United News of Bangladesh

A brilliant hattrick by Nabib Newaz Jibon helped  Rahmatganj MFS to maintain their all-win run in Group B of the 10-team Bashundhara Group Federation Club Football outplaying Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool by 6-0 goal in their 2nad match at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh Tuesday afternoon. With the day’s 2nd consecutive victory after beating Dhaka Mohammedan SC 1-0 in the first match, the old Dhaka outfit Rahmatganj MFS topped the Group B list securing full six points from straight two matches while Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool failed to open the account losing their first match. Local forward Nabib Newaz Jibon made a hat-trick scoring three goals in the 45+2, 56th and 75th minutes, local striker Meraj Hossain Opi, Ghana forward Samuel Boateng and Fahim Nur Toha scored the remaining three goals for Rahmantagnj MFS in the 12th, 53rd and 90+2 minutes respectively. In the day’s other match, Dhaka Mohammedan SC returned to winning way after a shocking 0-1 defeat against Rahmatganj in the first match, crushing Chittagong Abahnai Ltd also by 6-0 goals at the Bashundhara Kings Arena Tuesday afternoon. Uzbek medio Muzaffarov opened the floodgate for the black and whites Mohammedan in the 11th minute (1-0), Mali striker Souleymane Diabate doubled the margin the 14th minute to dominate the first half by 2-0 goals, Midfielder Arif Hossain scored the 3rd goal for Mohammedan in the 52nd minute (3-0), midfielder Raju Ahmed Zishan further sounded the team margin in the 69th minute (4-0), forward Sourav Dewan netted the 5th goal in the 77th minute while medio Juwel Mia sealed the fate of the match scoring the 6th goal in the 80th minute (6-0). Defending champions Bashundhara Kings, which managed 1-0 victory over Brothers Union Club in the tournament opener, miserably tasted the defeat in their 2nd Group A match losing to Fortis FC by 0-2 goals at their home ground-- Bashundhara Kings Arena --in the capital. With day’s well merited victory, Fortis SC dominated the Group A with unbeaten run securing four points from two outings. Incidentally, last season's treble winners Bashundhara Kings also suffered a shocking 0-1 goal defeat against Dhaka Mohammedan SC in their 2nd match of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football in Cumilla. With this debacle, holders Bashundhara Kings went down in the race with three points from two matches. Grouping of the Federation Cup:  Group A -Bashundhara Kings, Bangladesh Police FC, Fortis FC, Brothers Union Club and Dhaka Wanderers Club Group B - Mohammedan SC Ltd, Dhaka Abahani Ltd, Chattagram Abahani Ltd, Rahmatganj MFS and Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club. Later, top two teams from each of the two groups will play in the meet's next round (qualification and elimination) like the Franchisee cricket league.

Kylian Mbappé added to his scoring streak with a superb strike in Real Madrid's 4-2 win over Sevilla in the Spanish league on Sunday to finish the year on a positive note after hitting what he called "rock bottom” in early December. Mbappé sent a right-footed shot into the upper corner 10 minutes into the match for his fourth goal in as many games with Madrid in all competitions. It was Mbappé’s sixth goal in his last eight matches with Madrid. He struggled early on with his new club, and Mbappé said his lowest point came when he missed a penalty kick in the team's 2-1 league loss at Athletic Bilbao on Dec. 4. “I know I have a lot more to give,” Mbappé said Sunday. “The last few games I’ve played better, I took a lot of positives from the Bilbao game, when I hit rock bottom.” The France star said that made him realize "I have to give my all for this jersey and play with personality.” Mbappé said he feels his period of adjustment with the club is finally over. “I think we now know each other better," he said. "I’ve joined the team and that changed a lot of things. The settling-in period is over, as the coach says. I feel very comfortable in the team and I play better with the others on the field. The team is playing much better.” Federico Valverde, Rodrygo and Brahim Díaz also scored in the comfortable home victory that allowed Madrid to finish the year one point behind Spanish league leader Atletico Madrid. Atletico rallied to shock Barcelona 2-1 Saturday with a stoppage-time goal by Alexander Sorloth. Third-place Barcelona is two points behind Madrid, having played an extra game. Valverde scored in the 20th and Rodrygo in the 34th before Sevilla got on the board with Isaac Romero in the 35th. Díaz extended Madrid's lead in the 53rd and Dodi Lukebakio got the visitors' other goal in the 85th at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. “It was a well-played game, with many scoring situations, a good end to the