Spain wrapped up their successful Euro 2020 qualification campaign in style with a rampant 5-0 victory over Romania in Madrid.
Robert Moreno s side already had qualification and top spot in Group F secured heading into their final fixture and followed up a 7-0 demolition of Malta with another dominant display at the Wanda Metropolitano on Monday.
With the excellent Santi Cazorla having already hit the crossbar, Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring in the eighth minute. Gerard Moreno s double then put Spain out of sight.
Adrian Rus own goal completed the first-half scoring, with substitute Mikel Oyarzabal picking out the bottom-left corner in the 91st minute to complete the rout.
Jose Gaya s foul saw the hosts have a goal disallowed in the fifth minute, be…
Juventus moved to within two points of Serie A leaders Inter Milan thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Roma.
Adrien Rabiot scored the only goal of the game early in the second half as Massimiliano Allegri’s side took advantage of Inter’s draw at Genoa on Friday to close the gap on their title rivals.
The win maintained Juve’s unbeaten record at home in Serie A this season as they bid to win the Scudetto for the first time since 2020, while the defeat leaves Roma seventh in the table and 17 points off the top.
FT | | We end 2023 with victory!
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen)
Jose Mourinho’s side came into the game buoyed by last week’s 2-0 home win against defending champions Napoli and were also boosted by the return of Paulo Dybal…
Noni Madueke believes his link-up with Cole Palmer is perfectly balanced after he set him up for a hat-trick in their 6-2 thrashing of Wolves.
Enzo Maresca earned his first Premier League win thanks to Madueke s 14-minute hat-trick, after Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen had cancelled out Nicolas Jackson and Palmer s goals in the first half. New signing Joao Felix then rounded off a superb display for the Blues with 10 minutes remaining.
It is the fifth time that a player has assisted each goal for a team-mate s hat-trick in the Premier League, and Madueke was pleased with how well they complimented each other on Sunday.
It is unbelievable. He is cold, and I am fire, so it mixes well, Madueke told PLP.
He has the ability to always play a pass at t…
Manchester City know they cannot let complacency set in as they aim to make Premier League history, so says Rodri.
City beat Tottenham 2-0 on Tuesday, taking a huge stride towards winning an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title.
Erling Haaland scored twice, with his second – a calmly taken spot-kick in stoppage time – came after a string of fine stops from Stefan Ortega.
City s stand-in goalkeeper replaced the injured Ederson just after the hour mark, and twice denied Dejan Kulusevski before making an exceptional save to prevent Son Heung-min scoring in a one-v-one.
With one game left, City are two points above Arsenal, and Rodri knows the job must now be done against West Ham on Sunday.
It s unbelievable. For us, it gives us th…
Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin is confident his side can reach the playoffs despite their 3-1 defeat to Inter Miami last time out.
Mikael Uhre had given the Union the lead in the first minute against the Eastern Conference leaders, only for Lionel Messi to score twice on his return to MLS action as Luis Suarez confirmed the triumph in injury time.
The result leaves Philadelphia in ninth heading into the final six games of the season, three points behind D.C. United, while the Union also have a game in hand.
Curtin acknowledged his side can only have themselves to blame for the position they are currently in, but he is sure that his players are showing positive signs in their quest for the playoffs.
“We have a tough schedule. The rest of the wa…
Barnsley head coach Michael Duff has expressed admiration for Sheffield Wednesday counterpart Darren Moore before Monday’s Sky Bet League One play-off final.
The pair go head-to-head at Wembley on Monday when the two South Yorkshire rivals clash in the third tier’s winner-takes-all season finale.
Barnsley edged past Bolton 1-0 on aggregate in their semi-final, while Wednesday overcame the biggest first-leg deficit in play-off history before beating Peterborough on penalties.
Moore silenced the Owls fans who had called for him to be sacked after his side’s 4-0 first-leg defeat appeared to have left them dead and buried and Duff paid tribute to his rival manager.
Duff said: “Darren deserves loads of credit because one thing he’s done the whole sea…
Erling Haaland is reaching the levels of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, so says Pep Guardiola.
Haaland marked his 100th appearance for Manchester City with his 91st goal for the club in a 2-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday.
The Norway forward has been directly involved in 106 goals for City.
And Guardiola believes the 24-year-old s record can be compared to the exploits of Messi and Ronaldo.
Guardiola said: He has the numbers for Messi and Ronaldo, who controlled the last decade, 15 years, absolutely everything. In terms of the numbers, it is that level.
Despite his manager s praise, the data does not suggest Haaland is quite yet at the level of Messi or Ronaldo during their most fruitful campaigns.
Haaland has managed a goal on average …
Carlo Ancelotti says Real Madrid must play with greater intensity if they are to keep their hopes of a record-extending 15th European title alive, with their Champions League semi-final tie against Bayern Munich in the balance ahead of Wednesday s second leg.
Madrid were crowned champions of LaLiga with four matches to spare on Saturday, beating Cadiz 3-0 before watching their closest rivals Barcelona slip to a 4-2 defeat against Girona.
However, that success has not stopped Ancelotti from being critical of Madrid s performance in last week s first leg against Bayern, a 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena.
He has warned his players that they cannot afford another subpar performance if they want to contest the final at Wembley Stadium on June 1.
We need a match…
Napoli boss Antonio Conte is excited to reunite with his former player Cesc Fabregas when they meet as rival coaches in Friday s Serie A match against Como.
Conte has led the Partenopei to the top of Serie A for the first time since they won the Scudetto in 2022-23, with a return of 13 points from six games putting them one clear of Juventus.
They have taken seven points from their last three, as have newly promoted Como, who travel to Naples sitting just inside the top half.
Conte worked with Como boss Fabregas at Chelsea, the Spaniard playing a key role in his midfield as the Blues won the Premier League in 2017 and the FA Cup in 2018.
His journey is developing quickly; it s been great to see so far. He s proving that he s very prepared in every aspect…
Didier Deschamps says he is not frustrated since their first objective is achieved after a 1-1 draw with Poland in their final Euro 2024 group game.
Kylian Mbappe netted his first goal at the European Championships from the penalty spot, but Les Bleus were denied all three points by Robert Lewandowski, who also netted from 12 yards on the second attempt.
While France s place in the knockout stage was confirmed pre-match, after a win over Austria and a goalless draw with the Netherlands, Deschamps side needed to win to top the group.
Instead, they finished second behind Austria, who got an impressive 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in the other group game.
They will now face the runners-up of the tightly contested Group E in the last 16, and though France…