United News of Bangladesh

Leicester winger Abdul Fatawu will miss the rest of the season because of an ACL injury, manager Steve Cooper said on Thursday. The 20-year-old Fatawu was injured while playing for Ghana in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Angola on Friday. Germany looks ahead to 2026 World Cup with optimism following a much-improved year He recently broke into the team at Leicester, which was promoted back to the English Premier League this season and is among the favorites for relegation. “To happen at a young age is, first and foremost, a blow for him and for us as well,” Cooper said. "We now have to support him in every way in making his rehab and return as smooth and productive as possible, with the hope — although it's a long-term injury — that he comes back a stronger and better player and person. Harry Kane sparks England rout against Ireland and Nations League promotion "Difficult news, really."  

What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, Germany was on a run of awful results and seemed on course to struggle when it hosted Euro 2024. Now it's back among the top teams in Europe, with an eye on the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Germany will end 2024 with 10 victories from its 15 games. In 2023, it won just three and lost six. The only loss this year was in the most important game, though, against eventual Euro 2024 champion Spain in extra time in the quarterfinals on home soil. It still rankles. Argentina beats Peru to close in on World Cup spot from South American qualifying Coach Julian Nagelsmann's instant reaction to a handball penalty that allowed Hungary to draw Tuesday's last Nations League group game 1-1 was to ask the referee if he'd seen Germany's loss to Spain, when a handball call wasn't given against Spain's Marc Cucurella, riling German players and fans. It’s been a big year for younger players like Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, the “Wusiala” combo expected to shine at the 2026 World Cup. Wirtz scored six goals for Germany this year to be joint-top scorer with Arsenal's Kai Havertz and Musiala scored five. “At their young age, they're both world-class already,” Joachim Löw, who coached Germany’s World Cup-winning team in 2014, said Sunday on local broadcaster SWR. In 2021, Löw was the first coach to call up Musiala and Wirtz, then 18 and 17 years old respectively, to the national team, and he's impressed with how they've been crucial to Nagelsmann's project. Harry Kane sparks England rout against Ireland and Nations League promotion “They're obviously both incredibly creative, strong in one-on-ones, they're both goalscoring threats, and they've both made unbelievable progress in our national team over the last one or two years,” Löw said. “You really can't imagine the national team without them any more because they shape the game.” Several star names — Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gündogan, Thomas Müller — retired from international duty following Euro 2024. It doesn’t seem to have put a dent in Germany’s form. Still, some open questions remain about just how big — or sustainable — Germany's improvement is. A Nations League group of the Netherlands, Hungary and Bosnia-Herzegovina saw Germany rack up some big wins, even a 7-0 victory against Bosnia last week, but it wasn’t the hardest schedule the competition could have served up. Marc-André ter Stegen is Germany’s top goalkeeper after Neuer left, but is a long way from returning from the serious knee injury he sustained in September. Nagelsmann’s first-choice striker Niclas Füllkrug of West Ham hasn’t played since September with an Achilles tendon injury and will be 33 by the time the World Cup comes around. Gyokeres leads Sweden to Nations League win and the Dutch reach the knockout rounds Ahead of World Cup qualifying, Germany will have a tougher test in the Nations League playoffs in March, and will find out its quarterfinal opponent in the draw at UEFA headquarters on Friday. A yellow card Tuesday means Bayer Leverkusen's Wirtz will be suspended for the first leg of the quarterfinals.

Captain of the Swadhin Bangla Football team,  former vice- president of Bangladeshi Football Federation (BFF) and freedom fighter M Zakaria Pintoo passed away on  Monday noon at a local hospital. He was 81. He left behind one son,  three daughters and a large number of admirers to mourn his death. Zakaria Pintoo, also a member of Jatiya Press Club, was admitted to the Ibne Sina Hospital in the capital Sunday afternoon as he was feeling very sick after suddenly fell down at his residence.  Later, he was shifted to the ICU of the hospital Sunday evening as his condition was further critical and deteriorated  and finally he took his last breath there at about 11:45 am on Monday. Pintoo, a renowned defender cum captain of Dhaka Mohammedan SC,  made his first international appearance as the Bangladesh captain in the Merdeka Cup Football Tournament in Malaysia in 1973. During the Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971, Pintoo led the Swadhin Bangla Football, which played a good number of exhibition matches in India to raise funds for the country' s freedom fighters. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan condoled the death of the proud son of the soil. BFF president Tabith Awal, Sr VP, VPs and executive committee members also condole the death of Zakaria Pintoo    

