JOHN McGINN had stated just how much this match mattered to Aston Villa – and perhaps that explained why, when it was all going so wrong for his side, he lost his head.
The likeable Scot is known for being a combative midfielder but not a dirty one.
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James Maddison and Brennan Johnson’s quickfire goals set Tottenham on their wayCredit: PA
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Son Heung-min fired in as the clocked ticked into injury timeCredit: Reuters
Which is why his wild and aggressive kick-out on Destiny Udogie, shortly after Spurs’ quickfire double through James Maddison and Brennan Johnson, seemed so out of character.
The man advantage allowed Spurs to run riot, with Son Heung-min scoring a third and teeing up a fourth for sub Timo Werner.
McGinn had labelled this game the “most important” league fixture in years in the build-up, given a win for Villa would go a hell of a long way to securing a Champions League finish.
Spurs went into this five points behind their fourth-placed hosts, albeit with a game to play.
Lose and that would be extended to eight which would surely KO their chances of usurping Unai Emery’s men.
Yet now the gap is only two points, with Spurs having the game advantage and a marginally preferable run-in, save for a horrendous-looking end of April/early May.
Fifth place may still be enough for qualification to Europe’s elite club competition if the coefficient battle goes England’s way.
But even so, Villa will know what an opportunity missed this was.
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And why McGinn, who had never been red-carded for Villa before today, became so frustrated.
Emery may well be kicking himself too from a tactical perspective.
James Maddison gives young Tottenham fan ‘memory to last a lifetime’ as England star shows his true colours
The Spaniard has played a blinder for most of the season but his surprise tweak here to go to five at the back looked a mistake.
Perhaps it was due to Villa’s exertions in Europe, drawing at Ajax on Thursday before the second leg with the Dutch giants in three days.
But it hindered their attacking output, with man-of-the-moment Ollie Watkins feeding off scraps.
Emery’s rejigged system saw Matty Cash pushed from right-back to wing-back.
The Polish international had become Public Enemy No1 with Spurs supporters after injuring Rodrigo Bentancur and Matt Doherty with poor tackles in the last two years.
Cash received dog’s abuse at every opportunity from the travelling fans, especially when he prepared to take a throw-in right in front of them midway through the first half.
The only chance – or half-chance, really – of a dreary first half came when Lucas Digne diverted McGinn’s cross off his shoulder just wide of the far post.
This game pitted arguably the striker and defender of the season against each other in Watkins and Micky Van de Ven.
But Spurs’ defender Van de Ven was forced off through injury minutes into the second period.
The jet-heeled Dutchman had just flung himself in front of a shot from Leon Bailey – who was offside anyway – and seconds later, collapsed to the turf.
Encouragingly, Van de Ven managed to walk off the pitch but headed straight down the tunnel, to be replaced by January signing Radu Dragusin.
Van de Ven probably was still on his way to the dressing room when Maddison put Spurs ahead.
It came from a pinpoint cross from Pape Matar Sarr, who laid the ball on a plate for Maddison to poke past Emi Martinez.
The England star then had a bit of fun with the home crowd, who had been ribbing him for his Leicester connections, by throwing imaginary darts their way in celebration.
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Maddison broke the deadlock just after half-timeCredit: Reuters
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Brennan Johnson found the roof of the net in styleCredit: Reuters
Three minutes later, Spurs doubled their lead after capitalising on some lax play by Ezri Konsa.
The Villa defender dilly-dallied on the ball and then played it behind Youri Tielemans, allowing Dejan Kulusevski to intercept.
He then passed it onto Son, who fed Johnson to finish high into the net.
The ex-Nottingham Forest man followed up Maddison by telling the Villa fans to keep quiet as he wheeled away.
A visibly-peeved Emery responded with a three-sub change, bringing on Nicolo Zaniolo, Moussa Diaby and Alex Moreno, doing away with his back five in the process.
Among the players to come off was centre-back Clement Lenglet, who spent last season on loan at Spurs before temporarily joining Villa from Barcelona this term.
But the new players’ chance to make a difference evaporated when McGinn had his moment of madness on 65 minutes.
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John McGinn clattered into Destiny UdogieCredit: Rex
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Tempers flared on the touchline after the challengeCredit: PA
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The Villa captain saw red for the first time in his Villa careerCredit: Rex
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Only four players have scored more goals for Tottenham than SonCredit: Getty
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Timo Werner expertly guided the ball inside the far post for the fourthCredit: Reuters
Spurs full-back Udogie was embarking on one of his stereotypical dribbles when Villa’s captain came rushing across and went right through him with an X-rated tackle.
