NEWCASTLE, United Kingdom: Newcastle stormed into the Premier League’s top six as Alexander Isak scored twice in a 4-0 thrashing of Tottenham to rekindle their outside hopes of a place in next season’s Champions League.
Spurs’ lead over the Magpies is cut to 10 points with six games remaining, but Newcastle have a far easier run-in.
Tottenham conceded five times in the opening 21 minutes of a 6-1 humiliation on their last visit to St. James’ Park and were outmuscled and outclassed once more on Tyneside.
Eddie Howe was forced into a switch to a back three due to Newcastle’s abundance of injuries in defense.
But the home side’s makeshift backline was rarely troubled after Timo Werner skewed an effort wide in a bright start by the visitors.
The game swung decisively in Newcastle’s favor thanks to two goals in two minutes thanks to two errors from Micky van de Ven midway through the first half.
The Dutch center-back has been one of the signings of the season for Spurs, but had an afternoon to forget.
Van de Ven’s first slip allowed Isak to smash home from Anthony Gordon’s pass to open the scoring.
Straight from kick-off, Van de Ven fell over again as he tried to reach Pedro Porro’s backpass and Gordon took full advantage to score his 10th Premier League goal of the campaign.
Newcastle could have had more before the break as Destiny Udogie’s last-ditch challenge denied Isak a second before the Swedish striker headed over from a corner.
But any doubt over the outcome was dismissed six minutes into the second period when Isak again beat Van de Ven to Bruno Guimaraes’ long ball over the top and slotted home.
Isak is now only two behind Erling Haaland’s 19 Premier League goals in the race to win the Golden Boot.
Ange Postecoglou showed his dismay with the Spurs display as captain Son Heung-min was hauled off in a triple substitution before the hour mark.
The visitors also lost right-back Porro to injury to rub salt into the wounds of what could be a damaging day for their hopes of a return to the Champions League next season.
A poor week for English clubs in European competitions means that a place in the top four may be needed to qualify for the Champions League.
Spurs slip behind fourth-placed Aston Villa on goal difference.
But Tottenham have all three of the title contenders — Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City — to play in their final six games, while Villa face both Arsenal and Liverpool.
Postecoglou warned on the eve of the game that Newcastle’s struggles this season show how the demands of European football can drain a squad’s resources.
Yet they could still sneak back into the top four with a strong end to the campaign.
Fabian Schar inflicted the final blow when he rose highest to power in Gordon’s corner three minutes from time.
Newcastle hit Tottenham for four to enliven Champions League race
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Newcastle hit Tottenham for four to enliven Champions League race
- Spurs’ lead over the Magpies is cut to 10 points with six games remaining, but Newcastle have a far easier run-in
- Eddie Howe was forced into a switch to a back three due to Newcastle’s abundance of injuries in defense
FIFA accused of ‘monumental betrayal’ over latest World Cup ticket prices
- Fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) described the current prices as “extortionate”
- The FSE called on FIFA to immediately halt ticket sales via national associations “until a solution that respects the tradition, universality, and cultural significance of the World Cup is found”
BERLIN: Soccer fans have accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal” after latest prices for World Cup tickets began to circulate on Thursday.
The governing body allocates 8 percent of tickets to national associations for games involving their team to sell to the most loyal fans.
And a list published by the German soccer federation revealed prices ranged from $180-$700 for varying group stage games. The lowest price for the final was $4,185 and the highest was $8,680.
Those group-stage prices are very different from FIFA’s claims of $60 tickets being available, while the target from United States soccer officials when bidding for the tournament seven years ago was to offer hundreds of thousands of $21 seats across the opening phase of games.
Fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) described the current prices as “extortionate.”
“This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is,” it said in a statement.
The English Football Association shared pricing information with the England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC) on Thursday evening, which showed that if a fan bought a ticket for every game through to the final it would cost just over $7,000.
FIFA said in September that tickets released through its website would initially range from $60 for group-stage matches to $6,730 for the final. But those prices are subject to change as it adopts dynamic pricing for the first time at the World Cup.
FIFA tickets are available in four categories, with the best seats in Category 1.
In the price list published by the German federation, there were only three categories.
The lowest priced ticket was $180 for Germany’s opening group game against Curacao in Houston. The lowest price for the semifinal was $920 rising to $1,125.
The FSE called on FIFA to immediately halt ticket sales via national associations “until a solution that respects the tradition, universality, and cultural significance of the World Cup is found.”
The Associated Press approached FIFA for comment.
Latest phase
FIFA launched its third phase of widespread ticket sales Thursday, with fans now able to apply for specific matches for the first time through its “Random Selection Draw.”
Following last week’s draw for the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, an updated schedule has been published.
That means fans know when and where the likes of Lionel Messi and Argentina will play. Previous ticket ballots were blind as the qualification period had not even been completed and the draw was yet to take place.
Now participating nations have been placed in groups, with their paths through the tournament determined. For instance, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could go on to meet in the quarterfinals in Kansas City if both Argentina and Portugal top their respective groups.
Not that fans are guaranteed to get tickets to the games they apply for.
The draw opened Dec. 11 at 11 a.m. ET (1600 GMT) and closes Jan. 13, 2026.
FIFA says ticket applications can be made at any point during this window and the timing of entry will not impact the chances of success. Fans can apply via FIFA’s website for a maximum of four tickets per household per match and a maximum of 40 tickets throughout the tournament.
Fans will need a FIFA ID to apply for tickets and can pick which matches and which pricing category they want to apply for.
Successful applicants will be notified by email in February and charged automatically.
Prices
The last time the US hosted the World Cup in 1994 prices ranged from $25 to $475. In Qatar in 2022 prices ranged from around $70 to $1,600 when ticket details were announced.
Tickets for the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19 are already going for in excess of $11,000 on secondary resale sites.
For this tournament FIFA has also set up its own resale platform where it charges a 15 percent fee based on the total resale price.
FIFA said that closer to the tournament any remaining tickets will go on general sale on a first-come, first-served basis.
It did not reveal a time frame for the release of those remaining tickets.
