Osasuna secure La Liga return

Kenan Kodro was Osasuna s hero as he secured a 1-0 win over Girona to rubber-stamp promotion to La Liga through the Segunda Division play-offs.

Kodro and Maikel Mesa had secured a 2-1 win in the first leg in Pamplona, before Osasuna finished the job on Saturday at Estadi Municipal de Montilivi.

Promotion to Spain s top division is Osasuna s seventh, and they have historically had a habit of bloodying the noses of La Liga s big boys.

In their 2013-14 relegation season, Barcelona and Real Madrid left El Sadar with just a point while eventual champions Atletico Madrid were sent packing with a 3-0 defeat.

Osasuna will join fellow new-boys Alaves and Leganes in La Liga next season the Segunda Division s top two teams.

Hertha lead Biermann tributes

Hertha Berlin have led the tributes to former player Andreas Biermann following his death at the age of 33.

The defender s latest club, Spandauer Kickers, announced on Saturday that the player had passed away after a long battle with depression.

The club s general manager, Gunter Hagedorn, was quoted by respected German newspaper Bild as saying that Biermann had taken his own life.

Biermann had spoken openly about his battle with depression and subsequent suicide attempts both in his autobiography and on television talk shows in his native Germany, with Kickers revealing in a short statement on their Facebook page: Our senior player Andreas Biermann has not been able to overcome his depressive illness and died yesterday morning. Our sympathy is with his family. <…

Minamino joins Liverpool: How versatile January addition compares to Firmino, Mane and Salah

Takumi Minamino is officially a Liverpool player. A transfer story that broke suddenly has been wrapped up well before Christmas, let alone the January window opening.

The Reds had barely touched down after playing Salzburg in the Champions League when journalists in the know began reporting a potential deal. Within hours, the Austrian club officially confirmed negotiations were taking place after a reported £7.25million release clause was met.

Liverpool saw what the Japan international can offer during the two games between the teams in Europe.

Indeed, Minamino has already scored at Anfield, finding the net in a 4-3 loss back in October. There is a video on Twitter of Jurgen Klopp nodding his head approvingly at that goal, cheekily suggesting he knew all alon…

Salah expected to stay at Liverpool

Despite numerous reports linking Mohamed Salah with leaving Liverpool this summer as his contract enters its final year, the Merseysiders expect their star winger to stay put for the next season, according to David Ornstein of .

Salah, extremely important in everything Liverpool have done under Jurgen Klopp since joining the club in 2017, has been going through a rough patch of form lately, largely coinciding with the rapid decline of his team s chances of winning the Premier League title as well as their exit from the Europa League. His frustration peeked during the draw against West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday as he appeared to lash out at Klopp on the touchline, strengthening the belief the 31-year-old would likely be leaving Anfield together with the German tactic…

Spain grouped with Netherlands at Brazil 2014 World Cup

Holders Spain have been drawn in the same group as 2010 runners-up Netherlands for the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Vicente del Bosque s side beat the Netherlands 1-0 after extra time in Johannesburg three years ago to win football s greatest honour for the first time.

And they were paired with the Netherlands in Group B at Friday s draw, to be joined by Chile and Australia, who are currently the lowest-ranked team in next year s showpiece.

It is the first time that the previous finalists have been drawn in the same group for the next World Cup, and the repeat of the 2010 showpiece comes as early as the second day of the tournament, with the two sides set to meet in Salvador on June 13.

A day earlier, hosts and five-time winners Brazil will open the tournament …