Jamal Musiala injury update: Bayern Munich star stretchered off vs. PSG
Musiala required significant treatment in the final seconds of the first half of Saturday's game after an awkward collision between him and Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma caused what looked on replay like a potentially severe injury.
BAYERN VS. PSG: Highlights from Club World Cup showdown
Donnarumma, upon seeing the nature of the injury, was one of several players to look distraught on the field, with referee Anthony Taylor calling the first half to a close as team trainers attended to Musiala. Serge Gnabry was brought on to replace Musiala during the halftime break.
The 22-year-old, a major player for Bayern and the German national team, is among the world's premier attacking midfielders, and the Bundesliga powerhouse does not have a straightforward option to replace him.
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New York Times
10 minutes ago
- New York Times
Euro 2025 roundup: Spain's dominance, too hot to play and key set pieces for underdogs
Four days into Euro 2025, we've seen every side in action once. Keeping track of 24 matches across 12 days is a daunting task. The Athletic's Michael Cox watched every match to bring you the moments you may have missed. In a slow-burning but eventually enjoyable opening round of the competition, there have been eight victories and no draws thus far. Here are some early patterns. Advertisement Tournaments aren't won on the strength of performances in the first round of group matches. But on the evidence so far, Spain are on a different planet from the other 15 teams in the competition. Starting at a remarkably high tempo against Portugal, they were ahead inside three minutes, 4-0 up by half-time, and pretty much killed the game after that. Ultimately, 5-0 was a fair reflection of their dominance. Amongst their star performers were the authoritative holding midfielder Patri Guijarro, the elusive Claudia Pina and the quick-footed Vicky Lopez, all familiar to anyone with even a passing knowledge of Barcelona. But it's significant that none of that trio played in Spain's triumph at World Cup 2023. So while it was the same old Spain with silky possession play, it was also a side with even more quality in attacking positions, and a newfound desire to go long, as two of their balls came from lofted passes over the opposition. We're yet to see their backline tested properly, but this was a terrifyingly good attacking performance. Much of the focus at the men's Club World Cup has been on the heat. Across the Atlantic at Euro 2025, temperatures in Switzerland are less extreme, but still testing. And it's clearly affected the matches. This has been a particular problem with the games played at 6pm local time, which have been extremely sluggish. There has been a notably high number of players suffering from cramp, often at a relatively early stage. Two of the four 6pm games were 0-0 at half-time. The other two featured openers in the 44th and 45th minutes. The opening match between Finland and Iceland was incredibly standoffish, with neither side looking to close down in the opposition's half at all. That's partly simply a tactical thing — both sides naturally sit deep — but the conditions seemed to dissuade any kind of positional bravery. Italy's 1-0 win over Belgium in the second 6pm kickoff was similarly slow, with Belgium attacker Hannah Eurlings explaining how the conditions affected her side. 'We had more possession and created better chances, but maybe the big, big chances didn't materialise today. It may be because of the weather,' she said. 'Normally, we're good on counters, but it was hard with every ball we won.' Sweden's 1-0 win over Denmark was more open, but it's worth noting the majority of the pitch in Geneva was in shade. It's rare to see the warm weather blamed for a lack of countering, rather than a lot of pressing, but it's also understandable. The players didn't have the capacity to sprint. Some other players have been reluctant to blame the conditions publicly, but have acknowledged it's been an issue. Advertisement The most obvious summary of the situation is the goal tally. There were six goals from the four 6pm matches, and 13 goals from the 9pm matches. Thankfully, there are only four more 6pm kickoffs. Thereafter, everything is at 9pm, and the action should be all the better for it. There are only a few sides truly capable of winning matches with sparkling football. The way for the outsiders to narrow the gap is, in part, through set pieces. But, by and large, the set-piece delivery in the competition so far has been underwhelming. It was a particular issue for Belgium in their defeat to Italy. Belgium consistently had corners or free kicks and a chance to test an Italian backline who struggled in this sense at World Cup 2023, but Tessa Wullaert's ball was overhit and the chance was wasted. At that World Cup, there was an obvious trend of sides playing inswinging corners to great effect, and when balls have been put into the box here, they've generally been that type of delivery. But there's also been a curious tendency to play short corners. Some of these, like an early one in that aforementioned Italy game, prompted a wayward return pass that went out for a goal kick. England played a dreadful short corner in their loss to France. There is some logic to short corners, but there's also a great deal to be said for inswinging corners in the women's game, where goalkeepers often struggle to deal with high balls under the bar. Ada Hegerberg's thumping equaliser for Norway against hosts Switzerland was a good advert for getting it in the mixer, and getting your best striker on the end of the cross. In terms of formation, there's been considerably more variety than at Euro 2022. In their opening games, six sides — Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and Wales — used a back three. That's quite a contrast from three years ago, when only two sides, Denmark and