Son Scores Direct from a Corner as Tottenham Beats Man United 4-3 in English League Cup

Soccer Football - Carabao Cup - Quarter Final - Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - December 19, 2024 Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Radu Dragusin and Yves Bissouma REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Soccer Football - Carabao Cup - Quarter Final - Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - December 19, 2024 Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Radu Dragusin and Yves Bissouma REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
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Son Scores Direct from a Corner as Tottenham Beats Man United 4-3 in English League Cup

Soccer Football - Carabao Cup - Quarter Final - Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - December 19, 2024 Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Radu Dragusin and Yves Bissouma REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Soccer Football - Carabao Cup - Quarter Final - Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - December 19, 2024 Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Radu Dragusin and Yves Bissouma REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Son Heung-min scored a spectacular goal directly from a corner to fire Tottenham into the English League Cup semifinals in a thrilling 4-3 win over Manchester United on Thursday.
Spurs will play Premier League leader Liverpool for a place in the final, and Arsenal was drawn against Newcastle in the other last-four matchup.
Son’s strike in the 88th-minute at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium came as Spurs tried to hold off a dramatic comeback from United, having led 3-0 in the second half, The Associated Press reported.
United had pulled it back to 3-2 and was pushing for an equalizer when Son whipped in a curling right-footed shot past goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, it said.
“Obviously we made it harder than it should have been, for sure," Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said and added, “Are you not entertained?”
United’s players complained Bayindir had been fouled by Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall as Son’s shot flew past him. Replays appeared to show contact between the two, but with no VAR at this stage of the competition, there was no chance of a review.
Jonny Evans scored again for United in stoppage time, but Spurs held on for the win that had looked all but certain shortly after halftime.
Having gone ahead through Dominic Solanke’s goal from close range in the 15th, Tottenham took control after the break.
Dejan Kulusevski doubled the lead a minute after the restart and Solanke fired in his second in the 54th.
United head coach Ruben Amorim made a triple substitution — bringing on Joshua Zirkzee, Amad Diallo and Kobbie Mainoo.
It quickly had an impact with Zirkzee forcing Fraser Forster into a flying save and then capitalizing on a loose pass by the Tottenham goalkeeper to make it 3-1.
Forster was guilty of another mistake in the 70th when his attempted clearance was closed down by Diallo and ricocheted over the line.
United increased the pressure, but Son’s unlikely goal gave Spurs a cushion again — and it proved to be the decisive strike after Evans’ late header reduced the deficit again.
“I know the studio (punditry team) is probably going into meltdown over my lack of tactics,” Postecoglou said. “I love the fact that we go out there and take it to oppositions.”



Saudi National Team to Participate in 2025, 2027 CONCACAF Gold Cups

The Saudi Arabian national football team will compete at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2025 and 2027. (AFP/File Photo)
The Saudi Arabian national football team will compete at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2025 and 2027. (AFP/File Photo)
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Saudi National Team to Participate in 2025, 2027 CONCACAF Gold Cups

The Saudi Arabian national football team will compete at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2025 and 2027. (AFP/File Photo)
The Saudi Arabian national football team will compete at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2025 and 2027. (AFP/File Photo)

The Saudi national football team will participate in the 2025 and 2027 editions of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, starting with the upcoming tournament hosted by the United States and Canada from June 14 to July 6, 2025, the Saudi Press Agency said on Thursday.
The Saudi team joins the other eight teams that have already secured their spots for the 2025 Gold Cup: Canada, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Mexico, Panama, and the United States. The remaining seven teams will be determined through qualifiers scheduled for March 2025, while the tournament draw will take place on April 10, 2025.
The 2025 Gold Cup will be held across 14 stadiums in 11 cities in the United States and Canada, including five venues that will also host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Saudi Arabian Football Federation president, Yasser Al Misehal, said Saudi football has achieved prestigious international status thanks to the constant support of the Kingdom’s leadership.
He also acknowledged the efforts of the minister of sports for providing all resources to strengthen Saudi football's global standing.
He also said that the participation of the Saudi national team in this prestigious tournament aligns with the plans to develop the team, especially as the tournament will be held a year before the 2026 World Cup in the United States and Canada. Mexico also is hosting World Cup matches.