Inter managed to keep the pressure on Serie A pacesetters Milan with a sixth successive league win in their 2-1 victory over Spezia on Sunday.
Antonio Conte s men were by no means impressive at San Siro as they initially struggled to break down the away side, but in the end goals from Achraf Hakimi and Romelu Lukaku were enough to keep them a point behind city rivals Milan.
Inter had scored 30 goals in their first 12 Serie A matches of the season for only the ninth time in their history, but there was no sign of such potency during a drab first half that saw the Nerazzurri fail to exert any real control over their promoted visitors.
They briefly clicked into gear early in the second period and that brought Hakimi s opener before Lukaku doubled the lead from the s…
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal believes his assistant Ryan Giggs has all the necessary qualities to be his successor at Old Trafford.
Van Gaal signed a three-year deal at United following last year s World Cup, and looks set to return the club to the UEFA Champions League following their nightmare 2013-14 season under David Moyes.
Giggs took temporary control of first-team affairs for the final stages of last term following Moyes dismissal and remained at the club as Van Gaal s number two.
Former Netherlands, Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach Van Gaal feels the Welshman will take charge permanently when he leaves.
Van Gaal told MUTV: I expect that he will be the next manager after I am gone.
Now I have the responsibility he has tasks that…
Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew wants to manage England, but does not believe now is the right time to take the role as he has penned a new deal at Selhurst Park.
After Roy Hodgson resigned following the Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Iceland, Pardew was initially considered as one of the primary English candidates for the position.
The 54-year-old guided Palace to their best finish of 10th in the 2014-15 Premier League and, although they came 15th last season, the London club were runners-up in the FA Cup in May.
Pardew wants to manage England in the future, but his immediate ambition is to help Palace improve next season.
I want to be the England manager. It is a job I aspire to and it is an ambition of mine. But not now, he wrote in the Daily Mail.<…
Benfica striker Rodrigo has backed his team-mate Ezequiel Garay to impress if Manchester United are to sign him in the off-season.
Argentine defender Garay has reportedly been watched by United scouts a number of times during his spell with Benfica, and is thought to be a top target for David Moyes ahead of his first term as United boss.
And Rodrigo, who also spent time with Garay at Real Madrid, believes the 26-year-old would be well-suited to life in the English top-flight.
Everyone knows he is a good, smart player he was at Real Madrid, the Spaniard told Fox Sports Asia.
He may not have had much luck there but he has definitely proved himself in the last two years at Benfica.
I do not know if he will stay because maybe he will go to England.…
Andres Iniesta has stressed the importance of maintaining a high level of play as Spain prepare to face France in a World Cup qualifier.
Vicente del Bosque s side have enjoyed vast success in recent years, winning back-to-back European Championships and the 2010 World Cup.
The Spaniards face France on Tuesday night in a crucial World Cup qualifier in Madrid with both sides looking to make it three-wins-from-three in Group I and the Barcelona man was quick to recognise the magnitude of the encounter in the context of the group.
It is not easy for a team after winning a World Cup and European Championship to continue with the same dynamic and to remain concentrated, Iniesta told reporters.
But the group of players is the same and we have to qualify for t…
Lucas Holer s last-gasp penalty saw Freiburg snatch a dramatic 2-1 victory against Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals to end Thomas Tuchel s hopes of a domestic double.
The tie appeared to be headed to extra time, until Jamal Musiala handled Nicolas Hofler s strike, enabling Holer to secure a shock win.
Bayern had looked the likelier of the two teams to claim a late winner, after seeing Dayot Upamecano s first-half header cancelled out by Hofler s excellent volley.
It means Tuchel, in his second game since replacing Julian Nagelsmann, will miss out of the chance of both Bundesliga and Pokal glory as Christian Streich s side proceed to the last four.
pic.twitter.com/McuexW0tls
— SC Freiburg (@scfreiburg)
The hosts had very muc…
Cristiano Ronaldo says he made up his mind last year to quit Manchester United for Real Madrid, whom he has agreed to join for a world record 93 million euros, the News of the World reports in Sunday s edition.
Madrid courted Ronaldo all through last summer but the 24-year-old decided to stay and try to help United defend their 2008 Champions League title, featuring in their final loss in May to Barcelona.
Although United retained their English Premier League title, Ronaldo told the paper he decided to leave after the May 2007 final win over Chelsea.
After we won the European Cup. I thought there is no more I can achieve here, said the Portuguese.
And when you have done all you can, you know it is time for a new challenge. I stayed one more season and …
Thierry Henry has joined his former Arsenal team-mate Cesc Fabregas in becoming a part-owner of Serie B side Como.
France and Gunners legend Henry was confirmed as a shareholder of the ambitious club, owned by the Djarum Group, on Monday.
Ex-Spain midfielder Fabregas recently signed a two-year deal with the Italian side, while also becoming a shareholder in the club.
Henry said: It is with great pleasure that I announce that I will join Como as a shareholder. I had been waiting for a long time to be involved in a project like that of Como.
An ambitious club, but above all a club that lives my same values: not just a football team but a reality that helps the local community
Como chief executive Dennis Wise, a former Chelsea midfielder, sai…
Zlatan Ibrahimovic s arrival at Milan last year was a godsend that helped transform the club, according to head coach Stefano Pioli.
The ex-Sweden international returned to San Siro for a second permanent spell with the Italian giants roughly a year ago, making his second debut as a substitute against Sampdoria on January 6.
He has been in sensational form since then, scoring 20 and assisting six goals in 24 Serie A matches in 2020, a tally bettered only by Ciro Immobile (34 goal involvements in 33 games) and Cristiano Ronaldo (38 in 29).
Ibrahimovic s haul includes a return of 10 goals in six league matches in the first half of this season, two of those strikes coming in Milan s 3-1 win over Napoli in November before he limped off with an injury that has kept h…
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez admits it came as a huge shock when Zinedine Zidane told him he will be stepping down as head coach.
Zidane confirmed on Thursday he is leaving the club, just five days on from winning his third Champions League in a row, citing the need for a change for him and the team.
The 45-year-old s future had come under scrutiny in the weeks leading up to the Champions League final against Liverpool, with Madrid having failed to defend their LaLiga title and crashed out of the Copa del Rey to Leganes.
However, Perez claims he had hoped to have Zidane at his side forever and was only informed of the former France star s plans on Wednesday.
Zidane since his appointment in 2016
UEFA Champions League
UEFA Super Cup…