The young Italian reacted angrily, as did his team-mates and staff, in a mini melee by the touchline.
Emery did his best to drag McGinn away, while Spurs boss Ange Postecglou also tried to act as peace-maker.
It was such a bad challenge that the red card subsequently produced by ref Chris Kavanagh was the only course of action.
The game was up at that point, with the only question remaining whether Spurs were going to rub any more salt into their top-four rivals’ wounds.
Son provided the answer of a resounding yes as he dispatched Kulusevski’s cutback in injury time, before then teeing up Werner to do the same three minutes later.
The pressure was on going into this important game – as McGinn’s pre-match comments underlined – but only one team managed to handle it.
Manchester City’sJoão Cancelo is on the brink of completing a transfer to Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal in a deal worth €25 million....Read More
According to reports from L’Equipe, the Portuguese full-back is expected to sign a three-year contract with the Riyadh-based club, where he will earn an impressive €15 million per year. Cancelo, who was a key player for City, signed a five-year extension with the Premier League champions in 2022.
However, he found himself struggling to get into Pep Guardiola’s squad, which led to two loan spells, first at Bayern Munich in the latter half of the 2022-2023 season, and then at FC Barcelona the following year.
Joao Cancelo set to join Saudi club Al-Hilal – Getty image
At Al-Hilal, Cancelo will join an already star-studded lineup that includes his fellow countryman Ruben Neves, as well as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Neymar.
The move represents another high-profile signing for Al-Hilal as they continue to strengthen their squad under coach Jorge Jesus.
Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen wants to join Arsenal this summer and not Chelsea....Read More
Osimhen has already reached an agreement with Napoli to leave the club this summer and has been heavily linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Super Eagles star has an £86 million asking price to his name, a huge drop from Napoli’s £109 million valuation last summer.
Corriere dello Sport reports that the Emirates is Osimhen’s most favored destination via The Boot Room, and not Stamford Bridge.
Osimhen was said to be moving to PSG with Kylian Mbappe having exited Parc des Princes.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta’s side are looking for an out-and-out number nine
The Gunners could also turn to their Brazilian frontman, Gabriel Jesus, who lost his starting spot to his German teammate towards the backend of the previous season.
Amid these circumstances, the north Londoners would love to have a big, imposing striker, such as Osimhen.
They will be expected to challenge for the Premier League this year as well after finishing second behind Manchester City two seasons in a row.
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Nigeria’s Super Falcons suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Brazil in their opening match of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in Bordeaux, France, Thursday’s night....Read More
Super Falcons made their long-awaited return to Olympic football after a 16-year absence, but their Paris Games campaign got off to a disappointing start with a 1-0 loss to Brazil in their group C opener game.
Despite dominating the first quarter of the game, the Nigerian side could not convert their chances into goals, falling short against a resolute Brazilian defense.
From the start, Nigeria showcased their attacking intent with Rasheedat Ajibade leading the charge. Her dangerous runs kept the Brazilian defense on edge, and she delivered a precise cross to Uchenna Kanu. However, Kanu’s effort was saved by the Brazilian goalkeeper, who was equally quick to deny Christy Ucheibe’s powerful shot from outside the penalty area shortly after.
In the 35th minute, the game seemed poised to swing in Brazil’s favor when legendary forward Marta scored from close range. However, the goal was disallowed by VAR due to an offside call in the build-up. Just moments later, Brazil capitalized on their chance when Gabi Nunes unleashed a powerful strike from outside the penalty area, beating Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie and securing a 1-0 lead.
The second half saw Nigeria push for an equalizer, with both Christy Ucheibe and Rasheedat Ajibade creating opportunities. Ucheibe’s attempts were thwarted by the Brazilian defense, while Ajibade’s efforts lacked the finishing touch needed to breach the Brazilian goal.
Brazil held on for a hard-fought victory, leaving Nigeria with a challenging path ahead.
The Super Falcons will need to regroup quickly as they prepare for their next group match against Spain on July 28th, before facing Japan on July 31st.
The Confederation of African Football has appointed Mozambican officials to take charge of the Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Nigeria’s Supersand Eagles and Mauritania....Read More
Dique Salvador Muxanga will serve as the centre referee, with his compatriots Angelo Almeida Nguenha and Jonas Chochota Chochato as referees 1 and 2, respectively.
