United News of Bangladesh

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to deliver at the highest levels of international soccer after guiding Portugal to the final of the Nations League. Ronaldo captained the team and scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Germany in their semifinal on Wednesday to set up a showdown Sunday with Spain. The goal – Ronaldo’s 137th for Portugal – extended his record as the leading scorer in men's international soccer. He broke the record as a 36-year-old by scoring twice in a European qualifier against Ireland in September 2021. That took his tally to 111 goals in 180 games for Portugal, surpassing the previous mark by Iran's Ali Daei. Before tucking away Nuno Mendes’ cross for a tap-in against Germany, Ronaldo had gone close with a header, while he was also just inches from breaking the deadlock after the halftime break. His performance was a timely reminder for any teams playing at the Club World Cup that he’s potentially available to join them for the tournament starting in the United States on June 14. FIFA president Gianni Infantino previously suggested Ronaldo could switch to one of the 32 participating clubs because of a unique transfer window created for the tournament. Arsenal defender Gabriel signs new long-term contract Ronaldo, who’s still contracted to Saudi team Al-Nassr until the end of June, has been linked with several of the particpating clubs, including Brazil’s Palmeiras and Wydad of Morocco, even though that club is banned by FIFA from registering new signings. A switch to Al-Nassr’s bitter Riyadh rival Al-Hilal – the one Saudi club that qualified – has been mooted as a short-term solution to having Ronaldo play at the Club World Cup, where his great rival Lionel Messi will be playing with Inter Miami. FIFA would welcome the boost Ronaldo’s presence can provide for ticket sales at the tournament, but such a switch to a bitter local rival for a short period would be unthinkable for players in Europe’s leagues. Both Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal are among the four big Saudi clubs backed by the country’s Public Investment Fund, which has a 75% stake in each. The PIF may put the national interest above that of Al-Nassr and strive to keep Ronaldo representing Saudi interests at the Club World Cup. On Thursday, FIFA announced PIF as an “ official partner ” of the Club World Cup. Saudi state money is also effectively funding the tournament's broadcasting deal that has largely backed its $1 billion prize fund being shared among the participants. Ronaldo didn’t just add to his record goals-tally against Germany. Just by playing on Thursday he made his record-extending 220th international appearance. Ronaldo's records by the numbers 137 – International goals scored 220 – International games played 6 – European Championship tournaments played 5 – European Championship tournaments scored (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) 30 – European Championship match appearances 74 – European Championship appearances including qualifying 14 – European Championship goals 55 – European Championship goals including qualifying 5 – World Cup tournaments scored (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) 52 – European Championship and World Cup appearances combined 22 – European Championship and World Cup goals combined 197 – UEFA club competition appearances 145 – UEFA club competition goals 140 – Champions League goals 67 – Goals in Champions League knockout games 17 – Goals in a Champions League season (2013-14) 183 – Champions League appearances 11 – Consecutive Champions League games scored 3 – Champions League finals scored    

Arsenal center back Gabriel Magalhaes signed a new long-term deal Friday that will reportedly keep the Brazil international at the club until 2029. Gabriel missed the last two months of the season with a hamstring injury but has formed a formidable partnership with France international William Saliba to anchor an Arsenal defense that has been the best in the Premier League, reports AP. “I arrived here as a young player and after almost five years I’m so happy and I’ve learned a lot,” Gabriel said. “I’m so proud of myself, it’s an amazing journey, and I’m so happy to continue it.” The 27-year-old defender joined the Gunners in 2020 from French club Lille and has played 210 games in all competitions. He has scored 20 goals for Arsenal, becoming a major threat at corners and other set pieces. Bruno Fernandes turns down lucrative Al Hilal offer to stay at Man United Gabriel was handed an extension even though his previous contract did not expire until 2027, signaling his importance to coach Mikel Arteta. Arsenal did not confirm the length of the contract, but British media reported it was a four-year deal. With Gabriel in the defensive line, Arsenal conceded the fewest goals in the last two seasons in the Premier League. The deal comes after Arsenal finished second in the English league for the third straight year.

