Sports

Arsenal deliver 2-0 statement win over Aston Villa

Published

2 years ago

August 24, 2024

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Leandro Trossard scored with his first touch to help Arsenal secure a hard-fought victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Arsenal were beaten home and away by Villa last season in matches that proved crucial to their failed title attempt, but there was no repeat of their struggles this time around as Trossard made Ollie Watkins pay for missing two huge opportunities.

Emi Martinez tipped Bukayo Saka’s shot around the post to keep Villa level before Watkins scuffed a glorious chance wide at the other end. The England striker had another brilliant opportunity to open the scoring, but David Raya produced a stunning reaction save to keep out his diving header.

Saka wasted a one-on-one chance with Martinez, although he was likely offside, before Trossard clinically slotted into the bottom corner when a loose ball broke his way in the box. The Belgian was instrumental in the build-up for the second goal, too, as Saka teed up Thomas Partey to beat Martinez from the edge of the box and make it 2-0.

Watkins has an excellent record against Arsenal – the club he grew up supporting – and would have been hoping to impress interim England manager Lee Carsley, who was in the house at Villa Park. And he got the perfect chance to make his mark 25 minutes in when Morgan Rogers teed him up.

It was his first shot of the season and it was a shocker. Watkins never looked confident and scuffed his effort wide with David Raya already committed in the other direction. Villa need their England striker to come to the party this season, with a Champions League campaign added to the mix.

It wasn’t a promising start and a huge groan from the crowd after a trampoline touch early in the second half summed up his performance. It got even worse for the Villa striker, too, with his diving header clawed out by Raya. He was hauled off for Jhon Duran in the 65th minute, leaving him lots of time to think about his misses.

Merino to add depth
As they did in their opening game of the season against Wolves, Arsenal started with Partey in holding midfield, with Jorginho on the bench as the only alternative. The Gunners will soon also be able to call upon Mikel Merino in central midfield.

Partey is an out-and-out ball-winner – a safety blanket who sits in front of the back four and keeps things simple after gaining possession. The potential problem Arsenal have is that Arteta demands more from his players; Declan Rice showed last season that he is the full package, capable of impacting the game at both ends of the pitch, but it’s a hard role to do for the entire season.

Partey’s goal was a rare one: he now has six goals and four assists in 117 games for Arsenal. Merino, by contrast, is a true No.8 with 27 goals and 30 assists in 242 games for Real Sociedad. His arrival for £27m plus £4.25m add-ons will add useful strength and depth.

It’s not often that a save stops you in your tracks. David Raya’s flying save from Watkins’ header in the second half was one of those moments. Watkins should have buried it by placing his effort in the corner, but Raya’s reflexes were such that he didn’t even think he needed to be accurate.

Arteta deserves credit in such moments. The Arsenal boss made the big call to bring Raya in on loan from Brentford last season – and to then put him ahead of Aaron Ramsdale in the pecking order. It wasn’t a popular decision at the time, but it has proven to be a shrewd one. Ramsdale was on the bench at Villa Park, yet a transfer could be brewing before the window closes.

His save was to prove absolutely crucial to Arsenal’s victory – and he was named player of the match by Gary Neville on Sky Sports.

Arteta has often sung the praises of Trossard, who has been a reliable performer since joining the club from Brighton. The Belgian offers something different to Gabriel Martinelli, who was ineffective in this game, and Trossard’s introduction swung the game.

He has that happy knack for being in the right place at the right time and that is exactly what happened here, with Morgan Rogers’ attempt to tackle Kai Havertz landing right at Trossard’s feet. He didn’t think – he instinctively slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

There was more to come, too, with Trossard getting in behind from a diagonal pass in the build-up to Partey’s goal and teeing up Odegaard for what should have been a third goal. You can see why Arteta is so fond of the little Belgian. He now has five goals as a sub since the start of last season – the joint-most of any Premier League player.

Sports

Nine African teams in World Cup last-32 round

Published

2 weeks ago

June 28, 2026

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Following the conclusion of the group stage, nine African countries have confirmed their places in round 32 of the 2026 World Cup.

Algeria and DR Congo are the latest teams from the continent to seal their last-32 ticket at the ongoing competition.

They join Morocco, South Africa, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Cape Verde, Ghana and Senegal in the business end of the competition, breaking the previous record of just two African teams at a World Cup knockout round.

Tunisia is the only country on the continent to qualify for the World Cup, but failed to progress beyond the group stage.

DR Congo qualified after earning their first-ever World Cup victory, 3-1 over Uzbekistan, in their last group stage match on Saturday in Atlanta. Yoane Wissa’s brace and Fislon Mayele’s strike helped the Leopard turn around a game that started disastrously for them.

