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RTÉ News
a day ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Ireland defender Aoife Mannion makes Manchester United exit
Republic of Ireland defender Aoife Mannion has departed Manchester United after the expiration of her contract. Mannion, 29, joined the Red Devils from Manchester City in the summer of 2021. She made 55 appearances for United, though her spell there was significantly impacted by injuries. Mannion suffered a season-ending ACL injury in February 2022 during a Conti Cup semi-final clash against Chelsea. She returned to action a year later, earning a first Ireland call-up for the Marbella friendly against China. However a tweak to her knee in training ultimately cost her a place in Vera Pauw's World Cup squad. Mannion penned a new deal with United that summer and helped the side win the 2024 FA Cup, coming off the bench in the 4-0 final win against Tottenham. She started at right-back in May's FA Cup decider against Chelsea, which United lost 3-0. She's not part of the Ireland squad for next week's friendly double-header against the USA, with boss Carla Ward opting to give some of her senior players an extended summer rest. Mannion was an unused sub in the 1-0 Nations League win against Slovenia at the start of the month. On Wednesday Everton confirmed Heather Payne will leave when her contract is up in a couple of weeks. The versatile 25-year-old, who is also unavailable for the American games, has been at the Toffees since August 2023 after spending four years in the US collegiate system with Florida State Seminoles.
Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Chelsea Women win FA Cup to seal domestic Treble as Baltimore sinks Man Utd
Sandy Baltimore's calm penalty set Chelsea on their way to a deserved FA Cup win as head coach Sonia Bompastor completed the domestic Treble in her first season at the club. Baltimore converted from 12 yards a minute before half-time to breach Manchester United's resistance before substitute Catarina Macario headed home a second after 85 minutes and Baltimore then converted a close-range third in added time. Bompastor's women had already sealed the WSL and Conti Cup trophies in her maiden campaign having replaced Emma Hayes last summer and they were the better team for the majority of this encounter in front of a bumper crowd of 74,000. Marc Skinner's United, who won the Cup for the first time last season, defended well for long spells but were unable to turn strong starts in both halves into many clearcut chances. United had started well, enjoying plenty of possession and territory without really making Hannah Hampton work in the Chelsea goal. But the WSL champions soon got into the groove. Aggie Beever-Jones, Mayra Ramirez and Baltimore all brought saves from Phallon Tullis-Joyce and the pressure finally told approaching the break when Celin Bizet fouled Erin Cuthbert and referee Stacey Fullicks had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Baltimore sent Tullis-Joyce the wrong way with a calm left-footed finish. In response United boss Skinner brought Ella Toone on at the break and the England star, a surprise omission from the starting line-up and no stranger to scoring big goals at Wembley, forced Hampton into a solid stop within six minutes of entering the fray. But United's strong start was soon stifled by Chelsea again and Gabby George came a whisker away from gifting the Treble-chasers a second goal when she almost diverted a Niamh Charles cross from the left into her own net. The ball zipped a couple of inches wide and from the ensuing corner substitute Macario shot harmlessly wide. Macario would not miss with her second opportunity however as Baltimore's free kick from the right was met by the forward's forehead and she directed it clinically home to secure the Blues' domestic treble before Baltimore added a third in the first of 10 minutes added time when getting on the end of Wieke Kaptein's delivery. Tennis legend Serena Williams, whose husband Alexis Ohanian this week bought a 10 per cent stake in Chelsea, was among those in the crowd. United were not represented by Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Wembley, though Avram Glazer was present.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ian Wright slams pitch as Arsenal beaten by Real Madrid in Women's Champions League: 'F****** disgrace'
Ian Wright slammed the condition of the pitch as Arsenal were beaten by Real Madrid in the Women's Champions League. The Gunners fell to a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of their quarter-final tie, with Linda Caicedo opening the scoring in Madrid and Athenea del Castillo doubling the lead with a strike from distance in the final ten minutes of the match. It leaves Arsenal requiring a big comeback at the Emirates Stadium next week if they are to avoid a last-eight exit in Europe. They can, at least, be confident of a far better playing surface in north London, with both sets of players having to endure an awful pitch in Madrid. It was muddy and heavy from the start and only deteriorated further as the rain fell throughout the match, and conditions were perhaps to blame for Leah Williamson failing to intercept a pass played forward by Caroline Weir, allowing Caicedo in for the opening goal. Free-flowing football was almost impossible on that pitch and Wright, watching at home, took to Instagram to post a video taking aim at the state of the surface. He said: 'Watching the Champions League quarter-final. Real Madrid's pitch - this is worse than Derby's pitch the other day in the Conti Cup final. 'This is a f****** disgrace the pitches these girls have to play on.' As Wright referenced, there was criticism for the surface during the Women's League Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Pride Park. Sonia Bompastor won her first trophy as Chelsea boss, but made it clear that she viewed the pitch as unacceptable. "It is a shame to have this pitch for a final, especially when you expect in England to have the best groundsmen and pitches in the world," Bompastor said. "I'm not sure if it was a men's final game it would be the same. We just need to make sure we have the best facilities and grass to play the games."