Northern Ireland, used the system regularly, while Sweden started the tournament with a 3-4-3 before reverting to their usual 4-2-3-1. Advertisement Granted, the majority of those sides, particularly Portugal and Wales, have used the approach as a primarily defensive strategy, simply packing defence and guarding against being exposed by switches from flank to flank. But at times, the wing-backs have found great space pushing forward, and these sides have tended to play out well from defence — helped by a lack of opposition pressing. Denmark are always adept at their wide centre-backs bringing the ball forward, while Italy started to turn the screw in their 1-0 win over Belgium when Elena Linari and Martina Lenzini realised they had space to carry the ball forward. There's more to a tactical battle than formations, but the game feels more strategically advanced than three years ago. Jennifer Falk, Sweden: We're yet to see a truly outstanding goalkeeping performance thus far, but Falk was solid in Sweden's 1-0 win over Denmark. The undisputed No 1 due to Zecira Musovic's pregnancy, she is regarded as better than Musovic with the ball at her feet, but played a higher percentage of her passes long than any other goalkeeper in the tournament thus far. Emma Koivisto, Finland: She constantly stormed forward well from right-back, and also produced two crucial blocks, including a genuinely superb piece of defending at the far post, one by simply getting her face in the way of a goalbound shot. Dominique Janssen, Netherlands: Perhaps not overly stretched by Wales, but her distribution with both feet and her speed to sweep up at the back was precisely what was required in a high, proactive Dutch defensive line. Tuva Hansen, Norway: She made a crucial late block at the end of a good performance. In an otherwise porous Norway side, she'll need more starring performances like this one. Nadine Riesen, Switzerland: The Swiss dominated the opening half hour of their clash against Norway, with wing-back Riesen enjoying huge freedom down the left, and also popping up with the opener. Advertisement Patri Guijarro, Spain: She can probably still be regarded as an unsung hero in relation to Aitana Bonmati and Alexis Putellas, but she's surely the best holding midfielder in Europe. Filippa Angeldahl, Sweden: Her driving midfield runs will define Sweden's play this summer. She went close with a trademark powerful free kick, then played a neat one-two with Kosovare Asllani for the winner. Arianna Caruso, Italy: She was involved in almost all of Italy's best moments, bustling her way through midfield, and also scored a fine winner with a clever shot inside the near post. Delphine Cascarino, France: Both France's wingers were electric in the 2-1 win over England. Cascarino repeatedly beat Jess Carter, usually a one-against-one specialist, and gave England two warning signs before setting up the opener for Marie-Antoinette Katoto. Vicky Lopez, Spain: Various Spanish attackers could have got the nod, but Lopez's trickery in tight situations marked her out as Spain's best performer in their opener — one piece of skill to create a chance for Alexis Putellas was majestic. Katariina Kosola, Finland: The biggest threat throughout the game against Iceland from the left wing, she was the deserved matchwinner with a lovely curler. (Top Photo: Eddie Keogh / Getty Images)
New York Times
25 minutes ago
- New York Times
England left exposed in midfield as Wiegman struggles to strike a balance
It was a long walk for Georgia Stanway, head down, as she trudged around the edge of the Stadio Letzigrund pitch in front of a sell-out crowd. England trailed 2-0 and she had been replaced by Grace Clinton in the 77th minute. The Bayern Munich midfielder has had a long road to recovery, too — 70 to 80 rehab sessions — since undergoing knee surgery on January 30. Her rustiness showed as, alongside Keira Walsh, the duo struggled to get a grip in the midfield area and were overrun. Before starting England's opening game against France on Saturday, Stanway had only played 135 minutes of football since her injury. Given her importance in midfield, and England's lack of depth in that area, she seemed a must-starter against a front-footed, technically proficient and physical France midfield. Advertisement The bigger surprise was seeing Lauren James start. Up until last Sunday she had not played a game for three months because of a hamstring injury and only played 30 minutes against Jamaica last weekend. The gamble seemed to have paid off, though, when in the opening minute James, playing in the advanced midfield role, found herself with a great goalscoring opportunity but failed to hit the target, then delivered a promising deep cross which her team-mates could not reach. The Chelsea forward instigated an England goal on the quarter-hour mark which was eventually disallowed. She cut inside and ran at the French defenders before switching the ball to Beth Mead who was in space. Pauline Peyraud-Magnin palmed Hemp's shot away and Alessia Russo was quickest to react, but VAR found Mead to be a millimetre offside. England struggled to recover from that disappointment and, from then on in, were architects of their own downfall. They were sloppy in possession, particularly in midfield which looked exposed. Sarina Wiegman put that down to losing the ball early in the build-up play. Her team created their own problems by playing short passes which allowed France to press aggressively. Wiegman wanted her side to skip players and play balls in behind, but they were not tight enough on the ball nor quick enough to play out of the press. Stanway and Walsh failed to get into any kind of rhythm and looked off the pace. They were not the only ones. France's technical midfield trio of Orianne Jean-Francois, Grace Geyoro and captain Sakina Karchaoui stayed compact, were intense but tidy, hoovered up second balls and ruled the middle of the pitch. As shown below, they released the ball quickly out wide to release wingers Sandy Baltimore and Delphine Cascarino and wreaked havoc, terrorising England full-backs Jess Carter and Lucy Bronze. 