RICHARLISON maintained Tottenham’s 100 per cent Europa League start – but only after winning a penalty ROW with captain James Maddison.
On an evening when Tottenham’s teenage trio shined, it was the returning Brazilian that proved the match-winner despite a bizarre on-field argument with his teammate.
On his first start of the season, having recovered from a calf strain, the No.9 striker scored a Panenka-style spot-kick that broke the AZ Alkmaar resistance.
Yet after summer signing Luca Bergvall had been decked by Maxim Dekker, Maddison negotiated at length with Richarlison, 27, and actually took the ball OFF the disappointed South American.
Advertisement
Moments later, it was back in Richarlison’s hands and with a steely gaze, he managed to poke fun at goalkeeper Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro with a straight-down-the-middle strike on 53 minutes.
Maddison, who wore the skipper’s armband for the night following the absence of Son Heung-min, did not bear any grudges with the episode.
And the England playmaker was the first to rush over and hug Richarlison, who did his pigeon-dance celebration that was a hallmark of the 2022 World Cup.
In a year in which he revealed his mental health struggles, this was a welcome sight for him and everyone connected with the player.
Advertisement
His coolly-taken goal means it is now three wins out of three and Spurs are on course to qualify for the top eight spots in this revamped, money-grabbing new format.
TNT Sports host Becky Ives leaps off Tottenham Hotspur Stadium roof on live TV as she screams ‘to dare is to do’
Advertisement
Spurs ratings vs Alkmaar: Kids Bergvall impresses on rare start but Dragusin has uncomfortable night
TOTTENHAM made it a hat-trick of Europa League wins thanks to Richarlison’s penalty against ten-man AZ Alkmaar.
The Brazilian converted from the spot on 53 minutes in an opening goal that eventually separated the sides.
Here is how Dan King rated Spurs’ players from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Fraser Forster – 7
Advertisement
Brilliant save and good rush from line in first half to stop Spurs falling behind. A spectator for most of the second half but made smart stop in last 20 minutes.
Archie Gray – 5
Unable to team up with fellow teenager Moore in first half to match threat from Tottenham’s other flank and struggled with pace of Ernest Poku.
Radu Dragusin – 5
Advertisement
Another mixed display. Good on the ball one moment, not so much the next. Sometimes looked strong, but then vulnerable, especially when Alkmaar ran at him.
Ben Davies – 7
Tottenham’s Mr Dependable was their most convincing defender, thanks mainly to good positioning and calmness. Although even he showed signs of tension late on.
Destiny Udogie – 6
Advertisement
Did a bit of everything in the opening 45 minutes, although as usual his work in opposition half tended to be better. Less adventurous in the second half.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 6
After a commanding start, was unable to stop Alkmaar from gaining a first-half foothold. Apart from occasional lapses, maintained his authority better after the break.
Mikey Moore – 7
Advertisement
Missed golden early chance and looked uncomfortable on right. Immediate, massive improvement when switched to left, running at defence and creating chances..
Lucas Bergvall – 8
Impressive display with everything but a goal. Full of running, composed, and found killer passes that should have become assists. But had to go off injured.
James Maddison – 7
Advertisement
Skipper for the night had some lovely moments without finding a decisive contribution – until he let Richarlison have the penalty.
Timo Werner – 5
Superb cross for Moore chance but woeful finish when played through by Bergvall told you everything about his confidence levels. Hooked at half time.
Richarlison – 6
Advertisement
Busy and committed in first half, but ball wasn’t sticking much. Really wanted to take the penalty and converting it should be a morale boost. Lasted just over an hour.
SUBS
Brennan Johnson (for Werner, half time) – 5
Failed to make most of a Bergvall pass. Quieter than usual.
Advertisement
Dominic Solanke (for Richarlison, 65) – 6
Worked hard without having a sight of goal.
Dejan Kulusevski (for Bergvall, 73) – 6
Gave the Spurs midfield the legs it needed to see out game.
Advertisement
Pape Sarr (for Maddison, 73) – 6
Also brought an injection of energy to dampen Alkmaar hopes of a comeback.
Only full-back Destiny Udogie and Maddison – a half-time sub against the Hammers – retained their places.
Three teenagers were given a run-out – Bergvall, Mikey Moore and Archie Gray – and what a special occasion this was for them all, playing in a European clash under the lights in front of a packed home crowd.
Advertisement
What a dream start it could have been for the 17-year-old forward Moore on his first appearance in the starting XI in N17.
