Archive May 4, 2025

Before Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Bodo/Glimt, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou claims James Maddison’s injury “does not look great.”

In the first leg of Thursday’s game, Spurs defeated the Norwegian side 3-1, but Maddison was forced off in the second half due to a broken leg.

Spurs’ 1-1 draw at West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday did not include the attacking midfielder in the matchday squad.

“We’ll just wait and see,” he said. On Monday, we should likely get some clarity.

“I’ll just wait and see,” the statement read.

Due to a knock, Dominic Solanke, who won the game in the middle of the week, was also unsporting.

Postecoglou was more optimistic about the striker’s chances for Norway’s return leg.

Dom is improving, Postecoglou claimed to BBC Sport. He should be fine for Thursday, we say. To get more money, we simply let him go [against West Ham].

However, the medical team is reasonably certain that he will be okay on Thursday.

Postecoglou’s side ended their three-game losing streak by making eight changes while having the priority of the Europa League.

Only Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, and Guglielmo Vicario made the first-leg starting lineup, with only one other player remaining.

The Spurs boss told BBC Sport, “It’s something we’ve been doing for a while because we’ve had to.”

We’ve had a terrible run with injuries, which, to be fair, haven’t yet recovered. But it made sense with the opportunity [in the Europa League] we have ahead of us.

In a completely different defense, Richarlison, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies, and Djed Spence made up the front three, along with Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert, who both contributed to the 15th-minute opener.

With just three games left, Tottenham is 16th overall with 38 points from 35 games, one point clear of West Ham and one point behind Everton and Manchester United.

Postecoglou, however, expressed his pride in his players’ deeds in the derby.

Making so many changes is not simple, and it will have an impact on the team’s fluency and even rhythm, he said.

They made great efforts, I thought. They had a plan and were disciplined.

“I still believed we were dangerous going the other way because we tried to disarm their threat, and they had some respectable firepower at our disposal.”

If Bodo/Glimt does well on Thursday, either Manchester United or Athletic Bilbao will host them in the May 21 final.

Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton, Division One of the Rothesay County Championship (day three).

Essex 206 &amp, 259: Cox 103* (retired hurt), Pretorius 3-36

Somerset 145 &amp, 216-6: Rew 65*, Harmer 3-80

To defeat Essex (3 points), Somerset (3 points) needs 105 more runs.

On the third day of Somerset’s third-day County Championship Division One game at Taunton, an injury to centurion Jordan Cox severely damaged an impressive Essex display.

Cox, who was recently called up to the England squad, increased his overnight score of 61 to an unbeaten 103 as his team increased their total for the second innings from 163-4 to 259 all out.

However, he immediately broke down clutching his lower left after taking the single that put him on 99 and reached three figures.

When Somerset attempted to score 321 on a pitch that still provided assistance to seam and spin, Cox was replaced in the field and did not play any further innings for Essex.

Lewis Gregory scored 57 as they came to a close of 216-6, and James Rew scored 65.

Tom Westley, the coach for Essex, informed Cox that there was a problem with his side but that a scan would not be available until Monday.

We’ll be aware of a lot more then, according to Westley. It was unfortunate that he was unable to continue after playing a fantastic innings.

Cox and Michael Pepper quickly increased their overnight lead of 224 in the first hour of play.

Cox celebrated Craig Overton’s introduction with a magnificent extra cover drive for four before sweeping Jack Leach for boundaries off successive deliveries. When misfortune struck, Pepper leant strong support, leading to a total of 234-4.

Cox had experienced some discomfort, and Leach’s quick single off the end of his ton caused him to prostrate himself. He was ushered to his feet after a number of minutes of treatment, but he only continued for four more minutes before passing the 155-ball hundred mark.

After finishing off the lead past 300, Pepper glanced a four off Overton, but Migael Pretorius suffered the first of three victims in a row, leaving him leg before going on the back foot.

Sam Cook top-edged a pull shot to be caught at fine leg while Noah Thain edged to Rew. As Essex dropped from 252-4 to 259 all out, Leach contributed with Kasun Rajitha and Simon Harmer’s wickets.

On a pitch that had aided bowlers from the beginning, a lead of 321 still appeared to be in order. The 91-5 was left at tea as Somerset’s fragile top order again failed, it appeared.

Without allowing a run on the board, Andy Umeed edged a catch to second slip off Jamie Porter, and Archie Vaughan top-edged a shot to leg off Cook to give a straightforward catch from mid-wicket.

Tom Lammonby fell for 30 yards after Harmer’s introduction from eighth over, a ball that went past the left-hander’s forward defensive shot and hit his back pad. Harmer came in first and struck first with the total of 54.

