COVENTRY, England (AP) — Sunderland struck late to beat host Coventry 2-1 on Friday in the first leg of the Championship semifinal playoffs.
Goals from Wilson Isidor in the 68th minute and Eliezer Mayenda two minutes from time — either side of Jack Rudoni scoring for Frank Lampard's Coventry — put Sunderland in the driver's seat ahead of the return leg at its own Stadium of Light on Tuesday.
Northeastern side Sunderland is seeking promotion from England's second tier and a return to the Premier League for the first time since being relegated in 2017.
Lampard said “it's halftime,” with the Coventry manager looking forward to the second leg.
“I’ve played many two-legged games — Champions League football — so I understand that this was never going to be over (after the first leg) and it’s not over, that’s for sure," Lampard said.
“Sunderland will know it’s not over. It’s halftime — we go again. Football’s not easy, it’s not meant to be easy. We’re one behind and they’re favorites, which is fine. It will be a good challenge.”
The winner of the tie will play either Sheffield United or Bristol City at Wembley on May 24.
Sheffield won the first leg 3-0 away on Thursday and the teams face off again at Bramall Lane on Monday.
Milan van Ewijk’s wayward back pass allowed Mayenda to break free, round goalkeeper Ben Wilson and score the winner at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
Van Ewijk was distraught at full time, leaving the ground in tears.
“I’ll speak to him," Lampard said. “He’s been brilliant for us this season. Mistakes happen in football.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Sunderland's Jobe Bellingham, right, dribbles as Coventry City's Tatsuhiro Sakamoto (7) during the Sky Bet Championship playoff semifinal, first leg soccer match at the Coventry Building Society Arena in Coventry, England, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)
Coventry City's Haji Wright plays the ball during the Sky Bet Championship playoff semifinal, first leg soccer match against Sunderland at the Coventry Building Society Arena in Coventry, England, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.
Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.
Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.
Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.
Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.
Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."
Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.
Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."
Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”
Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.
The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.
Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
