Everton manager Roberto Martinez hailed a special evening after watching his side defeat Wolfsburg 4-1 in the UEFA Europa League.
In arguably the toughest group, Everton got a dream result in their first European match since the 2009-10 tournament.
The hosts went ahead through a 15th-minute Ricardo Rodriguez own goal which came about through a flowing passing move and the lead was doubled thanks to Seamus Coleman s close range header just before the break.
His fellow full-back Leighton Baines stretched the advantage further from the penalty spot just after the break and Kevin Mirallas third of the season gave Everton a fourth in the final two minutes.
Rodriguez hammered in an injury time free-kick but the night belonged to Everton and Martinez was delig…
Vinicius Junior deserves more respect than he is afforded, according to Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti.
The forward endured something of a muted outing in the 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at San Mames Stadium on Sunday, contributing just one shot and being shown a yellow card.
However, no player won more than his six fouls, with the 22-year-old on the receiving end of some hefty challenges.
Ancelotti went on the defensive when asked for his thoughts on Vinicius and reinforced his affection for the attacker.
He is a very sensitive person, and [yet], everyone pushes him, he said. Rival players, rival fans and sometimes even the referees.
Tonight, as always, he has been kicked around a lot. But he will get better in this regard. Right now, every…
FIFA president Gianni Infantino condemned the European Super League as he warned clubs involved they cannot be half in or half out and must fully commit to the breakaway competition.
Twelve elite clubs announced on Sunday their plans to launch a tournament to rival the Champions League in which they would be assured of qualification.
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United, among others, would compete in the Super League every season without risk of demotion.
The news has prompted a strong reaction throughout the football world, with governing bodies, rivals clubs, players, coaches and fans critical of the idea and its anti-competitive format.
An initial FIFA statement on Sunday read: FIFA can only express its disapproval to a closed European breakaw…
What the papers say
The battle to bring Napoli striker Victor Osimhen to the Premier League is hotting up, with Liverpool joining the chase, according to The Sun. Chelsea and Arsenal are already reportedly keen on the 24-year-old Nigerian, who is valued at around £95 million.
Newcastle are also looking at a Nigerian striker to add to their squad. The Sun reports they are considering a move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface, 22.
Jadon Sancho will be allowed to leave Manchester United in January, according to the Daily Mirror. The England winger, 23, will be made available after showing no hint of ending his feud with manager Erik ten Hag.
Former Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos could be heading to Bayern Munich. According to the Daily Mirror, th…
UEFA is primarily responsible for the near-miss at last year s Champions League final, where the parallels between Hillsborough 1989 and Paris 2022 were palpable .
Those findings from an independent review, commissioned by UEFA, were released on Monday after investigating incidents at the Stade de France showpiece between Liverpool and Real Madrid on May 28.
The report cited a lack of Plan B when things went wrong and concluded UEFA and French authorities were wrong to blame thousands of Liverpool supporters with fake tickets for the concerning ongoings.
French police were criticised for their treatment of fans, which included using tear gas, while demanding UEFA takes responsibility for issues, along with the French Football Federation and policing authorities.<…
Liverpool are interested in signing Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic, according to . It has been reported by the Spanish news outlet that Premier League club Liverpool are closely monitoring the situation of the 23-year-old Serbia international striker at Spanish and European giants Madrid.
Jovic has been on the books of Madrid since 2019 when he joined from Eintracht Frankfurt. The youngster has struggled to make an impact at the Santiago Bernabeu and spent the second half of last season on loan at the German club.
The Serbian has made five substitute appearances in La Liga for Madrid so far this season. Jovic has played only 24 minutes in the Champions League for Carlo Ancelotti’s side so far this campaign.
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Primeira Liga champions Benfica have confirmed head coach Jorge Jesus will not have his contract renewed.
The 60-year-old has won three league titles and five league cups with the club since arriving in 2009, but the two parties have ended negotiations for an extension to his current deal, which expires this month.
In a statement to the Portuguese Securities Market Commission, Benfica confirmed that talks were now closed regarding a possible renewal of the contract that end on June 30 2015 .
The announcement added: As a result, Benfica have begun preliminary talks on the potential candidates to replace the head coach.
Benfica s announcement comes after reports in Portugal linked Jesus with a move to city rivals Sporting Lisbon, a club he played for ear…
Luciano Spalletti believes Roma are on the right track despite suffering a 2-0 loss at home to Real Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie.
The Italian side held their opponents at bay until Cristiano Ronaldo s deflected shot in the 57th minute broke the deadlock at the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma pushed hard to find an equaliser but were caught on the break in the closing stages, substitute Jese Rodriguez doubling Madrid s lead just four minutes after coming onto the field.
Although his team now face a monumental task in the second leg in the Spanish capital, Spalletti still praised his players for their performance in defeat on Wednesday.
I thought we had a great game in the second half, we just didn t cause enough problems in midfield…
Cristiano Ronaldo is confident the Saudi Pro League can become one of the world s best competitions in the years to come.
The Portugal captain joined Saudi Arabia s Al Nassr in the aftermath of the 2022 World Cup, with his second spell with Manchester United brought an abrupt end prior to the tournament in Qatar.
A free agent after the Selecao s quarter-final exit at the hands of Morocco, Ronaldo promptly moved to the Middle East and has quickly settled, scoring nine goals in eight Pro League appearances.
While widely considered a weaker league than those in Europe, Ronaldo believes those matches have prepared him for Portugal duty and expects the reputation of the Saudi top flight to improve in time.
I feel really good, he said ahead of Portugal s Euro …
Pep Guardiola s possession style of play has come under fire from former Bayern Munich boss Giovanni Trapattoni.
The former Italy and Republic of Ireland coach says Guardiola s tika-taka approach that he honed at Barcelona does not produce the rewards, despite the 45-year-old winning 19 trophies as a manager since taking over at Camp Nou in 2008.
Guardiola looks set to take that number to 20 with Bayern top of the Bundesliga with six games remaining, however Trapattoni is not impressed.
The veteran believes a more direct approach brings better results, and Guardiola who will take charge of Manchester City at the end of the season would be wise to adapt his style going forward.
What I see in world football at the moment is true for Bayern especially, he…