Football
Carlo Ancelotti: Alex Iwobi’s quality can make Everton better
Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti says Alex Iwobi’s pace, hardwork and quality can help in making the Toffees a better team in certain situations. Ancelotti stated this ahead of Everton’s Premier League tie against Southampton this weekend with the duo of James Rodriguez and Richarlison out. The potential absence of both James and Richarlison will present starting opportunities for members of Ancelotti’s squad short on top-flight action this term. And among those vying for a first Premier League start this term is Iwobi, who dazzled after replacing Richarlison in the opening half of Everton’s victory over Brighton & Hove Albion prior to this month’s international break. “We have to put in other players who have the desire to play,” said Ancelotti. “We are working this week on this and I ...
Manchester United in buoyant mood ahead of clash with Chelsea
Manchester United will approach Saturday’s home English Premier League (EPL) clash with Chelsea in buoyant mood rather than in trepidation. This is after a week which has gone some way to banishing the gloom that was descending on Old Trafford. After going into this month’s international break with a 6-1 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur, they have emerged from it with a couple of victories which have kick-started their campaign. Last weekend’s 4-1 win at Newcastle United was followed by a 2-1 victory away to Paris St-Germain (PSG) in the UEFA Champions League. For now at least, the critics have been silenced. Chelsea’s visit, however, presents a test of Manchester United’s upswing as they seek their first home league points of the season. This is in the wake of defeats by Crystal Palce and...
Champions League: Marcus Rashford’s late strike sinks PSG again as Sevilla draw at Chelsea
Marcus Rashford was once again the hero as he scored a late goal to claim a 2-1 away win for Manchester United over Paris Saint-Germain in Group H, in Tuesday’s Champions League. In the round of 16 of the 2018/2019 Champions League season, Rashford converted a 94th minute penalty, as United overturned a 2-0 home defeat to beat PSG 3-1 and advance into the quarter-finals. This is the first time since 2004, PSG have lost a Champions League group game at home. PSG’s last two home defeats in the Champions League have come against United. Bruno Fernandes opened scoring in the 24th minute for United from the penalty spot. Ten minutes into the second half PSG were back on level terms following an own goal by Anthony Martial. But in the 87th minute Martial grabbed the winner with a superb strike t...
Manchester United set new club record after another Champions League win vs Paris Saint-Germain
Manchester United’s victory against PSG in the Champions League has seen the club win 10 consecutive away games for the first time in their history. A late winner from Marcus Rashford saw the Red Devils win 2-1 against the Parisians at the Parc des Princes – the scene of their famous Champions League win versus PSG in 2019. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have now won their last 10 matches on the road, dating back to the 2-1 extra-time win against Norwich City in the FA Cup on June 27. Since Harry Maguire’s 118th minute to sink the Canaries, United have beaten Brighton (three times), Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Luton Town, Newcastle United and now PSG. The victory against PSG was arguably the best performance of the Red Devils’ streak, with United having more shots on target t...
Andrea Pirlo defines Juventus tactical versatility
Andrea Pirlo has explained his tactical adjustments to Juventus after a 2-0 victory at Dynamo Kiev, including the versatility of Federico Chiesa and Dejan Kulusevski. The Bianconeri got off to an ideal Champions League start, winning 2-0 away to Dynamo Kiev thanks to a pair of Alvaro Morata goals. “It was important to put in a more solid performance compared to Crotone,” the coach told Sky Sport Italia, referring to Saturday’s 1-1 Serie A draw. “We were able to try a few things on Monday and were more organised this evening. We could’ve made more of some of the first half chances, but controlled the game well after taking the lead.” There was one intriguing tactical experiment that only lasted 18 minutes due to Giorgio Chiellini’s injury. It had Chiellini in the centre of a three-man defen...
Nigeria star leads Club Brugge past FC Zenit St. Petersburg
Club Brugge began their 2020-21 Champions League campaign with a 2-1 triumph over Zenit St. Petersburg. Goals from Nigeria’s Emmanuel Dennis and Charles De Ketelaere scored the goals as Philippe Clement’s men silenced the Russian Premier League title holders at Krestovsky Stadium. The Belgians went into the encounter without goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, Cote d’Ivoire’s Odilon Kossounou and Michael Krmencik, who are in isolation after contracting Covid-19, while Simon Deli was unavailable due to suspension. In a tight first-half that saw Dennis, Mats Rits, Clinton Mata getting cautioned by referee Benoit Bastien, both teams were unable to find the net as they adopted a cautious approach. Club Brugge’s first chance at goal came in the 30th minute when Dennis found his way in the hosts’ goal ar...
