All posts tagged: aston villa

Japan’s goalkeeper taking on the World Cup — and racism

Japan’s goalkeeper taking on the World Cup — and racism

Published by Webster

4 min readJun 15, 2026 02:32 PM IST With Hajime Moriyasu’s Japan fighting out a 2-2 draw against Netherlands in their Group F encounter in Texas, the Asian side has started their campaign showing what the team is capable of. Coming from behind twice, goalkeeper Zion Suzuki played his part with three saves against Netherlands striker Donyell Malen in the first half. The 23-year-old, who has been playing for Italian club Parma Calcio for the last two years, has also been reported as a possible replacement for 2022 World Cup winner and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez at Aston Villa. Born in Newark, New Jersey, to a Ghanaian father and Japanese mother, Suzuki moved to Urawa in Japan as a child and is one of many players at this World Cup representing other countries despite being born in the USA. Suzuki represented Japanese U15, U16, U17, U18 and U23 teams before making his senior debut in 2022. He had signed a professional contract with Urawa Red Diamonds at the age of 16 years and five months, …

‘This is our motivation’: Unai Emery opens about Aston Villa’s title chances ahead of Premier League clash vs Arsenal | Football News

‘This is our motivation’: Unai Emery opens about Aston Villa’s title chances ahead of Premier League clash vs Arsenal | Football News

Published by Webster

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has played down talk of the club challenging for the Premier League title, saying it makes no sense to discuss winning the league so early in the season. Villa enter Tuesday’s match against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in third place on the table with 39 points and can go joint top with a win over the table toppers. “To speak about the title does not make sense for us. Now, in December, it does not make sense. We are motivated and excited, but for the moment, we are motivated for the match we play tomorrow. With three points difference between them and us, this is our motivation.” “With how we are performing, we can feel proud of everything we are building. Tactically, mentally, individually. We are trying to feel inside as a family, we are spending more time here than with family. The next challenge is very difficult, the most difficult challenge we can face now because it’s the best team,” Emery said in a press conference on Monday. The …

Minor league Macclesfield to host holder Crystal Palace in FA Cup 3rd round

Minor league Macclesfield to host holder Crystal Palace in FA Cup 3rd round

Published by Parlour News

Published on: Dec 09, 2025 01:30 am IST Macclesfield, one of four minor-league clubs still in the FA Cup, sits 14th in the National League North. In its previous guise as Macclesfield Town, the team reached the fourth round of the competition in 2013 before losing to Wigan. The draw threw up four all-Premier League ties, topped by Aston Villa’s trip to Tottenham. Everton faces Sunderland, Newcastle takes on Bournemouth and Manchester United hosts Brighton. Premier League leader Arsenal travels to 2008 winner Portsmouth, while Wrexham landed a high-profile home clash against Nottingham Forest. Liverpool hosts Barnsley, Manchester City faces third-tier Exeter and Chelsea visits London rival Charlton, which is in the second tier. Full draw: Wolves v Shrewsbury Doncaster v Southampton Tottenham v Aston Villa Port Vale v Fleetwood Preston v Wigan Ipswich v Blackpool Wrexham v Nottingham Forest Charlton v Chelsea Manchester City v Exeter West Ham v QPR Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford Fulham v Middlesbrough Everton v Sunderland Liverpool v Barnsley Burnley v Millwall Norwich v Walsall Portsmouth v Arsenal Derby v …

Deco explains why Marcus Rashford ‘suffered’ at Manchester United but is thriving at Barcelona | Football News

Deco explains why Marcus Rashford ‘suffered’ at Manchester United but is thriving at Barcelona | Football News

Published by Webster

Marcus Rashford has had a rough year as a footballer. After being frozen out at Manchester United under manager Ruben Amorim because the new boss could not “get Rashford to buy into his ideas”. The forward was loaned off to Aston Villa and then made his way to Spain to play for Barcelona on loan. But the castaway Rashford may just have found a new home for himself at Barca, who are currently on top of the La Liga standings after 14 games, with Real Madrid on the chase with a point less. Barcelona’s sporting director Deco explained why Rashford “suffered” at United and has been thriving at Barcelona. “He’s happy with us. Marcus is a fantastic player. He faced the responsibility of becoming an important player at Man United — United, like us, are one of the biggest clubs in the world — too young. He suffered a bit with this change of generation at United too,” Deco was quoted as saying. “If you see United in the last five years, they had difficulties …

