Joao Moutinho urged his Portugal team-mates not to go overboard trying to stop Belgium s Kevin De Bruyne in their Euro 2020 last-16 tie on Sunday.
De Bruyne has lit up Belgium s last two performances having missed their opening game in Group B match against Russia with the facial injury he picked up in the Champions League final.
A brilliant assist and winning goal saw the Manchester City playmaker inspire Roberto Martinez s side to a 2-1 win over Denmark having come off the bench at half-time.
Belgium made it three consecutive wins after a 2-0 victory over Finland with De Bruyne laying on Romelu Lukaku s third goal of the tournament.
De Bruyne has only played 134 minutes at Euro 2020 and has created five chances with an expected assists (xA) value of 1…
David Beckham says playing with Kylian Mbappe would have been a dream after the Paris Saint-Germain superstar netted his 100th goal for the club.
The 21-year-old, who joined PSG from domestic rivals Monaco in August 2017, reached the milestone with a stoppage-time effort against Montpellier on Saturday.
The century strike came in just Mbappe s 137th match and further landmarks will surely follow for the World Cup winner.
Beckham, who finished his career at PSG in 2013, wishes he was still playing and able to help Mbappe chase down record goalscorer Edinson Cavani (200)
The former England captain registered two assists from six chances created in his 10 Ligue 1 games (311 minutes played), but Mbappe might also have improved his own statistics.
I w…
Lionel Messi wants more than money at Barcelona, with presidential candidate Joan Laporta insisting the disgruntled superstar craves a competitive team for success.
Messi s future remains an important topic at embattled LaLiga giants Barca after he handed in a transfer request following a tumultuous 2019-20 season.
The six-time Ballon d Or winner was tipped to join Premier League powerhouse Manchester City before opting to remain in Spain, though he has since been linked to Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain and Inter.
Barca s interim president Carlos Tusquets said the club should have sold Messi in the last transfer window due to the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
But Laporta, who is in the running for the presidential election w…
Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu defended his Camp Nou tenure by insisting that he oversaw a serious and responsible period at the club.
Bartomeu stepped down as Barcelona chief in October 2020 after nearly seven years in the role ahead of a vote of no confidence against his leadership.
Barca won numerous major honours during that era, including their most recent Champions League in 2015, by which point concerns were growing over the club s transfer policy.
There has been a steady decline in recent years and the Catalan giants financial problems have been laid bare since Laporta took over from Bartomeu in March.
The club s total debt has spiralled to the €1.35billion mark and they were unable to fulfil a contract that had been agreed with…
Pep Guardiola has tipped Xavi to be a managerial success at Barcelona in his own right as he distanced himself from comparisons with his former colleague.
Xavi was paraded at Camp Nou in front of around 10,000 supporters on Monday as he was officially presented as Ronald Koeman s permanent successor.
He is back at the club where he spent 17 seasons during his playing career, racking up 767 appearances across that period – a tally only surpassed by Lionel Messi (778).
The 41-year-old won LaLiga eight times and the Champions League on four occasions before ending his 24-year association with the Catalan giants in 2015.
Six years on, and with two and a half years of coaching experience under his belt at Qatari side Al Sadd, Xavi is back in Catalonia and ta…
Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw teased Bruno Fernandes as he hailed the Red Devils star s unbelievable impact at Old Trafford.
Fernandes has taken United and the Premier League by storm since arriving from Portuguese giants Sporting CP in January last year.
The Portugal international has scored 15 goals and tallied 10 assists for second-placed United this season ahead of Wednesday s Premier League trip to Crystal Palace.
Fernandes has 40 goal involvements in his 40 Premier League appearances so far (23 goals and 17 assists). However, three of the last four matches in which the Portuguese has failed to register a goal or assist have been in London (against Chelsea, Arsenal and Fulham).
Shaw poked fun at team-mate Fernandes – who has netted 34 times…
Gareth Southgate has some headaches to contend with as the England manager prepares to select his squad for a pair of high-profile Euro 2024 warm-up friendlies on Thursday.
With just three months to go until their tournament opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, preparations ramp up with March meetings against Brazil and Belgium at Wembley.
This is the last camp before Southgate names his provisional Euros squad just after the Premier League season concludes, with the final selection to be submitted to UEFA on June 8.
Southgate will be hoping to avoid injury to key players before then but first he has to deal with issues over availability, game time and form in this meet up.
Joe Gomez and Jack Butland have been tipped for recalls, while Kalvin Phillips …
Ross County came from three goals down against Partick Thistle to retain their cinch Premiership status with a sudden-death penalty shoot-out victory following an epic play-off final.
Aidan Fitzpatrick put Thistle three ahead on aggregate two minutes before half-time in the second leg in Dingwall and they were in control until the 71st minute when Yan Dhanda’s penalty and Simon Murray’s close-range finish turned the game on its head inside 80 seconds.
County completed their comeback just after the 90-minute mark when George Harmon netted to send the game into extra time.
What it means to secure survival |
— SPFL (@spfl)
There were chances and VAR controversy throughout and the penalty shoot-out was just as dramatic as the game before Jo…
Gibraltar defender Jayce Olivero will approach Monday night’s Euro 2024 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland as “a final” as the minnows look to add to Stephen Kenny’s misery.
The clash between the sides currently occupying the bottom two places in Group B at the Aviva Stadium could prove make or break for Kenny after Friday’s 2-1 defeat in Greece left his team pointless and with his critics once again on the offensive.
Gibraltar, who are ranked 201st by FIFA, have lost each of their three opening fixtures against the Greeks, the Netherlands and France 3-0 and while the odds may be heavily stacked against them in Dublin, Europa defender Olivero is relishing the task ahead.
He said: “The game for us is a final. Ireland are a great nation and a rea…
With Real Madrid welcoming Bayern Munich to the Spanish capital for their Champions League semi-final showdown on Wednesday night, we have a pair of heavyweight European battles on the cards.
As a spot in the final of this season’s Europa Conference League hangs in the balance as Fiorentina travel to Club Brugge, there are plenty of intriguing betting markets.
So, for those of you looking to stick on a Wednesday flutter, we have found a pair of European betting tips that can offer great value.
17:45 Club Brugge vs Fiorentina
Eventually claiming what was a crucial first-leg advantage in Tuscany last week, Fiorentina will be more than aware that they face a season-defining battle on Wednesday evening. Eventually clinging to an action-packed 3-2 victory…