Thibaut Courtois: Real Madrid are always favourites for the Champions League
Thibaut Courtois has insisted Real Madrid are “always the favourites” for the Champions League while expressing his confidence that the Blancos can conquer Europe again in 2020-21. Madrid have won the competition a record 13 times, six more than any other club, but an underwhelming start to the La Liga season has hardly served to inspire confidence they can claim a 14th title come May. Madrid are third in the early La Liga standings, one point behind early leaders Real Sociedad having slumped to a 1-0 home loss to newly-promoted Cadiz last time out. Zinedine Zidane’s side failed to reach the quarter-finals last season, losing in a two-legged last-16 tie to Manchester City with a five-month interval between the games due to the suspension of football amid the Covid-19 crisis. Drawn in Group...
Former France goalie Bruno Martini passes on
Former France goalkeeper and deputy director of Montpellier’s training centre, Bruno Martini, has died at 58. The Ligue 1 club made this known in a statement on Tuesday, stating that Martini was hospitalized after suffering a cardiac arrest at the training centre last week. “Today, French football mourns one of the greatest goalkeepers in its history and one of Montpellier’s most loyal servants, on and off the pitch. “He lives the image of a good man, always ready to help, and who never missed the opportunity to distill a kind word to each of his interlocutors,” the statement said. Prior to his death, Martini spent majority of his career at Auxerre and Montpellier and also played 31 times for France. Following a memorable 18-year career, he became a goalkeeping coach with the France squad ...
Jurgen Klopp: I’ve been chasing Diogo Jota for two or three years
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted that he is delighted to call on Diogo Jota. The recent signing from Wolves came on against Liverpool and scored, helping his team to a 3-1 league win on Monday night. The Portuguese winger had a couple chances to score, before putting the game to bed with a smart finish on the edge of the penalty box. Jota may not be first choice this season, but Klopp admits he is a player the club has been looking at for several years. “I’m really pleased for Diogo Jota. Top, top guy,” Klopp told the BBC. “It’s so difficult to improve a team like ours. “He’s been on my list for two or three years, he’s here now.” Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It b...
Jurgen Klopp surprised by Liverpool’s early season form
Jurgen Klopp said Monday that he has been blown away by the standards Liverpool have set at the start of their Premier League title defence after coming from behind to beat Arsenal 3-1 at Anfield. Goals from Sadio Mane, Andy Robertson and Diogo Jota saw off the Gunners, who had won their opening two league games of the season. While Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and now Arsenal have all lost in the opening three weeks of the new campaign, Liverpool have taken maximum points to lay down an early marker that they remain the team to beat in the Premier League this season. “It’s really early in the season and with this performance it is absolutely ‘wow’,” said coach Klopp. “From the first second, (it was) dominant against a team in form. We had to be careful like hell ...
Super Eagles striker bags brace for Belgian club
Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu has continued his impressive goal-scoring form for his Belgian club RKC Genk; scoring twice in Monday night’s 2-2 draw against Oostende in one of the Belgium Jupiler League ties. Genk were playing at home at their Luminus Arena against Oostende and it was the away side who opened the scoring in the 3rd minute through Cameron McGeehan. Onuachu pulled his side level with his 9th-minute equaliser before going on to complete his brace in the 52nd minute and made the game 2-1. However, Senegal forward Makhtar Gueye denied Onuachu and his teammates the maximum points as he restored parity for Oostende seven minutes from time; thus ending the game 2-2. Onuachu has now scored 5 goals in 6 matches for Genk and he is looking good for the upcoming friendly games agai...
Mikel Arteta: Arsenal were beaten by superior side
Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal were beaten by the superior side as the Gunners lost 3-1 at Liverpool on Monday evening. Liverpool ended the Gunners’ 100 per cent start to the season, while extending their own with a victory at Anfield to make it 61 home league matches unbeaten. Having lost their last two matches to Arteta’s side – one on penalties in the Community Shield – there was barely a time over the 90 minutes when the defending champions looked like allowing it to happen a third time. Sadio Mane, Andy Robertson and Diogo Jota, on his home debut, all scored after Alexandre Lacazette had been gifted the opener after a Robertson error. And after the game, Arteta told Sky Sports that he had no complaints with the result. He said: “We were in the game for a big part of the game. The reali...