Harry Kane's 69th international goal sparked a second-half scoring spree that fired England back to the top tier of the UEFA Nations League on Sunday. In temporary head coach Lee Carsley's final game in charge, a 5-0 win against Ireland secured promotion and ensured England will be back among Europe's leading nations in the next edition of the competition. “I wanted the England team to be exciting to watch and attacking,” Carsley said. “I see them do it day in, day out on the training ground. And now we’ve seen it (on the field).” England won its group on goal difference ahead of second-placed Greece, which beat Finland 2-0. Kane's 53rd-minute penalty at Wembley was a record-extending goal for his country after Liam Scales brought down Jude Bellingham in the box and was sent off for a second yellow card offense. Within five minutes England was 3-0 up through Anthony Gordon in the 55th and Conor Gallagher in the 58th. Substitute Jarrod Bowen made an immediate impact, scoring with his first touch in the 75th and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, making his debut, headed in another four minutes later. “A really important win for us,” Kane said. “It was a tough first half, but we came out second half with a lot more energy and we finished it off.” England, which is set to welcome new head coach Thomas Tuchel in January, needed to match Greece's result to top Group B2. Anastasios Bakasetas had put Greece ahead in the 52nd in Finland, with Kane's England opener coming a minute later. Christos Tzolis scored the second for Greece, which faces a playoff to try to win promotion. After five wins from six games, Carsley will now return to his permanent role as head coach of England's under 21s. Tuchel begins in January and will lead the campaign to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. He should have plenty of options when he selects his first squad after Carsley handed debuts to eight players during his short reign. In his final game, Gordon, Gallagher, Bowen and Harwood-Bellis all scored their first senior goals for England. “Lee has achieved the main objective from the six fixtures this autumn: securing promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League," English Football Association CEO Mark Bullingham said. “The players have really enjoyed working with Lee and his team – they have made a real impact in their interim roles.” Rabiot double Adrien Rabiot scored two goals as France beat Italy 3-1 to win Group A2. Both teams had already secured their places in the quarterfinals before the match in Milan, but France needed to win by at least two goals to take top spot. “It’s been a while since we’ve played a match like that, fighting all together,” Rabiot told French television channel TF1. “The aggressiveness that we showed, our team spirit, that should all be highlighted. That is the real face of the France team.” Rabiot headed the visitors in front just inside two minutes. France shocked San Siro into silence in the 33rd when Lucas Digne curled in a magnificent free kick from 25 yards that went into the top left corner via the underside of the bar and Guglielmo Vicario. It went down as an own-goal from the Italy goalkeeper, who was a late replacement after Gianluigi Donnarumma fell ill with a stomach bug. Italy pulled a goal back two minutes later when Andrea Cambiaso volleyed past Mike Maignan. But Rabiot grabbed his second in the 65th with another header — the sixth goal in a row Italy has conceded from set plays. While the match had started with the Italy fans booing the French anthem, it finished with France supporters proudly singing the same song in triumph. It was the first time Italy had lost a home game by two or more goals since 1983, according to soccer statistician Opta. Also in the group, No. 6-ranked Belgium fell to a surprise 1-0 loss against Israel - ranked 81st. Yarden Shua's goal settled the game, which was held in Budapest, Hungary, in the 86th. Israel was relegated to League B despite the win. Belgium must now face a playoff to try to avoid relegation. Haaland hat trick Erling Haaland leads the Nations League scoring charts after hitting a hat trick in Norway's 5-0 win against Kazakhastan in Group B3. The Manchester City striker took his total to seven goals and is two clear of Viktor Gyokeres, Cristiano Ronaldo and Benjamin Sesko, who are all tied on five. Norway was promoted to the top tier, ahead of second-place Austria, which drew 1-1 with Slovenia.

