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Author: Stephen Awino

  • Chelsea Edge Brighton in a Fierce Contest

    [Photo courtesy of CFC]

    Mauricio Pochettino secured his second victory as the newly appointed Chelsea manager as his team rallied from a goal down to beat Brighton 4-3 in a pre-season friendly last Saturday. The Seagulls took the lead early on through Danny Welbeck, who skillfully volleyed the ball home after an impressive collaboration involving Kaoru Mitoma and former Chelsea star Billy Gilmour.

    However, Chelsea quickly bounced back, and their recent signing Christopher Nkunku scored his second goal of the pre-season campaign with a delicate touch, guiding the ball into the net after a clever buildup play in the Brighton penalty area.

    At half-time, the score was level, and both teams missed several opportunities to take the lead until Roberto De Zerbi’s side was reduced to ten men. Jan Paul van Hecke had already received a yellow card but made an ill-judged challenge against Cesare Casadei, resulting in a second yellow card and his dismissal from the game.

    Seizing the advantage of having an extra player, Chelsea capitalized on the situation, and Mykhailo Mudryk struck an impressive half-volley from the edge of the box to put his team in front.

    Connor Gallagher extended Chelsea’s lead on the 72nd minute, and then their new signing Nicolas Jackson broke free from Brighton’s defense to score his debut goal for the London side, making it 4-1 in favor of Chelsea.

    And just as things seemed to be winding down, Pedro would convert a spot kick to reduce the the deficit before a winding run along the left flank to find Deniz Undav in the middle of the penalty area. The German would make no mistake with his shot, firing the ball into the right corner to make the score 4-3

     

  • Manchester United Come Out on Top in Pre-season Encounter

    [Photo courtesy of MUFC]

    During their pre-season tour in the United States, Manchester United beat Arsenal 2-0 at the MetLife Stadium in a fiesty encounter.

    Red Devils’ captain, Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring with a long range shot which Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale failed to pary away despite getting his hands to it. Manchester United doubled their lead after Jadon Sancho’s tight angle finish found the back of the net.

    Tensions on the field were running high, particularly when Lisandro Martinez made a late challenge on Bukayo Saka, leading to a heated altercation between players. The incident occurred just before halftime.

    Renowned for being feisty, the fixture saw a total of three yellow cards issued during the match, with Harry Maguire receiving one for Manchester United and Gabriel Jesus also picking up a yellow card

    The Match culminated with penalties where United came out on top. Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard converted their first kick, followed by Trossard who also converted his. Fabio Viera missed the decisive kick before Jorginho converted his own.

    Manchester United converted all their spot-kicks through Casemiro, Diego Dalot, Victor Lindelof, Marcus Rashford and finally Christian Eriksen to end the shootout 3-5 in favour of the red devils.

    United’s preseason tour in the States includes matches against Wrexham, Real Madrid, and Borussia Dortmund, while the Gunners are scheduled to face Barcelona next on Thursday.

     

  • Chelsea’s Mass Exodus

    [Photo courtesy of Gaspafotos/MB media /Getty images]

    Despite spending a whooping £570 million on transfers in the space of two windows, Chelsea’s fortunes don’t seem to be turning around. The London side endured a horrid season after finishing 12th in the Premier league.

    The Blues had multiple managerial changes with Todd Boehly sacking Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter after poor performances. Lampard became the fourth manager, after Bruno Saltor took charge of one match following the dismissal of Potter.

    Now with former Spurs manager, Mauricio Pochettino at the helm, the blues faithful might have something to hang on to. Yet the exodus witnessed at the club during the transfer window, does little to inspire faith and optimism.

    Chelsea have lost nearly half of their starting XI from last season with goalkeeper Edouard Mendy joining Saudi pro league side Al-Ahli. Senegalese center back, Kalidou Koulibaly likewise, has joined Saudi pro league side Al-Hilal, while club veteran Cesar Azpilicueta, has joined Spanish side Atletico Madrid.

    The transfers of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz have raised a few eyebrows. With the England international and the Croatian joining both Manchester sides, United and City respectively and the German international joining London rivals Arsenal, Chelsea seems to be strengthening direct rivals.

    Arsenal pushed City all the way last season. Adding Havertz to their ranks will only further their title ambitions. Manchester United as well will be looking to build on their success last season with a third-place finish, a Carabao cup to their name and now Mason Mount in their ranks. Manchester City having lost Gundogan will do with a much-needed reinforcement in midfield and Kovacic provides just that.

    Other noticeable departures include French international, Ngolo Kante who joins Saudi side Al-Ittihad while Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic both join Italian side AC Milan, following in the footsteps of former blues player, Olivier Giroud. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s absence will also be felt as he joins French side Marseille.

    Blues supporters will be hoping these transfers don’t come to haunt them if any of their former players lead their rivals to glory.

     

  • Arsenal Thrash MLS All-Stars

    [Photo courtesy of AFC ]

    The All-Star Game against Arsenal, revealed just how the gap between American competition and Europe’s elite was strikingly evident. The Gunners dominated with a resounding 5-0 victory, captivating a packed crowd at Audi Field.

