Jude Bellingham labelled the refereeing in Borussia Dortmund s Champions League defeat at Chelsea a joke , though he warned he would not talk himself into another fine.
Dortmund took a 1-0 lead to Stamford Bridge for the second leg on Tuesday after Karim Adeyemi s goal at Signal Iduna Park gave them the advantage in the round of 16 tie.
But Raheem Sterling equalised on aggregate in the 43rd minute, before Marius Wolf was adjudged to have handled Ben Chilwell s cross in the Dortmund box from close range shortly after the break.
Kai Havertz hit the post with his initial penalty, but a retake was ordered after a Dortmund player allegedly encroached, with Havertz making no mistake with the second spot-kick by sending Alexander Meyer the wrong way as Chelsea held on t…
Manchester City are among the clubs who are interested in signing Axel Disasi from AS Monaco, according to . The report has claimed that the defending Premier League champions are among the clubs who are scouting the 25-year-old France international defender.
Disasi has been on the books of AS Monaco since 2020 and has established himself as one of the best defenders in Ligue 1. The 25-year-old has made 30 starts and one substitute in Ligue 1 so far this season, scoring three goals and providing three assists in the process.
The defender also made two appearances in the UEFA Champions League for Monaco this campaign, scoring one goal in the process. Disasi made one start and two substitute appearances for France at the 2022 Qatar World Cup finals. Monaco are fourth in…
Olivier Giroud highlighted the importance of replacing Paul Pogba s influence on the France squad ahead of their bid to defend the World Cup.
Having lifted their second World Cup in 2018, France are considered one of the main contenders to emerge victorious in Qatar, though injuries to Pogba and other key players could harm their chances.
Pogba has not made a single competitive appearance since returning to Juventus in July, and was ruled out of the tournament after undergoing delayed surgery on a knee injury.
The midfielder, who scored in the World Cup final against Croatia four years ago, will be joined on the sidelines by N Golo Kante, Presnel Kimpembe and Christopher Nkunku, and Giroud believes it is time for other players to assume senior roles.
We …
Phil Foden hailed a momentous night in Manchester City’s history after they claimed the Club World Cup for the first time.
The England midfielder was on the scoresheet as City thrashed Brazilian side Fluminense 4-0 in Friday’s final in Jeddah to add the world crown to four other trophies already won in 2023.
Foden said on TNT Sports: “We are not used to playing in this heat so it was difficult but we are delighted with the outcome. We’re over the ‘world’.
Your 2023 champions!
— Manchester City (@ManCity)
“This one is so important for the club. It’s the first time we’ve won it. We’re delighted and it’s massive for the club.”
Julian Alvarez put City on the way to their convincing victory when he opened the scorin…
Kilmarnock have made their first summer signing by bringing in centre-back Robbie Deas from Inverness.
The 23-year-old revealed on Saturday that the Scottish Cup final had been his final game for Caley Thistle and Deas has now signed a two-year contract with Killie.
The left-sided defender joined Inverness from Celtic in the summer of 2020 and made 113 appearances, bouncing back from a broken leg earlier in the season to help the club reach the cup final.
The former Scotland Under-21 international told Killie’s website: “I fully understand the size of this club and the demands that will be placed on me as a player, so I’m excited about taking this step in my career.
“It was inspiring to speak with the manager about his ambitions for the club and i…
A defiant Stephen Kenny has vowed to press on with his Republic of Ireland mission despite seeing his hopes of Euro 2024 qualification torn to shreds in Greece.
Friday night’s defeat in Athens – coupled with a 1-0 reverse at the hands of World Cup finalists France in Dublin in their opening fixture – means the odds are even more heavily stacked against Ireland that they were when they were initially pitched into Group B battle with both Didier Deschamps’ men and the Netherlands.
For Kenny, who took over as manager in 2020 and targeted qualification in this campaign as his initial end goal, a return of just four wins in 23 competitive matches has refuelled the fires of his critics and anything less than a comprehensive victory over minnows Gibraltar on Monday even…
Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira plans to continue his international career for as long as he is wanted by Germany boss Joachim Low.
Calls have been made for Die Mannschaft to be injected with new blood following a humiliating group stage exit at the World Cup in Russia.
Mesut Ozil and Mario Gomez have both since stepped away and, at 31, Khedira s place could become a source of contention.
The former Real Madrid man, capped 77 times since 2009, moved to provide assurances of his dedication to the national team and the German Football Federation (DFB), which has been a target of criticism from Ozil.
I continue to believe that the team s sporting success and performance must be above all else, Khedira wrote on social media.
The national team mu…
Lucas Vazquez does not believe Real Madrid s squad receive the respect they deserve following three consecutive Champions League titles, while he revealed his plan to stay at the LaLiga club.
Madrid are set to finish third this season, with Zinedine Zidane s side 15 points adrift of Spanish champions and bitter rivals Barcelona.
It has been a forgettable campaign for Madrid, who sacked Julen Lopetegui and then Santiago Solari after their Champions League defence came to a shock end at the hands of Ajax in the last 16.
Zidane – back at the Santiago Bernabeu for his second stint in charge – is set to overhaul Madrid s squad but Vazquez defended the team.
FT: 3-2
2 , 49 , 40 Gerard 11 , Costa 90 +4 |
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid…
Neymar might have played his final match for Brazil, with the Selecao s joint-record goalscorer suggesting he may not return to the international stage.
Brazil crashed out of the World Cup with a 4-2 penalty shoot-out defeat to 2018 runners-up Croatia in Doha on Friday.
Their shoot-out heartbreak followed a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes at Education City Stadium, with Neymar opening the scoring midway through extra time before Bruno Petkovic hauled Croatia level.
Neymar s wonderful goal, which came at the end of a sublime move, took him level with the great Pele on 77 for Brazil.
The 30-year-old had hinted this World Cup might be his last, though with the next Copa America coming in 2024, it had not been expected he would retire.
However, Neymar is un…
Atletico Madrid are set to seal the signing of midfielder Marcos Llorente after announcing a deal with city rivals Real Madrid has been agreed.
Llorente will undergo a medical before signing a five-year contract at the Wanda Metropolitano in a move believed to be worth €40million.
The 24-year-old midfielder is primed to replace Spain international Rodri, who is said to be on the brink of a €70m switch to Premier League champions Manchester City.
Atletico have already signed defender Felipe from Porto and are reportedly set to bring in Benfica s teenage sensation Joao Felix.
Further moves are set to follow with a number of high-profile players departing Atleti – including Diego Godin, Juanfran and Lucas Hernandez – and Antoine Griezmann expected to…