Uzbekistan and Jordan created history by qualifying to take part in the Fifa World Cup for the first time. While they are celebrating their first appearance, China was eliminated from the contest taking place next year in the USA, Canada and Mexico.  In the meantime, South Korea secured an 11th straight appearance at the men’s World Cup finals with a 2-0 win in Iraq, reports AP.  In a hectic night Thursday with a lot on the line, Australia scored late to edge already-qualified Japan 1-0 before China lost 1-0 in Indonesia. For Uzbekistan, a 0-0 draw against the United Arab Emirates was enough to take the second automatic qualification spot in Group A behind Iran. In Group B, South Korea and Jordan secured their places at the 2026 global tournament to be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Ali Olwan scored three goals in Jordan’s 3-0 win over Oman. In Group C, a first-half penalty from Ole Romeny in Jakarta was enough to end China’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 2002, when the tournament was staged in Asia for the first time and co-hosts South Korea and Japan didn’t have to go through continental qualifying. It’s a mystery to many how a country of 1.4 billion people with such a pedigree in Olympic sports struggles so much to reach soccer’s marquee event. Branko Ivankovic, a Croatian with international experience in Iran and Oman, was hired last year to guide the Chinese men’s team and domestic news agency Xinhua said the head coach took some of the responsibility for another failed campaign. “This team has been fighting for this goal for over 20 years. We believed that if we could reach the next stage from this tough group, we would have a strong chance of qualifying,” Ivankovic said, according to Xinhua. “But we didn’t succeed and, as head coach, I definitely bear significant responsibility.” With one game remaining in this round of Asian qualifying, China has won only two of nine games and is bottom of the group that also contains Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Indonesia. “We’ve brought in a younger generation of players who have injected energy into the team,” Ivankovic said. “Based on their performances, I believe this team has a promising future.” In Abu Dhabi, Uzbek fans celebrated together at the end and had goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov to thank for a number of important saves. As well as the six automatic qualifiers from Asia — two from each of the three groups in this stage — UAE and Qatar, which defeated the already-qualified Iran 1-0, will finish third and fourth and advance to the next stage in Asian qualifying. Six teams will compete in the next stage for two more places at the 2026 World Cup. South Korea clinched top spot in its group, helped by Ali Al-Hamadi’s first-half red card for a high kick. Kim Jin-gyu put the Koreans ahead just after the hour, and the victory was sealed by Oh Hyeon-gyu eight minutes from the end. the result ensured Jordan could finish no worse than second. The Palestinian team stayed in contention for the top four with a 2-0 win over last-place Kuwait, one point behind fourth-place Oman. Australia moved to the cusp of qualifying for a sixth consecutive World Cup with a last-minute goal from Aziz Behich in Perth. In the 90th minute, Riley McGree broke free down the right and pulled back for Behich to curl home to bring Perth Stadium to its feet and give Australia its first win over Japan in 16 years. “It hasn’t sunk in just yet but when the final whistle went it was a great feeling,” Behich said. “It was a tough game and we had to grind it out. It’s been a long campaign and we have worked so hard.” To secure that spot Australia needs to avoid a heavy loss next week at third-place Saudi Arabia, which had a 2-0 win over Bahrain.    

Manchester United has approached Brentford regarding a move for forward Bryan Mbeumo, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told the Associated Press on Thursday. The individual requested anonymity since the club has not formally announced its pursuit of the player. Following its worst-ever Premier League season and failure to qualify for European competition, the 20-time English league champions are looking to revamp their squad. Head coach Ruben Amorim is prioritizing improvements in the attacking department as part of his broader rebuilding strategy. United has already secured a deal for Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha, and Mbeumo is seen as a key addition to bolster an attack that finished with the fifth-fewest goals in the league last season. According to British media, United has submitted a £55 million ($74.8 million) offer for Mbeumo. The 25-year-old Cameroon international enjoyed a prolific campaign, scoring 20 goals — more than the combined tally of United’s main strikers, Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee, who managed just 18 across all competitions. Bruno Fernandes turns down lucrative Al Hilal offer to stay at Man United Amorim has moved swiftly to address the team’s shortcomings, finalizing the Cunha transfer and initiating talks for Mbeumo within weeks of the season's end. His overhaul follows a dismal campaign that saw United finish 15th — their lowest Premier League placement — and set club records for most defeats and fewest points in a season. Last month, Amorim publicly apologized to supporters, labeling the performance “disastrous” and calling the squad possibly the worst in the club's history. The push for Mbeumo signals his commitment to reshaping the team and reviving its competitive edge.

