Year: 2024

7Oct By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

SERIE A

AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea’s penalty heroics

AC Milan slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Fiorentina on Sunday after having two penalties saved by star man David De Gea, while Juventus fell further behind Serie A leaders Napoli on a day of spot-kick drama. Albert Gudmundsson lashed home the decisive goal in the 73rd minute of a match in Florence which was packed with drama and featured three failed attempts from the penalty spot. The 27-year-old’s winner was made possible by De Gea pulling off two incredible stops to deny Theo Hernandez and then Tammy Abraham from scoring penalties in a superb display from the former Spain goalkeeper. Those saves contributed to Milan missing the chance to move second above champions Inter Milan and Juventus, with the latter held 1-1 by Cagliari due to Razvan Marin’s late penalty. “We need to work out why we p...

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7Oct By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

TRANSFERS

Arne Slot ‘insists’ on shock move for ex-Man Utd star Greenwood as Liverpool ‘lead’ Barcelona

Liverpool boss Arne Slot believes former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood can ‘become one of the great players in the Premier League’ under his watch and ‘insists’ on a shock move for the 23-year-old. A case against Greenwood of alleged rape and assault was discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service at the start of 2023 after the withdrawal of key witnesses significantly reduced the chance of conviction. Man Utd pulled the plug on his return ahead of the 2023/24 campaign and he joined La Liga side Getafe on loan, contributing eight goals and six assists, before moving to Marseille in a permanent £26m deal ahead of the current campaign. Greenwood is already being linked with another move after five goals and an assist in his first seven games for the Ligue 1 side, with Barcelona...

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7Oct By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

NEWS

Torres out of Spain squad with suspected hamstring tear

Barcelona forward Ferran Torres has been ruled out of the Spain squad for Nations League fixtures against Denmark and Serbia. Torres was forced off in the early stages of Barcelona’s win over Alaves on Sunday and now looks set for a spell on the sidelines. The early prognosis seems to be that Torres has suffered a hamstring tear and will be out for several weeks. He will undergo tests on Monday to determine the severity of the problem. Hansi Flick admitted after the game that it’s a worrying injury for the Shark. “Ferran’s injury is worrying. We don’t have many options in attack, but we’ll see what happens.” La Liga is due to pause now for a couple of weeks for the international break with Barcelona expected to be boosted by the return of several players when domestic competition resumes. ...

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7Oct By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester United’s worst start, Ten Hag walks on thin ice after draw against Aston Villa

Manchester United ground out a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on Sunday in an English Premier League game steeped in speculation about the future of the visitors’ under-fire manager Erik ten Hag amid the team’s worst start in the Premier League era. The draw sends Unai Emery’s men into the international break in fifth in the table on 14 points after seven games, while United are languishing in 14th with eight points and still searching for their third win of the season. Their points tally is United’s lowest in their opening seven matches of a Premier League campaign and their lowest in any league season since 1989-90 (seven points), when they went on to finish 13th under Alex Ferguson — his lowest league finish. “It wasn’t perfect, we didn’t probably pass the ball as well as we would have liked t...

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6Oct By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

LALIGA

First-half hat trick for Lewandowski as Barcelona top ahead of international break

Robert Lewandowski continued his impressive start to the season on Sunday, scoring a 25-minute hat trick as Barcelona beat Alaves 3-0 and went into the international break top of the Spanish league. Lewandowski scored in the seventh, 22nd and 32nd minutes to take his league tally to 10 goals in nine matches. He has a total of 12 goals in 11 games in all competitions, and has scored eight times in his last five matches. The Poland striker was coming off a brace in Barcelona's 5-0 rout of Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday. "We played a very good match from the first minute," Lewandowski said. "When you score three goals in the first half, it gives you the ability to be a lot more in control in the second." The victory moved Barcelona three points back in front of Real Madrid ahea...

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6Oct By Silver Emmanuel4 Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Aston Villa 0-0 Man United: Highlights, man of the match, stats from goalless draw

Aston Villa and Manchester United played out an uneventful goalless draw in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, with both teams struggling in the final third of the field. Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag (left) speaks with Marcus Rashford during a break in play during the Premier League match at Villa Park, Birmingham. Picture date: Sunday October 6, 2024. (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images) Man United started well, with Marcus Rashford drawing a smart save from Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, while Morgan Rogers and Jaden Philogene had decent attempts for the hosts inside the first 20 minutes. It was much better from the Red Devils in possession of the ball, but there were still concerns through the middle, with Villa having a number of opportuniti...

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6Oct By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

TRANSFERS

Man City working to sign Serie A midfielder

Premier League champions Manchester City came from behind to beat Fulham 3-2 on Saturday afternoon. Andreas Pereira had given the Cottagers a surprise lead at The Etihad, before a Mateo Kovacic brace put the hosts in front. Jeremy Doku then added a third for the Citizens, before Rodrigo Muniz pulled another back for Marco Silva’s side. Fulham were unable to find an equaliser, though, and the victory puts City second in the table, behind leaders Liverpool. Kovacic is likely to be used regularly by manager Pep Guardiola with Rodri set to be sidelined for the remainder of the season, but in the meantime it appears City are attempting to sign a Serie A midfielder. As reported by Football Insider, City are laying the foundations to make a move for Atalanta’s Ederson. The Brazilian – who has bee...

