Japan beat Germany in another shocker
I am so pleased to be staying for another two years until 2025, says Man City manager
Late goals by substitutes Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano gave Japan an incredible 2-1 comeback victory over Germany in the World Cup yesterday in another emotional fillip for Asian football after Saudi Arabia’s shock win over Argentina.
Four-times champions Germany had looked to be cruising to a routine victory via Ilkay Guendogan’s firsthalf penalty but paid a fatal price for profligacy in front of goal.
The shock result was a repeat of their 2018 World Cup nightmare when, as defending champions, they lost their opener to Mexico and, after another defeat by South Korea, were condemned to an unheard of group-stage exit.
The Asian team, half of them who play their club football in Germany, had shown almost nothing in attack until a series of second-half substitutions injected some energy into their first competitive fixture.
Japan are playing in their seventh successive World Cup, having never qualified before 1998, but have never claimed such a high-profile scalp. — Agencies
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola played in the Pep Pro-Am by OKX golf tournament at the stunning Saadiyat Beach Golf Club yesterday.
The Pro-Am featured personalities from the UAE and the international stage with Pep playing alongside PGA Tour star Tommy Fleetwood. The day was supported by Aldar, Etihad Airways and Emirates Palace.
Earlier in the day Manchester City announced that Guardiola has signed a twoyear contract extension that will keep him at the Premier League champions until 2025. The 51-year-old, who as a player, appeared for Spain in the 1994 Fifa World Cup in the USA, has guided City to four league titles, four League Cups and the FA Cup since taking over in 2016 and his deal was set to expire in the summer. “I am delighted that Pep’s journey with Manchester City Football Club will continue,” City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in a statement.
Major contribution
“He has already contributed so much to the success and fabric of this organisation, and it’s exciting to think what might be possible given the energy, hunger and ambition that he clearly still has.”
Guardiola’s current spell at City is his longest in charge of a single club since he began his managerial career in 2008. “I am so pleased to be staying at Manchester City for another two years…,” Guardiola said.
“I know the next chapter of this club will be amazing for the next decade. It happened over the last ten years, and it will happen in the next ten years because this club is so stable. From day one I felt something special being here. I cannot be in a better place.”
The Spaniard managed boyhood club Barcelona from 2008-12 and spent three years in charge of German giants Bayern Munich before joining City.
City are second in the league with 32 points from 14 matches, five points behind leaders Arsenal with the season paused for the World Cup in Qatar.