year,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "That was what we wanted, to be near the top and get some good rest for 2025.” Read: Kylian Mbappé is enduring a tough Euro 2024. It might not stop France winning the title Madrid next faces Valencia on Jan. 3 in a match postponed because of the deadly floods that hit Valencia in October. Sevilla, sitting in 14th place, had won two of its last two games in all competitions. Navas' farewell It was the last game for Sevilla and Spain great Jesús Navas, who is officially retiring at the end of the year. The defender was honored by Sevilla and Madrid players and fans at the Santiago Bernabeu. Players from both teams made a guard of honor for Navas before the match, lining up as he entered the field, and Madrid’s veteran midfielder Luka Modric handed him a jersey of the club signed by players. Fans gave Navas a standing ovation during the ceremony. Substitute Navas came on midway through the second half. “What happened today was spectacular,” the 39-year-old Navas said after the match, unable to hold back tears. “I had never seen anything like it in my life on a rival field. It was crazy. In those last few minutes I couldn’t see anything. I was looking at the ground recalling all the moments I’ve went through and the joy I’ve been able to give to Sevilla and the national team.” Navas helped Sevilla win four Europa League titles and Spain clinch the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 and 2024 European Championships. He was with Manchester City when it won the 2014 Premier League. Read more: Ligue 1 Crowns Kylian Mbappe as Player of the Season for the Fourth Time in a Row “Navas really deserves it,” Ancelotti said. “Navas is an example for everyone.” Valencia draws late Second-to-last Valencia salvaged a 2-2 home draw with Alaves, thanks to a goal by Dani Gómez eight minutes into second-half stoppage time after the visitors had taken the lead with Joan Jordán in the 88th. The setback drew more protests from Valencia fans who have been unhappy with the administration of team owner Peter Lim. Other results Thierno Barry scored a hat trick and Gerard Moreno and Pau Cabanes added one goal each as fifth-place Villarreal won 5-2 at Leganes, while Las Palmas won 1-0 against 18th-place Espanyol. Ninth-place Real Betis was held by 12th-place Rayo Vallecano to a 1-1 draw at home.

Liverpool heads into Christmas with a four-point lead, a game in hand and as the overwhelming title favorite in the Premier League on the back of a wild 6-3 win at Tottenham on Sunday. As for Manchester United and its new manager Ruben Amorim, they stumble into the festive period in 13th place — as low as they’ve been at Christmas since the 1989-90 season — and with a familiar sinking feeling. United lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth for the second straight season, the latest statistic to show just how far this English giant has fallen and the job Amorim has to turn around its fortunes. Worse for United, it seems like great rival Liverpool cannot be stopped. Make that 21 games in all competitions without defeat after the Reds' biggest league win of the season, with Mohamed Salah netting two of the goals to move above Manchester City's Erling Haaland to the top of the scoring charts. Liverpool has 39 points from 16 games and stretched its lead over second-place Chelsea, which could only draw 0-0 at Everton, to end a five-match winning streak in the league. Goal fest Salah now has 15 goals in the Premier League to break a tie with Haaland — and will leave London thinking he should have had more. In an end-to-end contest resembling a basketball match, Liverpool scored more than five goals for the first time this season, with Luis Diaz (two), Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai also netting. “You can see quality players with top discipline,” Tottenham captain Son Heung-min said. “There’s a reason they are top. If you give them a mistake, they punish you.” Tottenham's injury-hit defense was open at the back but its attack caused Liverpool's problems throughout, with James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke all finding the net. Spurs are another big team in the bottom half, having slipped to 11th place. Back to square one The optimism that might have been generated by a last-gasp 2-1 derby win at Manchester City last weekend has disappeared for United, which lost 4-3 at Tottenham in the English League Cup quarterfinals on Thursday before being handed a defeat to Bournemouth by the same score as 12 months ago. “We were a bit nervous, I felt it in the stadium,” said Amorim, who has won four and lost four in all competitions since starting his United tenure with a draw at Ipswich on Nov. 24. Dean Huijsen, Justin Kluivert — from the penalty spot — and Antoine Semenyo scored for Bournemouth, which climbed to fifth place in the standings