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ian Wright slams pitch as Arsenal beaten by Real Madrid in Women's Champions League: 'F****** disgrace'
Ian Wright slammed the condition of the pitch as Arsenal were beaten by Real Madrid in the Women's Champions League. The Gunners fell to a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of their quarter-final tie, with Linda Caicedo opening the scoring in Madrid and Athenea del Castillo doubling the lead with a strike from distance in the final ten minutes of the match. It leaves Arsenal requiring a big comeback at the Emirates Stadium next week if they are to avoid a last-eight exit in Europe. They can, at least, be confident of a far better playing surface in north London, with both sets of players having to endure an awful pitch in Madrid. It was muddy and heavy from the start and only deteriorated further as the rain fell throughout the match, and conditions were perhaps to blame for Leah Williamson failing to intercept a pass played forward by Caroline Weir, allowing Caicedo in for the opening goal. Free-flowing football was almost impossible on that pitch and Wright, watching at home, took to Instagram to post a video taking aim at the state of the surface. He said: 'Watching the Champions League quarter-final. Real Madrid's pitch - this is worse than Derby's pitch the other day in the Conti Cup final. 'This is a f****** disgrace the pitches these girls have to play on.' As Wright referenced, there was criticism for the surface during the Women's League Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Pride Park. Sonia Bompastor won her first trophy as Chelsea boss, but made it clear that she viewed the pitch as unacceptable. "It is a shame to have this pitch for a final, especially when you expect in England to have the best groundsmen and pitches in the world," Bompastor said. "I'm not sure if it was a men's final game it would be the same. We just need to make sure we have the best facilities and grass to play the games."
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Conditions hurt Arsenal as Wright says pitch a 'disgrace'
Arsenal boss Renee Slegers says the "next step for women's football" is to have better pitches after Gunners legend Ian Wright described the surface at Real Madrid's Estadio Alfredo di Stefano as a "disgrace".Wright made his feelings known during Arsenal's 2-0 Women's Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeat in Spain's conditions at the home of Real Madrid men's reserves deteriorated at a rapid rate, making free-flowing football difficult for both criticism on social media came after complaints from Chelsea players and pundits about the pitch for the Women's League Cup final at Derby County's Pride Park last Netherlands midfielder Slegers admitted the tough conditions against Real Madrid played their part in her side's defeat on return leg will be played at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium on 26 whether Real Madrid's main Bernabeu stadium should have been used for the first leg, Slegers added: "It's not on me to criticise."It's obviously a club decision and I'm sure that Uefa is trying to create the best conditions for the tournament. Of course, the weather is not always in our control."But I think we've seen a couple of games lately where the pitch conditions haven't been great and I think that's the next step for women's football to take."Slegers, who was appointed permanent Arsenal head coach in January after an impressive interim spell, added: "We knew the condition of the pitch. We spoke about it with the players before the game."So we had a plan for it, but then it's always hard because over a season and over time you work on things and you have an identity, the way you want to do things."So then reality comes and these conditions come and all of a sudden you need to do things differently so that's hard." What did Wright say? Former England striker Wright, who scored 185 goals in 288 appearances for Arsenal between 1991 and 1998, posted a video on social media during the women's team's game on conditions in Madrid were not helped by heavy rain that caused the pitch to easily cut up."Watching the Champions League quarter-final. Real Madrid's pitch - this is worse than Derby's pitch the other day in the Conti Cup final," added Wright."This is a disgrace the pitches these girls have to play on."Former Leeds striker Lucy Ward, who was working on the match for TNT Sports, was also critical."I'm watching players who usually deal with the ball well, struggle to come to terms with it in these first 10 minutes," she said."This pitch is awful."Last Saturday Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert said Derby's Pride Park pitch was "not fit for a final" after her side beat Manchester City boss Sonia Bompastor added: "I'm not sure if it was a men's final game it would be the same. We just need to make sure we have the best facilities and grass to play the games." 'It needs to be better' Former England striker Ellen White says it is important for women's football that the standard of pitches improves – to help both the product and for the safety of the on BBC Radio 5 Live's Women's Football Weekly podcast, White said: "We've seen the men's League Cup final at Wembley, and I'm not saying it has to be at Wembley, but I just think to keep growing our game and the standards you know [we need to] keep hammering that home that I think it needs to be better, it needs to be looked at."Unlike the men's League Cup final, which is played at Wembley, the women's has no permanent home, with organisers wanting to bring the event to different areas of the Arsenal defender Jen Beattie, speaking on the same programme, said the state of the pitch for Saturday's cup final overshadowed the match."Ultimately, we're trying to get the best product of football, it's a huge game, two great footballing teams and you want it to be a good spectacle to watch," Beattie said."I still enjoyed watching it, don't get me wrong, but it's hard when the conversation after the game is about the pitch, and not about the players and highlighting the performances and how good they are as players, that was the frustration for me."