Viktor Gyokeres led Sweden to a 2-1 win over Slovakia while the Netherlands qualified for the Nations League quarterfinals with a 4-0 win over Hungary on Saturday. Germany also set a single-game scoring record for the relatively new competition — this is its fourth edition — by routing Bosnia and Herzegovina 7-0. Gyokeres took his nation’s opening goal in the third minute. After Slovakia's David Hancko leveled in the 19th, the Sporting Lisbon striker set up Aleksander Isak to put Sweden back in front for good in the 31st. Gyokeres is the joint leading scorer of the Nations League with five along with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Slovenia’s Benjamin Sesko. Gyokeres recently upstaged Erling Haaland by scoring a hat trick as Sporting beat Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League. Sweden is trying to earn promotion from League C to League B. Estonia finished at Azerbaijan 0-0 in the same group. The Netherlands joined Germany as the two teams from League A, Group 3 to advance to the quarterfinals in March. The Dutch easily won their game in Amsterdam, which was briefly suspended in the first half for the medical evacuation of Hungary assistant coach Adam Szalai. The Hungarian Football Federation said the former player was in “stable” condition after being taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Wout Weghorst converted a penalty in the 21st and Cody Gapko added a second spot kick in first-half injury time. Denzel Dumfries and Teun Koopmeiners added second-half goals. Germany rolls to record win Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz scored twice, including from a superb free kick, to help fuel the Germans' demolition of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Forward Tim Kleindienst also got his first two international goals, while Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane all added to the lopsided scoreline in Freiburg. League B Wales escaped with a scoreless draw from Turkey after the host's top scorer Kerem Akturkoglu missed an 89th-minute penalty. Akturkoglu, who leads Turkey with four goals in the Nations League, sent his spot kick off the post. Iceland won at Montenegro 2-0 after late goals by Orri Oskarsson and Isak Bergmann. The loss meant Montenegro will be relegated to League C. A goal by Georges Mikautadze got Georgia a 1-1 draw at home with Ukraine after an own goal by Solomon Kverkvelia put the visitors ahead. The Czech Republic missed the chance to earn promotion from League B after drawing at Albania 0-0. League D Virgiliu Postolachi scored in injury time to give Moldova a 1-0 win in Andorra.

Hosts Bangladesh beat the Maldives by 2-1 goals in the second and last match to level the two-match Bashundhara Group FIFA Tier-1 International Friendly series 1-1 at the floodlight Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka on Saturday evening. Bangladesh, which made a frustrating start in the two-match series losing to the Maldives by a 0-1 goal at the same venue last Wednesday, today took the field in a must-win situation to revive their prestige and save the series, and finally they came out successful by an injury-time goal by substitute booter Papon Singh. FIFA Int'l Friendly: Bangladesh make frustrating start losing to Maldives by 0-1 goal The Maldives team, which was deprived of playing any international or major football in the last year, surprisingly forced hosts Bangladesh to concede a 0-1 defeat in the first match last Wednesday to take sweet revenge for their 1-2 goal defeat against Bangladesh at the same venue in October last year. This was the 2nd win for Bangladesh playing eight international matches this year after beating Bhutan and the 3rd win against the Maldives in their 5th meeting since 2023. Bangladesh outplayed the Maldives by 3-1 goals in the SAFF Championship in 2023 and beat the Maldives by 2-1 goals in Dhaka in the World Cup Qualifiers in 2023. Bangladesh played a 1-1 draw with the Maldives in Male in the World Cup Qualifiers in 2023, apart from conceding a 0-1 defeat against them in the last match here on Wednesday. In the day's match, midfielder Ali Fasir, who scored the match-winner for the Maldives against Bangladesh in the first match last Wednesday, again put his team ahead in the 23rd minute by a ground-placed shot, utilising a blunder mistake of hosts captain and defender Topu Barman silencing the local crowd (1-0). Medio Mojibor Rahman Jony levelled the margin for Bangladesh in the 43rd minute with a brilliant shot from the top of the box, dodging past two opponent defenders amid a huge celebration from home fans (1-1). Super sub midfielder Papon Singh scored the much-awaited match-winning goal for Bangladesh in the 4th minute of the added time (90+4 minute) by a straight shot from the danger zone, off a ready-made pass from Shahriar Emon, amid huge satisfaction from the home crowd (2-1). In the day's match, the Maldives team maintained their supremacy till the 42nd minute, featuring a deserving 1-0 lead beating off coloured Bangladesh, but Bangladesh regained their rhythm, scoring an equaliser in the 43rd minute. Earlier in the 40th minute, the Maldives custodian brilliantly saved an attempt by Foysal Ahmed Fahim, while Bangladesh goalkeeper Mitul Marma also saved his castle nicely, foiling a good header by Ali Fasir in a one-to-one situation in the 52nd minute.With the day's feat, the Spanish head coach of Bangladesh team Javier Cabrera completed his initial term/ contract (till December 2024) successfully, and the Bangladesh national team also completed this year's engagement with a win.