The left-wing cross on five minutes from Timo Werner was delivered perfectly but the header from close range by the academy graduate, who had wriggled free of his marker, was wasted.
Later on, though, he would be serenaded by the Tottenham faithful for his industry and work-rate with that old Harry Kane song: “He’s one of our own…”
One of the other youngsters given a go was the blond-haired, 18-year-old Bergvall, a £8.5million recruit, whose night was unfortunately cut short due to a knock.
On 27 minutes, the Swedish midfielder’s beautiful outside-of-the-boot ball dissected the AZ defence and this could have led to the opening goal of an otherwise tedious first half.
The problem was the lovely pass fell to Werner and the German loanee – not the most prolific of strikers – produced a typically tame finish that the AZ goalkeeper easily saved.
Advertisement
Werner’s wastefulness was punished and he was hooked off at half-time for Brennan Johnson, who had a half-chance to score inside a minute of coming on.
AZ – who had a first-half header by Alexandre Penetra brilliantly saved by back-up goalkeeper Fraser Forster – had some chances but were unable to breach the home defence.
There were several times that Tottenham gave away the ball and lived dangerously and they were lucky that the electric Ernest Poku did not punish them – and that Forster’s concentration did not falter.
The Dutch side’s night got worse when David Moller Wolfe received a second yellow for a silly foul and watched the rest of the match from inside the bowels of the stadium.
Maddison cleared up the penalty row in his post-match interview, telling TNT Sports: “Initially we both wanted to take it. I am a senior player, I was the captain today, I was going to take the penalty.
Advertisement
“hen a little thought in my head, when I was stood there, I had a little conversation with myself. Richy has come back from an injury, it can be difficult, especially for a striker.
“I knew that last year as well when I had a long injury. It took me a while to get my first goal. That gives you confidence.”
ABU DHABI – Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev is one step closer to finally coming to fruition after both made weight on Friday ahead of the UFC 308 co-main event.
After unbeaten sensation Chimaev (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) pulled out of the original date in June, all signs point to him returning to the octagon after he hit the middleweight mark for his matchup against former champion Whittaker (26-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) during official weigh-ins at the UFC host hotel ahead of Saturday’s event, which goes down at Etihad Arena on Yas Island (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN+).
Whittaker stepped on the scale at 185.5 pounds, while Chimaev registered at 186 pounds for the five-round showdown, which could serve as a title eliminator the for expected Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland championship rematch.
Check out the video above to see Whittaker and Chimaev make weight for the UFC 308 co-headliner.
Advertisement
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
Alex Kalinauckas and Stuart Codling dive into the media day drama, with McLaren instigating a Right of Review over Lando Norris’ five-second United States GP penalty.
Exeter have seen a host of internationals and seasoned players leave the club over the past 18 months.
Jack Nowell, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Stuart Hogg, Dave Ewers and the Simmonds brothers are amongst the names that have either moved to different teams – mainly in France – or retired.
It saw a new-look young side impress many people last season as players such as Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Greg Fisilau and Jenkins took on greater roles in the side.
Those young players – with experienced help from Henry Slade, Scott Sio and Jack Yeandle – exceeded expectations in 2023-24 with a seventh-placed finish and hopes of making the top four until the final day of the season.
Advertisement
Baxter says the club has had to curb its spending as it works its way out of the financial problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which is now having a ripple effect on the team this season.
“We’ve spent a little more this year than last year, but we’re miles off the salary cap,” he said.
“We said coming out of Covid, ‘we’re a member’s club, we have to run as a profit-making business’.
“We can’t just run forever as a loss-making business because that’s illegal, our accountants can’t say we’re a going concern, we have to make those decisions.
ABU DHABI – The UFC 308 fight card now is set following Friday’s official weigh-ins session, where all 26 fighters successfully hit their marks on the scale.
Saturday’s event at Etihad Arena (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN+) is headlined by a highly-anticipated featherweight title fight, as well as a main card and preliminary card with key matchups.
Advertisement
Check out the weigh-in highlights in the video above and a link to the photo gallery from all of Friday’s happenings below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
Augusto Cesar Lendoiro took charge in 1988 and was the president who oversaw Depor’s glory years, but it was also under his stewardship the club racked up debts that by 2013 totalled more than 160m euros. Administrators insisted Lendoiro resign, or the club face insolvency. He did, but the economic burden remained.
In 2020, Spanish bank Abanca became the club’s majority shareholder. This summer, with head of Abanca Juan Carlos Escotet also becoming club president, Deportivo announced they were finally debt free, 24 years ahead of schedule.
