Dani Olmo Among Six Players Sharing Euro 2024 Golden Boot Award

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

It’s the golden hour for Dani Olmo…

The 26-year-old Spanish professional footballer, who plays for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and the Spain national team, is among six players who’ve shared the Euro 2024 Golden Boot, having all scored three goals during the tournament.

Olmo is sharing the European Championships top-scorer prize with Harry Kane (England), Cody Gakpo (Netherlands), Georges Mikautadze (Georgia), Jamal Musiala (Germany) and Ivan Schranz (Slovakia) make up the congested leaderboard.

Olmo and Kane couldn’t pull clear of the pack with a goal in Sunday’s final which Spain won 2-1 against England.

UEFA confirmed on Friday that they would share the Euro 2024 Golden Boot between six players if Sunday’s final between England and Spain failed to produce a clear winner of the trophy.

It marked a change in policy for the tournament organizers who had previously awarded the prize to the player who had registered the most assists when more than one player were tied for goals scored.

At Euro 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo won the Golden Boot, though he had scored the same amount of goals as Czechia‘s Patrik Schick (5), the Portugal forward had also contributed one assist.

Three goals is the lowest tally for a Golden Boot winner since Euro 2012 when Fernando Torres (Spain), Mario Gomez (Germany) and Alan Dzagoev (Russia) all ended the tournament with three goals.

Torres was awarded the golden boot that year as he played fewer minutes than the other players who had scored three goals.

Olmo started just three of Spain’s seven matches at Euro 2024, before taking Barcelona midfielder Pedri‘s place in the team after he was injured in the quarterfinal victory over hosts Germany.

The RB Leipzig midfielder scored in all three of Spain’s matches in the knockout rounds before Sunday’s final.

Mikel Oyarzabal Scores Late Winner to Lead Spain to History-Making European Championship Title

Posted on July 14, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Mikel Oyarzabal is being heralded a hero after helping lead Spain to a historic title.

The 27-year-old Spanish professional footballer, who came into the game as a substitute, struck in the 87th minute to give Spain a dramatic 2-1 victory over England on Sunday in the European Championship final at Berlin’s Olympiastadion, helping lead his country to a record fourth Euro crown.

“Losing in a final is as tough as it gets,” said England captain Harry Kane. “We did really well to get back into the game but we didn’t quite keep the same intensity and pressure I guess. We couldn’t quite keep the ball and we got punished for it.”

After an extremely cautious first half in which Spain had more possession and their opponents got the only shot on target, it only took two minutes after the restart for the Spaniards to break the deadlock.

Yamal found space down the right and crossed for fellow winger Williams to slot home as England fell behind for the fourth successive match.

Spain then enjoyed a purple patch with a series of sharp attacks as England’s previously watertight defense fell apart and Dani Olmo, Morata and Williams all had good chances.

England boss Gareth Southgate reacted by sending on Ollie Watkins, the goal-scoring substitute hero of the semifinal, for an ineffective Kane after an hour, with Palmer, their most creative player for the past month, joining him 10 minutes later.

It paid off almost immediately when Jude Bellingham laid the ball back into Palmer’s path and the substitute curled home a precise low 20-meter shot in the 73rd minute.

The massed ranks of England fans, who vastly outnumbered their rivals, exploded, and the whole feel of the night changed.

Spain weathered the storm and a lapse of concentration saw England undone as Oyarzabal poked the ball home.

There was still time for more drama at the other end as Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón parried a Declan Rice header from a corner and Olmo blocked Marc Guehi’s follow up on the line.

Spain survived to add a fourth title to those won in 1964, 2008 and 2012 and became only the third team in the last nine Euros to win the trophy without coming through a shootout at some point in the tournament following France (2000) and Greece (2004).

Olga Carmona Scores Lone Goal to Give Spain Its First-Ever FIFA Women’s World Cup Title

Posted on August 20, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Olga Carmona will be receiving a hero’s welcome upon her return…

The 23-year-old Spanish professional footballer sealed Women’s World Cup glory for Spain in Sydney with a first-half goal that clinched a 1-0 victory against England.

Carmona had scored a stunning late goal in the 2-1 semifinal win against Sweden, and the left-back struck again to claim Spain’s first women’s world title.

European champions England had gone into the game as slight favorites, having beaten Spain on the way to winning Euro 2022 last year.

And the Lionesses went close to opening the scoring early in the game when Lauren Hemp struck the crossbar with a left-foot strike from Rachel Daly‘s pass 20 yards out.

Spain responded straightaway when Alba Redondo forced goalkeeper Mary Earps into a crucial save two minutes later.

But after Hemp saw another chance go awry with a weak effort from close range, Spain took the lead when they capitalized on Lucy Bronze losing the ball in midfield.

Spain launched a quick counterattack that saw the ball find Carmona, following a Mariona Caldentey lay-off, bursting forward down the left.

The Real Madrid Femenino defender controlled the ball before guiding a left-foot strike beyond Earps into the far corner to put Jorge Vilda‘s team ahead.

England struggled to get a foothold in the game, as Spain dominated possession and La Roja almost doubled their lead before half-time, when Salma Paralluelo hit the post in the 45th minute.

