It s not often Real Madrid get painted as the good guys, but Sunday s derby clash with Atletico was one of those few occasions.
As Carlo Ancelotti s Los Blancos left the Civitas Metropolitano with a 2-1 win, there was little doubt that they were the better side on the day.
But, strangely for a fixture of such magnitude, the actual football was sadly almost a sideshow as Spanish football s racism problem reared its head once again.
Through no fault of his own, Vinicius Junior had been the chief focus in the build-up after Pedro Bravo, an agent who appears on Spanish football show El Chiringuito, made a racially insensitive comment while on TV.
Referencing Vinicius harmless tendency to celebrate goals with a little dance, Bravo suggested the Brazilian shou…
Jan Vertonghen believes his former Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane could be the missing link that helps Bayern Munich back to Champions League glory.
Kane has enjoyed a superb start to his career with the Bavarian giants, scoring his third hat-trick of the season in Saturday s 4-0 Klassiker win over Borussia Dortmund, taking his Bundesliga tally to 15 after 10 matches. No player has ever scored more than 13 in their first 10 games in the competition.
He is already just one goal behind the number the 2022-23 top scorers managed (Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Fullkrug – 16), while he is halfway to the record for the most goals scored in a debut Bundesliga season, currently held by Uwe Seeler (30) in the 1963-1964 campaign.
His record-breaking form is giving Bayern…
Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold believes performances this season provide encouraging evidence they can again push Manchester City all the way in another epic title battle.
After a summer midfield rebuild following a fifth-place finish it was generally expected the realistic aim was to regain their Champions League status but just one controversial defeat sees Jurgen Klopp’s side head into Saturday’s match at the home of the Premier League leaders in second place.
The tantalising prospect is Liverpool will at the very least sustain a challenge like that of 2018-19 and 2021-22, when City pipped their north-west rivals by just a single point, or even go one better like in 2019-20 when they won their first title in 30 years.
But to do that they wil…
With relinquishing their maiden Champions League crown a fortnight ago, it appears that Europe’s most prized piece of silverware is firmly hanging in the balance.
Although the Premier League might not have any representation left in this year’s tournament, the semi-finals will get underway on Tuesday night when Bayern Munich welcome to the Allianz for what is rightfully billed as a mouth-watering affair.
With meeting French icons PSG in the other semi-final on Wednesday, a host of Europe’s hottest young starlets will steal centre stage in midweek.
Ahead of a stacked semi-final schedule over the next week, we have taken a look at four of the European superstars that could play a leading role.
Jude Bellingham Real Madrid
Completing an historic £…
Gonzalo Pineda hopes his Atlanta United side s 3-0 win over the Charlotte Independence in the US Open Cup on Tuesday gives them confidence after a tricky recent run.
Atlanta had gone five MLS games without a win prior to Tuesday s victory, leaving them 10th in the Eastern Conference after 10 matches.
However, with his side now heading into a home game against D.C. United off the back of a dominant display, Pineda is hoping that will spur his players onto better things in the league.
When you win and have a solid performance like we did today, that brings confidence to the players, Pineda told reporters.
I think at times there are certain games like this that can be a game changer or system changer.
Meanwhile, D.C. have only won one of their las…
Aberdeen have continued their summer recruitment drive by adding Liverpool defender Rhys Williams on loan shortly after sealing the return of influential midfielder Graeme Shinnie on a permanent contract.
The Dons announced on Wednesday morning that 31-year-old Shinnie, who captained the club during a fruitful spell on loan from Wigan in the second half of last season, had moved to Pittodrie on a three-year deal.
And just a couple of hours later, they concluded a season-long loan deal for England Under-21 international centre-back Williams, who has made 14 starts and a further five appearances off the bench for Liverpool’s first team.
Manager Barry Robson is delighted to have been able to bring Shinnie back to Aberdeen for a third time after he enjoyed four yea…
Nick Cushing hailed the togetherness demonstrated by New York City FC as they look to continue their impressive form against a struggling Philadelphia Union.
The Boys in Blue endured a poor start to the MLS season – losing four of their opening five matches – but have tasted defeat just once in their last seven.
Last weekend s 3-2 victory over Toronto FC was New York s fourth in five matches, and Cushing saluted the character shown by his squad in recent times.
We re training incredibly well, he said. Our intensity and our culture is excellent at the moment.
I m so proud of the team because if you look at the way the bench celebrated the third goal [against Toronto], these are guys there that really want to get on the field.
The way they ce…
High – Kane would go on to create better memories at Wembley and a hat-trick against Southampton on Boxing Day in 2017 sealed a number of individual achievements. After a first-half brace at Tottenham’s temporary Wembley home ensured Kane broke the record for most Premier League goals in a year, he sealed his treble in the 67th minute. It was Kane’s 39th top-flight goal of 2017 and took his overall tally for club and country over the 12-month period to 56, beating Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to most goals in Europe in a calendar year. This sixth Premier League hat-trick of 2017 set a new record.
Low – Kane and Tottenham’s journey reached its peak in the summer of 2019 when a remarkable European run took them to the Champions League final. Kane missed the stunnin…
Was Hodgson right to omit Drinkwater? / Image via thefa.com
Roy Hodgson has initiated a huge debate with his decisions regarding the final squad list of 23 men he will be taking to Euro 2016 finals in France.
Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph picked up an injury that ruled him out prior to Roy Hodgson’s final decision, while Newcastle United and Leicester City midfielders Andros Townsend and Danny Drinkwater respectively were the two players not to survive the cup.
Plenty of eyebrows were raised upon the final announcement as huge part of public finds is odd for England manager to leave the Premier League champion behind, while at the same opting to lay his faith into the injured arms and legs of Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge and ever-unfit Jack W…
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Premier League contenders Arsenal are gearing up for a brief journey across the capital this Sunday as they aim to settle the score with London rivals West Ham United at the London Stadium.
Mikel Arteta s squad injected further excitement into the title race with a commanding 3-1 victory over league leaders Liverpool in their previous fixture. Meanwhile, West Ham fell to a 3-0 loss against Manchester United, highlighting the Red Devils dominance on the pitch.
West Ham
David Moyes, returning to one of his former clubs, faced another disappointing result as his West Ham side suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United last Sunday. The Red Devils emerging talents, notably Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho, stole t…