Lionel Messi brought up 100 goals in European club competitions as Barcelona made light of Gerard Pique s red card to cruise to a 3-1 Champions League Group D win over Olympiacos.
Ernesto Valverde saw his team hit the front after 18 minutes against his former employers when Dimitris Nikolaou put through his own net and a straightforward outing in teeming rain at Camp Nou seemed on the cards.
But Olympiacos were given a route back into the contest when Pique, already booked, turned in a saved shot from Gerard Deulofeu with his hand and referee Willie Collum was in no doubt the Spain centre-back had to go.
The sound of opportunity knocking did not draw Panagiotis Lemonis men from their shells and Messi joined his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo as the second member o…
Remember Danny Ings? The striker has had a rough time with injury during his career, and with the Reds in such scintillating form he has struggled to force his way back into Jurgen Klopp s thinking. As a result the forward has been heavily linked with a whole host of other Premier League clubs, most of whom are keen to take him on loan. However, according to , West Brom are leading the pack chasing a permanent deal for Ings.
The Englishman has made just 13 appearances for the Merseyside club, but it was at Burnley that he established himself as a prolific striker. 21 goals in the 2013/14 Championship season catapulted the striker to prominence, and he added a further 11 in the following season as the Clarets played in the Premier League.
meanwhile have been struggling…
Arsenal have joined the race to sign Southampton centre-back Jose Fonte, .
The Gunners are desperate to bring in defensive reinforcements having shipped four goals in their season-opening defeat to Liverpool on Sunday, and have identified the Saints skipper as a target.
The thirty-two year old has also been strongly linked with a switch to Manchester United, in a potential move that would see him link up with countryman Jose Mourinho.
Fonte has been at Southampton since signing from Crystal Palace in January 2010 and has since racked up two hundred and sixty-seven appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring fifteen goals.
He was part of the squads that won back-to-back promotions to the Premier League and 2012 and 2013 and was their Player…
Barcelona head coach Xavi wants his side to prove they can compete in Europe by defeating Champion League rival Napoli.
Barca were held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off tie last Thursday after spurning numerous chances at Camp Nou.
Indeed, Ferran Torres had nine shots against Luciano Spalletti s side, a tally surpassed only once by a player in a European game for the club in the last 10 seasons (Lionel Messi when he had 11 against Juventus in December 2020).
History favours Napoli heading into the second leg as they have only ever lost one home game against Spanish sides in European competition (W6 D3), and Xavi is expecting another difficult challenge.
He told reporters at Wednesday s pre-match media co…
Pedro Neto and Paulinho scored on their Portugal debuts while Renato Sanches impressed and Cristiano Ronaldo scored in a 7-0 rout of Andorra.
Handed his first international outing in Wednesday s friendly at Estadio da Luz, Neto put Portugal ahead early on, with Braga forward Paulinho soon getting in on the act.
Called on from the bench at half-time, Ronaldo – who missed some golden chances before scoring Portugal s sixth – set up Sanches for his first international goal since Euro 2016, with Paulinho then doubling his tally.
Emili Garcia netted an own goal as Andorra s defence crumbled under the quality at Portugal s disposal, with Joao Felix hammering in to round off the scoring late on.
It took just eight minutes for Portugal to open the scoring, …
Lionel Messi thinks Barcelona have to focus on the Champions League this season after underwhelming among Europe s elite in each of their past three campaigns.
Barca last won the Champions League in 2014-15 and have failed to get beyond the quarter-finals since.
Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Roma, respectively, conquered them on those occasions, though their most recent failure was surely the worst – Eusebio Di Francesco s men going through 4-4 on away goals despite losing the first leg 4-1.
That disappointment did not impact on their domestic campaign, as they cruised to a LaLiga and Copa del Rey double, but Messi is eager for Barca to improve in Europe after being drawn alongside Inter, Tottenham and PSV in this year s group stage.
Kick off times fo…
Lisandro Martinez has returned to Manchester United following his World Cup success with Argentina, handing Erik ten Hag a timely boost.
A dramatic penalty shoot-out victory for La Albiceleste against France in the final in Qatar was followed by celebrations in his homeland, with Martinez given an extended break by Ten Hag.
However, his absence has come alongside defensive issues for United as an illness has swept through the squad, affecting both Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.
Casemiro and Luke Shaw have subsequently deputised in central defence for United s last two games – against Burnley in the League Cup and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League – though Raphael Varane returned against the latter and Maguire came off the bench.
Back in the…
Throw them to the lions!
England s bloodlust was dramatically sated in Rome s modern sporting colosseum as Ukraine were ruthlessly torn apart, victims of such savagery that might make an emperor think he could soon rule Europe.
Four-nil, and even Jordan Henderson scored. England doubled their goals haul for Euro 2020 and have still yet to concede. This is Italian-like behaviour by the Three Lions. Where was the drama, where was the pain? This team rarely make it easy for themselves but here they trampled all over the opposition.
Goodness knows what Denmark made of it all, given they are next in line.
Home advantage at Wembley seemed to serve Gareth Southgate s players well in their early games at this tournament, and being taken out of that comfort zone …
Arsenal, Leeds United and Crystal Palace are interested in signing Seny Dieng from Queens Park Rangers in the January transfer window, according to . It has been reported that the 26-year-old has caught the eye of the Gunners, the Whites and the Eagles with his impressive performances for QPR in the Championship this season.
Dieng has been on the books of QPR since 2016, but the 26-year-old has been out on loan at a number of clubs over the years. The Swiss goalkeeper has played for Whitehawk, Hampton Richmond Borough, Stevenage, Dundee and Doncaster Rovers on loan. Dieng has made 20 appearances in the Championship for Rangers so far this season, according to .
Bernd Leno is the first-choice goalkeeper at Arsenal, and Dieng is unlikely to dislodge him from his position.…
Turin-based media outlet that Fiorentina have won the race for striker Alberto Gilardino.
The experienced forward will put a pen to paper on a one-and-a-half-year deal with his former club, and he is expected to undergo his medical later today.
Fiorentina have agreed a loan deal with an option to buy for €1.5 million with his current club Guangzhou Evergrande.
Gilardino recently expressed his desire to return to Italian Serie A and his agents were in talks with quite a few high-profile sides.
The 32-year-old eventually opted to accept an offer from Fiorentina and is now set to return to Artemio Franchi, a place where he enjoyed three and a half very successful years.
Gilardino represented Viola between 2008 and 2011, making a total of 118 le…