Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane insisted Karim Benzema has always been a hugely important player for the LaLiga and European giants after his two-goal haul.

Benzema – wearing the captain s armband – maintained his fine form with a brace as he helped rescue a 2-1 win over Eibar at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

Madrid trailed at half-time but Benzema netted a towering header to restore parity approaching the hour-mark before the 31-year-old repeated the feat with nine minutes remaining.

Benzema – who arrived from Lyon in 2009 – has scored 17 LaLiga goals this season and four in his past three league games, earning praise from Zidane.

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)

He s always been crucial for the team, Zid…

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Looking to extend on what has been a stellar purple patch on home soil this week, Brazil will welcome Colombia to Rio de Janeiro in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Brazil

Starting with the hosts, putting in what was another rampant display last week, Brazil have only continued on what has been a stellar run of form over the past 19 months. Enjoying a real second-half flurry in Rio de Janeiro last Friday, the former world champions landed themselves a 4-0 romp against Peru on home soil and the mood in their camp is at a red-hot high. Now opening up their Group B campaign with back-to-back victories against Peru and a 3-0 win against Venezuela on June 13th, Seleção have now won each of their last nine matchups across all formats, …

According to a recent report from the Mirror, Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho is set to leave the club at the end of the season.

It may not seem like it but at 35 years of age, Fernandinho has been a part of the furniture at the Etihad since back in 2013. He’s been through a parade of highs and lows with the club from trophy wins to European disappointments, but along the way, he’s always been a loyal servant for City.

Pep Guardiola has already made it crystal clear that, while he is going to stay on as manager, things need to change if City are going to get back to the heights they once enjoyed.

There are many different ways in which the changes need to be made and Guardiola himself will be the first one to admit that, but it ll still be a sad sight …

Today is a day of profound pain, sadness and reflection. I feel in my heart the departure of a friend whom I honoured with my loyalty and companionship to the end of his days, Morla said in a statement published via his social media channels.

I bid him farewell in person and the wake should be an intimate moment for the family.

In terms of the report from the Prosecutor San Isidro, it is inexplicable that for 12 hours my friend has had no attention or check-up from the personnel dedicated to these ends. The ambulance took more than half an hour to arrive, which was a criminal idiocy.

This should not be overlooked and I will ask for it to be investigated until the end of its consequences. As Diego told me, you are my soldier, act without pity .

To de…

Nuno Espirito Santo was keen to focus on a positive first half against Chelsea after Tottenham collapsed following the interval, when there were a lot of things that went wrong .

For the second week in a row, Spurs lost 3-0 to London rivals in the Premier League, although they were initially more impressive against Chelsea than they had been at Crystal Palace.

The out-of-sorts European champions reached the interval with the game still goalless, however, and the introduction of N Golo Kante then changed the game.

He scored Chelsea s second goal via a huge deflection after Thiago Silva had become the club s second-oldest goalscorer in the competition. The 36-year-old trails only Didier Drogba (37 in 2015) in that regard.

Antonio Rudiger blasted in a late t…

James Rodriguez has left Everton to join Qatari side Al-Rayyan for an undisclosed fee.

The Colombia playmaker, who did not make his nation s squad for the Copa America due to concerns over his fitness after missing the end of Everton s 2020-21 campaign, had not featured in a competitive game for the Toffees so far this season.

Rafael Benitez reportedly did not see the 30-year-old as a key player in his squad and confirmed earlier this month that Everton had been open to offers for the former Real Madrid man, who won the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup.

Signed on a free transfer from Madrid by previous manager Carlo Ancelotti, James made 26 appearances in all competitions for Everton last season, scoring six goals and creating a further eight.

However…

The contrast between the last season and this one could hardly have been more drastic than it has for Liverpool. It took them 30 years, but the Merseysiders finally managed to break the curse which saw them miss out on the Premier League title for such a long time after being named English champions for a record of 18 times, and eventually opened the door for Manchester United under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson to rush past and win their 20th in 2013.

And as Jurgen Klopp made clear upon his arrival to Anfield that it would, it took some time for him to construct a team worthy of the title, a team which would also win the Champions League in 2019, having already reached the final of UEFA s elite competition the year before. The 2019-20 revealed a ruthless group of players und…

Sin bin trials featuring blue cards will be the subject of further discussion by the game’s lawmakers on Friday and Saturday.

The sin bin protocols, which would involve players being dismissed for 10 minutes for dissent and tactical fouls, had been signed off by the directors of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and were ready for publication on February 9, at which point competitions would have been able to apply to conduct a trial.

However, the plug was pulled on publication that morning following media reports about blue cards the previous day.

FIFA wishes to clarify that reports of the so-called blue card at elite levels of football are incorrect and premature.

Any such trials, if implemented, should be limited to testing in a resp…

Jermain Defoe is not surprised by West Ham’s success in Europe and credited “top manager” David Moyes ahead of their Europa Conference League final on Wednesday.

West Ham can clinch their first major European trophy since 1965 when they face Italian side Fiorentina in Prague, where the Hammers will hope to sign off on a high after a disappointing domestic campaign.And former England and Hammers striker Defoe lauded Moyes as the mastermind behind his boyhood side’s resurgence in Europe, which also saw them reach the Europa League semi-finals last season.

A chance to write history Fiorentina Preparing well

The gaffer gives his view on Wednesday s final

— West Ham United (@WestHam)

Defoe, who played for the Scot at Sunderland, told the P…

Crystal Palace have agreed terms with Colombia midfielder Jefferson Lerma on a three-year deal.

The 28-year-old will join the Eagles on July 1 when his current Bournemouth contract ends.

“I am very happy and excited by this new opportunity,” Lerma told the official Palace website.

Jefferson has a message for you all.

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC)

“Crystal Palace has good players and a good team, and I want to help with every objective the club has next season.”

Palace chairman Steve Parish said: “Jefferson is a strong addition to our squad.

“He is a proven performer at Premier League level, and his combative and competitive nature will endear him to the Palace fans.”

Lerma made a £25million switch to Bour…