Musah and Giménez have built a strong relationship since the Mexican striker’s arrival at the Rossoneri
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The USMNT player highlighted his good relationship with Giménez at Milan
Mexico will face Canada this Thursday in the Semifinals
Before that, USMNT will face Panama at SoFi Stadium
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?
U.S. international Yunus Musah and Mexico's Santiago Giménez could face off as rivals on Sunday in the Nations League Final – but for now, they remain close friends and teammates at AC Milan.
Musah and Giménez have built a strong relationship since the Mexican striker’s arrival at.
READ MORE:Musah speaks to GOAL about the moments that have shaped him in both the U.S. and AC Milan.
"Santi is a great teammate to have in the locker room, he's a good guy. There's a really good atmosphere. He’s Mexican, and we’re [Christian Pulisic and I] American, so it’s a fun rivalry having him in the locker room. But he’s a good guy, so I’m sure when I see him with Mexico, it will be great," Musah said.
Musah hopes he'll see his Milan teammate in Sunday's final, with the USMNT aiming for its fourth Nations League title – if it progresses past Panama. "I hope we meet in the Final, and it will be a great moment to play against each other."
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Musah, who came through Arsenal's academy, joined AC Milan in 2023 and has since played 75 matches for the club. Santiago Giménez arrived this winter but has made a great impact since his signing, earning the affection and respect of his teammates. The Mexican has already recorded three goals and two assists in just 10 matches with the Italian side.
Getty Images SportWHAT MUSAH SAID
"I would like to face Mexico. Hopefully, we’ll see them – it would be great to play against them, win the trophy, go back to Milan, and talk about it," Musah said Wednesday.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR USMNT AND MEXICO'S NATIONAL TEAM?
The Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles kick off Thursday. In the first match, the USMNT will face Panama, while Mexico and Canada will determine the second finalist in the evening. The United States aims to maintain its dominance in this tournament, while all other teams will seek their first championship.
Leeds United welcome Oxford United to Elland Road in the Championship this afternoon as they look to return to winning ways after their draw last weekend.
The Whites needed a stoppage-time own goal from Jack Whatmaugh to secure a 1-1 draw with Preston North End at Deepdale on their travels last time out.
Daniel Farke’s side had 65% possession in the game and only created two ‘big chances’ to find the back of the net, as they struggled to break down Paul Heckingbottom’s team.
The German head coach could look to make some changes to his starting XI from that draw, and Wilfried Gnonto is one player who could miss out.
Why Wilfried Gnonto should be dropped
With games coming thick-and-fast in the busy festive schedule, Farke may not be able to start players in every game over the next fortnight or so.
This means that he has to take any opportunities he gets to drop and rest players, and Gnonto’s performance against Preston provides him with a chance to take him out of the line-up.
Minutes
65
Key passes
0
Pass accuracy
75%
Shots
1
Shots on target
0
Duels won
3/9
As you can see in the table above, the Italy U21 international did not do enough with the ball in the draw at Deepdale to justify keeping his place in the XI for this clash with Oxford.
The 21-year-old forward did not offer a threat with his shooting, failing to hit the target with his only effort on goal, and did not create a single chance for his teammates.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Taking him out of the left wing spot would then open the door for Largie Ramazani to come back into the starting XI for the first time since he returned from injury.
Why Largie Ramazani should start
The £17.5k-per-week winger missed five matches with an ankle injury and has come on as a substitute in his four appearances for the club since he recovered.
Ramazani replaced Gnonto for the final 25 minutes of the match against Preston and immediately offered more than the Italian forward, with a shot on target to test Freddie Woodman and a chance created for his teammates.
Largie Ramazani
His bright cameo should earn him a chance to finally return to the starting XI after his spell on the sidelines since injuring his ankle against Watford.
Ramazani, who was once hailed as an “electric” player who is a counter-attacking “weapon” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has only started six Championship games since his move to the club from Almeria in the summer transfer window.
The 23-year-old star has, however, scored three goals and provided one assist in that time, including a goal against Watford in his last start for the Whites, which shows that he does have the quality to make a difference in the final third for Farke.
Imagine him & Gnonto: Leeds keen on deal to sign "tricky" 15-goal star
Leeds United are reportedly eyeing a swoop for the promising attacker in January.
ByDan Emery Dec 17, 2024
Therefore, the German head coach should finally unleash Ramazani from the start again and ruthlessly ditch Gnonto, who struggled last time out, to facilitate it.
