Sports
Osasuna Dismantle Barca’s Perfect Liga Start
Osasuna shattered La Liga leaders Barcelona’s perfect start to the season with an emphatic 4-2 victory on Saturday.
The Catalans won all seven of their opening fixtures but Hansi Flick’s rotated side came badly undone in Pamplona as Ante Budimir scored a brace either side of Bryan Zaragoza’s strike.
Pau Victor had given Barca a lifeline to pull them back into the game before Budimir bagged his second from the penalty spot.
Abel Bretones added a sensational fourth from the edge of the box before Lamine Yamal pulled one back with a fine effort of his own.
Victory would have matched Barcelona’s best-ever start to a league campaign with eight consecutive wins, but they were not able to build on their four-point lead on second-place Real Madrid.
The Spanish champions visit Atletico Madrid, third, in a derby clash on Sunday.
“It’s normal there are rotations, there are a lot of games, it’s not an excuse,” Barcelona midfielder Pedri told Movistar.
“In the second half, we deserved a bit more but we let in goals when we were at our best.”
Ahead of a Champions League match against Young Boys on Tuesday, Flick shuffled his pack.
The coach handed starts to defenders Gerard Martin and Sergi Dominguez as well as Pablo Torre in midfield and Victor in attack.
The coach rested Spain Euro 2024 starlet Yamal and Brazilian winger Raphinha among other regular picks.
As a result, Barcelona failed to ignite in the first half, and Osasuna winger Zaragoza took centre-stage.
Last season Zaragoza struck twice while playing for Granada in a 2-2 draw against Barca, a performance that helped earn him a move to Bayern Munich.
On loan from the German giants, Zaragoza created the opener for target-man Budimir with a fine cross, which the Croatian nodded home with ease in the 18th minute after escaping the attentions of Dominguez.
Zaragoza finished the second himself 10 minutes later after being sent through on goal, with the winger bypassing goalkeeper Inaki Pena with a fine ball roll and then slotting into the empty net.
Barcelona complained there had been a foul on Victor in the build-up but the referee waved their complaints away.
The leaders created little themselves, with the best opening falling to Ferran Torres. However, the Spanish winger miscontrolled on the edge of the box and was quickly swallowed up by the Osasuna defence.
Reinforcements
Yamal, Raphinha, and Ansu Fati warmed up at half-time, with Barcelona needing to turn to their stars to mount a comeback.
Before Flick had time to send them on, Victor pulled Barcelona back into the game.
Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera gave the ball away with a poor throw, intercepted by Martin, who fed Victor.
The forward took an early shot from distance which Herrera, who slipped as he made it back to his goal, should have kept out but could not.
Flick took off top scorer Robert Lewandowski, largely uninvolved, with 20 minutes remaining and moved Torres into the middle to fill the gap.
However, Osasuna almost immediately stretched their lead when 19-year-old centre-back Dominguez scythed down Budimir in the area as he went to shoot.
The striker buried the penalty with a low effort hit hard enough to beat Pena although he dived the right way.
Ruben Pena wasted a glorious chance to grab a fourth as he ran in on goal but was caught in two minds whether to pass or shoot, and Eric Garcia charged back to dispossess him as he dawdled.
Bretones, on the other hand, was lethal from the edge of the box when he won the ball back and powered an effort past Barca goalkeeper Pena.
Yamal hit back brilliantly from range and teed up Torres who struck the post, but it was too little, too late.
Osasuna rose to sixth and Zaragoza said his team had been determined to beat the leaders.
“We knew Barca were an incredible team, they had won everything and we knew we had to get stuck into it, and that’s how we went out there,” explained the winger.
“It’s a special game and really nice to play in.”
AFP
Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman, South Africa’s Ronwen Williams, and Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie emerged as some of the standout winners at the 2024 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards.
Lookman, who plays for Atalanta, clinched the prestigious CAF Men’s Player of the Year title, beating contenders such as Simon Adingra, Achraf Hakimi, Ronwen Williams, and Serhou Guirassy.
South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams dominated the night, bagging both the Men’s Interclub Player of the Year and the Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year awards.
Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie, known for her stellar performances, was named Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year.
Full List of CAF Awards 2024 Winners
CAF Men’s Player of the Year: Ademola Lookman (Nigeria)
Women’s Interclub Player of the Year: Sanaa Mssoudy
Men’s Interclub Player of the Year: Ronwen Williams (South Africa)
Women’s Club of the Year: TP Mazembe
Men’s Club of the Year: Al Ahly FC
Men’s National Team of the Year: Ivory Coast
Women’s National Team of the Year: Nigeria
Men’s Young Player of the Year: Lamine Camara
Women’s Young Player of the Year: Doha El Madani
Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria)
Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Ronwen Williams (South Africa)
Women’s Coach of the Year: Lamia Boumehdi
Men’s Coach of the Year: Emerse Faé
Goal of the Year: Mabululu (Angola)
Brazil legend Ronaldo has confirmed he wants to become president of the country’s football governing body to address a “deep crisis” the sport is facing nationally.
