Marcus Rashford on Wednesday scored a dazzling solo goal as Manchester United beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final to virtually book a place at Wembley next month.
The England man, enjoying a purple patch following the FIFA World Cup, netted his 18th goal of the season in the sixth minute to silence an expectant crowd at the City Ground.
New United loan signing Wout Weghorst scored his first goal for the club just before halftime to put the visitors in total control, while Bruno Fernandes added gloss to the scoreline late on.
Photo: AFP
Erik ten Hag’s men are hot favorites to reach Wembley as they seek to end their six-year trophy drought, with either Newcastle United or Southampton lying in wait.
“I’m happy with the performance and I think over 90 minutes we controlled it,” Ten Hag told Sky Sports.
However, he highlighted a disallowed Forest goal in the first half, warning his side could not afford to let opponents back into the match when they were in charge.
The Dutchman was careful to avoid any hint of complacency ahead of the second leg at Old Trafford on Wednesday next week.
“We have to play one game and we have to do the same. We have to prepare, we have to make a good game plan and the players have to be focused,” he said.
Former Ajax boss Ten Hag has revitalized United in his first season in charge, but will be desperate to win silverware to appease the hungry fans.
Brazil midfielder Casemiro was back in the United starting lineup after being suspended for Sunday’s 3-2 English Premier League defeat at leaders Arsenal, which left United fourth in the table.
Forest, with new boy Danilo in the starting lineup, came into the match full of confidence after just one defeat in their past seven Premier League matches had lifted them to 13th in the table, but the visitors took control immediately and opened the scoring in style.
Rashford picked up the ball in his own half and raced down the left, cutting into the penalty area between Joe Worrall and Remo Freuler before beating Wayne Hennessey at his near post with a powerful left-footed shot.
It was his 10th goal in 10 games since returning from Qatar last month.
Forest, who have won the Cup four times in their history, thought they had equalized midway through the first half when Sam Surridge produced a fine finish after a rampaging run through the middle by Morgan Gibbs-White, but the goal was ruled out by the video assistant referee for a tight offside.
Gustavo Scarpa stung David de Gea’s hands with an audacious volley as Forest increasingly came into the game, but five-time winners United doubled their lead just before halftime, with Dutch forward Weghorst reacting smartly to fire home with the outside of his right foot after Hennessey had denied Antony.
The visitors continued to threaten and rounded off a comfortable night when Fernandes slotted home after a clever dinked pass from substitute Anthony Elanga.
Taiwan’s participation in the Olympic Games has been a story of politics as much as sports, with the name it has competed under since 1984 — Chinese Taipei — drawing as much attention as its athletes. However, with the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad set to begin in Paris on Friday, the exploits of Taiwan’s athletes past and present who have won 36 medals since the country’s debut in Melbourne in 1956 deserve a nod. Many of Taiwan’s medal winners have gained considerable name recognition, but only two have achieved legendary status — Maysang Kalimud and Chi Cheng, the only medal winners
Shohei Ohtani on Sunday hit a 473-foot (144m) home run as the Los Angeles Dodgers went deep six times in a 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, Austin Barnes and Jason Heyward also connected as Los Angeles swept the three-game series. “Going into the break, we weren’t playing good baseball, and then to come out fresh against a really good ball club and to play the way we did — the offense came to life,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. It was the 25th time the Dodgers launched at least six homers in a game
Canada women’s soccer coach Bev Priestman on Wednesday said she would step away from the team’s opening game against New Zealand at the Paris Olympics in the wake of a drone scandal. New Zealand complained to the International Olympic Committee’s integrity unit after it said drones were flown over closed practice sessions earlier in the week. As of press time last night, Canada, the defending Olympic champions, were set to open the Paris Games against New Zealand in Saint-Etienne. In the fallout of the complaint, two staff members — assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi — were sent home, the
Conventional wisdom dictates that the average retirement age for elite female players in the intense and physically demanding sport of badminton is well under 30 years old. Five female shuttlers are set to turn that on its head when they make their fourth Olympic appearances at the Paris Games, a feat never accomplished before. Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying, 30, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, 29, Belgium’s Lianne Tan, 33, and Hong Kong’s Tse Ying Suet and Canada’s Michelle Li, both 32, are to compete for Olympic glory at Porte de La Chapelle Arena from Saturday to Aug. 5. “These achievements get missed because they’re women,” said