Sports

Man United Crash Out Of FA Cup After Penalty Shootout Loss To Fulham

Published

7 months ago

March 3, 2025

Man United’s dismal season hit a new low as the FA Cup holders crashed out after a 4-3 penalty shoot-out defeat against Fulham in the fifth round on Sunday.

Ruben Amorim’s side trailed to Calvin Bassey’s first-half opener at Old Trafford before Bruno Fernandes equalised to force a 1-1 draw after extra time.

Fulham keeper Bernd Leno was the hero in the shoot-out as he saved from Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee, with the visitors converting all four of their kicks.

Booed off at half-time, it was another wretched result for United in a season that sees them languishing in 14th place in the Premier League.

The 13-time FA Cup winners had reached the final for the last two seasons and beat Manchester City to lift the trophy last year.

But there will be no trip to Wembley this season for United, who have only the Europa League left as a silverware chance.

It has been another testing week at Old Trafford, with 200 job cuts announced and United struggling to draw with Everton and barely beat lowly Ipswich.

Amorim admitted that life is “hard” just now for United and this was the latest hammer blow to the under-fire Portuguese coach, who only arrived in November to replace the sacked Erik ten Hag.

United head to Real Sociedad for the Europa League last 16 first leg on Thursday before hosting Arsenal in the Premier League.

It didn’t take long for Amorim to realise United were in for another dispiriting afternoon.

Rasmus Hojlund fired over from an acute angle after Christian Eriksen’s cross found the much-maligned United striker, whose goalless drought has now reached 18 games.

Eriksen’s curler was fisted away by Leno, but that did little to satisfy fans frustrated by years of underachievement.

– United woe –
Abusive chants directed at United owners the Glazer family and Jim Ratcliffe were audible in the first half, while banners criticising ticket price increases were displayed in the stands.

Fulham threatened for the first time when Sasa Lukic headed over from Alex Iwobi’s cross.

It was a warning United failed to heed as Fulham snatched the lead with their first shot on target seconds before half-time.

United’s weakness at set-pieces was exposed as Andreas Pereira’s corner was flicked on by Rodrigo Muniz and Bassey reacted quicker than Noussair Mazraoui to head home from six yards.

Amorim left Alejandro Garnacho on the bench for the first 53 minutes after the Argentine’s petulant response to being substituted against Ipswich.

The 20-year-old had stormed straight down the tunnel in an incident that Amorim said had been resolved after the winger agreed to buy dinner for his team-mates.

Amorim was forced to turn to Garnacho with United trailing, his introduction sparking a roar from the stands but little improvement from his team.

United keeper Andre Onana had to plunge to his right to stop Emile Smith Rowe increasing Fulham’s lead.

Not for the first time this season, United captain Fernandes papered over the cracks for a while.

Fernandes hauled his side level in the 71st minute, meeting Diogo Dalot’s cross with a superb low finish into the far corner from 12 yards.

Yet, although United had come from behind to beat Ipswich and draw with Everton, there would be no escape act this time.

Onana denied Smith Rowe in stoppage-time, setting up a scrappy extra-time period featuring few chances until Chido Obi nearly squeezed his shot past Leno.

Ryan Sessegnon went close with a powerful effort that Onana pushed away, but United’s fate was finally sealed in a nerve-wracking shoot-out.

Sports

PHOTOS: Fulham Marks Nigeria’s Independence Day With Players, Staff At Motspur Park

Published

4 hours ago

October 2, 2025

Editor

Alex Iwobi at Nigeria's Independence Day party alongside other Fulham players and members of staff

English Premier League club Fulham on Tuesday hosted a gathering for its Nigerian players and staff to mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day anniversary.

The event, held at the club’s Motspur Park training ground, brought together members of Fulham’s Nigerian contingent, including Super Eagles internationals Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, and Samuel Chukwueze.

Club officials said the occasion was organised to recognise the contributions of its Nigerian players and to celebrate their country’s national day.

Photographs from the gathering showed the Nigerian trio joined by several of their non-Nigerian teammates, who participated in the celebration.

The get-together included light refreshments and informal conversations, with the players using the opportunity to reflect on Nigeria’s place in football and beyond.

Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom on 1 October 1960, and the 2025 celebration marked its 65th year as a sovereign nation.

Sports

UCL: Spurs Snatch Late 2-2 Draw At Bodo/Glimt

Published

1 day ago

October 1, 2025

Editor

Tottenham emerged from a chastening trip to the Arctic Circle with a 2-2 draw in the league phase of the Champions League thanks to a late own-goal by Bodo/Glimt’s Jostein Gundersen.

Local-born Jens Petter Hauge scored a brace for the impressive hosts before Micky van de Ven and the 89th-minute own-goal snatched a point for Thomas Frank’s Europa League winners.