Paris Saint-Germain owners Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) are looking to acquire Malaga in a €100 million (£83m/$107m) takeover.
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QSI looking to increase footprint in EuropeApart from PSG, they have a 21.67% stake in BragaIn talks to take over Segunda Division side MalagaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
QSI already holds an 87.5% stake in PSG and 21.67% ownership of Braga. Now, reports from Sky News and confirm that negotiations between the Qatari group and Malaga are well advanced for a complete takeover.
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Malaga have faced financial difficulties in recent years, and are currently under receivership. The club is co-owned by the Spanish hotel and real estate group BlueBay (49%) and Qatari businessman Abdullah Al-Thani. A takeover by QSI would not only stabilise the club’s finances but also add another European team to QSI’s growing sports empire. QSI’s interest in Malaga is driven by several key factors. The city of Malaga is set to host matches during the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which includes plans to renovate and modernise the club’s stadium. Furthermore, as the sixth-largest city in Spain, Malaga presents a significant market expansion opportunity for QSI, both commercially and competitively.
DID YOU KNOW?
A QSI spokesperson confirmed that the group is exploring multiple investment opportunities in both Europe and America. Alongside the potential Malaga acquisition, reports suggest that QSI is also considering a project in Belgium, further expanding its portfolio in European football.
Meanwhile, PSG remains a key part of QSI’s long-term plans, despite recent changes in its ownership structure. The French club recently sold a 12.5% stake to American investment fund Arctos, and discussions are ongoing with other potential investors. However, sources close to QSI insist that the group is not looking to exit PSG, but rather to bring in strategic partners to enhance the club’s existing vision.
AFPWHAT NEXT?
If Malaga, under QSI’s ownership, were to gain promotion to La Liga and eventually qualify for European competitions, there could be regulatory challenges ahead. UEFA’s rules prohibit clubs with the same majority owner from competing in the same tournament, meaning that both PSG and Malaga would need to ensure compliance if they were to participate in the Champions League or Europa League simultaneously. However, should the takeover go through, Malaga could be set for a major transformation, with significant financial backing and an ambitious vision aimed at restoring the club’s former glory.
Sri Lanka’s new head coach also wants the batters to have ‘the confidence to go out there and not fear getting out’
Madushka Balasuriya05-May-2022Chris Silverwood is no stranger to Sri Lanka’s foibles. After all, it was only a little over a year ago that he brought his England side to Lankan shores and swept the home team 2-0 in a Test series. But now, some 15 months later, he’s at the other end, charged with patching up the same weaknesses he had so brutally exploited.Sure, in the intervening year, Silverwood’s predecessor Mickey Arthur improved the team’s fitness and fielding standards, while the likes of Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga blossomed into two of the world’s leading bowlers. But the results remain as inconsistent as ever, much of which is down to an enduring inconsistency with the bat.Related
Chris Silverwood named Sri Lanka's new head coach
Five key issues new Sri Lanka coach Chris Silverwood must address
Naveed Nawaz, Chaminda Vaas join Sri Lanka men's coaching staff
Unsurprisingly this was the first area of concern Silverwood identified while diagnosing Sri Lanka’s problems.”We want more discipline in the batting, more patience in the batting and some intent to score as well,” said Silverwood, addressing the media for the first time since taking up the role of head coach.”It’s all about scoring runs and that’s what we want the batting line-up to do. I’ll try and instill some confidence into the boys so they can go out there and construct their innings and score big runs, certainly in the first innings, and give us something to bowl at. It’s not rocket science.”Not rocket science indeed, but certainly an issue many other coaches over the past decade (11 to be exact) have failed to do. But, as they say, identifying the problem is half the battle, and Silverwood has wasted little time in brainstorming fixes for Sri Lanka’s batting woes.”I have spent the last couple of weeks just digging through stats, looking at how we can improve. One of them is the intent to score, we have to give the batters the confidence to go out there and not fear getting out. That’s not to say we have to be reckless, what I’m saying is we have to bring ‘smarts’ into that as well. But I do want them to be positive, I want them to be brave. If we go with that attitude, the dot-ball rates will come down and the strike-rates will go up, which can only be a good thing.”I have encouraged the guys to be very specific when they train, think about who they’re going to come up against, and practise to suit those situations. Rather than just training on a broad scale, every time you come out of that net, you come out a better player than you went in. To do that, you have to consider what