Author: Admin

Categories
football Slides Sports News Transfer News

Hazard could head back to Chelsea as Juve eye Prem duo

Chelsea are exploring the possibility of re-signing Eden Hazard from Real Madrid.

Hazard, 30, cost Real more than £100million when he swapped Stamford Bridge for the Bernabeu in 2019.

But he has failed to live up to expectations and would be allowed to leave if a suitable offer came in.

Reports in Spain say Blues owner Roman Abramovich is convinced Hazard would become a world beater again back in the familiar surroundings of West London.

He made 310 appearances during seven seasons at the Bridge, scoring 110 goals as he lifted the Premier League and Europa League twice, as well as the FA Cup and EFL Cup.

The problem is Real would want to recoup as much of the fee they paid as possible — but Chelsea are unlikely to offer more than £40m for a player who has been beset by injury and fitness problems.

Real boss Carlo Ancelotti is a big fan of Blues full-back Reece James and the suggestion is the Spanish giants may try to factor him into any deal.

James, 21, has not nailed down a regular starting spot since Thomas Tuchel took charge last season but it is unlikely Chelsea would want to sell the England international.

Juventus are ready to raid Manchester as they look to win back the Serie A title.

Max Allegri’s side have made a poor start to the domestic campaign after failing to win the league for the first time in 10 years in 2020-21.

Now reports in Italy suggest they want to sign both Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek in January.

Silva, 27, has been one of City’s best players this season but wanted to leave the Etihad before the summer transfer window slammed shut.

Whether or not his starring role in the past two months has changed matters remains to be seen — and Pep Guardiola will not want to lose the Portuguese maestro.

For Van de Beek, 24, it has been a miserable 15 months since swapping Ajax for Old Trafford.

Only four of his 17 starts for United have come in the Premier League and he was linked with an exit throughout the window.

Both deals would be loans, though the suggestion is they may come with obligations to buy at the end of the season.
In other news

Manchester United are interested in Leicester midfielder Wilfried Ndidi, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes.

The Sun say United will make Jesse Lingard available for £15m in January if he fails to extend his stay at Old Trafford, with his contract expiring next year.

Alexandre Lacazette has no intention of signing a new deal at Arsenal, according to Football.London, with his current contract running out at the end of the season.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

Depay double ensures easy win for Netherlands over Gibraltar

Memphis Depay scored twice and had a penalty saved as the Netherlands maintained their hold on World Cup qualifying Group G with a comfortable 6-0 win over Gibraltar.

Virgil van Dijk’s early header got the ball rolling, with Depay responding to Bradley Banda saving his spot-kick by finishing off a neat team move and scoring a second penalty as the Oranje went in at half-time with a commanding lead.

Denzel Dumfries wasted no time in adding to the scoreline in the second half, before substitutes Arnaut Danjuma and Donny Malen completed the scoring to condemn Gibraltar to an eighth defeat from eight.

The Netherlands can ill afford to slip up, with Norway two points behind them, but that was never likely here as Van Dijk opened the scoring inside nine minutes, losing his marker with ease and nodding Depay’s corner in at the near post.

Stefan de Vrij’s header was blocked in the box by the arm of Graeme Torrilla, with a penalty awarded following a VAR review, yet Depay’s spot-kick was at a nice height for Banda to make a convincing save.

The Gibraltar goalkeeper could do little two minutes later, however, as Noa Lang’s superb pass carved the visiting defence open and Davy Klaassen squared for Depay to tap in.

Banda made fine saves from Georginio Wijnaldum and De Vrij, but another handball – this time Julian Valarino blocking Steven Berghuis’ right-wing cross – gave Depay a second opportunity from the spot he would not pass up.

Dumfries made it 4-0 shortly after the restart, finding himself in the centre of the box to head in Lang’s left-wing cross, and a lull in the scoring was brought to an end 15 minutes from time when Wout Weghorst flicked on to Danjuma, who steered the ball into the bottom-left corner on the stretch.

