2 weeks agoNewsComments Off on Tottenham 1 AZ Alkmaar 0: Richarlison maintains 100% Europa League start after penalty row with James Maddison
RICHARLISON maintained Tottenham’s 100% Europa League start – but only after winning a penalty ROW with captain James Maddison.
On an evening when Tottenham’s teenage trio shined, it was the returning Brazilian that proved the match-winner despite a bizarre on-field argument with his teammate.
PARicharlison announced his return to the Spurs side with a goal[/caption]
ReutersThe Brazilian made no mistake from the spot after stepping up to take a second-half penalty[/caption]
ReutersJames Maddison was brought down in the box in the opening 45 minutes, only for VAR to overturn the call[/caption]
On his first start of the season, having recovered from a calf strain, the No.9 striker scored a Panenka-style spot-kick that broke the AZ Alkmaar resistance.
Yet after summer signing Luca Bergvall had been decked by Maxim Dekker, Maddison negotiated at length with Richarlison, 27, and actually took the ball OFF the disappointed South American.
Moments later, it was back in Richarlison’s hands and with a steely gaze, he managed to poke fun at goalkeeper Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro with a straight-down-the-middle strike on 53 minutes.
Maddison, who wore the skipper’s armband for the night following the absence of Son Heung-min, did not bear any grudges with the episode.
And the England playmaker was the first to rush over and hug Richarlison, who did his pigeon-dance celebration that was a hallmark of the 2022 World Cup.
In a year in which he revealed his mental health struggles, this was a welcome sight for him and everyone connected with the player.
His coolly-taken goal means it is now three wins out of three and Spurs are on course to qualify for the top eight spots in this revamped, money-grabbing new format.
Only full-back Destiny Udogie and Maddison – a half-time sub against the Hammers – retained their places.
Three teenagers were given a run-out – Bergvall, Mikey Moore and Archie Gray – and what a special occasion this was for them all, playing in a European clash under the lights in front of a packed home crowd.
What a dream start it could have been for the 17-year-old forward Moore on his first appearance in the starting XI in N17.
The left-wing cross on five minutes from Timo Werner was delivered perfectly but the header from close range by the academy graduate, who had wriggled free of his marker, was wasted.
Later on, though, he would be serenaded by the Tottenham faithful for his industry and work-rate with that old Harry Kane song: “He’s one of our own…”
GettyRicharlison and Maddison clashed over who would take the second-half penalty[/caption]
PAThe pair hugged it out after the Brazilian had tucked it away[/caption]
One of the other youngsters given a go was the blond-haired, 18-year-old Bergvall, a £8.5million recruit, whose night was unfortunately cut short due to a knock.
On 27 minutes, the Swedish midfielder’s beautiful outside-of-the-boot ball dissected the AZ defence and this could have led to the opening goal of an otherwise tedious first half.
The problem was the lovely pass fell to Werner and the German loanee – not the most prolific of strikers – produced a typically tame finish that the AZ goalkeeper easily saved.
Werner’s wastefulness was punished and he was hooked off at half-time for Brennan Johnson, who had a half-chance to score inside a minute of coming on.
AZ – who had a first-half header by Alexandre Penetra brilliantly saved by back-up goalkeeper Fraser Forster – had some chances but were unable to breach the home defence.
There were several times that Tottenham gave away the ball and lived dangerously and they were lucky that the electric Ernest Poku did not punish them – and that Forster’s concentration did not falter.
The Dutch side’s night got worse when David Moller Wolfe received a second yellow for a silly foul and watched the rest of the match from inside the bowels of the stadium.
Maddison cleared up the penalty row in his post-match interview, telling TNT Sports: “Initially we both wanted to take it. I am a senior player, I was the captain today, I was going to take the penalty.
“hen a little thought in my head, when I was stood there, I had a little conversation with myself. Richy has come back from an injury, it can be difficult, especially for a striker.
“I knew that last year as well when I had a long injury. It took me a while to get my first goal. That gives you confidence.”
2 weeks agoNewsComments Off on Fenerbahce 1-1 Man Utd LIVE RESULT: Jose Mourinho SENT OFF in frenetic Europa League clash that ends level
MANCHESTER UNITED and Fenerbahce’s thrilling Europa League tie has ended level – but the major talking point of the night is Jose Mourinho receiving a red card!