challenges you have in front of you, and then go experiment, find a way, make your strengths stronger, and obviously work on the things you might not be as strong at.”Silverwood’s forte, though, is in his work with fast bowlers, having been one himself during his playing days. And despite having had scarcely two weeks to work with his players since taking up the role, he has already sought to stamp his mark on the team’s pace contingent.”I’ve specifically challenged the Test bowlers to be hot on their first 12 balls, because as we all know the first 12 balls you can make a real impact on your spell as well as put pressure back on the batters.”It’s about instilling the discipline that we can do good things for long periods of time and not getting bored of doing them. Hitting your lines and lengths, finding spots on any given pitch, and being able to live there, and then you bring in the skills like wobble seam, etc., and all our guys swing it too, which is great. So, it’s just about bringing all those skills together and being disciplined enough to live in one area, where you can wear the opposition down if need be.”It’ll be a gradual process, but if you sow the seed and let it grow, over a period of time you will find that people can do it.”Naveed Nawaz will serve as assistant coach to Silverwood•SLCSilverwood’s first challenge will be Sri Lanka’s tour of Bangladesh later this month, with the team due to fly out on May 8. The touring party, however, will not have the luxury of calling on Chameera, Lahiru Kumara or the recently retired Suranga Lakmal. This means Sri Lanka take with them a fairly inexperienced fast-bowling unit. Silverwood, though, sees the bright side.”From my point of the view, the fact that they’re young means that they will take on information more quickly, and maybe try new things as well. The response has been excellent so far.”Over the course of the briefing Silverwood, flanked by his assistant coach Naveed Nawaz and team manager Mahinda Halangode, also revealed he had spoken to several past national-team coaches prior to accepting the position, and so had a clear idea of what to expect from the job. He also acknowledged that communication would present a challenge, which Nawaz will no doubt play a pivotal role in helping overcome.”Of course, one of the challenges for me will be communication. I have to make sure the plans that I’m trying to put in place I can get across to the boys properly. Obviously, Naveed has helped me with it brilliantly so far. Equally, I’ve got to be aware that the way I see things is not the way someone else sees it, so I have to be aware of how culture works as well, and I have good experience with that when I was working in Zimbabwe. All in all, what we’ve got here is very exciting.”I want the Sri Lankan flair, I want the boys to express themselves; I don’t want them to be anybody else, I want them to be themselves and fly the flag for Sri Lanka.”Nawaz, who had been considered for the role of head coach as well, will also oversee the team’s batting. The former Sri Lanka cricketer also elaborated on his role, speaking of his desire to get to know the players better over the coming weeks and months, so as to be able to help them reach their potential.”Two-way clarity is important to minimise any grievances players might have. Also creating a platform to discuss players’ personal as well as tactical issues,” Nawaz said. “My role will be to act partly as a mentor, as a friend, and also at the same time drilling into them the tactical changes that they need to do to improve their game.”It’s a great opportunity to work with somebody like Chris who has a wealth of experience. Obviously, I applied for the head coach’s role but I still take the assistant coach’s role as an opportunity. As long as both of us are on the same wavelength – to bring back Sri Lanka cricket its lost glory – it’s all that matters.”
Life back in the Premier League has been tough for Ipswich Town this season.
Kieran McKenna’s side have looked brilliant in some games and have even picked up points at the expense of some of the league’s big boys, like Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, but at the moment, they find themselves down in 19th.
Fortunately, more than half of the campaign remains, and despite sitting in the relegation zone, the team is blessed with a number of very talented players, several of whom were signed in the summer.
In fact, if they are to stay up this season, it’ll likely be down in large part to those signings, including one who’s won comparisons to a £65m international.
Ipswich's best summer signing
Before we get to the player in question, let’s look at a few of Ipswich’s other brilliant summer signings, starting with the sensational Sammie Szmodics.
The Irish international joined the Tractor Boys from Championship side Blackburn Rovers for up to £11m after a mesmerising campaign in which he scored 33 goals and provided four assists in just 48 appearances.
As the Premier League is a far tougher competition, the 29-year-old has not been as prolific this season, but his tally of three goals in 15 appearances is still a good return and, more often than not, he’s one of McKenna’s more dangerous attackers.
Moving into midfield now, we come to Jens Cajuste, who joined the club on a season-long loan over the summer, which, according to some reports, includes an obligation to buy should the club stay up.
