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      Leicester’s Iheanacho aims to replicate hero Kanu’s Wembley heroics after being unable to afford to watch 2008 Final

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      KELECHI IHEANACHO was gutted when he couldn’t get a ticket for the 2008 FA Cup final and missed his hero Nwankwo Kanu’s famous cup-winning goal for Portsmouth.However, unlike hundreds of thousands of unlucky fans, Iheanacho wasn’t looking for a Wembley brief.
      Kelechi Iheanacho could follow in the footsteps of hero Kanu by winning the FA CupCredit: Getty
      The youngster, who was only 11 at the time, couldn’t scrape up the cash for a ticket to watch the action on a TV set at his local youth centre in Owerri, Nigeria, where he and Kanu both grew up as kids.
      Now, the Leicester City striker intends to follow in Kanu’s legendary size-15 footsteps at Wembley tomorrow, by booking his ticket for this year’s FA Cup final at Southampton’s expense.
      Iheanacho says he was inspired by his famous predecessor and was heartbroken at missing his finest hour for Pompey.
      He said: “Kanu was a huge inspiration for me because he came from the same city as me.
      “He used to come back to Nigeria and train with us in our academy when he was playing for Portsmouth. 
      “Our coach told us a lot about him and then he started to come and train with us. It was so good. 
      “I looked up to him and he always spoke to me and encouraged me.
      “I used to enjoy watching the FA Cup final when I was a kid but I missed the famous one where he scored the winning goal for Portsmouth.
      Kanu famously won the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008Credit: Action Images – Reuters
      Kanu hooks home the winner against Cardiff CityCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
      “He was known as King Kanu and they gave him a crown at the end, the lid of the trophy or something like that.
      “I couldn’t get to watch it myself because it was only being shown at the local youth centre and you had to pay to go in.
      “But I only heard about one of Kanu’s most famous games from those people who had tickets and were able to go in. 
      “I never thought that one day I would play in the same league Kanu played in. I was lucky, now I have a chance to play in an FA Cup final too if we win, so I’m really happy to be playing at Wembley in the semi-final.” 
      As if having Jamie Vardy to worry about wasn’t bad enough, Saints defenders will also have to deal with Africa’s greatest-ever FA Cup goalscorer – a title Iheanacho assumed after his double put Manchester United to the sword in the last round.
      Iheanacho’s staggering haul of 13 goals in 18 FA Cup appearances has seen him not only overtake his hero Kanu (7 goals in 27 FA Cup apps), he has now eclipsed previous record-holder Didier Drogba (12 goals in 29 FA Cup apps) too.
      “It means a lot to me,” confessed the 24-year-old who should have many more years to set a new milestone which could last for decades. 
      “Hopefully I can get to score more and some time someone else can come and break my record. 
      Iheanacho has formed a blistering strike partnership with Jamie Vardy at LeicesterCredit: Reuters
      “I’m just really happy that I have achieved that, most importantly as it’s ahead of legends in the Premier League like Didier Drogba and Kanu. It’s unbelievable.”
      After years of playing the role of apprentice to striking sorcerer Jamie Vardy, Iheanacho has finally come of age for Leicester this season.
      He heads to Wembley having scored nine goals in his last six games for the Foxes. 
      Meanwhile his goals per minute ratio of a goal every 92 minutes is by far the best in the Premier League, now he has overtaken Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin (105 minutes).
      Iheancho’s deadly finishing puts superstars such as Harry Kane (134 minutes), Mo Salah (110 minutes) and even Jamie Vardy (177 minutes) in the shade.
      It’s hard to believe it’s not so long ago he went through an agonising year between September 22, 2018 and September 28, 2019 without scoring a single goal.
      His faith helped him through the longest goal drought of his career – likewise his belief that his mother, Mercy, who died following a short illness in 2013, still watches over him.
      After scoring a stunning hat-trick against Sheffield United on Mother’s Day an emotional Iheanacho dedicated his goals to mothers everywhere.
      Iheanacho saluted all the mothers in the world when he scored his hat-trick against Sheffield UnitedCredit: Marc Aspland