Argentina's Lionel Messi and Brazil's Vinicius Júnior had frustrating nights in South American World Cup qualifying. While Messi could not help his team avoid a 2-1 defeat at Paraguay, Vinicius Junior missed a second-half penalty as Brazil was held to a 1-1 draw at Venezuela on Thursday. Argentina will remain on the top of the 10-team round robin competition with a 22 points in 11 matches, Brazil is provisionally in third place in the standings with 17 points. Also on Thursday, Ecuador hosted Bolivia. The 11th round of South American World Cup qualifying will continue on Friday with second-place Colombia visiting Uruguay and the bottom two teams in the standings, Peru and Chile, facing off in Lima. An anti-Messi message Argentina played at Paraguay with the hosts having banned local fans from wearing any Messi shirts in the home crowd. TV footage of the match in Asuncion showed that the vast majority of the local crowd was wearing Paraguay’s red and white colors, with no Messi shirts visible in the local broadcasts. Messi had few opportunities to touch the ball during the first half, but saw Lautaro Martínez open the scoring in the 11th minute with a crossed shot. The goal was allowed after a video review. Paraguay scored the equalizer with a bicycle kick by Antonio Sanabria in the 19th minute, shortly after defender Gustavo Gómez hit the bar with a header. The hosts continued to apply pressure, and gave the Argentine star some heavy marking. Messi showed he was upset with Brazilian referee Anderson Daronco for not sending off Paraguay's Omar Alderete for his aggressive tackles. It was Alderete who scored Paraguay's winner with a header in the 47th minute, which puts Paraguay back in contention for a spot in the next World Cup. “We came to a hard place where the national team always struggled,” said Martínez. “We have to correct a lot of things we did wrong in this match, but generally speaking we are playing well. We are still in the lead, and we have to look forward.” A disappointing night for Vinicius Júnior Vinicius Júnior is still without a goal in six matches of World Cup qualifying. He had the chance to score a potential winner after he earned the penalty in the 67th minute but his low spot kick was saved by goalkeeper Rafael Romo and the Brazil forward then shot wide from the rebound. Brazil had the best chances in the first half, with Vinicius hitting the post once after dribbling three Venezuelans and shooting from the edge of the box. But it was Raphinha who opened the scoring from a free kick in the 43rd minute. Venezuela brought on 21-year-old Telasco Segovia at halftime and the substitution had an immediate effect as he equalized in the 46th minute with a powerful shot from the edge of the box. Venezuela went down to 10 men in the 89th minute after Alexander Gonzalez was sent off for hitting both Gabriel Martinelli and Vinicius Júnior in the face. The irrigation system then came on two minutes before the final whistle at the Monumental Stadium in the city of Maturin, 500 kilometers (310 miles) west of the capital Caracas, which angered Brazil players. “When we don't win I leave the pitch a bit disappointed, we deserved to win this one,” Raphinha said after the match. “But it is an important point playing away, we are working hard to win the next one at home.”