Weghorst thought he had got his name on the scoresheet when he nodded over Banda but Roy Chipolina hacked off the line, with the sixth instead belonging to Malen after slick interplay involving Depay.

What does it mean? Netherlands in control of their own fate

The Netherlands maintained their gap at the top of Group G and are firmly in control of their World Cup qualification fate.

With two games left to play against Montenegro and second-placed Norway, Louis van Gaal’s side can cement their place at the tournament with just four more points.

Depay breaks Oranje scoring record

Depay has now scored more goals for the Netherlands in 2021 (14) than any other player has previously in a single calendar year, surpassing Patrick Kluivert’s previous record of 12 in 2000.

The Barcelona forward was not deterred by his 19th-minute penalty being saved, scoring the goal that broke the record two minutes later and making amends with his second spot-kick at the end of the first half. Depay finished an extremely lively outing with seven shots, eight chances created and two assists.

Goals flowing for Van Gaal’s Netherlands

The Netherlands have scored four or more goals in three consecutive home games for the first time in 20 years, with the last instance coming in 2001, also under Van Gaal.

With 29 goals in just eight games, the Oranje are the leading scorers in European qualifying so far.

What’s next?

The Netherlands travel to face Montenegro on November 13, while Gibraltar play Turkey away from home on the same day.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

Werner brace helps secure World Cup spot

Timo Werner scored a double as Germany became the first team to qualify for the 2022 World Cup thanks to a 4-0 win over North Macedonia in Monday’s Group J clash.

Hansi Flick’s side – who have now won all five games under their new head coach – seized the early initiative at the Tose Proeski Arena, with Timo Werner denied by the woodwork as the visitors registered 15 first-half shots.

However, Kai Havertz broke the deadlock after 50 minutes before Werner added a quickfire double to put the game out of the hosts’ reach.

Jamal Musiala then added a late fourth and, with Armenia dropping points against Romania, Germany claimed an unassailable eight-point lead at the summit to qualify for Qatar 2022.

Havertz teed up both Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Muller in the opening stages but neither could beat Stole Dimitrievski with headers, before Darko Velkovski nodded wide at the other end.

Serge Gnabry then poked narrowly wide and Werner, who was earlier denied from point-blank range by Dimitrievski, struck the left-hand post as Germany failed to make their 76.5 per cent first-half possession pay.

Flick’s team, however, opened the scoring after the interval as Muller raced onto Gnabry’s throughball before squaring for Havertz to tap into an empty net.

Werner was unfortunate to not double the lead after a ricochet off the North Macedonia goalkeeper 10 minutes later, but the Chelsea forward made amends.

Muller collected his second assist as he slotted through for Werner, who rifled an unstoppable right-footed volley into the bottom-right corner before curling into the same corner three minutes later following Florian Wirtz’s offload.

Gnabry should have added a fourth but he could only volley over from Muller’s chipped pass, though Musiala latched onto fellow substitute Karim Adeyemi’s ball to roll into the bottom-right corner and seal the victory.

What does it mean? Flick maintains perfect start as Germany secure World Cup berth

Flick won all there was to win with Bayern Munich and has carried on in a similar fashion with the national team, triumphing in his opening five games as Germany have scored 18 and conceded just once.

His perfect start has culminated in Die Mannschaft becoming the first team – barring host nation Qatar – to confirm their place at next year’s World Cup, while North Macedonia sit a point behind second-placed Romania with two games to go in the group stage.

Magical Muller

Germany outshot their opponents 24-7 and could have scored more but most of their creativity should be credited to Muller.

The Bayern Munich star made a game-high six key passes – three more than any team-mate and as many as the North Macedonia team combined – and registered five shots of his own in a dominant display.

Awful Alioski

Ezgjan Alioski endured a torrid outing against Germany’s wealth of attackers as he occupied the left-back spot.

The former Leeds United man won just over a third of his eight duels, gave away possession a game-leading 22 times and completed less than half of his 17 attempted passes.

What’s next?

Germany return to World Cup qualifying action on November 11 as they host Liechtenstein, while North Macedonia travel to Armenia on the same day.

