Nunez Scores Two Late Goals as 10-Man Liverpool Recovers to Beat Newcastle 2-1 in Premier League 

Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Liverpool - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - August 27, 2023 Liverpool's Darwin Nunez celebrates scoring their first goal. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Liverpool - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - August 27, 2023 Liverpool's Darwin Nunez celebrates scoring their first goal. (Reuters)
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Nunez Scores Two Late Goals as 10-Man Liverpool Recovers to Beat Newcastle 2-1 in Premier League 

Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Liverpool - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - August 27, 2023 Liverpool's Darwin Nunez celebrates scoring their first goal. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Liverpool - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - August 27, 2023 Liverpool's Darwin Nunez celebrates scoring their first goal. (Reuters)

Substitute Darwin Nunez scored two late goals, including a winner in the third minute of stoppage time, as Liverpool recovered to beat Newcastle 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday despite playing more than an hour with 10 men after Virgil van Dijk's sending-off.

Newcastle took the lead in the 25th minute through Anthony Gordon and, when Van Dijk was shown a straight red card three minutes later, it looked to be a damage-limitation exercise for Liverpool.

However, Uruguay striker Nunez led an unlikely rally from Liverpool, equalizing in the 85th minute and then scoring an almost-replica finish in added-on time at St. James' Park to earn a second straight victory and stay unbeaten.

"It was something special out there today," said Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who made a mistake for Gordon's goal and played almost the whole match under pressure after a sixth-minute yellow card.

"We had to do it the hard way. The very hard way ... It was something for the ages."

Newcastle was left to reflect on missed chances — Alisson Becker produced a stunning first-half save to deny Miguel Almiron, who later hit a post — but Jurgen Klopp’s men fought impressively to ensure their unbeaten run against the hosts extended to 14 games.

Klopp celebrated wildly in front of the home dugout and on the field after the final whistle as the home fans among a crowd of 52,214 trudged away barely able to believe what they had witnessed.

While Liverpool has claimed seven points from a possible nine and is two points behind leader Manchester City, Newcastle has lost two of its opening three games of a season when the team makes a return to the Champions League.

Alexander-Arnold walked a tightrope throughout after picking up a needless booking for throwing the ball away, and he was perhaps fortunate to escape further punishment after Gordon went down under his challenge seconds later.

Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope, who was sent off in the corresponding fixture last season, endured a testing start and he came for — but failed to connect meaningfully with — two early corners. He did, though, repel Luis Diaz’s near-post strike after a mazy 17th-minute run.

After Pope comfortably claimed Mohamed Salah’s curled 24th-minute effort, Liverpool’s game plan was torn apart seconds later.

Alexander-Arnold miscontrolled Salah’s pass, allowing Gordon to get in behind the Liverpool defense and race away before sliding a shot through the legs of the advancing Alisson. Worse was to come for the Reds when captain Van Dijk fouled Alexander Isak on the edge of the box three minutes later and was dismissed because he was the last man.

Only Alisson’s brilliance prevented Newcastle from doubling their advantage nine minutes before the break when he somehow managed to claw Miguel Almiron’s volley onto the underside of his crossbar.

With defender Joe Gomez having replaced the sacrificed Diaz before the break, the Reds returned knowing they needed something special to force their way back into the game, but Gordon continued to trouble Alexander-Arnold and it was Newcastle which looked more likely to score again.

Almiron skied a shot after Joelinton surged into the penalty area before crossing but Liverpool was increasingly comfortable with 10 men largely sitting deep.

Dominik Szoboszlai and substitute Diogo Jota helped to ease Liverpool back into the contest as the home side was finally forced to defend, and although Gordon blazed a 64th-minute drive just wide of Alisson’s left post, it took a superb intervention by Sven Botman to prevent Salah from making the most of an exchange of passes with Jota.

Almiron was unfortunate to see a 76th-minute shot come back off a post with Alisson beaten, and Liverpool capitalized on that stroke of good fortune with nine minutes remaining when Nunez seized on Botman’s error to fire past Pope.

With Newcastle pushing for a winner, the Uruguay international repeated the finish in stoppage time after running on to Salah’s through ball.



