Month: February 2022

A fan in the stands holds up a foil FA Cup trophy during the Emirates FA Cup third round match at City Ground, Nottingham. Picture date: Sunday January 9, 2022.Chelsea have been drawn away to Championship side Luton Town in the FA Cup fifth round.Manchester City and Tottenham have also been handed away ties to second-tier opposition, visiting Peterborough and Middlesbrough respectively. Middlesbrough qualified for the fifth round after beating Manchester United on penalties on Friday evening.Boreham Wood, the lowest-ranked side left in the competition, will travel to Everton if they beat Bournemouth on Sunday evening.There is one definite all-Premier League tie with Southampton hosting West Ham United, while Liverpool host Norwich City should they overcome Cardiff City on Sunday afternoon....

Manchester United's Anthony Elanga is consoled by team-mates and manager Ralf Rangnick after missing the decisive penalty in the shoot-out after the Emirates FA Cup fourth round match at Old Trafford, Manchester. Picture date: Friday February 4, 2022.Ralf Rangnick blamed Manchester United for their 8-7 penalty defeat to Middlesbrough, the interim manager saying that being knocked out of the FA Cup was “our own fault”.The fourth-round loss at Old Trafford all but ends United’s hopes of ending a five-year trophy drought as Rangnick’s misfiring team are outsiders for the Champions League and 19 points behind Manchester City in the Premier League.While Anthony Elanga missed the crucial spot-kick, Rangnick contended that Matt Crooks’s second half equaliser should not have stood after Duncan Wat...

Alex Berenguer of Athletic celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Copa del Rey Quarter Final match between Athletic Club and Real Madrid at Estadio de San Mames on February 3, 2022 in Bilbao, Spain.A stunning last-minute strike by Athletic Bilbao substitute Alex Berenguer has eliminated Real Madrid from the Spanish Cup.Berenguer scored in the 89th minute to hand giantkillers Bilbao a shock 1-0 win over Real, knocking the European giants out of the Cup in the quarter-finals on Thursday.Athletic, who knocked out Barcelona in the previous round, ended a run of three successive defeats by Real in all competitions over the last two months thanks to Berenguer's last-gasp goal.The home team dominated the game from the start and piled on the pressure on Real until they finally br...

Egypt's forward Mohamed Salah (L) fights for the ball with Cameroon's defender Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2021 semi-final football match between Cameroon and Egypt at Stade d'Olembe in Yaounde on February 3, 2022.Mohamed Salah will face Sadio Mane in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, after Egypt defeated Cameroon on penalties on Thursday.In a tense game, the semi-final finished 0-0 after extra-time before Cameroon missed three penalties in the shootout to send Egypt through, without the Liverpool forward having to step up to the spot.Egypt goalkeeper Gabaski proved to be the hero on the night as he saved penalties from both Harold Moukoudi and James Lea Siliki, before Clinton N’Jie sent his decisive effort wide - sending the Pharaohs through with tw...

Burkina Faso's defender Issa Kabore (L) challenges Senegal's forward Sadio Mane during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2021 semi final football match between Burkina Faso and Senegal at Stade Ahmadou-Ahidjo in Yaounde on February 2, 2022.Liverpool star Sadio Mane led his Senegal side to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final on Sunday with a comfortable 3-1 semi-final success against Burkina Faso.Mane scored in the 87th minute after goals by Abdou Diallo and Idrissa Gueye put Senegal in charge before Blati Toure narrowed the deficit late on.The Liverpool forward showcased his class with a stylishly dinked effort past Soufiane Ouedraogo to send Senegal to their third TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations final.Senegal's forward Sadio Mane (R) scores his team's third goal during the Africa Cu...

Nigeria's head coach Augustine Eguavoen speaks during a press conference in Garoua, January 22, 2022, on the eve of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) football match between Nigeria and Tunisia.The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), yesterday, confirmed that it has received an in-depth technical report on the Super Eagles’ outing at the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroun from the team’s technical crew, led by Augustine Eguavoen.We have received the technical report on the AFCON 2021 and we are currently studying it, in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development. Once the study and appraisal are done with, we will make known our position, NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi said.Nigeria's head coach Augustine Eguavoen and Nigeria's midfielder Wilfred Ndidi ...

Kwon Chang-hoon of Korea Republic celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 0-2 during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifier match between Syria and South Korea at Al Rashid Stadium on February 1, 2022 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.South Korea have become the 14th team to join hosts Qatar and book a place at the 2022 World Cup following a 2-0 defeat of Syria in Dubai.They join Iran as the two automatic qualifiers from Asian group A - Australia are in group B.Two matches remain to be played in the group but South Korea cannot now be caught after goals from Kim Jin-su and Kwon Chang-hoon in the 53rd and 71st minutes earned victory.Qatar will be South Korea's tenth successive appearance at the finals.Kwon Chang-hoon of Korea Republic and Hosam Aiesh of Syria during the FIFA World Cup Qata...

Real Madrid's Gareth Bale is seen prior to the La Liga week 22 match between Real Madrid and Elche at Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain on January 23, 2022.Real Madrid and Wales winger Gareth Bale has taken his love of golf to the next level by agreeing to become a global ambassador for the Royal and Ancient (R&A), the sport’s governing body says.Bale’s enthusiasm for golf was often mocked by fans in Spain as injuries frequently kept the Real Madrid star away from the football pitch but rarely proved a problem when it came to playing on the greens.The 32-year-old had even questioned critics of his golf hobby and became the subject of fan backlash when he posed with a banner reading: “Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order” after Wales qualified for the 2020 European Championship.Gareth's ...