Manchester City : Aït-Nouri sur le banc, le kiffe de Guardiola

Malgré des prestations convaincantes en sélection et des apparitions encourageantes sous les couleurs de Manchester City, Rayan Aït-Nouri continue de faire face à un obstacle de taille : gagner la pleine confiance de son entraîneur Pep Guardiola. Des signaux positifs en sélection et en club À 24 ans, l’international algérien affiche pourtant une dynamique intéressante. Ses performances récentes face à l’Uruguay et au Guatemala ont été saluées, confirmant sa montée en puissance avec les Fennecs. En club aussi, lorsqu’il est aligné, Aït-Nouri montre de belles choses : activité offensive, qualité technique et capacité à se projeter rapidement vers l’avant. Mais ces signaux positifs ne semblent pas suffire à convaincre pleinement son entraîneur. Un temps de jeu limité en Premier League En championnat, le constat est clair, Aït-Nouri peine à s’imposer durablement. Avec seulement 13 apparitions cette saison, dont 10 titularisations, et une moyenne d’environ 60 minutes par match, son utilisation reste mesurée. Son bilan statistique (2 passes décisives) est honorable, mais encore insuffisant pour s’imposer comme un titulaire indiscutable dans un effectif aussi concurrentiel. Cette gestion contraste avec les attentes placées en lui, notamment au vu de son potentiel et de sa régularité lorsqu’il est sur le terrain. Guardiola privilégie d’autres options Le choix de Pep Guardiola est clair, dans les matchs à fort enjeu, il opte le plus souvent pour d’autres profils. Nico O’Reilly lui est notamment préféré, symbole d’une hiérarchie encore défavorable à l’Algérien. Une exception notable toutefois, le match retour face au Real Madrid, perdu 2-1, où Aït-Nouri avait été titularisé. Une opportunité importante, mais qui reste isolée dans sa saison. Une situation frustrante mais pas figée Pour Rayan Aït-Nouri, la situation est paradoxale. Performant lorsqu’il joue, il reste pourtant cantonné à un rôle secondaire dans les moments clés. Dans un club aussi exigeant que Manchester City, la concurrence est féroce et chaque détail compte. La fin de saison pourrait néanmoins lui offrir de nouvelles opportunités. À lui de continuer à répondre présent pour espérer inverser la tendance et s’imposer, enfin, comme une option incontournable dans l’esprit de Guardiola.

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Antoine Semenyo expressed his joy following Manchester City’s dominant 4-0 victory over Liverpool FC in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

City produced a commanding display at Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening, securing their place in the semi-finals with an emphatic performance.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Semenyo said: “I have a great feeling. The team delivered a strong performance today, and we wanted to continue our momentum after winning the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal—and we did that.”

The Ghanaian forward, who scored City’s third goal, added: “Since that final, we said we want to score goals and defend as a team, and we executed that perfectly today.”

Reflecting on his goal, he said: “Everyone made it easy for me. When I get the ball, I try to do my job and always be in the right place at the right time.”

Semenyo also mentioned his teammates Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki: “After two months here, I’m getting used to their style. Cherki makes things easier, and Erling is always involved.”

He continued: “My job becomes easier with those two. I know that once I enter the box, one of them will be there to finish.”

Concluding his remarks, Semenyo said: “Honestly, it feels like a dream. I’m grateful for another opportunity to win a trophy with Manchester City. The world is open for us now—we just need to make sure we win in the semi-finals.”

With this result, Manchester City continue their push for silverware this season, building on their recent domestic success and eyeing another trophy.

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The Glasgow Warriors proved just too strong for the Bulls in a last-16 Champions Cup clash at Scotstoun in Glasgow on Saturday, winning a close encounter 25-21.

They will now face Toulon in the quarter-finals after the French side beat the Stormers in their last-16 match earlier in the day.

No South African team will play in the last-eight of either the Champions Cup or second-tier Challenge Cup after the Sharks also lost at the weekend, to Connacht.

The Bulls gave it their all in difficult conditions but will rue not finishing the multitude of chances they created, while their defence was again too leaky and they were also guilty of making basic errors such as not kicking out and not handling the restarts properly.

Tight encounter

The Bulls went 3-0 up after a dominant first 10 minutes but Glasgow scored the first try around the 20-minute mark before Johan Grobbelaar crossed in the corner for the Bulls. A second Handre Pollard penalty put the visitors 11-7 up, but Glasgow were soon back in front with a second try.

A third Pollard penalty on the stroke of half-time gave the Bulls a 14-12 lead at the interval.

And as was the case in the early exchanges of the first 40, the Bulls dominated the first 10 to 15 minutes of the second spell, but without reward. And they would rue that as Glasgow got a third try around the 57th minute after catching the Bulls out wide from a quick-tap penalty.

A fourth try would come in the 72nd minute after a period of good buildup play, with slick handling and phase play, to put Glasgow 22-14 up.

Marco van Staden though gave the Bulls hope late on with a converted try in the 77th minute to leave the teams separated by a single point, but Glasgow would win a late penalty, which they converted to win by four.

All the big South African teams will now have next weekend off before turning their attention to the United Rugby Championship.

