A hat-trick from Mali international Freddy Kanoute masterminded Sevilla’s 4-1 win over Valladolid on Saturday as they stayed six points ahead of Villarreal in the Champions League race.
Kanoute was the star of the show with two first half goals, including a spectacular volley, and a brilliant second half header to seal his treble and take his season’s tally to 15.
Villarreal had beaten Athletic Bilbao 3-1 to close to within three points of Sevilla but Manolo Jimenez’s team responded with their 16th win of the season to consolidate third place.
Kanoute put the hosts ahead in the seventh minute showing great control to take the ball in his stride before finding the target.
A Henok Goitom header on 21 minutes pulled Valladolid back into the game but Kanoute restored Sevilla’s lead with a fantastic first-time volley two minutes before the interval.
Fabiano added a third as Valladolid got their offside trap horribly wrong and Kanoute showed great technique to wrap the game up in the 70th minute with a header that sealed his hat-trick. Earlier, Villarreal put the pressure on Champions League rivals Atletico Madrid and Malaga with a 2-0 home win over Bilbao.
Goals from Santi Cazorla and Mati Fernandez saw fourth-placed Villarreal move five points clear of chasing Atletico and Malaga who were in action yesterday.
“We were superior from the start and if we had been more clinical we could have won by more,” said Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini. “I didn’t have to say anything to the players during the break because their attitude and the way they were playing was enough to get the win.”
For Bilbao, who had Markel Susaeta sent off late on, it was another setback and they have now failed to win in their last seven outings.
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
Manchester City on Monday completed the signing of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported ￡31 million (US$41.8 million). The 24-year-old Algeria international has signed a five-year contract and will be available for the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins later this week. Ait-Nouri is expected to be just one of a trio of new City faces for that tournament with deals close to completion for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Rayan Cherki. After missing out on a major trophy in the recently completed season for the first time since 2016-2017, City are hoping
RSS