The victory takes DR Congo to the top of the eight best third-placed teams, and they will face England next on Wednesday.

Algeria also managed to squeeze into the last 32 through the best losers’ route. A 3-3 draw against Austria in their final group game ensured they displaced Iran for the final slot.

Ghana also clung to the third-placed ladder to advance despite their 2-1 loss to Croatia in their last Group game. The Black Stars will face Colombia in the next round on July 3.

ROUND OF 32 FIXTURES (All Nigerian time)

South Africa vs Canada — June 28 — 8 pm — Los Angeles Stadium

Brazil vs Japan — June 29 — 6 pm — Houston Stadium

Germany vs Paraguay — June 29 — 9:30 pm — Boston Stadium

Netherlands vs Morocco — June 30 — 2 am — Estadio Monterrey

Ivory Coast vs Norway — June 30 — 6 pm — Dallas Stadium

France vs Sweden — June 30 — 10 pm — New York New Jersey Stadium

Mexico vs Ecuador — July 1 — 2 am — Mexico City Stadium

England vs DR Congo — July 1 — 5 am — Atlanta Stadium

Belgium vs Senegal — July 1 — 9 pm — Seattle Stadium

United States vs Bosnia and Herzegovina — July 2 — 1 am — San Francisco Bay Area Stadium

Spain vs Austria — July 2 — 6 pm — Los Angeles Stadium

Portugal vs Croatia — July 3 — 12 am — Toronto Stadium

Switzerland vs Algeria — July 3 — 4 am — BC Place, Vancouver

Australia vs Egypt — July 3 — 7 pm — Dallas Stadium

Argentina vs Cape Verde — July 3 — 11 pm — Miami Stadium

Colombia vs Ghana — July 4 — 2:30 am — Kansas City Stadium

Sports

Athletics Open: Amusan wins gold, sets new record in Taiwan

Published

1 month ago

June 6, 2026

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Nigerian and world women’s 100m hurdles world record holder, Tobi Amusan,on Saturday won the women’s 100m hurdles gold at the New Taipei Athletics Open in Taiwan.

Amusan struck gold ahead of Taiwanese duo Bo Ya Zhang, who settled for second place in 13.17s, and Yi Po-an took third place in 13.37s.

The 29-year-old’s winning time of 12.72s is also a new meeting record, chalking off 0.08s off the previous mark of 12.80s held by Nia Ali, US Olympic silver medalist and former world champion.

Amusan was dominant in the qualifiers for the final, blowing away the field in Heat 2, and continued the form in the final to deliver a swashbuckling race that thrilled the crowd.

She took the lead outright after the fourth hurdle, leaving Zhang behind.

The three-time Senior Africa Athletics Championship winner crossed the finish line before the last competing athlete cleared the final hurdle, to the amazement of screaming spectators.

It is the second consecutive race Amusan will break a meeting record this athletics season, she also broke her meeting record in the women’s 100m hurdles event at the Rabat Diamond League.

She has won three of five races this season, and has not failed to claim a podium finish.

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Arsenal win EPL title after 22 years

Published

2 months ago

May 19, 2026

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Arsenal are English Premier League (EPL) champions after Manchester City failed to win at Bournemouth.

Pep Guardiola’s Man City drew 1-1 with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium to hand Arsenal an unassailable four-point lead with just one match remaining to the end of the season.

The Gunners win the EPL title for the first time in 22 years, since the legendary Invincible side won it in the 2003/04 season.

In the club’s 100th season without relegation from the EPL, the club will celebrate its centenary participation with a league title won on the back of a record 28 EPL wins that surpassed the 26 wins recorded by the Invincibles. The defence prevented opponents from registering a shot on target in six matches, equaling a 23-year league record, and also scored a record 17 goals from corner kicks.

Mikel Arteta’s tough side has led the table for most of the season before a late mini-collapse, and Man City’s late surge in form nearly threatened their title ambition for a second season in a row.

City’s late resurgence, however, was initially stunned by Everton in early May and completely collapsed against Bournemouth.

Guardiola’s side visited the Vitality Stadium aware that any result other than a victory would seal Arsenal’s title. But they lacked the execution for the mission after falling to a wonderful strike from Junior Kroupi in the first half.

City were only kept in the game by Bournemouth’s profligacy in front of goal. When Erling Haaland’s equaliser was squeezed home in the eleventh hour of the game, even the most faithful City supporter knew it was too little, too late.

Arsenal and Arteta secured the league earlier than they would have predicted, giving City a prodigious title run-in.

The league triumph is Arteta’s second major title with the North London club since joining in December 2019, adding to the English FA Cup trophy won within six months of his tenure in May 2020.

The 44-year-old Spaniard wins his fourth title overall and can win his fifth — and third major trophy — with victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final next weekend.