Depay, Dumfries earn Netherlands 2-0 win in Finland

HELSINKI, June 7 (Reuters) - The Netherlands kicked off their World Cup qualification campaign with a comfortable victory as goals from Memphis Depay and Denzel Dumfries secured a 2-0 away win over Finland on Saturday.
Depay profited from a defensive error to give the Dutch the lead inside six minutes, and Dumfries added a second with a neat finish at the back post midway through the first half.
The Netherlands moved third in Group G with three points, behind leaders Poland, who have won both their games, and Finland who have four points from three matches.
The group winners advance to next year's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, while the second-placed side will enter a 16-team playoff competition to decide four additional places at the finals.

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Scottish Sun

43 minutes ago

• Scottish Sun

Iconic 94-year-old football stadium looks unrecognisable as building site after work begins on £86million renovation

Some big-name artists have performed at magnificent arena FIOR BLIMEY Iconic 94-year-old football stadium looks unrecognisable as building site after work begins on £86million renovation Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FIORENTINA'S iconic stadium looks unrecognisable after building work began on a stunning £86million renovation. The Stadio Artemio Franchi is one of the most famous arenas in Italy after being constructed in 1931 — making it 94 years old. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Fiorentina's Stadio Artemio Franchi looks unrecognisable amid building work Credit: X 4 A stunning £86million renovation project is underway at the iconic arena Credit: X Located in Florence, it holds 47,282 fans and once saw a record 58,271 pack in for Fiorentina's 3-0 win over Inter Milan in November 1985. But after going several previous renovations in 1990 and 2013, the Artemio Franchi is once again under the knife for a brand new reconstruction. Work started last year on an £86m plan to rebuild several stands while modernising existing infrastructure. It's expected to be completed in the summer of 2026. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD CUP First look at all 15 futuristic World Cup 2034 stadiums And with the Serie A season at an end, contractors have been able to finally raise scaffolding all over the stadium, just weeks after a raging fire blazed through Fiorentina's training ground. The lengthy work means any future home matches will be played with a reduced capacity, with Fiorentina chiefs having already secured a reduction in rent. Club president Rocco Commisso is hopeful that all work will be completed by the deadline, saying: 'For the good of Fiorentina, we must work together and do everything possibly to complete the renovation quickly. 'A partially functioning stadium makes no sense.' BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Fiorentina finished sixth in Serie A this season, securing another year in the Conference League. The Italians have already lost two finals of the relatively-new competition to West Ham and Olympiacos. Cesc Fabregas' Como told to make new stadium smaller amid fears stunning lakeside views could disappear 4 The Artemio Franchi is 94 years old and has held games for two World Cups in Italy Credit: Getty 4 Several massive musicians have held concerts there too Credit: Getty While this term they were KO'd in the semis by Real Betis, who went on to lose the final 4-1 to Chelsea. Their Artemio Franchi arena has played host to some memorable events, including the 1934 and 1990 World Cups. It's also hosted Italy's national football and rugby teams while also playing host to a number of non-sporting events. David Bowie, Madonna and Bruce Springsteen are among the superstars to have played there. While in 1954, local legend claims that UFOs travelling at high speed stopped directly over the stadium during a reserve game before coating the Artemio Franchi in a 'silvery glitter.'

