Fulham through to final; Newcastle sale falls through
FOOTBALL
LONDON: Fulham advanced to next week’s Championship playoff final despite a 21 home loss to Cardiff City yesterday, after edging past its opponent 32 on aggregate.
It will face local rival Brentford, which beat Swansea City by the same aggregate score after Thursday’s 31 victory, in an all southwest London final at Wembley next week.
In a furious start, Cardiff, which had lost the first leg 20, stunned the hosts after eight minutes with centre back Curtis Nelson’s header.
But Fulham struck back 24 seconds after the restart, snatching an equaliser through Neeskens Kebano to restore its twogoal advantage in the tie.
After conceding possession to Fulham for the rest of the first half, Cardiff went back in front two minutes after the restart via substitute Lee Tomlin to set up a tense second half.
Cardiff keeper Alex Smithies kept his team in the game on several occasions with a string of superb saves, including tipping an Aboubakar Kamara shot on to the post in the 68th minute.
But despite late Cardiff pressure for a goal that would have sent the game into extra time, Fulham hung on to earn the chance to return to the Premier
League after one season in the second tier.
Newcastle United fans say they have been treated with contempt after a £300 million ($NZ587 million) takeover bid from a Saudibacked consortium collapsed yesterday.
The group, which included Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF, PCP Capital Partners and Reuben Brothers, announced it was ending its interest in the deal, which had been delayed by the Premier League’s owners and directors test.
The end of the Saudi bid left the North East club still in the hands of British businessman Mike Ashley, who has long faced protests and opposition from the fans.
Many Newcastle fans had welcomed the takeover, seeing it as a chance to boost the club’s fortunes through investment in new players.
But the bid had been criticised by human rights campaigners and had come up against questions about pirate broadcasts of Premier League games in Saudi Arabia.
Newcastle fans expressed frustration at the length of the Premier League’s scrutiny and press criticism of the takeover.
‘‘The supporters of Newcastle United have been treated with contempt by large parts of the football media and the Premier League during this failed takeover process,’’ the NUFC Supporters Trust said.
‘‘It’s been made clear that we are the least important people in a decision which affects us the most. We need answers,’’ it added.
Arsenal’s Emiliano Martinez says he has a point to prove in the FA Cup final against Chelsea tomorrow as he looks to shake off the tag of backup goalkeeper.
Arsenal’s firstchoice shotstopper Bernd Leno sustained a right knee injury in the game against Brighton & Hove Albion in June, and Martinez has impressed in the German’s absence, keeping four clean sheets in 10 starts.
The game against Chelsea will provide a stern test of Martinez’s credentials, but the Argentine says he is looking
❛ I never accepted I
am a backup, especially if you believe so much in yourself, and when people say, ‘You are the backup’ it
hurts your feelings.
forward to the challenge.
‘‘I will be proud and will enjoy it. I’m going to Wembley to be arrogant on the pitch,’’ Martinez (27) told media yesterday.
‘‘I will never be arrogant off it, but you have to have confidence.
‘‘I never accepted I am a backup, especially if you believe so much in yourself, and when people say, ‘You are the backup’ it hurts your feelings.
‘‘My agent called me the other day and said, ‘what do you think about next season?’
‘‘I said, ‘I don’t want to talk about that. I need to play in the final and have my mind clear’.’’ — Reuters