and has now beaten Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham and United this season. Indeed, City has dropped to seventh place, an unthinkable unravelling for the winner of the last four Premier League titles. United left out Marcus Rashford for the third straight match. At one point during Amorim's post-match press conference, water appeared to drip slowly from a ceiling light fitting on reporters sat in the front row of the Old Trafford media room. Chelsea's run over After all the money spent on players — $1.3 billion and counting — and the huge turnover of managers, Chelsea's American ownership could have seen the club atop the Premier League with a win at Everton — for a couple of hours at least. Read: Man City crisis deepens after another loss and Arsenal closes gap on Liverpool However, a 0-0 draw ended Chelsea's eight-match winning run in all competitions and gave Liverpool the opportunity to push four points clear. Nicolas Jackson headed against the post in the first half for Chelsea, while Everton had the clearer chances in the second half. Everton also held Arsenal 0-0 last weekend. “Sometimes you have to play a different game and we are learning to play a different game,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said. “They (Everton) are one of the best teams in Europe in terms of clean sheets.” Winning start for Pereira Vitor Pereira got off to a great start as Wolverhampton manager, with his new team beating Leicester 3-0 in his first match in charge. Pereira took charge on Thursday as the replacement for Gary O'Neil and immediately ended Wolves' four-game losing run as Gonçalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes and Matheus Cunha scored first-half goals at King Power Stadium. Wolves stayed in the relegation zone but moved two points behind Leicester, which is a place above the bottom three, and Pereira said: “I believe that we will stay in the Premier League and we will play at a better level than we saw today." Read more: Liverpool goes top of Premier League as Man City's 32-game unbeaten streak ends at Bournemouth It handed Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy a second straight big loss early in his reign, after a 4-0 defeat at Newcastle last weekend. Another recently hired Premier League manager, Ivan Juric, began life at Southampton with a 0-0 draw at Fulham. Juric wasn't in charge of the team because he doesn't have a work permit. He was sitting in the stands for the match instead.

Manchester City’s stunning slump deepened after losing to Aston Villa 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday. Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers at Villa Park consigned the four-time defending champion to a ninth defeat in 12 games in a season that is unravelling. Pep Guardiola’s team has won just once during that run. “We don’t have a defense for the results. They are not good,” Guardiola said. Third-placed Arsenal closed the gap on league leader Liverpool to three points with a 5-1 win at Crystal Palace, but has played two games more. City dropped to sixth in the standings, nine points below Liverpool, and has played two games more. “It’s about what I can do with my people to get the results back and continue,” Guardiola said. “If there is a moment that I cannot overthink, it is right now. Try to be simple, stick to my principles and give certainty to the team.”   Title hopes fading After winning six titles in seven years and an unprecedented four in a row, City’s remarkable fall shows little sign of stopping. Guardiola admitted last week he had not been good enough to turn his team’s form around. City was without a win in any of its last eight away games in all competitions. While it looks unlikely to win a fifth straight title, a place in the top four and Champions League qualification could also be in jeopardy after fourth-placed Nottingham Forest won at Brentford 2-0 to move four points clear of City. Only once under Guardiola has City managed to win the title when losing six times in the league. That was in 2021, when it lost two of its last three games, having already been confirmed as the champion. City lost nine times when Liverpool won the title in 2020, but its sixth defeat didn’t come until February. Guardiola also lost six times in his first season in English soccer in 2016-17 and City finished third. The latest defeat could have been even more emphatic from a dominant Villa, which moved up to fifth. Duran scored his sixth goal in as many starts in the 16th minute from Rogers’ assist. Duran had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half and Rogers hit the post before doubling Villa’s lead in the 65th. Phil Foden pulled a goal back for City in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough to spark a late comeback. “We have to stay positive, even though it’s difficult, and we have to keep working hard,” City striker Erling Haaland said.   