The club also declared a strategic plan based on the pillars of financial consolidation, strengthening the academy, innovation and infrastructure and a “love for this city and its values”.
Advertisement
Benassi says the goal is to be “competitive in the present, but also ensure long-term success and viability”. There is work to do, Deportivo sit 19th in the 22-team second tier after 11 games, but they will not rush the process.
The club are working with Populous, architects of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, to build a new, state-of-the-art training centre while also refurbishing the current complex for the women’s team.
The focus is very much on finding and nurturing the best young talent in the area, collaborating with local schools and academies.
“It is fundamental for us,” says Benassi. “At the moment, almost 25% of players in the first team come from our academy.”
Advertisement
Benassi hopes the facilities and support Depor can provide will help the club retain their best young players. The Riazor, their home by the beach, is on a list of potential stadiums for the 2030 World Cup in Spain.
But there is also the appeal of “Deportivismo”.
“From a young age, the boys learn that Depor is something more than a club,” he explains. “It is a philosophy, it is a family.
“They are born her. That’s why we don’t want to lose the connection with the city, the values of the city, because if we can maintain that, we are sure all the players from here and the academy will always be Depor fans.”
Former Indian women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal announced her retirement on Thursday, ending a glittering 16-year career during which she became an inspiration for beating abject poverty and conservative views at a small town in Haryana where her father worked as a cart-puller.
The-29-year-old will sign off as one of India’s most decorated hockey players after leading the women’s team to its best-ever finish at the Olympics — a fourth place at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
“It’s been an outstanding journey. I never thought I will play for so long for India. I have seen a lot of poverty from childhood but focus was always to do something, represent the country,” she told reporters here.
A clinical forward, who made her international debut in 2008 as a 14-year-old in the Olympic qualifiers that year, Rani scored 205 goals in her 254 outings for India.
Advertisement
She was honoured with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2020 and was also a recipient of the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth highest civilian award, in the same year.
She was recently roped in as the national coach for sub-junior women players.
Rani has also joined Soorma Hockey Club, representing Haryana and Punjab in the revamped Hockey India League, as the mentor of its women’s team.
The player from Shahabad, considered a cradle of Indian hockey, rose from abject poverty to make the national team.
Advertisement
Her father Ram Pal, who has been her guiding force, earned a mere Rs 80 per day and could not afford to even buy her a hockey stick.
She was rejected by a district level coach for being malnourished as a child but continued to practice with a broken hockey stick that she stumbled upon in a field.
Despite the many obstacles, including initial opposition from her conservative family, Rani made the local team as a six-year-old before becoming the youngest hockey player to turn up for India as a 14-year-old.
“It was a tough to take this decision, especially when you have played 15-16 years for the country. But after much thought I felt it was the right time. Already, I have started my new innings as a mentor for the Delhi team in the women’s HIL,” said the forward, who has also faced some challenging fitness issues in the last couple of years.
Advertisement
“It was tough but finally I thought that it’s time. I have no regrets in my life. But I still feel proud I got the honour to represent the country for so many years.”
Rani was happy with the way her career progressed.
Under Rani’s captaincy, the Indian women’s team qualified for the quarterfinal of the 2018 World Cup in London and also won the silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games.
She also led the team to victory in the 2019 FIH Series Finals and was a key contributor in the Indian team’s back-to-back appearance in the Olympics.
Advertisement
“I had a wonderful career. There were plenty of high moments as well as lows. But Rani as a seven-year-old had never thought of playing for the country for so many years, the journey would be so glorious.
“Seriously I have never thought I will play 254 games for the country and score 200 goals. All these moments will always remain with me. There was struggle too because my childhood was not that good but the passion never died. Country always came first for me.”
Rani thanked her family, especially father, for supporting her in her career after she stood her ground to pursue hockey.
“There are plenty of people who supported me in my career. The family comes first. My family has seen a lot of poverty, had to struggle a lot. My father was poor but his thinking was very rich. He gave me the opportunity to play and make my name.
Advertisement
“My coach Baldev (Singh) sir has a big role to play in my life. I got a very good teacher. I am lucky to have a coach like Baldev sir. He guided and taught me life lessons also besides hockey.
Her only unfulfilled dream is an Olympic podium finish.
“There are plenty of changes happening in women’s hockey. We never thought there will be a league for women’s hockey. Girls will good exposure and financial help as well,” she said.
“What I want is to see the Indian women’s hockey team at the Olympic podium. I tried a lot but came very close to it. I will very happy the day Indian women’s team finishes on Olympic podium and we have that capability.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login