Ecstatic Thais cheer Manchester United arrival before Liverpool friendly

Hundreds of Thai fans of Manchester United Football Club cheered the squad yesterday as they arrived at a Bangkok airport for a friendly match with fierce rivals Liverpool next week. “United! United!” they shouted when the English Premier League side arrived.Fans were disappointed about Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence but found excitement over the new coach, Erik ten Hag, who was joined by midfielder Bruno Fernandes, goalkeeper David De Gea and forward Marcus Rashford in leading the arrivals. Manchester United and Liverpool play on Tuesday, the southeast Asian nation’s first overseas match since the Covid-19 pandemic began.Liverpool are expected to arrive at noon (0500 GMT) today. The pre-season friendly is part of the teams’ tours before the English Premier League season begins next month. United will then go on to Melbourne and Liverpool to Singapore. Organisers sold tickets for as much as 25,000 baht ($700) to the match, scheduled to feature a performance by Jackson Wang of K-POP boy band GOT7.Chelsea’s Kante, Loftus-Cheek omitted from US tour due to Covid vaccination statusChelsea midfielders N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will not feature in the club’s pre-season tour to the United States due to their Covid-19 vaccination status, the Premier League side said. Entry rules for the US say that all visitors over 18, barring American citizens and other limited exceptions, must be double vaccinated against the virus. It was unclear whether the two players were unvaccinated or had received only one dose.Loftus-Cheek tested positive for Covid-19 in August last year while France international Kante returned a positive test ahead of a Champions League group game against Juventus the following month. Left back Ben Chilwell and winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, who both missed large chunks of last season through injury, were included in the 29-man squad that will play three games in the USstarting with Club America on July 16. Chelsea, who finished third in the league last season, kick off the new campaign with a trip to Everton on August 6. Canada and Costa Rica qualify for 2023 Women’s World CupCanada and Costa Rica qualified for the 2023 Women’s World Cup on Friday after winning group stage matches at the CONCACAF W tournament. Julia Grosso scored in the 64th minute to give Canada, the reigning Olympic champion, a 1-0 victory over Panama while Cristin Granados netted two first-half goals in Costa Rica’s 4-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago.Either Haiti or Jamaica will take the last available Women’s World Cup berth depending on the outcome of their group-stage match.