Jesus streak It’s five goals in a week for Gabriel Jesus against Crystal Palace. After scoring a hat trick in Arsenal’s 3-2 comeback win against Palace in the English League Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday, the Brazil striker hit another two goals when the teams met again on Saturday. Going into Wednesday’s game, Jesus had only scored once for Arsenal since the end of January. Jesus struck twice in a frantic start at Selhurst Park. He opened the scoring in the sixth, with Ismaila Sarr leveling five minutes later. Jesus restored Arsenal’s lead in the 14th and was denied back-to-back hat tricks when hitting the post and then having another close range effort saved by Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson. Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Declan Rice also scored for Arsenal.   Forest flying high If City’s demise is a surprise story of the season, so is Forest’s rise. After battling relegation for much of last term, Forest is in contention to qualify for the Champions League and possibly more. Facing a Brentford team that was unbeaten at home, goals from Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga secured another statement win on the road for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, having already won at Anfield and Old Trafford this year.   Isak treble Alexander Isak hit a hat trick in Newcastle’s 4-0 win at Ipswich. The Sweden international, who has 10 goals in his last 11 games, wrapped up his treble inside 54 minutes at Portman Road, including one in the opening minute. Jacob Murphy also scored. Brighton was 1-0 up at West Ham through Mats Wieffer, but Mohammed Kudus levelled for the draw.

Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society advanced to the 2nd slot in the 10-team Bashundhara Group Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football beating Brothers Union Club by 3-1 goals at the Bir Shreshtha Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj Saturday afternoon. With the well-merited victory, the old Dhaka outfit Rahmatganj MFS toppled the Gopibagh outfit Brothers securing nine points from four matches to go level on points with six-time champions Dhaka Abahani Limited. But, Dhaka Abahani are ranked 3rd in the league table in goal differences despite earning nine points. Federation Cup and Challenge Cup runners-up Dhaka Mohammedan SC comfortably dominated the league with an all-win run securing 12 points from straight four matches while Brothers Union Club went down to the 4th slot with seven points from four outings. Last five times champions and star studded Bashundhara Kings are struggling at the 5th slot in the ongoing league with Police FC securing six points each from four matches with two wins and two defeats, playing four matches each. BPL Football: At last, Dhaka Abahani taste maiden victory against Bashundhara Kings In the day’s match, Rahmatganj MFS dominated the first half by 1-0 goal. Ghana forward Samuel Boateng struck twice in the 2nd and 90+6 minutes while local striker Nabib Newaz Jibon netted the remaining goal for Rahmatganj MFS in the 80th minute Senegalese midfielder Cheikh Sene netted the lone goal for Brothers in the 70th minute from a penalty. Brothers Union were restricted to 10-man in the 73rd minute of the match as their forward Sazzad Hossain received a direct red card.  The day’s other match between Fortis SC and Dhaka Wanderers Club ended in a 1-1 draw at the Bashundhara Kings Arena on Saturday. Hamza Choudhury cleared by FIFA to play for Bangladesh Local forward Sakib Bepari put Wanderers Club ahead in the 37th minute while Ukraine forward Valerii Hryshyn leveled the margin for Fortis FC in the 52nd minute.  In the day’s other match, Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool tasted the first victory in their 4th league match beating all losers Chittagong Abahani Ltd by 2-0 goals at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh on Saturday. After a barren first half, Sayed Hossen Sayem scored first for Fakirerpool team in the 55th minute while Uzbek  medio Sardor Jokmonov confirmed the team’s  victory scoring one more goal in the added time (90+3 minute) of the match. Fed Cup Football: Bashundhara Kings taste first defeat in 2nd match losing to Fortis FC by 0-2 goal

