04/10/2025

SPORTS SATURDAY | OCT 4, 2025

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Lille goalkeeper saves three penalties LILLE goalkeeper Berke Ozer saved three successive penalties in a remark able end to their 1-0 win over Roma in the Europa League yesterday. their second win in a row in the compe tition.

Matty Cash, with Feyenoord head coach Robin van Persie claiming after the match the official had apologised for his decision. Van Persie told TNT Sports : “I don’t think it was the right call. The referee was talking about a block and that someone for Villa was blocked. “But that was not the case. It was a clear goal and that’s a really important decision. “The referee said sorry to me. I went to see him at halftime, he thought someone was blocking, but said sorry a couple of times. It was a shame and had a big influence on the game.” – The Independent “We controlled the game or most of the time – just after the red card, the pressure was a little bit more – but overall I think we deserved the win,” Glasner said. “It looks like teams (in Europe) react more to the way we are playing, so in the Premier League every team plays its style, their system, once or twice it happens that the opposition changes their system. “Now we’ve two opponents with Fredrikstad and Kyiv, and both teams started in a different system than we expected. Maybe this is a little bit different and we will see if this continues.” – The Independent OLIVER GLASNER is uninterested in revelling in Crystal Palace’s club record 19-match unbeaten streak as he insisted his focus has already switched to tomorrow’s (9pm) visit to Everton. Palace’s long sequence of games without a loss was extended after they started their Conference League group stage campaign in convincing fashion, overcoming Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kiev 2-0 in Poland. Daniel Munoz scored Palace’s first ever away goal in Europe just after the half-hour mark and second-half substitute Eddie Nketiah also struck, both from Yeremy Pino left-wing crosses, in the 58th minute. But Glasner was in no mood to pop any champagne corks at breaking a record stretching all the way back to 1969, when Palace had an 18-match undefeated run en route to promotion to the old First Division. “I’m proud that we could start the Conference League away against a very good opponent (but) I don’t think about this (unbeaten) run, because it has already happened,” Glasner told a press conference. “It is not difficult to prepare the team because they are so hungry to succeed and so ambitious. We want to keep them pushing and it is really easy to keep the focus high. “We always want to win the next game and I just told the players ‘congratulations for this good start’. We have huge respect for Dynamo Kyiv, so playing away, starting with a win is very positive. “But now we have to switch the focus and it started now. We start here to be ready for Everton on Sunday. Every single competition is the same, it is as important as the other one.” Palace comfortably held on despite Borna Sosa seeing red after two yellow cards in three minutes. Dynamo could not fashion any clear cut chances in the final quarter of an hour with Palace down to 10 men. Glasner fully focused on Toffees despite European victory Ű BY DAVID CHARLESWORTH

“No one can expect to save three penalties in one evening. It was like being in a dream for me,” said Ozer, the 25-year-old Turkey international who joined Lille in August after Lucas Chevalier signed for Paris Saint Germain. “I knew I was going to save the first attempt but the other two, it was really strange. I don’t know what to say. “Before the match I promised my fiancee that I wouldn’t concede any goals. I didn’t expect it to turn out like this. If there had been a fourth one, I could have stopped that too,” joked Ozer. Lille coach Bruno Genesio lauded the heroics of his goalkeeper and said he had “never seen anything like it”. – AFP

A NGE POSTECOGLOU is unfazed by growing fan anger at Nottingham Forest amid calls for his sacking just three weeks after he took charge. Postecoglou’s terrible start to his tenure at the City Ground got worse yesterday as fans mocked their man ager during the 3-2 loss to Midtjylland in the Europa League. The Australian is winless in his first six games at the club, becoming the first Forest manager in 100 years to achieve such an ignominious feat. The home supporters chanted “you’re getting sacked in the morn ing” to the 60-year-old after Valdemar Byskov scored the visitors’ late third goal, watching their team succumb to yet another defeat with Postecoglou at the wheel. Rubbing it in, fans then sang in praise of Postecoglou’s predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo, who is now with West Ham. “The fans are disappointed. They are allowed to have an opinion on it. I heard their opinion,” Postecoglou said. “Nothing surprises me in foot ball. It’s the climate we’re in. It seems that’s the way things are going. It’s nothing I can control.” The former Tottenham manager was also jeered by Forest fans as he walked down the tunnel at fulltime. Postecoglou arrived at Forest less than a month ago with an eye for redemption, having been unceremo niously axed by Spurs after a season that delivered a dismal 17th-place finish in the Premier League, yet also a first trophy in 17 years. His experience of success in the Europa League may have been a driv ing factor of his appointment after volatile owner Evangelos Marinakis fell out with Nuno Espirito Santo, leading to the Portuguese manager’s sacking in spite of a remarkably suc ASTON VILLA boss Unai Emery said his captain John McGinn provides his side with the X-factor after their 2-0 win against Feyenoord in Rotterdam. McGinn scored for the third game running to seal back-to-back Europa League wins for Villa, and three on the bounce in all competitions, after Emi Buendia had fired them into a second-half lead. When asked about McGinn, Emery, a four-time Europa League winner as manager, told TNT Sports : “His challenge as captain is something more than tactically and individually. Ű BY MARK WALKER The French side led through an early Hakon Haraldsson goal in the Italian capital but Roma had the chance to equalise late on after a handball by Aissa Mandi. Artem Dovbyk saw his effort saved but the referee ordered a retake for encroachment after defender Romain Perraud cleared the ball behind for a corner. Ozer denied Dovbyk for a second time but was deemed to have left his line too soon and Roma were given another chance from the spot. Dovbyk stepped aside to let Matias Soule take the third attempt, but he too was foiled by Ozer as Lille held on for Ű BY WILL CASTLE

Lille goalkeeper Berke Ozer (right) celebrates after saving a penalty from Roma’s Artem Dovbyk (unseen) yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

Forest fury

Postecoglou unfazed by fan anger after Europa League defeat

Ange Postecoglou. – REUTERSPIC

Forest drew 2-2 at Real Betis last week and go to Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday (9pm) before the international break. Postecoglou said: “It’s a really poor outcome from us. It was an important night for many reasons and (a) similar tale, us letting our selves down in key moments and having a mountain to climb. “If you allow the opportunity to score every time they get near your goal, it’s going to be hard to win games of football.” – The Independent/Agencies

optimistic in their outlook of what I’m doing. I can only change that by winning games of football. “Irrespective, that’s not going to change the way I’m taking things on. I really believe in the process of what we’re doing and I don’t think we’re far away from being the team that can eradicate the situation we’re in at the moment and get the results.” Chris Wood’s stoppage-time pen alty could not save Forest who earlier conceded first half goals from Ousmane Diao and Mads Bech, either side of Dan Ndoye’s equaliser.

cessful 2024/25 season. However, the Greek billionaire’s gamble has yet to show signs of pay ing off, with the first European game at the City Ground for 29 years end ing in overwhelming disappoint ment. With the finger being pointed at Postecoglou, the Australian says his goal as Forest boss has not changed. “My responsibility is to make sure we get some wins for this football club and progress it,” said Postecoglou. “I would prefer if people were “He is playing with a lot of emotions. He responds in a difficult moment. He is a player very important in the dressing room and he is always happy and always smiling. “When we need more than tactical and individual performances, he is always trying to get positive energy.” Villa had to weather a storm before the interval as Feyenoord created a string of chances, with stand-in goalkeeper Marco Bizot pulling off

Emery praises Villans captain McGinn

“When we had six players out like we did today, the other players responded fantastically. It was fantastic how the goalkeeper replaced Martinez.” As well as creating a string of first half chances, Feyenoord were left furious when Slovenian referee Rade Obrenovic controversially ruled out Ayase Ueda’s 35th-minute header. Ueda headed home from a corner, but Obrenovic blew to disallow the goal for an apparent foul on Villa’s

several outstanding saves. Bizo was a late change before kickoff after Emi Martinez was withdrawn due to a calf injury and the summer signing from Brest produced eight saves in total. Emery, whose side followed up last week’s win over Bologna with their first Premier League win of the season on Sunday against Fulham, added: “The goalkeeper was fantastic. He is a very good guy and goalkeeper and he is accepting his role.