Benfica head coach Bruno Lage accepted responsibility for his side s 3-1 defeat at Zenit, with the Portuguese champions still without a point in the Champions League this season.
After losing 2-1 at home to RB Leipzig in their Group G opener, Benfica committed a series of defensive errors in a one-sided game at Saint Petersburg Stadium, where Raul de Tomas consolation strike came far too late to give his side any hope.
Artem Dzyuba opened the scoring after 21 minutes after Benfica s Lubomir Fejsa was caught in possession on the edge of the box, and matters were made worse for the visitors when Ruben Dias scored an own goal 20 minutes from time.
Sardar Azmoun was allowed a clear run at goal for Zenit s third, and Lage held his hands up about his side s defensive f…
Luis Suarez scored in the Champions League for the first time this season as Barcelona, aided by two own goals, took a commanding 4-1 first-leg lead against Roma in their quarter-final.
The Uruguay international last found the back of the net in Europe in last term s incredible 6-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, but he restored Barca s three-goal cushion in the 87th minute after Edin Dzeko grabbed a late away goal.
Ernesto Valverde welcomed Lionel Messi, the match-winner against Chelsea in the previous stage, back into his starting XI following injury, but the Catalan side toiled until Roma shot themselves in the foot either side of half-time.
Messi was involved on both occasions as Daniele De Rossi and Kostas Manolas put through their own net, settling wha…
Pep Guardiola has heaped praise on outstanding Jack Grealish ahead of Manchester City s trip to Newcastle United.
City are a point clear of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table following a run of seven successive victories. Another would see them set a new top-flight record for the most wins in a single calendar year with 34.
The latest of these saw them inflict a 7-0 rout on a helpless Leeds United in midweek, with record signing Grealish on target during an impressive display that also saw him complete 41 of his 43 attempted passes and draw a game-high three fouls.
It was only the former Aston Villa skipper s second Premier League goal since that big-money move to the Etihad Stadium, while he also has two assists to his name. It was also the first…
Barcelona may be in a financial position to move for Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland at the end of the season, according to presidential candidate Joan Laporta.
Haaland s stock continues to rise following Wednesday s double for Dortmund in their 3-2 Champions League last-16 first-leg win over Sevilla.
That made the Norway international the quickest player to reach double figures for goals in the competition for a single club, doing so in just seven matches three games fewer than Roy Makaay for Bayern Munich between 2003 and 2004.
He has now scored a double in three successive Champions League games, having also netted twice against Club Brugge in the group stage.
Former Salzburg star Haaland has 18 goals in 13 games in the competition overall, wh…
Cristiano Ronaldo is nervous but excited ahead of Wednesday s Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Manchester United.
That s the view of Ronaldo s team-mate Michael Essien, who is looking forward to taking on the Premier League giants.
The Portuguese spent six years with the Premier League leaders, winning three league titles and the Champions League once, before leaving for Madrid in 2009.
Cristiano is anxious; you want to start the game. He is in extraordinary physical condition, Essien said.
The former Chelsea man also added that Jose Mourinho s side are prepared for encounter, while noting United s considerable attacking threat.
In the Champions League it will be a different game. I m ready and the team is as well, he said.
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The club could have ended as a fiasco, he said. The stadium might have been turned into a monument. Instead, it has risen from the ashes.
Football is a religion in Dortmund. Bayern may have won a lot of fans and a lot of trophies because of the incredible number of good decisions they have made.
But now there is another story. Along has come another club that is pretty good as well.
Despite the recent departures, and the rumours regarding the future of other members of the squad, Hummels knows that they will get strong replacements in the squad and push for the title again next season.
We do have money to get good players, he added. But there are other clubs who can spend more money. We have to take a different position.
What we have grown in the last five years has been amazin…
Jose Mourinho will be able to attract huge players to Manchester United in the transfer market, says the club s former striker Dwight Yorke.
Yorke believes United s financial might, along with their return to the Champions League, puts them in an excellent position for this close-season.
Given United already recruited stars like Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic without Champions League football last season, the member of the club s 1999 treble-winning team cannot wait to see who Mourinho can land with a place in Europe s top club competition adding to the club s appeal.
United obviously are looking to add to the squad, Yorke said to Sky Sports. We know that, that is not a secret.
I think that Man United being the richest club in the world and in the …
Quiet and hard-working / Image via teamtalk.com
Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City are having a dream season in the Premier League which has seen Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy rise to prominence with their impressive displays, goals and assists.
However, it is another member of Claudio Ranieri’s side who deserves great credit for the team’s successful campaign in the league – N’Golo Kante.
As Vardy and Mahrez earn the plaudits and hit the limelight, French-born midfielder is doing all of the dirty work behind his teammates. Silent performer has left his teammates grab all the headlines with their goalscoring exploits in Leicester’s amazing title charge which sees Foxes stand at .
The ball-winning midfielder has been a huge revelation ever since…
Sevilla have sealed a deal to sign Manchester City forward Nolito on a three-year contract, pending a successful medical.
Nolito will leave City in a transfer reportedly worth €9million after only one season in the Premier League, having signed for Pep Guardiola s men from Celta Vigo.
The 30-year-old, who is due for his Sevilla medical on Sunday, only started nine Premier League matches under Guardiola last season and stressed last month that his priority was a move back to Spain, giving him the best possible chance of selection for next year s World Cup.
Nolito had struggled to settle at City, revealing he found the English language and weather a challenge, in addition to his lack of regular first-team action.
63 The last time he played in Spain, Nolit…
Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs urged Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba to remove the shackles and start entertaining supporters.
Wales manager Giggs came through United s academy, played for the first team between 1991 and 2014 and previously served as Louis van Gaal s assistant at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils style of play has come under criticism since Alex Ferguson departed five years ago, and Giggs is keen to see the current crop show the same commitment to entertainment that he did.
First of all, I was a Manchester United fan, he told ESPN FC. I used to climb over the fence when I was a seven, eight-year-old, get the match bus to Old Trafford.
Right from when I can remember, I used to go to Old Trafford and then, fast-forward …