Archive September 7, 2025

After losing to Germany 3-1, Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill expressed a “real sense of disappointment” in the dressing room.

Germany led in Cologne when Serge Gnabry scored the opening goal, but O’Neill’s side rallied admirably with a corner goal.

Although NI had a good chance of defying the hosts, Nadiem Amiri and Florian Wirtz scored two goals in three minutes for Germany to claim a much-needed lead in Group A.

O’Neill told Gavin Andrews of BBC Sport NI, “We are very proud of the display, but there is a real sense of disappointment in the dressing room, which is understandable.”

O’Neill was left to lament some soft defending as Amiri’s defensive mistake allowed him to grab Germany’s second, and he also raised questions about the free-kick’s excellent dispatch.

“We were well in the game for 60 or 65 minutes,” he said. We could have protected the second goal better, but it’s a little freaky. The third goal is not a free kick. It’s a fantastic finish, he continued, “but it’s a soft free-kick.”

In the second half, I thought the referee was a little fussy. In the first instance, he made a good reference.

We had a chance to get to that final 15 minutes, and the game eventually veered off our radar, but we were still in the game.

Following their first two games, Northern Ireland finished second in Group A.

With two significant home games against Germany and Slovakia in October, O’Neill thinks his team is where they should be at this stage of qualifying.

He said, “It’s difficult to play two games away from home.” We were expecting more than we had anticipated, but we are disappointed that it isn’t even slightly more.

In the most recent set of his tense conflict with Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz won the US Open title four sets later.

Alcaraz from Spain dominated in New York with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory after a second-set fightback from Italy’s Sinner.

Due to additional security measures in place as a result of US president Donald Trump’s presence, the men’s final was delayed by half an hour.

Once again, the pair won another entertaining contest, but they lost both of their earlier this year’s French Open and Wimbledon finals.

Alcaraz, a reigning French Open champion, was able to reclaim the title he first won at the end of 2022 thanks to his superior serving, which allowed him to defeat Sinner at the All England Club.

The 22-year-old is the second youngest player to have won six Grand Slams, trailing only Bjorn Borg in this regard.

Alcaraz and Sinner, who both won the Australian Open and Wimbledon, will share the same ranking at the four majors in 2025 with Alcaraz’s victory.

Alcaraz said, “I see you more than my family. I see you.” After facing Sinner in the fifth final of the season. It’s wonderful to have you on the court.

Sinner, who held the position for 65 weeks, has also been given the top spot in the world.

Before Alcaraz reset for his third game, Sinner, who struggled for the majority of his time in the match, managed to save two championship points.

Alcaraz and Sinner have a rivalry that is starting to transcend the sport, but Trump’s first appearance in Flushing Meadows since 2015 overshadowed the final.

The addition of airport-style scanners outside Arthur Ashe Stadium, which created long line-building and delayed the game, resulted in long lines for fans.

The players continued to limber up in the stadium’s bowels while Sinner and Alcaraz performed trunk rotation exercises on a gym mat while Sinner and his team kicked a mini-football around.

No matter how uncomfortable the inconvenience was, Alcaraz was the one who made things better once the play started.

Sinner had a confident start, but Alcaraz’s explosive returns and his ability to absorb pressure made the early break difficult to stop.

Alcaraz continued to challenge his team, playing with variety, and maintaining the strong serving that had allowed him to reach the final only twice.

Alcaraz was not at all excited about letting the advantage slip once he had won the first set. He served Sinner only three receiving points, serving with speed and accuracy.

Sinner raised the stakes, hitting his trademark ferocious groundstrokes, and bringing Alcaraz back with a better return of serve, ultimately leveling the game after breaking it in the fourth game.

The touchpaper had been lit, and Ashe was now largely overflowing with it, thankfully.

A delicately prepared match after two sets quickly turned one-sided, much like the Wimbledon final eight weeks prior.

Alcaraz broke when Sinner took another break at the end of the third when he rediscovering his first serve and touch of the net before cruising a double break ahead as his artistry shined through.

In the fourth set, Sinner, who had abdominal pain in his semi-final, continued to make uncharacteristic errors.

Before Alcaraz claimed the victory, he did not seriously threaten to break down after losing serve for the fifth time during the match.

Andre Onana, a goalkeeper for Manchester United, has agreed to join Turkish side Trabzonspor on loan.

The player’s involvement has not yet been finalized, but sources close to him say they anticipate it will be completed on time for his debut against Fenerbahce on September 14th.

Turkey’s transfer window is open until Friday, giving Onana time to finalize his deal while he is serving in Cameroon.

Galatasaray, a Turkish club, had a relationship with Onana, but they decided against signing Ugurcan Cakir.

Cakir, who started Turkey’s qualifying match against Georgia on Thursday, signed for Trabzonspor on September 2 in a deal that could eventually be worth 36 million euros (£31.22 million).

Since the completion of that deal, Trabzonspor have been looking at other options, and club sources think Onana might have a significant impact.

Since the club signed Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp on deadline day, it has been considered a possibility to let Onana or Altay Bayindir leave United.

Although Old Trafford officials emphasized the club’s desire for a senior squad with four goalkeepers, it contradicted head coach Ruben Amorim’s stated desire to have a smaller squad in the absence of European football.

Given that he had started the Europa League final defeat by Tottenham, Onana had in theory come to an end last year as United’s top goalkeeper.

He missed all of United’s warm-up games and was dropped for their first three Premier League games when Bayindir was chosen because he injured his hamstring at the start of pre-season training.

Onana did start the Mariners’ shock second-round EFL Cup defeat last month when he was blamed for their second goal.

The 29-year-old joined Inter Milan for £47.2 million in 2023, with then-Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag looking forward to reuniting with the Ajax goalkeeper he first worked with.

However, Onana has rarely appeared comfortable, and the choice to replace David de Gea, who was four-time club player of the year, has been questioned on numerous occasions.