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6Oct By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

TRANSFERS

Juventus considering terminating Paul Pogba’s contract despite ban reduction

According to Fabrizio Romano, Juventus could consider terminating Paul Pogba’s (31) contract at the club despite the player being cleared to play again. The France international midfielder has had a 4-year doping ban from football reduced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport after 18 months. The former Manchester United midfielder tested positive for a banned substance after a match in which he was an unused substitute against Udinese. Following the decision of the CAS to reduce the midfielder’s ban, he would be able to return to Juventus training in January. In addition to a return to training in the new year, the 31-year-old could have been targeting a March return to football. However, it appears that the Serie A club could have other plans regarding Pogba’s future in Turin. The m...

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6Oct By Silver Emmanuel4 Comments

Ligue 1

Scorer Balogun injured as Monaco top French league

US striker Folarin Balogun has scored for the third game in a row then left the pitch injured as Monaco went clear atop the French league by winning at Rennes 2-1. Balogun netted the winner in the 22nd minute of Saturday's match but was forced off after the hour mark with an apparent shoulder injury. It was unclear whether he would be able to join the US squad ahead of matches against Panama and Mexico. Unbeaten Monaco battled throughout the second half but kept their small advantage intact to move to the top of the table. Lagging three points behind, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain can close the gap in Nice on Sunday. Thilo Kehrer put the visitors in front in the sixth minute and Ludovic Blas levelled for Rennes just five minutes later. Balogun was picked out by Eliesse Ben Seghir...

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6Oct By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

BUNDESLIGA

Alonso slams Leverkusen ‘complacency’ after draw

Hosts Bayer Leverkusen paid the price for being complacent after squandering a two-goal lead and losing control of the game before drawing 2-2 against promoted Holstein Kiel in the German Bundesliga on Saturday. Champions Leverkusen scored twice in the opening eight minutes but wasted a two-goal advantage for the third time in six Bundesliga matches this season. "I am not satisfied with our performance. It was our own fault. We did not play intelligently and we thought the game was done but in football you have to keep going always with the same intensity," Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso told reporters. "We were far too passive. After a big game in the Champions League we did not have the right mentality for this game." Last season's domestic league and cup winners, who beat AC Milan 1-0 in ...

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6Oct By Silver Emmanuel3 Comments

SERIE A

Thuram hat-trick fires Inter to victory over 10-man Torino

A hat-trick from Marcus Thuram gave Inter Milan a 3-2 victory over 10-man Torino at home in Serie A after an early red card for visiting defender Guillermo Maripan. Inter are second in the league standings with 14 points, two behind Napoli. Torino are sixth with 11 points. The breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Inter capitalised on Maripan’s dismissal, with Thuram heading in from close range five minutes after the defender was sent off for a late challenge on the French forward. Thuram doubled Inter’s lead in the 35th minute with another header from close range. However, Torino pulled one back a minute later, with Duvan Zapata taking advantage of a defensive error to finish from inside the box. Thuram completed his hat-trick on the hour mark, being in the right place to tap in a reb...

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6Oct By Silver Emmanuel4 Comments

LALIGA

Real flirts with winning ways again with victory over Villareal

An early Federico Valverde strike helped Real Madrid to a 2-0 home win against Villarreal in LaLiga on Saturday as Carlo Ancelotti’s men returned to winning ways after two games without a victory. Real took the lead in the 14th minute with a stunning long-range shot by Valverde following a Luka Modric corner, before Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr sealed the win in the 73rd with an unstoppable strike into the top corner from outside the box. The defending champions were in need of a positive performance after losing 1-0 at Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday and being held to a 1-1 stalemate at Atletico Madrid in their previous LaLiga game. Real, second in the standings, provisionally moved level with Barcelona on 21 points before the LaLiga leaders visit 11th-placed Alaves on Sunday....

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5Oct By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Brentford 5-3 Wolves: Bees score early yet again in goal fest as winless visitors stay bottom

Wolves' wait for a Premier League win this season went on as they slumped to a 5-3 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Stadium to stay rooted to the foot of the table. Brentford's Fabio Carvalho scores their side's fifth goal of the game during the Premier League match at the Gtech Community Stadium, London. Picture date: Saturday October 5, 2024. (Photo by Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images) A thrilling first half in west London saw six goals scored before the break with Brentford falling agonisingly short in their bid for the unprecedented feat of notching in the first minute of four consecutive league matches. There was one minute and 15 seconds on the clock when Nathan Collins headed Thomas Frank's team in front, but Brentford had dropped 38 points from winning positions ...