Christian Eriksen‘s sublime strike initially put the Red Devils ahead before En-Nesyri levelled up the score in Istanbul.
And in typical Jose Mourinho style, the Portuguese legend got sent off for shouting at the fourth official.
2 weeks agoNewsComments Off on Superman star Christopher Reeve was my dad & wanted to die after accident, until he was told something I’ll never forget
AS Superman, Christopher Reeve was the indestructible Man of Steel who was faster than a speeding bullet and could leap tall buildings in a single bound.
But an accident while horse riding left the actor’s life hanging by a thread as surgeons prepared for radical surgery on his broken neck.
Christopher Reeve as Superman in the 1978 blockbuster – a role that some feared would end his careerRexChristopher’s wife Dana Morosini and son Will with Christopher after the devastating accidentCamerasWill has a tender kiss for his dadGetty
With the world’s media waiting outside the University of Virginia hospital in the US in May 1995, Chris-topher’s eldest children were ushered in to see their stricken.
The then 11-year-old Alexandra and 15-year-old Matthew, who both grew up in Britain with their model mum Gae Exton, were warned that he only had a 50/50 chance of survival.
But his new wife, singer Dana Morosini, had prepared his children as best she could for what they were about to face.
Ahead of the release of a documentary titled Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, Alexandra, 40, tells The Sun: “One of my strongest memories is Dana walking us into the intensive care unit for the first time.
“And she warned us ahead of time ‘your dad is going to be unconscious, he’s going to have wires all over his body, he needs a tube to breathe.
“‘But that’s still your dad under there. Look for his hand, find his hand, that’s the hand you know how to hold, and you can still hold it. Go in, hold his hand, and talk to him.’
“And that’s such an insightful thing as a parent, right? To say this is going to be scary and I’m not going to hide it from you, but I’m going to help you understand how to deal with it.
“It is true both for Dana and for our mum, that they wanted us to know the severity, so that it wasn’t a surprise.”
Few stories extol the endurance of the human spirit as profoundly as the Christopher Reeve one does.
The documentary, which is in cinemas on November 1, is certain to leave audiences wiping tears from their eyes as the actor and his family find hope in the most desperate times.
Tall, handsome and athletic, he was an ultra competitive adrenaline junkie who loved to push himself to the limits.
Born in New York, he was brought up by his journalist mother Barbara in Princeton, New Jersey after his parents divorced when he was aged four.
Both his parents remarried and Matthew describes his dad’s family as “f***ed up.”
Christopher’s father Franklin, a poet and professor of literature, never praised his son no matter what he achieved — even when he won a place at the elite Julliard drama school in New York in 1973.
Everyone thought I had just flushed my career down the toilet.
Other actors' reaction to Christopher Reeve taking Superman role
On learning Christopher had been cast in Superman, his dad ordered champagne, wrongly thinking it was the George Bernard Shaw play Man and Superman.
When Franklin discovered his son was going to star in an adaptation of a DC comic book hero, he refused to speak to him.
Christopher’s actor friend William Hurt also warned him not to take the role, with most people expecting Superman to be a flop.
The actor said: “Everyone thought I had just flushed my career down the toilet.”
It was the first superhero movie and didn’t have the benefit of computer wizardry to make the audience believe the character Clark Kent could fly.
Filmmaker Matthew, 44, says: “He spent a year effectively, just him on wires doing most of the flying sequences.”
Household name
When Superman hit cinemas in 1978 it was a box-office smash, spending 13 weeks at No1 and the previously unknown Reeve became a household name.
While making the movie at Pinewood Studios, near London he fell for Brit Gae and she became pregnant with Matthew.
In the documentary, she says: “We just fell desperately in love. At the weekend, we spent our time doing what we weren’t supposed to be doing, like gliding.”
He was a fantastic father. And he was always there for us. I hope I am as half a good father as he was.
Star's son Matthew
Before Matthew was born the actor had a relationship with fellow movie star Jane Seymour, but he went back to Gae, who was with him for almost ten years.
The day after his son was born, Christopher went skiing with pals in France and his filming schedule meant he wasn’t around a lot.
Father-of-two Matthew comments: “I don’t know if you’re supposed to ski because of accidents and you’re the main star, but I don’t fault him for it.
“He was a fantastic father. And he was always there for us. I hope I am as half a good father as he was.”
The siblings handed over their family home movies and didn’t get to see the end result until a week before the premiere.
