Worldcup 2026 NEWS

Worldcup 2026

Why is it called Gilas Pilipinas?

Date: 2023-12-06 02:50:27 | Author: Worldcup 2026 | Views: 791 | Tag: peraplay

Erling Haaland struck twice as holders Manchester City moved a step closer to the Champions League knockout stages with a hard-fought 3-1 win at Young Boys peraplay

Haaland put City back into the lead on the artificial surface at Bern’s Wankdorf Stadium after Switzerland international Manuel Akanji’s opener had been brilliantly cancelled out by Meschack Elia peraplay

Substitute Julian Alvarez had an effort ruled out by VAR but Haaland made victory certain with a smart finish four minutes from time peraplay

The win was City’s third in succession in Group G and they could now secure their spot in their last 16 for an 11th successive year with a follow-up victory over the Swiss side at home in a fortnight peraplay

There had been much talk over the synthetic pitch in the build-up to the game and heavy rain added another variable element but it proved a free-flowing encounter peraplay

Young Boys started well with Filip Ugrinic forcing a save from Ederson before Rodri headed wide from a corner peraplay

Jack Grealish, who ignored the persistent booing of the vociferous home crowd, teed up Jeremy Doku with a superb first-time ball but the Belgian slipped as he cut inside and Anthony Racioppi saved peraplay

The impressive Swiss keeper denied Haaland soon after but did have a moment of alarm when he spilled a Grealish shot peraplay

Matheus Nunes could only poke the loose ball weakly towards goal, however, and Loris Benito cleared off the line peraplay

Doku went close again after switching from the right to left wing but Racioppi brilliantly saved his curling effort and blocked a first-time Rodri shot peraplay

Young Boys had a good spell before the break with first Cedric Itten breaking clear but failing to beat Ederson peraplay

Itten then teed up Sandro Lauper with a neat flick but Nathan Ake got back to block before a powerful Lewin Blum effort was turned behind peraplay

Itten went close again from the set-piece as his header dropped narrowly over peraplay

(Getty Images)While that made for a lively end to the first half, the game truly burst into life early in the second peraplay

Akanji and Nunes both had chances before City grabbed the lead in the 48th minute peraplay

Rodri delivered a cross into the box and Ruben Dias, still forward following a corner, had a header tipped onto the bar by Racioppi peraplay

Akanji reacted the quickest to turn the ball in peraplay

City went in immediate search of a second but were caught out after a Haaland shot was saved by Racioppi peraplay

The ball was quickly sent to the other end and played into the path of Elia, who caught Ederson stranded off his line with a superb lob peraplay

Young Boys were firmly back in the game and Itten forced Ederson into an awkward save with a swerving shot peraplay

City stepped up the intensity and were awarded a penalty when Mohamed Ali Camara, moments after being booked, caught Rodri from behind peraplay

Haaland stepped up to thump home his 10th of the season peraplay

City thought they had claimed another through Alvarez but his low strike was ruled out for a Grealish handball in the build-up peraplay

It fell to Haaland to complete the job, the striker wrong-footing the defence just inside the box and then lifting into the top corner peraplay

More aboutErling HaalandYoung BoysJulian AlvarezChampions LeagueManuel AkanjiJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/2Haaland strikes twice as City continue perfect Champions League startHaaland strikes twice as City continue perfect Champions League startGetty ImagesHaaland strikes twice as City continue perfect Champions League startErling Haaland bagged a brace for City (Zac Goodwin/PA)PA Wire✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today peraplay

SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsperaplay BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy peraplay

truncatedName}}Log in / Register {{#items}}{{#stampSmall}}{{/stampSmall}}{{#stampClimate}}{{/stampClimate}}{{#stampPremium}}{{/stampPremium}}{{title}}{{#desc}}{{desc}}{{/desc}}{{#children}}{{title}}{{/children}}{{/items}}Indy100Crosswords & PuzzlesMost CommentedNewslettersAsk Me AnythingVirtual EventsVouchersCompare✕Log inEmail addressPasswordEmail and password don't matchSubmitForgotten your password?New to The Independent?RegisterOr if you would prefer:SIGN IN WITH GOOGLEWant an ad-free experience?View offersThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of service apply peraplay

