Latest news with #Belgians'
RTÉ News
5 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
What Euro 2025 has taught Ireland about Belgium ahead of October's Nations League play-off tie
October has been marked down in the calendar for quite some time for the Republic of Ireland. After finishing second in their UEFA Women's Nations League group, the Girls in Green were guaranteed a promotion/relegation play-off against a League A team and out of the hat came Belgium. Since the draw was made, Ireland have played world number one USA twice, losing 4-0 back-to-back in Colorado and Cincinnati late last month. Belgium, meanwhile, were busy featuring at the ongoing Euro 2025 and their group in Switzerland was particularly tricky. A 1-0 loss to Italy got them off on the wrong foot, before their elimination was confirmed following an entertaining and high-scoring defeat to World Cup holders and tournament favourites Spain. However, they finished on a high note with a 2-1 win over Portugal. So with that in mind, what can Ireland take from the Belgians' performances at the European Championships ahead of October's two-legged showdown? "Obviously the first game (against Italy) was disappointing for them and when we were watching it, we were kind of thinking, 'We're not miles off this' and we could even beat them," Shelbourne midfielder and former Ireland international Rachel Graham told this week's . "Against Spain, it's obviously a big task for them and they're not going to set up against us how they set up against Spain. You're just going to do your best to keep Spain out. "And (Belgium) did get two goals against Spain and they're a big threat from setpieces. (Justine) Vanhaevermaet I think is six-foot-one. With the retirement of Louise Quinn, I don't think there's anybody who's going to really challenge her in the air, so that's going to be something that's going to be difficult for us." Graham added that the tournament will also have allowed the Belgians to gel together further and the final group game victory over Portugal showed another facet of the threat they will pose. "It was a much better showing than what they had shown in the first two games," she said of a side spearheaded by Inter Milan striker Tessa Wullaert. "It's probably when I was watching thinking, 'God, we do have a tough game against us now in October'. "They looked good when they were breaking away on the counter-attack. That's where we've looked a bit vulnerable in our recent few games, so definitely an area where we need to tidy up on especially now our back four has chopped and changed a bit and we still don't have an out-and-out right back which could prove to be an issue again in October."
The Guardian
20-02-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Champions League review: Brugge rise as Italians and Americans stumble
Feyenoord These are high times for Dutch football, though the country's traditional power, Ajax, can only watch from the Europa League as Feyenoord and PSV downed Italian giants. At the San Siro, Feyenoord were able to ride out their former star Santiago Giménez scoring an opening-minute goal and performing a non-celebration celebration. Pascal Bosschaart continues as Feyenoord's caretaker manager but whatever happens, he'll always have Milan, and this tactical triumph. Eighteen-year-old Zépiqueno Redmond led the attack and was replaced by Julián Carranza, who would score the crucial equaliser. It ended 1-1 on the night and Feyenoord went through 2-1 on aggregate; they will face either Inter or Arsenal when Friday's draw is made. Club Brugge If Belgium's golden generation of emigres is fading, the resurgence of the country's club game has been most welcome. The 1978 European Cup finalists have a proud history and fervent support. But they are the smallest team left in the draw, although they are fully deserving of their place after beating the reigning Europa League champions, Atalanta. Bergamo was supposed to be where Brugge's dream died. Simon Mignolet, once of Liverpool, saved a penalty but the Belgians' were already 5-2 up in the tie. Brugge's first win in Italy since 2003 was achieved thanks to a mix of veterans and players who may help form the next Belgian generation of stars. Swiss midfielder Ardon Jashari was outstanding too. Benfica Another big name from the competition's days as the European Cup, Benfica rode out the storm against a dangerous, determined Monaco. Vangelis Pavlidis notched his seventh goal in the competition this season from the penalty spot having set up Kerem Aktürkoğlu for the opening goal. With the tie level, Orkun Kökçü's control and finish came to the rescue, as he charged in from midfield to score the winner in a tie that ended 4-3 on aggregate. He twanged a hamstring, too in the process of celebrating. Bruno Lage's team have the toughest possible draw in the next round – either Barcelona or Liverpool await – but in Pavlidis and their attacking play, they can be a threat to both teams. Manchester City 'Nothing is eternal,' said Pep Guardiola, though he had perhaps forgotten Real Madrid's stranglehold on this competition, and their continuing ability to wound him. 