season blip, even if the team is heading to the FIFA Club World Cup next month. A 10-year run of Austrian Bundesliga titles ended last year, finishing runner-up, and Salzburg is fourth entering the final round. Qualifying rounds for the third-tier Conference League beckon. 'The way we've performed this season, we probably have no place in the Champions League,' Salzburg coach Thomas Letsch acknowledged. Letsch arrived in midseason to replace Pep Lijnders, an assistant to Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool, who lasted just a few months and oversaw a series of Champions League losses. Salzburg finished 34th in the 36-team league and Sturm Graz was 30th. Sturm enters the final Bundesliga round Saturday three points clear, needing a draw at home to third-placed Wolfsberg to retain its title. Austria Vienna in second hosts last-place Linz and will win the title on head-to-head tiebreakers if points are tied. It could be a three-way tie if Wolfsberg beats Sturm. Can Poznan do it in Poland? To this generation of fans, Lech Poznan is best known for a unique celebration that was adopted by Manchester City supporters after their Europa League games in 2010. Doing 'The Poznan' means fans turn their backs to the field, link arms and jump up and down in unison. It has never been done in the Champions League by Lech fans. Maybe next season. Lech goes into the final round with a one-point lead over Rakow Czestochowa, the 104-year-old club which won its first title in 2023. On Saturday evening, Lech hosts mid-table Piast Gliwice and Rakow hosts Widzew Lodz. If they finish tied on points, Rakow wins on head-to-head record. Keane in Hungary Ferencvaros coach Robbie Keane's team needs only a draw to clinch the Hungarian title, after he took over the club in January. Ferencvaros's final game is Saturday evening at ETO Gyor, when second-place Puskas Akademia hosts Diosgyor. Seeking a seventh straight title, Ferencvaros can miss out only with a loss and a win for Puskas, which would take the title on a tiebreaker of most games won. Puskas is from the tiny village of Felcsút that has close ties to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Dinamo's drive Entering May, Dinamo Zagreb was third in the Croatian standings and had just fired coach Fabio Cannavaro, the Italian 2006 World Cup-winning captain. Somehow, Dinamo kicks off the final games Sunday on top of a three-way race. Dinamo has beaten both title rivals, Hajduk Split then Rijeka, this month ahead of hosting fourth-placed Varaždin under interim coach Sandro Perković. Rijeka could have sealed the title last weekend but lost 2-1 at Hajduk, whose coach Gennaro Gattuso – another 2006 World Cup winner – says he will leave. Rijeka, which is tied on points with Dinamo, hosts Slaven Belupo. Hajduk is two points back and goes to relegated Šibenik. If all three contenders finish on 63 points, Gattuso's Hajduk will be champion. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Celebration in Suriname: Natio reaches second Gold Cup in four years
Suriname earned their qualification to the Gold Cup last night, with Stanley Menzo's team winning 1-0 away in Martinique in the play-off second leg. Adding to a 1-0 in Paramaribo, the Natio qualified for their second ever appearance at the tournament, ending a four-year wait from that point. Where Royal Antwerp striker Gyrano Kerk scored the first goal of the tie, last night saw HSV Hamburg's Immanuel Pherai provide the decisive 0-1 blow at the Stade Pierre-Aliker. Now Menzo's side, which has been able to boast many boys with football experience in the Netherlands since the introduction of the sports passport at the beginning of 2021, can look forward to the draw on April 10. The Gold Cup starts on June 14 and will be held in the United States and Vancouver, Canada. Suriname's Gold Cup first and previous Gold Cup campaign came under national coach Dean Gorré four years ago. This saw the team lose to Jamaica and Costa Rica, although a victory over Guadeloupe enabled them to leave the tournament with their heads held high. In preparation for the tournament, Suriname will first play two international matches in the World Cup qualifying series in June against Puerto Rico and El Salvador. Suriname come up huge and double the lead in aggregate 🇸🇷 — Gold Cup (@GoldCup) March 26, 2025 GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield
BBC News
07-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Fenerbache 1-3 Rangers: Key stats