Bangladesh national football team boost up their morale for the ensuing AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers against Singapore, beating Bhutan by 2-0 in a FIFA Tier-1 International friendly match at the renovated National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday evening. International football returned to the freshly renovated country's premier sports venue — the National Stadium in Dhaka — after about 55 months through this day's match. The last international football match at the National Stadium, Dhaka, was between Bangladesh and Nepal on 17 November 2020, although domestic football matches were played until August 2021. In the day's match, Bangladesh team, featuring foreign players of Bangladeshi origin, including English Premier League playing defensive midfielder Hamza Chowdhury, played against Bhutan, which fielded two Bhutanese-origin Australian players. Celebrated defensive midfielder Hamza Dewan Chowdhury put Bangladesh ahead in the very 6th minute of his second match for Bangladesh, first on home soil, with a brilliant header from a goalmouth melee, utilising a corner kick taken by captain Jamal Bhuyan (1-0). Hamza made his debut for the Bangladesh national team on foreign soil in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers against hosts India, which ended in a goalless draw on 25 March in the Indian city of Siliguri. Another midfielder, Sohel Rana, sealed the fate of the match by scoring Bangladesh’s second goal in the 49th minute with a left-footed shot from long distance that kissed the far corner of the Bhutanese net (2-0). Four minutes later, Rakib Hossain of Bangladesh missed a good chance, sending the ball outside despite beating the opponent's goalkeeper. In added time, Bangladesh goalkeeper Mitul Marma made a brilliant save from the goalline, foiling a good attempt by Bhutan. Bangladesh dominated the match throughout against Bhutan, especially in the first half, where Bhutan appeared off colour. Bangladesh defender Saad Uddin left the field with an injury later in the match, forcing Bangladesh to play with ten players, as their substitution quota was exhausted earlier. Fahamedul Islam, who plays in the Italian league, made his debut for Bangladesh in this match and showcased his brilliance in the attacking zone alongside the match’s main attraction, Hamza Chowdhury. Bangladesh made six changes to their line-up, including Morsalin Ahmed, Mohammad Ibrahim, Mohammad Ridoy, Foysal Ahmed Fahim, debutant Al Amin, and Shakil Ahad Topu, resting Hamza Chowdhury, Shah Quazem Kirmanee, and Jamal Bhuyan during the break, and Tajuddin, Fahamedul Islam, and Rakib Hossain in the second half. Both Bangladesh and Bhutan played this match as part of their preparations for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, scheduled for 10 June. In the AFC Cup Qualifiers, Bangladesh will face Singapore at the National Stadium in Dhaka, while Bhutan will play their away match against Brunei, both on 10 June. Earlier last year, Bangladesh and Bhutan played two friendly matches in Thimphu, resulting in a win for each team. The two teams have faced each other 16 times, with Bangladesh enjoying the upper hand, winning 12 matches, Bhutan winning 2, and 2 matches ending in a draw. Bangladesh’s starting eleven: Mitul Marma, Topu Barman, Saad Uddin, Tariq Raihan Kazi, Tajuddin, Sohel Rana, Hamza Chowdhury, Jamal Bhuyan, Quazem Shah, Fahamedul Islam, and Rakib Hossain.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has turned down a proposed move to Saudi club Al Hilal because he wants “to play at the highest possible level.” Fernandes confirmed Tuesday that he had received an “exciting offer” from the Riyadh-based club to switch after what was a disappointing season for United. “They waited for me to think about my future, because I said only if Manchester thought it was the time to move on, that I’d be willing to do so,” Fernandes said through an interpreter. “I talked to the gaffer, Ruben Amorim, and at the time he asked me not to go. I then talked to Man United. They said they didn’t want to sell me. If I wanted to go, I could, but they didn’t need the money, they didn’t need to sell me.” Media reports suggested Al Hilal was prepared to pay 100 million pounds ($135 million) to take the 30-year-old Fernandes from United while offering him a wage of 700,000 pounds ($946,000) per week to play for the Saudi Pro League team, which will compete in the Club World Cup this month in the United States. Bangladesh v Bhutan: Competitive football set to return to renovated Dhaka Stadium on Wednesday “It was a very exciting offer,” Fernandes said. “The president of Al Hilal, he was very nice to me. He talked to my manager but then I talked to my wife and as a family we wanted to see what I wanted to do. She asked me, what do you want to do with your future?” Fernandes last year signed a contract extension to stay at Old Trafford until June 2027. This season did not go as planned as the Red Devils failed to qualify for the Champions League after finishing 15th in the Premier League, while United also endured the heartbreak of losing the Europa League final to Tottenham. “We had goals and we didn’t meet them,” said Fernandes, a key figure for United since his arrival in January 2020. He said it would have been easy for the family to make the move to Riyadh, and for him to adjust to the team with Portugal teammates Rúben Neves and João Cancelo already playing for Al Hilal. “I’m used to them, but I want to play at the highest possible level," Fernandes said. "I want play for major competitions. I know I still can, and I want to be happy doing the thing I love the most. And for better or worse, I’m still very passionate about football. This is how I see football. This is how I see my life and my future, and I’m happy about the decision I made.” Nations League final four: France, Spain, Germany, Portugal face off amid tiredness and injuries Fernandes was speaking as a Portugal player before the team’s Nations League semifinal against Germany on Wednesday in Munich. The winner of that game will face either France or Spain in Sunday's final.

