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rs after the defeated Bundesliga champions did not watch Eintracht Frankfurt hoist the DFB-Pokal trophy aloft.

Bayern s season ended on a disappointing and controversial note following Saturday s shock 3-1 loss in the Berlin showpiece – incoming head coach Niko Kovac denying his new club the double.

Ante Rebic scored a brace having netted in the first half and again on the counter-attack with eight minutes remaining after Robert Lewandowski had equalised for Bayern.

VAR had ruled in favour of Rebic for Frankfurt s second goal in the 82nd minute and Kovac s men were fortunate again when referee Felix Zwayer turned down penalty appeals from Bayern players in the fourth minute of stoppage time – Kevin-Prince Boateng appearing to foul Javi Martinez.

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Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of Matheus Cunha from Hertha Berlin for a reported €26million fee.

Cunha, who is Brazil Under-23s  all-time leading goalscorer, joins Diego Simeone s side on a five-year deal and will provide capable support to talisman Luis Suarez up top.

Speculation had linked the 22-year-old to Everton, Atalanta and Napoli, but the reigning LaLiga champions swooped in to secure his services after a move for Dusan Vlahovic fell through.

Cunha initially moved to Europe to play for Swiss side Sion, subsequently joining RB Leipzig before finding a new home with Hertha in 2020.

Last term, the versatile attacker scored eight and assisted six across 28 games in all competitions, leading Hertha s charts ahead of second-place Dodi …

Zinedine Zidane s return to Real Madrid has pleased Iker Casillas, but Porto s goalkeeper believes that Los Blancos hierarchy must realise they have made mistakes.

Zidane quit his role at Madrid in May 2018, following a third successive Champions League triumph, but made a sensational comeback to the club following Santiago Solari s sacking.

Madrid bounced back from their Champions League exit to Ajax by beating Celta Vigo 2-0 in Zidane s first game back in charge, but sit 12 points adrift of LaLiga leaders Barcelona.

And Zidane s former club-mate Casillas has urged Madrid to learn their lessons following a turbulent nine months in which both Solari and Julen Lopetegui – Zidane s initial replacement – both lost their jobs.

It is clear that the hiri…

Holders Real Madrid take on Juventus in the Champions League final on Saturday in the culmination of an intriguing bid to make history. 

Zinedine Zidane s men have already clinched LaLiga glory for the first time since 2011-12 and will now look to become the first team to successfully retain the trophy in the Champions League era.

Madrid have played 12 games in European club football s elite competition to get this far and Juventus now await, with Massimiliano Allegri s side looking to clinch a historic treble.

Here, we look at the capital side s road to Cardiff.

Destiny:

?

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid)

GROUP STAGES

Madrid made a somewhat underwhelming start to their European campaign as they appeared to be on their w…

According to a recent report from Gazzetta dello Sport, Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic is gearing up to snub a switch over to the Premier League in favour of a move to Serie A. The 30 year old midfielder, who has been at the Nou Camp since 2014, has been linked with a move away from the club for a few months now. Manchester United and Chelsea have both made their interest known in the past, whereas over in Italy, Inter Milan are said to be leading the race for his signature. Rakitic, who helped to lead Croatia to the World Cup final last summer, falls into the same camp as Luka Modric when it comes to wanting to play in Serie A.

Rakitic is widely considered to be one of the best midfielders in Europe today, and prior to his move over to Barca, he spent three years with fello…

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill is looking for a way out of Stamford Bridge, according to reports broken by the Italian news outlet Tuttosport.

The England international fell out of new boss Maurizio Sarri’s favour and is looking for a swift solution to his situation.

Cahill is said to have already opened talks with potential suitors, most notably Manchester United. The Red Devils have been linked with a move for the 32-year-old who only made one Premier League appearance for the Blues this season.

Gary Cahill captained the Chelsea side in a hard-fought home win against Vidi but with only three appearances in all competitions thus far he will be looking to leave the club in January.

Manchester United are looking for defensive reinforcements and could make…

Diego Simeone was critical of the officials after Atletico Madrid s Champions League hopes were left in the balance following a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.

Atletico ended the first half with 10 men as the LaLiga champions bid to reach the knockout phase was dealt a blow against last-16 bound Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday.

Beaten 3-2 in the reverse fixture in the Spanish capital, having also lost Antoine Griezmann to a red card on matchday three last month, Atletico conceded goals to Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane before Felipe was dismissed nine minutes prior to the interval for a cynical foul on the latter and subsequent apparent dissent.

It is the first time since November 2019 Atletico have lost back-to-back Champions League group-stage games under Simeone, whose …

Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw

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Austria and North Macedonia will face each other in the Euro 2020 finals this weekend. The Group C fixture at Arena Nationala in Bucharest is scheduled to kick off at 5pm UK time on Sunday and promises to be an exiting game of football.

Austria

Austria will fancy their chances of progressing to the next stage of the Euro 2020 finals from Group C. Franco Foda’s side will know that the Netherlands are the clear favourites to win the group, but the other teams, Ukraine and North Macedonia, can certainly be beaten.

The Austrians, though, did not have the best of preparations in the build-up to the European Championship. They lost 1-0 to England in their first warm-up game and then playe…

Veteran Brazilian Formiga became the first player to appear at seven editions of the Women s World Cup and the oldest to feature in the tournament when she lined up against Jamaica on Sunday.

The 41-year-old midfielder plays her club football for Paris Saint-Germain and came out of international retirement to give herself a chance of being involved in this summer s tournament.

She was duly selected by Brazil boss Vadao, who did not hesitate to put her at the base of his midfield for the team s opening Group C match in Grenoble.

Her inclusion in the starting XI at 41 years and 98 days saw her overtake Christie Rampone s record. Rampone played for United States in the 2015 competition at the age of 40 years and 12 days,

41y 98d Brazil midfielder Formiga …

Manchester United are interested in signing John McGinn from Premier League rivals Aston Villa, according to . It has been reported by the British tabloid that United’s new interim-manager Ralf Rangnick is a fan of McGinn and wants to add to his team at Old Trafford.

United scouts have been impressed by McGinn, who is a dynamic midfielder and is one of the best midfielders at Villa. The Premier League giants wanted to sign the Scotland international midfielder in 2019, but Villa wanted as much as £50 million.

McGinn is 27 now and is at the top of his game. The former Hibernian star is a very good and capable midfielder who has established himself as one of the better players in his position in the Premier League. McGinn would make United a better and stronger team in…