All posts by h716a5.icu

A new format for the Women's Champions League and the creation of a second European competition has been given the green light by UEFA.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

New format for Women's Champions LeagueSecond European competition to be createdChanges to come in for 2025-26 seasonWHAT HAPPENED?

The UEFA Executive Committee met in Hamburg on Saturday to approve a new format for the UEFA Women's Champions League and the creation of a second European competition for women's clubs. The committee ruled that these changes will come into effect for the 2025-26 season. The revamped Champions League will consist of an 18-team league phase with three home and away matches followed by knock-out rounds.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

These changes will bring the women's game in line with the men's Champions League, which will use this 'Swiss model' format from next season – where there is one big group rather than multiple groups of four teams. The creation of a first-ever second European competition is another step in the development of women's football.

DID YOU KNOW?

The men's game has had a second tier European competition since 1971, in what was called the UEFA Cup and since 2009 has been called the Europa League.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT?

UEFA say full details on the aforementioned competitions' formats, access list and calendar will be announced on Monday, December 4.

Ahead of Tuesday's 2022 World Cup qualifying decider in Abuja, we look at five of Otto Addo's possible weapons against the Super Eagles

GettyJoseph Wollacott

The Swindon Town goalkeeper put up a fine display in Friday’s first leg fixture in Kumasi, producing some crucial saves, particularly on Moses Simon’s goal-bound shot. Another good day at the office on Tuesday can massively frustrate the hosts.

AdvertisementGettyDaniel Amartey

The most experienced man in Ghana’s backline, the Leicester City defender kept Nigeria danger man Victor Osimhen quiet on Friday. Should the centre-back find his rhythm again, he could significantly contribute to spoiling the Super Eagles’ party in Abuja.

Goal Kenya.Thomas Partey

By his own standard, Partey did not exactly live up to expectations on Friday. But by what he has shown at club level for Arsenal in recent times, the former Atletico Madrid man is more than capable of silencing Nigeria’s midfield.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyMohammed Kudus

Kudus had a quiet first half on Friday but raised his game after the break. A repeat of his second half performance on Tuesday, or probably something even better, could spell doom for the hosts.

As the Red Devils unveil their new away shirt for the 2023-24 season, GOAL ranks United's most stylish kits they've worn on the road

'Oh what fun it is to see United win away!' Manchester United's remarkable success in the Premier League era has owed a lot to the team's excellent form on the road, helped by having some of the loudest and most dedicated travelling fans in the division.

And they have had some exceptional away kits to accompany them on their journeys. But the less said about the team's away form in the 2022-23 season, the better.

And so as United unveil their opinion-splitting away kit for for 2023-24, GOAL ranks their previous efforts – and there's no room for the grey 'invisible' kit from Southampton in 1996!

Getty102001-02: Two for the price of one

The club released this reversible away and third kit to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of changing their name from Newton Heath to Manchester United. It was a gift for fans who liked getting value for their money, as they effectively got two shirts for the price of one.

The team wore the white shirt more often, the highlight being the epic FA Cup third-round clash at Aston Villa when they came from two goals down to win 3-2, sparking a huge pitch invasion.

The gold kit had less happy memories, such as back-to-back defeats at Arsenal in the League Cup and the Premier League, when Fabian Barthez made two howlers in a matter of minutes to gift Thierry Henry two goals.

AdvertisementGetty92012-14: Van Persie's clinical season

After agonisingly missing out on the 2011-12 Premier League title to Sergio Aguero's 94th-minute goal for Manchester City, Sir Alex Ferguson demanded a prolific striker to ensure his side wrestled the title back from City. He got Robin van Persie, who had just had his best season with Arsenal and would need no time to bed in.

The Dutchman was outstanding in his first campaign, and some of his best moments came wearing this white away kit. One of his first away matches was at Southampton, when he missed a penalty but came roaring back to score a hat-trick, snatching a 3-2 win with an added-time header.

He had another day to remember while wearing the shirt at Anfield, scoring a late spot-kick to seal a 2-1 comeback win. Van Persie won the Golden Boot with 26 Premier League goals while United stormed their way to their 20th league title. Fittingly, the Dutchman bagged a hat-trick to mathematically seal it against Aston Villa.

Getty82016-17: Europa League glory in blue

Blue is not the first colour that comes to mind when you think of Manchester United, but it was fitting that the team wore this shirt in the Europa League final against Ajax. They had won their first European Cup in 1968 while wearing blue, and the colours served them well as they coasted to a 2-0 win in Stockholm.

