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EPL: Semenyo sinks Leeds as Man City close gap on Arsenal
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Antoine Semenyo fired Manchester City to a gritty 1-0 win over Leeds on Saturday as the Premier League title chasers closed the gap on leaders Arsenal without Erling Haaland.
Semenyo netted late in the first half at Elland Road with his sixth goal since signing from Bournemouth in January.
The Ghana forward’s strike lifted second-placed City to within two points of Arsenal, who host London rivals Chelsea on Sunday.
City’s fourth successive league win was achieved in the absence of Haaland after the prolific striker was ruled out with an injury suffered in training on Thursday.
“A little injury. It’s not a big issue but not ready for today,” City boss Pep Guardiola said just before kick-off.
City hope Haaland will recover in time for Wednesday’s clash with Nottingham Forest.
Remarkably, City have a better win ratio in the top-flight without the Norway star than when he plays.
Although they were not at their best, City’s hard-fought success in a hostile environment kept the destiny of the title in their own hands.
Chasing the seventh title of Guardiola’s reign, City will be guaranteed the crown if they win their last 10 games regardless of Arsenal’s results across the same number of matches.
City will have a game in hand on Arsenal after this weekend and host the Gunners in April.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin wasted a golden opportunity to put Leeds ahead in the opening moments when he scuffed Brenden Aaronson’s cross wide with just Gianluigi Donnarumma to beat.
The game was briefly paused to allow the Muslim players on both teams, including City’s Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri, to break their Ramadan fast at dusk.
Despite a message on the big screen revealing what the break was for, fans jeered when the players came to the side of the pitch.
– City survive –
Calvert-Lewin went close again after the resumption, turning City defender Marc Guehi before shooting narrowly wide of the far post.
Shaken by Leeds’ relentless pressing, City struggled to find any rhythm in the first half.
James Justin’s blast forced a good save from Donnarumma, while Aaronson poked just wide from Jayden Bogle’s cross.
Guardiola grew increasingly frustrated on the touchline as City failed to manage a single shot on target in the first 39 minutes.
Donnarumma came to City’s rescue again, smothering Aaronson’s effort after the Leeds midfielder scampered clear.
City finally showed signs of life when Marmoush’s low drive was held by Karl Darlow, who parried away Nico O’Reilly’s close-range header moments later.
It was a warning Leeds failed to heed as City snatched the lead with an intricately crafted goal in first half stoppage-time.
Cherki’s pin-point pass picked out Ait-Nouri’s run into the Leeds area and the defender’s low cross was perfectly placed for Semenyo to slide in with a close-range finish.
City looked more confident after Semenyo’s opener and should have gone further ahead after the interval.
Marmoush was just five yards out when he stretched in a failed attempt to convert Ruben Dias’ miscued shot.
Guehi’s header from Cherki’s corner was clawed away by Darlow.
City had to survive a tense finale, with Jaka Bijol heading a corner inches wide, before they could finally celebrate.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has already brought major changes on the sidelines, with nine national team coaches leaving their positions after their countries were knocked out of the tournament.
The latest to step down is Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic, who ended his tenure following his side’s 2-1 defeat to Portugal in the Round of 32.
The Croatian Football Federation confirmed the 59-year-old’s decision in a statement released on Wednesday, bringing to an end a spell that lasted almost nine years.
“Following nearly nine years, head coach Zlatko Dalic has decided to close his incredibly successful chapter with Croatia.”
Dalic’s exit came shortly after Portugal manager Roberto Martinez also left his role following his team’s World Cup campaign, with his departure announced earlier this week.
Several other nations have also made coaching changes after falling short in the competition. Ghana’s Carlos Queiroz, Germany’s Julian Nagelsmann, Ecuador’s Sebastian Beccacece, Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman, Czechia’s Miroslav Koubek, Scotland’s Steve Clarke, and South Korea’s Hong Myung-bo have all departed following their respective eliminations.
The growing list of managerial exits highlights the intense pressure national team coaches face at major international tournaments, where early elimination often leads to swift changes in leadership.
Egypt head coach, Hossam Hassan, has said his side suffered “injustice” in their World Cup Round of 16 defeat to Argentina, and declared he would not follow the remainder of the tournament as a result.
Argentina came from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 in Atlanta on Tuesday, with Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi cancelling out Egypt’s early lead before Enzo Fernandez struck deep into stoppage time to send the defending champions into the quarter-finals.
Speaking after the match, through FIFA’s official translation, Hassan said the outcome went beyond the result on the pitch.
“I think the effect of this outcome goes beyond the defeated seat. We haven’t seen respect nor fair play.
“I’m not convinced with this outcome, with the way things unfolded in this match. I do not want to try to put it nicely with beautiful wording, selective words, saying hard luck and so and so forth. We’ve been treated unfairly today. We’ve suffered injustice,” he said.
He added that he believed there were issues both on and off the pitch that needed scrutiny.
“There are a lot of things to be questioned on and off the pitch, negative aspects all around,” Hassan said.
Hassan said he would not be watching any further matches at the tournament following Egypt’s exit.
The Round of 16 finish was Egypt’s best World Cup outing since 1934, and came at the country’s first appearance at the tournament since 2018.
Hassan’s comments followed a heated exchange with French referee, Francois Letexier, at the final whistle, during which the Egyptian coach suggested the official had “something to hide.”
Egypt had led 2-0 before Argentina’s comeback, and were aggrieved by two decisions in particular — a goal ruled out following a VAR review, and a non-review of a challenge inside the penalty area involving captain Mohamed Salah late in the match.
Egypt’s players echoed Hassan’s frustration after the game, with several accusing the referee of bias, though FIFA is yet to issue a formal response to the allegations.
Switzerland booked their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals after defeating Colombia 4-3 in a dramatic penalty shootout following a goalless 120 minutes in their Round of 16 clash at BC Place in Vancouver.
The two sides, on Tuesday, failed to find a breakthrough during regulation or extra time despite creating several opportunities.
Colombia came closest through Jhon Lucumí, whose effort struck the crossbar, while Switzerland threatened through Zeki Amdouni and Ruben Vargas, but neither side could break the deadlock.
In the shootout, Switzerland held their nerve to prevail 4-3, sealing their place in the last eight where they will face defending champions, Argentina.
The victory completes the quarter-final lineup after a tense and evenly contested encounter that was decided only from the penalty spot.
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