Coming from behind twice, touring Bangladesh Women's Football team forced their 69th ranked upper host Jordan to play 2-2 draw in the 2nd and last match of the Tri-nation Tournament at the King Abdullah Stadium in the Jordanian capital, Amman Tuesday night. With the feat, Bangladesh completed the three-nation international tournament in Jordan with unbeaten record after playing goalless draw against 39th-ranked higher Indonesia in the first match at the same venue Saturday last. No doubt , it is a big achievement and huge relieved for the new look Bangladesh head coach Peter Butler, who faced a difficult time when 18 senior players boycotted the national training camp under him raising several allegations. Earlier, Bangladesh women’s team (ranked 133) had played Jordan (ranked 74) in the Women’s Asian Cup Qualifier on September 19, 2021 and suffered a huge 0-5 goals defeat. Bangladesh v Bhutan: Competitive football set to return to renovated Dhaka Stadium on Wednesday In Tuesday's match, hosts skipper Jebarah C Maysha put hosts Jordan ahead in the very 5th minute of the match (1-0) while Bangladeshi forward Shamsunnahar Junior leveled the margin in the 43rd minute. Bitar Bana again put the hosts team ahead in the 58th minute (2-1) while Shaheeda Akter Ripa equalised the margin in the 82nd minute (2-2). Bangladesh Women's team played the two international friendly matches in the three-nation tournament in Jordan during FIFA International window against two tough Asian opponents as part of their preparation for the AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers beginning in Myanmar on June 29. Bangladesh put in Group C of the Asian tournament along with hosts Myanmar, Bahrain and Turkmenistan. Hamza Chowdhury arrives Dhaka to play first match on home soil In Group C matches, Bangladesh will face Bahrain on June 29, Myanmar on July 2 and Turkmenistan on July 5, all the matches are scheduled to be held at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon.

The renovated country's premier sports venue ---National Stadium, Dhaka --returns to competitive football after about four years through the FIFA Tier- 1 International Friendly match between hosts Bangladesh and touring Bhutan on Wednesday (June 4). The match will kick off at 7 pm Bangladesh time. Bangladesh origin English Premier League playing defensive midfielder Hamza Dewan Chowdhury, who arrived Dhaka from London on Monday, likely to make his debut for Bangladesh national team on home soil in Wednesday's match. Hamza already made his debut for Bangladesh national team on foreign soil playing in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers match against hosts India, which ended in a goalless draw on March 25 in the Indian hilly city Shiliguri. The Italian league playing Bangladesh origin forward Fahamedul Islam now in Dhaka and already joined the national team camp, is likely to make his debut for Red and Green Bangladesh for some time in Wednesday's match. Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera hinted at a pre match press conference on Tuesday that Hamza is likely to play Wednesday's match while Fahamedul is likely to make his debut for Bangladesh team playing sometimes against Bhutan. Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuyan also spoke on the occasion. Women’s FIFA friendly: Bangladesh play hosts Jordan in last match of tour Tuesday Canadian national team and premier league playing Bangladesh origin midfielder Shamit Shome expected to reach Dhaka Wednesday morning, will not play against Bhutan and likely to enjoy the Bhutan- Bangladesh match from the pavilion.