Rangers have won consecutive Europa League games for the first time since February 2021, courtesy of two wins against Royal Antwerp in the last secured their third away win in Europe this season, their joint-most in a single campaign in all competitions (excl. qualifiers) along with of Cyriel Dessers' four Europa League goals for Rangers have come in his last six appearances in the competition, while he has been involved in 13 goals in his last 12 appearances in all competitions (10 goals, three assists).Only James Tavernier in 2021-22 (seven) has scored more goals in a single season in Europe for Rangers than Vaclav Cerny in 2024-25 (six).This was James Tavernier's 60th game in major European competition for Rangers, the joint-third most of any Rangers player, level with current manager Barry Ferguson and behind only Allan McGregor (78) and John Greig (62).Fenerbahce shipped three goals in a European knockout game (excl. play-offs) on home soil for the first time since February 2007 against AZ (3-3).Alexander Djiku's goal on 29 minutes 38 seconds for Fenerbahce was the earliest by a substitute in the Europa League since 14 February 2013 (Rodrigo Palacio for Internazionale v CFR Cluj – 19m 41s) and the third earliest by a sub in the history of the competition.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'That is special' – 22-year-old responds to Manchester United transfer interest
Manchester United have been linked with a transfer move for Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens in recent times, and the player has now responded to the rumours. The 22-year-old has impressed and looks like a big talent to watch for the future, so it could be that we'll one day see him at a big club like Man Utd. Sources recently told CaughtOffside about the Red Devils looking at Lammens, while Arsenal could also be suitors to keep an eye on. Lammens might arguably be good enough to give United an upgrade on Andre Onana in goal, with the Cameroon international mostly struggling in his time at Old Trafford so far. The player himself has now commented on the speculation, and it's fair to say he seems pretty excited to be linked with a big name like United. When asked about MUFC apparently being interested in him, Lammens told Gazet van Antwerpen, as quoted and translated by Sport Witness: 'The first time I heard it, I thought: wow, Immediately a world team that follows you. That is special. Of course I was also asked about it a lot and when I made a save in training, 'Those top clubs have so many scouts and follow so many players. So it doesn't have to mean anything yet. It will only become clear in the summer whether anything will come of it. But of course, it is only positive. 'Especially because it is about the best competition in the world and my profile – my stature and way of playing – is suitable for English football. You have to physically hold your own there and that suits me. 'I do follow the teams that follow you a bit. But it's not like I'm watching full matches. Summaries are enough.'
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Radja Nainggolan arrested in cocaine trafficking probe
Former Belgium international and AS Roma, Cagliari and Royal Antwerp midfielder Radja Nainggolan has been arrested as part of an investigation into cocaine trafficking into Europe from South America, the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office have said. Brussels federal police carried out 30 searches on Monday morning, mainly in the province of Antwerp and in and around Brussels as part of the investigation. Brussels' public prosecutor's office confirmed that Nainggolan was 'deprived of his liberty in connection with this case.' After several months without a club, Nainggolan came out of retirement to play second-tier Belgian side Lokeren-Temse. He celebrated his debut with a goal straight from a corner kick last weekend. His new team said in a statement that they only found out about his arrest from media reports. 'The club respects the presumption of innocence and therefore cannot comment further. We can only confirm that the player was absent from training this morning. The club will continue to focus on tomorrow's crucial league match against KAS Eupen. Radja Nainggolan is not eligible to play in that match anyway.' The 36-year-old Nainggolan has made 30 appearances for Belgium but has not played for his country since March 2018. Known for his fiery character, the central midfielder spent most of his career in Italy. Nainggolan had several disciplinary issues throughout his career. When he played for Roma in 2018, he was fined and dropped from the squad after a series of apparently drunken postings live on Instagram on New Year's Eve. When he played for Royal Antwerp in 2022, he was suspended after he was pictured smoking an electronic cigarette on the bench. The Belgian club at the time also mentioned how his behavior could negatively affect the squad. GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield
