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Man United stunned 1-1 by Dutch club Twente in revamped Europa League

Man United stunned 1-1 by Dutch club Twente in revamped Europa League
FC Twente's Dutch midfielder #14 Sem Steijn (R) takes a free kick during the UEFA Europa league stage football match between Manchester United and FC Twente at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, north west England, on September 25, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 26 September 2024

Man United stunned 1-1 by Dutch club Twente in revamped Europa League

Man United stunned 1-1 by Dutch club Twente in revamped Europa League
  • United has won just three of seven games in all competitions this season and Wednesday’s draw came after a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday

MANCHESTER, England: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag questioned his players’ killer instinct after they were held to a 1-1 draw by his old club FC Twente in the revamped Europa League on Wednesday.
Sam Lammers capitalized on a mistake by Christian Eriksen in the second half at Old Trafford and raced away to fire an equalizer for the Dutch underdog.
“You saw that was the game of their life. They fought for every yard and we didn’t,” Ten Hag said. “99 percent is not enough, You have to give 100 percent. You have kill the game. You have to finish it off.”
Eriksen had put United ahead with a stunning first-half strike but was caught in possession by Lammers, whose goal secured an unexpected point for the visitors.
Ten Hag had spoken before the game of his affection for the team he supported as a boy in the Netherlands and represented as a player. He said it was “not nice to have to hurt something you love.”
Instead it was United fans left in pain, despite Eriksen seemingly putting the home team on course for victory.
United has won just three of seven games in all competitions this season and Wednesday’s draw came after a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday.
Eriksen swept United ahead in the 35th with a first-time shot into the top corner. Connecting with a loose ball just inside the box, the playmaker didn’t break stride as he whipped his effort past past Twente goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall with power and precision.
With one fist clenched, he ran to the corner to celebrate in front of the home fans.
But it was Twente’s supporters left cheering the loudest after Lammers’ goal in the 68th when beating Andre Onana at his near post.
“There’s a lot of football (still to play) when you (are) one up and the game takes more than 90 minutes,” Ten Hag said. “And you have to fight until the end and score the second goal.”
Like the Champions League, the second-tier Europa League has a new format and 36 teams instead of 32. It features a league system in which each team plays eight games against different opponents through January, replacing the old group stage.
Lazio cruises, Osimhen assists
In a clash between the Turkish and Greek champions, Galatasaray beat PAOK 3-1. Victor Osimhen, who moved from Napoli to Galatasaray earlier in September, made his presence felt. The Nigeria striker’s goalbound header was deflected by defender Abdul Rahman Baba into his own net early in the second half. Giannis Konstantelias equalized on a rebound before Osimhen set up Yunus Akgün to net the winner. Mauro Icardi added a stoppage-time goal.
Lazio cruised past Dynamo Kyiv 3-0. Boulaye Dia struck twice and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru added one. Both teams ended the game with 10 men.
Real Sociedad, struggling in La Liga, got a goal from Ander Barrenetxea at Nice but the home team salvaged a 1-1 draw thanks to Pablo Rosario’s goal late in the first half.
Another team struggling domestically, Bundesliga’s Hoffenheim took home a point from Denmark in a 1-1 draw with Danish Superliga’s leader Midtjylland. Darío Osorio put the hosts ahead late in the first half before substitute Max Moerstedt leveled it in the final minute.
In Brussels, Anderlecht struck twice in the span of five minutes in the second half on the way to a 2-1 victory over Ferencváros. Yari Verschaeren scored on the hour and Kasper Dolberg added the second from the spot.
Slavia Prague scored in each half for a 2-0 win at Bulgaria’s Ludogorets.
Early wins
Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt and Dutch side AZ Alkmaar became the first teams to claim victories earlier on Wednesday.
Jens Petter Hauge’s two goals guided 10-man Bodø/Glimt from a goal down to a 3-2 win over Porto while Troy Parrott netted the winner from the penalty spot for Alkmaar to beat Sweden’s Elfsborg 3-2.
Porto, a two-time champion in Europe’s second-tier league, got an early goal from Samu. Kasper Høgh’s equalized and Hauge netted twice for a 3-1 lead. Porto reduce the deficit to one in the final minute through substitute Deniz Gül.
Alkmaar answered Timothy Ouma’s opener with two goals from Ruben van Bommel on both sides of the interval. Simon Hedlund made it 2-2 before Parrott’s late penalty.
Ahead of a late game between Dynamo Kyiv and Lazio, a group of about 60 Lazio fans were stopped by German authorities in Hamburg after attempting to avoid a police escort and were found to be carrying knives, clubs and other weapons. Fans who were held overnight were banned from attending Wednesday’s game but there were no arrests.
Dynamo plays its home Europa League games in Hamburg because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.


Venus Williams, Fernandez into US Open doubles quarter-finals

Venus Williams, Fernandez into US Open doubles quarter-finals
Updated 8 sec ago

Venus Williams, Fernandez into US Open doubles quarter-finals

Venus Williams, Fernandez into US Open doubles quarter-finals

NEW YORK: Venus Williams prolonged her stay at the US Open on Monday, partnering Leylah Fernandez to reach her first Grand Slam doubles quarter-final in nearly a decade.
The 45-year-old American tennis icon and Fernandez, who was born three years after Williams won the first of her 14 Grand Slam doubles titles in 1999, defeated Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova and China’s Zhang Shuai 6-3, 6-4.
It is the first time Williams has reached a Grand Slam doubles quarter-final since 2016.
Williams is playing in the doubles after receiving a last-minute invitation from US Open organizers to play in the tournament she won twice alongside younger sister Serena.
The Williams-Fernandez pair could face top seeds Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and American Taylor Townsend in the quarter-finals.
The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion returned to competition at the end of July at the Washington Open after sixteen months away from the WTA Tour.
She indicated after her singles defeat that the US Open would likely be her last tournament of the season.


Ruthless Sinner routs Bublik to reach US Open quarter-finals

Ruthless Sinner routs Bublik to reach US Open quarter-finals
Updated 3 min 22 sec ago

Ruthless Sinner routs Bublik to reach US Open quarter-finals

Ruthless Sinner routs Bublik to reach US Open quarter-finals

NEW YORK: Defending US Open champion Jannik Sinner continued his stellar run at the hardcourt Grand Slams with a 6-1 6-1 6-1 hammering of Kazakh 23rd seed Alexander Bublik on Monday to make the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows.
The Italian top seed came into the Labour Day evening clash at Arthur Ashe Stadium looking for his 25th straight major match win on his preferred surface and he never looked in any trouble against a tricky opponent after shooting out of the blocks.
A double break helped Sinner build a 4-0 lead before Bublik could even get on the board, and the dominant 24-year-old chased down a drop shot to fire home a deep backhand winner that wrapped up the opening set with another break.
Bublik’s attempts to disrupt Sinner’s rhythm with more drop shots proved futile but it was his service errors that left him trailing by two sets, before Sinner wheeled away to his eighth straight major quarter-final and a clash with compatriot Lorenzo Musetti.


Osaka routs Gauff to reach US Open quarter-finals

Osaka routs Gauff to reach US Open quarter-finals
Updated 02 September 2025

Osaka routs Gauff to reach US Open quarter-finals

Osaka routs Gauff to reach US Open quarter-finals
  • Japanese four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka dominated American third seed Gauff on her way to wrapping up a 6-3, 6-2 victory

NEW YORK: Naomi Osaka blew past Coco Gauff to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open on Monday in a lopsided battle of former champions.
Japanese four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka dominated American third seed Gauff on her way to wrapping up a 6-3, 6-2 victory in one hour four minutes on the Arthur Ashe Stadium Court.
The eagerly anticipated showdown between 2018 and 2020 US Open champion Osaka and 2023 title-winner Gauff never quite lived up to the billing.
Gauff, who changed her coaching team on the eve of the tournament in an effort to improve her serving, once again struggled on serve.
She was broken four times by Osaka, who looked far more assured throughout as she coasted into her first Grand Slam quarter-final in four years.
“I’m a little sensitive and I don’t want to cry,” said Osaka, who also beat a 15-year-old Gauff at the US Open in their first meeting in 2019.
“I had so much fun out here. This is my favorite court in the world and it means so much to me to be back here.”
Osaka’s current US Open campaign is her best performance in a Grand Slam singles tournament since she returned to tennis last year following the birth of her daughter in 2023.
Osaka conceded just two points off her serve in the entire opening set, which she took with her second break of Gauff, who double-faulted on set point.
The second set was a similar story, with Osaka giving up only four points on serve while pressuring Gauff relentlessly.
Osaka edged clear after breaking Gauff to go 4-2 up and then broke the American again to complete victory.
Osaka will face either Czech 11th seed Karolina Muchova or Ukrainian 27th seed Marta Kostyuk in Wednesday’s quarter-finals.


Al-Qadsiah sign German midfielder Julian Weigl from Borussia Monchengladbach

Al-Qadsiah sign German midfielder Julian Weigl from Borussia Monchengladbach
Updated 02 September 2025

Al-Qadsiah sign German midfielder Julian Weigl from Borussia Monchengladbach

Al-Qadsiah sign German midfielder Julian Weigl from Borussia Monchengladbach
  • 29-year-old joins on a two-year contract with an option to extend for a third year

AL-KHOBAR: Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah has completed the signing of German midfielder Julian Weigl from Borussia Monchengladbach, the club announced on Monday.

The 29-year-old joins on a two-year contract with an option to extend for a third year. According to reports, Weigl will earn up to €7 million ($8.2 million) annually with the newly-promoted SPL club.

Weigl, a defensive midfielder, arrives as a direct replacement for Argentine international Equi Fernandez, who recently made the switch to Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

During his time at Borussia Monchengladbach, Weigl made 94 appearances, scoring three goals and providing six assists.

He brings a wealth of experience from European football, having also previously played for clubs like Benfica and Borussia Dortmund.

Al-Qadsiah welcomed the player via its official account on X (formerly Twitter), posting: “For the Knights Battalion... security has increased. From the German League, Weigl has arrived.”


Al-Ahli sign Matheus Goncalves from Flamengo

Al-Ahli sign Matheus Goncalves from Flamengo
Updated 02 September 2025

Al-Ahli sign Matheus Goncalves from Flamengo

Al-Ahli sign Matheus Goncalves from Flamengo
  • Al-Ahli paid 9 million euros to secure the services of the attacking midfielder
  • Brazilian played 18 matches with Flamengo last season, during which he scored 5 goals with 2 assists

JEDDAH: Al-Ahli have announced the signing of Brazilian midfielder Matheus Goncalves from Flamengo on a two year contract, with an option to extend for a third season.

The move comes as part of the Al-Ahli’s efforts to strengthen their squad ahead of upcoming domestic, continental and international competitions.

Al-Ahli paid €9 million ($10.5m) to secure the services of the attacking midfielder.

Goncalves will be registered among the list of foreign professional players born in 2004 and after, according to the club.

The Brazilian played 18 matches with Flamengo last season, during which he scored 5 goals and made 2 assists in 627 minutes of playing time.

Goncalves was a key player in Flamengo’s U-20 Intercontinental Cup triumphs in 2024 and 2025.