Sports
Manchester United has defeated Everton
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Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko came to Michael Carrick’s rescue for the third time in four matches after arriving from the bench to score the only goal in the 1-0 victory at Everton.
The Slovenia striker has yet to start in the interim head coach’s six matches in charge, but has now scored two winners and snatched a late equaliser to maintain Carrick’s unbeaten start.
He was made to wait until just before the hour mark to replace Amad Diall,o but made an impact within 13 minutes by getting on the end of a direct counter-attack in a rare moment of incisiveness from the visitors.
It was enough to secure a fifth win in six matches and move United into fourth, only three points behind Aston Villa.
He took his chance coolly and clinically in United’s first threatening moment since the fourth minute, when James Tarkowski cleared Diallo’s shot off the line after it had squirmed under goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
By his standards, his 71st-minute goal was comparatively early as his two previous efforts in Carrick’s unbeaten run had come after the 90th minute, one to beat Fulham and the other to snatch a draw at West Ham.
He has now scored six in his last seven appearances, making it difficult for Carrick to ignore his contribution to the team’s resurgence, which has only strengthened the head coach’s own credentials after he replaced Ruben Amorim in January.
The goal owed plenty to Matheus Cunha’s searching pass from deep in his own half to isolate Bryan Mbeumo one-on-one with Michael Keane, the forward having the pace to go past the centre-back and square for Sesko to emphatically convert.
The goal came during the best passage of play from Everton, who had spent the first half competing but not threatening, only to come out after the break and immediately create their best chance.
Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall moved the ball from right to left, but Harrison Armstrong, whose only goal this season came against Wrexham while on loan at Preston, saw his weak shot fail to extend Senne Lammens.
Mbeumo fired wildly over after Tarkowski failed to deal convincingly with Kobbie Mainoo’s cross, but that was a rare attack for the visitors, and a sign things were not going United’s way was the sight of captain Bruno Fernandes getting himself involved in a row with the 19-year-old Armstrong.
But Sesko’s arrival changed the game, and the closest Everton, who have won just once since early November at home, came to equalising when Keane forced Lammens into a fingertip save from distance to keep United’s first away clean sheet in the league since March.
It made up for a lacklustre first half, which United dominated without capitalising.
After Cunha’s shot had escaped Pickford but not the covering Tarkowski, the visitors failed to advance against a back four which had midfielder James Garner at right-back and centre-half Jarrad Branthwaite on the left.
Diogo Dalot’s shot from a partially cleared corner whistled past Pickford’s left-hand post, and Fernandes shot over at the end of the half, but there was little to suggest they would break the deadlock until Sesko arrived to save the day again.
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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