Lionel Messi scored his 500th Barcelona goal in second-half stoppage time as Barcelona beat 10-man Real Madrid 3-2 in an unbelievable Clasico at Santiago Bernabeu, a victory that puts them top of LaLiga.
Substitute James Rodriguez had scored a dramatic late equaliser that looked like it would give Madrid a draw to put them on the brink of a first league crown since 2012, only for Messi to bring up his milestone with the last kick of the game.
Prior to those late goals, a breathless and controversial contest looked like it would be settled by Ivan Rakitic s excellent strike, especially when Sergio Ramos was sent off for a lunge on Messi.
But James then scored within four minutes of coming off the bench to send the home fans wild, only for Messi to steal the show …
According to a recent report from Marca, Dutch giants Ajax have made it known that they’re interested in a potential move for Martin Odegaard. The 20 year old made the move over to the Bernabeu back in 2015, and at the time, his move to the club was highly publicised. He was tipped as being the next big thing, but over the last few years, he hasn’t really been given much of an opportunity to shine in the first team.
Odegaard has more than a dozen appearances for the Norwegian national team, and has also spent loan spells with Heerenveen and Vitesse. Ajax has served as a great ‘proving ground’ club for many young stars over the years, and Odegaard certainly has experience in Dutch football.
If this is going to become a reality, though, it feels like it’d be mor…
Four goals from Harry Kane and two from Son Heung-min helped Tottenham to a 6-1 battering of Leicester City in their penultimate Premier League match of the season on Thursday.
England international Kane moved to 26 in the top flight for this season – putting him two ahead of Romelu Lukaku in the Golden Boot standings – while Son took his tally to 21 goals in all competitions in the emphatic victory.
The hammering puts Spurs on 83 points for 2016-17, three more than Leicester managed when they were crowned champions last term.
Son and Kane combined to put Spurs ahead before the South Korea star made it 2-0 as half-time approached with a well-taken volley.
Ben Chilwell gave Leicester some hope with his first Premier League goal, but a Kane header and a…
Tottenham s start to the Premier League season has failed to yield a win in three matches and brought further frustration off the field, with Everton up next for Mauricio Pochettino s side.
An opening-day loss to Manchester United was followed by draws against Stoke City and Leicester City, when Spurs surrendered the lead on both occasions.
The club have also thus far failed to land transfer target Saido Berahino, despite the West Brom striker agitating for a move by handing in a transfer request.
Pochettino acknowledged ahead of Everton s trip to White Hart Lane that an addition to his forward options remains a priority, but getting three points on Saturday is a more immediate concern.
It ll be a really tough game, said Pochettino, who also shrugged off…
Blaise Matuidi refused to entertain talk of him leaving Paris Saint-Germain as he prepares for France s clash with England on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old midfielder, who featured in Les Bleus World Cup qualifying defeat to Sweden on Friday, has been linked with a move away from Paris, with Manchester United among the reported suitors.
But Matuidi had little to say on the matter ahead of France s next game an international friendly as he insisted his focus was on his country and not PSG.
My head today is [thinking about] France, I m focused on Tuesday, he said.
As for PSG [and talk of leaving], I have nothing else to say about it.
Prêt pour le combat
— Blaise Matuidi (@MATUIDIBlaise)
Matuidi has been at PSG since 2011, where h…
Neymar s Paris Saint-Germain career got off to a stunning start on Sunday as he scored one and created another in a 3-0 win at Guingamp.
The Brazil star stunned the footballing world when he completed a world-record €222million move from Barcelona earlier this month.
His transfer was not completed in time to feature in PSG s 2017-18 Ligue 1 opener against Amiens last weekend where he was presented to the Parc des Princes crowd but he made up for lost time in style at Stade de Roudourou.
With Unai Emery s side already leading 1-0 thanks to Jordan Ikoko s bizarre own goal, Neymar assisted Edinson Cavani with a wonderful pass before the roles were reversed eight minutes from time for the Brazilian to tap home.
And Neymar s fledgling Ligue 1 career already …
Two-time CAF Champions League winners ES Tunis crashed out of this year s competition with an away-goals defeat to Al Merreikh on Sunday.
Trailing 1-0 from the away leg, the Tunisian club, whose most recent win came in 2011, could only manage a 2-1 win on home soil.
A 14th-minute goal for Al Merreikh left Tunis chasing three goals, which proved too big an ask on the day.
TP Mazembe, meanwhile, safely negotiated their way through with a 2-1 victory over Stade Malien on Sunday.
The DR Congo outfit back-to-back winners in 2009 and 2010 had been held to a 2-2 draw in Mali in the first leg, but went ahead through Jean Kasusula after 20 minutes.
Ousmane Diabate pulled one back shortly before the hour mark, but Roger Assale pounced to re-establish th…
Dinamo Zagreb star winger Daniel ‘Dani’ Olmo has emerged as one of the hottest European prospects.
The 20-year-old Spanish international moved to Croatia in a rather surprising move from Barcelona in 2014 and went on to become one of the key players for Dinamo Zagreb.
Four years after his debut with the first-team, Olmo is currently highly regarded as the next big thing in European football and has got a host of Europe’s biggest clubs on his trail.
The interest this boy generates is best illustrated through the fact that the likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Manchester City, Juventus and Real Madrid, to name but a few, found it fitting to send their scouts for Dinamo Zagreb’s Europa League clash against Viktoria Plzen last week.
Eur…
It was announced on Wednesday morning that Republic of Ireland manager, Martin O Neill, as well as his assistant Roy Keane are set to leave their roles with the Irish FA.
The former Sunderland and Aston Villa boss had been in charge since 2013, leading the country to qualification for the European Championships in 2016. However, the time has now come for his successor to be appointed, and it is a choice that the Irish FA cannot afford to get wrong.
Poor form has to be halted
Leading up to the departure of O Neill, the team were on a terrible run of form. Throughout their last ten games in all competitions, they have only managed to win one of those games that being a 2-1 victory over the United States of America.
One damning statistic though is the fact that th…
Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane lauded coach Zinedine Zidane for never allowing him to get into his comfort zone.
Varane, 24, signed a new deal with the LaLiga and European champions last week, extending his contract until 2022.
The France international hailed Zidane, saying he had learned plenty from working with his countryman.
He has given me a lot, in my attitude, in my play and in the risks that I take, Varane said, via Marca.
He is someone that doesn t allow me to remain in my comfort zone, he has a lot of experience and it is a great opportunity for me to learn from him.
Varane has won two LaLiga titles and three Champions League crowns, among numerous other trophies, since arriving at Madrid from Lens in 2011.
The centre-bac…