Eintracht Frankfurt 1-6 Bayern Munich: Mane and Co. ensure Lewandowski is not missed in emphatic ope
Sadio Mane scored his first Bundesliga goal as Bayern Munich opened the new campaign with a stunning 6-1 victory at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Europa League winners Frankfurt seemed a tricky first opponent for the champions, but Julian Nagelsmann s side swept them aside in sensational style.
Having defeated RB Leipzig 5-3 in the DFL-Supercup last week in their first competitive match after Robert Lewandowski s departure, Bayern were five up by half-time on Friday – Joshua Kimmich, Benjamin Pavard, Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry joining Mane on the scoresheet.
Manuel Neuer s sloppiness gifted Randal Kolo Muani a consolation, yet it was a minor blip in a supreme Bayern display, and Musiala capped things off with his second late on.
Bayern had full co…
Late VAR drama saw Chelsea spared and then angered as they drew 1-1 away to London rivals West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday.
Tomas Soucek had what briefly looked to be a late winner chalked off before the midfielder got away with a clear handball in his own box to leave the visitors stunned.
Chelsea had earlier enjoyed arguably their best spell since Graham Potter s appointment during the first 25 minutes, Joao Felix netting a well-worked opener on his return from suspension.
But former Chelsea full-back Emerson Palmieri levelled soon after, and while the visitors dominated much of the following hour, their woes in front of goal meant they were at the mercy of VAR towards the end.
2014 Emerson is the first player to score his first Premier League…
According to , Real Madrid have put Liverpool s Trent Alexander-Arnold at the top of their wish list for the next summer transfer window. The expiration date on the current contract of the England international is moving ever closer, and unless there s significant change on that front between now and the end of the season, he will leave his boyhood club as a free agent.
Other potential targets for the right-back role at the Santiago Bernabeu would apparently be Pedro Porro of Tottenham Hotspur, Jeremie Frimpong of Bayer Leverkusen, and Juanlu of Sevilla.
Reports in Spain have gone even further, with Marca claiming Liverpool are already aware that Alexander-Arnold will not sign a new deal, though such stories coming from that particular outlet have been known to turn out…
Ousmane Dembele may yet sign a new contract with Barcelona after going from strength to strength under head coach Xavi, according to the club s vice-president Rafa Yuste.
France international Dembele was informed by Barca director Mateu Alemany to leave the club immediately in January after repeatedly turning down the offer of a new deal.
The 24-year-old was linked with a number of heavyweight clubs in the most recent transfer window, but a move away from Camp Nou did not materialise before the deadline.
Dembele has since been integrated back into the side by Xavi and is once again a key player for Barca now that his injury issues appear to be behind him.
It looked certain the former Borussia Dortmund forward would leave on a free transfer at the end of t…
Luis Suarez is braced for what he feels could be the greatest challenge of his career after joining Gremio.
Suarez was a free agent after leaving Nacional ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, at which he started two of Uruguay s three games as they suffered a surprise group-stage exit.
The former Liverpool, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid striker penned a two-year contract with Gremio – who won promotion back to the Brazilian top flight after a one-season spell in Serie B last term – on New Year s Eve.
Asked whether joining Gremio represented his biggest challenge, Suarez told the club s media channels: It could be, but I can also compare it with my time at Atletico Madrid.
I won the league with Atletico when Real Madrid and Barcelona dominated football in…
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Denmark will host Serbia at Parken Stadium on Sunday for their second UEFA Nations League match, following solid performances from both teams on matchday one.
With both sides eager to build on their initial success, the group is shaping up to be more competitive than anticipated. Denmark will look to make their home advantage count, while Serbia obviously hope to prevent that from happening.
Denmark
Denmark and Serbia enter their second Nations League fixture on Sunday, both coming off crucial performances in what has turned out to be a highly competitive League A Group 4. Denmark secured a 2-0 victory over Switzerland under interim coach Lars Knudsen, setting the tone for their campaign despite the ongoing search for Kasper Hj…
Ryan Mason said he and his coaching staff have “done a great job” during his second spell as Tottenham’s interim manager.
Tottenham closed their Premier League season with a resounding 4-1 win at relegated Leeds on Sunday, but have failed to qualify for European football next season for the first time since 2008-09.
Mason said: “When I go on my summer holidays I would hope and expect that everyone inside of our training ground knows who I am, who my team is and what we stand for.
“We were good value for the three points, fully deserved it… we scored four goals away from home and we knew we had to stand up to a difficult test.”
Ryan Mason reviews our performance from today’s victory
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)
Luton manager Rob Edwards believes the experience of losing a Championship play-off semi-final can be turned into a positive as they prepare to make their return.
Several players in the squad went through the heartbreak of a 2-1 aggregate defeat to Huddersfield a year ago.
But Edwards, who took over from Nathan Jones in November, thinks that can help with motivation ahead of the trip to Sunderland on Saturday.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how the lads handle it. A number of them had the disappointment of last season and they don’t want that again,” he told a press conference.
“We can learn from that experience, we can talk about it.
“The one thing that I’m looking for is the performance, doing our basics and those things rea…
Russia will be free to compete at Euro 2020 regardless of whether a four-year ban on competing at sporting events is imposed on the country.
A World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) panel recommended last week the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) be declared non-compliant again over inconsistencies in anti-doping data discovered during an investigation.
WADA s independent Compliance Review Committee (CRC) recommended strong sanctions be imposed on Russia, including a four-year ban from competing in and hosting major sporting events.
However, even if a ban is upheld – and backed up by the Court of Arbitration for Sport if Russia opt to go down that route – the nation s place at the tournament will not be affected as the International Standard for Code Compliance…
Lionel Messi deserves to lift the World Cup and will lead Argentina to glory in Sunday s final, according to Brazil s 2002 champion Rivaldo.
Messi produced another remarkable performance as Argentina beat Croatia 3-0 in Tuesday s semi-final, opening the scoring from the penalty spot before laying on a goal for Julian Alvarez after a fine solo run.
On the day he equalled Lothar Matthaus all-time record of 25 World Cup appearances, Messi became the first player to score and assist in four games at the competition.
Messi s 11th World Cup goal also made him the Albiceleste s record goalscorer at the tournament, and with Brazil having fallen at the quarter-final stage, Rivaldo hopes Messi captures the trophy.
We no longer have Brazil or Neymar in this cup fin…