    The MLS attackers struggled to find a cutting edge, but it was the league’s defenders who appeared most out of their depth. Cincinnati’s Alvaro Barreal endured a tough time on the right flank, relentlessly targeted by Bukayo Saka, who exposed his defensive vulnerabilities. Saka’s brilliant play led to a beautifully chipped opening goal by Gabriel Jesus

    Barreal’s challenges continued as he earned a yellow card for a foul on Saka in the 18th minute, and shortly after, Saka again got the better of him, providing an assist to Leandro Trossard for the second goal.

    The first half ended with MLS collecting four yellow cards, and their attacking play lacked cohesion in the final third. Hany Mukhtar’s passing was wasteful, Christian Benteke had a clumsy touch in front of goal, and Denis Bouanga struggled to make an impact, save for a few bursts of speed.

    The second half started on a sour note for the hosts, as Arsenal earned a penalty just seconds after the restart due to a handball by Tim Parker. Jorginho calmly converted the penalty, securing Arsenal’s dominance in this preseason tune-up.

    Gabriel Martinelli extended Arsenal’s lead with a composed finish on the break, followed by Kai Havertz scoring the fifth and final goal of the game.

    Arsenal’s Record signing, Declan Rice came on in the second half to a warm to reception from the travelling support. The English man joins the Gunners from fellow London team West Ham

     

     

  • Spurs 1st friendly ends in defeat

    [Photo courtesy of Spurs official]

    Angel Postecoglou watched on as Spurs were narrowly beaten by their London rivals in a closely contested match at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia. The match was Spurs’ first outing of pre-season.

    The Australian was in charge of his first friendly match since taking over at spurs going with a strong lineup spearheaded by want away striker Harry Kane. New signing James Madison featured in the match as well alongside Kulusevski and Solomon Manor in attack.

    Gianluca Scamacca, Danny Ings and Divin Mubamba were all on target for David Moyes’ side, as they cruised to a third-successive pre-season victory. The Hammers have been on a roll in pre-season and this latest result further cemented that.

    Spurs, meanwhile, nearly rescued a draw through second-half strikes from Giovanni Lo Celso and Destiny Udogie but it was too little, too late for the north London side. The North Londoners will fancy their chance at a first win in pre-season when they take on Leicester on July 23.

    There’ll still be plenty of positives for Spurs fans to look back on, after getting a glimpse of their new attacking-style in action for the first time. They’ll be hoping to keep hold of their starman and English striker Harry Jane who is rumored to want a transfer to Bayern.

  • Declan Rice Joins Arsenal in Record Breaking Transfer

    [Photo courtesy of AFC]

    English midfielder, Declan Rice, has made a groundbreaking move by joining Arsenal Football Club. The record-breaking £105 million transfer sent shockwaves through the football world, as fans and pundits speculated on the potential impact this signing could have on both Rice’s career and Arsenal’s fortunes.

    Rice, who has spent his entire professional career at West Ham United, has established himself as one of the brightest midfield prospects in the country.

    The English man caught the attention of several top clubs including Bayern and Manchester City. However, it was Arsenal who secured his signature, much to the delight of their passionate fanbase.

    Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been a key factor in luring Rice to the Gunners. The Spaniard has been an admirer of the former West Ham Captain as he made him his top summer target.

    As the new Premier League season approached, excitement grew among Arsenal supporters.

  • Arsenal Held To a Draw

    [Photo courtesy of AFC]

    Premier League side Arsenal was held to a one-all by German side FC Nürnberg in a pre-season friendly. The Gunners broke the deadlock early on in the 7th minute when England international Benjamin White found fellow teammate Bukayo Saka with a lobbed through ball.

    The 21-year-old cut in from the right to unleash a powerful shot past the goalkeeper, Christian Mathenia. The German side equalized in the second half when a misplaced pass by goalkeeper Karl Hein found Kanji Okunuki who threaded it home.

    The Londoners came close to equalizing in the 90th minute when Folarin Balogun was through on goal but hit the side net.

    They were without last season’s top scorer, Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian international is still out with an ankle injury sustained in May against Brighton.

    New boy Kai Havertz featured in the second half to a warm reception. The German international joins Arsenal from Premier League rivals Chelsea in a €70 million deal

    Arsenal are now set to fly out to the US for the rest of their pre-season tour where they’ll take on the MLS all-stars before taking on fellow Premier League rivals Manchester United

  • Everton Midfielder Dele Ali Opens Up On Dealing with Addiction

    [Photo courtesy of Sky Sports]

    The Everton midfielder has regressed in his footballing career since his time with London club Tottenham. From a mercurial teenage talent, Ali’s career has stagnated.

    Speaking with Gary Neville in an interview on the overlap, The 27-year-old disclosed that he had an addiction to sleeping pill tablets. He further revealed that he had spent six weeks of summer in rehab in the US.

    The news comes as a surprise to his critics who had called him out on his career trajectory and performance in recent years at his former club Tottenham and national team England.

    The football community has shown their love and support to the out-of-favor England international.