Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has signed a new-three year deal, the Premier League club announced on Saturday.

The Norwegian, who took over from Jose Mourinho in 2018, will stay at Old Trafford until at least 2024, with the option of an extra year.

“Everyone knows the feeling I have for this club, and I am delighted to have signed this new contract,” Solskjaer told the club website.

“It is an exciting time for Manchester United, we have built a squad with a good balance of youth and experienced players that are hungry for success.”

Solskjaer led United to a second-placed finish in last season’s Premier League while losing in the Europa League final to Villarreal.

However, the 48-year-old, who this week added England winger Jadon Sancho to his squad, has his eyes firmly on the biggest prizes in English and European football.

“I have a fantastic coaching team around me, and we are all ready to take that next step on our journey,” he said.

“Manchester United wants to be winning the biggest and best trophies and that’s what we are all striving for. We have improved, both on and off the pitch, and that will continue over the coming seasons.

“I can’t wait to get out in front of a packed Old Trafford and get this campaign started.”

Source: AFP

England football chiefs and police on Monday faced questions over the chaotic and violent scenes around Wembley Stadium for Sunday’s Euro 2020 final, with concerns it could affect the country’s 2030 World Cup bid.

Police have launched an investigation to find the ticketless fans who stormed through security barriers and entered the stadium before the final, in which Italy beat England in a penalty shoot-out.

Stewards and riot police chased dozens of fans, who kicked down the security barrier before stampeding into an entrance and barging their way past other supporters, leading to violent scenes as some fought back.

Questions were raised about why so many fans without tickets had been allowed to congregate on the main thoroughfare to the famous ground, where the atmosphere became more hostile as kick-off approached.

“That was the worst experience I’ve ever had as a fan at a football match,” tweeted Dail Mail football journalist Mike Keegan.

“Shambolic organization, police nowhere to be seen, fans without tickets running amok within what was a giant Covid breeding ground,” he tweeted.

“Saw fights, bottles thrown, people karate kicking windows and (a new one for me) had to jump out of the way of an armed officer with his gun drawn chasing someone.

“Wembley Way a bombsite. Awful, awful night.”

London’s Metropolitan Police said it made 49 arrests, and that 19 officers were injured while managing the final.

“Frustratingly, 19 of our officers were injured while they confronted volatile crowds. This is wholly unacceptable,” the police tweeted.

– ‘Forget about World Cup’ –

Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham apologised to fans affected, telling the BBC that the security team had “never seen anything like it”.

“There were a large number of drunken yobs trying to force their way in, we run a stadium not a fortress,” he said.

“I have to apologise to any fans whose experience was affected and any of the team who had to cope with this.”

England is bidding to host the 2030 World Cup, but Sunday’s scenes may have dealt those hopes a major blow.

“You can forget about the 2030 World Cup bid. Disgraceful,” tweeted broadcaster John Duggan.

Veteran reporter Henry Winter, chief sports writer for The Times newspaper, said that he had seen a Sky television presenter “subjected to horrendous abuse” and that the security cordon was too close to the stadium.

“It was clear from the section to the right of main press box that some ticketless got in. A surge arrived 15 mins before kickoff,” he explained.

“Some couples with tickets stood in aisles rather than argue with those who sat in their seats. Stewards overwhelmed.

“Thugs obviously and rightly condemned but Wembley security has to be better. The scenes, and the abuse of Italians and their anthem, is shaming and also a disaster for @FA 2030 World Cup bid.

“England may have gone out of two tournaments on one night,” he added.

Riot police were also required in central London, as large crowds attempted to push into a fanzone without tickets, while others clambered on buses and lampposts.

While there were some reports of vandalism after the game, the fans dispersed soon after the final whistle amid torrential rain.

Source: AFP

England will play in their first major tournament final for 55 years after coming from behind to beat Denmark 2-1 after extra time in front of a delirious 65,000 crowd at Wembley in Wednesday’s Euro 2020 semi-final.

Mikkel Damsgaard’s stunning free-kick after 30 minutes threatened another semi-final disappointment for Gareth Southgate’s side, three years on from losing in the last four of the World Cup.

But Simon Kjaer’s own goal eight minutes later and Harry Kane’s extra-time winner on the rebound after his penalty was saved by Kasper Schmeichel means England will attempt to win the European Championship for the first time when they face Italy back at Wembley in Sunday’s final.

Defeat ends Denmark’s fairytale run to the semi-finals, the furthest they have been at a tournament since winning Euro 92.

The Danes’ tournament began in nearly-tragic circumstances when star midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest in their opening game against Finland.

Kasper Hjulmand’s men have since ridden an emotional wave and played plenty of slick football in sticking four goals past Russia and Wales on their way to the semi-finals.

However, England’s huge advantage in having six of their seven matches on home soil has paid off as they were the physically fresher side in the latter stages.

Roared on by the deafening noise created by the biggest crowd for an England game in nearly two years, the hosts came flying out of the traps.

Kane’s teasing cross just evaded Raheem Sterling as he burst in towards the far post.

Denmark settled after a shaky start and started to pose a threat themselves as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg shot straight at Jordan Pickford before Martin Braithwaite and Damsgaard saw efforts fly off target.

Damsgaard stunner

England were on a national record run of seven consecutive clean sheets, but were finally breached in spectacular fashion by Damsgaard’s free-kick that flew into the top corner.

