With all eyes from across Europe falling on the Bernabeu, Real Madrid got their Champions League quarter-final adventure off to a flying start thanks to a 2-0 victory against Chelsea.
Looking to claim another Premier League scalp, Los Blancos didn’t have to wait long before a certain Karim Benzema tapped home from close range and opened the scoring in the 21st minute.
Now knowing that they sit firmly in pole position to punch their semi-final ticket when they travel to Stamford Bridge in six days time, Carlo Ancelotti’s men hold a real advantage as Spanish international Marco Asensio swept home midway through the second-half.
Largely in cruise control after England international Ben Chilwell was shown a straight red card just 14 minutes after the half-time b…
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes it is time for FA Cup replays to be scrapped.
The Spaniard was speaking ahead of his side’s crunch third-round tie against Premier League leaders Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
Following Sunday’s match, the Gunners – who have slipped five points behind Jurgen Klopp’s side in the race for the title – are set to be out of action for 13 days.
Up for the cup
Go inside training and watch preparations for our FA Cup tie against Liverpool
— Arsenal (@Arsenal)
But a draw at the Emirates would force the two sides to meet at Anfield during what would be a rare and crucial near-fortnight off for Arsenal in their challenge on both domestic and European fronts.
When asked if the Football…
Oldham Athletic have dismissed reports linking them with Ched Evans following his release from prison in October.
The 25-year-old was released by former club Sheffield United in April 2012, having been convicted of rape, before serving half of his five-year sentence.
Evans potential return to the game has been the subject of fierce debate, with a number of high-profile figures condemning United s initial offer for the striker to train with them.
That offer was eventually withdrawn, with League One Oldham linked with the Welshman over the weekend.
However, the club released a statement on Monday denying such reports, insisting no talks had been held.
Oldham Athletic are aware of various newspaper reports linking the club to Ched Evans yesterd…
Roberto Di Matteo believes Schalke will grow in confidence after winning 1-0 at Maribor to qualify for the UEFA Champions League last 16.
With Chelsea beating Sporting Lisbon 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, the German outfit just needed a victory in Slovenia to progress as runners-up in Group G.
After stuttering through the first half, Schalke upped the tempo after the break and should have edged ahead when Klaas-Jan Huntelaar hit the post from close range.
However, substitute Max Meyer held his nerve when calmly capitalising on a poor parry by Maribor goalkeeper Jasmin Handanovic to snatch a 62nd-minute lead shortly after coming on.
The hosts did their best to push forward in search of an equaliser, but Schalke held firm at the back and could have even added a s…
Metaphor: ReFantazio–the upcoming RPG from the developers of Persona 3, 4, and 5–has received a substantial news update prior to its release later this fall. The update delves into more of the game’s systems, including combat, archetypes, and bonds, as well as offers fans a closer look at some of the game’s art and locations.
According to Studio Zero, Metaphor: ReFantazio’s combat will be one of its more innovative features and “an evolution in command battle.” Rather than traditional turn-based battle, the game will implement a “Fast and Squad” system that allows players to switch between real-time action, or Fast mode, and traditional command based combat, referred to in the game as Squad mode. When in Fast mode, players can use the lock-on, dash, and evade functions while the…
Gareth Southgate has lauded star striker Harry Kane after his two goals gave England a 2-1 win over Tunisia.
Kane, 24, put in a man-of-the-match display scoring a goal in each half including one in stoppage time to kick start England’s world cup campaign.
The Tottenham forward had not scored before at a major tournament after drawing a blank at Euro 2016, but Southgate was full of praise for the England captain.
“If he hadn t scored, I d be answering questions about his ability to score in tournament football,” he said.
“The only thing he hasn t done now is score in August. He s moved every other barrier, and I m personally delighted for him.
“I know he will feel the pride in leading his country to a win in a World Cup match, which is th…
Ibra opened closed the scoring against West Ham / Image via independent.co.uk
They were unfortunate to record a win over West Ham in the Premier League last weekend despite firing no less than 17 goal attempts against Slaven Bilic’s men.
But Manchester United managed to make amends in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night and record a morale-boosting 2-1 triumph which sees them make it to the semi-finals of the competition.
What we witnessed tonight was a compelling triumph for Jose Mourinho’s men and here are the five things we learned from the game at Old Trafford:
Did Red Devils break a hoodoo?
It was a much-needed win for Manchester United, who claimed to have been cursed.
Much to the difference of other dominating home performances which ended…
Best Odds: 7/4
Bookmaker:
Needing to mount a second leg comeback on Tuesday night, Chelsea will welcome Middlesbrough to Stamford Bridge for their EFL Cup semi-final showdown.
Chelsea
Starting with the hosts, slumping to a shock 1-0 loss when they travelled to the Riverside for their first leg battle on January 13th, Chelsea will certainly have plenty of pressure on their shoulders here. Making an immediate return to winning ways last week as they secured a 1-0 victory at home against west London rivals Fulham, Mauricio Pochettino’s side should still be smelling a golden opportunity here. Opening the New Year with a 4-0 romp against Championship outfit Preston while on FA Cup duties, the former Tottenham boss has seen his squad win six of their previous eight…
Marcelo Brozovic hailed Inter s resolve after he snatched a 89th minute winner in their 1-0 victory over Torino.
The Serie A heavyweights moved back into the top four thanks to some late heroics at San Siro, after a particularly toothless performance from Simone Inzaghi s men.
On the back of a derby defeat to Milan a week prior, followed by a lacklustre loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the Nerazzurri had been hunting a crucial three-point haul this weekend.
Speaking afterwards, Brozovic did not understate the crucial nature of coming away on the winning side, and hopes the side can use it as a springboard to a stronger run.
This is a really important victory, because it is a tough match, he told DAZN. Torino are one-on-one all over the fie…
Germany have won the 2009 UEFA Under-21 Championships. England were defeated 4-0 at Malmo s New Stadium in Sweden.
The Germans took the lead after 23 minutes, as preparing work from Mesut Özil enabled Gonzalo Castro to clip over keeper Loach for 1-0.
Three minutes after the break, Özil got one himself with a free kick that was slightly misjudged by Loach.
The English were truly broken when Sandro Wagner netted for 3-0 in minute 79, just to add another five minutes later.
Germany and England had held each other to a 1-1 draw in their group match last week. At that point, the Germans had already drawn with Spain and beaten Finland. In the semi finals, Germany beat Italy 1-0 to advance to the final.
While highly successful at t…