Liverpool Can Move Closer To The Title As Top Five Tension Mounts

Liverpool Can Move Closer To The Title As Top Five Tension Mounts

Published by Webster

Liverpool will look to bounce back from a rare defeat as the runaway Premier League leaders host West Ham on Sunday. Meanwhile Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa are embroiled in a tense battle to qualify for the Champions League. Let’s take a look at three talking points ahead of this weekend’s action: Liverpool not ‘complacent’ Having sucked any drama out of the title race weeks ago, Liverpool suffered a rare defeat against Fulham last weekend that sparked accusations the leaders are getting complacent. Arne Slot’s side lost their 26-match unbeaten league run in an error-strewn 3-2 loss at Craven Cottage that bore little resemblance to the team that had marched relentlessly towards their first title since 2020. But despite their second league defeat this season, Liverpool have an 11-point lead over second-placed Arsenal with just seven games left. It would take an astonishing collapse for the Reds not to claim a record-equalling 20th English crown and Slot is convinced his players remain firmly focused on getting the job done …

an offensive cap, and singing ‘For Mbappe, who is dead’ after Argentina’s world cup triumph in 2022

an offensive cap, and singing ‘For Mbappe, who is dead’ after Argentina’s world cup triumph in 2022

Published by Webster

Even before the Champions League game began on Wednesday, just as he ran out of the tunnel, Emi Martinez, Argentina’s and Aston Villa’s goalkeeper, was received with a ring of boos around the stadium. Few seconds into the game, more boos followed when he received the ball for the first time in the game. And right at the end, after his team lost 1-3 to PSG, the camera zoomed in on Martinez, wincing in agony at the loss, and the crowd jeering. A day before the game, he walked into the football stadium with a baseball cap that had an emblem of the World Cup, two Copa Americas covering a French cockerel. The image was also posted on official twitter account of Aston Villa, triggering backlash from the PSG fans. France’s So Foot magazine republished their 2023 feature story “The Goalkeeper We Love to Hate”. “Before the World Cup, he was an unknown. Then he upset France, embarrassed the rest of the world with his celebrations, and sparked a baby boom in Argentina . In …

Unai Emery Relishes Aston Villa’s ‘Huge Challenge’ Against PSG

Unai Emery Relishes Aston Villa’s ‘Huge Challenge’ Against PSG

Published by Webster

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is relishing the prospect of taking on Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals of the Champions League as the English former winners seek to end the French side’s quest for continental glory. “Aston Villa is a historic club that won the European Cup in 1982 and of course it is very special in football,” Emery pointed out at a press conference in Paris on Tuesday on the eve of the first leg. “When I arrived at Villa two-and-a-half years ago I knew this history. Of course my challenge at that moment was to compete for trophies, and to get back into Europe. To be in the Champions League is really amazing but maintaining consistency is the next challenge. “To be playing a Champions League quarter-final in Paris is really special for everybody involved with Villa but we want to be consistently doing it at this level.” Villa eased past Club Brugge to reach the last eight, having finished an impressive eighth during the league phase of the competition. Facing …

Aston Villa Beat Nottingham Forest For Seventh Straight Win Ahead Of PSG Trip

Aston Villa Beat Nottingham Forest For Seventh Straight Win Ahead Of PSG Trip

Published by Webster

Aston Villa climbed into the Premier League’s top six as early goals from Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen secured a 2-1 win over third-placed Nottingham Forest on Saturday. A seventh consecutive victory for Unai Emery’s men in all competitions sets up Villa perfectly for Wednesday’s trip to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. Villa’s hot streak has also brought them well into the race for Champions League football next season. A top-five Premier League finish will almost certainly be enough to qualify thanks to the strong performance of English sides in European competition this season. Villa sit below fifth-placed Manchester City only on goal difference and moved to within one point of Chelsea in fourth. “We enjoy competing in the Champions League and the FA Cup, but the Premier League is the most important because it is through the league that we can reach our objective for the next season,” said Emery. Forest’s cushion over Villa is reduced to six points, leaving Nuno Espirito Santo’s side plenty of …

Man City rallies to beat Bournemouth and reach FA Cup semifinals but Haaland goes off injured | Football News

Man City rallies to beat Bournemouth and reach FA Cup semifinals but Haaland goes off injured | Football News

Published by Webster

Manchester City could still end its disappointing season with a trophy after rallying to beat Bournemouth 2-1 in the FA Cup quarterfinals on Sunday, with Erling Haaland inspiring the comeback before being forced off injured. Haaland, who had a penalty saved in the first half, equalized in the 49th but hobbled off 12 minutes later with a left ankle injury, having briefly tried to play on. Omar Marmoush came on as Haaland’s replacement and, within two minutes, scored the clinching goal to ensure City won in the quarterfinals for a record-extending seventh straight season. Story continues below this ad Already out of the Champions League and down in fifth place — 22 points behind leader Liverpool — in an improbably poor Premier League title defense, City can partly rescue its season by winning the FA Cup for an eighth time, and a third time in Pep Guardiola’s tenure. City will face Nottingham Forest in the semifinals being played at Wembley Stadium next month. On the same weekend there, Aston Villa, which beat second-tier Preston 3-0 …