'We have been extraordinarily extraordinary in the past, but not any more,' he continued but in such a sound defeat, one preluded by City's manager claiming his team had just a '1%' chance of progressing, there must be disappointment. If this is the end of the cycle, then the Abu Dhabi-Catalan partnership yielded just one Champions League title, when many more were possible. This was a meek surrender unrecognisable from much of City's Guardiola era. Now he must decide whether he gets to lead the club's next cycle. Milan A disastrous week for Serie A. Inter are the last men standing after Milan, Atalanta and Juventus crashed out to teams from far less wealthy leagues. Theo Hernández's red card for two bookable offences, the second a speculative dive that was correctly ruled as simulation, turned Milan's tie with Feyenoord in the Dutch team's favour. After Giménez scored early, Milan's four-man attack faded, with Rafael Leão and João Félix giving enigmatic performances and Christian Pulisic well short of his usual drive. Sérgio Conceição threw everything at the Rotterdam team, taking off both Pulisic and Yunus Musah in search of an answer, but Milan's attacking was substandard. 'It's a big defeat for me,' said the Milan coach. 'I am responsible for this defeat. We should have been better on a mental level.' Juventus If this week was bad for Serie A, a real battering to their coefficient chance of having five participants in next season's group stage, it was almost as bad for the US contingent. Celtic's Cameron Carter-Vickers joined the throng after Bayern Munich's last-minute equaliser settled the tie in the Germans' favour. Timothy Weah was on the scoresheet for Juventus in Eindhoven, his goal thumped from the edge of the box, but PSV struck back quickly and eventually progressed thanks to a winner from Ryan Flamingo. Weah and Weston McKennie exited. PSV's Richy Ledezma, with just one cap for the USMNT, could celebrate, while his teammates and compatriots, Sergiño Dest, Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman, all absent through injury. Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid Who doubted that Mbappé could succeed at Real? Those who did perhaps forgot the depth of his talent and self-belief. Sure, Manchester City's defence could hardly have been more accommodating, but he grabbed the occasion with both hands. Credit Carlo Ancelotti, ever the arch strategist, who has found a way to assimilate Mbappé and still get full use of Rodrygo and Vinícius Júnior. How? An old-style 4-4-2, with Jude Bellingham off the left. 'I wanted to define an era, to make history at Real Madrid,' Mbappé said afterwards, and the first target is winning the Champions League. Julián Carranza, Feyenoord Carranza was tasked with succeeding Giménez at De Kuip. A bout of illness meant he was not fit enough to start the second leg at San Siro, but he eventually had his say as a substitute. Once of Inter Miami and Philadelphia Union, he was bought with the knowledge that Giménez would be sold. His first ever Champions League goal knocked out Giménez's new club – a decent start, then, towards replacing the Mexican. Following a beauty of a cross from the on-loan Wolves defender Hugo Bueno, Carranza's goal was right out of the Giménez playbook. Chemsdine Talbi, Club Brugge The 19-year-old grabbed two goals to end Atalanta's hopes, becoming the youngest Belgian to score in the Champions League knockouts. Though, being a dual national, he may still declare for Morocco, who host the Africa Cup of Nations in 2026. If elite-clubs already know all about Talbi, his command of the tie with Atalanta will have only raised interest. He's confident, too. 'I am not surprised how well we played,' he said. 'We know what we can do.' Lille or Aston Villa will get the chance in the next round to see his talents at close hand.
