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MATCHDAY: Man United-Wolves in Premier League. Atletico Madrid starts its Spanish league campaign

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:25 GMT

A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Monday:ENGLANDThe first round of games in the Premier League concludes with Manchester United hosting Wolverhampton. United is set to give competitive debuts to two of its offseason signings — midfielder Mason Mount and goalkeeper Andre Onana — as the team looks to make a strong start to Erik ten Hag’s second year in charge. Wolves will be under a new manager in Gary O’Neil, who has only been in charge a few weeks.SPAINAfter a strong finish last season, Atletico Madrid begins its Spanish league campaign by hosting promoted Granada. Diego Simeone’s Atletico kept the core of its squad in attack and midfield, and boosted its defense with Cesar Azpilicueta and Caglar Soyuncu. The attack will again be led by Antoine Griezmann as doubts still surround the permanence of João Félix. Granada is back in the first division after a single season in the second tier. Alaves, also back to the top flight in its first attempt following rel...

Slonina makes debut for Belgium’s Eupen in 5-0 loss to Club Brugge

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:25 GMT

American goalkeeper Gaga Slonina made his European first-team debut Sunday in Eupen’s 5-0 loss to visiting Club Brugge in the Belgian league.The 19-year-old had not played a first-team club match since last Sept. 19 with Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire. He transferred to Chelsea in January and was loaned last week to the Belgian team for this season.Andreas Skov Olsen scored in the sixth minute and converted a penalty kick in the 62nd. Philip Zinckernagel got goals in the 17th and 66th minutes and Tajon Buchanan scored in the 29th.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerSource

Celta Vigo loses at home to Osasuna in unhappy debut for veteran coach Benítez

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:25 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Rafa Benítez’s stint with Celta Vigo began with a 2-0 home loss to Osasuna in the Spanish league on Sunday.Celta conceded a goal in each half to make it a losing debut for the veteran coach after taking over the squad in the offseason.Celta had only one attempt on target at Balaídos stadium in Vigo. Rubén García and Moi Goméz scored for Osasuna, which finished seventh last season and earned a spot in the Europa Conference League.“When you face a team that qualified to a European competition and has kept the core of its squad, you noticed that we are still missing a few things,” Benítez said. “We will try to make up for that with hard work and, if possible, by adding to the squad through transfers.”Benítez last coached Everton in England and previously was at the helm of Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Napoli. He won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005.Benítez had a stint in China before taking over Everton and after coaching Newcastle. He took ...

Man wanted in his father’s death in Ohio is arrested by Maryland police following a chase

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:25 GMT

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) — Maryland police caught, following a brief car chase, a motorist accused in the stabbing death of his father in Ohio several hours before, authorities said.Jose Daniel Aguilera Cespedes, 25, was arrested late Saturday afternoon in Frederick County, according to a Maryland State Police news release. Police located him traveling eastbound on Interstate 70 in Washington County after the Fulton County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office alerted troopers that the driver of a Honda sedan had outstanding arrest warrants.Police in Wauseon, Ohio, said they were called to a home Saturday morning where they found Edwin Aguilera, 64, dead from several stab wounds. A woman also was injured and taken to a hospital in Toledo, Wauseon Police Chief Kevin Chittenden said. An arrest warrant charging Aguilera’s son with murder and felonious assault was issued, the chief said in a separate news release.Troopers located the sedan on I-70 and attempted to make a traffic stop. The sedan driven by ...

The Tennessee Titans are letting Willis and Levis compete to back up Tannehill at QB

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:25 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have a competition for the job backing up quarterback Ryan Tannehill at this point of the preseason.The Titans on Saturday started Malik Willis, the 86th pick overall taken in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft by the last general manager. Then Will Levis, the 33rd selection overall out of Kentucky in April, came in as they alternated every couple of series in their 23-17 preseason opening loss to Chicago.Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel said Sunday that backup quarterbacks more often have to come in on a moment’s notice than having a week to prepare.“Most of the time they’re going to have to come in off the bench and be ready to execute,” Vrabel said. “So that’s some of the things that we were trying to recreate.”Willis opened the game well behind the Titans’ first-team offensive line. He finished 16 of 25 for 189 yards with one interception, while Levis was 9 of 14 for 85 yards and an interception. Both quarterbacks were...

