28/06/2025

SPORTS SATURDAY | JUNE 28, 2025

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City skipper Silva hails Guardiola’s new generation

MANCHESTER 5-2 hammering of Juventus in their final group stage game at the Club World Cup yesterday left new captain Bernardo Silva purring over the new-look team’s future. After a frustrating trophyless season last term, City delivered a performance that indicated they have a real chance of battling for the title of world champions in New Jersey on July 13. “We’ve always been potential winners in all competitions that we play. Obviously it’s just one game, but we’re happy that the performance was CITY’S statement SAUDI ARABIA’S Al-Hilal became the only Asian side to reach the Club World Cup’s knockout stages with a 2-0 win over Pachuca yesterday, finishing their Group H campaign unbeaten and setting up a round-of-16 meeting with Manchester City. Al-Hilal showed they could compete with the best teams in the world when they held Real Madrid and Red Bull Salzburg to draws in their first two games under new coach Simone Inzaghi. They have conceded just one goal in their three matches, sharing the best defensive record of the group stage with Paris St Germain and Monterrey. “Our goal was to achieve (being in) the group of the best teams in the world,” Al-Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi said. “It was not an easy task, but the team was well united. It fought during the three games for a great objective. “We were not coming here just to have fun, we were coming here to play a World Cup and we wanted to reach this stage. “Now we’ll have to play against Manchester City… it’s one of the greatest teams in the world. These are the games where you can improve and you can mature as a team, so I’m very proud.” ‘Exit rumours fake news’ MANCHESTER CITY goalkeeper Ederson has dismissed speculation he could leave the club as “fake news”. The Brazilian has one year remaining on his contract at the Etihad Stadium and has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia. The 31-year-old has spent the past eight years at City and helped the club win 18 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League. “My future is here,” Ederson said. “Some friends send me lots of news, but 99% is fake news. “I understand you guys, you need the news, to put a‘like’on social media but there’s a lot of fake news around my name. “My head is here. It stays with City. It means everything to go back to the Premier League and to try to win the Champions League as well. My mind is staying in the club.” Asked specifically about Ederson at his press conference ahead of yesterday’s game against Juventus, manager Pep Guardiola said he did not know whether the Brazilian would stay beyond next season. He said: “I don’t know, but I am so pleased with what I am seeing in the training sessions and he is with us. “He has had a spectacular decade with us and his contribution has been massive in many aspects.” SHORTS Inzaghi proud of Al-Hilal

“All that experience, I will try to pass it to the younger guys,” he said, while insisting he was also part of a collective leadership. “It’s about each one of us being our own leader and helping the guy next to us in the dressing room. “The same way that we helped the other guys, I’m counting on Ruben (Dias), on Rodri, on Erling (Haaland), on all the guys to help me. Because I will need that help to help the team achieve a lot of things and hopefully win titles,” he said. – AFP

New arrivals Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki in midfield and Rayan Ait-Nouri at left back showed against Juve that they have the profiles to fit into the City mould immediately Silva, the 30-year-old Portuguese midfielder was recently named the club’s new skipper, charged with the job of integrating an exciting crop of new players into Guardiola’s first team. “It’s probably one of the biggest honours of my career. I’m going to start my ninth season at the club. We went through a lot of fantastic moments and some disappointments as well.

the way it was. I “It shows that we’re improving, we’re coming back to the levels and to the standards that we got people used to at this club,” said Silva. “That’s good. That’s a good sign for next season. Not only for this competition, but we want to build to the whole season, to the whole year. “What happened last year was quite disappointing for all of us. We want to change, we want to be better. Today was a great performance and it shows that we can do it again,” he said.