Categories
football Sports News

Martinez given backing by Belgian FA but told lessons must be learned

6646776 08.09.2021 Belgium s head coach Roberto Martinez reacts during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between Belarus and Belgium, in Kazan, Russia s Republic of Tatarstan. Maksim Bogodvid / Sputnik Russia Soccer World Cup 2022 Qualifiers Belarus - Belgium PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY 61e43d7dbfb05b51

Roberto Martinez retains the full support of the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) but has been told lessons must be learned from Belgium’s disappointing Nations League Finals campaign.

Belgium let a two-goal half-time lead slip in last week’s 3-2 defeat to France in the semi-finals and followed that up with a 2-1 loss at the hands of European champions Italy in the third-place play-off on Sunday.

The Red Devils are on course to finish the year as FIFA’s top-ranked national side for the fourth time running, but their ‘golden generation’ of players have still yet to win any silverware.

Martinez could only guide Belgium to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020, having previously finished third at the 2018 World Cup (they were also beaten by Italy and France respectively in those tournaments), but the Spaniard – who has been strongly linked with replacing Ronald Koeman at Barcelona – is not at risk of being sacked.

However, RBFA chief executive Peter Bossaert accepts that the second-half display against France cannot be repeated if Belgium are to have any chance of ending their wait for a trophy.

“Roberto is still the right man for the job,” Bossaert told La Derniere Heure. “We still support him 100 per cent. But we have to learn from the game against France, in which we played our best half of football and worst half in a long time.

“I’m going to ask some people for advice, but I’m not going to create a commission or a committee. I also don’t want too many people giving their opinions because then there will be too many differing opinions.”

Belgium are top of their World Cup 2022 qualifying group with 16 points from six matches and return to action on November 13 with a home game against Estonia.

Martinez agrees with Bossaert that Belgium were not good enough during the Nations League Finals, even if there were some positives to take away from the mini-tournament.

“We cannot concede five goals in two games and we cannot concede two penalties, even if the decisions were not correct,” he said.

“But the way we reacted to going behind against Italy, after what had happened in the France game, I thought the team had a real strong personality to keep playing.”

Categories
football Slides Sports News

Cristiano Ronaldo leapfrogs Lionel Messi in Forbes’ list of top-earning players

Manchester United's Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Newcastle at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on September 11, 2021. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /

Cristiano Ronaldo leapfrogs Lionel Messi in Forbes’ list of top-earning playAccording to Forbes, Cristiano Ronaldo is set to make $125 million before taxes in the 2021/22 season, with $70 million coming from salary and bonuses at Manchester United.

Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has reclaimed top spot in the list of the world’s highest-paid soccer players from Lionel Messi, according to Forbes.

Ronaldo, 36, rejoined United from Juventus in August after 12 years away, while Messi has swapped boyhood club Barcelona to join Paris St Germain.

Forbes said Ronaldo, among the world’s most popular athletes with over 500 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, is set to make US$125 million before taxes in the 2021-22 season, with US$70 million coming from salary and bonuses at United.

The rest will come from endorsements and partnerships with brands including Nike, Herbalife, Clear and his CR7 brand.

Messi, who topped last year’s list, will be paid a salary of US$75 million with an additional US$35 million from endorsements for total expected earnings of US$110 million.

The Argentine’s strike partner at PSG Neymar, who in May signed a new contract until 2025, is third on the list with total earnings of US$95 million.

Another PSG player, Kylian Mbappe (US$43 million), is fourth on the Forbes list while Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah (US$41 million) is fifth.

Top 10 highest earners in soccer:

Cristiano Ronaldo – US$125 million

Lionel Messi – US$110 million

Neymar – US$95 million

Kylian Mbappe – US$43 million

Mohamed Salah – US$41 million

Robert Lewandowski – US$35 million

Andres Iniesta – US$35 million

Paul Pogba – US$34 million

Gareth Bale – US$32 million

Eden Hazard – US$29 million

Categories
football Slides Sports News

AC Milan players targeted with racism in consecutive games

Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who is Black, used his Instagram account to raise awareness after being showered with discriminatory insults by Juventus fans during a 1-1 draw Sunday.