      Now as he heads for Wembley, he says: “I am a Christian by faith and I believe that no matter how bad things get, something good is waiting for you.
      “My worst fear in life was to lose my mum and there isn’t a day when I don’t remember her. There is nothing that could scare me any more in this life.
      “I know she is behind me. Every day I see her when I think about her – for the rest of my life the memories will always be there.”
      Leicester snapping up Hartlepool wonderkid Brad Young in bargain transfer More

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      in Soccer

      Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel reveals he ensured tactics were on the menu when he ate with Man City boss Pep Guardiola

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      THOMAS TUCHEL will never forget the day his dinner date with Pep Guardiola turned Messi.But today he plans to turn the tables on his managerial mentor.
      Thomas Tuchel and Pep Guardiola enjoyed dinner together in 2014Credit: Reuters
      In December 2014, Tuchel was invited to a Munich restaurant by the man who was the king of German football at the time.
      Tuchel was between jobs after walking out of Mainz and jumped at the opportunity to pick the brains of then Bayern boss Guardiola.
      As the duo prepare for a Wembley reunion this afternoon, Tuchel asked: “When you are out for dinner with Pep, why not talk about football? What else was there for me to talk about?
      “For me, he was a huge influence. I didn’t know him when he was at Barcelona — but I watched almost every game and was very impressed by the way he made success happen.
      “Then I became the coach at Mainz and had the opportunity to play against him when he was in charge at Bayern. And that was not always such a pleasure. But every game against him at that time was a big lesson for me, so when we had dinner together in Munich obviously we talked about tactics.
      “We had some drawings that we used on the table to go through all the positions and we were moving the salt and pepper pots around to explain the formations he was using.
      “We were discussing how he changed Barcelona when he bought Fabregas and how to play Messi as a false nine and sometimes with a single six or a double six. Just two coaches talking about normal stuff.”
      Tuchel is acutely aware he has never beaten a Guardiola team in five previous meetings while at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.
      But if all goes according to plan, he could be pitting his wits against the all-conquering Spaniard three times in the next six weeks, in the FA Cup, the Premier League and the Champions League final.
      Thomas Tuchel has never beaten Pep Guardiola in five previous attemptsCredit: Getty
      Guardiola and Tuchel could meet three times in the next six weeksCredit: Getty
      Tuchel said: “Bayern Munich with Hansi Flick and Manchester City with Pep are the benchmark in European football.
      “At the moment we have to accept that there is a gap between Chelsea and Manchester City.
      “But from day one of next season, we will hunt them to close the gap between us.”
      This afternoon’s semi-final will provide a fascinating insight into just how much of a job Tuchel still has on his hands.
      The German, 47, gave his players an extra night in Seville to recover from Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final win over Porto, which sets up a mouth-watering clash with Real Madrid.
      He revealed: “We had a very nice hotel in a very nice setting.
      “We had the chance to sit outside because the weather was very warm and it was a very calming atmosphere for everybody to enjoy each other’s company.
      “We created a bubble there which we cannot do here because for months the players could never go to a restaurant together.
      “So we took advantage of this situation to let the players bond, to enjoy a glass of wine or a sip of beer — and to have some talks outside of tactics and line-ups.
      These are all the little steps that we do to help the players to switch off sometimes — because in a schedule like this you need to be switched on a lot.

      “In the next six weeks we play a semi-final of the Cup, a semi-final of the Champions League and seven league games which must all be played like a cup tie if we are going to finish in the top four.
      “So it’s very important that, besides all this seriousness, the players must feel relaxed and have a good atmosphere together.
      “We should be happy to be here and to have the privilege to be working at this level, it feels like being part of a family.”
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      in Soccer

      Rebecca Welch was DELIGHTED to get grief while making ref history in League Two clash between Harrogate and Port Vale