Lionesses coach Sarina Wiegman made a change at half-time in attempt to turn the tide by replacing Alessia Russo and Daly with Chloe Kelly and Lauren James, but the switch made little impact as Spain continued to control the game.

Caldentey had a shot well-saved by Earps and Aitana Bonmatí sent an effort over from 20 yards before a Keira Walsh handball led to a Spain penalty following a lengthy VAR review.

Jenni Hermoso failed to score from the spot, though, as Earps dived low to her left to keep out the Spain forward’s penalty.

Despite being thrown a lifeline by their goalkeeper, though, England couldn’t find a way to get back into the game with an equaliser.

And Spain held out to win the game and lift the Women’s World Cup at Stadium Australia.

Rafa Benitez Reaches Preliminary Agreement to Coach LaLiga Side Celta Vigo

Posted on June 23, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Rafa Benitez is preparing for a homecoming of sorts…

The 63-year-old Spanish professional football manager and former player who most recently managed Premier League club Everton, has reached a preliminary agreement to coach LaLiga side Celta Vigo, the Spanish club has announced.

Benitez takes over the vacant coaching position after Carlos Carvalhal left the club earlier this month by mutual consent.

Benitez has agreed a deal that’ll keep him at the club until June 2026.

“Real Club Celta has reached an agreement in principle with Rafa Benítez so that the Madrid-born coach can lead the team in this very special year and two more campaigns,” a club statement said. “Both parties are confident that the signing will take place in July, coinciding with the start of the team’s preseason.”

Benitez had been out of a job since being dismissed by Everton in January 2022 after just six-and-a-half months in charge.

The former Valencia coach is best known in England for guiding Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2005.

He also guided Chelsea to the Europa League crown in 2013 and Newcastle United to promotion to the Premier League in 2017.

Benitez, who won two LaLiga titles and a UEFA Cup with Valencia, has also managed Inter Milan, Napoli and Chinese Super League side Dalian Professional.

He last coached in Spain after taking over Real Madrid in the summer of 2015, although the Spanish giants relieved him of his duties six months later.

Benitez inherits a Celta team that was saved from relegation on the final day of the season with a 2-1 win over Barcelona at their Balaidos stadium.

The club finished 13th in the table, three points ahead of relegated Real Valladolid.

The 2023-24 season will revolve around the club’s centenary.

Benitez is unlikely to have Celta star Gabriel Veiga next season.

The Spanish midfielder expected to leave this summer.

A reported target of Liverpool, Chelsea and Napoli, Veiga, 21, is under contract until June 2026 but has a €40m release clause that clubs are willing to meet.

Mauricio Lara to Fight Leigh Wood in WBA Featherweight Title Rematch

Posted on April 2, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Mauricio Lara is preparing for a rematch…

The 25-year-old Mexican professional boxer will meet Leigh Wood in a WBA featherweight title rematch on May 27 in Manchester, England, according to Matchroom Boxing.

Lara (26-2-1, 19 KOs) scored a seventh-round TKO victory over Wood in February to win his first title. He was down on all three scorecards when he floored Wood (26-4, 16 KOs) in the seventh round with a blistering left hook before Wood’s corner stopped the fight.

Afterward, Lara spat on rival Josh Warrington, whom he fought twice in 2021 (TKO-9 win and technical draw.) There was talk of a trilogy fight between Lara and Warrington — especially considering the brutal nature of Wood’s defeat — but instead, Wood exercised the rematch clause and will make the quick turnaround.

Wood’s thrilling victory over Michael Conlan in March 2022 — Wood sent Conlan through the ropes in Round 12 — was named ESPN‘s Fight of the Year and Knockout of the Year.

Wood is rated No. 6 by ESPN at 126 pounds. Lara is ESPN’s No. 1 featherweight.

That same day in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Conlan will challenge Luis Albert Lopez for his IBF featherweight title. The other two featherweight titleholders are Rey Vargas (WBC), who is expected to meet Brandon Figueroa this summer, and Robeisy Ramirez, who defeated Isaac Dogboe on Saturday night.

Ruiz Leads Costa Rica Past Italy and Into the World Cup Round of 16

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Bryan Ruiz has scored one of the most important goals of his career to help Costa Rica pull off one of the biggest upsets of the 2014 World Cup.

The 28-year-old Costa Rican footballer and national team captain’s header, the first goal World Cup of his career, in the 44th-minute cemented the team’s victory over Italy 1-0 in the Recife, Brazil.

Costa Rica showed their 3-1 win over Uruguay was no fluke as they took the game to Italy in impressive style. Los Ticos now lead Group C on six points

Ruiz’s header, the biggest goal for his team in the last 24 years, has resulted in Costa Rica’s return to the Round of 16 for the second time in its history — the first was in 1990.

“Maybe there are a lot of people who didn’t have faith in us because we were in the ‘Group of Death’,” said Ruiz in a post-game interview. “But the dead are the other ones and we’re going to the next round.”

The result also guarantees England‘s first-round exit from the tournament. It’s the first time since 1958 that England has been eliminated in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup.

Italy and Uruguay, who meet on Tuesday, each have three points but Italy’s superior goal difference means they need only a draw to go through.

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