For the second consecutive game, an AC Milan player was the target of racist chants.

Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who is Black, used his Instagram account to raise awareness after being showered with discriminatory insults by Juventus fans during a 1-1 draw Sunday.

“Do the people who take decisions know what it feels to hear insults that portray us as animals?” Maignan said.

“Do they know what it does to our family, to our relatives who just can’t understand why these things keep happening in 2021?

“I am not a victim’ of racism. I am Mike, standing up, black and proud. As long as we will be able to raise our voice and make a difference, we’ll do it.”

Tiemoue Bakayoko and fellow Milan midfielder Franck Kessie, both of whom are Black, were the targets of derogatory chants from Lazio supporters in the Rossoneri’s previous match.

The Italian football federation prosecutor has opened an inquiry into the incident involving Lazio fans.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

Suarez double gives Atletico win at Getafe in Spain

It was the 20th straight match without a loss against Getafe, which hadn’t scored since its last victory against Atletico in 2011.

Luis Suarez needed a little more than 10 minutes to make up for his slow start to the season.

Suarez scored two late goals to give Atletico Madrid a 2-1 win at Getafe in the Spanish league on Tuesday, ending the team’s two-match winless streak and extending a decade-long unbeaten run against its Madrid rival.

After scoring only once in his first six matches this season, Suarez got the equalizer in the 78th minute and the winner in the 90th to boost Atletico after two 0-0 draws.

Luis Suarez needed a little more than 10 minutes to make up for his slow start to the season.

Suarez scored two late goals to give Atletico Madrid a 2-1 win at Getafe in the Spanish league on Tuesday, ending the team’s two-match winless streak and extending a decade-long unbeaten run against its Madrid rival.

After scoring only once in his first six matches this season, Suarez got the equalizer in the 78th minute and the winner in the 90th to boost Atletico after two 0-0 draws.

“A comeback win like this, with the team trailing late, will help boost the team’s morale,” Suarez said.

“We know we have to fix a few things. We have to keep improving.”

It was the 20th straight match without a loss against Getafe, which hadn’t scored since its last victory against Atletico in 2011.

Getafe played with 10 men from the 74th because of a red card shown to midfielder Carles Alena. It had opened the scoring with a header by Stefan Mitrovic late in the first half for his first goal since joining the club this season.

The victory moved Atletico back to the top of the league with 14 points, one more than Real Madrid which hosts promoted Mallorca on Wednesday.

Second-to-last Getafe remained one of the two teams yet to earn points in the league this season, along with Alaves.

“It’s frustrating to leave without any reward after we played a great match,” Getafe defender Jorge Cuenca said.
The hosts allowed Atletico to take full control of the match after Alena was sent off for a foul from behind on Atletico forward Matheus Cunha.

After missing a few good chances and hitting the crossbar, Suarez evened the match four minutes after the red card for Alena with a left-footed shot from inside the area. He netted the winner with a close-range header for his third goal of the season. The Uruguay striker, who joined from Barcelona, was Atletico’s top scorer in its title-winning campaign last season.

Antoine Griezmann started for Atletico after being on the bench against Porto last week. He was replaced by Cunha in the 67th after another lackluster performance.

Atletico was without Portugal forward Joao Felix. He was handed a two-match suspension after earning a red card- a yellow for a foul and a red for then complaining to the referee- in the draw against Bilbao on Saturday.

Mexican forward Jose Juan Macias made his first league start for Getafe.

FALCAO’S WINNER

Newly signed forward Radamel Falcao scored his second goal of the season with a header in the sixth minute of stoppage time to give Rayo Vallecano a 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao.

Falcao had scored his first goal after coming off the bench in his debut with Rayo last Saturday.
The 35-year-old Colombia veteran signed with Rayo as a free agent.