It was a poignant night, as it came just two days after the shocking Manchester Arena bombing. On a day when the world was watching, the team did their city proud.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images7 2020-21: Unbeaten away all season

When United slumped to their eighth away defeat of the 2022-23 season by losing at West Ham, it was hard to believe that only two years ago the same team went 29 matches without losing an away game in the Premier League. That included the entirety of the 2020-21 season, when the Red Devils made a habit of staging comebacks away from home.

Of course, the fact there were no fans in stadiums during that season due to coronavirus restrictions helped United' achieve this impressive record, but they were the only team in the league to end the campaign unbeaten on the road.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side overturned deficits at West Ham, Everton, Sheffield United and Southampton, the latter two while wearing their black away kit (the less said about the ghastly third kit, which resembled a zebra, the better).

It was at St Mary's that Edinson Cavani had one of the finest moments of his brief two-year spell with the club, equalising with a diving header after coming off the bench then sealing a 3-2 victory in added time with another header.

USMNT star Matt Turner admits that he was a “baseball and basketball guy” growing up and did not take his own goal kicks until the age of 20.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Favoured other sports growing upNow a Premier League playerIs always looking to improveWHAT HAPPENED?

The United States international has progressed rapidly from that point, with 33 senior caps won with his country. Turner has also starred in MLS for the New England Revolution, earning him a transfer to Premier League giants Arsenal and eventually on to Nottingham Forest.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT THEY SAID

Turner has a come long in a relatively short space of time, with the New Jersey native telling of his upbringing and being a late bloomer in football terms: “The World Cup in 2010 was really what got me into the sport. That's when I was 16 and started playing soccer, or football, year round after that. Before that, I kind of flirted with the idea of playing. Both my older sisters played, but really I was more a baseball guy, a basketball guy and they are the sports I played since I could walk. I couldn't take my own goal kicks until I was 20 years old. I just didn't have the ability or strength to really lift the ball up into the air. I was always that goalkeeper that was asking the centre-back to come take his goal kicks. The hard thing for me was catching up with my technique.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Having completed that process, Turner believes that he still has plenty left to achieve in the game. At 29 years of age, and having joined Forest for £10 million ($12m) over the summer, he added on his past, present and future: “I knew that if I wanted to be on the pitch I had to take care of what I could take care of – which was defending the goal. That is basically what I built my career off of – being solid and consistent. Then those other areas of my game have been developing over the last few years. The great part of starting so late is that, yes, I'm 29 but I really do feel young. I feel like I have so much to learn and to grow. And that is how I approach every day. I don't approach every day thinking I'm where I can be, and I'm at my maximum and that I can't learn anything more today to make tomorrow better. That couldn't be more opposite to how I view every day.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Turner has quickly made the number one spot his own at the City Ground, having struggled for regular game time at Arsenal, and will be hoping to retain starting duties with the USMNT through to a home World Cup in 2026.

Younis Khan has called the PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan to apologise for his actions during the Pakistan Cup in Faisalabad

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Apr-2016Younis Khan has called the PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan to apologise for his actions during the Pakistan Cup in Faisalabad. Younis, the captain of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had been fined 50% of his match fee for breaching level 2 of the PCB domestic code of conduct – his offences reportedly including questioning an umpiring decision, showing dissent and threatening an umpire – during the match against Punjab on Friday. He had refused to show up for his disciplinary hearing, and left for Karachi, his city of residence.”Younis Khan made telephonic contact with chairman PCB Shaharyar Khan today,” the PCB said in a statement. “He felt sorry for the incident that happened during the ongoing Pakistan Cup in Faisalabad. He appraised the Chairman about his willingness to participate in the remainder of the tournament.”Younis and the Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq are advisors to Shaharyar on cricketing affairs. In view of this, the statement quoted Younis as saying it was “obligatory on my part to participate in the premier [one-day] domestic tournament for the larger interest of the promotion of the game in the country.”Despite the call, the PCB said the charges leveled against Younis remained in place and the case would be processed accordingly.

