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Man City thrash Newcastle to reduce Arsenal’s lead by two points
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Manchester City stepped up their Premier League title charge as Nico O’Reilly’s double sealed a vital 2-1 win against Newcastle on Saturday.
O’Reilly put City ahead in the first half at the Etihad Stadium and restored their lead after Lewis Hall had equalised.
Pep Guardiola’s side weren’t at their best but they held on for a victory that moved them within two points of leaders Arsenal.
The Gunners travel to Tottenham on Sunday, but regardless of the result in the north London derby, City controls the destiny of the title.
They will have a game in hand on Arsenal after this weekend and host Mikel Arteta’s men in April, with 11 wins from their last 11 matches guaranteed to secure the seventh title of Guardiola’s reign.
Guardiola had claimed on Friday that he “couldn’t care less” about Arsenal’s recent stumble breathing new life into the title race.
But while Arsenal have spluttered with two wins from their last seven league games, City are heating up at just the right time.
A fifth successive win in all competitions extended their unbeaten run to eight games.
This was the fourth meeting between City and Newcastle already this season, with a fifth on the way in the last 16 of the FA Cup next month.
Newcastle had never managed a win in 20 previous visits to the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League, also losing there in the League Cup semi-finals this season.
Drained by a 5,000-mile round trip to Baku for their Champions League play-off first leg against Qarabag on Wednesday, Newcastle had persuaded the Premier League to move their trip to Manchester to Saturday evening from its original early slot.
Tense finale
City wasted little time testing Newcastle’s fatigue levels with a vibrant start.
Their early pressure paid off with an eye-catching opener in the 14th minute.
After Erling Haaland flicked the ball into Omar Marmoush, the Egyptian played a clever pass towards O’Reilly, who advanced to the edge of the area and planted a powerful finish past Nick Pope.
Anthony Gordon scored four times in Newcastle’s 6-1 rout of Qarabag and the England forward threatened an immediate equaliser with a stinging strike that Gianluigi Donnarumma palmed away.
Far too open at the back throughout the game, City were caught by a sucker punch in the 22nd minute.
They made a hash of clearing a corner and Hall pounced with a drive from the edge of the area that took a hefty deflection off City defender Rayan Ait-Nouri on its way past the wrong-footed Donnarumma.
Guardiola’s men hit back, retaking the lead five minutes later.
Picked out by Antoine Semenyo, Haaland lofted a superb cross into the Newcastle area and O’Reilly timed his run perfectly to thump a downwards header past Pope from close range.
Yet Hall went close to a second equaliser after the interval, curling narrowly wide with an audacious effort that drew an admiring thumbs-up from Donnarumma.
Guardiola grew frustrated with City’s failure to kill off Newcastle, urging his players to “keep the ball better” as he stalked the touchline.
The City manager’s blood pressure spiked again when Semenyo shot tamely at Pope from a good position, but City survived the tense finale to keep the pressure on Arsenal.
AFP
World football governing body, FIFA, has made a key video assistant referee, VAR decision ahead of the much exected World Cup semi-final match between England and Argentina.
The match will be played in Atlanta on Wednesday.
FIFA has opted to deploy an on-site VAR team for this high-profile encounter.
Previously, the VAR team had been functioning from a central hub located at the International Broadcast Centre in Dallas, regardless of the venue of each match.
However, for this particular game, the on-site officials will act as a backup in the event of any technical or communication difficulties.
Dan Hunt, a member of the Organising Committee, elaborated on the decision to have VAR operate on-site for the second semi-final as reported by Sport Bible.
He said, “There is a significant amount of drama that occurs during these matches. Moreover, when only four officials are tasked with overseeing the action on a field that is considerably larger than an American football field, it becomes quite challenging
“I am pleased that there will be on-site officials. I am uncertain about how the communication will be managed.”
FIFA has faced considerable criticism for the inconsistent VAR decisions throughout the tournament, with the defending champions Argentina benefiting from favorable calls without any against them, while England has experienced the opposite, resulting in a net negative outcome.
Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry, has reacted to the Les Bleus’ World Cup semi-final 2-0 defeat to Spain.
Henry said that the La Roja were far superior to France during the encounter.
Spain defeated France on Tuesday to qualify for the World Cup final, thanks to goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro.
“Too little from France at the end of the day. Spain controlled the game on and off the ball,” Henry said on Fox Sports.
“They showed why they are European champions, they are showing why they are going into the final.
“Nothing to add, they were far superior, and there is nothing to say about it. Spain, congratulations. you deserves to go to the final,” he said.
Nigeria’s sprint star, Favour Ashe, says he is mentally and physically prepared for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, as Team Nigeria intensifies preparations for the multi-sport event, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The 100m and 4x100m relay specialist, popularly known as “The Nigerian Nightmare”, said the national team’s training camp has played a key role in sharpening the athletes’ readiness ahead of the Games.
“Coming into the Commonwealth Games, I would say my mental is in the right spot. I’m ready mentally and physically. This training camp has been a huge boost for the athletes and has put us in a better mental space. So, yes, I would say I’m ready for the Commonwealth Games,” Ashe said.
The sprinter also urged Nigerians to rally behind Team Nigeria throughout the competition.
“I want Nigerians to support us—not just me, but every athlete representing the country. Family and friends should continue to encourage us and support us in every way they can. Thank you so much,” he added.
Ashe’s confidence comes as the Federal Government unveiled a financial reward package for medal winners at the Games.
National Sports Commission Director-General Bukola Olopade announced that gold medallists will receive $3,000, silver medallists $2,000 and bronze medallists $1,500, while coaches of medal-winning athletes will earn performance bonuses of $5,000. He also confirmed that the payment of camp allowances has commenced to ensure athletes are fully motivated ahead of the competition.
Nigeria is expected to field a strong contingent in Glasgow, including world record holder Tobi Amusan, sprint sensation Kayinsola Ajayi, shot put star Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, para-powerlifting champion Folashade Oluwafemiayo and several other elite athletes competing across athletics, boxing, cycling, swimming, weightlifting and para sports.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2, with about 3,000 athletes from 74 nations competing in 10 sports.
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