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EPL: Southampton relegated in record time after Tottenham defeat
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Southampton were relegated from the Premier League in record-setting time after a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday ended their brief stay in the top-flight.
Brennan Johnson struck twice in the first half and Mateus Fernandes’s late reply was too late to stop bottom of the table Southampton crashing back to the Championship.
Beaten for the 25th time in 31 games, Southampton are the first Premier League team to be relegated with seven matches still to play.
Ipswich and Derby were relegated with six games left in 1994-95 and 2007-08, respectively.
Ivan Juric’s side are also still one shy of matching Derby’s 2007-08 record low Premier League total points of 11.
Juric, whose team are without a win in their last seven league matches, admitted this week that avoiding the record low points tally is Southampton’s only target for the rest of their dismal season.
Southampton were pushed to the brink of relegation when fourth-bottom Wolves came from behind to beat Ipswich 2-1 on Saturday, leaving Saints 22 points from safety.
Their slide down to the second tier was confirmed 315 days after they clinched promotion by beating Leeds in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.
Russell Martin was architect of Southampton’s success in the Championship with an attacking approach, but his insistence on sticking to those tactics backfired badly in the top flight.
Martin was sacked in December after a 5-0 defeat against Tottenham left Southampton bottom of the table with just five points from 16 games.
Former Roma boss Juric was hired to replace Martin on an 18-month contract, but the Croatian was unable to save Southampton from going down with a whimper.
– No reprieve –
Tottenham have been in turmoil themselves for much of the season, with fan protests against chairman Daniel Ley before and during the game underlining the depth of the problems in north London.
But under-fire boss Ange Postecoglou, who was jeered by Tottenham fans during Thursday’s defeat at Chelsea, earned a little breathing space at Southampton’s expense.
Trying to avoid their lowest finish since 1993-94 — when they came 15th — Tottenham’s first win in five league games lifted them to 13th place.
It was a much-needed boost before their Europa League quarter-final first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.
Postecoglou’s men took the lead in the 13th minute when Johnson fired into the roof of the net from Djed Spence’s cut-back for his 15th goal in all competitions this season.
That spelt doom for Southampton, who haven’t won a single league game this season after conceding the opening goal.
Lucas Bergvall’s close-range finish was disallowed for offside after the kind of protracted VAR check that has driven Postecoglou to claim the system is “killing the game”.
It was only a temporary reprieve as Wales forward Johnson doubled Tottenham’s advantage with a composed finish from James Maddison’s header in the 42nd minute.
Despite their team’s predicament, Southampton fans packed into one corner of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hadn’t lost their sense of humour, chanting “Que sera, sera… we’re going to Coventry” as the clock ticked down on their stay in the top tier.
In a moment of quality at odds with their woeful campaign, Fernandes chested down and fired past Tottenham keeper Guglielmo Vicario in the 90th minute.
There was no late comeback as Wellington fouled Johnson and Mathys Tel converted the penalty to confirm Southampton’s demise.
AFP
England booked their place in the World Cup round of 32 as Group L winners after a dominant second-half display earned a 2-0 victory over Panama, with Harry Kane setting a new national scoring record at the tournament.
After a subdued first-half performance that echoed their goalless draw against Ghana earlier in the group stage, England finally found their rhythm after the interval to secure maximum points and top the group standings.
Jude Bellingham broke the deadlock midway through the second half, reacting quickest to convert from a corner and hand England a deserved breakthrough, according to Reuters.
The midfielder turned provider five minutes later, delivering a pinpoint cross for captain Harry Kane, who powered home a header to double England’s advantage.
The goal saw Kane become England’s highest-ever scorer at the FIFA World Cup with 11 goals, surpassing the previous record of 10 held by legendary striker Gary Lineker.
The victory confirmed England’s progress to the round of 32 as Group L champions, where they will face one of the tournament’s third-placed qualifiers in the knockout stage. – June 28, 2026
Cape Verde inscribed their name into FIFA World Cup history on Friday, becoming the smallest nation ever to reach the tournament’s knockout stage after holding Saudi Arabia to a goalless draw in their final Group H clash in Houston.
The island nation, with a population of just over 600,000, secured qualification from Group H after finishing unbeaten, collecting three points from three draws against Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia.
We are small,” said Vozinha, Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper who embodied the grit of his nation. “But we have big hearts and we are fighters.”
The tournament debutants pulled off one of the World Cup’s biggest surprises by playing pre-tournament favorites Spain to a scoreless draw in its opener.
They followed that up by scoring their first goals of the World Cup in a 2-2 tie against Uruguay.
With Friday’s draw, they finish undefeated on three points and take second place in Group H behind 2010 winners Spain and a point ahead of two-time World Cup champions Uruguay.
Cape Verde will face defending champions Argentina next up in a round-of-32 matchup in Miami Gardens, Florida, on July 3.
France maintained their perfect start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a commanding 4-1 victory over Norway on Friday, thanks to a first-half hat-trick from Ousmane Dembélé that sealed top spot in Group I.
The French winger struck in the seventh, 20th and 32nd minutes, with two of his goals set up by captain Kylian Mbappé and the third assisted by Aurélien Tchouaméni. Désiré Doué added a fourth deep into stoppage time to complete another dominant display by Didier Deschamps’ side.
Norway briefly threatened a comeback when Thelo Aasgaard pulled one back in the 21st minute after being set up by Andreas Schjelderup. However, the Scandinavians struggled to break down the French defence for the remainder of the contest despite enjoying more possession after the interval.
France, who had already secured qualification before kick-off, completed the group stage with three wins from three, underlining their credentials as one of the favourites for the World Cup title. Mbappé once again played a key role, providing two assists before being substituted late in the game.
The result ensured Norway also progressed to the Round of 32 despite the defeat, having already booked qualification with victories in their opening two matches.
France will now head into the knockout stage with maximum points and growing momentum, while Norway will look to regroup before their Round of 32 clash after suffering their first defeat of the tournament.
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