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Chelsea and Fulham Win Penalty Shootouts to Reach English League Cup Semifinals 

Chelsea's goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic saves a shot from Newcastle's Matt Ritchie during a penalty shoot out during the English League Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge in London, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. (AP)
Chelsea's goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic saves a shot from Newcastle's Matt Ritchie during a penalty shoot out during the English League Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge in London, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. (AP)
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Chelsea and Fulham Win Penalty Shootouts to Reach English League Cup Semifinals 

Chelsea's goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic saves a shot from Newcastle's Matt Ritchie during a penalty shoot out during the English League Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge in London, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. (AP)
Chelsea's goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic saves a shot from Newcastle's Matt Ritchie during a penalty shoot out during the English League Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge in London, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. (AP)

Chelsea’s faltering first season under Mauricio Pochettino could yet be saved by the English League Cup.

The London club reached the semifinals by beating Newcastle 4-2 in a penalty shootout on Tuesday, with the game only getting that far thanks to a goal by Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk in the second minute of stoppage time that made it 1-1 at Stamford Bridge.

Newcastle right back Kieran Trippier was at fault for that goal and he was one of two visiting players to fail to score his penalty. Matt Ritchie was the other, as stand-in goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic made the save to end the shootout.

Chelsea is languishing in 10th place in the Premier League despite having spent more than $1 billion on players in the last three transfer windows and having no European competitions to disrupt its schedule.

Pochettino is starting to come under some pressure for failing to get a group of talented players to gel so this cup run could be huge in gaining some momentum. The explosion of joy inside the stadium after the final penalty made it the best moment so far in his reign of less than six months.

Newcastle had been looking to get to the semifinals of the League Cup for the second straight season. Fulham has reached that stage for the first time in its 144-year history.

Fulham, another team from west London, also needed a penalty shootout to advance and this one lasted longer, with defender Tosin Adarabioyo eventually netting the clinching kick for a 7-6 win. Amadou Onana had a chance to win the shootout for Everton but had his attempt saved at 4-3.

The game finished 1-1 in regulation at Goodison Park, with Everton substitute Beto scoring in the 82nd to cancel out an own-goal by Michael Keane.

Middlesbrough will be the big underdog in the semifinals as the only non-Premier League team remaining.

The second-tier club beat Port Vale, which plays in the third division, 3-0 thanks to goals by Jonny Howson, Morgan Rogers and Matt Crooks.

Middlesbrough, the 2004 champion now managed by former Manchester United and England midfielder Michael Carrick, hasn’t had to play a Premier League team in the competition yet.

Nkunku debut

There was more good news for Chelsea, with Christopher Nkunku coming off the bench in the second half to finally make his competitive debut six months after signing from Leipzig.

The France striker sustained a serious knee injury in the offseason and only recently returned to training, with Pochettino careful not to push him into first-team action too quickly.

Nkunku converted one of Chelsea’s penalties in the shootout confidently in the top corner and looked lively in regulation time, too.

However, there was some concern with Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez walking off the field unaided midway through the first half. Pochettino said after the game that Fernandez asked to come off because he felt unwell.

Liverpool hosts West Ham on Wednesday in the last quarterfinal match, after which the draw for the semifinals is made.

The final is at Wembley Stadium on Feb. 25.

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Sports

Newcastle Say No Manager Change 'at the Moment'

22 March 2026, United Kingdom, Newcastle Upon Tyne: Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe (C) reacts from the touchline during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcaslte United and Sunderland at St James' Park. Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/dpa
22 March 2026, United Kingdom, Newcastle Upon Tyne: Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe (C) reacts from the touchline during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcaslte United and Sunderland at St James' Park. Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/dpa
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Newcastle Say No Manager Change 'at the Moment'

22 March 2026, United Kingdom, Newcastle Upon Tyne: Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe (C) reacts from the touchline during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcaslte United and Sunderland at St James' Park. Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/dpa
22 March 2026, United Kingdom, Newcastle Upon Tyne: Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe (C) reacts from the touchline during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcaslte United and Sunderland at St James' Park. Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/dpa

Newcastle chief executive David Hopkinson said Tuesday the club have no plans "at the moment" to replace Eddie Howe as manager.

