Latest news with #ThiagoAlmada
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Atlético Madrid eye Lyon's Thiago Almada amid Botafogo return snub
Olympique Lyonnais are expecting a busy summer of departures, particularly owing to the uncertainty around the club's future in front of French football's financial watchdog, the DNCG. With the threat of relegation to Ligue 2 looming in the worst case scenario, it is also likely that the club will be also hit with a transfer ban. It puts the future of some of OL's key talents up in the air. This rings true for Argentinian playmaker Thiago Almada (24). The World Cup winner joined OL on a free loan from Botafogo in January, but it now looks unlikely that he will remain in France beyond the summer. According to L'Équipe, John Textor had planned for Almada to return briefly to Botafogo in order to feature in the FIFA Club World Cup, with the Brazilian side set to take part in the 2025 edition. But the player is reportedly strongly opposed to the idea. Almada wants to stay in Europe, where he has begun to regain rhythm and visibility after his MLS departure. With Lyon currently under a transfer ban, the club are unable to negotiate a permanent deal – not that there was any purchase option included in the initial agreement with Botafogo. And that could leave the door wide open for Atlético Madrid, who remain long-time admirers of the player and are exploring creative midfield options for the post-Koke era. GFFN | Freddie Aston
Observer
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Argentina rout Brazil to cap 2026 WC qualification
BUENOS AIRES: Argentina celebrated their 2026 World Cup qualification with a dazzling 4-1 thrashing of arch-rivals Brazil in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and Giuliano Simeone sealed an emphatic win for the world champions, who had been assured of their World Cup berth after Bolivia's 0-0 draw with Uruguay earlier on Tuesday. That goalless stalemate ensured a festive atmosphere at the Estadio Monumental before a ball had been kicked and Argentina kept the party going with a blistering performance. Atletico Madrid forward Alvarez opened the scoring after just six minutes, latching onto Thiago Almada's through ball and dinking a close-range finish past Brazil goalkeeper Bento. It got better for Argentina six minutes later when Chelsea's Fernandez tucked away the hosts' second goal of the night after Brazil's back four failed to deal with a low cross. With Brazil being run ragged by a rampant Argentina, they were thrown a lifeline on 26 minutes after a blunder by Cristian Romero gifted a goal to Mattheus Cunha. Tottenham defender Romero was caught in possession 25 yards from goal, allowing Cunha to steal in and drive a low shot past Emiliano Martinez to make it 2-1. Soccer Football - World Cup - South American Qualifiers - Argentina v Brazil - Estadio Mas Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina - March 25, 2025 Argentina's Exequiel Palacios, Rodrigo De Paul, Thiago Almada and Leandro Paredes celebrate after qualify to the World Cup 2026 REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY But any hopes of a Brazilian fightback were snuffed out in the 37th minute with a superb goal from Mac Allister. Almada was once again the creator, lofting a pass into the area which Mac Allister met with a first-time volley to make it 3-1. With Argentina in complete control, Simeone then brought the house down with a 71st minute strike to make it 4-1 — his first international goal. ECUADOR ON TRACK Simeone, the 22-year-old son of Argentine legend Diego Simeone, somehow blasted into the roof of the net from an acute angle to crown a dominant performance by the hosts. The win means Argentina have qualified for next year's finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada with four games to spare. The Argentines lead the 10-team qualifying group with 31 points from 14 games and are guaranteed one of the six automatic qualifying slots awarded to South America. Brazil are fourth. In other South American games, Ecuador stayed on course for qualification with a 0-0 draw against Chile in Santiago. Ecuador are second in the standings, eight points adrift of Argentina on 23 points. Uruguay's draw with Bolivia — and Brazil's heavy loss — allowed them to move up to third place on goal difference. Colombia meanwhile missed the chance to close the gap on the leaders after a 2-2 home draw with Paraguay in Barranquilla. Goals from Luis Diaz and Jhon Duran fired Colombia into a 2-0 lead after just 13 minutes but Paraguay grabbed a share of the points with goals from Junior Alonso and Julio Enciso. Venezuela boosted their hopes of a first-ever World Cup qualification with a 1-0 win over Peru in Maturin. Salomon Rondon's 41st-minute penalty secured three precious points for Venezuela, who are the only South American team never to have qualified for the World Cup. Venezuela's win lifted them into seventh place in the table, leaving them on course for an inter-confederation play-off. — AFP
Express Tribune
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Scaloni pleased with Argentina win over Uruguay