Matthew, who had no editorial control during filming, says: “There was a shot from like an Easter or Halloween or us painting Christmas cookies, we’d instantly be transported back to the actual event in time.”
Alexandra and Matthew both spent a lot of their early years on film sets and remember the “fuss” around him.
Matthew recalls: “If we went to a playground, he’d be recognised and he’d be asked for autographs.”
AlamyBefore his son Matthew was born the actor had a relationship with fellow movie star Jane Seymour[/caption]
GettyChristopher and Dana at a charity gala dinner in 2003[/caption]
AP:Associated PressThe accident while horse riding left the actor’s life hanging by a thread as surgeons prepared for radical surgery on his broken neck[/caption]
Gae, now 73, is tearful in the documentary when she is asked about her split from Christopher in 1987.
It resulted in Matthew and Alexandra staying with their mum in England, while their dad returned to the United States.
He went on to marry Dana in April 1992 and they had a son, Will, two months later.
Lawyer Alexandra, also a mum-of-two, believes it resulted in a beautiful “blended family” with Dana becoming a friend and Will a brother.
She explains: “You can understand that someone can have a great love and then they can separate.
“Then people change and there can be a second relationship. And rather than a broken family, have an artfully blended family, which is what we were lucky to have.”
It was Dana who saved their dad’s life after he was left on life support following the accident.
Christopher’s mum was in favour of letting him die, but Dana wanted to keep him breathing through the machine.
The actor also had doubts about going on, telling his wife ‘I’m going to be such a burden, maybe you should let me go.’
Alexandra reveals: “She said, ‘I’m going to say this one time. It’s your choice, because it’s your life. But you are still you, and I love you.’
“He’d been reminded that he was the same person, and he still had this family around him that loved him and wanted him and needed him, that he would still have value.
‘Dana saved me’
“Dana really was the one who helped him realise that. He said, ‘Dana saved me.’”
Suddenly, the strong father, who’d raced them down ski slopes and hit tennis balls at them as hard as possible, was confined to a wheelchair.
From that tragedy, though, they found comfort that he was still alive.
If the break in his neck had been one inch further to the left he would have died. Alexandra says: “He never blamed the horse. I went back to riding. He was very clear-eyed that it was a really s****y fluke.
“But it could have been a fluke in the other direction and he could have died on the spot.”
They got to spend more time sitting with their father and Matthew says: “For him and for us it all became about really being grateful for being together and for having each other and we spent a lot of time sitting in his office just talking.
“He always had sage advice and supportive words.”
Christopher also became the most high profile advocate for the paralysed community, raising millions for research and campaigning for better rights for disabled people.
He continued acting, starring in a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window in 1998 and directed films.
Some of his nerves found new pathways so that he regained the movement of his feet and left hand.
Never giving up hope, Christopher kept believing that one day he would walk again. But in October 2004 an infection led to sepsis and after falling into a coma his fight for life came to an end, at the age of just 52.
In a cruel twist of fate, the Reeve family’s agony was not over.
Eighteen months later Dana, 44, died from lung cancer, leaving Will “all alone”, aged just 13.
Seeing their brother, who is now a 32-year-old sports journalist, say that was one of the hardest parts of watching the documentary for Matthew and Alexandra.
His sister comments: “He’s always said that he has this beautiful support network around him.”
But Will lost the “safety net of both parents far too young.”
All three children, who are very close, are directors of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.
The charitable organisation works to improve the quality of life of paralysed people and to fund groundbreaking ways to overcome spinal cord injuries.
Herb Ritts/Warner BrosWheelchair-bound Christopher poses for fashion photographer Herb Ritts in 1996[/caption]
GettyGae, now 73, is tearful in the documentary when she is asked about her split from Christopher in 1987[/caption]
Will, Alexandra and Matthew at the London premiere of Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve StoryGetty
Matthew concludes: “It’s not always about walking or regaining mobility, it’s about improving other autonomous functions like body temperature regulation, bladder and bowel control, sexual function, all these things that make gargantuan differences in people’s lives.
“But with mobility, I think thanks to technology, the rate of acceleration of improvement will be a lot faster.”
Those incredible achievements mean that Christopher’s children watched the film with “extraordinary pride”.
Alexandra concludes: “You can experience loss and then you can celebrate the joy of watching them having summed up the beauty and power of a life well lived, both for Dad and for Dana.”
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is in cinemas from November 1.