The Magpies were knocked out of the Champions League after a 7-2 loss at Barcelona earlier this month, before a home defeat by rivals Sunderland left them 12th in the Premier League.

"Eddie's our manager," said Hopkinson, speaking as Newcastle released their latest financial figures, of the 48-year-old.

"I expect to have a great run to the end of the season here and we'll talk about the future when it's time."

Hopkinson, asked to specify his comments, added: "We are not looking to make a change at the moment. We are not having those conversations.

"We are still in the midst of the season. Right now, we are focused on the seven matches we have remaining and not distracting ourselves with speculation about what we may or may not do in the summer."

Newcastle will return to Premier League action after the international break seven points adrift of fifth place, which will likely be enough for Champions League qualification.

Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Tino Livramento have all been linked with moves away from St James' Park, but Hopkinson insisted there would be no repeat of the protracted drama that saw Alexander Isak force through a £130 million ($172 million) move to Liverpool last year.

"I wasn't here for the Isak situation, so I don't want to comment on something I didn't see first-hand," AFP quoted Hopkinson as saying.

"What I do know is that players that leave this club will need to do so on our terms... To me, Isak was a good sale."

Sports

After Travel Ordeal, Iraq Faces Bolivia for World Cup Spot

Iraq's coach Graham Arnold gestures during a training session ahead of a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Bolivia in Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Iraq's coach Graham Arnold gestures during a training session ahead of a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Bolivia in Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
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After Travel Ordeal, Iraq Faces Bolivia for World Cup Spot

Iraq's coach Graham Arnold gestures during a training session ahead of a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Bolivia in Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Iraq's coach Graham Arnold gestures during a training session ahead of a World Cup 2026 qualifying soccer match against Bolivia in Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Earlier this month, Iraq coach Graham Arnold was stranded in Fujairah, on the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates, due to the Mideast war. He wondered if his national team would even be able to compete for one last chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

After traveling a long and winding road to reach Mexico, Arnold and Iraq will seek to return to a World Cup after an absence of 40 years when they face Bolivia in the final of their intercontinental playoff in Monterrey in northern Mexico on Tuesday.

“It’s been very difficult being stranded, I’d rather not talk about it, I try to remove all of that from the players' brains because a lot of things are going on in the Middle East,” Arnold said Monday in a media conference. “But players know what they’re doing, they seem very relaxed and ready to go.”

Arnold was with his wife in a hotel in Fujairah after a series of Iranian missiles hit nearby when the war between the United States and Iran began. The Australian coach was able to move to Dubai, but he was unable to join the team for several days.

Iraqi players were also stranded because the country's airspace was closed, preventing the team from using commercial flights to leave the country. Team officials officially asked FIFA to postpone the playoff match.

“I came from Europe directly to Monterrey, but for the rest of the players who play in the Iraqi local league, they had a long trip, but we had a lot of time to recover from that,” said Merchas Doski, who plays as a left back for Viktoria Plzen, in the Czech first league. "We are fully prepared."

The team also faced visa complications because Mexico does not have an embassy in Iraq and players struggled to obtain the necessary visas to enter the country. But the issue was resolved when the Mexican foreign affairs ministry facilitated visas at other regional embassies, The Associated Press reported.

The team finally arrived in Monterrey on March 21 after a 25-hour journey that included navigating travel restrictions and a stopover in Portugal.

“It has been very tough 20 days for us, but it is an honor and a privilege to be here — I lived in Australia for a long time and I know that qualifying for a World Cup can change a nation," said Arnold, who guided the Socceroos to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup.

Since arriving in Mexico, the team has had plenty of time to adjust to the climate and players have practiced without incident. They have also been able to fraternize with children from local schools who have visited them during their training sessions.

“They (Mexican fans) have been amazing. It’s really fun to see that they cheer us,” said Aimar Sher, who plays for Sarpsborg 08 in Norway. “We talked about it a couple of days ago that their support means a lot to us and we’re very happy to have them by our side.”

To qualify for its second World Cup, their first since Mexico in 1986, Iraq must defeat Bolivia, which eliminated Suriname 2-1 in the intercontinental playoff semifinals last week.