The Guardian

an hour ago

• The Guardian

Cult of celebrity feels like a fundamental tension at the heart of the game

It is in the details that the truest picture emerges. Quite aside from the endless politicking, the forever-war with Uefa, the consorting with autocrats and the intriguing broadcast rights and partnership deals, there has been, not a new, but growing sense during the Club World Cup that Fifa doesn't really get football. There is something cargo-cultish about it, creating outcomes without engaging in processes. Perhaps that is inevitable with Gianni Infantino's style of leadership; like all populists, he is big on vision and short on practical reality. It was there in the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams. OK: how will the tournament be organised? Sixteen groups of three. Won't that mean either lots of potential dead rubbers (one team from each group goes through) or opportunities for collusion (two go through)? Oh, actually, the four-team groups at the 2022 have worked so well, we'll go with 12 groups of four. Sure, but then you have eight best third-place teams going through which: a) diminishes jeopardy; and b) undermines sporting integrity by giving an advantage to teams in later groups because they have a clearer idea of what is needed to progress, again offering opportunities for collusion. No response, because all that matters is a bigger tournament equals more votes for the president and (in the short term) more revenue. One of the oddest aspects of the Club World Cup has been the way players are greeted on to the pitch individually, like swimmers before an Olympic final. At Ulsan HD v Mamelodi Sundowns, they may as well have gone on and introduced the crowd as well. Who needs this? Who wants this? Why does the first player out have to hang around for several minutes waiting for the 22nd player? For well over a century the two teams have walked out side by side. This has always been part of the gladiatorial ritual of football. This is the contest: one team against another. But as Fifa has sought desperately to improve attendances and stimulate interest, its focus has become more and more on the individual. That is why there was all that talk, much of it emanating from Infantino, about Cristiano Ronaldo potentially securing a short-term deal with a qualifier, and why qualifying was gerrymandered to ensure the presence of Lionel Messi's Inter Miami. But there is a potentially self-defeating short-termism to this. While the desire to see Messi is entirely understandable, especially as he enters the late autumn of his career, Inter Miami are sixth in MLS's Western Conference, their form having disintegrated since the end of March. From an MLS point of view, the ideal scenario would have been for one of their sides to beat a storied opponent, perhaps push on to the quarter-finals, generating interest in North America's domestic league. The best way of doing that would have been to have the best-possible MLS representation, but Inter Miami are in no sense one of the best three sides. As it is, none of the MLS sides won their opening game, although Porto's dismal form and Messi's dead-ball ability may get Inter Miami through anyway. It might also be pointed out that Auckland City are not the best side in New Zealand, nor are Red Bull Salzburg one of the best 12 sides in Europe, but the consequences are greater for the host nation, particularly when there is apparently so much potential for growth. The celebritisation of football is not new, but it is intensifying. When Paul Pogba returned to Manchester United in 2016 and, rather than speaking of the Premier League or becoming a European champion, said he dreamed of winning the Ballon d'Or, it felt shocking, a player elevating his own interests and a silly bauble above the glory of team success. But that has become normal. Improving his Ballon d'Or chances is one of the reasons Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain; even Trent Alexander-Arnold mentioned the Ballon d'Or as a motivation for joining Real Madrid (good luck with that from right-back). Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion The marketing of football is almost all focused on individuals. That's been particularly so at the Club World Cup, but it is true of almost every competition. Even the way lineups are introduced on Sky's Premier League coverage, with the players performing a fake celebration, seems designed to introduce them as characters. Yet there is a tension there. While individual players are celebrated, the increasing use of data means image and self-projection may never have mattered less. The stats will find the talent, even if the talent has no gift for self-promotion. At the same time, the best teams have never been so cohesive, so integrated. PSG provide a useful case study. For years they signed stars with seemingly little thought to how they might play together. Although their immense resources won them the French league, they habitually choked in Europe. Then there was a change of approach, the money was spent not on Neymar and Messi but on players on the way up who still had a hunger for success and who could play together. The result was the Champions League and, despite their defeat by Botafogo, possibly the inaugural world title in the expanded format. If it was conceived as a two-stage strategy – build the brand through celebrity, then win the actual competitions – it has worked to perfection; in reality, it's probably trial and error that has brought them to this point. At Real Madrid, meanwhile, Florentino Pérez still seems locked in his galáctico vision of football, insisting on adding Kylian Mbappé to a squad that already contained Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, resulting in imbalance and an expensive downturn in form. This goes deeper than transfer policies, though. This feels like a fundamental tension at the heart of the game. What, after all, is success in modern football? Manchester City for the past decade have been a much better football team than PSG, and yet they have nothing like the brand awareness. Is success winning trophies, or making money? Is it winning trophies or becoming more famous? Is it winning trophies or marketing the individual? The individual walk-ons only blur the lines further, suggest organisers who struggle with the concept that football, perhaps more than any other sport, is a game of the team.

Metro

an hour ago

• Metro

Gareth Southgate REJECTED for Poland job as chief reveals reason why

Former England manager Gareth Southgate has been turned away in his bid to return to international football management – with Poland rejecting his offer to become their new head coach. Southgate led the Three Lions to two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final during his eight years at the helm, stepping down last summer after Euro 2024 final heartbreak against Spain. The 54-year-old insisted last year he was in 'no rush' to return to management but Polish daily newspaper Przeglad Sportowy this week claimed Southgate submitted an application to take the reins at Poland. In an interview with the same publication, the president of the Polish Football Association, Cezary Kulesza, has confirmed the former defender was interested in the role. But with 'no guarantee of success' in employing a foreign coach, Southgate's application was rejected. 'We have received an offer to hire him, but we must remember one basic thing: no foreign coach will give us a guarantee that we will qualify for the World Cup,' Kulesza said. 'If he gave us such a guarantee, I would hire him immediately.' Kulesza pointed to the example of Fernando Santos' recent reign in charge as Poland boss to support his reasoning for not considering Southgate. Santos managed his home country Portugal for eight years following a stellar career at club level across Europe. But his disastrous spell in charge of Poland lasted less than 10 months, criticised for poor performances and not attending Polish league matches. 'Fernando Santos is a perfect example,' Kulesza said. 'A successful coach, a big name, everyone applauded, and the verification was surprising and painful for all of us.' Poland are instead hoping to appoint Maciej Skorża. The experienced coach is in charge of Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds who are currently competing in the Club World Cup in the United States. Poland are looking for a new head coach after the sudden resignation of Michal Probierz last week. His decision came after Robert Lewandowski, the country's record goalscorer, said he would not play for his country while Probierz is in charge. More Trending Southgate meanwhile was briefly linked with the Manchester United job last year but indicated last October he would take at least a year out of the game. 'I won't coach in the next year for sure, I'm certain of that,' Southgate said in October. 'I need to give myself time to make good decisions. When you come out of a really big role you need to give your body time, you need to give your mind time. 'I'm enjoying my life, so there's no rush. I'm fortunate that there are lots of opportunities presenting themselves.' MORE: Premier League club favourites to sign Jack Grealish as Manchester City set asking price MORE: England and Chelsea legend Frank Lampard backed for Premier League job MORE: Kyle Walker agrees to join Premier League club ahead of Manchester City exit