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Lions coach Ogura leaves Singapore football with immediate effect, citing personal matters

Lions coach Ogura leaves Singapore football with immediate effect, citing personal matters

CNA24-06-2025
Singapore's national football coach Tsutomu Ogura has quit after just 16 months at the helm, citing "pressing personal matters". Japanese media reports suggest that he is already in talks with several clubs in Japan. Former BG Tampines Rovers coach Gavin Lee has been installed as interim Lions boss. Stanley Ho and Charlotte Lim report.
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Comeback win gives Germany game plan for semi-final with Spain
Comeback win gives Germany game plan for semi-final with Spain

CNA

time4 minutes ago

  • CNA

Comeback win gives Germany game plan for semi-final with Spain

GENEVA :Germany's gritty win over France has given them a template for how they should play for the rest of the tournament, defender Rebecca Knaak told reporters on Tuesday ahead of her side's Women's Euro semi-final against Spain in Zurich. The Germans had a player sent off and conceded a penalty early on against the French, but recovered to draw 1-1 after extra time and win the quarter-final shootout, pitting the eight-times champions against Spain on Wednesday. "Really, it's the perfect example for passion, strength, mental strength, all these things that are characteristics that we possess," Knaak told a press conference. "Of course, on a tactical basis, we are prepared by the coach and the team, but the basic, fundamental characteristic has been built for the Spanish (game) in the French match." After two first-half red cards in their last two games, coach Christian Wueck is hoping to keep 11 players on the pitch for as long as possible so he can make the most of his attacking talent. "I think we will chase them (Spain) a lot. We won't have a lot of possession, and we will suffer, but we have to find the right moments and take advantage of the right moments to push our game ... we are strong in possession, and this is going to be the big difference, because we want to play on the ball," he told reporters. The Germans have also been disrupted by injuries during the tournament, but Knaak said the sense of togetherness in the squad lessened the impact of losing players. "I think it says a lot about the team that we accepted every situation as it came along. There's so many different, unusual situations, and we adapted, we accepted those situations, and we supported each other," she said. "And at the end, it doesn't really matter who plays next to whom. We are a team, and we have the squad exactly for those reasons, so that we can adapt."

Sailors boost squad with Zurich midfielder Ndenge and Yokohama Marinos striker Lopes
Sailors boost squad with Zurich midfielder Ndenge and Yokohama Marinos striker Lopes

Independent Singapore

timean hour ago

  • Independent Singapore

Sailors boost squad with Zurich midfielder Ndenge and Yokohama Marinos striker Lopes

SINGAPORE: With their sights set not only on defending their domestic titles but also on continuing their impressive form in continental competition, the Lion City Sailors have further strengthened their squads with two notable signings, Tsiy William Ndenge and Anderson Lopes from Grasshopper Club Zurich and Yokohama F. Marinos, respectively. 'The opportunity to sign a player of Anderson's calibre was one we couldn't pass up. He's a proven match-winner with an elite mindset, and that's reflected in his consistently outstanding performances at the highest level of Asian football. We're excited to see what he'll bring to the team,' said Sailors' executive director, Mr Bruce Liang. While Lopes has been plying his trade in Asia with Japanese, Korean, and Chinese clubs, it will be Ndenge's first adventure in this region. Ndenge started his professional football career in Europe with Borussia Monchengladbach in 2015 before moving on loan to Dutch club Roda JC in 2017. The German-born footballer moved to Switzerland for the following campaign and played for FC Luzern before transferring to Zurich in 2022. 'I've had opportunities to continue in Europe, but what drew me to the Lion City Sailors was the clear ambition of the club and the project underway here,' said Ndenge, who made over 90 appearances and scored 15 goals for Zurich. Lion City Sailors new midfielder Tsiy Ndenge in a pre-season training camp in Thailand. (Photo credit: Lion City Sailors) According to the Sailors, the 1.92-m tall central midfielder, who signed a two-year deal with the club, would add steel and stature to their midfield as he brings with him top-tier European experience and a commanding presence in the centre of the park. 'It's an exciting challenge, and I like this feeling of helping a team achieve things that are not done before and create more history. I'm going to give everything to help this club succeed,' added the 28-year-old, who suffered a knee injury during his second season with Zurich. The signing of Brazilian player Lopes from Japanese club Yokohama will undoubtedly add significant depth to the Sailors' striking department, as head coach Rankovic will now be able to deploy a more versatile and potent attacking lineup, which includes prolific striker Maxime Lestienne, Lennart Thy from Germany, and the Lions' attacking player Shawal Anuar. 'I'm thrilled to join the Sailors at such an exciting point in their journey. Their run to the ACL Two final last season really caught my attention, and I've been impressed by the club's vision and ambition to elevate Singapore football,' said 33-year-old Lopes, who inked a three-year deal with the Sailors. 'My objectives are clear: I'm here to contribute, to score goals, to win trophies, and to help the team make a real impact in Asia.' Lopes started his professional career in his native Brazil with Avai FC in 2013 and had spells in K League 1 with FC Seoul and the Chinese Super League with Wuhan FC for the 2018 and 2021 seasons, respectively. He first made his move to Japan with Hiroshima in 2016, and switched to Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo for the 2019 campaign. It was with Yokohama that Lopes made his mark as a feared striker, netting 81 goals in 157 matches across four seasons from 2022 to 2025. In total, the 1.85 m forward racked up 101 career goals in the J1 League across stints with three Japanese clubs. 'To reach 100 goals in a league as competitive as the J1 speaks volumes about his quality, but it's not just about his goal-scoring. Anderson is excellent at holding the ball up and just as capable of creating chances for his teammates. I'm confident he'll be a tremendous asset to the team this season,' said Sailors head coach Aleksandar Ranković. Both the new players, Ndenge and Lopes, have joined up with the rest of the team for the Sailors' pre-season training. The club is currently in Thailand for a training camp from Jul 21 to Aug 1. The latest announcement by the 2024-2025 Singapore Premier League champions comes a week after they secured the services of national team defender Safuwan Baharudin on loan from Malaysia Super League outfit Selangor FC. The Sailors have also offered their head coach, Aleksandar Rankovic, a two-year extension with the club and converted defender Diogo Costa's loan spell into a permanent move after a successful season in which he played a key role in the club's historic treble-winning campaign. Lions City Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic named 'Coach of the Year' for the Singapore Premier League 2024-2025 season. (Photo credit: Lion City Sailors) Since taking the reins in June 2023, the Serbian native has guided the Sailors to four trophies, including a domestic treble last season, winning the Singapore Premier League (SPL) title, Singapore Cup, and Community Shield. Rankovic also lifted the Singapore Cup in 2023, just six months into his tenure with the club. Head coach Rankovic will be looking to continue building on the strong foundation laid during a historic 2024–2025 season, including leading the club to the final of the inaugural Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two. The Sailors became the first Singaporean side to reach the final of a major Asian club competition. Although the team narrowly fell 2-1 to UAE's Sharjah FC, the campaign firmly cemented the Sailors' reputation on the continental stage. Another competition that the Sailors would probably focus on in the new season would be the regional ASEAN Club Championship (Shopee Cup). The Singapore club was probably too focused on the ACL Two tournament last year, as they were eliminated from the Shopee Cup in the group stage. The Sailors ended the inaugural campaign in fifth place, chalking up a win and a draw, and lost their remaining three round-robin matches in the six-team group stage. The new campaign will see the Sailors battling it out in Group B with Johor Darul Ta'zim (Malaysia), Bangkok United (Thailand), Nam Dinh FC (Vietnam), and Svay Rieng (Cambodia). The winners of a playoff between Ezra FC (Laos) and Shan United (Myanmar) will make up the final team in the group. Below are the Sailors fixtures for the 2025 – 2026 ASEAN Shopee Cup Aug 21 – Johor vs Sailors – Sultan Ibrahim Stadium Dec 4 – Bangkok United vs Sailors – BG Stadium Dec 17 – Sailors vs Ezra FC or Shan United – Bishan Stadium Jan 29 – Nam Dinh vs Sailors – Thien Truong Stadium Feb 5 – Sailors vs Svay Rieng – Bishan Stadium