No rest for the winners. Sandwiched between the Champions League final and Club World Cup, the Nations League final four provides another opportunity to win a trophy for players who might have more need of a break. Seven France players, four from Portugal, and one each from Spain and Germany were involved as Paris Saint-Germain defeated Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Saturday, reports AP. Germany defender Yann Aurel Bisseck was injured playing for Inter and will miss the Nations League semifinal against Portugal in Munich on Wednesday. PSG players Gonçalo Ramos, João Neves, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha will need to shake off any lingering effects from celebrations before they play for Portugal. France plays Spain in the other semifinal in Stuttgart on Thursday, when Spain’s Fabián Ruiz is likely to start in midfield despite starring in midfield for PSG on Saturday. France players Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé, Lucas Hernandez and Warren Zaïre-Emery all helped PSG end its long wait to lift the Champions League trophy. France players Marcus Thuram and Benjamin Pavard were on the losing side for Inter Milan. While France coach Didier Deschamps will need to assess the impact of PSG’s partying on his players, three of his preferred four-man backline are also injured. William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Jules Koundé are all out. Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga is also injured as a long season takes its toll. Soccer penalty rule updated after Atlético UCL controversy The winners of each semifinal will contest the final in Munich on Sunday. The losers won't get a break yet — they'll need to play in Stuttgart to decide third place. What is the Nations League? The new competition was formed in 2018 to replace what UEFA called “meaningless friendlies” with competitive games pitting equally ranked teams against each other. For this, it set up a league structure with four divisions containing groups of national teams, then – from this edition – a new knockout round after the group phase among the top division’s group winners and runners-up to determine which play in the finals. In the quarterfinals, Spain defeated the Netherlands on penalties, France also needed penalties against Croatia, Germany defeated Italy 5-4 on aggregate, and Portugal beat Denmark 5-3 on aggregate. It ensured all three previous winners of the competition – Portugal (2019), France (2021) and Spain (2023) – qualified for the final four along with host Germany.

The laws of soccer on taking a penalty kick were clarified on Tuesday after Julián Álvarez’s accidental double touch helped to eliminate Atletico Madrid from the Champions League. The update published by FIFA-backed rules panel IFAB means the kind of penalty Átletico forward Álvarez had disallowed after scoring in a shootout against Real Madrid in March should now be retaken. Álvarez slipped and kicked the ball against his standing left foot in the shootout in the Champions League round of 16. After the looping ball beat Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for an apparent score, the goal was ruled out by a video review and Atletico ultimately lost the shootout. The laws of soccer relating to the penalty kick and penalty shootout were seen as correctly applied in Madrid in March though too vaguely worded. The incident was widely judged to have been unfair as Álvarez did not deliberately slip and take the double touch to gain an advantage. “This situation is rare, and as it is not directly covered in Law 14, referees have understandably tended to penalize the kicker,” IFAB said in a statement. “However, this part of Law 14 is primarily intended for situations where the penalty taker deliberately touches the ball a second time before it has touched another player.” Neymar apologizes for red card in what could be his last game with Brazilian club Santos IFAB clarified in a circular letter to soccer stakeholders that a penalty kick which is scored now after an accidental double touch should be retaken. A double-touch penalty that is not scored will not be retaken. In a shootout, such a penalty “is recorded as missed,” IFAB said, and during regulation time or extra time a free kick can be awarded to the defending team. The clarified rule will apply at the Club World Cup which starts on June 14 in the United States. The 32-team lineup includes Atletico. IFAB is comprised of FIFA plus the four British soccer federations. Rules can be changed with six of the eight votes which are distributed by four to FIFA and one each to the British.