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5Oct By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Kovacic at the double as Man City edge Fulham

Mateo Kovacic staked his claim to fill the void left by Rodri with two goals as Manchester City came from behind to beat Fulham 3-2.   The champions were stunned as Andreas Pereira fired Fulham ahead after 26 minutes of Saturday's Premier League encounter at the Etihad Stadium and the visitors should have had more. Past tormentor Adama Traore, scorer of three goals when Wolves did the double over City five seasons ago, was the guilty party, spurning a hatful of gilt-edged chances. Kovacic, filling in for the injured Rodri, made them pay with a double either side of half-time and substitute Jeremy Doku secured victory with a stunning strike before a Rodrigo Muniz consolation. Questions have been asked over how City will cope without the influential Rodri in midfiel...

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5Oct By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Diogo Jota strike enough for Liverpool to see off Crystal Palace

Diogo Jota’s goal kept Liverpool at the top of the Premier League for another week as they beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Selhurst Park.The Portugal international punished some poor defending to earn Arne Slot’s men a third league win on the spin. LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 5: Jefferson Lerma of Crystal Palace and Diogo Jota of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace FC and Liverpool FC at Selhurst Park on October 5, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images) Liverpool showed their title pedigree in south London and head into the international break in high spirits ahead of a home clash against Chelsea later this month. Palace were out of the blocks quickly and had the ball in the net inside a minute, only for Eddie Nk...

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5Oct By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Real Madrid vs Villarreal line up: Ancelotti drops a big name

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti will drop a big name from his starting line up as Kylian Mbappe is reintroduced against Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday. LILLE, FRANCE - OCTOBER 02: Carlo Ancelotti, Head Coach of Real Madrid, looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between LOSC Lille and Real Madrid C.F. at Stade Pierre Mauroy on October 02, 2024 in Lille, France. (Photo by Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images) At a prematch press conference in the Spanish capital on Friday afternoon, Ancelotti noted that the visitors who were the last team to top his men at the Bernabeu have been "doing very well" thus far this season, with tonight's fixture providing Los Blancos with "an opportunity for us to reconnect, to play good football again....

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4Oct By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

LALIGA

Barcelona star slowly ‘winning over’ Hansi Flick

Barcelona youngster Héctor Fort has begun to earn the trust of new head coach Hansi Flick. That’s according to Diario Sport, who have on Friday provided an insight into the latest developments behind the scenes in Catalunya’s capital. Defender Fort, for his part, emerged as one of the most promising young talents at Barcelona last season. Under the watch of then-boss Xavi, the full-back, who can play on either side, racked up ten first-team appearances, chipping in with a trio of assists along the way. In turn, it came as something of a blow for Fort when, over this season’s early weeks, he failed to see the pitch even once under Hansi Flick. The 18-year-old failed to even get off the bench in any of Barcelona’s first four outings, giving rise to suggestions that he had failed to impress t...

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4Oct By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

PREMIER LEAGUE

Chelsea lineup vs. Nottingham Forest: Predicted XI for Premier League clash

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca can be expected to change his entire team for Sunday's Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. The Blues kicked off the Europa Conference League league phase with a 4-2 beating of Belgian side Gent on Thursday, where Maresca made a full 11 alterations from the weekend's identical Premier League win over Brighton & Hove Albion. Despite Chelsea's success in midweek, the same XI starters who began the Brighton victory should be recalled to the lineup here, starting with Robert Sanchez replacing Filip Jorgensen in between the posts. Renato Veiga set the Chelsea wheels in motion with the opening goal on Wednesday, but Marc Cucurella will return at left-back on Sunday, while Malo Gusto, Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana - now back in the France s...

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4Oct By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta provides update on injured star Martin Odegaard

Arsenal are preparing to face Southampton in the Premier League this weekend. The Gunners are still unbeaten this season and coming fresh from a comfortable win against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League in the midweek. Goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka ensured the win for Arteta’s team against the French champions. Arsenal received a major boost in the Champions League after new signing Mikel Merino made his debut for the club following his return from an injury. Captain Martin Odegaard is still out with a long term injury and his return is still not known. Ahead of the match against Southampton, the Arsenal manager has provided the update about his captain. Arteta said, as reported by The Independent: “Martin is very difficult. I expected him to still have a boot on and oth...

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4Oct By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

LALIGA

Rudiger: “Karim Benzema is the best player I have ever played with”

Real Madrid star Antonio Rudiger spoke about Karim Benzema as “the best player he has ever played with” in an interview with The Inside Scoop. He said: “Karim Benzema, I could say Modric, Kroos, Chelsea Hazard... but I have to go with Benzema [as the best player I have played with].” MADRID, SPAIN - JUNE 04: Karim Benzema of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring the team's first goal from a penalty kick during the LaLiga Santander match between Real Madrid CF and Athletic Club at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on June 04, 2023 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images) Rudiger on Jude Bellingham “I believe if God marks your time, nobody can do anything about it and he was there always at the right time. And luckily, he has great parents. I spoke to his mum a coupl...

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