Germany made a comfortable start to their World Cup qualifying campaign as early goals from Leon Goretzka and Kai Havertz paved the way for a 3-0 win over Iceland.
News of Joachim Low s upcoming departure after the Euros dominated the build-up to Germany s Group J opener, though a vibrant performance proved the quality the outgoing boss has at his disposal heading into his final tournament.
Goretzka and Havertz had Germany 2-0 up after just seven minutes – the quickest Die Mannschaft have been two goals ahead in a competitive match since May 1969, when Gerd Muller and Wolfang Overath struck against Cyprus.
In-form Ilkay Gundogan arrowed in his 13th goal of 2021 for club and country midway through the second half, wrapping up a convincing triumph.
A…
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer felt Manchester United should have been awarded a penalty in their 2-1 Champions League loss to Young Boys, but blamed the defeat on a lack of concentration.
United appeared to be heading for a routine victory when Cristiano Ronaldo, who matched former Real Madrid team-mate Iker Casillas record with his 177th Champions League appearance, put them ahead in the 13th minute.
The goal made Young Boys the 36th different side Ronaldo has scored against in the Champions League, a record he now shares with Lionel Messi.
However, the game turned when Aaron Wan-Bissaka received a straight red card late in the first half for his foul on Christopher Martins Pereira.
United saw another decision go against them when Ronaldo went down under the ch…
Wesley Sneijder has made his return to the Netherlands squad in place of injured PSV midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.
Wijnaldum has withdrawn from the squad to face Estonia and Andorra in FIFA World Cup qualifiers due to an ankle complaint.
And Sneijder has stepped in, marking his first appearance in Louis van Gaal s squad since being dropped and stripped of the international captaincy in June.
Van Gaal also overlooked Sneijder for his squad to face Portugal in August, claiming the Galatasaray playmaker was lacking fitness.
The 29-year-old has made 93 appearances for his country, scoring 25 goals.
He played a pivotal role in taking the Netherlands to the FIFA World Cup final in 2010, with five goals in seven games, although he was unable to help his side to …
Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc called on his players to seize the moment ahead of the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final with domestic rivals Lyon here on Wednesday.
Blanc s side trail 3-1 after a shaky defensive performance in the first leg in Lyon last week and must win either 2-0 or by three clear goals at their Stade Chaban-Delmas home to overturn the deficit.
The reigning French champions are undergoing their worst run of defeats under Blanc, having also lost 2-1 to Nancy in the league on Saturday and been beaten in the League Cup final last month by Marseille.
Blanc, though, insists his players are capable of rediscovering the form that made 2009 one of the most glittering years in the club s history.
If the players really want to ma…
Monaco are determined to ward off any interest in Kylian Mbappe after the teenage striker inspired a stunning Champions League victory over Manchester City.
Leonardo Jardim s Ligue 1 leaders were faced with a 5-3 deficit from the first leg at the Etihad Stadium but Mbappe was to the fore in a blistering opening – breaking the deadlock in the eighth minute and having another strike ruled out for offside.
Fabinho doubled Monaco s advantage and, although Leroy Sane briefly had City heading through on aggregate, Tiemoue Bakayoko s 77th-minute header sealed an unforgettable away goals triumph.
The thrilling nature of Monaco s progress to the quarter-finals will only boost Mbappe s stock as one of the most exciting youngsters in world football.
Anthony Martia…
According to reports in Italy, Arsenal are interested in signing Piotr Zielinski as a potential replacement for Aaron Ramsey. At this stage it s no secret that the Welshman is on the verge of leaving the club, and as such, they need to start looking ahead to the future and signing Zielinski could be a big part of their plans. The Polish midfielder has been a consistent force in the middle of the park for Napoli since signing back in 2016, and it s easy to imagine a scenario in which he makes the switch over to English football.
The reason for this is that he was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool, and it seemed as if it was pretty likely to happen until the plug was pulled. Now, though, with the Gunners being on the rise under the tutelage of Unai Emery, Zielinski could fi…
Massimiliano Allegri says Juventus Champions League clash with Maccabi Haifa is a must win following their difficult start to the 2022-23 season.
A 3-0 victory over Bologna in Serie A over the weekend saw the Bianconeri finally snap a winless streak that started in August, having lost their first two European games to Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica.
But that result has not fully masked the struggles of a side that have looked ill at ease with themselves this term, off the pace all too frequently at home and abroad, with them yet to claim a Champions League win this term.
The visit of the Israeli Premier League champions – the lowest ranked side in the competition by UEFA Club Coefficient – therefore represents a match in which they must prevail to further st…
Market: Brentford win
Odds: 8/11 @
Simply looking to head into the play-offs with some momentum, Brentford will make the trip to a struggling Bristol City on Saturday lunchtime.
Starting with the hosts, while Bristol City might have opened the 2020/21 campaign last year with their sights set on securing a play-off spot, The Robins have found themselves in the midst of a real Championship nightmare. Only continuing to freefall their way down the second-tier table and now finding themselves slumping it out way down in 19th, Nigel Pearson s side were last seen putting in another woeful display. With the one-time Leicester boss only coming under more scrutiny at Ashton Gate, The Reds were hit with a dreadful 4-1 drumming away Millwall and they re really dragging the…
A beaming Nelson Mandela waved to the tens of thousands of fans in Soccer City ahead of the World Cup final on Sunday, drawing thunderous applause as he was driven onto the pitch.
His brief appearance showed to the estimated 700 million viewers around the world what is still seen as the face of South Africa, the man who embodied the nation s ideals and its peaceful transition to majority rule.
South Africa s first black president rode next to his wife Graca Machel in an open-air vehicle, flashing his world-famous smile as he circled the field.
Both were warmly wrapped against the winter chill in Johannesburg, with Mandela in gloves, an overcoat and hat as he appeared for just a few minutes, his first appearance at the World Cup.
As he entered the stadium…
Bayern München s Dutch star winger Arjen Robben was named footballer of the 2009/10 Bundesliga season by sporting magazine Kicker on Sunday.
The 26-year-old who is due to miss the next two months owing to a thigh muscle injury which has provoked a major row between his club and his national federation saw off three clubmates in the voting by sports journalists.
Robben who was a major influence as the Dutch reached the World Cup final where they lost 1-0 to Spain received 445 votes while German international midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, World Cup Golden Boot winner Thomas Mueller and German captain Philipp Lahm got 180, 118 and 35 votes respectively.
Robben, who staged an amazing recovery from his initial injury in the final warm-up match prior to the fina…