Lionel Messi earned a record-equalling 147th cap for Argentina as they progressed to the Copa America quarter-finals with victory over Paraguay. Papu Gomez scored the decisive goal early on, meeting a pass from Angel Di Maria before producing a fine finish. Messi, 34, equalled Javier Mascherano’s appearance record for the national team in the hard-fought win in Brasilia. Argentina top Group A ahead of Chile, who drew 1-1 with Uruguay to also advance to the knockout stage. The hastily-rearranged tournament in Brazil, which was moved from Argentina just two weeks before it was scheduled to start because of a surge in Covid-19 cases in the country, is Messi’s latest chance to win silverware with the senior team. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner was typically influential, playing a part in the ...
Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo insists his sole focus is on Euro 2020 and reports of interest from rival clubs are causing him no “sleepless nights”. Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juve in 2019, but the move has not worked out quite as planned. Although the Bianconeri won the Serie A title for a ninth successive season in the forward’s first campaign, they lost their crown to Inter this term and scraped Champions League qualification. Success in Europe’s premier club competition, which Ronaldo won five times with Manchester United and Madrid, continues to evade the Turin giants. A frustrating season ended with Massimiliano Allegri returning to replace Andrea Pirlo, and there has been speculation Ronaldo could follow his coach out of the door. Madrid, United and Paris Saint-Germain have...
Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo insists his sole focus is on Euro 2020 and reports of interest from rival clubs are causing him no “sleepless nights”. Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juve in 2019, but the move has not worked out quite as planned. Although the Bianconeri won the Serie A title for a ninth successive season in the forward’s first campaign, they lost their crown to Inter this term and scraped Champions League qualification. Success in Europe’s premier club competition, which Ronaldo won five times with Manchester United and Madrid, continues to evade the Turin giants. A frustrating season ended with Massimiliano Allegri returning to replace Andrea Pirlo, and there has been speculation Ronaldo could follow his coach out of the door. Madrid, United and Paris Saint-Germain have...
Arsenal are set for a busy summer in the transfer market as Mikel Arteta looks to better the Gunners’ underwhelming season this time out, and the north London side are being linked several names. With only four Premier League fixtures remaining, attention has already turned to the summer transfer window. It could prove to be a decisive period for Arteta as Arsenal look to close the gap to the top four next campaign. Attracting new faces to the Emirates Stadium could prove challenging, but there is no doubt that change is needed at the club. The ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic will mean many clubs are restricted in their efforts to improve, with Arsenal among those, though winning the Europa League and qualifying for the Champions League will surely boost their hopes of landing ...
Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group has rejected a £3bn offer from the Middle East to sell. The offer was made to FSG prior to the announcement on Sunday night that principal owner John W. Henry had been involved in talks to take Liverpool into the ill-fated European Super League, reports the Mirror. Following anger aimed at FSG in the wake of the failed Super League plot there are other potential bidders waiting in the wings to see if the stance of Henry and Liverpool chairman Tom Werner changes as a result of the enormous criticism they face. FSG took charge of Liverpool in 2010, buying the club for around £300m to end the reign of the deeply unpopular Tom Hicks and George Gillett at Anfield, the American duo having left the Reds on a financial cliff edge by the time their exit arrived....
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not sympathise with former Manchester United manager David Moyes for his short tenure at Old Trafford. Moyes was sacked just 10-months after replacing Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary Scot who identified him as the club’s next manager. The 57-year-old is now leading West Ham in an impressive charge for the European places, after spells at Real Sociedad and Sunderland. Moyes’s West Ham side travel to Old Trafford on Sunday evening, and would go within three points of Solskjaer’s Reds with victory. Solskjaer praised Moyes for his turnaround in East London but refused to have sympathy for the manner in which he lost a ‘dream job’. “I don’t think you can feel sorry for someone who has managed Manchester United,” he said in his pre-match press conference, as quoted by ...