AC Milan poked fun at rivals Inter after a masked Kanye West watched them play at San Siro, jokingly welcoming some A-list celebrities at training.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

West watches Inter-Atletico at San SiroRap legend attends in all-black maskAC Milan poke fun at appearance with videoGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The rap legend made an impromptu appearance at the Nerazzurri's 1-0 home victory over Atletico on Wednesday, watching on as Inter took a narrow advantage into their Champions League last-16 second leg. West did, however, appear in a completely blacked out mask to hide his identity in a wardrobe choice he has adopted at recent events. Inter's rivals Milan couldn't resist a cheeky dig, claiming the likes of Dua Lipa, Tom Cruise and Will Smith were in attendance at their training centre in similar masked outfits.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Despite Milan's jokey post, West's appearance at San Siro was genuine. The American rapper featured after recently collaborating with Inter's Curva Nord ultras for two tracks on his latest 'Vultures 1' album alongside Ty Dolla Sign. The Italy links also extend to wife Bianca Censori, who is of Italian-Australian heritage.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR INTER?

With West watching on from afar, Serie A's runaway leaders again got the business done on the continental stage. They narrowly missed out on a fourth European crown in last year's final to Manchester City.

James Anderson has overtaken Ian Botham to become the leading wicket taker in Tests for England

George Dobell at North Sound17-Apr-20151:11

Dobell: Anderson essential to England for a decade

James Anderson overtook Ian Botham to become the leading wicket-taker in Tests for England on the final day in Antigua.Anderson went into this, his 100th Test, with 380 victims. The wicket of Marlon Samuels drew him level with Botham’s previous mark of 383, which has stood since 1986, before he dismissed Denesh Ramdin, edging to Alastair Cook at slip, in the final session as England pressed for victory to set a new benchmark.”My immediate emotion was we were back in the game, hoping to get the win,” he told shortly after the match ended in a draw. “I’m hugely proud, great to have my family here, to take the record from an English legend is a huge moment.”I love taking wickets, I love playing for England and that’s all I’m bothered about. You pick up milestones along the way but it’s a dream come true to play for England. Hopefully I can carry on for a few more years.”The wicket also moved Anderson up to 14th on the list of all-time leading wicket-takers in Test cricket. Still aged just 32, there seems every possibility that Anderson will go far beyond 400 Test wickets. Only five men have reached 500 but, with England playing 17 Tests in the next nine months, Anderson will have plenty of opportunity to extend his record.His family were in attendance at the ground as was Botham in his role as a TV commentator and he met Anderson on the outfield when the match ended in a draw.Record-holders old and new: Ian Botham chats to James Anderson•Getty ImagesCongratulations soon appeared on Twitter, including from close friend Graeme Swann who posted: “Brilliant work by @jimmy9 to surpass Sir Ian Botham as our leading Test bowler. So proud of my mate. Really happy Cooky got the catch too.”Anderson, who took a five-wicket haul on his Test debut against Zimbabwe at Lord’s in May 2003, has developed a reputation as one of the best swing bowlers in world cricket and has enjoyed success in India, South Africa and Australia. His career has encompassed Ashes wins at home and abroad, a Test series win in India and a brief period at No. 1 in the rankings.But it has also involved two Ashes whitewashes and a painful period out of the side after sustaining a stress fracture of the back. He is the only specialist bowler ever to play 100 Tests for England and only the seventh in total.He was rated “probably the most skilful bowler I’ve played with or against” by Cook, on the eve of the game, while Viv Richards said he ranked among “the great English fast bowlers” such as Botham and Bob Willis.Only four England bowlers – Anderson, Botham, Willis and Fred Trueman – have taken 300 Test wickets, though Stuart Broad, who was also playing in this Test currently has 267 and could well join them.

The inaugural award is set to be a tightly fought contest between women's best footballers

It is the first time a women's Ballon d'Or is being awarded, with the male version one of most prestigious individual trophies in world sport since first being issued by France Football magazine in 1965.

Brazilian veteran Marta, winner of FIFA's best player in 2018, is the favourite to take out the honour, with Danish attacker Pernille Harder and Australian flyer Samantha Kerr expected to provide competition.

Goal has compiled a list of the 15 nominees for the award that will be handed out in a Paris ceremony on December 3.

Getty Images1Christine Sinclair (Canada) – PortlandThe oldest player in the nominee field at 35, Sinclair is fresh of a ripping season for Portland, in which she scored nine goals as the team fell just short in the NWSL final.AdvertisementJohn David Mercer2Wendie Renard (France) – Olympique LyonThe imposing centre-half stands at a beastly 187cm tall. She was a FIFA FIFPro World XI member in 2015 and 2016.Getty Images3Megan Rapinoe (USA) – SeattleThe USA veteran has been at the top of her game for many years as a midfielder with the US national team and a variety of other clubs including Olympique Lyon and most recently Seattle.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images4Lieke Martens (Netherlands) – BarcelonaWinner of last year's The Best FIFA Women's Player and also the UEFA equivalent, Martens is likely to be a contender this time around.

