The Manchester United midfielder starred to salvage a win after an otherwise disappointing performance from his side. Bruno Fernandes scored a wonderful goal and was a constant source of creativity as Portugal grabbed a valuable away win to bolster their Euro 2024 qualification hopes. He was the difference maker in a night were Cristiano Ronaldo consistently misfired, with the Selecao stumbling to a 1-0 victory. Slovakia enjoyed some promising moments in the early goings, putting two efforts on target in the opening 10 minutes. Portugal responded with a chance of their own, but Bruno Fernandes’ tame effort was easily saved.…
Author: Oluwaseun samuel
Ilkay Gundogan admitted it is a “big honour” after he was named as the new captain of the Germany mens national team. Manuel Neuer, the former captain, remains sidelined as he is not yet 100 per cent match-fit after he suffered a severe skiing accident in January. While the goalkeeper has not officially retired from international football, manager Hansi Flick has picked his successor in veteran midfielder Gundogan. The footballer took to social media to share his excitement and wrote: “A big honour to be the new captain of the German national team.” Flick announced that Gundogan along with another…
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says he ‘totally accepts’ the one-game extension to the ban he received for his sending off against Newcastle. Van Dijk reacted furiously after being dismissed for denying Magpies’ striker Alexander Isak a clear goalscoring opportunity during Liverpool’s 2-1 win at St James’ Park on August 27. The defender initially refused to leave the field and remonstrated angrily with referee John Brooks. On Friday an FA disciplinary panel handed Van Dijk an additional one-match ban and a fine of £100,000 ($125,000) after concluding that the Dutchman “acted in an improper manner and used abusive and insulting words towards a…
While not quite on a par with Barcelona’s famous financial ‘levers’ the cash-strapped club has found another novel way of raising funds. With parts of the Camp Nou dramatically demolished as the iconic stadium undergoes a much-needed renovation, Barca have ingeniously packaged up sections of the famous turf and made them available for sale as certified items of memorabilia. Sales appear to be going well, with both the €50 (£43/$54) and €420 (£361/$450) versions currently showing as sold out on the club’s official website. The club’s financial problems are well documented. Since the return of Joan Laporta as president, the Catalan giants have…
Manchester United’s new midfielder Sofyan Amrabat has withdrawn from the Morocco squad due to an injury detected before the international break. United finally brought in a midfield reinforcement when they signed Amrabat from Fiorentina on deadline day on an £8 million ($9.9m) loan. However, it appears that the Moroccan midfielder is already injured and has had to withdraw from international duty. United detected a minor back issue during Amrabat’s medical at Carrington, but he was still released to join up with the Morocco squad. It now seems that the issue was slightly more serious than first thought. United boss Erik ten Hag will be…
Following their 1-0 victory over Ecuador Thursday night, Argentina reflected on their performance and the challenges that await them. Lionel Messi’s 78th-minute free kick – a moment of genius – was all that separated Argentina from a very composed Ecuador side who held their ground throughout the entire 90 minutes. Realizing and acknowledging that postgame, Argentina celebrated their success while looking ahead to the road that awaits them. “It was shown in the two friendlies and today, by the points, that this group is not going to relax beyond what it achieved. It was historic, extraordinary,” captain Messi said postgame.…
The manager did everything he could to help the winger get his career back on track but he must come down hard on him for questioning his authority. When questioned about Jadon Sancho’s absence from his Manchester United squad in the match against Arsenal, Erik ten Hag had several possible responses. He could have cited illness, suggested it wasn’t the right match for Sancho, or mentioned the coach’s decision-making. However, he chose to be brutally honest instead. On his performance on training we didn’t select him,” the manager said. “You have to reach the level every day at Manchester United.…
Chelsea are planning to build two eight-foot lion statues outside Stamford Bridge just weeks after scrapping subsidised travel for fans. Chelsea have submitted a planning application to Hammersmith and Fulham Council for permission to erect one of the giant sculptures, with Todd Boehly keen to deliver his promise to upgrade Stamford Bridge’s facilities and appearance. The cost of the sculptures in unknown, but the news comes weeks after Chelsea scrapped a £10 subsidy for supporter travel to away games. The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust slammed the decision, especially given the Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership have already spent around £1 billion ($1.2bn) on transfers since…
The world champions’ hero did what he’s always done while La Albiceleste’s midfield ran the show beneath him. With the 2022 World Cup now behind them, Argentina’s road to defending their title began on Thursday night. They hosted Ecuador in their first World Cup qualifier of this cycle, and as the match wore on, it became abundantly clear that the defending World Cup winners would need a hero. There’s no prize for guessing who that hero would inevitably. It’s exactly who you’d imagine. Lionel Messi scored a stunning late free kick in Thursday’s CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying opener, lifting his…
Following their 3-0 thrashing of Villa, Liverpool boss Klopp was thrilled with his sides’ performance. A goal from new midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai and forward Mohamed Salah along with a gift of an own-goal from Villa’s Matty Cash saw them through to all three points on the day. The boys not only listened in the meetings they executed brilliantly,” Klopp told Sky Sports. “What was really pleasing is that we scored two goals from set pieces and one was an own goal. We need to be 100 percent in the set piece moments as well and that was really cool” The Reds…