Real spread their wings Alonso’s tactical shift sees Madrid seal comfortable win over Salzburg N EW Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso introduced a bold tacti cal change as his side defeated RB Salzburg 3-0 yesterday to fin

Atlanta against Los Angeles FC. “My goal against LAFC was my eighth of the season. That is a good number, it’s good in one season and I am thankful to God for this. But for me, this is still just the beginning,” Fernandez told Chelsea’s website. “I’m always going to want more, I always want to do better. If I can do that, I will be helping the team. This is always on my mind. “It’s why I work hard and try to improve, and with Enzo (Maresca), I am playing further forward, which has helped with my statistics. Next season, though, I want to score more goals and give more assists.” – AFP first-half added time with a deft back heeled pass. Vinicius said the backheel assist was “one of the best of my career.” “I’m very happy with the assist, I think it’s one of the best I’ve had in my career,” Vinicius told ESPN . “They’ve been two very good weeks. We’re gaining confidence, and trying to understand as quickly as possible what the boss wants. “I have to play inside a bit more, and I’ve always liked that, I’m closer to goal.” Vinicius’ backheel drew comparisons with Real Madrid legend Guti, who gave a famous backheel pass in a game with Deportivo La Coruna. “Vini’s was very good, but I was on the field for Guti’s, and it was crazy,” Alonso told DAZN . “So I’ll go with that one. But Vini’s was almost, almost the same.” Forward Gonzalo Garcia sealed the win in the 84th minute, lobbing the Salzburg keeper to cap a swift counterattack. The performance was a marked improvement from Real’s earlier group matches, where they appeared unconvincing at times. “The first half was serious. We played patiently, knowing that we couldn’t win in 10 minutes and that we had to be mature to find our opportunity,” Alonso told reporters. “We started the second half well and, with the score at 3-0, I’m happy with the lads.” Real Madrid next face Italy’s Juventus in the round of 16 on Wednesday, when Alonso’s tactical approach will come under greater scrutiny. He is expected to have forward Kylian Mbappe available after the Frenchman missed the group stage due to illness. “Let’s wait and see, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. We thought Kylian would be ready for this match, but it wasn’t to be,” Alonso said. “Now we have four days. I want to be optimistic, but also cautious.” – Reuters/Agencies

ish as Group H winners and set up a mouth-watering last 16 tie against Juventus at the Club World Cup. Alonso, who arrived at Real with a reputation for innovative tactics following his trophy-laden stint at Bayer Leverkusen, fielded a five-man defence for the first time since taking over. The system, featuring three centrebacks and aggressive wing backs, marked a significant departure from the traditional 4-3-3 formation used by predecessors Carlo 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. “We’re taking it step-by-step,” Vinicius Jr told DAZN . “Of course, we can’t fully adapt to the coach’s ideas so quickly, it takes time. But today was a good game for that, especially in the first half.” Alonso had utilised a four-man defence in Real’s earlier group matches, a 1-1 draw with Al Hilal and a 3-1 victory over Pachuca. Yesterday Aurelien Tchouameni was deployed between centrebacks Antonio Ruediger and Dean Huijsen, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran Garcia operating as the wing backs. Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler played as creative midfielders with Federico Valverde in a holding role, while Vinicius Jr and Gonzalo Garcia led the attack. The tactical shift paid dividends as Real Madrid dominated proceedings. Bellingham and Guler consistently found Vinicius in dangerous positions and the Brazilian opened the scoring in the 40th minute, weaving past two defenders before firing into the bottom right corner. He then assisted on Valverde’s goal in

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham (right) in action with RB Salzburg’s Yorbe Vertessen. – REUTERSPIC

Chelsea’s Fernandez flying ahead of Benfica reunion

FOR a long while Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez struggled under the weight of his hefty price tag but as he prepares to face his former side Benfica tomorrow (4am Malaysian time) in the Club World Cup, he is finally showing why the Blues splashed out on him. The 24-year-old set up two goals in Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Esperance of Tunisia which sent his team through to the last 16 and a date with the Portuguese giants in Charlotte this weekend. With England international Cole Palmer struggling for form, Fernandez has been Chelsea’s key creative influence over the past few months. The Argentina star helped the Londoners

qualify for the Champions League by claiming fourth place in the Premier League, as well as winning the Conference League in May. After Real Betis took the lead in the final, Fernandez inspired Chelsea’s comeback by netting their first goal in an eventual 4-1 triumph in Poland. In 2025, Fernandez has scored and assisted a total of 14 goals, with Pedro Neto the next highest producer at Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea with nine, and Palmer lagging behind with eight, along with youngster Tyrique George. As well as impressing against Esperance, Fernandez scored in Chelsea’s 2-0 opening win in