AFC Wimbledon knock Ipswich out of League Cup as Newcastle edge Forest in shootout

Newcastle United players celebrate at the end of the English League Cup second round football match between Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United at The City Ground in Nottingham, central England, on Aug. 28, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 29 August 2024
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AFC Wimbledon knock Ipswich out of League Cup as Newcastle edge Forest in shootout

  • Wimbledon goalkeeper Owen Goodman was the hero as the League Two side defeated Ipswich on spot kicks following a 2-2 draw
  • With League Cup ties that end level after 90 minutes now going straight to penalties it was visitors Newcastle who prevailed 4-3 from the spot

LONDON: Fourth-tier AFC Wimbledon knocked top-flight Ipswich out of the English League Cup in a shock second round shootout result on Wednesday as Newcastle defeated Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest on penalties.

AFC Wimbledon were then drawn against Newcastle in the third round, giving the club the chance of pulling off another giant-killing success.

Wimbledon goalkeeper Owen Goodman was the hero as the League Two side defeated Ipswich on spot kicks following a 2-2 draw.

Ali Al-Hamadi, who joined Ipswich from Wimbledon in January, scored the opener in just the third minute but Omar Bugiel equalized for the hosts just before halftime.

Mathew Stevens gave Wimbledon a 2-1 lead in the 56th minute but Conor Chaplin capitalized on a Goodman mistake in the closing stages to send the match to penalties.

Ipswich were on course to go through to the third round when Jake Reeves fired over the crossbar.

Goodman, however, made two superb saves from Jack Taylor and Omari Hutchinson before Isaac Ogundere scored the decisive penalty.

“The underdog story in football,” Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson told the BBC. “It’s another amazing night in another chapter in that story.

“We always have to do it the hard way as a football club, but we find a way.”

Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali made his return from a 10-month betting ban against Forest, the midfielder having served a worldwide suspension for breaching gambling rules in Italy.

Tonali was involved in the buildup to Joe Willock’s opener after just 18 seconds before home debutant Jota Silva equalized early in the second half.

But there were no more goals in normal time and with League Cup ties that end level after 90 minutes now going straight to penalties it was visitors Newcastle who prevailed 4-3 from the spot.

The first three penalties all resulted in goals before Forest goalkeeper Miguel got down low to his right to deny Brazilian compatriot Joelinton.

But Forest’s Ibrahim Sangare hit the crossbar and teammate Taiwo Awoniyi struck an awful penalty way over the bar before Sean Longstaff coolly settled the tie in favor of Newcastle.

“Massive result for us and hopefully one that kickstarts our season,” Longstaff told Sky Sports.

Two goals in added time from James Bree and Cameron Archer saw Premier League returnees Southampton to their first win of the season as they secured a 5-3 triumph at second-tier Cardiff.

Southampton led three times only to be pulled back to 3-3 by a determined Cardiff before Bree’s 30-yard drive edged the Premier League side 4-3 in front, with Archer’s second goal putting the result beyond doubt.

“I’m really happy with the win and I’m pleased for my young players,” said Southampton manager Russell Martin, who gave five of his players their first start for the club. “But there is also a lot to be annoyed about.”

Jarrod Bowen’s late strike proved the difference as West Ham advanced into the third round with a 1-0 win over fellow Premier League side Bournemouth.

Two minutes from full time a shot from substitute Mohammed Kudus appeared to hit the chest of Bowen and flew past Cherries keeper Neto.

Replays suggested the final touch may have come off Bowen’s elbow but, with no VAR in use in the early rounds of the League Cup, the goal stood.

West Ham will now play holders Liverpool in the third round — a repeat of the 1981 final that the Reds won in a replay.

Hakon Valdimarsson saved an 82nd-minute penalty as Premier League Brentford won 1-0 away to League Two Colchester, with the Bees going through courtesy of Keane Lewis-Potter’s goal.

Third-tier Wycombe defeated Championship club Swansea 1-0 thanks to Richard Kone’s first-half strike, while Goncalo Guedes struck twice as Wolves knocked out Burnley with a 2-0 win at Molineux.

League Two Barrow’s reward for beating Championship club Derby on Tuesday was a fourth-round tie away to Chelsea, with Premier League champions Manchester City at home to Watford.


Dortmund’s new CEO defends sponsorship deal with arms manufacturer Rheinmetall

Updated 11 December 2025
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Dortmund’s new CEO defends sponsorship deal with arms manufacturer Rheinmetall

  • Cramer said “it’s maybe a part of life that we do not need to agree 100 percent to everything the club are doing”
  • At the 2024 AGM, a majority of members present voted against further cooperation with Rheinmetall

BERLIN: German soccer club Borussia Dortmund’s new chief executive has defended their contentious sponsorship agreement with Rheinmetall, the country’s largest arms manufacturer.
Carsten Cramer, who took over from outgoing Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke last month, said Thursday he was 100 percent committed to the three-year deal announced by the club in May 2024, and that he was “convinced it was the right decision” despite many Dortmund fans making their opposition to it clear.
“I do accept the criticism,” Cramer said. “It’s maybe a part of life that we do not need to agree 100 percent to everything the club are doing. But in certain times it is necessary to take responsibility, and in these dangerous times where the safety and security of our country is not protected by diplomatic relationships and political relationships, I think it is a clear commitment of a club like Dortmund that we have to invest in defense.”
Rheinmetall last month announced record figures for the first nine months of 2025, with sales up 20 percent to 7.5 billion euros ($8.8 billion), while its backlog in orders reached 64 billion euros ($75 billion). It announced record sales of weapon systems, ammunition and protection systems driven by wars in Ukraine and elsewhere.
“We have to start and run a discussion in our country how to defend our country and Dortmund are always taking responsibility,” Cramer said. “We are always saying we are more than just a football club.”
Dortmund present Rheinmetall on their website as a “champion partner” and they display the company’s banner on advertising hoardings during games.
The agreement has caused friction among supporters to varying degrees with some Dortmund fans even going so far as to renounce their support. There were boos for Watzke at the club’s AGM last month, when he was appointed club president with 59 percent of the vote though he might have expected more. Watzke played a significant role in steering the club through a financial crisis in 2005.
At the 2024 AGM, a majority of members present voted against further cooperation with Rheinmetall.
That came after the team’s first game of the 2024-25 season was marked by fan protests against the sponsorship deal.
“Five years ago, I never expected that we would work together with a defense company. But now democracy, the system, the defense structure of our territories (is) under pressure, and I think we have to open the eyes of the people that we are not able to defend our country, our system, just by hoping that the Americans will care for us,” Cramer said.
“If a club like us are not inviting (people) to discuss something like this, who should do it?”