Ronaldo, Soccer's Ultimate Showstopper, Still Portugal's Main Man Despite Slow Start to Euro 2024

Portugal's forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after he lost the UEFA Euro 2024 Group F football match between Georgia and Portugal at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen on June 26, 2024. (AFP)
Portugal's forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after he lost the UEFA Euro 2024 Group F football match between Georgia and Portugal at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen on June 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Ronaldo, Soccer's Ultimate Showstopper, Still Portugal's Main Man Despite Slow Start to Euro 2024

Portugal's forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after he lost the UEFA Euro 2024 Group F football match between Georgia and Portugal at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen on June 26, 2024. (AFP)
Portugal's forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after he lost the UEFA Euro 2024 Group F football match between Georgia and Portugal at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen on June 26, 2024. (AFP)

Cristiano Ronaldo has been a showstopper, as expected, at the European Championship.
Just not necessarily in the way he’d like to be.
The Portugal superstar with 632 million followers on Instagram and a never-ending stream of endorsement deals has had to deal with a raft of on-field selfie-seekers, during matches and in training. One presumed super-fan even leapt from the stands over the players’ tunnel toward a startled-looking Ronaldo as he headed to the locker room after Portugal’s match against Georgia, said The Associated Press.
He’s raged at a referee (earning a yellow card), booted away a water bottle, and angrily remonstrated in the dug-out. He’s also had 12 shots, more than anyone else at Euro 2024.
What Ronaldo hasn’t done is score a goal — and that’s the currency he deals in, at least in soccer.
OK, there was that moment he passed up a golden chance to score by passing unselfishly to Bruno Fernandes for Portugal’s third goal in the 3-0 win over Türkiye. A double-stepover that befuddled Abdulkerim Bardakci and left the Türkiye center back on his back has proved a hit on social media and gave the world a reminder of the Ronaldo of 10, 15, even 20 years ago.
Ronaldo, though, is 39 now. Those big moments have become fleeting, especially when it comes to the big tournaments and when he’s playing against top-level defenses.
Make that seven straight matches in which he has failed to score at a major tournament, covering the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024. For the first time in his 21-year international career taking in five World Cups and six European Championships, he has ended a group stage without a goal.
So, with the powers of this undoubted soccer great on the wane, the question will again be asked heading into the knockout stage: will the constant drama surrounding Ronaldo wind up being a distraction for the Portugal team in its bid for another big soccer title, eight years after winning its only one at Euro 2016?
Roberto Martinez clearly doesn’t think so.
The Portugal coach is in thrall with Ronaldo, as shown by his reaction to the striker’s assist — his record-tying eighth at the European Championship — against Türkiye.
“It should be shown in every academy in Portugal and world football,” Martinez said, purring at this “spectacular” piece of play.
A day earlier, he’d got into an exchange with a journalist who questioned whether Ronaldo could handle the intensity of a major tournament at age 39.
“All you need to do is look at what he has done in the last 12 months,” Martinez proffered, pointing to his record in the Saudi league with Al-Nassr, for whom he started 31 of 34 games and scored a league-high 35 goals, and his 10 goals in Euro 2024 qualifying — second only to Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku.
Before the tournament, Martinez had lauded Ronaldo by saying he “approaches every day as a new way to be the best” and that his stats “are better than anything, subjectively, that you can say.”
Maybe to justify his arguments — or who knows, to keep in Ronaldo’s good books — Martinez started the striker against Georgia despite resting all of his other key outfield players for a game that meant little for Portugal, which had already qualified as group winner.
It was at this stage at the last World Cup where Ronaldo lost his place in Portugal’s team, to the shock and anger of his millions of fans who might not see him play as much these days because of his move to the Middle East. He had started all three of the group games, scoring only a penalty, and reacted poorly to being substituted by then-coach Fernando Santos against South Korea in the third.
Ronaldo didn’t start the 6-1 win over Switzerland in the round of 16 — his replacement, Goncalo Ramos scored a hat trick — nor the quarterfinal loss to Morocco, after which he left the field in tears.
Given his public comments, it's unlikely Martinez will follow Santos’ path and drop his captain in the knockout stage, starting against Slovenia on Monday, for what may prove to be Ronaldo's last matches at a major tournament.
Nor do his teammates, who have grown up idolizing Ronaldo, want that to happen.
“We want to be side by side with our captain,” Portugal defender Diogo Dalot said, while midfielder Vitinha has spoken of the “privilege to be able to share moments with him on and off the pitch.″
Ronaldo’s desire and passion clearly remains. He is still a prolific scorer, albeit mostly against weak opposition these days, even if his mobility and, in particular, his pressing isn't at the level of a top-notch striker. It would be no surprise to see the top scorer in men’s international soccer — with 130 goals — get off the mark against Slovenia.
Whether his continued selection is beneficial for Portugal is another thing entirely.