Toulon held on for a nail-biting 28-27 win over the Stormers in their Champions Cup round of 16 match at Stade Mayol on Saturday, kicking the Cape side out of the tournament.

The French giants dominated possession and territory for most of the game, but could not put themselves out of reach of the visitors, who took the lead twice.

The game went to the death, and a TMO decision on a possible Stormers try at the end found no evidence of grounding, bringing a thrilling encounter to a close.

Toulon will face the winners of the match between the Glasgow Warriors and the Bulls in their quarter-final.

Neck and neck

Toulon showed intent from the start. After being held up in the eighth minute, scrumhalf Ben White ultimately scored a minute later, linking on the wing with Gaël Dréan before running under the posts. Marius Domon converted to make it 7-0.

Flyhalf Jurie Matthee put the first points on the board for the Stormers with a penalty kick in the 20th minute. The visitors then took the lead when lock Adré Smith slipped two tackles to score a try in the 24th minute. Matthee’s conversion made it 10-7.

Dréan retook the lead for Toulon with a try out wide, side-stepping Cobus Reinach before scoring. Thomas Albornoz’s conversion made it 14-10 after 30 minutes.

A Matthee penalty five minutes later reduced the deficit to one point. Neither side were able to capitalise on opportunities until the half-time whistle blew at 14-13 to Toulon.

Toulon hang on in the second half

The Stormers were held up in the 46th minute. Coach John Dobson brought on much of the bench six minutes later.

Replacement flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu immediately made an impact with a chip over the defence, Evan Roos crashing over after a few drives in the 54th minute. Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s conversion gave them a 20-14 lead.

But Toulon got one back five minutes later when Antoine Frisch found a gap to score. Albornoz’s conversion gave the French side a 21-20 lead.

Toulon extended that lead when wing Setariki Tuicuvu scored an overlap try in the 66th minute. Albornoz’s conversion gave them an eight-point lead.

The Stormers appeared to have scored from a drive, but prop Ntuthuko Mchunu lost the ball while grounding eight minutes from time.

A Stormers attacking maul was collapsed just before the Toulon try line, resulting in a yellow card for Matthias Halagahu, though it appeared the Stormers should have received a penalty try.

Another Stormers maul went over the line in the 74th minute but the ball was held up.

They finally scored in the 78th minute with Imad Khan dotting down after a Feinberg-Mngomezulu break. The latter’s conversion reduced the deficit to 28-27.

The Stormers stole possession in the final minute, but lost it again. However, with 19 seconds left the TMO found there was head contact on Wandisile Simelane, the Stormers winning a penalty and Ma’a Nonu receiving a yellow card.

The Stormers went for a lineout and after many drives, crashed over the line. The referee thought the ball was held up, and the TMO could not find evidence of grounding.

Scorers

Stormers: Tries – Adré Smith, Evan Roos, Imad Khan. Conversions – Jurie Matthee 1/1, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2/2. Penalties – Matthee 2/2.

Toulon: Tries – Ben White, Gaël Dréan, Antoine Frisch, Setariki Tuicuvu. Conversions – Marius Domon 1/1, Thomas Albornoz 3/3. Penalties – Albornoz 0/1.

Stormers coach John Dobson rued missed opportunities and a controversial late decision after his side’s agonising 28-27 Investec Champions Cup last-16 defeat at the Stade Mayol.

Despite trailing late, the Stormers fought their way back into contention, only to be denied at the death – a moment that left Dobson visibly frustrated.

“I was very impressed with the fight. We needed to score twice with eight minutes to go, and we should never have been in that position,” he said.

REPORT: Toulon break Stormers’ hearts

A yellow card and a penalty from a cynical infringement at the maul awarded to the Stormers by referee Christophe Ridley, rather than a penalty try, left many stunned and confused.

The decisive flashpoint, however, came in the closing stages, when the visitors were held up over the line following a TMO review – a call Dobson believes should have gone the other way.

“We had to adapt to some EPCR interpretations. In the URC – which is obviously our day job – when you run into the maul like that and it gets brought down, it’s clearly a penalty try. But not in the EPCR.

“Obviously a bit frustrated at the end there. Once it goes to the TMO then maybe you can’t see the grounding and the on-field decision for some reason is ‘no try’.

“What’s frustrating for us is that [Toulon flank Charles] Ollivan is clearly inside the field of play on the ground. I believe Adré [Smith] got it down but I don’t understand why it wasn’t awarded. A very frustrating way for the game to end.”

WATCH: Ref made dreadful decisions – Mallett

While the Stormers were left gutted, Dobson took encouragement from the character his side showed at one of Europe’s toughest venues.

“We would’ve loved to have won this game at one of the cathedrals of rugby, but we were maybe not quite good enough in some areas,” he said.

“We didn’t get our usual scrum dominance and it just seemed to be a bit more of a mess. But our players mustn’t lose heart – it was still a very good performance. Now we have to focus on the URC.”

PLAY: Investec Champions Cup game centre

The second-placed Stormers face Connacht, Glasgow (both home), Ulster and Cardiff (both away) in their last four league matches of the URC.

Photo: Federico Pestellini/INPHO

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