We’ll have to wait and see if that’s true, but at the moment it would be fair to say that the Swedish international has looked reasonably impressive at the heart of midfield, helping mop up opposition attacks and then helping to start their own.
However, while both players and a few others signed in the summer have made their mark on Ipswich this season, one player has undoubtedly been the pick of the bunch.
Ipswich's £65m star in the making
So, based on who we’ve already talked about above, it should be no surprise that the signing in question is Liam Delap.
The 21-year-old phenom joined the club from Manchester City for £20m over the summer and has since become unquestionably one of Ipswich’s most important players.
The young marksman has already scored six goals and provided one assist in just 16 league appearances – 15 of which have been starts – which equates to a reasonably impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.28 games.
Moreover, the “incredible” 6 foot 1 poacher, as dubbed by Pep Guardiola, gives his teammates a target to aim for and build around in games, which helps make the team better overall and gives the opposition something to worry about.
His brilliant start to life in the Premier League has seen him win comparisons to a number of more established strikers, including Tottenham Hotspur’s Dominic Solanke.
This comparison, in particular, stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions across the Premier League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and in this instance, has concluded that the Spurs ace is the fourth most similar midfielder to the Ipswich star.
Now, to get a better idea of how this conclusion was reached, we can examine the underlying metrics in which the pair ranks most closely, metrics including but not limited to non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive carries, goals per shot, successful take-ons, passes into the penalty area and more, all per 90.
Non-Penalty G+As
0.53
0.53
Progressive Carries
1.89
1.56
Goals per Shot
0.21
0.16
Passes into the Penalty Area
0.38
0.47
Clearances
1.06
1.09
Successful Take-Ons
1.29
1.09
Aerial Duels Won
1.89
1.56
Now, seeing your striker compared to the starting number nine for a ‘big six’ side is already a brilliant sign for the Tractor Boys and a positive indication that the Winchester-born ace is, as Statman Dave believes, going “to the very top,” but it’s also good news concerning his valuation.
We say this because it was only in the summer that Bournemouth sold Solanke for a whopping £65m, and while Delap isn’t worth that at this very moment, there is no reason to believe he won’t be worth that and more if he keeps up his current form.
Ultimately, Ipswich are having a tough season this year, and survival is not guaranteed, but with their young and exciting striker, they can at least be sure that they have a superstar in the making.
He's outscoring Delap: Ipswich make contact over signing £20m monster
The incredible goalscorer would improve Ipswich’s squad.
Hampshire enjoy upper hand on opening day despite Amir’s strikes
ECB Reporters Network05-May-2022Felix Organ celebrated his promotion to the top of the order with his second career LV= Insurance County Championship century as Hampshire enjoyed the better of day one against Gloucestershire.Organ returned to open for the first time this year and made the most of his elevation with a simple, chanceless 107, while putting on 161 with James Vince – who scored an uncomplicated 78.Gloucestershire pegged the hosts back from 225 for two to 310 for eight – with Mohammad Amir – in his first first-class outing since 2019 – the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 51.Jack of all trades Organ had previously opened in nine first-class matches in the 2019 and 2020 seasons – where he managed a meagre average of 23. Joe Weatherley and Ian Holland have been Adi Birrell and Vince’s preferred opening pair to leave Organ forging a role as a No.7 offspinner. His bowling utilises the footmarks of left-arm seamer Keith Barker and provides a preferred option to Mason Crane’s leg-spin.Last season his batting topped out at 67, with an average of 21, but his last two matches this season have seen a quick unbeaten 44 to set up a declaration against Kent and a 42 which rescued Hampshire’s first innings versus Lancashire. Add in 69 for Dorset in a T20 earlier this week and his form can be described as ‘in’.So, when Weatherley was ruled out of this game with a finger injury, there were no doubts Organ was ready to set the tone as an opener.He was dropped straight into it when Vince decided to bat on a good-looking wicket, and had further pressure placed on his shoulders when Holland was caught behind by a gentle away swinger from Ryan Higgins in the third over. Nick Gubbins, on the back of twin tons last week, added 61 with Organ before he was given an ankle bruiser by Amir.Organ, born in Sydney, Australia but moved to the UK when young, appeared unfussed and unmovable with a strong defence thwarting Higgins and Amir’s accurate bowling. He and Vince were able to free their arms more against the change bowlers; both adroitly picking the right moments to defend soundly and attack hard.The afternoon session was particularly brutal for Gloucestershire, who have eight players missing through injury, although their wicketless session was not helped when Vince edged a catchable chance between first and second slip when on 25. Otherwise runs flowed freely, fifties were negotiated and a first bonus point was awarded.Organ’s century arrived with a dab to third in 212 balls and was accompanied by a long primal scream and a double fist-pump from the middle and a standing ovation from both his dressing room and the stands.Gloucestershire pulled the day back in the evening with Vince and Organ’s wickets in quick succession with the old ball – the former pinned by Amir and the latter caught top-edging former Hampshire team-mate Ajeet Singh Dale to deep fine leg – before Ben Brown nicked the new ball behind.Aneurin Donald made his stirring return to first-team cricket 962 days since his last innings having recovered twice from ACL injuries. He dabbed his third ball into the leg-side for a warmly received single but chipped to cover three balls later. Barker and Liam Dawson settled things to add a further 37 before the former edged Miles Hammond’s spin behind and James Fuller was bowled to end the day.