South Korea have produced some great goal scorers on the international stage

South Korea have had some incredible goal scorers throughout the years as they developed into one of Asia's dominant forces at the international stage.

We all know Tottenham superstar Son Heung-min, who is arguably one of the greatest-ever players from Asia.

But what about the legendary Cha Bum-kun, winner of the UEFA Cup with Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen at club level.

Or Hwang Sun-hong, who enjoyed spells in Germany and Japan and featured at multiple World Cups?!

Who are South Korea's greatest goal-getters, though?

Let's take a look!

Getty1Cha Bum-kun | 58 goals

The greatest goalscorer to play for South Korea with 58 international goals, Cha Bum-kun enjoyed a successful stint in the Bundesliga at Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen at club level.

Cha made his debut for the senior national team at the 1972 AFC Asian Cup, with his most memorable performance coming in the 1976 Korea Cup ,when he scored a hat-trick against Malaysia within five minutes to help South Korea salvage a 4-4 draw.

The winger played his last international tournament at the World Cup in 1986.

Advertisement©J.LEAGUE2Hwang Sun-hong | 50 goals

Part of South Korea's three World Cup campaigns in 1990, 1994 and 2002, Hwang Sun-hong scored 50 international goals in 103 games between 1988 and 2002.

He made a name for himself at his first appearance at the AFC Asian Cup in 1988, when he scored his first and second international goals against Japan and Iran respectively.

Hwang was included in South Korea's World Cup squad in 1990 after scoring seven goals in the qualifying campaign, but his performance at the World Cup was somewhat disappointing as his country were knocked out in the group stages.

The 1994 World Cup was Sun-hong's toughest phase as a footballer as he missed a number of opportunities to score in their first two group games, leading to South Korea's early elimination.

Hwang's best performance for South Korea came at the 1994 Asian Games when he scored eight goals in his team's 11-0 win against Nepal.

3Son Heung-min | 37 goals

South Korea's greatest active goal-scorer, Son Heung-min has scored 35 goals for his country to date.

Son made his debut for the national team in 2010 and represented his country at the World Cup in 2014 and 2018 respectively.

He is currently South Korea's joint top scorer at World Cups, tied with Park Ji-Sung and Ahn Jung-hwan on three goals.

The Tottenham Hotspur star helped South Korea win the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games and also represented his team at the AFC Asian Cup in 2011, 2015 and 2019.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

4Park Lee-chun | 36 goals

Next up on the list of South Korea's all-time top goal scorers is Park Lee-chun with 36 goals in 89 appearances.

In his time with the national team between 1969 and 1974, Park led South Korea to the final of the 1972 AFC Asian Cup, which they lost.

He was also part of the team that won the Gold medal at the 1970 Asian Games held in Thailand in 1970.

In the semi-finals of the tournament, Park scored the winning goal in extra-time against Japan, before drawing 0-0 with Burma in the final, thus sharing the gold.

Cristiano Ronaldo Junior got to watch his dad fire Portugal to Euro 2024, with the youngster mesmerised by a giant ‘200’ tifo prior to kick-off.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

All-time great in Euro 2024 qualifying actionRecord acknowledged prior to kick-offSecured place at another major finalsWHAT HAPPENED?

The youngster was in attendance for a qualification clash with Slovakia that saw his father bag another brace. Ronaldo senior was once again the star of the show for his country as he dominated proceedings before, during and after.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ronaldo continues to rewrite the record books, becoming the first player in the history of men’s international football to reach 200 caps. That achievement was recognised prior to kick-off in Porto on Friday.

InstagramDID YOU KNOW?

Cristiano Jr sat in the stands – proudly wearing a Sporting jersey at the home of their arch-rivals – and looked on with glee as the efforts of his father were acknowledged. Georgina Rodriguez posted a video on her Instagram account of the 13-year-old taking everything in.

InstagramENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Portugal are now guaranteed to take part at next summer’s European Championship in Germany and it is likely that Cristiano Jr and Georgina will be in attendance again at that event. Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, who is playing his club football in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr, is reportedly looking to prolong his career through to the 2026 World Cup finals.