“It has been fantastic, it is an absolute honor to get Iraq to his part of the playoffs after 40 years and with just one more game to go,” Arnold said. “I am confident that it will be a very special night for Iraq.”

Sports

Italy Pushing Youth Reform as Ailing Football Nation Eyes World Cup Return

Italy's supporters cheer during the play-off FIFA World Cup 2026 European qualification semifinal against North Ireland in Bergamo on March 26, 2026. (AFP)
Italy's supporters cheer during the play-off FIFA World Cup 2026 European qualification semifinal against North Ireland in Bergamo on March 26, 2026. (AFP)
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Italy Pushing Youth Reform as Ailing Football Nation Eyes World Cup Return

Italy's supporters cheer during the play-off FIFA World Cup 2026 European qualification semifinal against North Ireland in Bergamo on March 26, 2026. (AFP)
Italy's supporters cheer during the play-off FIFA World Cup 2026 European qualification semifinal against North Ireland in Bergamo on March 26, 2026. (AFP)

As Italian football fans worry that their national team might miss out on a third straight World Cup in Tuesday's play-off decider with Bosnia and Herzegovina, moves are afoot to take the Azzurri back to the top.

Announced earlier this month, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has launched a project for youth football in a country which once produced some of the world's very best players but hasn't done so for a generation.

The team that will line-up in Zenica lacks the star power of years gone by, such as Alessandro Del Piero, Andrea Pirlo, Fabio Cannavaro or Francesco Totti who won Italy the World Cup in 2006.

The feeling of being left by the wayside was exacerbated by dreadful performances on the continent this season by Italy's top clubs and the continuation of a golden age for the country in a host of other sports.

On Sunday tennis star Jannik Sinner cruised to victory at the Miami Masters, yet another win for the four-time Grand Slam champion who at the age of 24 is the dominant force in men's tennis alongside Spanish rival Carlos Alcaraz.

Kimi Antonelli and Marco Bezzecchi lead the Formula One and MotoGP championships, while alpine skier Federica Brignone's double gold at the Winter Olympics the highlight of a record-breaking medal haul of 30.

Even the rugby union team is more a source of national pride than the footballers thanks to a historic win over England in the Six Nations.

So the FIGC, after years of criticism from media and fans alike, has decided for grassroots reform and deeper involvement in youth football across the country.

"Everyone who's played for the national team started out in neighborhood clubs. That means that every coach in charge of these kids has to be trained," former Italy midfielder Simone Perrotta tells AFP.

Now 48 years old, Perotta, who spent the majority of his club career at Roma, played alongside Del Piero and Totti in that talent-packed Italy team two decades ago.

- Football culture -

Alongside another World Cup winner in Gianluca Zambrotta, Perrotta now reports to the FIGC's new head of development Maurizio Viscidi, the long-time head of the national youth team set-up who now oversees every aspect of youth football.

The FIGC wants to harmonize as much as possible training across a vast number of clubs which coach around 700,000 kids aged between five and 15, with the aim of teaching coaches to prioritize young players developing individual skills so that a new generation of stars can come through.

"There isn't a shared methodology that says 'let's try to develop this way of playing football'," says Perotta, who added that he believes there has been an "impoverishment" of technical ability among Italian footballers.

The project provides free online courses for coaches while small groups of FIGC training staff based around the country will visit youth football clubs every fortnight, with Perrotta saying that the idea is "to get the federation inside the clubs".

The experimental phase will be rolled out, Perrotta hopes, by this October and will be centered on the 162 clubs in Serie D, Italy's regional fourth tier and the highest level of amateur football in the country.

One of the frequent talking points in Italy is that youngsters no longer play football unaccompanied in the streets as Perrotta says he did as a child, while the cost of sending children to football clubs is a barrier to kids from poorer backgrounds.

The FIGC is aiming to increase base participation by working with local councils to try and create more spaces where young people can play without having to pay.

"We want to work with institutions here to help increase the number of hours kids play because one of the things we've noticed is the difference between here and other countries in how much they train and how much contact they have with the ball," says Perrotta.

"It's systemic. It can't just be the federation's project, it can't just be down to us."