Lions hold firm after scare from First Nations-Pasifika XV
Lions hold firm after scare from First Nations-Pasifika XV

Straits Times

time2 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Lions hold firm after scare from First Nations-Pasifika XV

Rugby Union - AUNZ Invitational XV v British & Irish Lions - Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia - July 12, 2025 Duhan van der Merwe of the Lions celebrates scoring their first try with Hugo Keenan Matt Turner/AAP Image via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. AUSTRALIA OUT. NEW ZEALAND OUT MELBOURNE - The British & Irish Lions were rocked by the underdog spirit of the First Nations & Pasifika XV (FNP) but held on grimly to claim an unconvincing 24-19 win on Tuesday. Centre Jamie Osborne scored a try in each half, and Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe also crossed for the Lions who remain unbeaten on their Australian tour despite producing a largely ragged display at Melbourne's Docklands Stadium. It was full credit to the FNP team, who gave Joe Schmidt's Wallabies a lesson in ferocity at the breakdown and scored tries from Tristan Reilly, Seru Uru and Rob Leota, the last allowing them to creep within five points with less than 10 minutes left. Although the Lions notched their seventh win in succession in Australia, coach Andy Farrell may have more headaches than just selection for Saturday's second test against the Wallabies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where they will bid to seal the series. The claims of his son Owen Farrell for a test jersey were unharmed, though, the former England captain leading from the front as skipper on Tuesday. "Probably wasn't our best performance, but massive, massive credit's got to go to the First Nations and Pasifika boys, thought they came after us tonight," said Owen Farrell. "They got off the line really well, they caused us some trouble ... I'm thankful we got the job done in the end." Farrell was right in the thick of it, charging in to shove Reilly after the hosts' winger hammered into Graham with a try-saving tackle that earned him a yellow card in the fifth minute. Moments later, Farrell set up the Lions' first try with a neat chip over the First Nations' line that Osborne collected and planted down. GRAHAM TRY Farrell had a hand in the second for Scottish winger Graham who streamed through a paddock of space. FNP were 14-0 down after 11 minutes but Reilly returned to the field to intercept a poor Fin Smith pass near the Lions' 22 and jog over for the easiest of tries. Improbably, FNP wiped out the lead with a converted try to Uru, who burrowed over in the 23rd minute. Lions lock James Ryan was yellow-carded in the same play for slowing the ball down at the ruck. Undermanned, the tourists shut out FNPZ for the rest of the half but were lucky to avoid conceding a third try after another interception. Home fans hoping for an upset were buoyant in the crowd of 30,420 but Osborne silenced them soon after the restart, with flyhalf Smith making up for errant passing with a long ball that set up the centre's second try. Still the errors flowed, with forward passes and knock-ons denying the Lions two certain tries before Van der Merwe latched onto a Farrell pass to cross in the corner. Still FNP responded, rumbling the ball to the tryline before Melbourne boy and former Wallaby Leota barged through a crack to trim the deficit to five points in the 71st minute. The drums were beating among the Pacific Islanders in the terraces but the Lions did well to lock down and ensure they head into the second Wallabies test with winning form. "Not many people gave us a chance," said FNP's man-of-the-match Charlie Gamble. "We showed that we deserve to be out there, and we played very hard for each other." REUTERS

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