The Guardian
19-02-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Rafael Tolói slips up and loses the plot
In a quickfire Q&A conducted with Uefa TV last year, Rafael Tolói was asked to describe the final thing he'd like to achieve in football, replying: 'I'd like to get Atalanta to [Bigger Cup] or win a trophy.' As luck would have it, the veteran defender who has represented the side from Bergamo with no little distinction for almost a decade wasn't forced to choose between his two ambitions. He and his teammates would subsequently hoist Big Vase towards the sky over Dublin, rubber stamping a place in Bigger Cup they had already secured anyway by dint of their fourth-placed finish in the Italian league. Having seen his two big dreams come true, all that was left for the 34-year-old Italian international to leave an indelible mark on this season's competition while representing the club he loves before his contract expires later this season. And how … While Atalanta may have exited Bigger Cup on Tuesday night, running out a distant second-best to a Club Brugge side who had grasped the 24th and final qualification spot in the group stage, it would be fair to say the Belgians' thunder was rather stolen by Tolói, whose generational meltdown upon being prevented from taking an 88th- minute throw-in long after the tie was beyond rescue ensured his name will forever be part of Bigger Cup folklore. Having been given a second yellow for a preposterous swallow dive in the Feyenoord penalty area some hours previously, Milan's Théo Hernandez might have been forgiven for thinking his would be the most embarrassing red card this week, or at the very least in Bigger Cup matches featuring out-of-sorts Italian sides hosting teams from the Low Countries. But not a bit of it. In an act of recklessness for which the phrase 'hold my beer' might well have been coined, Tolói lost the plot when Maxim De Cuyper jostled him in the chest, prompting Atalanta's captain to try and fling the ball at the Brugge defender in a fit of rage that was only exacerbated when he lost his grip on the ball and slipped to the floor. With his head completely gone and the rest of him enveloped in a mist so red it's actually prefaced by the adjective 'volcanic' on the Dulux colour chart, Tolói went into raging bull mode, pawing the ground for purchase, before charging past the referee to blindside De Cuyper with a shoulder charge that knocked the impertinent Belgian to the ground. As he was pulled away by teammates and members of the opposition, the incensed Tolói formally received his marching orders from referee Felix Zwayer. 'He threw the ball and slipped, and he was so annoyed at himself for that,' honked Lucy Ward, who was on co-comms for TNT. 'What made it worse was the embarrassment of slipping. That just adds to the anger and he completely lost it.' One player who might have been pleased by Tolói's tantrum was Ademola Lookman, who probably hoped the sending-off would help his manager forget about the spot-kick he'd missed when the tie was still vaguely salvageable. Again, not a bit of it. 'Lookman was not supposed to take that penalty, he is one of the worst penalty takers I've ever seen,' fumed Gian Piero Gasperini, studiously avoiding the Uefa-designated word-mincer left at the top table for his post-match press conference. The Atalanta boss's withering criticism prompted Lookman to fire off a riposte, bemoaning the manner in which he had been 'singled out' for 'deeply disrespectful' blame in the form of a statement; one that weighed in at 183 words, not one of which happened to mention, or even allude to, just how poor his penalty was. Join Will Unwin from 7.30pm GMT for hot Premier League minute-by-minute coverage of Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool, while Michael Butler will be on deck for Real Madrid 2-2 Manchester City (agg: 5-4) in the second leg of their Bigger Cup playoff. 'It's worrying to see the direction Brazilian [football] is taking. It's absurd that we have to discuss synthetic turf on our fields. Objectively, with the size and reputation of our [game], this should not even be an option … In the most respected leagues in the world, the players are listened to and investments are made to ensure the quality of the pitch in the stadiums. If Brazil wants to play a leading role in the world market, the first step should be to demand the quality of the pitch on which the players play and train. Professional [football'] is not played on synthetic turf' – Neymar, Thiago Silva and Memphis Depay, among other players, issue a statement lambasting the use of artificial pitches in Brazil. Palmeiras, one of the teams in the group's cross-hairs, responded by describing the letter as 'shallow criticism lacking scientific basis'. I loved the photo of Roy Pritchard in training; it looks as though Wolves are using a gibbet for