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      REBECCA WELCH revealed players ‘chewed her ear off’ when she made ref history earlier this month.She became the first woman to officiate an EFL match from the start in the League Two clash between Harrogate and Port Vale.
      Rebecca Welch says she was delighted when Harrogate and Port Vale players started ‘chewing her ear off’Credit: Rex
      She became the first woman to officiate an EFL match from the start in the League TwoCredit: Reuters
      And despite the constant clicking of cameras to capture the momentous day, she was delighted when the players started giving her grief.
      Welch, 37, said: “The players didn’t treat me any differently – they were still chewing my ear off as they went past.
      “That was nice because I was a bit afraid of them not being like that.
      “You want players to go, ‘You got that one wrong, ref,’ or ‘It’s gone so well in the last 10 minutes’.
      “You need that and when I got it I felt normal and that I could just referee the game.
      “I was sick of hearing the camera clicking, but it’s the nature of the beast.
      “People say it went really well but, for me, it was just a normal game.”
      A whirlwind week has left the Washington, County Durham-born whistler’s mum asking why she isn’t on the telly anymore.
      There are some quality players up for grabs for nothing

      Speaking in a Q&A in aid of North East mental health charity If U Care Share, Welch added: “In 50 years I’ll be in the history books – it’s really nice but, yeah, it’s a game of football.
      “But I understand the bigger picture that it’s not about one game, it’s about inspiring the next generation to come through.
      “The next step is definitely the Football League (permanently).”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Referee Rebecca Welch impresses on EFL debut as Port Vale win at Harrogate More

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      in Soccer

      PSG are doing no-one any favours but themselves.. and that’s football in the 2020s

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      JAMIE CARRAGHER has passed on his views about French club football.It’s a waste of time, he says. “Nobody can tell me Ligue 1 is a top league.”
      Kylian Mbappe and Neymar have fired PSG to a Champions League semi-finalCredit: EPA
      The former Liverpool and England defender delivered a dose of logic after PSG’s Neymar and Kylian Mbappe had torn Bayern Munich apart in a Champions’ League quarter final, actually without scoring.
      This may have been a successful enterprise financed by Middle East oil money. But the English rarely miss a chance to joust with the French.
      Carragher scratched the itch again. A tiny spot but, perhaps inadvertently, a riposte to all those who think they were aimed at us: Brexit stuff, AstraZeneca bashing, our food, our fashion, you name it, starting from William the Conqueror and probably how we wore our woad.
      Still, it was a tiny blow for Blighty because Euro facts back him up. Only one French team, Marseille, have ever won the continent’s leading club competition and PSG not at all.
      Season after season, the aristocrat footballers of Paris find winning Ligue 1 as comfortable as a stroll beside the River Seine.
      It works like this: Qatar state money pays for a number of the world’s best players for PSG while would-be domestic rivals sell the stars produced by French football academies, from Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane to Paul Pogba and Mbappe himself.
      And while England have grubbed around for more than half a century to find an international team skilled enough even to reach a World Cup final, France have done so twice in the past six competitions.
      That shouts of expert coaching pre-dating massive exporting.
      PSG celebrate after knocking Bayern Munich out of the Champions League
      Karren Brady is a columnist for SunSportCredit: PR Handout – Free to use
      So Carragher has it half right and half wrong. Unless his club draw PSG, no manager would quietly curse being coupled with Lille, Lyon or Lens, all currently among Ligue 1’s top five.
      The reaction would be different should the opposition come from Spain where, despite the league supremacy of Real Madrid and Barcelona, being matched with, say, Sevilla or Atletico brings on an instant pain.
      And in Italy where Juventus have hogged the Serie A title for a decade, club competitiveness there is always a threat among half-a-dozen big city teams, particularly Inter but also Milan, Lazio, Roma and Torino. Much the same applies to Germany.
      Carragher was talking football not politics. He couldn’t see why two of the very best players chose Ligue 1 ahead of the Premier League or La Liga.
      All right, the glib answer is that PSG offered them enough money to tempt Midas. No other club could or would pay £225m for Neymar, dazzling but as quarrelsome as a cockerel, and £150m for Mbappe, a 19-year-old bolt of lightning.
      And now, changing his mind for the Nth time, Neymar wishes to stay in Paris and it will come as no surprise if his team-mate does, too, especially if their team wins the Champions’ League.
      No doubt there are other reasons why PSG are now so attractive to the pair.
      One is, I think, that Mauricio Pottechino is an understanding and approachable manager and life around Parc des Princes is most pleasurable.