SUCH A NICE, CARING ACTOR
CHRISTOPHER REEVE suffered his spinal injury on May 27, 1995, just four months before we met at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey.
I didn’t quite know what to expect. But it was certainly not a man so upbeat and cheerful.
He sat in his wheelchair, unable to move any part of his body but his head and talked for nearly two hours, with wife Dana alongside him.
“The words that made life possible after my injury were when Dana said, ‘But you are still you . . . and I love you,’ ” he recalled.
He was not tearful or sentimental. He wanted to get on with life and was interested in what was happening.
Actress Emma Thompson had just split from husband Kenneth Branagh and he wanted to know why, “because they seemed so well suited”.
He said he needed to talk about London. He had enjoyed such happy times while making the first two Superman films when living with model Gae Exton – with whom he had two children – in Chelsea.
Unusual star
I had been to their house in 1980 where Christopher had played his piano superbly.
In fact, he did everything well. He skied, he sailed, he piloted planes and had taken two solo trips across the Atlantic.
He was a most unusual film star in that he was interested in people other than himself, was highly educated and a genuinely nice and modest guy.
It was no surprise when he said: “I think I’ve heard from just about everyone I have ever met in my life. Even those who I never thought particularly cared about me.”
He showed me just a few of those letters from friends and fans, which totalled more than a quarter of a million.
Many recalled an incident in their lives with which Christopher had helped them.
“I can’t remember most of those incidents,” he said. “But I am grateful for every remark.”
His mental recovery had been exceptional.
“Will-power is everything,” he said. “Breathing is willpower, getting out of depression is willpower and staying alive is willpower.”
That determination kept him alive for nine more years as a brave advocate for those with spinal injuries.
He lost his battle on October 10, 2004, aged 52.
Widow Dana, an actress and singer, died just two years later of cancer, aged 44.
Never have I been sadder at the death of any actor and his wife.
By Garth Pearce, First British journalist to interview Christopher Reeve after his accident
Having conceded 17 goals on their previous five trips overseas, this was actually a pretty respectable effort from Ten Hag’s dysfunctional team – who have now drawn three out of three in the Europa League and face a battle to avoid a humiliating early elimination.
They have now failed to win in European competition for an entire year, since a 1-0 home win over Copenhagen on October 24, 2023.
Istanbul has provided plenty of fire-pit nights for United both here at Fenerbahce, where they were once thumped 3-0 under Sir Alex Ferguson, and at Galatasaray, the venue for their original ‘Welcome To Hell’ trip back in the 90s.
So despite Ten Hag fielding a full-back as a ‘false ten’ and dropping Rasmus Hojlund, they ended up relieved to avoid defeat.
Mourinho, of course, is never knowingly upstaged and the tantrum he chucked when Bright Osayi-Samuel was denied a second-half penalty earned him a place in the stands.
He speaks plenty of languages, the Special One. And two of them are ‘foul’ and ‘abusive’.
The Sukru Saracoglu Stadium was packed and raucous well before kick-off.
When United were in possession, the shrill whistling of the home crowd perforated eardrums.
But it was Fenerbahce who set the early pace – especially their former Newcastle box-of-frogs Allan Saint-Maximin – all nutmegs, shoulder drops and slalom runs at the United defence.
Former QPR man Osayi-Samuel skinned Lisandro Martinez but shot into the side-netting.
This was no stereotypically negative Mourinho team.
And Rashford had just been booked for a foul on Sebastian Szymanski when, against the run of play, United fashioned a fine counter-attacking goal.
Manuel Ugarte won possession, Alejandro Garnacho sprinted down the left and Mazraoui fed Joshua Zirkzee, who cut back for Eriksen to thump his shot into the corner of the net.
Rashford ought to have doubled the lead soon after, cutting inside from the right but screwing his shot just wide of the far post.
But United were still having to defend with guts and with desperation – especially when Ugarte produced an outstanding sliding block to deny Dusan Tadic from close range.
Mourinho was doing his conkers at this – and soon started berating the fourth official after Zirkzee went down injured.
First, the Moroccan centre-forward’s downward header was met with a gob-smacking tumbling stop, then the Cameroonian keeper leapt to his feet to push away a second nodded effort after Tadic had teed up En-Nesyri again.
The striker grinned as if he had just fallen victim to a strange optical illusion. And perhaps he had.