The repeat of last year’s Europa League semi-final, which Spurs won 5-1 on aggregate, looked set to finish as a first win for Champions League debutants Bodo/Glimt until the late drama.

The result leaves Spurs on four points after an opening win against Villarreal, while Bodo/Glimt have back-to-back 2-2 draws following their late equaliser last time out at Slavia Prague.

Playing at home for the very first time in Europe’s top-club competition, Bodo/Glimt grew into the occasion and soon took a firm grip ahold the match.

The referee awarded a penalty to the dominant hosts shortly after the half-hour when Rodrigo Bentancur followed through and caught Fredrik Andre Bjorkan.

But Kasper Hogh’s woes from the spot in the league phase this year continued as his effort flew over the crossbar — following on from his saved effort against Slavia Prague on matchday one.

Spurs remained penned in their own half through the rest of the first period, and Bodo/Glimt’s dominance finally paid off eight minutes after the break when Hauge curled in from inside the box.

The jubilant scenes at the Aspmyra Stadion were curtailed two minutes later when Pedro Porro’s free-kick drifted onto the post and Bentancur turned in the rebound.

However, the yellow-clad mass of Norwegian fans soon roared again as VAR spotted a foul by Van de Ven as Porro’s cross came in and the referee disallowed the goal.

Hauge doubled Bodo/Glimt’s lead in the 66th minute with a rifled left-footed finish that flew past Guglielmo Vicario after the 25-year-old had glided easily past Porro on the edge of the box.

Porro and Van de Ven made amends for their errors two minutes later when the Dutchman headed home the right-back’s pinpoint cross to give Spurs hope.

Tottenham manager Frank rang the substitutions in search of a leveller, and replacement Destiny Udogie found Wilson Odobert, but the Frenchman’s header glanced off the woodwork on 85 minutes.

The hosts responded to the pressure as Andreas Helmersen hit the crossbar down the other end.

But it was heartbreak in the end for Bodo/Glimt as Spurs forced an 89th-minute equaliser when Nikita Haikin’s save smashed into the stomach of Gundersen from close range and trickled over the line — the leveller validated after a length check for offside.
AFP

Sports

UCL: Galatasaray Beat Liverpool 1-0 As Osimhen Shines

Published

1 day ago

October 1, 2025

Editor

Liverpool slumped to a shock 1-0 Champions League defeat to Galatasaray on Tuesday as Victor Osimhen’s 16th-minute penalty handed the Turkish giants victory.

The English champions were punished for the latest in a series of poor performances in Istanbul as they suffered back-to-back defeats for only the second time under Arne Slot.

Liverpool were beaten for the first time this season at Crystal Palace on Saturday, but a series of late winners have masked an unconvincing start since a summer transformation of the squad that strolled to the Premier League title last season.

Slot responded by leaving Mohamed Salah and £125 million ($168 million) signing Alexander Isak on the bench among four changes.

The Dutchman was scathing in his assessment of Liverpool’s first-half performance at Palace as only Alisson Becker prevented an embarrassing half-time score.

However, Slot got little in the way of a response in another disjointed display from his array of star names.

Galatasaray had been thrashed 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt to start their Champions League campaign.

The Turkish champions are a far more formidable force on home soil, though, and made the most of Liverpool’s defensive deficiencies.

Slot’s decision to play midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back backfired.

Baris Alper Yilmaz gave the visitors a warning of the threat down Galatasaray’s left when he failed to beat Alisson when one-on-one with the Brazilian.

Liverpool should have led just seconds before they fell behind.

Hugo Ekitike was denied by Ugurcan Cakir as he tried to round the goalkeeper and Ismail Jakobs cleared Cody Gakpo’s follow-up effort off the line.

Galatasaray swiftly broke upfield and Yilmaz was awarded a soft penalty for a stray Szoboszlai arm into the Turkish international’s face.

Osimhen had previously seen a Champions League penalty saved by Alisson, but this time converted the resulting spot-kick.

Florian Wirtz has struggled badly to deliver on his £100 million price tag and is still waiting for his first Liverpool goal after his effort was turned behind by Cakir, while Ibrahima Konate headed just off target from a corner before half-time.

Konate’s poor form has been a major factor in the Reds’ defensive issues at the start of the season and the Frenchman nearly cost his side a second goal early in the second half.

Alisson saved his teammate’s blushes with another save from Osimhen but at a cost as the Liverpool number one suffered an injury sprinting off his line and had to be replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Slot introduced Salah and Isak on the hour mark, but Liverpool were still an impotent attacking force.

Isak fired tamely into the arms of Cakir with his first touch.

The closest the visitors came to a response was when French referee Clement Turpin intially pointed to the spot by a foul on Konate, but overturned his decision after a VAR review.

Instead it was Galatasaray who were inches away from the second goal of the night in stoppage time when Lucas Torreira drilled a shot just wide.

AFP