Tom Abell made it 29 before a sharply turning delivery from Harmer clipped his off-spin and made it 71-5.

With only seven more runs remaining, Somerset’s player, who is currently 13 years old, reverse-spreads the spinner and is ruled to have got a little too much before Dean Elgar slips.

At the tea break, Skipper Gregory and Rew had a positive attitude and both left for the final session.

In a counterattacking partnership that only served to highlight previous batting inadequacies, anything that seemed even slightly loose was mercilessly punished with boundaries. Off 80 balls and seven fours, Gregory sprinted to half-century.

Rew’s performance was equally impressive, going 37 against Rajitha, whose captain flashed a four-for-four cut to bring up the 100-point plateau. However, Gregory made a second forced shot with the same result, only to have a thick inside edge strewn across his stumps.

Rew’s 10th four, which was third-man off Cook, resulted in a fluent fifty off of 91 balls and the Somerset 200.

A fresh attack and the second new ball from tomorrow kept him in the game at the end, with a further 105 required.

A figure wearing a long white dress, high heels, and sunglasses stood out among the London City Lionesses’ teal shirts with the word “winners” on them.

Since taking over Lionesses last summer, Michele Kang has not relinquished her business, but with the promotion to the Women’s Super League under her belt.

The celebrations at St. Andrew’s after Lionesses held on to a stunning 2-2 draw against championship rivals Birmingham City to advance to the WSL were somewhat unusual, with club owner Kang permitted to carry the trophy onto the field.

She told Sky Sports, “We have been building a team that is at least in the mid-tier WSL.”

“When I first arrived, a lot of people were very concerned for me and questioned, “How can you do this because you don’t have a men’s team from which to draw the equity, the brand, and the fanbase?”

To accomplish this in a year as an independent team is evidence that anything is possible with proper funding and resources. This provides evidence that we are only increasing.

The first team to join the WSL is the London City Lionesses, which has no affiliation with a men’s club. Since splitting from Millwall in 2019, they have been a fixture in the second tier but have experienced a turbocharged state of affairs since their wealthy American owner, who is now 82, arrived in 2023.

Along with 2010 World Cup champion Saki Kumagai, former Barcelona midfielder Maria Perez, and seasoned Swedish international Sofia Jakobsson, former WSL champion Kosovare Asllani led several eye-catching arrivals on the pitch.

Promotion was only secured on the final day of this draw at second-placed Birmingham, who came from 2-0 down and worked hard until the very end to ensure them a victory.

Kang has spent a lot of money, both wisely and boldly. With a particular emphasis on women’s fitness needs, Kent has plans to build a state-of-the-art training facility. She has previously pressed for more money and research into the effects of sport on women’s bodies and delivered her claims without fals.

She stated that the hiring team will meet on Monday morning to discuss how to avoid Crystal Palace and Bristol City from the WSL last year.

And it is interesting to note that the two key players at St. Andrew’s were young British talents rather than recent headliners.

Izzy Goodwin, the championship top scorer this season with 16 strikes in 18 games, scored the first goal. It will be interesting to watch how she ascends after Sheffield United and the Lionesses both had high second-tier goals.

Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah, signed in 2023, scored the second. In the opening period, she also made a crucial goalline clearance.

Although the WSL is a completely different league, “we have the experience, the players, the support, the fans, and hopefully they will continue to grow.” We “take each game as it comes,” Boye-Hlorkah said, “We put ourselves on the map.”

Lionesses’ desire to resurrect their position in the top flight will depend on that combination of investment and existing talent. They will want to maintain the spirit that made them triumph over Birmingham and that made them the championship scorers at the end of the season.

However, it will require a prudent use of the funds. In a deal worth £65m over five years across the WSL and Championship, clubs in the WSL receive three times as much TV money as those in the Championship.

The agreement is worth about $800,000 to WSL clubs, and $ 270,000 to Championship teams. Given that Lionesses don’t have any financial backing and are not affiliated with a men’s Premier League or Championship side, staying up might be necessary.

They will play all of their home games at 5, 000-capacity Hayes Lane, which they share with League Two men’s side Bromley, without having access to Premier League stadiums for big games.

The highest-paid WSL players make about $ 300,000 annually, which is more than the Championship club’s annual salary. The checkbook for Gang must be blank and open.

However, she and the players are up for the challenge, based on the available evidence.

Former England international Anita Asante told BBC Sport, “I have a lot of admiration for Michele Kang because I think she empowers women throughout the game, across all levels.”

She says, “It’s because she believes in the value of women’s football, and she’s driving that investment,” and she wants her players to continue exceling.