Jude Bellingham has broken Wayne Rooney's appearance record for England with his 41st cap in Friday's match against Albania.
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Bellingham started England clash with AlbaniaMidfielder surpasses Three Lions legend RooneyFirst game under new manager TuchelFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The Real Madrid star was given the nod by Thomas Tuchel in the new Three Lions manager's first game in charge in World Cup qualifying. With 41 caps to his name, he now holds the record for most senior England appearances while aged 21 or under.
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Still in the early years of his career, Bellingham is still far away from reaching Rooney's national team status. The former Manchester United striker had represented England 120 times by the time he retired, having scored 53 goals, and played at three World Cups and European Championships.
Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?
Bellingham, who made his Three Lions debut in November 2020, has become a crucial player in recent years. He has scored six goals for his country and started all seven of their matches as they reached the Euro 2024 final last summer.
WHAT NEXT FOR BELLINGHAM?
The Madrid midfielder will expect to feature again for Tuchel's side when they take on Latvia in their second World Cup qualifying game on Monday.
Kent buckle down in pursuit of survival and who-knows-what-else come season’s end
Paul Edwards28-Jun-2022Towards the back of what will always be known as the Peter May Stand at the Kia Oval a small encampment has been created. There is a canopied seating area with open sides and you might call the thing a gazebo if that description did not sound incongruous in an urban setting of concrete and glass. And one hesitates to dub the place a redoubt before checking the definition and finding the following: “a temporary or supplementary fortification, typically square or polygonal and without flanking defences”. That sounds better, not least because those sitting under the canvas clearly have something to defend. “No City Franchises – Save Our Cricket” declares one of their banners. “Peter May Boys” announces another. I think we get the picture. Let’s assume the Boys didn’t contribute to Tom Harrison’s leaving gift.But it would be pleasant if every county’s guardians declared their loyalties so plainly. As one watched 19-year-old Tom Lawes delight both himself and all Surrey supporters by taking two important wickets in successive overs just before lunch and then another shortly after the resumption, it came as a renewed shock to realise that the 18 first-class teams have only a limited idea what they are playing for.Actually, of course, that is not altogether correct. The season is barely half over and a clutch of sides in both divisions have their eyes on their respective titles. Just as significantly, a four-day, first-class match is an intense affair in which the players invest considerable physical and emotional capital. Winning is important and careers depend on the outcome of such games. So Lawes’s joy when he bowled Jack Leaning off the inside edge for 75 and then had Ollie Robinson caught at fine gully by Ryan Patel carried both collective and personal significance. It began a slow collapse that saw Kent lose their last seven wickets for 91 runs and be forced to follow-on 342 runs behind. For his part, Lawes strolled off this great field with figures of 4 for 51 against his name in what is his first Championship match.At the same time, all English seasons since the introduction of two divisions have offered the prospect of promotion and the jeopardy of relegation. This summer, recommendations as to next year’s structure will be made by Andrew Strauss’s high-performance review panel before being polished by a small group of carefully chosen county chief-executives and voted on by the county chairmen in the autumn. Only then might the mere players find out what their professional lives will be like in 2023. You need to be rather arrogant to develop such a plan but no less deranged to blame England’s Ashes defeat on county cricket in the first place. Perhaps someone should ask the ECB’s howl-at-the-moon crazies whether the domestic game is also responsible for the 3-0 victory against New Zealand.In the meantime, Surrey’s players will keep chasing what would be their county’s 20th outright title and Kent’s will keep on keeping on. The visitors’ chances of scoring the 523 they needed to avoid the follow-on were slim this morning but Daniel Bell-Drummond and Leaning had taken their side to 216 for 2 before their 161-run third wicket stand was ended when Bell-Drummond chased a wide offspinner from Will Jacks and skewed a catch to Hashim Amla at point. Lawes then took his first two