“I have hundreds of motivations, but I think the biggest of them is really to restore international respect to Brazilian football,” he said in an interview on Monday with the Globoesporte website.
Ronaldo said he wanted to be an “alternative for significant change” as candidate for the job of running the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).
“O Fenomeno” (“The Phenomenon”), as the 48-year-old became known over the course of his 1993-2011 career, said he wants to use the CBF presidency to help Brazil’s national team to regain its glory as five-time world champions.
“The Selecao has to recover its prestige. I’ll do everything so that the players understand the historic importance of playing for the national team,” he said.
Ronaldo scored both goals when Brazil beat Germany in the 2002 World Cup final in Japan, and was twice winner of the Ballon d’Or.
To lodge his CBF candidacy, he needs the support of Brazilian regional clubs and federations.
To get those, he promised to travel “all around Brazil” and share the “incredible plans” he has for the sport.
The date of the next CBF election has not yet been set, but should happen between March 2025 and March 2026, according to Brazilian media.
‘Much deeper problem’
Current CBF chief Ednaldo Rodrigues has been criticized for slotting in temporary coaches for the national team after Tite’s 2022 exit while waiting for Carlo Ancelotti to arrive — something that did not happen when the Italian decided late last year to extend his contract as manager of Real Madrid.
Currently coached by Dorival Junior, the Selecao are fifth in South America qualifying for the 2026 World Cup tournament, seven points behind leaders Argentina.
“My problem is not Ednaldo. The problem is much deeper. My goal is to bring the people closer to the Selecao. Today, the people are indifferent when the Selecao plays,” Ronaldo told Globoesporte.
“I am an alternative of significant change for Brazilian football, which is going through a deep crisis,” he said.
Ronaldo, a former star for Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, already has leadership experience.
In 2018, he took majority control of Spain’s Real Valladolid, and in 2021 did the same for Cruzeiro, the Brazilian club where he started his career.
He sold his Cruzeiro stake in April this year.
In his interview, Ronaldo said he was in talks to “very soon” sell his Valladolid stake to avoid “any obstacle” to his CBF candidacy.
AFP
Alejandro Garnacho’s breathtaking bicycle kick against Everton has officially been crowned the 2024 FIFA Puskás Award winner, recognising the most spectacular goal of the year.
The Manchester United forward’s acrobatic effort, which left fans and pundits in awe, has etched his name into football history.
A Premier League video statement and announcement revealed this on Tuesday night.
The Manchester United winger’s breathtaking bicycle kick against Everton in November 2023 has now earned global recognition, solidifying its place in football history.
A club statement obtained from its website also disclosed this.
The announcement was made by football legend Alessandro Del Piero at The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony in Doha, Qatar.
Garnacho’s stunning strike, which had already claimed Manchester United’s Goal of the Season and the Premier League’s Goal of the Season for 2023/24, has now been deemed the very best in the world during the August 2023 to August 2024 qualifying period.
Reflecting on the incredible goal, Manchester United praised Garnacho’s moment of magic:
“Our no.17’s goal was simply stunning, as he somehow contorted his body to connect with Diogo Dalot’s cross in the early stages of our meeting with the Merseysiders.
The timing couldn’t have been any more perfect, leaving Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford helpless and all those in attendance – and watching on screens further afield – open-mouthed at the sheer brilliance of what they’d just witnessed.”
Garnacho’s achievement carries historic weight for the club. He becomes only the second Manchester United player to win the prestigious Puskás Award, following in the footsteps of his idol Cristiano Ronaldo.
United’s former iconic no.7 was the first-ever recipient of the award in 2009 for his long-range strike against Porto in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Manchester United celebrated the milestone, emphasizing the caliber of past winners:
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, Mohamed Salah, and Son Heung-min are among the iconic names to have followed in Ronaldo’s footsteps in the intervening years, although there have been some less-heralded winners, given the award’s nature, as it encompasses all levels of senior football.”
The voting process for the award was a combination of fan participation and deliberation by a panel of FIFA legends. Garnacho’s strike ultimately rose above 10 other nominated goals to claim the accolade, a testament to its technical brilliance and the moment’s significance.
The club concluded their statement with a message of pride and gratitude:
“Well done to our no.17 and thanks to all those who supported him. It’s a goal that we’ll cherish for years to come.”
For Garnacho, this recognition is not just a personal triumph but a moment of inspiration for Manchester United fans worldwide, celebrating what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most memorable goals in recent football history.
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