'It felt like they could go wherever they wanted,' said Carter who thought England were a 'little bit scared' and not 'aggressive enough'. 'We all have days where we're just having a bit of a 'mare on the ball and, unfortunately, today there was more than one player doing that.' This was not a game where England could afford to let standards drop. 'France is a proper team,' said Wiegman. 'You have to do things right.' Advertisement Captain Leah Williamson described the one-v-one defending as 'cheap' and disagreed that the defence was disjointed, instead pointing to her team being too 'expansive' and failing to keep the ball. By contrast, as shown by the pass map below, England's midfield was left exposed with a big hole in the middle of the pitch. For all of James' offensive talents, her freer role leaves the midfield vulnerable. Mead tucked in more centrally to compensate but it was not effective. James has more often played on the wing for the Lionesses and only in the No 10 role when England have played a 3-5-2 with more bodies in midfield. Should Wiegman have started her on the wing or even kept it tighter for an hour and then brought James off the bench? Ella Toone or Grace Clinton do not offer the same attacking threat as James and may have been too safe against such a hard-hitting opponent. Equally, looking to the bench, England do not have any depth behind Walsh and Stanway which could have elevated their levels. Wiegman did not have any regrets about her starting XI and did not think starting James was a mistake. 'We'd be having a different conversation,' she pointed out, had James scored in the first minute or a team-mate had got a head to her cross. Indeed, if Russo's goal had stood, would we have been questioning Wiegman's decisions? You need a lot of quality and a bit of luck in major tournaments. England had neither. They were unlucky to have their goal ruled out and that France's second goal stood following another VAR check on Maelle Lakrar's challenge on Russo in the build-up, but the reality is they were still outclassed. Walsh's well-hit strike in the 87th minute reignited the England machine but it was too little too late. England could not afford to start this tournament slowly and must improve against the Netherlands on Wednesday to stand any chance of making the knockout stages.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fluminense vs Chelsea: Club World Cup prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h results, odds
Chelsea are one win away from reaching the Club World Cup final (AFP via Getty Images) Fluminense stand in the way of Chelsea reaching the 2025 Club World Cup final. The Blues overcame Palmeiras in the early hours on Saturday (UK time) to book their place in the semi-final with an own goal from Agustin Giay in the 83rd minute proving decisive. Advertisement Their reward is a third meeting with Brazilian opposition in the competition after Fluminense's fairytale run at the Club World Cup run continued with a 2-1 win over Al-Hilal. This showdown means Thiago Silva will face Chelsea for the first time since leaving to return to his boyhood club last summer. Despite his age, the 40-year-old has been one of the standout players in the tournament and will be out to deny his former club a place in the Club World Cup final. Date, kick-off time and venue Fluminense vs Chelsea is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. The match will take place at the MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Advertisement Where to watch Fluminense vs Chelsea TV channel: In the UK, the game will not be televised live. Live stream: Viewers can watch the action live online via the DAZN website, which is free with a registration. Coverage starts at 7pm BST ahead of a 8pm kick-off. DAZN is the global broadcaster of the new-look Club World Cup. No subscription is required to watch the game, with the entire tournament available to their 'Freemium' members, which means you only need to sign up for a free DAZN account. Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport's live blog! Fluminense vs Chelsea team news Mathues Martinelli - scorer of Fluminense's winner against Al-Hilal - and Juan Freytes are suspended for the semi-final after being booked in the quarter-final tie. Advertisement Experienced defender Rene is available for selection having been banned against Al-Hilal. Thiago Silva is expected to lead the defence against his former club. Chelsea will be without Liam Delap and Levi Colwill through suspension, whilst Reece James, Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile are all doubtful after missing the win over Palmeiras. As a result, Nicolas Jackson could lead the line, though Enzo Maresca may have hinted at handing summer signing Joao Pedro a start as he turned to the Brazilian to replace Delap in the semi-final. Moises Caicedo is a certainty to return to the starting XI after serving his one-game ban. Yellow card: Liam Delap is suspended for the semi-final after picking up hi second booking of the tournament (AFP via Getty Images) Fluminense vs Chelsea prediction Chelsea's record against Brazilian opposition at the Club World Cup so far is; played two, won one and lost one. Therefore Maresca's side will know they are in for a tough game. Advertisement Despite being marginal favourites to progress, the Blues will have to guard against complacency as Fluminense are unbeaten in the competition and their round of 16 win over Inter Milan shows they can spring a surprise. That said, Chelsea's extra bit of quality could ultimately prove to be the difference in a close encounter. Chelsea to win, 2-1 Head to head (h2h) history and results This will be the first-ever meeting between the two sides. Fluminense vs Chelsea match odds Fluminense to win: 4/1 Chelsea to win: 8/15 Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
