Newcastle United missed the chance to strengthen their grip on fourth place in the English premier league on Sunday when they were held 1-1 at relegation-threatened Portsmouth.
With Liverpool, one of Newcastle's main rivals for the final Champions League spot, drawing 2-2 at bottom club Leeds earlier, Newcastle seemed on course to widen the gap after Craig Bellamy's 34th-minute effort.
But Lomana LuaLua, who is on loan to Portsmouth from Newcastle, pounced in the 89th minute to volley an equalizer and secure a precious point for the south coast club to lift them out of the relegation zone.
Newcastle remains in fourth place on 42 points, 16 behind third-placed Manchester United but two ahead of Charlton Athletic and three more than Liverpool.
"I don't know whether he'll be pleased or not," Newcastle manager Bobby Robson told Sky Sports, when asked about LuaLua's contribution.
"He'll be pleased for Portsmouth, he was wearing a Portsmouth shirt but he's damaged us and that will leave a sour taste in his mouth. That's a massive two points we've lost today."
Harry Kewell put Liverpool in front against his old club with a superb solo goal after 21 minutes of a thrilling draw at Elland Road.
Goals from Eirik Bakke and Mark Viduka turned the game on its head before Czech striker Milan Baros powered in an equalizer shortly before the end of a pulsating first half.
Liverpool pressed hard for a winner after the break but it was Leeds who almost snatched the points when Alan Smith headed powerfully against the crossbar.
Leeds remain bottom of the table with 22 points.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Ferrari’s F1 fortunes might be flagging, but the Italian team start this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as favorites, targeting a third consecutive triumph in motorsport’s fabled endurance classic. Roger Federer is acting as celebrity starter with the tennis icon getting the 93rd edition of the jewel in four-wheeled endurance racing’s crown under way tomorrow. Twenty-four hours later, through daylight, darkness and dawn, the 21 elite hypercars are to battle it out over 300 laps (more than 4,000km) in front of a sold-out 320,000 crowd burning the midnight oil with copious quantities of coffee and beer. Ferrari made a triumphant return after
RSS