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Newcastle United Complete £51m Move for Lille Forward Fernandez-Pardo

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Newcastle United have signed 21-year-old forward Fernandez-Pardo from Lille for a reported £51m fee.

The Belgium international flew to Tyneside on Monday night to undergo a medical before completing his move and signing a long-term contract with the Premier League club.

Fernandez-Pardo said he was “very proud to be at such a big club” after speaking with Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle.

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“He really showed how much he wanted me to be here,” Fernandez-Pardo said.

The forward added that joining Newcastle made sense for his career development and that he had followed the club and was familiar with the atmosphere at St James’ Park.

“I’m still young, I’m still hungry, and that’s why I’m here,” he said. “I want to make that progress with Newcastle. I can’t wait to start the wonderful adventure here.”

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Fernandez-Pardo was omitted from Lille’s squad for their 2-2 draw with Paris St-Germain last week and was instructed to train away from the first team while his future was resolved.

Newcastle had been tracking the forward for some time, with interest dating back to former manager Eddie Howe’s tenure. His age and versatility across the frontline also made him an attractive target as the club looked to strengthen their squad.

Fernandez-Pardo enjoyed an impressive campaign in Europe’s major five leagues last season. Among players aged 21 and under, he ranked second for big chances with 21, fifth for touches in the opposition box with 184 and seventh for combined goals and assists with 13.

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Jaissle praised the youngster’s technical ability, explosiveness and willingness to take on defenders.

“Matias is a highly technical player with explosiveness in his game,” Jaissle said. “He can score and assist, he has courage, and he has the ability to take players on.”

The Newcastle boss added that the club was confident supporters would enjoy watching Fernandez-Pardo and said the coaching staff would work with him to further develop his game.

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“We are excited to see him in a Newcastle United shirt,” Jaissle said.

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Manchester Derby Referees Punished After Controversial City Goal

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The VAR officials involved in Manchester City’s controversial winning goal against Manchester United have been left without a Premier League game this weekend.

The decision was made by Pro Ref chief refereeing officer Howard Webb and the organisation’s management team after the Premier League refereeing body admitted an “error of judgement” over Erling Haaland’s goal at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Haaland scored in the 60th minute, turning in a shot at the back post after Josko Gvardiol’s cross.

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The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but VAR intervened and the decision was overturned after the Norwegian was deemed to have been played onside by Patrick Dorgu’s boot.

However, questions were raised over whether the goal should have been disallowed because Manchester City midfielder Enzo Fernandez was in an offside position and appeared to interfere with play.

Fernandez dived in an attempt to head the ball from a central position before Haaland completed the move.

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Pro Ref said Fernandez did not make contact with the ball, meaning any offside offence was subjective, but admitted the VAR official should have recommended an on-field review.

“It was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective,” Pro Ref said in a statement.

“However, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.”

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Manchester City, who had Phil Foden sent off after 23 minutes, held on to secure victory and maintain their 100% league record after four matches.

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Harry Kane Hits 150 Bayern Goals as Champions Beat Elversberg

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Harry Kane scored his 150th goal for Bayern Munich as the Bundesliga champions edged past newly promoted Elversberg.

Bayern took the lead in the 26th minute when Ismael Saibari’s low cross deflected off Kane and fell to Lennart Karl, who tapped the ball in at the back post.

Elversberg, who have already stunned Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach in their first Bundesliga campaign, levelled in the 61st minute through Maurice Krattenmacher.

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The midfielder produced a superb curling finish from the edge of the box, sending the ball into the top corner beyond Bayern goalkeeper.

Kane restored Bayern’s lead soon after, collecting the ball inside the penalty area before firing a powerful shot past Elversberg goalkeeper Nicolas Kristof at his near post.

The goal was Kane’s 99th in 97 Bundesliga appearances and his first of the 2026-27 league season.

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It was also the England captain’s 150th goal in 153 appearances across all competitions since joining Bayern from Tottenham in August 2023.

The 33-year-old is among the favourites for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, which will be presented in London in October.

Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Kane has scored 10 more goals than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues and has averaged a goal every 79 minutes.

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He also reached 50 Bundesliga goals in just 43 appearances, setting a competition record, and is on course to become the fastest player to reach 100 goals. The current record belongs to Dieter Müller, who reached the landmark in his 129th Bundesliga appearance.

Bayern have taken seven points from their opening three league matches and sit fourth in the table, while Elversberg, whose home town has a population of around 13,000, are sixth.

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Haaland Strike Gives 10-Man City Victory in Controversial Manchester Derby

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Erling Haaland scored the decisive goal as 10-man Manchester City secured a controversial victory over Manchester United in the Manchester derby.

City midfielder Phil Foden was shown a straight red card for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes, leaving his side with 10 men for more than 70 minutes.

United took advantage of the numerical advantage and dominated for periods, hitting the post on either side of half-time.

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However, City struck on the counter-attack in the 60th minute when Haaland tapped in Josko Gvardiol’s low, deflected cross at the far post.

The goal sparked controversy after Haaland was initially flagged for offside. A lengthy VAR review eventually ruled that the Norway striker had been onside.

Enzo Fernandez was also in an offside position and attempted to connect with the cross before it reached Haaland, but VAR determined that he had not interfered with play.

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The victory maintained City’s perfect start to the Premier League season under new manager Enzo Maresca and moved them level on points with Arsenal at the top of the table.

United, meanwhile, dropped points for the third time in their opening four league matches and remain 13th in the table.

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