Hi {{indy peraplay

fullName}}My Independent PremiumAccount detailsHelp centreLogout @keyframes spin{0%{transform:rotate(0)}to{transform:rotate(1turn)}} peraplay

There’s a new look about a key area of the team for Liverpool, a changing of the guard enforced by recent events, a previous zone of consistency now faced with uncertainty peraplay

No, we’re not talking about midfield - that particular switch-up already looks a definite upgrade, even early as it is for such conclusions peraplay

Instead it’s at left-back the unexpected alteration has occurred, a consequence of Andy Robertson’s need for surgery which means the Scot is out for the rest of the year peraplay

Having averaged over 44 appearances a season for the Reds since signing in 2017, he’ll now miss at least 17 matches, if best estimates of his return are to be believed peraplay

That leaves not just a gap for Kostas Tsimikas or an untested youngster to fill tactically, but a void which cannot be accounted for: that of a partnership, of understanding, of the natural, unthinking knowing which comes with playing hundreds of matches alongside a teammate peraplay

It can be argued that such a changeable nature can be applied not just to the midfield, not even just to left-back, but to the entire defensive structure this term at Anfield: injuries have already hit on the right and centrally too, to go along with the altered personnel ahead of them in the middle third of the pitch peraplay

All that simply means one truth must be constant if the Reds are to translate early season promise into longer-term capacity to challenge for major honours: Virgil van Dijk must once again prove himself to be among the very best, not just individually as a defender but as a force to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts peraplay

RecommendedBuild from the front? Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp are repeating an old trickEngland’s Euro 2024 squad: Who’s on the plane, who’s in contention and who has work to do?Virgil van Dijk will show he is Premier League’s best once more – Sami HyypiaThere cannot be much debate that the Dutchman, now club captain at Anfield, has not quite reached the same levels of authoritative performances as he did pre-ACL injury, or at least not on as regular a basis peraplay

The period which saw Liverpool win both Premier League and Champions League saw Van Dijk at the pinnacle of the game, a central defender without peer, a worthy recipient of the Ballon d’Or itself, had he been handed it instead of a runner-up spot, pipped by seven votes in 2019 by Lionel Messi peraplay

Perhaps that in itself was a noteworthy award peraplay

In any case, he’s not quite there these days, not quite the automatic choice among fan or pundit asked to name the world’s finest peraplay

It’s arguable that there isn’t a single stand-out candidate right now for that particularly subjective title peraplay

But in asking whether Van Dijk is capable of being the world’s best defender again, part of the answer has to be that it doesn’t really matter peraplay

He might want to be of course, might already believe he is, but from a team perspective what they really need is Van Dijk’s ability to stabilise the team, to foresee and forestall danger, to order those around him to bring forth resilience from chaos peraplay

Because chaotic is, still, a little too close to the truth when it comes to spells of defending for Liverpool peraplay

The midfield is far more creative, far more offensive and energetic, far less reliant on Trent Alexander-Arnold always being at his best peraplay

But all that comes at a cost: it’s not always the most agile and defensive-first in either recovery or positional terms peraplay

It’s still new as a group, still needs time to become as cohesive as the best central trios are, on and off the ball peraplay

And in the meantime, the result can often be large gaps, lost runners, moments of inexplicable choices in possession peraplay

That leaves a hefty weight on the defence to counteract such moments - the defence and, of course, the still-magnificent Alisson Becker behind them peraplay

(Getty Images)But before that one-man last line, it’s Van Dijk who must rise once more to ensure unity, if not always outright unison peraplay

Acting in perfect harmony is difficult enough with four constant selections; as it is this season, Jurgen Klopp has already utilised Jarell Quansah as a fifth-choice, following injuries peraplay

