Bale gets a boost with rare praise from Mourinho

Wycombe Wanderers’ Nigerian midfielder Fred Onyedinma, left, vies with Tottenham Hotspur’s Welsh striker Gareth Bale, right, in Monday’s match in London. (AFP)
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Updated 27 January 2021
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Bale gets a boost with rare praise from Mourinho

  • Mourinho’s assessment will boost the spirits of the 31-year-old Wales star

LONDON: Gareth Bale’s goalscoring performance was labeled as “good” by Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho after the Premier League club came from behind to beat Championship side Wycombe 4-1 in their FA Cup fourth round tie.

Mourinho’s assessment will boost the spirits of the 31-year-old Wales star, who has had an underwhelming second spell at Spurs since coming on a season long loan from Real Madrid.

He has been hampered by fitness issues, and mostly been confined to Europa League games, playing just 45 minutes of Premier League football since early November.

Mourinho, though played him for the full 90 minutes of the Wycombe game, and Bale showed his rustiness in front of goal by spurning several chances after he had drawn the sides level.

However, Mourinho said his overall performance — which set them up with a tough fifth round trip to Everton — had been pleasing.

“It was good,” said Mourinho.

“Some good movement.

“Some one against one, beating people, attacking people, creating chances. Of course scoring a goal.”

Mourinho had spoken ahead of the game of how Bale could not expect to be given game time and that he had to earn it on what he did on the training ground.

“Apart from that I never felt he couldn’t play the 90 minutes,” he said.

“I never felt that I needed to change him.

“Of course the Championship is a good, competitive level and the aggression is high and the intensity is good.

“So I’m happy.”

Mourinho’s side are still involved in four competition’s including the title race and face out of form champions Liverpool on Thursday.

Should the Portuguese wish for a relaxing moment prior to that his Wycombe counterpart Gareth Ainsworth, who sings in a rock band, gave him a tantalising invite.

“He (Mourinho) said he might not be able to sing but I bet he can play a mean tambourine,” said Ainsworth.


US invests in counter-drone tech to protect FIFA World Cup venues

Updated 13 January 2026
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US invests in counter-drone tech to protect FIFA World Cup venues

The US will invest $115 million in counter-drone measures to bolster security around the FIFA World Cup and ​America’s 250th Anniversary celebrations, the Department of Homeland Security said on Monday, the latest sign of governments stepping up drone defenses.

The FIFA World Cup will be a major test of President Donald Trump’s pledge to keep the US ‌secure, with over ‌a million travelers expected ‌to ⁠visit ​for ‌the tournament and billions more watching matches from overseas.

The threat of drone attacks has become a growing concern since the war in Ukraine has demonstrated their lethal capabilities. And recent drone incidents have worried both ⁠European and US airports.

“We are entering a new era ‌to defend our air ‍superiority to protect our ‍borders and the interior of the ‍United States,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. Defense companies are developing a range of technologies aimed at countering drones, including ​tracking software, lasers, microwaves and autonomous machine guns.

The DHS did not specify ⁠which technologies it would deploy to World Cup venues. The announcement comes weeks after the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which sits under DHS, said it granted $250 million to 11 states hosting World Cup matches to buy counter-drone technologies.

Last summer, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, called on Trump, a Republican, to bolster federal support for ‌defending against drone attacks.