heading practice (yesterday's Memory Lane, full email edition). Talking of Wolves in the 1950s, as a small scruffy Glaswegian pre-teen, the first great fitba excitement of my life was to go to watch the wonderful Wolves playing at Celtic Park to mark the inauguration of the floodlights. Armed with our two shillings and sixpence, my pal and I expected to have to pay, but we were lifted over the turnstiles. But inside we found people collecting money for the families of victims of the Auchengeich mining disaster a month earlier. Away went our 'hauf-croons'. Incidentally, a namesake played for Celtic that night: Neil Mochan, a cousin, who was trainer when Celtic won the European Cup eight years later' – Charlie Mochan. Re: David Sage on clubs 'relying on recruiting local talent. Imagine any club trying that these days' (yesterday's Football Daily letters). I presume David has never heard of Athletic Club, who've done just that since 1910 and been fairly successful too. I won't list their incredible achievements, but never being relegated while sticking with the 'cantera' policy is possibly the most amazing of them all' – Andee Cooper. Imagine my surprise having a letter about Bristol Rovers' Bert Tann published in your esteemed journal (yesterday's letters), only to be trumped by a Bristol City fan writing on the same subject. Insult compounded by them being nominated as letter o' the day as well. Keep up the work, though' – Andy Smith. Send letters to Today's winner of our prizeless letter o' the day is … Andee Cooper! Terms and conditions for our competitions – when we have them – can be viewed here. The Football Weekly podcast is right here, right now. You can get a copy of the latest David Squires cartoon at our print shop now. The latest edition of our sister email is out now and it's about the remarkable Chawinga sisters. Read an extract here. And if you don't already get it delivered first-class and for free to your inbox, be sure to sign up now. Celtic's Bigger Cup run is over, exiting to a last-gasp bundle-tackle from Bayern's Alphonso Davies despite a brave away performance. 'I can only take immense pride from the performance,' roared Brendan Rodgers. 'My unswerving plan is to make this a seasoned club at this level.' Feyenoord are through to the last 16 at the expense of Milan. 'I'm sick, still, but happy,' coughed Julián Carranza, who came on to snaffle the decider. 'I didn't feel great, it was something unforgettable to come in and score.' Pep Guardiola has been caught telling porkies. Having said Manchester City have only a 1% chance of getting past Madrid, he parped: 'I lied to you, and you didn't believe me. I said because we were out and nobody would have bet a penny on us. But as the days pass, the enthusiasm returns.' Manchester United have revealed they splurged £4.1m on hiring then firing Daniel 'Dan' Ashworth after just five months at Old Trafford; this follows the £10.4m it cost them to fire Erik ten Hag just a few months after extending his contract. Big Sir Jim Ratcliffe has yet to advise how many workers he could have avoided getting rid of had these funds been available for wages, rather than spent rectifying his enormous errors. José Luis Munuera, the ref who sent off Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham for swearing, has denounced what he calls a false accusation by local media about relations with La Liga officials, which has led to his sidelining by Spanish football suits. Bellingham, meanwhile, has been banned for two games. And Birmingham City are off to Wembley after beating Bradford 2-1 in their Leyland DAF Trophy semi-final, where they'll face the winners of next week's second semi-final between Wrexham and Peterborough. Charlton v China. Aylesbury v England. Which other clubs and countries have collided on the pitch? The Knowledge knows. Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. Dr Seuss Ewan Murray on Celtic becoming a serious team again. Effs, jeffs and more with Sid Lowe on Madrid and a wild discourse in Spain. Swansea City responded to grim run by moving on their head coach, director of football and club captain, writes Dominic Booth. But what now? Before they take on Liverpool, Ben Fisher focuses on Aston Villa's relative shortcomings in the Premier League. Chelsea need to find their shooting boots soon, warns Ben McAleer. And James Nalton looks at how USL can rival MLS. Yes, it features the words 'promotion' and 'relegation'. Watched by trainer Les Cocker, Peter Bonetti, Bobby Moore, an unnamed suit, Jimmy Armfield, Roger Hunt, Ron Springett, Norman Hunter and Ron Flowers, Jimmy Greaves lines up a putt as the England squad prepare at Roehampton in south-west London for the 1966 World Cup final. We can only wonder who signed off on the aforementioned suit's shoes, far too light for his outfit; likewise what the greenkeeper made of Flowers' studs.
