Sports
Champions League Player Ratings and Match Highlights
English outfit Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 victory against Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Tuesday night to continue their impressive start to the season.
Mikel Arteta’s rotated side started sluggishly under the lights, with Gabriel Magalhaes and Lukas Provod failing to test the goalkeepers with early efforts at both ends. The hosts’ high press initially caused problems for Arsenal, but the Premier League giants eventually found a foothold when Bukayo Saka forced Jakub Markovic to palm his strike wide.
The Gunners began to take control of the contest and won a flurry of corners. Gabriel clambered highest to meet the fifth set piece and saw his header deflected over, before the referee stopped play to allow VAR to check for a potential handball. Replays showed the close-range effort from the centre-back struck Provod’s arm, and the penalty was given.
Saka stepped up and made no mistake, despite Markovic guessing the right way.
That set the tone after the half-time break, and Arsenal doubled their lead mere seconds after re-emerging for the second half. Leandro Trossard delivered from the left and Mikel Merino, brought back in as a makeshift forward in the absence of Viktor Gyokeres, ghosted in between two defenders to volley home.
There was still time for Merino to notch his brace after stopper Markovic misjudged Declan Rice’s devilish ball into the box, capping off a comfortable evening for Arteta’s heavyweights, who, at least for the time being, opened up a three-point advantage at the top.
Match Highlights
Slavia Prague Player Ratings
GK: Jakub Markovic – 5/10
Markovic made a good early save, but there was nothing he could have done to keep out Saka’s unerring penalty and Merino’s smart volley. He had to do better with Arsenal’s third goal, however, after being beaten to the ball.
CB: Tomas Vlcek – 5/10
All at sea and struggled to handle Merino’s direct centre-forward play.
CB: Stepan Chaloupek – 5/10
Just like his team-mates at centre-back, Chaloupek was powerless to prevent the visitors from strolling to victory.
CB: David Zima – 5.5/10
Tried his best to stifle the danger, especially in the opening 20 minutes, but succumbed to the momentum of the game.
WB: David Moses – 5/10
Failed to create any danger after being pushed back, and was caught out several times when turning toward his own goal.
CM: Christos Zafiris – 5.5/10
The game may have drifted away from him, but Zafiris did take some notable touches on the ball in his bid to act as a calming influence.
CM: Michal Sadilek – 5/10
Sadilek was bullied by Arsenal’s much silkier midfield unit on a difficult night for the hosts.
WB: Youssoupha Mbodji – 5/10
Mbodji did not cover himself in glory in the build-up to Arsenal’s second goal, having been caught looking across the box. He was guilty of keeping Merino onside, and that misstep proved costly.
RW: Lukas Provod – 5.5/10
Squandered an early opening in the first half before being penalised for a harsh handball, leading to Arsenal’s opener from the spot. He did have some bright moments on the ball, though, especially in the opening period.
ST: Tomas Chory – 5/10
Ineffectual up front and replaced shortly after Arsenal doubled their lead.
LW: Youssoupha Sanyang – 5/10
A quiet day at the office, especially with Slavia Prague pinned inside their own half for large swathes of the game.
SUB: Mojmir Chytil (48′) – 5/10
Just like Chory, the player he replaced, Chytil was unable to make any real impact on proceedings.
SUB: David Doudera – N/ASUB: Muhammed Cham – N/A
SUB: Vasil Kusej – N/ASUB: Daiki Hashioka – N/A
Arsenal Player Ratings
GK: David Raya – 6/10
A quiet evening between the sticks. Raya could have watched most of the game unfold from the comfort of the stands. When he was called upon, he was accomplished and confident, securing another deserved shutout.
RB: Jurrien Timber – 6/10
Timber delivered a steady display at right-back. He mucked in defensively to help Arsenal ride out the early pressure from the hosts, and also contributed on the ball as the Gunners moved into the ascendancy.
CB: William Saliba – 7/10
Another rock-solid performance from Arsenal’s Mr Dependable. Saliba stood up to the hosts’ attempts to add a little havoc to the game and dominated in the air.
CB: Gabriel Magalhaes – 7/10
Slavia Prague never truly looked like scoring, with Saliba and Gabriel once again proving why they are arguably the world’s best centre-back combination at the moment.
LB: Piero Hincapie – 6/10
A good, if not glowing, performance from Hincapie, who will now hope for a consistent run of games.
CM: Ethan Nwaneri – 5.5/10
It didn’t quite click for Nwaneri and Arteta certainly noticed, having barked out instructions to him during the first half. He was also booked after taking one for the team as Slavia Prague looked to counter.
CM: Christian Norgaard – 6/10
Some good moments, and some not so good. But, slowly but surely, Norgaard is demonstrating why Arsenal were right to bring him in during the summer, and he certainly remains a good rotation option.
