Latest news with #StadeVelodrome
Telegraph
7 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Mason Greenwood has shirt ripped by Tyrone Mings as friendly boils over
In a moment that tears at the term 'friendly', Marseille's Mason Greenwood was flung around by Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings, resulting in a ripped shirt. THINGS GOT HEATED AT THE END OF THE OM MATCH BETWEEN MASON GREENWOOD, MINGS, AND ONANA! 👀 Mason was just playing around their defense tonight 😂 — Kara (@UTDKara) August 9, 2025 During the pre-season match at Stade Vélodrome in the south of France, the former Manchester United striker needlessly kicked out at Amadou Onana as he was passing the ball away. The whistle went for the foul, Onana picked himself up, and questioned a laughing Greenwood. Which is when Mings, 32, arrived on the scene. Getting between the pair, he grabs hold of the attacker's shirt and as players from both sides come together, the defender begins spinning Greenwood round and round. His jersey never stood a chance. The match – Villa's penultimate outing before they host Newcastle United in the opening weekend of the Premier League season – finished 3-1 in favour of the French outfit. Mings may have been hurting from the opening goal, when Greenwood seized on a loose touch by the defender before rounding the goalkeeper and slotting the first goal just five minutes in. Villa captain John McGinn equalised before half-time but the match was ultimately decided by two late goals from Marseille substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. If the players coming together felt feisty, tempers also flared on the touchline, with footage being shared on social media of Villa manager Unai Emery exchanging some words with Marseille's Robert De Zerbi. De Zerbi et Unai Emery. #OMAVFC — Varogh (@VarOM7_) August 9, 2025 This is not Villa's last pre-season match. They now face Villareal on Sunday, in Spain. In their last outing before this, they had defeated Roma 4-0. Having finished eighth last season, Villa have qualified to play in the Europa League this term – their third consecutive season of European competition. Striker Evan Guessand is Villa's headline signing so far this summer, joining goalkeeper Marco Bizot as newcomers.
BBC News
7 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Villa's suffer pre-season defeat against Marseille
Aston Villa lost 3-1 to Marseille in their penultimate pre-season match at the Stade Velodrome on McGinn equalised for Villa after the hosts took the lead early on but former Arsenal striker Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang scored twice after the break to secure means it is now five defeats and two draws in seven pre-season matches for Unai Emery's now travel to Spain face Villarreal in their final pre-season match on Sunday before their Premier League campaign gets underway against Newcastle next weekend (Sat, 12:30 BST).
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Bordeaux Bègles armed with lessons learnt ahead of Champions Cup final against Northampton
As first-time finalists in the French championship, last season's Top 14 decider in the Stade Vélodrome could hardly have been more harrowing. Yet the Bordeaux Bègles attack coach Noel McNamara believes the experience of that 59-3 loss to Toulouse 11 months ago will stand to the club as they seek their first major trophy in Saturday's Champions Cup final against Northampton Saints at the Principality Stadium (kick-off 2.45pm, live on RTÉ2 and Premier Sports). McNamara and the Bordeaux coaches have always said they needed to get back to a final as soon as possible in order to heal the scars from that 56-point defeat and they have done so at the first available opportunity in what will be their first European Cup final. 'After the disappointment of last year it was about getting back to this stage and seeing how we deal with it,' McNamara told The Irish Times ahead of the team's lighthearted Captain's Run, when the cheers and laughter of a 16-a-side game of tip rugby echoed under the enclosed Principality Stadium roof. Is French club rugby becoming more popular than Ligue 1? Listen | 20:26 In dealing with the 'logistics' of the club's first final last June, McNamara admitted 'everyone made mistakes'. 'Not just the players, around the hotel, the travel, when we got there, around the food. For nearly everybody at the club it was their first final. READ MORE 'There were a lot of learnings taken from that and it's been much more seamless this time. I remember last year they were still talking about tickets for the family and how they were going to get to the game on the Friday,' said McNamara, adding that Toulouse, serial finalists, had booked their hotel on the outskirts of Marseilles the preceding March. The coach from O'Callahgan's Mills in East Clare has taken a circuitous route to this point – via Clongowes Wood College, the Ireland schools, Leinster under-20s, Ireland under-20s, and the Sharks in Durban – and is himself one game away from the biggest achievement of his coaching career. [ Joey Carbery not selected in Bordeaux Bègles matchday squad for Champions Cup final Opens in new window ] But, reflecting on Northampton's stunning 37-34 win over Leinster in the semi-final at the Aviva Stadium, McNamara made an interesting observation. 'We understand the threat that Northampton pose. Obviously that performance against Leinster was incredibly impressive. I think the thing about Leinster is you probably know what's coming in terms of their defence and their strike plays. Northampton are a little bit more unpredictable and a little bit more difficult to prepare for, a little bit more adaptable in how they attack and how they defend. 'I do think they were very intelligent in the semi-final, but I think if you look at it over a period of time they're a team that has played against Saracens and that blitz defence in their heyday, and they just seemed to have all the solutions to it. Hopefully [on Saturday] we can pose some different questions in attack and defence, but it's going to be incredibly difficult.' McNamara places huge trust in the heads-up attacking instincts of the Bordeaux Bègles talisman and playmaker Matthieu Jalibert, who was outstanding in their 35-18 semi-final win over Toulouse and again in the victory over Castres last weekend. Bordeaux Bègles' Matthieu Jalibert during the Captain's Run at the Principality Stadium on Friday. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho 'It's pretty straightforward, you just try and put options in place and I haven't seen anybody with the capability of taking the options as well as he does. So, every time Matthieu gets the ball we try to have options around him, on his inside, on his outside, options behind and there's always the option of going over the top of the defence as well. 'He's just incredibly good at choosing the right option and he has the speed and the skill set to take advantage of it. So, when you put it all together, he's got a good kicking game, he can kick long, he's got exceptional vision and then he's quick. 'We are what I would describe as a relational attack. It's about building connections with each other and about having the ability to read off each other. When you get players that are prepared to back each other it's a pretty good mix,' said McNamara. For Bordeaux Bègles to win a first major trophy less than 20 years since they were formed (following a merger between Stade Bordelais and Club Athlétique Bordeaux-Bègles Gironde) would almost seem inevitable for this steadily progressive club, which has become the best supported outfit in the Top 14 in recent seasons. 'It would be incredible,' admitted McNamara. 'It's an extraordinarily well-run club under Laurent Marti, the president, who genuinely has done an awful lot of this himself. He's been the driving force behind the club since it was formed in 2006. Bordeaux Bègles attack coach Noel McNamara with players during Friday's Captain's Run. Photograph: James Crombie/INpho 'They've gone from being promoted in 2011 to achieving consistent levels of success. He's adamant that it will be done fairly. There's nothing done outside the salary cap. Year on year he's a staunch advocate of being self-sufficient. Ultimately it is about trying to ensure that the club isn't massively in debt.' At the press conference, it was asked why the club placed more emphasis on the Champions Cup than the Top 14, but McNamara countered: 'There isn't. There are two competitions that you can win, and they are both fantastic competitions. 'The history of the Top 14 is magnificent, there's no doubt about that, but there's an international feel in the club. Jonny Gray, Arthur Retiere and Joey Carbery have all won this competition, and Yannick Bru has [won] as a player and a coach. 'Winning that first one would be special and hopefully the start of something, but it's not a final destination. The way the club is set up and how it's run, there's no reason why it can't go on to have continued success.'