wickets and induced George Linde to play on after lunch. Apart from Jordan Cox’s 47, the remainder of Kent’s batting never threatened to change the shape of a game the result of which will be dependent on its third innings. However, a mention in dispatches is required for the short leg catch by Ben Geddes off Connor McKerr that dismissed Jaz Singh and ended Kent’s innings. It was an absurdly good right-handed reflex effort and worthy of a more pivotal moment in any match.It was also Surrey’s final wicket of the day. Rather than be overwhelmed by a deficit of 342, Kent’s batted out the remaining 44 overs with some ease, thus leaving Surrey’s bowlers with plenty of work to do on a fourth-day pitch offering them limited assistance. Joe Denly, in only his second Championship innings of the season, is unbeaten on 63 and was the more expansive of the pair; his eight fours included flourished drives and a whack over mid-on against Jacks’ off spin. Ben Compton was more restrained but passed 1000 runs for the season and needs only four runs to reach fifty for the tenth time in 15 first-class innings.The contrast between the pair was beguiling and almost unexpectedly satisfying. Patel bowled the last over and by that time Rory Burns was trying to unsettle the batters with unorthodox fields, the sort some would label “funky”. There was a silly mid-on and silly mid-off posted when the final ball of the day was greeted with Denly’s resolute forward defensive. The players left the field and almost at once one wondered how many opportunities fine cricketers of Compton’s ilk might get should red-ball cricket be reduced to a niche activity, one whose only purpose is the production of Test players rather than also being concerned with the maintenance of strong counties and all the benefits they bring to clubs and communities across the land. Members and supporters around the country are expressing their views and it’s no use thinking it will be easy to find consensus. Me? I’m with Peter May Boys on their redoubt and a few county chairmen might also be receiving their call-up papers quite soon.
James Rodriguez says it is a "grave injustice" that FIFA have decided to exclude his Club Leon side from the 2025 Club World Cup.
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Club Leon expelled from Club World CupFIFA said team had failed to meet their criteriaRodriguez rails against "grave injustice"Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
FIFA announced that Leon were not eligible to play in this summer's Club World Cup as they had "failed to meet the criteria on multi-club ownership" defined under the competition's regulations. The Mexican side are owned by Grupo Pachuca, which also controls fellow Liga MX team CF Pachuca – who have also qualified for the event. As a result, they were kicked out for owning two teams, as that is not allowed. Now, Leon star Rodriguez has criticised the governing body, saying they have "stained football".
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT JAMES RODRIGUEZ SAID
He said, via The Athletic: “I think it’s a grave injustice. We all believe that. We won on the pitch. The club and the players are hurt by this. Thinking about this, if we’re out, it’s not fair. The team that would replace us would be stained, football would be stained. So many fans have planned to travel to the tournament, how do you tell them that they can’t go? I have a lot of questions about all this. It’s odd. I think FIFA has to get their things together. Football is stained by this.”
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Leon qualified for the tournament by winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2023 but since then, the Club World Cup has been revamped, and new criteria are in place. The importance of competing in this tournament has only grown as the overall prize fund is £775 million ($1bn), with all 32 teams getting a piece of that pie. So Leon seem set to miss out on a big financial boost, too. They were poised to play Chelsea in the group stages, but that will no longer happen.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?
Leon are set to present their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on April 23 to try to get back into the Club World Cup.
Celtic suffered their first defeat of the Scottish Premiership season and their first defeat of 2025 with a 3-0 loss to Rangers at Ibrox on Thursday.
The team’s only other loss in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign came at the hands of Borussia Dortmund, a 7-1 defeat, in the Champions League in Germany.
It was a game that the Hoops never really got going in and they never seemed to recover from the early setback they faced when Ianis Hagi planted a shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards in the seventh minute.
