Diego Simeone acknowledged a failure to take their chances cost Atletico Madrid, his side punished late on in a 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich.
Atletico went into Tuesday s Champions League clash with holders Bayern knowing that victory would be enough to secure second place in Group A.
Joao Felix gave Atletico the lead with his eighth goal in 14 appearances this term, but the hosts could not score from any of their other 12 attempts, of which only three were on target.
A weakened Bayern, without regulars such as Robert Lewandowski and Manuel Neuer, grew as the game wore on, snatching a draw through Thomas Muller s 86th-minute penalty.
It means Atletico now need to avoid defeat at Salzburg in their final group game next week to qual…
Market: Over 1.5 goals
Odds: 4/11 @
Two sides who are only separated by their goal difference heading into the final weekend, Real Zaragoza will welcome Albacete to La Romareda on Sunday night.
Starting with the hosts, managing to find a much-welcomed boost last weekend as they secured an impressive 2-0 victory away at Racing Santander, Zaragoza will be desperate to produce a repeat performance here. However, once again accepting another bottom-half finish, Victor Fernandez’s side have continued to struggle with their consistency. Opening up May with a 3-1 drumming at the hands of Burgos, Los Manos have recorded just two wins from any of their previous eight Segunda appearances. With that rut stemming back to a 3-1 victory against Tenerife on March 31st, the f…
James McClean has vowed to prolong his Republic of Ireland career for as long as possible after manager Stephen Kenny tipped him to follow in Luka Modric’s footsteps.
The 34-year-old old Wigan midfielder will win his 100th senior cap for his country in Monday night’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Gibraltar in Dublin, with the Ireland boss marking the achievement by handing him the captain’s armband.
Kenny voiced the opinion last week that McClean is so fit, there is no reason he cannot do what Croatia star Modric has done and play international football at the age of 37.
Asked if that was in his mind, McClean said: “Physically I feel great. I don’t feel I have slowed down too much. If I stay injury-free and I’m still enjoying it, if I continue to get pi…
Pep Guardiola labelled Manchester City s first-half performance in their record-breaking 4-0 win over Newcastle United on Sunday as one of the worst we have played this season .
City scored twice before the break as Ruben Dias headed in after a defensive mistake from Newcastle, before Joao Cancelo smashed into the top corner.
Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling netted in the second half to give the scoreline a comfortable look.
The victory saw City record their 34th league victory of 2021, establishing a new record for the most top-flight wins by a team in a calendar year, but Guardiola was not pleased with the display before half-time.
A good result, not a good performance, Guardiola said to the BBC. We were lucky, but Newcastle did not defend well for …
Christian Eriksen has been in sparkling form since returning to action with Brentford following his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.
Inter allowed Eriksen to end his contract after the Denmark international was unable to play in Serie A after having a cardiac device implant fitted, allowing the Bees to sign him on a six-month deal.
Eriksen has since scored for both club and country, and his form has some familiar faces swirling.
TOP STORY – TOTTENHAM WANT ERISKEN REUNION
With his return to health, and some form, Tottenham want to bring Eriksen back to the club where he made a name for himself in England.
Eriksen departed from Ajax in 2013, and would spend seven seasons with Spurs, scoring 69 goals in 305 appearances, before signing with A…
In what was a heavyweight showdown from Catalonia on Sunday night, Barcelona claimed a crucial 1-0 victory against Atletico Madrid as Joao Felix came back to haunt his parent club.
Two sides who have their sights set on mounting another title charge this season, it was Atletico loanee Felix who proved to be the winner as the Portugal international produced a slick finish just before the half-hour mark.
While the reigning Spanish champions might have shown some inconsistencies on either side of November’s international break, Xavi’s side arguably produced a season-best performance here.
Dominating large spells in Catalonia and handling what had been a free-scoring Atletico attack, Sunday’s 1-0 victory means that Barca sit four points adrift of historic riva…
Ben Chilwell has been told it would be best to leave Chelsea by head coach Enzo Maresca ahead of their Premier League opener against Manchester City on Sunday.
Chilwell, who has made 106 appearances for the Blues since his reported £45m move from Leicester in 2020, has struggled with injuries in recent years.
The 27-year-old featured 21 times in all competitions last season, missing 26 games with a hamstring injury which was then followed by a knee issue.
His subsequent misfortune with injuries has seen him drop down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, with Marc Cucurella impressing with Spain at Euro 2024.
The beginning of our 24/25 campaign awaits.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)
Chilwell played 64 minutes in Chelsea s six pre-seas…
Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Johan Bakayoko from PSV in the summer of 2024, according to . The report has claimed that PSG, who won the Ligue 1 title last season, are considering making a move for the 20-year-old Belgium international winger at the end of the season.
Bakayoko has been on the books of PSV since 2019 and has established himself in the first team. The 20-year-old is one of the best young forwards in Europe and is rated very highly. The Belgium international has played as a right-winger and as a playmaker for PSV this season. He has made 18 starts and two substitute appearances in the Eredivisie this campaign, scoring four goals and providing eight assists in those games. Bakayoko has also scored one goal and given one assist in six UEFA Champions …
Sepp Blatter has denied approving fraudulent payments to Michel Platini while he was president of FIFA, saying the cash transfer was a gentleman s agreement between the pair.
Blatter and Platini were last year charged with fraud and other offences by Swiss authorities relating to a payment of 2million Swiss francs made by world football s governing body to the ex-UEFA chief in 2011.
The trial at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona was due to start on Wednesday, but Blatter was unable to attend as he was suffering from chest pains.
Blatter provided his testimony on Thursday, stating he asked former France captain Platini to work for FIFA as an advisor when he was elected as president in 1998.
The 86-year-old said the governing body could not afford …
Best Odds: 3/4
Bookmaker:
Hoping to make it back-to-back Serie A victories on Monday night, Juventus will make the trip to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris when they meet Sampdoria.
Sampdoria
Starting with the hosts, while Sampdoria might have managed to keep hold of their Serie A status back in May, many across Italy are expecting another tough campaign for the Blucerchiati. Despite enjoying somewhat of a summer boost as they extended on their Coppa Italia adventure thanks to a 1-0 victory against Reggina on August 5th, the Genoa-based outfit came crashing back down to earth last weekend. Knowing that they faced a stern test against Atalanta at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Head Coach Marco Giampaolo saw his side get hit with a deserved 2-0 loss on home soil. Signing of…