CM: Declan Rice – 6.5/10
An incredible ball into the box resulted in Merino’s second goal of the game, and Rice once again covered every blade of the grass. He is enjoying a truly stellar season at both ends of the pitch.
RW: Bukayo Saka – 7.5/10
Saka was brilliant again and proved a real thorn in Slavia Prague’s side. He took his penalty quite brilliantly and was unfortunate not to add to his tally.
ST: Mikel Merino – 8/10
A scintillating performance from a midfielder who looks more and more like a born goalscorer. Both of his goals resulted from his razor-sharp instincts inside the box. Gyokeres may well have watched on with his face buried in his hands.
LW: Leandro Trossard – 6.5/10
Picked up a superb assist after teeing up Merino for his first goal, and was a real live wire down the flank.
SUB: Eberechi Eze (65′) – 6/10
A promising cameo off the bench for the talented playmaker.
SUB: Ben White – N/ASUB: Myles Lewis-Skelly – N/ASUB: Max Dowman – N/A
SUB: Andre Harriman-Annous – N/A
Canada boss Jesse Marsch has firmly ruled out the possibility of becoming manager of the United States national team in the future.
The former Leeds United boss has guided Canada to the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time in their history. He oversaw a 1-0 win over South Africa to book his side a meeting with Morocco on Saturday (July 4th).
Marsch took over the Canucks back in May 2024 and has fully immersed himself in the role. So much so that some of his man-management tactics, including an impassioned post-match speech to his players, have irked American fans.
“Never” – Jesse Marsch on USA job
The USA nearly appointed Marsch back in April 2023, and he turned down a lucrative contract offer from Leicester City believing he had the job in the bag. He waited for another opportunity to enter international management, and that came with Canada almost a year later.
Marsch has since earned plaudits for transforming Canadian football, and he has become the first coach to lead them to two World Cup victories. There are some who feel the Wisconsin-born tactician should be a contender for the USMNT managerial role further down the line.
Asked by TIME whether he’d ever consider taking charge of his country of birth, he responded:
“I never will coach the U.S. national team. Ever. And that’s no problem. There was the possibility of me at one point, but I’m done with it. I don’t even care anymore. I don’t wish ill will against the U.S. I want the U.S. to do well. I like Pochettino, and I like a bunch of the players. But people need to stop making a deal out of me in the U.S.”
Marsch signed a new four-year contract extension in May, keeping him tied to the Canada national team until June 2030. The USMNT, meanwhile, landed Mauricio Pochettino as their manager in September 2024, and the former Tottenham Hotspur boss has been equally impressive while leading the Stars and Stripes.
The Argentine has taken the co-hosts to the Round of 16, where they face Belgium next Tuesday (July 7th). SportsMole reports that he has been offered a new four-year deal which would run until the same date Marsch’s new deal with the Canadians expires.
Why USA turned Jesse Marsch down
Marsch admitted he was “devastated and angry” after the USMNT made a U-turn over appointing him as Gregg Berhalter’s successor three years ago. The Americans turned back to Berhalter who lasted just one year into a second reign before being sacked after his nation crashed out of Copa America in the group stages.
The USA conducted an independent investigation into Berhalter’s off-field behaviour at the time. They lined Marsch up as his replacement but the American federation trusted in the bond built between players and Berhalter.
Marsch explained to GIVEMESPORT at the time:
“All I’d say is that it was made very clear to me by U.S. Soccer that I was going to be the [USMNT] coach, and then it was made very clear to me that I was not. At the time, I was devastated and angry, but now I am thankful and really happy to be where I’m at.”
|
Jesse Marsch – Canada |
||||||||
|
From |
To |
Matches |
Won |
Drawn |
Lost |
Win % |
Major Achievements |
|
|
May 13, 2024 |
Present |
22 |
8 |
6 |
8 |
36.36% |
• 4th Place at 2024 Copa América • First-ever World Cup knockout stage win (2026) |
|
Marsch is becoming a hero in Canada amid a stellar World Cup campaign, and a win over Morocco would be the stuff of dreams for the Great White North. They head into that game as underdogs, up against Africa’s strongest nation, who made the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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Tottenham Hotspur chiefs are now confident that they can sign Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi this summer.
Tottenham have already agreed six new signings this summer, with the latest additions of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali setting the club back a huge £185m outlay.
Spurs’ ambition is showing no signs of slowing down yet, and while their defensive and midfield options are looking stronger ahead of next season, we could see new faces arrive to boost the attack too.
The north Londoners remain in talks with Manchester City over a deal for left-winger Savinho, following their failed attempt to bring him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 12 months ago.