CELTA’S FIRST WIN

Celta Vigo won 2-0 at Levante for its first victory of the season with goals from Iago Aspas in the 66th and Brais Mendez in the 85th.

Roger Marti missed a 71st-minute penalty kick for Levante, which has lost twice and drawn four games. (AP)

Categories
football Sports News

Barcelona held by winless Granada at Camp Nou in Liga

Barcelona needed a 90th-minute equalizer by defender Ronald Araujo, sparking jeers by many in the crowd of nearly 27,000 on Monday.

Less than a week after a demoralizing loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Barcelona faltered at Camp Nou again, being held by winless Granada 1-1 in the Spanish league.

Barcelona needed a 90th-minute equalizer by defender Ronald Araujo, sparking jeers by many in the crowd of nearly 27,000 on Monday.

The setback followed the 3-0 rout by Bayern in the team’s first defeat since losing Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain, and added pressure on coach Ronald Koeman and club president Joan Laporta.

Granada came to Barcelona winless in four matches and coming off two consecutive losses, including at home against Real Betis in the Andalucia derby last week. It defeated Barcelona at Camp Nou the last time they met in April.

“It’s a shame,” Araujo said.

“If we had been able to score earlier we could have gotten the victory. After the early goal they sat back on defense and that made it difficult for us.”

The draw left Barcelona in seventh place, five points from leader Real Madrid with a game in hand.

Coached by former Spain manager Robert Moreno, Granada opened the scoring two minutes into the match with a header by Domingos Duarte off a set-piece.

Barcelona squandered two great chances to equalize before halftime Sergi Roberto hit the crossbar from inside the area and Araujo’s header was brilliantly saved by Granada goalkeeper Luis Maximiano.

Memphis Depay and Luuk de Jong also failed to capitalize on scoring chances in the second half, but Araujo finally broke through with a close-range header in the 90th.

“We know that Barca isn’t going through a good moment and it was important to try to take advantage of that early on,” Duarte said.

“Earning a point at Camp Nou is always good but we came close to getting the three points. In the end they had many chances too. It was a fair result.”

Koeman couldn’t count on several players because of injuries, including Jordi Alba and Pedri Gonzalez.

He added a few youngsters in the second half, including Riqui Puig and 17-year-old Gavi, who set up Araújo’s equalizer. Philippe Coutinho was one of the players replaced.

Veteran defender Gerard Pique played as a striker after coming into the game in the final minutes.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

James Rodriguez closing in on Everton exit

Everton playmaker James Rodriguez is reportedly in talks with a club in Qatar ahead of a proposed transfer this month.

Since the departure of Carlo Ancelotti and the appointment of Rafael Benitez, the Colombia international has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park.

According to BBC Sport, Rodriguez has flown to the Middle East to negotiate a permanent move to a club in Qatar, where their transfer window is open until September 30.

Despite only joining Everton last summer, the Toffees are prepared to let the 30-year-old leave as they are keen to remove his £200,000-a-week salary off their wage bill.

Rodriguez, who was linked with a return to Porto over the summer, is yet to feature under Benitez this season and has seemingly played his final game for the club.

The former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder has made 26 appearances across all competitions for Everton, scoring six goals and providing nine assists.

Categories
football Sports News

Ronald Koeman unsure over Barcelona future

Ronald Koeman has insisted that he has “no fear” about his long-term future as Barcelona manager.

Despite frequent speculation about his job after a turbulent 12 months at Camp Nou, the Dutchman kept the reins for the start of this campaign.

While the Catalan giants remain unbeaten in La Liga, they were comprehensively outplayed during last week’s Champions League fixture with Bayern Munich.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Monday’s fixture with Granada, Koeman has acknowledged that there are no guarantees about the length of his spell at the club.

The Dutchman said: “I don’t know if my position is at stake because they haven’t said anything. The only thing is to think about the game and the team.

“The rest is not in my hands and I am calm. We have seven points from three games. You have to get people back to have more players available, but you have to win. In the end the results count and nothing else. I have no fear of my future.”

Barcelona will return to the top four of the La Liga table with victory over Granada.