Football Blog (Page 253)

[ad_1] A much-changed Barcelona secured a 4-0 victory away to Cadiz on Saturday evening. A slow first half preceded strikes from Frenkie de Jong and Robert Lewandowski, both of whom tapped home from close range to secure the victory, before a lengthy delay due a medical emergency saw play paused for almost an hour. Medical staff managed to evacuate the supporter in question before play resumed, after which Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele added a third and fourth goal. Barcelona looked dangerous early on and Raphinha saw a strike cannon back off the post inside the first ten minutes. The hosts did well to holdRead More →

[ad_1] Inter returned to winning ways on Saturday as Marcelo Brozovic netted a late winner in a 1-0 victory over Torino at San Siro. The Nerazzurri were indebted to a fine individual display from Samir Handanovic, with Lautaro Martinez and Milan Skriniar going close for the home side after the interval. And their second half persistence was rewarded when Brozovic showed a clinical touch two minutes from time to spare his side’s blushes. Clear-cut chances were few and far between for the Nerazzurri before the interval, with Martinez blazing wide on a couple of ocassions with efforts from distance. Indeed, it was the visitors whoRead More →

[ad_1] Paris Saint-Germain earned a narrow 1-0 victory at home to a struggling Brest side on Saturday afternoon, returning to the Ligue 1 summit. “We can’t take our foot off the gas,” Christophe Galtier declared pre-game. However, his side scarcely found top gear, starting groggily before Neymar gave them the lead in the 30th minute. The wasteful hosts saw their threat dwindle dramatically after the hour-mark – just as it had against Juventus in midweek. Defending deep for most of the match, Brest unsettled their hosts in transition. Islam Slimani had a second-half penalty to level the match saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma as PSG nervilyRead More →

[ad_1] Bayern Munich drew their third consecutive Bundesliga game as a 92nd-minute penalty from Serhou Guirassy saw Stuttgart earn a 2-2 draw on Saturday. Mathys Tel opened the scoring for Bayern but saw his effort cancelled out early in the second half, although Jamal Musiala restored the advantage for Julian Nagelsmann’s side with a fine strike from inside the box. But Guirassy, who had seen two goals struck off, netted a well-deserved equaliser deep in stoppage time to secure a point. Predictably, Bayern dominated possession early on but chances on goal were few and far between, with the hosts’ first opportunity coming 18 minutes inRead More →

[ad_1] Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has let rip over the treatment he received from Ole Gunnar Solksjaer and Jose Mourinho during their spells in charge of the Old Trafford club. The Frenchman arrived amid much fanfare in Manchester back in 2015, but he has struggled to nail down a permanent place in the starting XI under several managers and spent last season out on loan with Sevilla. Mourinho famously quipped in 2018 that Martial lacked ‘maturity’, with the Frenchman stripped of his No.9 jersey following the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic under the Portuguese. And Martial insists that Mourinho lacked respect in their relationship asRead More →

[ad_1] Alessia Russo has admitted that she used to watch clips of Thierry Henry goals growing up due to the former Arsenal forward’s ability to cut inside, and is now inspired by the penalty box movement of Erling Haaland. Like Henry, Russo started out as a winger, and has been deployed both out wide and as a central striker during her two years at Manchester United. The 23-year-old was utilised exclusively as a number nine during Euro 2022, and is expected to step into the role of England’s first choice striker following the retirement of Ellen White. When it comes to being lethal in andRead More →

[ad_1] Raphinha has revealed that he was determined to seal a transfer to Barcelona this summer, insisting no other offer could have compared to his ‘dream’ move. The winger was heavily expected to leave Leeds United for Barça for much of 2022, with the Blaugrana lining up a cut-price deal in the event that the Whites were relegated from the Premier League. However, Leeds managed to survive on the final day of the 2021/22 season, with Raphinha scoring in their decisive 2-1 win at Brentford, and so the asking price was raised. Barcelona were always confident of landing Raphinha regardless, though a rival €65m offerRead More →

[ad_1] La Liga president Javier Tebas has again criticised Premier League clubs for their spending in the transfer market, revealing he is planning to file a report to UEFA. While La Liga clubs were only able to spend £404m over the summer, their Premier League counterparts laid out over £2bn in transfer fees. Of the top 20 spenders this summer, 13 hailed from the Premier League – with Chelsea topping the list with a record £273m spend – while Barcelona were the only representative from Spain on that list. Speaking at a La Liga public presentation, Tebas revealed his fury at how Premier League clubsRead More →

[ad_1] New Chelsea boss Graham Potter is set to green-light the Blues’ continued pursuit of RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol. The west Londoners made a huge bid for the Croatian right before this summer’s transfer deadline and remain interested in him. Real Madrid fear they could head into the second half of the season with a depleted squad following fixture congestion and the World Cup, and so they are considering a move for Christopher Nkunku in January. Ajax’s Brian Brobbey has already admitted that Erik ten Hag asked him whether he’d be interested in joining Manchester United this summer – the striker admitted now wasRead More →

[ad_1] Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, all English football has been postponed this weekend. Her Majesty passed away on Thursday following a reign that lasted over 70 years, bringing the country into a state of mourning. As a result, the Premier League and all EFL divisions have postponed this weekend’s fixtures, while the WSL have also postponed what was set to be the first round of the 2022/23 season. In the absence of the usual abundance of English football to get lost on over the course of a weekend, plenty of football fans are going to have to look elsewhere. While English footballRead More →