However, Tottenham are also considering other options for that flank too, with links to a second raid on West Ham United for Crysencio Summerville, while they have been offered the chance to sign Rafael Leao from AC Milan by Jorge Mendes during the Fernandes transfer talks.
Spurs are also considering signing a new striker with doubts over the future of Richarlison, who has long been linked with a move away from the north London outfit.
Tottenham are seemingly ready to make their move to try and bring Junior Kroupi to the capital from the south coast.
Tottenham Believe They Can Sign Junior Kroupi
Tottenham are one of many top Premier League clubs linked with a move for Junior Kroupi this summer, following an outstanding and record-breaking debut campaign in the English top flight for the Frenchman.
The 20-year-old scored 13 goals in 33 Premier League games for the Cherries as they qualified for the Europa League, and the club are determined to keep hold of him for next season for their first ever European campaign.
However, according to a top Tottenham source on X, Spurs officials are confident that they can complete a deal for the youngster this summer.
The same source claims that Spurs have already scheduled talks with the Frenchman’s representatives soon, although Bournemouth would want at least £90m to sell him in this window.
Kroupi Junior is also said to be open to a move to Spurs, following previous talks between the parties in March.
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Tottenham Also Want ‘One of the Best Players in the World’
Tottenham’s level of ambition this summer is showing no signs of slowing down, and now they are also targeting a move for Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, believing he can cover both the left wing and centre-forward positions.
The England international has been described as ‘one of the best players in the world’ on his day by Three Lions teammate Anthony Gordon, and it is hard to disagree when we see what he has done over the years for the Red Devils and then on loan at Barcelona last season.
The 30-year-old is said to prefer a permanent move abroad following his spell with Barca, although it appears as though Spurs are positioning themselves right at the front of the queue should he end up remaining in England.
There was significant controversy as Portugal just about beat Croatia to make it into the next round of the 2026 World Cup. The two sides appeared to be destined for extra time before VAR intervened to rule out Josko Gvardiol’s late strike, sparking a strong reaction in the media.
Ivan Perisic opened the scoring before Cristiano Ronaldo levelled things from the penalty spot with 22 minutes remaining. Goncalo Ramos then gave Portugal the lead in stoppage time, but there was still time for Croatia to put the ball in the back of the net once more.
This time, however, the goal was chalked off. VAR deemed that Igor Matanovic had the slightest of touches on the cross that found Mario Pasalic, who was standing in an offside position before he touched the ball for Gvardiol to score.
An official FIFA explanation revealed that, thanks to ‘data provided by Connected Ball Technology’, it was proven that ‘contact was made’ by Croatia’s Matanovic in the build-up to the goal. Despite this, footage from the game looked inconclusive, leaving many baffled by the ruling.
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic Makes Ronaldo FIFA Claim After Croatia Controversy
Among those angered by the VAR call to rule out Croatia’s late goal, former player Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his feelings on the matter clear. As quoted by Italian outlet Gazzetta, the Fox Sports
Pundit offered up a theory that FIFA were intent on having Ronaldo and Portugal meet Spain in the next round:
“It was a fantastic match ruined in the end by VAR. I see nothing irregular about the 2-2 goal; VAR disallowed it, but for me, it was a robbery. Either the sensor in the ball wasn’t working or something went wrong, because Renato Veiga touched the ball, which means there was no offside. Look at the angle: Croatia’s number 20 doesn’t touch the ball, nor does he change its trajectory in the slightest. It’s Portugal’s number 13 [Veiga] who touches it! How can it be offside?
“An opponent touches it, and suddenly the Croatian goalscorer is offside? Absurd! The Croatians, who had fought with all their heart, were denied a dream moment at this World Cup. To disallow a goal in the 90th minute, the decision must be crystal clear. Here, it wasn’t at all. This wasn’t refereeing. It was an outright theft. For me, it’s clear they [FIFA] wanted Portugal and Ronaldo to reach the Round of 16 to face Spain.”
Ivana Knoll Reacts to Croatia Defeat and Ibrahimovic Theory
Adding to those unhappy with the final outcome, Croatia fan Ivana Knoll also expressed her anger to her 3 million followers on Instagram. The model, who went viral at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups – as well as at the Formula One earlier in 2026 – has turned heads this summer, now at her fourth FIFA tournament.
But now having attended the match, on her Instagram stories she first called out the referee, who ‘did such a sh** job,’ before then sharing a link to the Gazzetta story from Ibrahimovic, agreeing with his comments as she wrote: ‘exactly’
She then spoke to the camera in another post, saying ‘it was a complete robbery’ and finally appeared to take aim at Ronaldo and co, saying ‘Karma will hit you’.
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