New managers making instant impact as Club World Cup quarter-finals take shape
Arguably none has made a bigger splash than Simone Inzaghi, who delivered one of the tournament's biggest shocks when his Al Hilal side stunned Pep Guardiola's Manchester City 4-3 in a breathtaking extra-time thriller.
The 49-year-old Italian, who left Inter Milan after their Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain just five weeks ago, got sweet revenge on Monday against the Premier League giants who had beaten his Nerazzurri in the 2023 Champions League final.
Inzaghi took the win by playing steady, rock-solid defence and exploring the speed of his forwards up-front with long balls that exploited their opponent's aggressive, high-positioned defensive line.
Malcom and Marcos Leonardo were a constant menace on the counter-attack throughout the match, while his defenders managed to slow down City's star-powered attack for most of the game.
And when they were threatened, Moroccan goalkeeper Bono worked his magic with a string of world-class saves to frustrate their opponents and keep the Saudis in the game.
Al Hilal's reward is a quarter-final clash with tournament underdogs Fluminense, who defied the Opta supercomputer's odds of just 0.05 per cent to win the title and stunned Champions League runners-up Inter Milan 2-0 to reach the last eight.
Initially tipped to exit in the group stage, the Brazilian side's remarkable run continues under Renato Gaucho, a former Fluminense striker and club legend who took charge three months ago. Renato has transformed a team that narrowly avoided relegation in 2024 into genuine contenders, with Colombian winger Jhon Arias emerging as a potential tournament MVP.
Against Inter, Fluminense showed the grit and determination that have defined their campaign with a remarkable Arias and striker German Cano once again making the difference.
Real Madrid complete the trio of new-manager success stories, with Xabi Alonso arriving a month ago to replace Carlo Ancelotti after a rare trophy-less season that included four consecutive defeats to Barcelona, including a humiliating 4-0 Clasico thrashing at the Bernabeu.
Arriving with a reputation for innovative tactics following his trophy-laden stint at Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso has started using a five-man defence, marking a significant departure from the traditional 4-3-3 formation used by predecessors Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane over the past decade.
The change evoked memories of Vicente del Bosque's 2000 Champions League-winning side, the last Real Madrid team to adopt such a structure, as Real prepare to face Borussia Dortmund on Saturday off the back of three consecutive wins.
As the tournament progresses, the early success of these new managerial appointments suggests that fresh ideas and bold decisions can reshape even the most storied teams.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
20 minutes ago
- CNA
Table tennis-World Cup winner Calderano to miss Las Vegas event over visa issues
BERLIN :Brazilian Hugo Calderano, who won the gold medal in the 2025 table tennis World Cup, said he will miss the WTT U.S. smash event in Las Vegas this month following delays in getting a visa to the United States. Calderano, a 2025 world championships silver medallist who also holds a Portuguese passport, said he had been informed by U.S. authorities that he was no longer eligible for visa waiver for European Union countries, due to a trip to Cuba in 2023 to compete in international competitions and qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The 29-year-old said he then tried to get an emergency visa but ran out of time with the event already under way on Thursday. "I followed the same protocol as all my previous trips to the United States using my Portuguese passport," Calderano said in a statement on his website late on Thursday. "When I was informed of the situation, I mobilized my entire team to obtain an emergency visa, but unfortunately, there was not enough time." "It is frustrating to be left out of one of the most important competitions of the season for reasons beyond my control, especially coming off such positive results," he added. The U.S. Smash event is one of the highlights of the year for the WTT, a body created by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), to stage commercial competitions to broaden the appeal of the sport, with higher prize money. The United States will also play host to the 2026 soccer World Cup while Los Angeles will stage the 2028 summer Olympics with athletes from more than 200 countries set to take part.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Bayern Munich stand before PSG in battle of Club World Cup favourites
ATLANTA – A glance at the quarter-final line-up for the Club World Cup suggests that whoever comes out on top in the heavyweight last-eight showdown between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich on July 5 will be the favourites to go on and win Fifa's new competition. Real Madrid can never be ruled out, but the Spanish giants are a work in progress under new coach Xabi Alonso before playing Borussia Dortmund in New Jersey on the same day. Meanwhile, PSG came to the United States fresh from winning the Uefa Champions League in style in Munich at the end of May, and Luis Enrique's side have eased their way to the quarter-finals despite a slip-up against Brazil's Botafogo in the group stage. Bayern finished second in their group behind Benfica but the manner with which they disposed of Flamengo in the last 16, with Harry Kane scoring twice in a 4-2 victory, showed that the German champions mean business. Vincent Kompany's team have netted 16 goals across four matches and may now feel they have a point to prove after falling short in the Champions League – Bayern lost in the last eight in Europe to an Inter Milan team eventually humiliated 5-0 by PSG in the final. 'We followed PSG's season with interest. It was a great story because things were not perfect at the beginning and yet, despite the criticism of them, they kept fighting and believing,' Kompany said. 'But that doesn't change anything for us. We want to win.' Club World Cup success would cap a promising first year in charge of Bayern for former Belgium defender Kompany, who led them to Bundesliga glory as they reclaimed the domestic title from Bayer Leverkusen. PSG eventually conquered Europe, but Bayern defeated the French side 1-0 in the league phase of the Champions League back in November. 