Argentina's Thiago Almada celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates during the World Cup South American Qualifiers against Uruguay at Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay on March 21. PHOTO: REUTERS Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said their 1-0 victory over Uruguay in Friday's World Cup qualifier in Montevideo showed the depth of their squad after Lautaro Martinez, Lionel Messi and Paulo Dybia all missed out due to injury. The match was headed for a draw until a 67th-minute strike from 23-year-old Thiago Almada. "The national team is a team. When one is missing, another steps up," Scaloni told reporters. "We had some very important absentees but we have great players to go out on the field. The team is always more than just the names." Argentina next host Brazil in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. Salah scores for Egypt as big guns flex muscles Captain Mohamed Salah scored for Egypt as they eased to a 2-0 victory over Ethiopia in their 2026 World Cup qualifier on Friday, but 2022 semi-finalists Morocco needed a late winner from Bilal El Khannouss to defeat unfancied Niger. Zizo bagged Egypt's second goal as they opened up a commanding five point lead in Group A at the halfway point of the qualification campaign. Burkina Faso earlier defeated Djibouti 4-1 to move into second in the pool. The top team in each of the nine groups earns a place at the finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada, while the four best runners-up enter an arduous inter-continental playoff campaign for one further berth. Morocco had the luxury of playing their 'away' clash with Niger at home in Oujda with their opponents having no suitable stadiums to host international matches. But they needed an equaliser on the hour-mark from Ismael Saibari, and then a winner two minutes into stoppage time from El Khannouss to claim victory and lead Group E by six points from second-placed Niger. Relebohile Mofokeng and Jayden Adams both scored their first international goals as South Africa were made to toil for a 2-0 home win over neighbours Lesotho as they went top of Group C. South Africa travel to neutral Abidjan to play second-placed Benin on Tuesday where coach Hugo Broos' side could potentially open up a sizeable lead in the pool. Nigeria claimed a first win of the qualification campaign at the fifth attempt with a 2-0 success over Rwanda in Kigali. Victor Osimhen scored a brace to take Nigeria to six points, four behind South Africa. Ghana, who failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco later this year, moved top of their qualification pool with a 5-0 hammering of Chad in Accra. Japan secure 2026 ticket After celebrating qualification for an eighth consecutive World Cup finals with beaming smiles and high fives, Japan shifted focus towards becoming the first Asian side to win football's most coveted trophy. A 2-0 win over Bahrain at Saitama Stadium on Thursday saw Japan become the first nation to book their place at the 2026 finals alongside co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico. Despite being drawn in arguably the toughest of Asia's three groups in the third phase of qualifying, alongside fellow World Cup regulars Saudi Arabia and Australia, Japan have coasted through their fixtures with six wins and a draw so far. The performances of Hajime Moriyasu's side, who still have three group matches to play, have underlined how far the current generation of largely overseas-based players are ahead of the rest of the region. For Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, just getting to the finals is no longer enough. "As I said upon being appointed the new captain, our present target has been to win the World Cup," said Endo after qualification was confirmed. "We have players who naturally target winning the World Cup, who think getting a win or making the finals is merely a start. I'm the same." South Korea's run to the semi-finals on home soil in 2002 stands as the best performance by an Asian side at the World Cup while Japan have been unable to get past the Round of 16 in four trips to the knockout rounds. Their qualification run began in 1998 with their debut in France, though they only scraped into the finals via a playoff win over Iran.
Forbes
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Argentina And Ecuador Win Crucial FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifiers
Argentina's midfielder #11 Thiago Almada celebrates after scoring during the 2026 FIFA World Cup ... More South American qualifiers football match between Uruguay and Argentina at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo, on March 21, 2025. Round 13 of South American qualifying for the FIFA 2026 World Cup included mouth-watering fixtures like Uruguay vs Argentina and Brazil vs Colombia. The World Champions made huge strides towards the next tournament and there were also important victories for the likes of Ecuador and Peru. MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY - MARCH 21: Cristian Romero of Argentina and Maximiliano Araujo of Uruguay argue ... More during the South of American FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier match between Uruguay and Argentina at Centenario Stadium on March 21, 2025 in Montevideo, Uruguay. Argentina may have been missing Lionel Messi but that didn't stop the team claiming three points against neighbours Uruguay on Friday night. The Estadio Centenario is a hostile place for any national side to visit but Argentina grew into the game and was able to take home a valuable victory; leaving them one match away from official World Cup qualification. This game included some huge tackles, plenty of passion and there was absolutely no love lost between both sets of players. However Argentina would take the tie by the scruff of the neck in the second period, and as the game opened up the Qatar 2022 World Cup winners looked by far the more likely side to score. Julián Alvarez led the line brilliantly and almost carved open Uruguay with some majestic passes. He provided the assist for the only goal of the game but it was a simple ball in the end. The rest of the magic was worked by scorer Thiago Almada; who whipped the ball into the top corner of the net from outside the box. It was a stunning strike from a fine young talent, worth winning any game. Edison Flores of Peru celebrates scoring the third goal for his team during the FIFA World Cup 2026 ... More Qualifier match between Peru and Bolivia at Estadio Nacional de Lima on March 20, 2025 in Lima, Peru. (Photo by Martín Fonseca/Eurasia) Peru defeated Bolivia on Thursday night in Lima to earn just a second victory in 13 rounds of FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying matches. The win moves Peru just three points behind their visitors who currently hold on to a crucial World Cup play-off spot. An away victory would have doomed Peru completely but now the race to qualify, for that play-off spot at least, is back on. Three goals on the night was as many as this Peru team could manage in their previous 12 qualifiers, so the home spectators surely got a welcome surprise in Lima on this occasion. On the other hand, Bolivia has now conceded 30 goals in 13 league games, more than double the goals conceded by any other team. Yet, Bolivia has a home advantage so strong that the team might still be the favourite to earn a World Cup play-off spot. ASUNCION, PARAGUAY - MARCH 20: Omar Alderete of Paraguay celebrates after scoring the team's first ... More goal during the South American FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier match between Paraguay and Chile at Estadio Defensores del Chaco on March 20, 2025 in Asuncion, Paraguay. (Photo by) As Peru moved off the bottom spot Chile sank below them in the table after a 1-0 defeat in Paraguay. The visitors' woes were compounded by a second-half goal from centre-back Omar Alderete, who also scored in the home victory against Argentina late last year. Paraguay is in dreamland though. This win means that the team moves into fifth in the table and sits a comfortable seven points clear of Bolivia in the play-off spot. A fantastic run of form has propelled the Paraguayans towards a first World Cup finals place since 2010, when historically they made it all the way to the quarter-finals for the first and only time. TOPSHOT - Ecuador's forward #13 Enner Valencia celebrates after scoring during the 2026 FIFA World ... More Cup South American qualifiers football match between Ecuador and Venezuela, at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium in Quito, on March 21, 2025. Ecuador captain Enner Valencia bagged a brace to send his nation into second place in the South American FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying table. Ecuador dominated the ball and made it five wins and two draws in seven home games during this campaign. After leaders Argentina it's fair to say that Ecuador has outperformed any other side in South American qualifying so far. They also have the best defensive record of all. For Venezuela this loss makes it seven away games without a single victory in the campaign. Their impressive start has completely faded and recent results have been poor. Luckily, Venezuela is only one point off the World Cup play-off spot and can bounce back in the next fixture at home to Peru. Colombia's midfielder #16 Jefferson Lerma and Bolivia's defender #03 Diego Medina fight for the ball ... More during the 2026 FIFA World Cup South American qualifiers football match between Brazil and Colombia, at the Mane Garrincha stadium in Brasilia, on March 20, 2025.
Observer
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Argentina on brink after Almada strike sinks Uruguay
MONTEVIDEO: Argentina edged to the brink of qualification for the 2026 World Cup on Friday after a superb strike from Thiago Almada earned them a 1-0 victory over Uruguay in Montevideo. The reigning world champions looked to be headed for a draw after a tense tussle against a Uruguay side who defeated the Argentinians 2-0 in Buenos Aires earlier in qualifying. But Argentina grabbed all three points with a moment of magic that stunned Montevideo's Estadio Centenario. Gathering the ball on the edge of the area, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder took a touch and uncorked a ferocious strike that flew into the top corner beyond the dive of Uruguay goalkeeper Sergio Rochet. The only blemish for Argentina on an otherwise solid night's work came deep into stoppage time when Nicolas Gonzalez was dismissed after catching Uruguay defender Nahitan Nandez with a high boot in a rash challenge. Nevertheless that late red card could not take the gloss off the evening for Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who praised his team's response to losing Messi to injury. - 'A complete match' - "How can I not be satisfied?" Scaloni said following the win. "Not just for the result -- but for how they gave it their all. The satisfaction comes from the fact that the team played a complete match. "When one player is missing, another comes in (...) we have enough to go out onto the field calmly, but the team is there." The win means Argentina can become the first South American team to book their place at next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico with a victory over arch-rivals Brazil in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. The world champions now lead the 10-team South American qualifying competition with 28 points from 13 games, leaving them six points ahead of Ecuador in second, with Brazil third on 21 points. Uruguay are fourth in the standings with 20 points from 13 games, just ahead of fifth-placed Paraguay on goal difference. Friday's victory ensures that Argentina can finish no worse than seventh place, meaning they are assured of at least a spot in an inter-confederation playoff. The top six teams in the standings qualify automatically for the World Cup. In Friday's other South American qualifier, Ecuador boosted their chances of reaching the finals with a 2-1 win over Venezuela. Two goals from veteran striker Enner Valencia sealed the points for Ecuador, who are bidding to qualify for the World Cup for the fifth time in the nation's history. Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece saluted his team's performance but cautioned against complacency as they close in on a World Cup berth. "When things are going well, like today when we've won three games in a row, we have to be cautious, calm, humble, and have a lot of discipline to continue growing in what's coming up," Beccacece said. — AFP
