Month: November 2024

Italy s humiliating failure to qualify for the World Cup means profound change must follow the sorrow, according to Serie A president Lorenzo Casini.

A stunning 1-0 defeat to North Macedonia in Thursday s play-off semi-final in Palermo has left Italy knowing they will miss consecutive World Cups for the first time in their history.

The Azzurri will be absent at Qatar 2022, just as they played no part in Russia 2018, and there will be a process whereby some are likely to be held to account over such a dire outcome for the four-time winners.

Elation at triumphing at Euro 2020 has been replaced by suspicions that was a flicker of rude health amid serious worries over the health of the Italian game.

Casini said on Friday: Failure to qualify for the final p…

Liverpool could let Loris Karius leave for free in the January transfer window, according to . The German goalkeeper is out of contract at the Premier League club at the end of the season, and the Reds are considering letting him leave on a free in January.

Karius has been on the books of Liverpool since 2016, but the 28-year-old has not played a single competitive game for the Reds since the Champions League final in 2018. The German goalkeeper has been out on loan at Besiktas and Union Berlin since.

Alisson is the first-choice goalkeeper at Liverpool and is one of the best in the world in his position. Karius is unlikely to get a new contract at Liverpool, and a move away from Anfield in the January transfer would make sense for both parties.

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Vincent Kompany has called on his Manchester City team-mates to maintain their motivation next season as they seek to mount an improved challenge for Champions League glory.

City have marched to the Premier League title in impressive fashion during Pep Guardiola s second season in charge, but they fell short in Europe yet again, bowing out in the quarter-finals at the hands of domestic rivals Liverpool.

The team s best finish in the competition remains a semi-final appearance in 2015-16, when they lost to eventual winners Real Madrid, and the Belgium international is desperate for City to make progress on the biggest stage of all. 

The Champions League is a different discussion, he told the Guardian when reflecting on City s achievements this season.

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Manchester City take on Tottenham in an early-season Premier League blockbuster on Saturday, pitting two of English football s surest things against one another.

Harry Kane typically stepped up when Spurs needed him on the opening weekend, netting a second-half brace to see off freshly promoted Aston Villa.

The fact City s 5-0 rout of West Ham featured a hat-trick from Raheem Sterling also felt somewhat par for the course.

Two leading lights in Gareth Southgate s England team, Kane and Sterling have operated at an increasingly prolific level over recent seasons – something that undoubtedly bodes well for the Three Lions with Euro 2020 on the horizon.

Here we look at the rise and rise of two phenomenal forwards.

2014-15

After …

Cristiano Ronaldo has been fined €18.8million and handed a two-year suspended jail sentence for tax evasion after the Spanish treasury approved the agreement he reached with prosecutors.

The former Real Madrid star accepted the punishments last month having pleaded guilty to four breaches of tax laws in Spain between 2011 and 2014.

Ronaldo s breaches related to taxes owed on image rights income.

The final deal which on Thursday received the necessary approval of Hacienda, the Spanish treasury sees an acceptance that €5.7m is owed in taxes, with the remaining €13.1m including court fees and fines in interest.

The 33-year-old, who signed a four-year contract with Serie A champions Juventus earlier this month, had denied the charges when he appeared be…

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ality of qualification for the Champions League group stage with a 1-0 win over Steaua Bucharest as Joe Hart bid a probable farewell to his adoring Etihad Stadium public.

Hart was restored to the City starting XI for the first and most likely last time under Pep Guardiola, who has preferred Willy Caballero in goal during the opening weeks of the season and sanctioned a move for Claudio Bravo, with the Chile international expected to seal his move from Barcelona before the end of this week.

City s 5-0 romp in the first leg killed both Steaua s ambition in Manchester and the game as a spectacle, with Fabian Delph s 56th-minute header one of the few notable pieces of on-field play.

It meant much of the focus could fall upon England keeper Hart, whose every co…

Toni Kroos insisted the new documentary about his career has nothing to do with hitting back at Bayern Munich but said it does include a review of good and bad things .

The 29-year-old Real Madrid midfielder recently spoke out about how he felt under-valued at Bayern, where he spent the first seven years of his career.

Since joining Madrid for €25million in July 2014, Kroos has won the Champions League three times, LaLiga, the Spanish Super Cup and three UEFA Super Cups, and Bayern president Uli Hoeness admitted the club may have made a wrong decision in selling him.

Kroos responded to suggestions he took the opportunity to take a swipe at his former club in the film, telling Omnisport:  People should watch the film and then they will understand everything. Th…

Persepolis took a step towards the final of the AFC Champions League with a 1-0 win at Al Sadd, earned thanks to a controversial 86th-minute penalty.

Ali Alipour stepped up to beat Saad Al Sheeb after he was brought down by the hosts goalkeeper late in Wednesday s first leg of the last-four tie.

Qatar side Al Sadd, who started with Barcelona icon Xavi in midfield, were furious with the decision by referee Hettikankanamge Chrishantha Dilan Perera to point to the spot at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

While replays indicated Al Sheeb caught Alipour as he raced through on goal, the contact was minimal and on the edge of the penalty area.

Iran international Alipour picked himself up to take the spot-kick and, although Al Sheeb guessed correctly by diving…

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has vowed to hit top form both in the Premier League and in Europe for Manchester United this season.

The Armenia international has enjoyed a strong start to 2017-18, registering one goal and five assists in his side s first six league matches.

It marks a stark contrast to Mkhitaryan s fortunes at the start of last season following his move from Borussia Dortmund, with manager Jose Mourinho dropping him from the side for several weeks after a poor display in the Manchester derby defeat at Old Trafford in October.

Mkhitaryan won back his place but reserved his best performances for the Europa League, scoring six times – including in the 2-0 final win over Ajax.

However, when it was suggested to the 28-year-old on Tuesday that his form …

Inter Milan have reached an agreement in principle with Chelsea over the signing of Romelu Lukaku in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Lukaku will return to Inter from Chelsea on a season-long loan deal.

Former Italian champions Inter will pay Chelsea a fee of €8 million plus add-ons for Lukaku, who will undergo a medical next week. The 29-year-old moved to Inter from Manchester United in 2019 and helped the Nerazzurri win the Serie A title in 2020-21.

Lukaku return to Chelsea from Inter last summer and was expected to be a huge success at Stanford Bridge. However, the striker had a disappointing season on a personal level, scoring eight goals in 16 Premier League starts.

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