Alexander-Arnold missed pitch time and is not yet back to his peak physical or technical best peraplay

Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip have dovetailed, and now there’s Tsimikas present on a more regular basis - which also means either Joe Gomez will see minutes on the left, or an untried youngster will, with Calum Scanlon and Luke Chambers first in line peraplay

They presently tally one senior minute peraplay between them peraplay

They will all four need guiding for different reasons, all need time, all occasionally get things wrong and need the left-sided centre-back beside them to bail them out peraplay

No prizes for guessing who that is on a week-to-week basis peraplay

Because for Liverpool, there are prizes at stake peraplay

Three points off the top of the Premier League table after a fine opening quarter of the campaign; rolling along nicely in Europe and domestic cups alike peraplay

peraplay Between now and the next international break, the opportunities for victory across all competitions are as immense as the potential cost of dropped points: Toulouse twice, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Luton, Brentford peraplay

A modern title-competing team would take six wins with very little fuss, in truth peraplay

Then, beyond, it’s Manchester City away peraplay

The most true barometer of where Liverpool are this season, even coming after an international break and in the infamous 12:30pm kick-off spot peraplay

The margin for error remains almost nil, but with the reigning champions perhaps not quite at their own peak yet, and Klopp’s side having improved more than might have been thought possible at this early stage, thoughts of a title challenge will not be far away - if the defence is kept on-point, even with altered personnel peraplay

(Getty Images)It all means Van Dijk must be as close to his own 100 percent as possible, even if his 2023/24 maximum level is a little lower than in 19/20 peraplay

As far as transformative figures go, Van Dijk was one after signing peraplay

He, as much as anyone else and more than most, sent Liverpool from challengers to champions, in every competition across the board peraplay

Now once again he must be the leader - literally, given the armband - who enables the Reds to do so, not so much the new figurehead this time but as the standard-bearer, the supplier of consistency, the model of outperformance which can give Liverpool the extra edge they’ll need, both in the Premier League and beyond peraplay

More aboutVirgil van DijkKostas TsimikasJurgen KloppPremier LeagueEuropa LeagueJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3Van Dijk holds key to trophies - is he still the best defender around?Van Dijk holds key to trophies - is he still the best defender around?Getty ImagesVan Dijk holds key to trophies - is he still the best defender around?Getty ImagesVan Dijk holds key to trophies - is he still the best defender around?Getty Images✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today peraplay

SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsperaplay BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy peraplay

truncatedName}}Log in / Register {{#items}}{{#stampSmall}}{{/stampSmall}}{{#stampClimate}}{{/stampClimate}}{{#stampPremium}}{{/stampPremium}}{{title}}{{#desc}}{{desc}}{{/desc}}{{#children}}{{title}}{{/children}}{{/items}}Indy100Crosswords & PuzzlesMost CommentedNewslettersAsk Me AnythingVirtual EventsVouchersCompare✕Log inEmail addressPasswordEmail and password don't matchSubmitForgotten your password?New to The Independent?RegisterOr if you would prefer:SIGN IN WITH GOOGLEWant an ad-free experience?View offersThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of service apply peraplay

Hi {{indy peraplay

fullName}}My Independent PremiumAccount detailsHelp centreLogout @keyframes spin{0%{transform:rotate(0)}to{transform:rotate(1turn)}} peraplay

Peraplay.Net - Get 5% Extra deposit bonus every CH3

Worldcup 2026 FAQ

Peraplay Gaming - Get your 5% 2nd deposit bonus

Worldcup 2026 RECOMMEND

Recently: App Paymaya Online Casino league Promo Cash Peraplay Gaming Paymaya

Worldcup 2026 NEWS

Worldcup 2026

Why is it called Gilas Pilipinas?

Worldcup 2026 FAQ

Worldcup 2026 LINK

Worldcup 2026 RECOMMEND