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Worldnews

PSG Defeats Messi, Inter Miami In FIFA Club World Cup

Paris Saint-Germain sweep aside Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami 4-0 to set up last eight clash with Bayern Munich or Flamengo. Paris Saint-Germain have thrashed their former player Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami 4-0 in the last 16 of the Club World Cup with Joao Neves scoring twice en route to victory. A Miami own goal and a strike by Achraf Hakimi widened the margin to four by halftime at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday. The European champions will face the winner between Bayern Munich and Flamengo in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Oscar Ustari made six saves for Inter Miami while PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma had to make just three after Miami were held without a shot attempted for the first 50 minutes. The match was Messi’s first time facing PSG since leaving the club and coming to the United States two years ago. Desire Doue won PSG a free kick just outside the penalty area less than five minutes into the match. Vitinha took the kick and connected with Neves, who headed it on the run across Ustari’s body and into the net. Miami defender Noah Allen took a tumble and subbed out due to injury in the 19th minute. His replacement, Tomas Aviles, immediately earned a yellow card by tripping up Nuno Mendes. PSG continued to control play until Neves doubled the advantage in the 39th minute. Fabian Ruiz dispossessed Sergio Busquets, and a quick passing sequence freed up Neves for an open shot from the centre of the box. Aviles’s unfortunate match continued when he accidentally chested a PSG cross over his own goal line in the 44th minute. Moments later, PSG’s Bradley Barcola made a perfect run to receive a pass deep in the box, and he passed it back to Hakimi. His first shot ricocheted off Ustari’s head and the crossbar, but Hakimi scored his own rebound for a 4-0 advantage. After a quiet first half, Messi was credited with Miami’s first shot attempt in the 51st minute when he had a left-footer deflected over the net. Inter Miami’s best chance came early in the second half. A Messi pass to Luis Suarez sent him clear at the side of the net, but the ball slid harmlessly off his foot without a shot. The 38-year-old striker kicked a water bottle over the barrier in frustration, summing up the day for Inter Miami. Messi finally connected with Inter Miami’s first shot on goal in the 63rd minute, but it was easily scooped up by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Messi had another chance on a header with about 10 minutes remaining, forcing Donnarumma to make a diving save in the only real threat to his third clean sheet of the tournament. Neves said it was a very “positive” day for PSG. “It is the first time I have scored two [goals] in one game, so I am very happy. But I am happier for the win,” he told DAZN. “We have the same confidence [as before]. We will play our game, no matter against who [our opponents are]. We are tired now, but we will recover [before the quarterfinal].” Inter Miami’s coach Javier Mascherano told DAZN that the game was a good learning experience for his side. “We knew today was going to be very, very difficult. They [PSG] are probably the best team in the world,” he said. “In the second half, we tried to play and show our worth.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Worldnews

Bolsonaro Rallies Supporters In Brazil Amid Supreme Court Coup Plot Trial

Legal woes hang over the former president, who has called for several demonstrations in support of himself in recent months. Facing serious legal jeopardy with potentially years of incarceration over an alleged coup plot being tried by the nation’s Supreme Court, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has attended a protest by his supporters. Several thousand people attended the rally on Sunday in Sao Paolo. During the protest, Bolsonaro told the crowds that those who “accuse” him may have “trump cards up their sleeves”. “But I have three things on my side that they don’t have: God, freedom and the support of a large part of the Brazilian population,” he said. “I’m not obsessed with power, I’m in love with my country,” he said, adding, “I don’t need to be the president…If I remain honorary president of my party, we can do what you want.” In February, Bolsonaro, 70, who led the country from 2019 to 2022, was charged with five counts of planning to remain in power and overturn the 2022 election result, which current president, the left-wing Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, won. Thirty-three of Bolsonaro’s closest allies were also charged. Earlier this month, Bolsonaro testified for the first time before the nation’s Supreme Court, denying any involvement in the alleged coup plot. The Supreme Court headquarters in Brasilia was one of the targets of a rioting mob known as “Bolsonaristas” – who raided government buildings in January 2023 as they urged the military to oust President Lula, an insurrection attempt that evoked the supporters of Bolsonaro ally United States President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021. Police have referred to the demonstration as an uprising and an attempt to force military intervention and depose Lula. Bolsonaro claims that the various cases against him are politically motivated, aimed at preventing him from making a comeback in the 2026 elections. Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court ruled last year that due to an abuse of Bolsonaro’s political power and his baseless claims about the country’s electronic voting system, he would be banned from holding office until 2030. Earlier this month, at Bolsonaro’s first testimony at the Supreme Court, the former president denied that there was a coup attempt. “There was never any talk of a coup. A coup is an abominable thing,” Bolsonaro said. “Brazil couldn’t go through an experience like that. And there was never even the possibility of a coup in my government.” Bolsonaro was abroad in Florida in the US at the time of this last-gasp effort to keep him in power after the alleged coup planning fizzled. But his opponents have accused him of fomenting the rioting. At the same time, Brazilian police have called for Bolsonaro to be separately charged with illegal espionage while president. According to legal experts, the sentencing part of the coup plot case is expected in the second half of the year. If convicted, Bolsonaro could face up to 12 years in prison. During his legal troubles, the former president has called for several protests, but his appearances at them have declined in recent months, as have the crowds. According to estimates by the University of Sao Paulo, about 45,000 people took part in the most recent march on Paulista Avenue in April, almost four times fewer than in February. Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, a former Bolsonaro minister, is a top candidate to represent the conservatives in the 2026 presidential election. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Worldnews

Russia-Ukraine War: List Of Key Events, Day 1,222

Ukraine offers cash incentives to lure young recruits amid troop shortages Here is how things stand on Monday, June 30: Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Futbol

What's Gone Wrong For Man City In Trophyless Season?

