Latest news with #pre-season friendly


BBC News
15-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Hibs suffer narrow pre-season defeat to Bournemouth
Hibernian suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth in a pre-season friendly at the Premier League club's training Iraola named a strong side for the match, with Philip Billing and Evanilson on target for the Cherries, who finished ninth in England's top tier last Bowie pulled one back in the second half for David Gray's men, who had been using Bournemouth's training ground to prepare for the new season.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool strikers copy Jota's 'crocodile celebration' after scoring in first game since his death
Liverpool players and fans have paid tribute to Dioga Jota at the Reds' first game since the Portuguese forward died in a car crash with his brother. The Merseyside club's supporters held Jota banners in the stands at the Deepdale Stadium during their side's pre-season friendly away match against Preston. There was a rendition of the club's anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" which was performed by Claudia Rose Maguire - wife of former Preston player Sean Maguire - shortly before the match kicked off at 3pm. Preston captain Ben Whiteman also laid a wreath in front of the visiting supporters before today's game. In a reference to the late Liverpool player's shirt number, an image of Jota and Silva was displayed on the Deepdale's big screen in the 20th minute. Fans of both clubs broke into applause and a rendition of a song about Jota. Around 13 minutes later Liverpool player Conor Bradley put his side 1 - 0 up before celebrating in a subdued manner with his teammates. Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez scored in the 53rd minute to make it 2 - 0 and marked the goal by doing Jota's trademark "crocodile celebration" where he would do a snapping motion with his arms. Nunez also sat on the grass and pretended to play a computer game - another of Jota's celebrations. Preston pulled one back in the 83rd minute before Liverpool striker Cody Gakpo made it 3 - 1 five minutes later. Gakpo also did Jota's famous crocodile celebration after scoring the goal. Newly-married , 28, died alongside his 25-year-old brother Andre Silva, a footballer who played in Portugal's second division with Penafiel, when his Lamborghini crashed in Zamora in northern Spain on 3 July. Liverpool players and supporters were seen in deep reflection during a one-minute silence in memory of the brothers moments before today's game kicked off. Both teams' players wore black armbands during the match. Children were among those who paid tribute in the stands with one boy holding a banner reading: "Forever missed, forever loved, forever remembered, forever our number 20." It was one of many banners paying tribute to Jota, while some fans have been seen wearing T-shirts and scarves featuring the footballer's image. Liverpool supporters also sung the first of many renditions of a song about Jota 20 minutes before kick-off. The tributes come after shirt Jota wore at all levels of the club, including the men's and women's first teams and academy squads, in his memory. The match programme for today's game featured a black and white image on the front showing Jota holding the Premier League trophy he won with the Reds in April. teammates joined members of Jota's family, including his wife Rute, at a huge memorial site outside Anfield on Friday. There had been questions over whether today's game would go ahead as Liverpool players - of the two brothers in Portugal last Saturday - were given extra time before reporting for pre-season training. Mohamed Salah captained a young Liverpool side for the game, with Giorgi Mamardashvili getting the nod in goal and fellow new signings Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez amongst the substitutes. New £100million midfielder Florian Wirtz was not in the matchday squad. Reds manager Arne Slot, who also visited Anfield to pay his respects last week, said in an interview on Liverpool FC's website before today's match: "We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go." He added: "In any moment we are here, we will carry him with us in our thoughts and in our hearts. To retire his shirt is the one thing we could, should and have done... "I think what I take comfort in [is that] in the last month of his life, he was a champion in everything. A champion for his family, which is the main and most important thing, because he got married. "A champion for his country because he won the Nations League, [with] a country that he cared about so much, because he also wore the flag when we had celebrations. "And of course, a champion for us by winning the Premier League." Police said this week that the vehicle at the time of the crash.


BBC News
13-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Tributes to Jota and Silva before Liverpool friendly
Tributes have been paid to Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva ahead of Liverpool's first match since their and Liverpool forward Jota and Silva, also a professional footballer, died in a car crash on 3 July in the Spanish province of to the Reds' first pre-season friendly at Preston North End, there were emotional renditions of Elvis Presley's Can't Help Falling in Love and Liverpool club anthem You'll Never Walk the latter, a visibly emotional Preston captain Ben Whiteman laid a wreath in front of the travelling Liverpool away end, filled with flags and scarves commemorating the former Porto and Wolves attacker, loudly sung Jota's song as the players walked out before an impeccably observed minute's the start of the 20th minute, the crowd burst into another rendition of Jota's match programme had a black and white picture of Jota holding the Premier League trophy and featured tributes to the Liverpool player and his have retired Jota's number 20 shirt across all areas of the club, making the announcement at 20:20 BST on his first interview since Jota's death, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot told Liverpool TV: "If we want to laugh, we laugh; if we want to cry, we're going to cry."If they want to train they can train, if they don't want to train they can not train. But be yourself, don't think you have to be different than your emotions tell you."We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go."Jota scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for Liverpool, helping them win the FA Cup and League Cup in 2022 and the Premier League title last played his final match for Portugal as they beat Spain in the final of the Nations League on 8 June. He scored 14 goals in 49 Guardia Civil told BBC Sport that Jota and his brother died after their car, a Lamborghini, left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking another brothers had been heading to the Spanish port of Santander so Jota could return to Liverpool for pre-season training.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool players and fans pay tribute to Diogo Jota at first game since his death
Liverpool players and fans have been paying tribute to Dioga Jota at the Reds' first game since the Portuguese forward died in a car crash with his brother. The Merseyside club's supporters have been holding Jota banners in the stands at the Deepdale Stadium for their side's pre-season friendly away match against Preston. There was a rendition of the club's anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" while a Preston player laid a wreath in front of the visiting supporters before today's game kicked off at 3pm. Newly-married died alongside his brother Andre Silva, a footballer who played in Portugal's second division with Penafiel, when his Lamborghini crashed in Zamora in northern Spain on 3 July. Liverpool players and supporters were seen in deep reflection during a one-minute silence in memory of the brothers moments before today's game kicked off. Both teams' players are wearing black armbands during the match. Children have been among those paying tribute in the stands with the one boy holding a banner reading: "Forever missed, forever loved, forever remembered, forever our number 20." It is one of many banners paying tribute to Jota, while some fans have been seen wearing T-shirts and scarves featuring the footballer's image. The tributes come after shirt Jota wore at all levels of the club, including the men's and women's first teams and academy squads, in his memory. The match programme for today's game featured a black and white image on the front showing Jota holding the Premier League trophy he won with the Reds in April. teammates joined members of Jota's family, including his wife Rute, at a huge memorial site outside Anfield on Friday. Reds manager Arne Slot, who also visited Anfield to pay his respects last week, said in an interview on Liverpool FC's website before today's match: "We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go." He added: "In any moment we are here, we will carry him with us in our thoughts and in our hearts. To retire his shirt is the one thing we could, should and have done... "I think what I take comfort in [is that] in the last month of his life, he was a champion in everything. A champion for his family, which is the main and most important thing, because he got married. "A champion for his country because he won the Nations League, [with] a country that he cared about so much, because he also wore the flag when we had celebrations. "And of course, a champion for us by winning the Premier League." Police said this week that the vehicle at the time of the crash.