Chelsea draws 1-1 with Liverpool on Pochettino’s debut in high-octane Premier League opener

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:25 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Chelsea came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Liverpool on Sunday in a Premier League opener that showed the Blues have already made progress under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.In the marquee matchup of the Premier League’s opening round, Luis Diaz put Liverpool ahead after a lightning counterattack in the 18th minute and defender Axel Disasi marked his Chelsea debut by scoring the equalizer from close range in the 37th.“It was difficult from the beginning but how we grew in the game and how we found the way to play and how we started to dominate and push Liverpool deeper and deeper, I am very pleased about everything,” Pochettino said after his return to management, having sat out a year after being fired by Paris Saint-Germain. Both teams also had goals disallowed by VAR checks in an open and chance-filled first half that highlighted just why the two rivals are trying to spend more than 110 million pounds ($140 million) on bringing in defensive midfiel...

Italy coach Roberto Mancini announces surprise resignation after up-and-down tenure

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:25 GMT

Italy coach Roberto Mancini surprisingly resigned on Sunday, ending an an up-and-down tenure with the national team that included a European Championship title in 2021 but also a failed qualification for last year’s World Cup.The Italian soccer federation issued a short announcement saying that Mancini communicated his resignation “late last night,” adding that a new coach would be named “over the next days.”Mancini posted on Instagram that his resignation was “a personal choice.”“I salute and thank all of the players and fans that have accompanied me over these five years. I’ll always keep the extraordinary Euro 2020 victory in my heart,” Mancini added. “It was an honor.”The federation doesn’t have much time to find a new coach with Euro 2024 qualifying matches against North Macedonia and Ukraine scheduled for Sept. 9 and 12, respectively.Former Italy coach Antonio Conte, who left Tottenham in March, and Luciano Spalletti, who led Napoli to the Serie A title last season and said he...

Hunter Biden’s lawyer says trial ‘not inevitable’ as scrutiny mounts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:25 GMT

(CNN) — Hunter Biden’s lawyer on Sunday said a trial is “not inevitable,” days after the Trump-appointed US attorney investigating the president’s son was granted special counsel status following a breakdown in plea talks to resolve tax and gun charges.“We were trying to avoid one all along and so were the prosecutors who came forward to us and we’re the ones to say: ‘Can there be a resolution short of a prosecution?’ So they wanted it and maybe they still do want it,” Abbe Lowell, Biden’s attorney, told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”By naming David Weiss as a special counsel, Attorney General Merrick Garland gave him more powers than a typical US attorney and further independence from the Justice Department as he embarks on an unprecedented trial against the son of the sitting president, and as Republicans claim the department is politicized.The probe had appeared to reach its conclusion when a plea deal was announced in June. In a two-pronged agreement, Hunter Biden planned to plead guil...

Orioles designate Mychal Givens, their highest-paid relief pitcher, for assignment after pitching just 6 games in 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:25 GMT

Mychal Givens was supposed to supply a veteran presence to the Orioles’ bullpen. In the end, he barely was a presence at all.Before Sunday’s series finale with the Seattle Mariners, the Orioles activated Givens from his second stint on the injured list and designated him for assignment. The 33-year-old right-hander, who also pitched for Baltimore from 2015 to 2020, made only six appearances after rejoining the organization this offseason on a contract that guaranteed him $5 million and included an option for 2024. Over four innings, Givens allowed five earned runs on four hits and six walks.At the start of the season, Givens was the Orioles’ only reliever with a salary above $2 million. He began the year on the IL with left knee inflammation and joined the Orioles’ bullpen May 21 before going back on the IL on June 2 with right shoulder inflammation. In the past two outings of his rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Norfolk, Givens allowed six earned runs...

Yankees Notebook: Aaron Judge celebrates seven-year anniversary of his MLB debut

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:55:25 GMT

MIAMI — In retrospect, Aaron Judge’s first two major league games were a sign of things to come.The outfielder debuted on Aug. 13, 2016 and hit a home run in his first major league at-bat off the Rays’ Matt Andriese. A highly-anticipated prospect, Judge proceeded to hit another home run the following day, and he added a two-hit day in his third game.“You think you got it all figured out,” Judge told the Daily News on Saturday, a day before the seven-year anniversary of his first MLB game. “You know, hitting a home run your first at-bat, your second game, third game, you kind of think you’ve got it all figured out. But the game adjusts to you.”Indeed, it does.Despite the strong first impression, Judge went on to hit .179/.263/.345 over 27 games in 2016. He only homered two more times, and he totaled just 10 RBI.While the numbers weren’t pretty, that cup off coffee proved to be an educational experience for Judge, who learned to tr...