Sports
Man City beat Southampton 2-1 to reach FA Cup final
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Nico Gonzalez’s stunning strike fired Manchester City into the FA Cup final as Pep Guardiola’s men produced a late fightback to beat Southampton 2-1 on Saturday.
The Saints appeared heading towards a first FA Cup final since 2003 when Finn Azaz’s brilliant finish put the Championship side in front 11 minutes from time.
However, City avoided the same fate that Arsenal suffered in the quarter-finals to remain on course for a domestic treble.
Jeremy Doku’s deflected effort quickly levelled before Gonzalez rifled in from long range three minutes from time.
The defeat ends Southampton’s 20-game unbeaten run that has propelled them into contention for an immediate return to the Premier League.
The Saints also knocked out City’s title rivals Arsenal in the previous round and will rue a glorious chance missed to return to Wembley next month.
Guardiola made eight changes from the side that went top of the Premier League with a 1-0 victory over Burnley on Wednesday.
Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva and Doku were among those to miss out and City took 45 minutes to find their feet.
Leo Scienza found the bottom corner early on, but Southampton’s joy was cut short by the offside flag.
City came out for the second half a changed team even before Guardiola turned to his bench to unleash the stars he had kept in reserve.
Omar Marmoush missed his chance to shine on a rare start ahead of Haaland.
The Egyptian spooned the best of City’s chances over the bar before he was replaced by Haaland.
Guardiola also introduced Doku, Savinho and Nico O’Reilly to break down Southampton’s mass ranks of well-marshalled defence.
Daniel Peretz repelled Gonzalez’s powerful effort before Southampton pounced to take a shock lead on a rare second-half foray forward.
Kuryu Matsuki fed Azaz, who spun before unleashing an unstoppable effort into the top corner.
However, Southampton could not hold on as City roared back to become the first club to reach four consecutive FA Cup finals.
Doku’s effort from the edge of the box deflected off James Bree to wrong-foot Peretz.
The Southampton goalkeeper was then left helpless as Gonzalez’s piledriver completed the comeback.
Savinho should have added a third in stoppage time after Peretz came forward in search of an equaliser and left his goal gaping, but Matsuki raced back to clear off the line.
City, though, did just enough to remain on course to match their own achievement of being the only English side to win the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup, in 2018/19.
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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