Sport
Lionesses praised for ‘classy’ response as they comfort Nigeria keeper immediately after penalty win
Lauren James might have had a moment to forget on Monday, but the rest of the squad showed what a great bunch they are.
England’s women’s team scraped through to the 2023 Women’s World Cup quarter-finals by the skin of their teeth on Monday following a nerve-racking penalty shootout, but it was the Lionesses’ behaviour afterwards as they comforted Nigeria’s keeper that warmed the hearts of even more fans.
Sarina Wiegman‘s side looked like they might fall short of the mark after they couldn’t get a result inside 90 minutes or extra time, especially having gone down to 10 players once Lauren James received a red card for stamping on an opponent but, fortunately, they somehow managed to survive the shootout.
Moments after Chloe Kelly rifled the winning penalty into the back of the net, the Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie was left in tears on the pitch as her national side’s tournament run came to a bitter end, at which point the Lionesses star immediately went over to check on her.
Joined by her Manchester City colleague Alex Greenwood, the duo helped console an understandably emotional Nnadozie, with the Euro 2022 and Finalissima-winning goalscorer urging the cameras to stop filming the visibly upset shot-stopper.
Heartwarming stuff from the girls.
As you would expect, the reaction online has been overwhelmingly positive, with people labelling it a “lovely touch” from the team and insisting that “we don’t deserve them”.
The sentiment is clear: it was a classy moment from the Lionesses who continue to unite the country and stand a strong chance of boasting not only the title of European Champions but calling themselves World Cup winners within the next 12 days.
We can only hope.
Read more:
Naturally, there were plenty online that did take issue with the narrative and general applauding of their behaviour in light of the stamp and sending off, which both the Lionesses and James herself have now apologised for, but most seemed to understand that it was not indicative of the overarching values the team usually stand for.
Even the player who was the victim of the stamp, Michelle Alozie, put the incident in context by insisting: “This game is one of passion, insurmountable emotions and moments. All respect for Lauren James.”
England are now set to face Colombia at 11:30am on Saturday, 12 August for a place in the semi-finals where they play will either host nation Australia or France.
To get yourself in the tournament spirit, you can check out the time we met Alex Greenwood and she spoke passionately about the importance and growing profile of the women’s game down below:
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Image — BBC Sport/Ayinde Halimatu
Sport
Both Manchester United and Manchester City named as teams with the least amount of local fans
Emily Sergeant
Both Manchester United and Manchester City have been identified as being teams with the least amount of local fans, according to a new survey.
We all know that supporting a local team can be seen as a mark of credibility among a certain kind of football fan, while on the flip side of that, not following a local team is often associated with being a ‘glory hunter’. But which Premier League clubs have the highest – and lowest – proportion of supporters living close to home?
Well, YouGov decided to use its profiles data to analyse the fanbases of all 20 Premier League clubs for the 2026-27 season to get the answer to this once and for all.
And it’s fair to say that it’s not looking the best for the Manchester teams.
The study found that, overall, Brighton & Hove Albion is the Premier League’s most local team – with 56% of fans based in the South East.
Sunderland (50%) and Nottingham Forest (49%) supporters are the next-most likely to live in the same region as their teams, followed by Aston Villa, Brentford, Ipswich, Leeds, Fulham, Hull, and Crystal Palace fans rounding out the top 10.
At the other end of the table, Manchester United has the second-lowest proportion of local supporters, with only a quarter based in the North West (23%), with one in six (17%) actually living in London instead.
And then as for Manchester City – who are widely considered to be the most successful team of the modern era – it has ranked fourth-bottom for local fans, as a quarter of the club’s supporters are based in the North West, with a fifth based in London (19%).
But although both United and City have found themselves towards the bottom end of the ranking, they are not the worst offenders.
Read more:
That title, unfortunately, does belong to another North West team though – Liverpool.
Liverpool is the club with the lowest proportion of ‘local’ supporters, as just a fifth are based in the North West (21%) with the next highest concentration of fans can being found in London.
Featured Image – Johnny Gios (via Unsplash)
Sport
Manchester Storm game postponed just one week after AO Arena return due to ‘technical issue with the ice’
Daisy Jackson
Manchester Storm’s second game back at the AO Arena had to be postponed over the weekend due to a ‘technical issue with the ice’.
The ice hockey team made a record-breaking return to the venue earlier this month, attracting some 11,000 fans to watch their match against Sheffield Steelers.
But just one week later, as Manchester Storm prepared to face off against The Nottingham Panthers, the game had to be postponed.
Fans were already inside the legendary venue when a ‘technical issue with the ice’ became apparent and the game was called off.
Manchester Storm and the AO Arena said they ‘sincerely apologise’ to supporters and ticket holders for the disruption.
The game has now been rescheduled to Wednesday 14 October, with tickets valid for the new fixture.
The full statement read: “Unfortunately today’s Manchester Storm game vs The Nottingham Panthers has been suspended due to a technical issue with the ice.
“We sincerely apologise to supporters and ticket holders for the disruption and would like to thank everyone in attendance for their patience.
“We advise attendees to retain their tickets which will remain valid for the rescheduled fixture.
“Those with single-game tickets for this game and seeking a refund are advised to contact their point of purchase.
“The rescheduled game will take place on Wednesday 14th October 2026.
“Manchester Storm and AO Arena would like to thank attendees for their understanding.”
Read more
Featured image: Supplied
Danny Jones -
8th August 2023 
