Pique celebrates Luis Enrique return after Moreno´s ´surprise´ Spain exit

Vinicius Junior s penalty ensured Real Madrid left the Estadio de Gran Canaria with a point as they drew 1-1 to Las Palmas on Thursday.

Alberto Moleiro had given the hosts a shock lead in the fifth minute, but Vinicius would net from 12 yards to swing the encounter back in their favour, however, Carlo Ancelotti s star-studded line-up were unable to find a way through.

A frantic start to proceedings saw Moleiro produce a moment of magic to skip beyond Aurelien Tchouameni and Eder Militao before firing low into the far corner.

Madrid would register nine shots in the opening 45 minutes, three of which were on target, but they were unable to test Jasper Cillessen in the Las Palms net.

However, parity was restored when defender Alex Suarez was adjudged to h…

Just as Premier League managers toy with their options for crucial run-in games, fantasy bosses are weighing up who should slot into their teams this weekend.

Some will be looking to consolidate lofty positions, but many will be eyeing a gamble in a late attempt to shuffle up the standings.

It comes down to analysing form, whether recent or over a longer course of time.

Using Opta data, Stats Perform selects four players you might consider for the latest set of matches.

Jose Sa (Leicester City v Wolves)

In a midlands battle between hosts in the relegation mire and visitors who are creeping clear of trouble, Wolves may need goalkeeper Jose Sa to be at his sharpest.

Only three teams have recorded more Premier League shutouts than Wolves i…

Andrew Shinnie is relishing his leadership role within the Livingston squad after he signed on earlier this week for a third season with the West Lothian club.

The 33-year-old joined the Lions in 2021 and manager David Martindale sees the former Inverness, Birmingham and Luton midfielder as one of the senior figures in a dressing room that is about to lose captain Nicky Devlin – among others – under freedom of contract this summer.

Shinnie, who penned a one-year extension to the end of next term, is aware he might not be the first name on the team-sheet every week, but he is happy to help guide his younger colleagues.

“We’ll probably lose a couple of important players but Davie and the staff will hopefully recruit some gems like they normally find, and we…

Portugal head coach Fernando Santos and Juventus have both offered unwavering support to Cristiano Ronaldo after the five-time Ballon d Or winner firmly denied  a rape allegation.

Kathryn Mayorga has accused Ronaldo of sexual assault in a hotel in Las Vegas in 2009.

Ronaldo called the claims fake news  before issuing a further statement on social media in which he strenuously denied the allegations and called rape an abominable crime . 

Juventus posted on Twitter on Thursday offering their support to Ronaldo, who joined the Serie A champions from Real Madrid in July.

Cristiano Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus, the club said in a statement.

The events al…

Chelsea have completed the loan signing of Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid.

The 23-year-old forward joins the Blues until the end of the season for a reported loan fee of €11million (£9.7m).

There has been no official disclosure from either Chelsea or Atleti over whether a purchase option has been included, though Joao Felix has extended his contract with the Spanish side until 2027.

Joao Felix had been strongly linked with a move to Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United, but it is Chelsea who have made their move, looking to recover what has been a disappointing campaign at Stamford Bridge so far.

Graham Potter has struggled since replacing Thomas Tuchel as head coach in September, with Chelsea languishing in 10th place in the league as …

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is confident Maurizio Sarri s men will bounce back from Saturday s loss to Tottenham.

The Blues were beaten 3-1 at Wembley their first league defeat of the season after a performance completely out of character with their promising start under Italian Sarri.

The setback left them seven points behind pacesetters Manchester City but Drogba has tipped them to bounce back.

Speaking at a Yokohama fan event in Tokyo, the Ivorian said: Chelsea are doing well this year. It was going to happen that they d lose a game.

Losing against Tottenham is never a good thing because it s a derby and they are a good side.

I hope Chelsea are going to bounce back from this defeat and start a new series of winning games. The goal …

Vinicius Junior apologised to Brazil s supporters following their defeat to Paraguay, acknowledging it is a difficult time for the Selecao.

The five-time world champions were beaten 1-0 in Asuncion, with Diego Gomez s 20th-minute strike condemning them to a fourth defeat in five qualifying games.

Dorival Junior s side occupy fifth place in the CONMEBOL section in which the top six nations automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup, with the team finishing seventh entering the Inter-confederation play-offs.

Already eight points adrift of leaders Argentina, Brazil are now just one ahead of eighth-place Bolivia, and Vinicius knows he and his team-mates must do better.

We apologise to the fans, who are always on our side, the Real Madrid forward told Sport…

Chiedozie Ogbene has admitted he feels sorry for under-fire Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny after his lingering hopes of Euro 2024 qualification were finally dashed.

Kenny’s reign seemingly reached the point of no return on Friday night when a 2-0 home defeat by Greece left his team with just three points from a possible 18 in Group B and mathematically unable to clinch a place in the top two.

Ireland head for Gibraltar on Monday evening with only pride at stake and while Kenny received assurances last week that he would remain in charge until after next month’s fixtures, discontent with the direction of travel under his charge has reached fever pitch.

Asked about the manager’s future, Luton striker Ogbene reflected on early chances which went beg…

There is an old saying in football that you should never go back .

It is not true in some cases. Zinedine Zidane s success as a head coach at Real Madrid after a glorious playing career is proof of that.

Unfortunately, for some it is advice that perhaps should have been heeded, and that is maybe how Santiago Solari will be feeling after his Los Blancos reign was brought to an end after just four months, with Zidane immediately installed as his successor.

Back-to-back Clasico defeats that effectively ended Madrid s hopes of domestic silverware were followed by an embarrassing Champions League last-16 exit to Ajax last week. And that meant the writing was on the wall for Solari, a LaLiga and Champions League winner with Madrid as a player.

Here, we loo…

Brian Schmetzer was under no illusion that the Seattle Sounders’ upcoming MLS fixture against Sporting Kansas City will be anything but easy.

The Sounders returned to winning ways in style, comfortably dispatching Leagues Cup winners Columbus Crew 4-0 away from home last time out.

Schmetzer’s side find themselves sitting fifth in the Western Conference table, with the advantage of having four of their remaining six MLS fixtures at Lumen Field.

And the Sounders head coach insisted their home form would be critical until the end of the season, but he acknowledged the task awaiting his players in their next game.

“It is critical. We need to tell the players the importance of home games because last year Sporting KC came here and beat us and it gave the…