South East Bank PLC accorded a reception to the unbeaten SAFF Women's Champions Bangladesh Football team at its head office in Dhaka on Thursday. The bank rewarded Tk 3 lakh to each of the 23 booters of the team and Tk 1 lac each to nine team officials and coaching staff. Besides, the footballers were also awarded with the bank's international debit card. Earlier, the Ministry of Youth and Sports distributed their pre-pledged bonus of TK 1 crore to the Bangladesh women's football team through a separate check early this week. Bangladesh Women's Football team clinched the prestigious SAFF women's crown for the 2nd consecutive time, shocking hosts Nepal by 2-1 goals in the final at a houseful Dashrath Rangasala (Stadium) in Kathmandhu on October 30. Adviser for the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Asif Mahmud Sojib Bhuiyan, announced the bonus for the Bangladesh Women's Football team on behalf of the ministry and handed over a replica cheque at the BFF office soon after the team returned from Nepal on October 31. The National Sports Council, under the Ministry of Youth and Sports, issued separate cheques of Tk 3,12,500.00 (three lacs, twelve thousand and five hundred) for each of the 32-member Bangladesh Women's Football team, including 23 footballers, nine coaching staff, and team officials. The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) also announced a bonus of Tk 1.5 crore for the Bangladesh Women's Football team after its first executive committee meeting at the BFF office in Motijheel last Saturday.Bangladesh Cricket Board (BFF) also announced a reward of Tk 20 lakh for Bangladesh Women's Football team for their feat. Both rewards are likely to be distributed within this month.

Even when he is not there for France, the focus remains on Kylian Mbappé. On the eve of a high-risk Nations League match against Israel in Paris, France coach Didier Deschamps was asked Wednesday if he had spoken with Mbappé about his decision to leave the Real Madrid forward out of his squad. Deschamps first joked that he had expected the question to be asked earlier during the press conference. Quickly back to his serious self, Deschamps then avoided a debate. “Listen, I told you what I told you,” Deschamps said. "You are free to speak, and interpret that. I have a game tomorrow, There are 23 players here. Kylian isn’t here – please leave him alone.” Mbappé was also absent from the previous France gathering because of a minor thigh injury. This time he is not injured, but struggling with form. Mbappé’s performances have been below par in recent weeks after he joined Madrid from PSG this summer. His struggles to adapt to his new side’s playing style have coincided with a global rough patch of form for the Spanish club. Mbappé hasn’t added to his 48 goals for France since June. Deschamps last week did not elaborate about his choice to do without Mbappé but said it was not related to recent reports in Swedish media that the former Paris Saint-Germain star was the subject of a rape investigation. Mbappé’s representatives have rejected the reports as “false and irresponsible.” France plays Israel at home then travels to Italy three days later. Italy leads the group standings after four matches, one point above France. Belgium is third, ahead of Israel.

Hosts Bangladesh made a frustrating start in the two-match FIFA Tier-1 International Friendly series, losing to the Maldives in the first match at the floodlight Bashundhara Kings Arena in the capital on Wednesday evening. With the day's well-deserved victory, the Maldives team not only regained their rhythm after their absence in international football for one year but also took sweet revenge for their 1-2 goal defeat against Bangladesh at the same venue in October last year. The Maldives team, FIFA ranked 163rd, now enjoyed an upper hand against FIFA ranked 186th Bangladesh after 19th international matches on Wednesday with seven wins, six draws, and six defeats. The second and last match between two teams will be held on Saturday (November 16) at the same venue. In the day's match, midfielder Ali Fasir scored the match-winning goal for the Maldives in the 18th minute by a well-judged header from close, off a free kick of Hamza Mohammad from the right wing (1-0). Bangladesh was too unlucky in the day's match, as they did everything except score a goal. Most of the Bangladesh attempts were foiled due to the shakiness of the forwards as well as the confident defence line-up of the Maldives. In the day's match, midfielder Ali Fasir put the Maldives ahead in the 18th minute by a well-judged header from close, off a Hamza Mohammad free kick from the right wing (1-0). Bangladesh came close to levelling the margin in the following minute, but they failed to fire target from goalmouth melee despite the repeated attempts. In the 43rd minute, a long-distance shot by Sohel Rana missed target, narrowly hitting the side post. Forward Rakib Hossain saved Bangladesh from conceding another goal in the 62nd minute, foiling a good Maldivian attempt from the danger zone in a one-to-one situation. Mohammad Hridoy and Isa Faysal of Bangladesh and Ahmed Aiham of the Maldives were cautioned with yellow cards in the match. Newly elected BFF President Tabith Awal, Sr Vice President Imrul Hasan, vice presidents, and some EC members gathered in the stadium to witness the match along with former captain of Bangladesh Cricket team Habibul Bashar Sumon, but they were frustrated in their first official appearances today (Wednesday).