There was never a sustained spell of pressure from the away side to get an equaliser, with Celtic having one shot on target in the 90 minutes, before they allowed Robin Propper to score, unmarked, in the 66th minute after a scramble from a corner.
The match was all but over at that point and Danilo wrapped up the win for the hosts by sliding the ball past Kasper Schmeichel for the third in the 81st minute.
It was a disastrous performance from the Hoops and one that included a number of players not living up to their usual high standards for the Hoops.
Celtic's worst performers against Rangers
Firstly, there is no getting away from the error that Liam Scales made in the build-up to the opening goal from Hagi, with a stray pass into midfield that was jumped on by the Gers – directly leading to the opening goal.
The Ireland international was selected on the left side of the defence, next to Cameron Carter-Vickers, ahead of Auston Trusty and let his manager down with that mistake.
Scales was far from the only Celtic player to make an error on the pitch at Ibrox, though, as central midfielder Reo Hatate also endured a frustrating afternoon on the other side of Glasgow.
Liam Scales
The Japan international ended the match with zero chances created, zero ground duels won, zero tackles, zero interceptions, and two errors that directly led to shots for the opposition.
Right-back Alistair Johnston had similar issues to Hatate in the game, winning two of his nine duels and failing to make a single tackle or interception, whilst also giving the ball away a whopping 20 times.
Another player who struggled at Ibrox was centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi, as the Japan international failed to get involved in the match for most of his performance.
Minutes
64
Shots
0
Big chances created
0
Passes made
5/8
Duels won
0/1
As you can see in the table above, the Celtic forward carried little threat, with his only shot in the match ultimately ruled out for offside, and did not compete with Dujon Sterling or Robin Propper in physical battles to hold the ball up.
Another player the Scottish giants must ditch from the starting XI for the clash with St Mirren at Parkhead on Sunday is left winger Daizen Maeda.
Daizen Maeda's performance against Rangers
The Japan international started on the left flank for the Hoops and failed to make the desired impact in or out of possession, despite playing against a player out of position.
With James Tavernier injured and Sterling required at centre-back for Rangers, left-back Ridvan Yilmaz, who started for just the fourth time this season in the Premiership, started on the right side of the backline for Philippe Clement.
This meant that Maeda was directly up against a left-footed right-back who was not fully match sharp, yet failed to get the better of him physically or technically.
The Japanese lightweight lost 83% (5/6) of his duels and 100% (5/5) of his ground duels in the match, which shows that Yilmaz dominated him from a physical perspective.
He also lost possession of the ball 12 times in total, without scoring or assisting a goal, as the forward was wasteful with his use of the ball on the flank.
Minutes
90
Shots on target
0
Key passes
0
Duels won
1/6
Possession lost
12x
As you can see in the table above, Maeda offered virtually nothing at the top end of the pitch for Celtic, with zero shots on target and zero chances created.
His performance was summed up by him missing a good chance to get a headed shot on goal at the back post, heading the ball down onto his own foot and out of play. During Sky Sports’ live coverage of the match, pundit Chris Sutton described his display as “very clumsy” after that incident.
Why Daizen Maeda should be dropped
Brendan Rodgers must, now, ruthlessly ditch the Japanese winger from the starting XI after his disappointing performance against Rangers, that lacked physicality and technical quality.
A lack of quality in the final third has been a consistent issue for Maeda throughout the Premiership season, although he had scored in successive matches in the two games before the trip to Ibrox.
Daizen Maeda
The 27-year-old has only produced four goals and three assists in 18 appearances in the Scottish top-flight, less than one goal contribution every other game on average.
Maeda has failed to provide regular contributions as a scorer or a creator of goals down the left flank, despite starting 15 of those games, and has struggled in other areas of the game.
Appearances
18
Goals
4
Big chances missed
9
Assists
3
Dribble success rate
28%
Duel success rate
33%
As you can see in the table above, the Celtic attacker has been incredibly poor at taking on opposition full-backs this season, completing just 28% of his attempted dribbles.
His lack of quality in that respect was on show at Ibrox on Thursday as the rarely-seen Yilmaz, playing out of position, had an easy afternoon against the Hoops wide man, who offered very little at the top end of the pitch.
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Therefore, Rodgers, particularly with the game coming just a few days later, should drop Maeda from the starting XI and hand an opportunity to another player to shine, whether that is James Forrest, Luis Palma, or Hyun-jun Yang.