      Even awkward squad members respond to him.
      Then again, the Qatari fortune that has financed next year’s World Cup has also guaranteed a succession of Ligue 1 titles and all that huge superiority; those games in which players can showcase their brilliance without too much of a risk.
      In the end then, PSG are doing no-one any favours but themselves. And that’s football in the 2020s.
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      in Soccer

      Mount and Pulisic are key for Chelsea beating Man City while Southampton can shock Leicester despite leaky defence

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      MANCHESTER CITY will go into this semi-final full of confidence, but Chelsea will fancy their chances.Both sides have had success this season by deploying a false nine but in reality they have moulded it to each of their strengths.
      Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount will be vital to Chelsea’s hopes of toppling Man CityCredit: Getty
      Danny Higginbotham writes exclusively for SunSportCredit: Griffiths Photographers
      As a centre-back you always want someone to mark and without a striker you always have doubt in your mind.
      The interchanging of City’s front three – whether it be Raheem Sterling, Bernando Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden or Kevin De Bruyne – makes defenders go looking for their man out wide.
      At Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel will always have a man through the middle who drops deep to drag defenders with him to open up space for the midfield runners.
      And we all know Tuchel is capable of setting his side’s up to contain opposition attackers and be successful on the counter.
      The last four goals Pep Guardiola’s side have conceded have all been from deep runs from the midfield.
      Stuart Dallas’ double for Leeds and then Marco Reus and Jude Bellingham in the Champions League ties with Borussia Dortmund.
      It means both Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic will be key at Wembley today.
      City will be full of confidence after ridding themselves of the Champions League semi-final hoodoo.
      Liverpool boast the most-valuable squad in the Premier League

      It will come down to how both defences deal with the midfield runners.
      Because if the likes of Kurt Zouma or Toni Rudiger get dragged out wide, City will have players like Ilkay Gundogan ready to pounce.
      And likewise if John Stones or Ruben Dias get sucked in it will allow Chelsea to break them down in the counter attack. 
      If Southampton are going to reach the FA Cup final, they will need to respect the occasion just like we did in 2003.
      I joined the Saints in January that year – just in time for their historic run to the final against Arsenal.
      And if there was one thing I took away from that experience it was respecting the opponents in every game.
      I remember Gordon Strachan absolutely losing his rag when all of us, including some staff, celebrated drawing Watford in the semi-final rather than Arsenal or Sheffield United.
      Danny Ings and Theo Walcott are both potential Southampton match-winnersCredit: Getty
      He drilled into us that no matter the opponent it was a game we had to respect and go and win.
      We went into that tie as favourites, which was odd for a team like Southampton, but got the job done.
      Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side will have a different experience against Leicester who are third in the league.
      Southampton have had an up and down this season, only West Brom conceding more than them.
      But what they do have is match winners in their side with Danny Ings, Theo Walcott and James Ward-Prowse.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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      in Soccer

      Colin the Caterpillar cake loved by Aston Villa so much they create 2ft version for players’ birthdays

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      ASTON Villa loves Colin the Caterpillar cakes so much they create a 2ft version to celebrate players’ birthdays.The Premier League club’s chef combines two Marks & Spencer £7 chocolate sponges for a “Double Colin”.
      We imagined Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish as a Colin the Caterpillar cake
      The player and his teammates are treated to 2ft versions of the cake on their birthdaysCredit: PA
      A source says ‘the Double Colin has become legend, not a birthday passes by when a player isn’t handed one’Credit: AP
      It is then wheeled out for stars such as Jack Grealish, 25.
      A club source said: “The Double Colin has become legend.
      “Not a birthday passes by when a player isn’t handed one.
      “They need more cake to go round the whole team, and the training staff of course.”
      M&S launched the popular Colin cake around 30 years agoCredit: PA
      They have now launched a High Court bid against Aldi over its ‘Cuthbert’ versionCredit: Aldi

      The news comes after The Sun told yesterday how M&S — which launched Colin around 30 years ago and now charges £7 — is in a High Court battle with Aldi over its £4.99 “Cuthbert” version.
      M&S has three trademarks relating to Colin and believes it has a distinctive character and reputation.
      It wants Aldi to remove its version and agree not to sell anything similar.
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      in Soccer