'We have to try to take the energy and the good feeling into this match. We know it's going to be difficult but we feel like we can beat anyone when we're at our top level,' Kane, who has 41 goals in 50 club appearances since last August, told Bayern's website. PSG – who lost to Bayern in the Champions League final in 2020 – are fresh from crushing Lionel Messi's Inter Miami 4-0 in the last 16 and the dream of a world title to add to their French and European crowns is very much alive. 'We are having a historic season for our club and we want to extend it in this competition,' said Enrique. 'Our objective is to go as far as possible, but to do that (and reach the final) we still need to come through two ties.' This will be PSG's 63rd match in all competitions going back to the start of the Ligue 1 season last August, and Enrique is hoping for one last push from his exhausted players before they can enjoy a short summer break. The build-up to the game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta has been overshadowed by the tragic death of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota in a car accident in Spain on July 3. Four PSG players – Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Goncalo Ramos – were all international teammates of Jota's and all played alongside him in the Portugal team that won the Uefa Nations League barely four weeks ago. Enrique's squad held a long moment's silence before training on July 3 after learning of Jota's death, as did Bayern ahead of their session. AFP
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trent Alexander-Arnold settling in as Real Madrid target Club World Cup glory
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox EAST RUTHERFORD – Real Madrid paid extra to bring defender Trent Alexander-Arnold in early from Liverpool to compete in the Club World Cup, and it is paying off as they prepare to face Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals on July 5. The England international created the only goal of the game for Gonzalo Garcia as Xabi Alonso's side beat Italian giants Juventus 1-0 in the last 16. With Alonso moving to a back three as soon as he had the personnel available, Alexander-Arnold has benefitted from playing as a right wing-back in their last two matches. That is where he is set to continue against German outfit Dortmund in New Jersey at the MetLife Stadium. Alexander-Arnold's floated cross for Gonzalo against Juventus was the precise kind of attacking output that led Real to bring him in. 'He could have had many more assists already,' said Los Blancos goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. 'In training, he is horrible to play against. His corner kicks are another level. I don't think I have seen a guy like this with such quality. As a goalkeeper it is a nightmare, but it will help make me better.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Seller's stamp duty rates for private homes raised; holding period increased from 3 years to 4 Asia Japan urges evacuation of small island as 1,000 quakes hit region Singapore Multiple charges for man accused of damaging PAP campaign materials on GE2025 Polling Day Singapore Jail for man who recruited 2 Japanese women for prostitution at MBS World Trump eyes simple tariff rates over complex talks, says letters will start going out on July 4 World Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending Bill wins congressional approval Asia Indonesian rescuers widen search for missing after ferry sinks Business More Singapore residents met CPF Required Retirement Sum when they turned 55 in 2024 Real skipper Dani Carvajal is back from a long-term injury but may end up being used more as a centre-back than in the wing-back position now that Alexander-Arnold has arrived. Los Blancos paid as much as €10 million, according to reports, to sign the 26-year-old a month before his Liverpool deal expired, but have already made approximately €54 million for reaching the Club World Cup quarter-finals. After struggling a little at right-back against Al Hilal in Real's opening 1-1 draw, Alexander-Arnold has steadily improved. Manchester City's 4-3 defeat by the Saudi Arabian club showed in hindsight the defender's problems were not entirely of his own making. As well as beating Dortmund in the 2024 Champions League final, Real came from two goals behind to thrash them 5-2 this season in the group phase of the same competition. However, both teams have changed significantly since then. They have new coaches, in the newly-appointed Alonso and Dortmund's Niko Kovac, who has done a fine job since arriving in January, helping them secure qualification for next season's Champions League. Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen's arrivals have shaken up Real's defence, while Borussia Dortmund brought in Jobe Bellingham from Sunderland. However, the midfielder's yellow card against Monterrey in the 2-1 last-16 win means he is suspended for the clash against Real and will therefore not face his older brother Jude Bellingham. Real's French striker Kylian Mbappe did not score in the rout of Dortmund in October amid a crisis of confidence, but since then has found top form. After returning from a stomach bug as a substitute against Juventus, Mbappe will be keen to start against the Bundesliga side and add to his tally of 43 goals. The former Paris Saint-Germain star, who is on a collision course with his former club in the semi-finals should they both progress, could come in for Gonzalo, despite the 21-year-old scoring three goals at the tournament. 'It's inexplicable,' said the forward, whom Alonso compared to former Real great Raul, saying Gonzalo had some of the same qualities. 'I saw a great ball coming in from Trent, I saw Rudiger didn't get to it and I said to myself, 'This is mine!'' added Gonzalo of his goal against Juventus. Alonso, who arrived at Real from Bayer Leverkusen, will take on his former Bundesliga rivals Dortmund. 'We know (him) very well, he worked two and a half years in Germany, and he did a fantastic job,' said Kovac. 'Now he's implementing everything he had in Leverkusen at Real Madrid. So we're expecting the same what we had in Leverkusen, only with different players. 'We're looking forward to it but you have to play football for 90 minutes, and if we put everything onto the pitch, the same performance as we saw (against Monterrey), I think that we will have a good chance.' AFP