United led at the break but then they had often done so during their shocking recent run of European trips.
APAndre Onana produced a thrilling double save[/caption]
TNT SportMourinho could only laugh at the goalkeeper’s heroics[/caption]
ReutersThe Red Devils stars hailed Onana as United led at the break[/caption]
EPAAntony had to be taken off on a stretcher near the end[/caption]
Mourinho had slapped Onana on the back in the tunnel at half-time but within four minutes of the restart, the United keeper was powerless to stop Fenerbahce equalising.
Saint-Maximin delivered the deep cross from the left and En-Nesyri, with another downward header, managed to avoid another miracle and beat Onana at the third time of asking.
In the stands, the drums were thudding, the punters were bouncing and United knew they were up against it on foreign soil yet again.
Ten Hag responded by abandoning the Marzaroui ‘false ten’ experiment – bringing on Hojlund and Casemiro for Zirkzee and Victor Lindelof in a major reshuffle.
Then came Mourinho’s ejection from his technical area – the Fenerbahce boss raging at an unrequited penalty appeal when Ugarte upended Osayi-Samuel.
It was a decent shout followed by some indecent shouts from Mourinho, who was sent packing to the stands after a lengthy exchange of opinions with ref Clement Turpin.
Would he be smuggled back into the dugout in a laundry basket, one of the tricks he used to defy a touchline ban during his Chelsea days?
Rashford then skewed an excellent close-range chance and Mazraoui, despite reverting to left-back, had a long-ranger turned over the bar.
With United’s players now playing in their correct positions, they began to get the upper hand. Matthijs De Ligt should have scored with a header, Hojlund forced a save.
Then Antony was carted off on a stretcher late on, to add to Ten Hag’s injury woes as it finished a stalemate.
It's the perfect start for Man United as Christian Eriksen strikes first
TNT SportsHis mood worsened when Fenerbahce did not get a penalty as Manuel Ugarte challenged Bright Osayi-Samuel[/caption]
EPAReferee Clement Turpin brandished the red card for the Special One[/caption]
TNT SportsHe was spotted sulking in the stands[/caption]
APEriksen blasted into the top corner in style[/caption]
EPAYoussef En-Nesyri headed Fenerbahce level just after half-time[/caption]
EPAErik ten Hag’s experiment didn’t work as planned[/caption]
2 weeks agoNewsComments Off on Watch Jose Mourinho’s hilarious reaction after Man Utd keeper Andre Onana’s ‘double worldy’ save
MAN UTD keeper Andre Onana has done the seemingly impossible – and managed to render Jose Mourinho speechless.
Mourinho‘s Fenerbahce are taking on United in a Europa League clash at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.
https://twitter.com/footballontnt/status/1849536756598673787
TNT SportJose Mourinho could hardly believe his eyes after Andre Onana’s double save[/caption]
TNT SportThe Fenerbahce boss was left stunned on the sidelines[/caption]
TNT SportHe burst out laughing following the incident in the first half in Turkey[/caption]
ReutersOnana somehow saved twice in a wild sequence to deny Youssef En Nesyri[/caption]
Onana was named as No. 1 by Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag as the Dutchman continues to fight for his job.
And the stopper repaid the faith of his manager with a remarkable double save midway through the first half.
United took the early lead in the game thanks to a strike from Christian Eriksen.
But the Turkish side worked their way back into the contest, creating several clear-cut chances.
One fell to Youssef En Nesyri, who rose highest to head a pinpoint cross towards the bottom corner.
Onana leapt brilliantly to his right to athletically palm the ball away.
The 28-year-old then sprung back to his feet, tipping the resulting close-range rebound from En Nesryi over the bar.
He was immediately mobbed by teammates, as TNT cameras honed in on Mourinho’s stunned reaction on the touchline.
2 weeks agoNewsComments Off on Ex-baseball coach at a ritzy NYC private school accused of sexually abusing 7 children — including one under 13
Nicolas Morton, 31, who had worked at the $60,000-a-year Packer Collegiate Insititute, was arrested and arraigned Thursday on a slew of sex crime charges.
2 weeks agoNewsComments Off on Neiman Marcus quietly bans ‘Christmas’ from iconic 98-year-old gift catalog — and workers are livid
For the first time ever, Neiman Marcus called its glossy catalog -- long known for its extravagant gifts -- the "Holiday Book" instead of the "Christmas Book."
