Kylian Mbappe struck twice as Paris St Germain capitalised on the dismissal of Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo to qualify for the Champions League semi-finals with a 4-1 win in the second leg.
Barcelona ran out at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys armed with a 3-2 triumph from their first meeting in Paris and when Raphinha capitalised on Lamine Yamal’s skilful approach work to fire the opener, they had sight of the last four.
But a setback came in the 29th minute when defender Araujo was sent off for tripping winger Bradley Barcola on the edge of the area, VAR confirming the on-field decision for a red card.
We did it!
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English)
The pressure built on the home goal and PSG hit back through Ousmane Dembele in the 40th mi…
Former Bolivia coach Gustavo Quinteros has been appointed coach of Ecuador.
Emelec coach Gustavo Quinteros will take charge of Ecuador, the South American nation s football federation announced on Friday.
Quinteros, 49, is a former international for Bolivia, who he also coached from late 2010 until mid-2012.
He will coach Ecuador for their upcoming Copa America campaign and lead them in 2018 World Cup qualifying.
It comes at the best moment of my career, because one gains experience as you work in this profession, Quinteros said.
I am eager and full of dreams, and hopefully form a team that plays good football and brings joy to people.
Sixto Vizuete was at the helm on an interim basis after Reinaldo Rueda s contract was not renewed foll…
Diego Simeone is not prepared to risk the fitness of Atletico Madrid attacking trident Luis Suarez, Diego Costa and Joao Felix by starting all three players against Real Sociedad on Tuesday.
Costa marked his return from his latest injury lay-off with a penalty in Atletico s 3-1 win over Elche on Saturday, a game in which Luis Suarez scored his first two goals since recovering from coronavirus.
Joao Felix has carried much of the burden in his team-mates absence but left the pitch with a knock in the final quarter of the contest, though he is back in training and in contention to face Sociedad.
Simeone has yet to start a game with all three players and does not intend to alter his formation on Tuesday, although he is not against using all three if Atleti are chas…
Rio Ferdinand believes both Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United will be delighted after they announced they were parting ways on Tuesday.
The decision comes after Ronaldo s bombshell exclusive interview with Piers Morgan, in which he said he felt betrayed by senior figures at the club and claimed he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
United responded by saying they had initiated appropriate steps , and on Tuesday revealed the five-time Ballon d Or winner and the club had gone separate ways by mutual agreement.
Ronaldo released a statement of his own saying it was the right time to seek a new challenge , and Ferdinand, a United legend and former team-mate of Ronaldo, says both sides will be satisfied.
Speaking on the BBC s World Cup coverage, Fer…
A wasteful Napoli were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Roma in Serie A, with a late Tammy Abraham header securing a point for the visitors.
The visitors took the lead from the penalty spot a minute before the hour mark, with Paulo Dybala converting after Juan Jesus fouled Sardar Amzoun.
However, Napoli equalised six minutes later through Matias Olivera s deflected shot, and completed the turnaround with their own penalty six minutes from time as Victor Osimhen tucked away after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was felled by Renato Sanches.
The hosts could not hold on, though, and were pegged back with two minutes to go. Substitute Abraham s header from a corner was eventually awarded following a VAR review after he had initially been ruled offside.
TAMMY!
—…
that both Everton and Queens Park Rangers could go head-to-head in the January transfer window to sign highly-rated youngster Brice Dja Djedje from French side Evian.
The 21-year-old came through the ranks at Ligue 1 side Paris Saint Germain, but joined Evian in 2009, where he has since gone onto impress and has now caught the eye of these two English Premier League clubs.
It is thought that it could come down to which one of these two is willing to splash the cash on Dja Djedje, or of course, who will offer him the best contract.
The Ivorian is tipped by many to go on and have a fantastic career, but he may feel as though now is the time to make the next step.
It is certainly a big decision for the full-back, as he will want to get the balance right be…
Dutchman Bert van Marwijk has signed a one-year deal to become Saudi Arabia s new head coach.
Former Argentina boss Alejandro Sabella had been widely expected to take up the post following the recent departure of Faisal Al Baden but turned the offer down, prompting the Saudi FA to approach van Marwijk.
The 63-year-old, who guided the Netherlands to the 2010 World Cup final and won the KNVB Cup during his time with Feyenoord, is determined to help guide Saudi Arabia to the 2018 World Cup in Russia to end their 12-year absence from the tournament.
I have declined quite a few offers in recent years, he said. The big difference this time was that I was given the freedom to set my own staff.
It is a great challenge and I hope I can help the team wi…
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has hit back at criticism that the club s current board of directors are not staying true to their philosophy and is adamant they have no intention of stepping down.
There has been criticism of the way Bartomeu and his colleagues have run the club since taking charge in 2014, with the Catalans caught up in a number of scandals.
Barcelona have been involved in court cases over irregularities surrounding the transfer of Neymar from Santos in 2013, while they also received a transfer ban from FIFA following the illegal signing of underage players.
Nevertheless, Bartomeu remains unperturbed by recent events and believes the board has done a fine job leading the club.
From some sectors the ability of this board to run …
Ansu Fati has been advised to stay humble by Barcelona great Lionel Messi, who the teenager would love to see alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in a five-a-side dream team.
Spain international Fati has made a huge impact at Camp Nou since bursting onto the scene in August 2019, setting a number of records along the way before being struck down by a knee injury that has ruled him out since November.
Fati is Barca s youngest ever goalscorer, the youngest player to score and provide an assist in a single LaLiga game, the youngest Camp Nou goalscorer and the youngest player to score in a Champions League game.
Many have compared the 18-year-old s rise to stardom as being similar to that of Messi, who has gone on to win a record six Ballons d Or across his 17 seasons in…
With the MLS making its return in midweek, we have a string of interesting battles throughout the early hours of Thursday.
So, for those of you who are looking to chuck on a midweek flutter, we have found a couple of intriguing showdowns that are worth keeping an eye out for.
00:30 Toronto FC vs Philadelphia Union
While Philadelphia might have seen their Leagues Cup adventure come to an abrupt end thanks to a 4-1 drumming at the hands of Inter Milan on August 16th, the Union should still find the mood in their camp at a red-hot high. Once again gaining a string of plaudits from across the Eastern Conference this season, there is no doubt that Thursday’s guests will be smelling the chance to make another statement here.
Last seen over the weekend put…