Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland believes karma played a role in his duel with Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, insisting I scored when he didn t cheat in the absorbing Champions League last-16 clash.
History-making Haaland netted a brace as Dortmund drew 2-2 with LaLiga visitors Sevilla on Tuesday but advanced to the quarter-finals 5-4 on aggregate.
Haaland became the quickest player to 20 Champions League goals after reaching the milestone in his 14th game in the competition.
The 20-year-old broke the record after scoring a 54th-minute penalty – the in-demand Norway forward celebrating in the face of Bounou following the retaken spot-kick.
Next round, here we come!
— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland)
Bounou had saved the i…
Didier Deschamps has prepared France to face Edinson Cavani on Friday but expects Uruguay to be a dangerous opponent even if the striker fails to recover from injury.
Cavani suffered a muscle problem in the 2-1 World Cup last-16 win over Portugal and is a doubt for the quarter-final showdown with France in Nizhny Novgorod, despite having returned to training on Thursday.
Deschamps has a plan in place for the Paris Saint-Germain striker but thinks Oscar Tabarez has plenty of strong alternatives at his disposal.
I m preparing my team for if Cavani plays, the France coach told a news conference. But Tabarez has some terrific options. [Cristhian] Stuani is also an excellent player, he scored 21 goals with his club side, and I ve prepared my team with these differen…
A late Ashley Barnes strike gained Burnley a surprise 2-2 draw at Manchester City on Sunday to end the champions nine-match winning run.
City were on course for a club-record 10th consecutive victory in all competitions that would have seen them move to within a point of Premier League leaders Chelsea, who drew with Southampton earlier in the day.
However, after George Boyd pulled one back, Barnes completed a memorable comeback for Sean Dyche s side, who were 2-0 down at half-time thanks to strikes from David Silva and Fernandinho at the Etihad Stadium.
Burnley had offered signs of promise in the opening exchanges, but City s dominance in possession came to fruition when Silva opened the scoring 23 minutes in.
The Spaniard s fifth goal in as ma…
Blackburn Rovers are working on bringing Jack Rodwell to the club, the have quoted manager Tony Mowbray saying.
Rodwell started his career with Everton as a product of their academy, and moved to Manchester City as a hot prospect in 2012. However, he made only 25 appearances over two years for the current Premier League holders before moving to Sunderland.
The midfielder s four seasons at the North-East of England were riddled with various issues, injuries not least among them. In April this year, manager Chris Coleman revealed he didn t know where Rodwell was mentally. His contract was eventually cancelled in June and he is now a free agent.
He now faces an uphill task of getting his career back on track, and Blackburn are aware they would be getting a quality…
Lyon have completed the signing of Real Madrid striker Mariano Diaz in a move reportedly worth €8million.
The 23-year-old has signed a five-year contract and becomes the Ligue 1 club s fourth signing ahead of the 2017-18 season after the arrivals of Fernando Marcal, Bertrand Traore and Ferland Mendy.
Both clubs announced the transfer on Friday and Madrid thanked Mariano in a statement which read: The club wants to show its gratitude for these years of dedication and professionalism and wishes him good luck in his next chapter.
The centre-forward, who will wear the number 11 shirt at Lyon, was with Madrid since 2011 and rose through the club s youth system to become part of the first-team squad in 2016-17.
Welcome in the Mariano Diaz!!!
— OL…
Sydney FC only need a draw to finish second in the A-League, while Melbourne Victory look set to seal the Premier s Plate.
Graham Arnold s Sky Blues sit behind Victory, who are three points clear at the top, ahead of a trip to Wellington.
The Phoenix are a point behind Sydney, who will seal a top-two spot and a home semi-final should they avoid defeat.
Arnold s side are unbeaten in 13 away games this campaign, and they have won back-to-back games ahead of their trip to Westpac Stadium.
Sydney could still finish top, but they will need a win and goal difference turnaround of seven.
That is unlikely, given Victory host the eighth-placed Central Coast Mariners at AAMI Park on Sunday.
Austria captain Marc Janko is on track to win the golden bo…
James Milner feels Liverpool s record-breaking Premier League season means they deserve to end the campaign with silverware.
Although Jurgen Klopp s side piled up 97 Premier League points, more than any runner-up in the division s history, they were pipped to the post by Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola s men won their last 14 league games of the season to become the first team to retain the Premier League title since Manchester United a decade ago.
Liverpool can still end a season of great progress on a huge high as they face Tottenham in an all-English Champions League final in Madrid on June 1.
And Milner, who won two Premier League titles at City before moving to Anfield in 2015, believes it would be a fitting end to the campaign were the Reds to claim …
I am a pensioner now. I have no ambition to be a technical director or a TV pundit. My wife Truus gave up her job for me 22 years ago, and followed me when I went abroad.
I told her I would quit as a coach when I turned 55, but instead kept going until I was 65. She is entitled to have a life with me outside of football. I can say she is very happy.”
Those are the words of Louis van Gaal, who has seemingly confirmed his retirement from football management.
The 67 year old Dutchman has had a glittering career in management, most notably with Ajax. He won three Eredivisie titles, one Champions League and one UEFA Cup with the club, and that was only the beginning.
He also won the Eredivisie with AZ Alkmaar, won two La Ligas and one Copa del Rey with …
According to Bild, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are both very interested in signing Hoffenheim midfielder Nadiem Amiri. The North London rivals are used to battling it out for young stars and they’ve done so before, although they probably won’t be the only top European clubs who enquire about his services.
The 22 year old hasn’t played this season courtesy of an injury, but the two Premier League giants still recognise the ability that he possesses. He could be available for a fee of around £15 million, and in this market, that would likely be considered a minor bargain.
Amiri is a featured member of Germany’s under-21s squad, and is expected to make his senior debut sooner rather than later. The attacking midfielder has been with Hoffenheim since 2012, with h…
England will look to dispel doubts around their attacking power when they face the Czech Republic in their final Euro 2020 Group D game on Tuesday.
The 0-0 draw with Scotland at Wembley was the Three Lions 17th at the Euros and World Cup combined, the most of any nation, while it was just the fourth goalless game out of 115 meetings between the sides.
England managed only one shot on target throughout the match, recording a value of just 1.45 expected goals throughout, their lowest such figure in a European Championship fixture since they drew 1-1 with Russia at Euro 2016 (xG of 0.79).
While four points from two games has both England and the Czech Republic in a strong position to qualify for the last 16 – a draw would secure a top-two finish for both – the…