With their Women's Champions League qualification hopes hanging by a thread, an interim manager in charge and no silverware - what has gone wrong for Manchester City this season? It is not the way they pictured things after pushing Chelsea all the way in a pulsating Women's Super League title race last year, coming second only on goal difference. But when the full-time whistle went at the Joie Stadium on Sunday, ending City's last chance of winning a trophy this season, they had to stand and watch as rivals Manchester United celebrated reaching a third successive FA Cup final with their 2-0 win. An injury crisis, managerial upheaval and disappointing performances in the biggest moments have all contributed to what has been a season to forget. Any team without Vivianne Miedema, Khadija Shaw, Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood would drop their level. City's extensive injury list, which includes those key players, has severely impacted their campaign and thrust their lack of squad depth into question. Jill Roord, Aoba Fujino, Rebecca Knaak, Laura Coombs, Naomi Layzell and keeper Ayaka Yamashita have also missed a significant number of games this season as City currently sit fourth in the WSL, seven points adrift of Manchester United in the final Champions League spot with just four games left. They had only four outfield players on the bench in the second leg of their Women's Champions League quarter-final defeat by Chelsea, where the Blues overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit, and have ended the season with academy graduates Gracie Prior and Lily Murphy starting almost every game. Interim manager Nick Cushing admitted the injury crisis "100% needs to be examined" in the summer - but it will not help his side now. "With so many injuries, they can't be all bad luck and they can't all be down to bad practise," he said. "We have to look at everything. We have to look at why we're sitting fourth in the league, why we've not won a trophy and why we've not got our best players [through injury]. "The review process will be covering everything. I think we should be competing in every competition right until the end." While City's misfortune is clear, they also failed to act, unlike their rivals. When Chelsea superstar Sam Kerr suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury last year, they broke the then-British record to bring in Colombian forward Mayra Ramirez. The WSL leaders then splashed the cash in a world-record deal for defender Naomi Girma in January after losing Kadeisha Buchanan, also to an ACL injury. Meanwhile, despite a growing injury list, City only signed four players in January, one of which was 20-year-old midfielder Aemu Oyama and allowed England international Chloe Kelly to join Arsenal on loan. "Some of those [injured] players would walk into any team in the WSL," said former City and England captain Steph Houghton on BBC Two. "If you take away Shaw, Miedema and Greenwood, that is a spine of experienced players and also good quality players. "You've got a 20-year-old in Gracie Prior that has come through the academy and has played a lot of games recently. Should she be in the team? "This is not down to individual performances but ultimately we are trying to build a squad to go and win trophies. "We are missing some key players. That has proved the difference. Without a doubt the strength in depth isn't there and that is something we need to address." It has been a tough few months for City and underpinning it all has been a managerial change. Having already fallen away in the WSL title race, the dramatic circumstances surrounding forward Kelly's exit in January raised eyebrows. That led to divisions within the fanbase over former manager Gareth Taylor - but it was City's underwhelming performances that ultimately proved to be his downfall. The decision to sack Taylor was a bold one as it came just days before a crucial two-week period in which City would face Chelsea four times in three competitions. "Unfortunately we have just not had the rub of the green this season," Houghton added. "The managerial change adds another factor to the performances we have seen over the past few months. "Ultimately, this is a big learning curve and it's how we get better as a club going forward." Interim manager Cushing was brought back to the club to try to instil some stability and there were positive signs, but ultimately he did not have enough time to turn things around. At the end of an intense four-game battle with Sonia Bompastor's side, City had lost the Women's League Cup final, dropped further points in the WSL and were knocked out of Europe despite taking a two-goal first-leg advantage. It was a damaging period which left very little to play for and City's wounds were cut deeper when bitter rivals United punished them in the FA Cup. Asked if the semi-final defeat by United had effectively ended City's season, interim manager Cushing said: "In the sense of trophies, it is over. We can't win a trophy. "Mathematically we can still get third place [in the WSL]. I said after the game, 'we have to win out now'. We have to win every game. "If we do that and Manchester United slip up in a difficult run of games, then we have a chance [of qualifying for Europe]. "We have to play better and win at Old Trafford [in the WSL on 4 May]. We have to embrace the pressure and responsibility of that and fight through it." But what is most disappointing, is that City haven't competed with their rivals in the big games this season in the way many had expected. Their sole victory in those matches against Chelsea ultimately proved to be insignificant as it was in the first leg of their Champions League defeat. They were poor against Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final, having already been beaten 4-2 by their rivals in the WSL at Etihad Stadium in January. And at the Joie Stadium in February, with a top-three WSL spot up for grabs, City conceded twice within eight minutes in a 4-3 loss to Arsenal. They have 11 points fewer in the league than they had at this stage last season, having scored nine goals less and conceding 11 more. "No matter how it looks, you should compete. I would take any 11 players in the world and think we can win in a certain way," said Cushing after Sunday's loss. "That might be our problem, that we don't have the toughness and desire to attack the game, however it looks. "There is a lot of conversation nowadays about the beautiful side of the game - tactics and systems. But you have to win tackles, win duels and compete. "We have to go away and figure that out so whoever we play and however we play, we can compete at the level our football club expects." Head here to get involved