Sports
Loan Watch: Vieira strike extends Hamburg's unbeaten run
Fabio Vieira continued his impressive run of form in Germany, scoring a second-half equaliser for Hamburger SV in their 1-1 draw with Mainz in the Bundesliga on Tuesday. The Portuguese midfielder has been in sparkling loan form of late, helping HSV stretch their unbeaten run to six matches and climb to 11th in the table.
In France, Ethan Nwaneri made another appearance for Marseille, playing the final 20 minutes of Friday night’s 2-0 defeat at Brest in Ligue 1. The young midfielder continues to get valuable minutes as OM, now under new management, sit fourth in the standings.
Reiss Nelson enjoyed an FA Cup fourth-round start for Brentford last Monday, playing 61 minutes of a 1-0 win over this season’s giant-killers, Macclesfield. However, he was an unused substitute on Saturday as the Bees fell to a 2-0 Premier League defeat against Brighton.
It has been a frustrating period for Jakub Kiwior, who missed another game on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury. His Porto side overcame Rio Ave 1-0 at the Estádio do Dragão on Sunday without him. The Pole will be desperate to return to the heart of one of Europe's most formidable defences, with Porto leading Liga Portugal by four points after winning 20 of their 23 league matches and conceding just seven goals.
Werder Bremen’s winless streak in the Bundesliga now stands at 13 games after a 2-1 defeat to St Pauli on Saturday. The result drops them to 17th place, with Estonia No. 1 Karl Hein watching on from the bench as he awaits a chance to return to goal for a side now firmly in a survival battle.
Neither Ismeal Kabia nor Louie Copley featured for their respective League Two clubs over the weekend. Shrewsbury Town secured a fourth-straight win, 2-0 over Accrington Stanley, to move up to 18th. Crawley Town’s 1-1 home draw with Chesterfield leaves them five games without a victory and in 21st place.
Charles Sagoe Jr is still awaiting his debut for Swedish side Kalmar, who were beaten 2-0 by Mjällby in the Svenska Cupen this week. His recently-agreed loan deal runs until next January, aligning with the Allsvenskan summer schedule. Meanwhile, Will Sweet made another appearance for Dagenham & Redbridge in the National League South, coming off the bench late in a 2-0 loss at Maidenhead United.
Turning to our Women’s loanees, Rosa Kafaji had a successful day in the FA Cup on Sunday, helping Brighton & Hove Albion secure a 2-1 win at West Ham United to reach the quarter-finals. Rosa entered the fray on the hour mark to help the Seagulls see out the victory.
Jessie Gale, who is enjoying a tremendous season, was unable to feature for Bristol City over the weekend as their FA Cup clash was against her parent club, Arsenal. Renée Slegers’ side won 3-0 at Meadow Park. Laila Harbert was not involved in Everton's 2-1 defeat away to Liverpool in the fifth round of the cup.
Jenna Nighswonger’s Aston Villa were not in action over the weekend, while Madison Earl was not involved for Glasgow City in their 4-0 win away to Motherwell in the SWPL 1.
Cecily Wellesley-Smith could be in contention for new Swedish club FC Rosengård in their Svenska Cupen match against Hammarby on Monday. Vivienne Lia is awaiting her own debut for Hammarby, having joined them on loan. Their last-gasp penalty shootout victory over Sporting CP has set up a Europa Cup semi-final tie with Sparta Prague next month.
