Alex Freeman, the USMNT’s 22-year-old right back, came on at halftime in Villarreal’s 3-2 loss at Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 1 of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League. Left winger George Bello, 24, started for Austria’s LASK in its 1-0 loss at AEK Athens. The post Americans Abroad: Freeman and Bello make UEFA Champions League debut appeared first on Soccer America.
The 2-1 loss ended a perfect start for Ange Postecoglou's side, but another setback has emerged that could complicate the team's preparations for its next league fixture. Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix are facing a fresh challenge at Al-Nassr after the club suffered its first defeat of the Saudi Pro League season against Al-Ittihad. The 2-1 loss ended a perfect start for Ange Postecoglou’s side, but another setback has emerged that could complicate the team’s preparations for its next league fixture. Al-Nassr fought back after falling two goals behind in Jeddah, with Angelo pulling one back before the visitors piled on the pressure. Despite creating several chances late in the match, however, Al-Ittihad held on to claim a major victory and move within one point of Al-Nassr in the table. Al-Ittihad made a flying start, with George Ilenikhena opening the scoring after only four minutes. Steven Bergwijn’s effort was saved by Nawaf Al-Aqidi and came back off the post, allowing Ilenikhena to react quickest and head the rebound into the bottom corner. The young striker doubled his tally in the 22nd minute after Houssem Aouar found him with a clever ball behind the Al-Nassr defence. Ilenikhena kept his composure before producing a superb left-footed finish, giving the hosts a 2-0 advantage and putting Al-Nassr in serious trouble. Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr reacts The visitors eventually found a route back into the contest through Angelo. Cristiano Ronaldo helped create the opening with a brilliant first-touch lob into the area, which released Felix before the ball eventually fell to Angelo, who fired home to make it 2-1 before half-time. Al-Nassr suffers first defeat despite strong push for equalizer Al-Nassr emerged from the interval with much greater intensity and began creating opportunities around the Al-Ittihad penalty area. Ronaldo tested Predrag Rajkovic with a left-footed effort, while Felix also threatened from a difficult angle. Rajkovic quickly became the difference between the two teams, making five saves in the second half alone as Al-Nassr searched desperately for an equaliser. His biggest intervention came late in the match when Felix played Sadio Mane through, only for the Serbian goalkeeper to produce another outstanding stop. The result represents a significant blow for Postecoglou, whose team had won each of its opening four league matches. Al-Nassr remains second on 12 points, while Al-Hilal has moved three points clear at the top, with Al-Ittihad now sitting fourth on 11 points. The defeat also means Ronaldo finished the match without adding to his league tally. The reason why Joao Felix will miss Abha clash The latest headache concerns Felix, who will miss Al-Nassr’s next Saudi Pro League match against Abha on Wednesday, September 9. The reason is connected to an incident late in the defeat to Al-Ittihad, when the Portuguese attacker was booked for a challenge on Richard Rios. That yellow card was his fourth caution of the season, triggering an automatic one-match suspension under the Saudi Pro League’s competition regulations. His absence leaves Postecoglou without one of the team’s most productive attacking players at a particularly important moment. Match DateOpponentFelix’s PerformanceMatch ResultAug. 15Al Fateh⚽ 1 Goal, 🟨 Yellow CardWon 3–0Aug. 21Al-Riyadh⚽ 1 GoalWon 4–0Aug. 25Al-Ettifaq🅰️ 2 Assists, 🟨 Yellow CardWon 3–2Aug. 28Al-Taawoun🟨 Yellow CardWon 2–1Sep. 5Al-Ittihad🟨 Yellow CardLost 1–2 Felix has made an excellent start to life in Saudi Arabia, scoring against Al-Fateh and Al-Riyadh while providing two assists against Al-Ettifaq. He has now contributed two goals and two assists in the league, but his disciplinary record will force him to watch the Abha match from the sidelines. The suspension was not the only frustration for Felix following the defeat. The forward appeared visibly angry with the officiating and declined to give reporters a full interview after the final whistle. Instead, the Por
Manchester United should have explored a transfer move for Unai Simon, says Rene Meulensteen (Picture: No Tippy Tappy Football) Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen says the club should have made a move for Athletic Bilbao and Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon in the summer transfer window. The Red Devils replaced the error-prone Andre Onana by signing Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp in a deal worth in the region of £18million last summer. The 24-year-old would go on to enjoy a promising debut season at Old Trafford, winning United fans over with a series of impressive performances across his opening 33 appearances. However, it has proven a tricky start to the new campaign for Lammens, with Michael Carrick’s side picking up just four points from their first three matches in the Premier League and conceding six goals in the process. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. At the weekend, Lammens was met with criticism after Tyrique George beat the Belgian at his near post as Everton cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s opener at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Lammens could do nothing about the Toffees’ second equaliser, though, with substitute Ainsley Maitland-Niles curling home a superb strike from 25 yards to make it 2-2 at the death. ‘Don’t get me wrong, he had a really good season, he made some remarkable saves and he helped United a lot,’ Meulensteen said of Lammens on the latest edition of the Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, in partnership with BOYLE Sports. Lammens has conceded six goals in United’s first three league games (Picture: Getty) Meulensteen feels the Belgian is far from the finished article (Picture: Reuters) ‘Would I name him in the same breath as Peter Schmeichel, Edwin van der Sar, David de Gea? No. Can he get there? Not sure. ‘I doubt it because I always do my due diligence on things and one of the things I felt with him, he’s still young, but obviously what happened with him at the World Cup is something I identified in him. ‘I think really critical people will probably look at him with the first goal against Everton, near post. ‘For me, if you talk about strengthening, you talk about the two most important people on the pitch: the goalkeeper and the striker. If one can sort goals out and the other can make sure he keeps clean sheets, you’ve got a good chance of winning.’ {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Carrick insists Man Utd's start to season is 'not that bad' after 2-2 draw to Everton","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/09\/07\/6380575265597538231\/480x270_MP4_6380575265597538231.mp4","description":"Ainsley Maitland-Niles scored an absolute worldie in the sixth minute of added time to seal a 2-2 draw for The Toffees.","duration":"T4M8S","height":270,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/09\/07\/07\/111091361-0-image-a-43_1788761956815.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-09-07T07:17:25+0100","width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); Having paid close attention to Simon’s performances for Spain at the World Cup, Meulensteen believes United may have missed a trick not trying to sign the shot-stopper from Athletic Bilbao. ‘I thought it would have been a really good bet to get him, I would ha
Ten clubs could lose tens of millions of pounds next yearLadbrokes owner highlights PM’s position as Everton fanHalf of the Premier League’s 20 clubs have sponsorship or advertising deals with unlicensed gambling companies that could be illegal next year under plans being developed by the government.An eight-week consultation on proposals to ban sponsorship from gambling companies not licensed in the UK closes on Wednesday, with licensed operators such as Ladbrokes and William Hill pitted against the Premier League in a battle that could cost clubs tens of millions of pounds. Continue reading...
VfB Stuttgart attacker Bilal El Khannouss has been linked with a move away from the German club. According to reports from Fussball Daten, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Crystal Palace are monitoring the former Leicester City star. It remains to be seen whether they are prepared to make an official approach in the coming […] The post Tottenham join four-way race for€55 million-rated Bundesliga star appeared first on CaughtOffside.
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