Dhaka Abahani Ltd tasted their first-ever victory against last five times' Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) champions Bashundhara Kings beating them by 1-0 goal at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla Friday afternoon. This was the 2nd defeat for the star studded Kings in their 4th BPL match this season. With the day's debacle, last season's treble winners and star studded Bashundhara Kings went down to the 4th slot in the league table with Police FC securing  six points from four matches while foreign booter and star player less Dhaka Abahani Ltd advanced to the 2nd slot collecting nine points from four outings. Defending champions Bashundhara Kings made a flying start crushing Chittagong Abahani Ltd 7-0  in league opener, suffered a big blow losing to Dhaka Mohammedan 0-1 goal in the 2nd match and bounced back in the race in the 3rd round beating Rahmatganj MFS comfortably by 4-1 goals. Dhaka Abahani, which maintained an all-win record in first two matches beating Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club 2-0 and Dhaka Wanderers Club 1-0,  tasted the only defeat, losing to arch-rivals Mohammedan SC by 0-1 goal in the 3rd match. New look Brothers Union Club were in the 3rd place securing seven points from three encounters after beating Police FC 2-1, Chittagong Abahani 2-0 and played 1-1 draw with Fortis FC. In Friday's vital match, local forward Sumon Reza scored the match-winning goal for the six times champions sky-blue Dhanmondi outfit Abahani in the very 2nd minute of the match by a brilliant header  (1-0). Federation Cup and Challenge Cup runners- up Dhaka Mohammedan SC maintained their top slot intact with all-win run securing full 12 points from straight four matches outplaying Bangladesh Police FC by 3-1 goals at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh on Friday. They also dominated the league earlier with an all-win run after beating Dhaka Wanderers Club 6-0, Bashundhara,Kings 1-0 and Dhaka Abahani 1-0. In Friday's match, Mohammedan SC  dominated the first half by 2-1 goals. Nigerian defender Emmanuel Tony put the traditional Mohammedan ahead in the 31st minute,  Emmanuel Sunday doubled the margin in the 39th minute while captain cum Mali forward Souleymane Diabate scored the 3rd goal for the black and whites Mohammedan SC in the 71st minute. Al Amin netted the consolation goal for Police FC in the added time of the first half (45+2 minute).

Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury has officially received clearance from FIFA to represent Bangladesh in international football. The 26-year-old becomes the first player from the English Premier League to don the red and green jersey. The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) confirmed the news in a statement on Thursday, expressing their excitement about Hamza’s inclusion. Austrian soccer player sustains fractured skull in attack by unidentified assailant The FIFA Players' Status Committee approved the request, clearing the final hurdle after England’s Football Association issued a no-objection certificate earlier this year.  “This is a proud moment for Bangladesh football,” BFF’s General Secretary Imran Hossain said. “Hamza Choudhury’s inclusion will inspire a new generation and open doors for future international success.” Hamza, born in England to a Bangladeshi mother, applied for Bangladeshi citizenship in June and received his passport in August.

Last season's treble winners Bashundhara Kings will play six-time champions Dhaka Abahani Ltd in a vital 4th round match of the 10-team Bashundhara Group Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football at 2:30 pm at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla on Friday. In Friday's other 4th round match, league leaders Dhaka Mohammedan SC will face Bangladesh Police FC, also at 2:30 pm, at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh. After the 3rd round matches, Federation Cup and Challenge Cup runners-up Dhaka Mohammedan SC took a solo lead in the league table with an all-win run, securing a full nine points from three straight matches after beating Dhaka Wanderers Club 6-0, Bashundhara Kings 1-0, and Dhaka Abahani 1-0. Fed Cup Football: Bashundhara Kings taste first defeat in 2nd match losing to Fortis FC by 0-2 goal With their maiden defeat, former champions Dhaka Abahani Ltd dropped out of the league race, sharing the 3rd spot with Bashundhara Kings, Bangladesh Police FC, and Rahmatganj MFS, all with six points from three matches. The new-look Gopibagh outfit Brothers Union Club followed the league leaders Mohammedan SC closely, securing seven points from three matches after beating Police FC 2-1, Chittagong Abahani 2-0, and drawing 1-1 with Fortis FC. Defending champions Bashundhara Kings made a flying start, crushing Chittagong Abahani Ltd 7-0 in the league opener, suffered a big blow losing to Dhaka Mohammedan 0-1 in the 2nd match, and bounced back in the 3rd round by beating Rahmatganj MFS comfortably 4-1. BPL Football: Holders Bashundhara Kings return to winning ways outplaying Rahmatganj MFS Dhaka Abahani, which maintained an all-win record in the first two matches, beating Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club 2-0 and Dhaka Wanderers Club 1-0, tasted their first defeat, losing to their arch-rivals Mohammedan SC 0-1 in the 3rd match.

