Sports
Women’s World Cup: England Sends China to Sleep in a 6-1 bashing to top Group D.
The Three Lionesses of England on Tuesday at the Hindmarsh Stadium tamed the Chinese Girls in a pulsating 6-1 encounter to top Group D.

England had scored 3-0 at half time showing that China may be sent to the Exit Door in time. China did not come to show respect to the English team for they met twice in friendly games in 2015 and on 9th April England won 2-1 while China retaliated on 23rd October.
England meant business this time scoring the first goal at 4th minute through Arsenal Forward, Alessia Rosso and in the 26th minute Lauren Hemp of Manchester City got a pass from James who had laced Rosso for the first goal, in the 26th minute only for unmarked Lauren James of Chelsea to get a telegraphic pass from Greenwood to curl the ball into the net for the 3rd goal at 41st minute.
England tried into increase the tally before retreating to the Dressing room when Bronze scored at 45+7th minute but VAR ruled it offside.
China pulled one back when Bronze handled the ball in the box and was flashed a yellow card for the breech. Wang Shuang stepped forward to make it 3-1 at 57th minute.
Carter pulled a cross into the box and James got it to beat goalkeeper Zhu in the 65th minute for the 4th goal. Goalkeeper Zhu miscalculated a James lob and Manchester City’s Chloe Kelly made it 5th goal for England before Aston Villa’s Rachael Dally volleyed home a shot which VAR insisted was a genuine goal.
In the first round matches, England defeated Haiti by a lone goal while Denmark beat China 1-0 also. In the second round, England piped Denmark by a lone goal and China honked Haiti 1-0.
After the last group matches, England topped Group D winning all their three matches scoring 8 goals and conceding one with a handsome 9 points; Denmark came second having 6 points from two wins and a loss scoring a meager 3 goals and conceding one; China goes home with their 3 points from a win and two loses scoring 2 goals and conceding 7 while Haiti lost all their matches and could not score a goal but conceded 4 to be at the bottom of the group.
With the obtained results Denmark faces hosts Australia on Monday 7th August at Stadium Australia at 1130 hours after the Super Falcons of Nigeria would have battled the Three Lionesses of England at the Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane that has become home for Nigeria at 0830 hours.
China had failed to score in each of their last five world cup matches against European sided since beating Netherlands in 2015. It was an antithesis because China had never lost their final group stage game at the world cup except this English magic. They won five, drew the last two and lost this one.
England has now won six of their final group matches.
Tomorrow Wednesday 2nd August, Group G matches will be decided simultaneously at 0800 hours. Argentina will square up against Sweden at the FMG Stadium Waikato while South Africa has a herculean task to beat Italy at Wellington Regional Stadium for a surprise win may let Africa have another team at the Round of 16.
Also tomorrow at 1100 hours Group F matches will be determined. Panama the whipped team of the group will try to survive against former Champions, France at the Allianz Stadium while the Reggae Girlz will try to obtain another miracle with a win over the Samba Girls of Brazil at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
By Eniola Olatunji
Sports
Iraola: My Fight With Isak Has Never Been About Goals
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola says Alexander Isak is a “massive” player for him – but adds he “fights” with the player about needing to do more for the “collective”.
Isak scored twice in the opening nine minutes in the 2-0 win over Ipswich to take his tally to three for the season – but Iraola hinted the player needs to do more off the ball for the team.
“He’s a massive player for us,” he told Sky Sports. “My demands will not be about the goals: he’s fit, in a good shape and he will produce the numbers.
“But my fights with him are more about other stuff, how to help the team in other situations. But it’s good he has played two full games and today a good amount of minutes, scoring the goals.”
Iraola did not reveal which specific areas Isak needs to improve, but it could be interpreted that Iraola wants his striker to do more in the pressing.
“I will demand other things so we can play well,” he said in his post-match press conference about those demands to Isak. “And if we play well, we are in good positions, the goals will come.
“He has to contribute to the collective and when everyone helps, after the goals and results will come.”
Iraola also said to Sky: “Today we were much, much better in our press. We were recovering very high and then we can contact him in good positions.
“If we recover the ball lower, it will be more difficult to find him to have less spaces. So we need more quality effort to put our No 9 in situations like he had today.”
Sports
‘It’s So Strong’ – Sabalenka Halts Play Over Cannabis Smell
Aryna Sabalenka briefly halted her US Open match against Kamilla Rakhimova because of a strong smell of cannabis before cruising into the fourth round in New York.
Top seed Sabalenka raised the issue after going 3-0 up in the first set against Uzbekistan’s Rakhimova, telling umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore that “someone is smoking weed”.
The Belarusian asked the umpire to intervene “because it’s so strong”.
Asderaki-Moore spoke to an official on her radio and made a smoking gesture to someone behind her, before play continued.
Two-time defending champion Sabalenka went on to secure a confident 6-3 6-4 victory on Louis Armstrong Stadium as she chases a fifth Grand Slam singles title.
Sabalenka said afterwards she was not sure where the smell of cannabis was coming from but asked fans to be more mindful.
Smoking is not permitted on site at Flushing Meadows but the smell of cannabis sometimes wafts on to court from the nearby Corona Park.
It is legal to smoke it in New York for adults aged 21 and over.
“It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best,” Sabalenka said.
“I don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or was from the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium.
“I just hope they’re going to be a bit more aware of that stuff.”
Sabalenka is not the first player at this year’s US Open to complain about the smell of cannabis at Flushing Meadows.
Britain’s Katie Boulter previously said it was distracting, while Harriet Dart and Francesca Jones also noticed the smell.
In past years players including Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have also complained.
Sports
Onana Gets Twins As Salah Welcomes First Son Weeks After Joining Turkish Team
Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah has welcomed his third child and first son, named Lail, Trabzonspor President Ertuğrul Doğan said after the Turkish club’s third-round league match against Amedspor.
Doğan said Salah and his Cameroonian teammate André Onana travelled outside Turkey following the match as their wives were due to give birth.
“After the Amed match, we travelled abroad with Onana and Salah. Onana welcomed twins, while Salah welcomed a baby boy. I congratulate their families and wives,” Doğan was quoted as telling Turkish media.
Salah’s sister, Rabab Salah, later revealed the baby’s name on Instagram, posting a photograph of a baby hat and congratulating her brother on the birth of Lail.
The child is Salah’s first son. The Egyptian star and his wife, Magi, already have two daughters, Makka and Kayan.
Doğan’s comments came after a photograph of Salah and Onana aboard a private jet circulated online, prompting questions among Trabzonspor supporters and local media about the reason for their trip.
The club president said both players had travelled for family reasons following the match.
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