The United boss praised his team’s performance despite a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal and aired his grievances with the referee’s decisions that he says cost them the game. Ten Hag claimed that Garnacho’s 88th-minute strike should have stood as VAR had the wrong angle while making the decision. He also stated that a foul on debutant Hojlund should have ended in a penalty for the Red Devils. The Dutch manager said: “I thought we played a very good game but everything went against us. It was not offside [for Garnacho]. It was the wrong angle. It was a penalty…
Kylian Mbappe scored twice, and could have added more, as the no-longer exiled winger orchestrated a 4-1 Paris Saint-Germain victory over Lyon on Sunday. Mbappe spearheaded an often mesmerising counter-attacking performance, with the Parisians left feeling as they could have scored more against a messy home side. The France captain started things within four minutes, dispatching a penalty after Manuel Ugarte was hacked down in the box. He was at the centre of it all for PSG’s second, seeing his sliding effort denied by a fine save, before Achraf Hakimi pounced on the rebound to give the Parisians a 2-0…
Lionel Messi has well and truly arrived into American soccer, with the Argentine superstar having wasted no time in making his presence felt since his headline-grabbing move from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami was made official in July. Messi is undoubtedly the biggest star in MLS, and almost certainly the biggest the league has ever seen, and therefore all eyes are going to be on him as he looks to lift Miami from towards the bottom of the table into playoff contenders and, eventually, title challengers. The stars were out in Los Angeles on Sunday night. Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Ferrell, Selena Gomez,…
Real Madrid conceded first in their inaugural contest at the refurbished Santiago Bernabeu, but the classy duo of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos — along with the continuing impact of big money signing Jude Bellingham — saw them rescue all three points. Modric started for the first time this season, and was joined by Kroos shortly after the break — a game-changing substitution that was enough for Carlo Ancelotti’s side to complete a memorable comeback win. Madrid struggled to gain control of the contest and conceded early. Getafe played through Los Blancos’ midfield before a Fran Garcia error allowed former…
If Chelsea’s owners thought throwing £450 million ($566m) at their broken squad this summer would make for a quick fix, they were sorely mistaken. The limitations of Mauricio Pochettino’s new-look side were exposed for a second time in four games on Saturday, as another error from £115 million ($145m) signing Moises Caicedo led to an unlikely 1-0 victory for Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. Caicedo stumbled and gave the ball away early in the second half, with former Manchester United forward Anthony Elanga taking full advantage as he ran through and rolled the ball coolly into the bottom corner. Chelsea…
Erling Haaland smashed in his seventh Manchester City hat-trick after working up a wonderful partnership with Julian Alvarez, turning a tricky fixture against Fulham into an eventual thrashing. The little and large partnership did not always work well last season but here the Norwegian and the Argentine were on exactly the same page. Haaland squared for Alvarez to knock in the opening goal in the 31st minute, only for Tim Ream to pounce and equalise two minutes later. Nathan Ake powered in a header to restore City’s lead on the stroke of half-time and Haaland made sure of the three…
The hunt for a left-back by Manchester United is nearly concluded, according to a report from The Athletic. They are about to finalize the loan agreement for Reguilon, who successfully underwent a medical on Thursday. The arrangement will last for the entire season without an option for a permanent signing, and United could potentially conclude the loan in January. United have reportedly been tracking Reguilon — who hasn’t yet featured for Tottenham this season — for a while. They were reported to be lining up a shock loan bid for Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella earlier this week after seeing Luke Shaw and Tyrell…
The Eagles signed the England international to a five-year contract. Although the transfer fee has not been announced, reports have indicated that Palace will pay United £20 million ($25 million) in addition to add-ons. After six loan moves in the previous eight seasons, the 26-year-old England international will finally find a home at Selhurst Park in London under experienced boss Roy Hodgson. Henderson ends a 12-year affiliation with Manchester United and begins a new chapter in the Premier League. Henderson said: “I’m absolutely delighted and buzzing to be here. I can’t wait to get started. This club has got great fans…
Manchester United were handed a daunting draw on their return to the Champions League and will have to face Bayern Munich in Group A as well as Copenhagen and Galatasaray. Arsenal, who are back in Europe’s top competition for the first time in seven years, were given a relatively comfortable draw, facing Europa League winners Sevilla, PSV and Lens in Group B. Christian Pulisic’s AC Milan were placed in what is surely the ‘Group of Death’ and will have their work cut out getting out of a Group F containing Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United. Holders Manchester City…
Second seed Djokovic made it safely through after demolishing Spain’s Miralles on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Serbian, chasing a historic 24th Grand Slam title, dropped just six games in a 6-4 6-1 6-1 victory. More accustomed to the bright lights of the New York night session, the 36-year-old instead absorbed the muggy afternoon heat, firing off 35 winners while overcoming early inaccuracy on his first serve to eventually break his opponent down. Djokovic is already assured of retaking the world No 1 spot when the rankings are updated after the tournament after winning his opening match. He will take on…