Angolan Eliano Domingos Tito Iacala will be the timekeeper, while Adalberto Luis Fonseca Catambi from Sao Tome and Principe will serve as commissioner.
All the match officials arrived in Kaduna on Thursday.
The encounter will hold at Murtala Muhammed Square, Kaduna.
The Supersand Eagles won the first leg 5-4 in Nouakchott last weekend.
A draw or victory on Saturday will send the Nigerian boys to the finals in Egypt.
John Mikel Obi, a former Super Eagles captain, has hit out at footballers with African roots who choose to play for European countries....Read More
Mikel Obi, speaking on his podcast, insisted that their fatherland should not be a second option.
According to the ex-Chelsea midfielder, such players should not consider playing for Nigeria or their African nation if things don’t work out.
He said: “They say they wanna play for England or France or whatever it is, and then they wait. They keep waiting and keep waiting.
“When they get to 25 or 26 and they don’t get a call up from England, then they call Nigeria. We shouldn’t be treated like second options, we are not second options.
“If you decide you want to play for England, stick to it. Sit and wait. If you don’t get a call-up, you don’t get a call-up. But don’t wait until you’re 29 or 30 and then you call the Nigerian FA to tell them you’re ready to play for them. F*ck off mate.”
Super Falcons midfielder, Deborah Abiodun was delighted to meet evergreen Brazil international, Marta, DAILY POST reports....Read More
Abiodun was up against Marta at the Matmut Atlantique Stadium, Bordeaux on Thursday.
Marta provided the assist for Gabi Nunes’ goal as the Samba Girls defeated Nigeria 1-0 at the 2024 Olympic Games.
The midfielder had a goal ruled out for offside in the game.
Abiodun and the 38-year-old had a short discussion after the game.
She shared her memorable experience on social media.
“Last night, I had the honour of chatting with the one and only @martavieiras10, whose legacy has inspired generations. Sharing wisdom, experiences and smiles with such an icon is truly unforgettable. Here’s to chasing dreams and making history” she wrote on X.
Former Arsenal Defender, William Gallas has endorsed manager Mikel Arteta’s decision to sign Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna....Read More
Gallas believes the Italian defender would be a good signing for the Premier League North London club.
Calafiori is set to join Arteta’s side imminently after a breakthrough in negotiations was made earlier this week.
The 22-year-old is set to undergo a medical with the Gunners.
“My friend played in Italy for several years and watches Serie A every week – he played for Inter Milan and Lazio, he was a great player, but I’m not going to say who – and he told me that Ricardo Calafiori is really, really good,” Gallas told Gambling Zone.
“He’s young. He has good quality, and he can play as a centre-back or as a left-back. I think he would be a good signing for Arsenal because the club doesn’t really have a left-back at the moment. There are doubts about that position.”
Grand Slam record-breakers Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were placed on an Olympics second-round collision course in the draw for the Paris Games on Thursday....Read More
Nadal, a singles gold medallist at the 2008 Olympics, is playing in his final Games having also won doubles gold in Rio in 2016, while Djokovic was a bronze medallist in singles in 2008.
Serbia’s Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion and top seed in Paris following the withdrawal of world number one Jannik Sinner, begins his campaign against Australia’s Matthew Ebden.
“I am excited for this duel in the second round, and I will give it my all,” said Djokovic, who has faced Nadal 59 times over the past 18 years.
“I am aware of the importance of the Olympic Games. I represent my country, which is more responsibility and even more pressure.”
Spain’s Nadal, who has won 14 of his 22 Grand Slams on the clay of Roland Garros, faces Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in his opener
French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, the second seed, tackles 275th-ranked Hady Habib of Lebanon in the opening round of the tournament, which starts on Saturday.
“Roland Garros is the most special place in the world of tennis for me,” said 38-year-old Nadal, who was defeated in the first round of the French Open by Alexander Zverev last month during an injury-hit season.
“This year I was not able to spend a lot of time at Roland Garros, so I am excited to be back here. It’s another opportunity and a chance to enjoy every single moment.”
Defending Olympic champion Zverev, seeded third, takes on Jaume Munar of Spain.
Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev, playing in Paris as a neutral following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, will meet Rinky Hijikata of Australia.
Two-time singles gold medallist Andy Murray, who will end his career at the Olympics after almost two decades on tour, will only play doubles.
The 37-year-old former world number one underwent surgery to remove a cyst on his back before Wimbledon, which also sidelined him from singles at the All England Club.