      Man City ace Phil Foden reveals he and childhood sweetheart Rebecca Cooke have a second baby on the way

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      FOOTIE wonderkid Phil Foden is celebrating again after revealing he is to become a dad for the second time.The Manchester City and England star became a father for the first time at age 18.
      Phil Foden and Rebecca Cooke are having another childCredit: instagram
      Foden became a father for the first time at age 18Credit: Instagram @philfoden
      The Man City ace has told friends they are expecting a baby girlCredit: Rex
      He and childhood sweetheart Rebecca Cooke, both now 20, had little Ronnie — named after Foden’s boyhood nickname — in January 2019.
      Now the midfield ace has told friends they are having a baby girl to join them in their £3.25million mansion in Prestbury, Cheshire.
      The new arrival is expected in late summer or early autumn, The Sun understands.
      A source said of Foden and his table-topping Sky Blues: “City can’t stop scoring at the moment — both on and off the pitch.
      “They’ve hit the back of the net more times than any of the teams and are now celebrating another kid.
      Rebecca gave birth to little Ronnie in January 2019
      A source says ‘City can’t stop scoring at the moment — both on and off the pitch’Credit: Getty

      “It couldn’t be a better way to cap off such a great season.”
      Foden scored again on Wednesday night in his team’s 2-1 away win in a crunch European clash with Germany’s Borussia Dortmund.
      It saw City get through to the semi-finals of the Champions League, while they sit 11 points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League.
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      in Boxing

      Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua could yet be derailed by dethroned champ Deontay Wilder, warns David Haye

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      DEONTAY WILDER remains a serious threat to the Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury undisputed showdown this summer.Saudi Arabia have made a concrete offer to host the all-English showdown for AJ’s WBA, IBF and WBO belts and the Gypsy King’s iconic WBC strap.
      Tyson Fury could find Deontay Wilder posing a threat to his fight with Anthony JoshuaCredit: Rex
      AJ and Fury look set to collide in an epic heavyweight bout this summerCredit: Rex
      And 32-year-old Fury claims he is ‘one million per cent sure’ the all-English bout will be made and has even started his training camp in Las Vegas, as SunSport revealed last week.
      However, the heavy-handed American Fury blasted away in February insists he is still owed a rematch and ex-world champ David Haye fears he could still blow a whole in the plans.
      The former cruiser and heavyweight king knows Wilder from sparring sessions and the bleeding business inside out.
      The Hayemaker told SunSport: “I absolutely believe both fighters want the fight to happen and I am sure there are plenty of offers out there.
      “But I have never heard of a long-running world champion – like Deontay Wilder was – not having a rematch clause in place in case he loses.
      “Deontay himself has been very quiet, the team around him have not given much away but I would be very surprised if does not have some sort of impact in the making of this fight or gets something out of it not being him Fury is facing next.”
      Fury demolished the Alabama powerhouse in magnificent fashion in February 2020, ending his five-year and ten-defence reign.
      Wilder’s behaviour in the aftermath has been woeful, blaming and then sacking much-loved assistant trainer Mark Breland and accusing Fury of cheating.
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      Wilder believes he is still owed a third fight against FuryCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Haye believes Wilder will look to get something out of any fight created between Fury and JoshuaCredit: Getty – Contributor

      The fall from grace has been so heavy that fans and Fury himself have even raised concerns about his mental health.
      But, as erratic as Wilder has been, his 76-year-old manager Shelly Finkel is a veteran of Mike Tyson’s wildest and most litigious days and Haye doubts he would have overseen anything less than a water-tight contract.
      The 40-year-old manager of Derek Chisora said: “The pandemic obviously made the third fight very difficult to make but I remember thinking, when the news broke that the contract for it had expired, it sounded strange.

      “I have boxed, promoted and now managed at the top level and I don’t think I have ever come across an expiration date for a rematch.
      “I hope I am wrong, I hope the June or July date that is being talked about can be achieved.
      “But I do think Deontay Wilder, or the management or promoters around him, will have a say or something to gain from it happening.”
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