Salzburg has hired Thomas Letsch as coach as the Austrian club seeks a turnaround ahead of the Club World Cup next year and the imminent arrival of Jürgen Klopp as head of soccer for Red Bull's group of clubs. Letsch has signed a contract through 2027 to replace Pepijn Lijnders — formerly Klopp's assistant at Liverpool — who was fired Monday with the club 10 points off the lead in the Austrian league and unlikely to advance in the Champions League. “By quickly resolving this important position, we are now able to continue to plan for as successful a rest of the season as possible without any limitations,” Salzburg's managing director of sport Rouven Schröder said in a statement. Salzburg is heading to the Club World Cup next year based on its results from previous years. It's been drawn against Real Madrid, Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal and Mexico's Pachuca in the group stage. Read: Fed Cup Football: Bashundhara Kings taste first defeat in 2nd match losing to Fortis FC by 0-2 goal Salzburg won 10 Austrian titles in a row before losing out to Sturm Graz last season. Letsch last worked for German club Bochum, where he was fired in April. Earlier in his career, the 56-year-old German was a youth coach at Salzburg and was caretaker coach for two games in 2015. Klopp is starting his new role for the Red Bull group of clubs from Jan. 1.

Defending champions Bashundhara Kings tasted the first defeat in their 2nd Group A match of the Bashundhara Group Federation Cup Football 2023-24 losing to Fortis FC by 0-2 goals at their home ground-- Bashundhara Kings Arena --in the capital on Tuesday. Incidentally, last season's treble winners Bashundhara Kings suffered a shocking 0-1 goal defeat against Dhaka Mohammedan SC also in their 2nd match of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football in Cumilla last week. With the day's well merited victory, mediocre Fortis FC smartly took a solo lead in Group A with unbeaten run securing four points from two matches after playing goalless draw with Police FC in the first match. With the day's debacle, holders Bashundhara Kings went down to the 3rd slot in the group with three points from two matches after beating Brothers Union Club by 1-0 goal in the opener. After barren first half, Uzbek defender Jasur Jumaev put Fortis FC ahead in the 71st minute (1-0) while local forward Mohammad Abdullah confirmed the Fortis victory adding one more goal in the 78th minute (2-0). In the day's another Group A match, Gopibagh outfit Brothers Union Club Ltd outplayed Dhaka Wanderers Club by 8-0 goals at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh on Tuesday. After the match, Brothers Union advanced to the 2nd slot in Group A table with better goal difference despite securing three points from two matches. Gambian player Mustapha and local booter Sazzad made hattrick scoring three goals each while Rabbi and Elita Kingsley netted remaining two goals for the Brothers Union. In the Group B, former champions Dhaka Abahani Limited and Rahmatganj MFS dominated the table securing full three points playing one match each. Grouping of Federation Cup Group A -Bashundhara Kings, Bangladesh Police FC, Fortis FC, Brothers Union Club and Dhaka Wanderers Club Group B - Mohammedan SC Ltd, Dhaka Abahani Ltd, Chattagram Abahani Ltd, Rahmatganj MFS and Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club. Later, top two teams from each of the two groups will play in the meet's next round (qualification and elimination) like the Franchisee cricket league