Marseille head coach Igor Tudor revealed his players could not hear his instructions amid the last-gasp chaos that cost them a Europa League spot in Tuesday s 2-1 Champions League loss to Tottenham.
The nine-time French champions were set to qualify for Europe s second tier via third spot in Group D with scores locked at 1-1 entering stoppage time, with Sporting CP trailing 2-1 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the other game.
But Marseille ambitiously pushed forward chasing a winner, which would have seen them move above Spurs and advance to the Champions League last-16, rather than conserve third spot.
That move backfired as their backline was badly exposed when Tottenham broke clear in the 95th minute with Harry Kane laying off for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg s winner,…
Manchester United have made a £35m approach for Nemanja Matic, according to the Mirror.
Jose Mourinho, who brought Matic back to Stamford Bridge in January 2014, is keen to reunited with the midfielder as he looks to continue strengthening his squad ahead of United’s return to the Champions League.
Chelsea are willing to let the Serbia international move to their rivals as a thank you for his services to the club but will hold out for a fee of £50m.
The Red Devils were linked with a move for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier though the North London side were not interested in selling, leaving them to make Matic their top target.
The twenty-eight year old has racked up one hundred and fifty-four appearances, with all but three of those outin…
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is confident Kobbie Mainoo can deal with the hype following his impressive full England debut.
Just four months on from making his first Premier League start, the 18-year-old put in a man-of-the-match performance in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw against Belgium at Wembley.
Mainoo had not even been included in the initial England squad but followed a promising debut off the bench against Brazil by potentially earning a spot at Euro 2024 with his display against Belgium.
That performance has taken the midfielder’s stock to new heights but Ten Hag is confident the success will not go to his head.
“I thought it was very good, but we are not surprised,” the United boss said. “We have seen what he is capable of, that he can ve…
AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli is refusing to look any further ahead than Saturday’s Serie A trip to Fiorentina as he targets a rousing finish to the season.
The Rossoneri, who have won their last five games in all competitions, head for the Stadio Artemio Franchi sitting in second place in the table, 14 points adrift of derby rivals Inter, but only three clear of Juventus in third.
With the prospect of Europa League glory still very much alive – they face compatriots Roma in the quarter-finals – the campaign could yet end on a high note, although Pioli, who will be without the suspended Theo Hernandez, will not allow his players to get ahead of themselves.
He told a press conference: “A decisive period is about to begin. We’ll need to focus on playing the…
MLS glamour clubs LA Galaxy and New York will lock horns on Sunday in the first leg of their much-hyped Western Conference semi-final.
The Red Bulls play host to the Galaxy in New York, with former England midfielder David Beckham potentially lining up for his last hurrah with LA.
The 36-year-old is in the last year of his contract at Galaxy and with overtures from the likes of PSG and a number of English clubs it is widely tipped Beckham will call time on his stint in America and move back to Europe.
Having lost out in the 2009 playoff final to Real Salt Lake, success in the US has eluded Beckham something he is looking to rectify.
Obviously with the Galaxy, we want a championship. We ve done well in the last three years, reaching the final and then wi…
Tottenham signing Vincent Janssen almost quit football after failing to break through at Feyenoord.
Janssen, 22, was released by the Dutch giants in 2013, having been unable to make a first-team appearance at the club.
He spent time in the second-tier before joining AZ Alkmaar, scoring a stunning 27 goals in 34 Eredivisie appearances last season.
Now a five-time Netherlands international, Janssen revealed he came close to giving up on the sport after failing at Feyenoord.
I liked football too much to quit it, but at that moment it was now or never, he told ESPNFC.
And if it wasn t going to be what I wanted, I had to make a choice. I said to myself, One time more I m going to give everything for it , and you can see what can happen.
My f…
Colorado Rapids twice came from behind to beat Los Angeles FC 3-2 in Saturday s thrilling MLS clash at Dick s Sporting Goods Park.
Djordje Mihailovic was the Rapids hero, with two goals in the space of six minutes late in the first half.
Moise Bombito s first-half header had pulled Colorado level in the first half, cancelling out Eduard Atuesta s early strike.
David Martinez had put LAFC seemingly in control, yet the LAFC substitute turned from hero to zero when he was sent off in the 85th minute, paving the way for Mihailovic to follow up a stunning equaliser with a close-range winner.
DJORDJE BRACE!!!!
89 | 3-2 |
— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids)
The Black and Gold made a quick start as Denis Bouanga hit the bar with a way…
Pep Guardiola has hit out at the scheduling of the March international break and his side’s FA Cup semi-final, but is resigned to fighting a losing battle.
Kyle Walker and John Stones picked up injuries on England duty which have ruled them out of Sunday’s vital clash with title rivals Arsenal and potentially further Premier League games against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
The first leg of their Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid will be City’s fourth game in 10 days and Guardiola is also exasperated at being forced to play an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea just three days after the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
Asked if the timing of the March international break needed rethinking, Guardiola said: “Sure, but they will not rethink.…
Boca Juniors full-back Clemente Rodriguez has been named in the Argentina squad for their World Cup qualifiers with Bolivia and Colombia.
Manager Alejandro Sabella announced the names on Sunday, having released the list for foreign-based players the previous week.
Rodriguez is joined by Boca team-mate Agustin Orion and Estudiantes pair Rodrigo Brana and Leandro Desabato as potential debutants to take on Bolivia and Colombia.
All four men are well known to Sabella. The quartet served under the coach in his previous term at Estudiantes, forming part of the team which lifted the 2009 Copa Libertadores and the 2010 Apertura under his guidance.
Argentina host Bolivia at the Estadio Monumental on Friday, before travelling to Barranquilla to face Colombia on …
Federico Chiesa was sent off on his Juventus debut as the Cristiano Ronaldo-less Serie A champions drew 1-1 with Crotone on Saturday.
Bereft of the talismanic Ronaldo, who is self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19 while on international duty with Portugal, Juve looked far from their best at Stadio Ezio Scida.
Alvaro Morata s first goal since rejoining the club on loan from Atletico Madrid cancelled out Simy s early penalty for the hosts, but their hopes of going on to claim all three points were dealt a blow with 30 minutes remaining when Chiesa, who joined on loan from Fiorentina on transfer deadline day, received a straight red card.
Juve whose veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon made his 650th Serie A appearance thought they had won it late o…