Any questions over how Southgate’s men would react to falling behind for the first time in the tournament were emphatically answered as England rapidly hit back.

Sterling should have equalised when he fired straight into Schmeichel’s midriff with just the ‘keeper to beat.

Moments later, the hosts were level when Kane freed Bukayo Saka down the right and Kjaer turned into his own net under pressure from Sterling.

Denmark’s exertions in being forced into a 9,000-kilometre (5,592 mile) round trip for their quarter-final win over the Czech Republic showed in the second half as they desperately tried to keep England at bay.

Penalty controversy

Schmeichel produced another stunning save from Harry Maguire’s header low to his right, while Kane could not get a telling connection in a goalmouth scramble in the 96th minute.

Hjulmand made all five of his allotted substitutions before the 90 minutes were up to give his side an extra boost of energy, but they could not get any forward momentum.

Schmeichel kept his side in the game in extra time with another agile low save to his right to deny Kane before repelling a Jack Grealish piledriver.

England’s pressure finally paid off in controversial circumstances when Sterling was awarded a soft penalty for a challenge by Joakim Maehle in the 104th minute.

Schmeichel even denied Kane from the spot but the ball fell kindly for the England captain to sweep home his fourth goal of the tournament.

Southgate was the fall guy when England last made it to a Euro semi-final 25 years ago as he missed the decisive penalty in a shoot-out defeat to Germany.

But he has the ultimate shot at redemption come Sunday as England have the chance to finally bring a major trophy home after so many years of hurt.

(AFP)

England can finally end 55 years of major tournament misery with a Euro 2020 semi-final victory against Denmark on Wednesday, after Italy beat Spain in a dramatic penalty shoot-out to book their place in the final.

Gareth Southgate’s side are bidding to reach the European Championship final for the first time as they try to banish the ghosts of England’s ill-fated past.

Since winning the 1966 World Cup, England have reached only four major semi-finals, losing at the 1990 and 2018 World Cups, as well as Euro 1968 and 1996, when Southgate infamously missed a crucial penalty in the shoot-out against Germany.

Those agonising defeats have been etched in the psyche of English football ever since.

But Southgate has overseen the emergence of a vibrant young team unconcerned by the trials and tribulations of their failed predecessors in the England shirt.

Yet to concede a goal in their five unbeaten matches in the tournament, England underlined their potential with a 2-0 last-16 win against old rivals Germany.

In the quarter-finals, a 4-0 rout of Ukraine in Rome fuelled dreams of Euro glory.

Now England are back at Wembley for the Denmark showdown and, with the final also being held in London, Southgate know the Three Lions have a golden opportunity to make history.

“We don’t have as a good a football history as we like to believe sometimes,” he said.

“These players are making massive strides and breaking barriers all the time, we have broken barriers in this tournament and we have another opportunity to do that tomorrow.

“We’ve never been to a European Championship final so we can be the first, which is really exciting for everybody.”

England has been gripped by Euro fever since the cathartic victory against Germany and, along with 60,000 lucky fans at Wembley, millions more in homes and pubs across the country will watch the semi-final on television.

British Prime Minister Johnson summed up the mood of an expectant nation as he said: “Gareth Southgate and the England squad have done the nation proud in the Euros, and tonight we will all be wishing them the best of luck in getting to the final. Bring it home!”

‘Has football ever come home?’

However, England’s ‘Football’s coming home’ anthem — roared by fans at Wembley after the Germany game — doesn’t sit well with everyone.

Denmark keeper Kasper Schmeichel took a cheeky swipe at the supposedly triumphalist song, saying: “Has it ever been home? I don’t know, have you ever won it?”

Surprise semi-finalists Denmark, who won the Euro in 1992, can count on the support of many outside England after their emotional campaign.

Rocked by the cardiac arrest suffered by their star midfielder Christian Eriksen during their first match against Finland, Denmark went into their last group game without a point.

But, with Eriksen on the mend after the shocking incident, Kasper Hjulmand’s team have embarked on a three-match winning run which has taken them to a first semi-final in 29 years.

Eriksen has been invited to the Wembley final by UEFA and Hjulmand has urged his underdogs to make it a date with their team-mate.

“We still play for and with him. There’s no doubt about that. That’s the only thing I can say about Christian,” he said.

“It’s really something that makes us do as much as we can. I hope that if he comes to the final that we’re going to be playing it. It would be amazing.”

Italy waiting in final

Italy will be waiting for England or Denmark in Sunday’s showpiece after beating Spain 4-2 on penalties following a thrilling 1-1 draw at Wembley.

Roberto Mancini’s men took the lead when Federico Chiesa curled a fine finish into the far corner in the 60th minute.

Spanish substitute Alvaro Morata equalised 10 minutes from full-time with a clinical strike from Dani Olmo’s pass.

Manuel Locatelli and Olmo exchanged misses to start the shoot-out before the much-maligned Morata’s effort was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Jorginho stepped up to convert Italy’s winner with his trademark hop-step.

“I cannot describe my emotion by words. It was a tough match. Spain were great but we come back here on July 11 for the final. We fought until the end and we did it,” Chiesa said.

Italy last reached the final in 2012, when they were beaten by Spain, and they also lost to France in the 2000 title match.

The Azzurri, four-time world champions, are unbeaten in 33 matches as they aim to win a first Euro title since 1968.

Source: AFP