Paris Saint-Germain had to settle for a scoreless draw against Angers in Ligue 1 on Tuesday as Edinson Cavani failed to make an impact.
The former Napoli star led the line for PSG as Zlatan Ibrahimovic was rested, but Cavani was unable to make the most of the opportunity.
The Uruguay international hit the upright early on, but was largely ineffective otherwise, as PSG s nine-match winning streak in the league came to an end.
Serge Aurier and Angel Di Maria also came close to opening the scoring before the break, but the former was denied by Angers goalkeeper Ludovic Butelle, while the latter hit the post.
Cheikh N Doye had a big chance to find the net for Angers, but Kevin Trapp denied him as it remained scoreless at the Stade Jean-Bouin.
Cavani a…
Alessio Cerci is set to make his first Atletico Madrid appearance for two years in the Copa del Rey tie against Guijuelo.
Head coach Diego Simeone has confirmed he plans to use the winger when Atletico host Guijuelo in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday, with a place in the last 16 effectively already secured after winning the first leg 6-0 last month.
Fernando Torres is back in training and has joined Cerci, as well as seven academy players, in the squad of 17 for the game at Vicente Calderon, in what is Atleti s last competitive match of 2016.
Cerci, 29, has not played for Atletico since December 2014 in an away game against Villarreal. Since then he has been on loan with AC Milan and Genoa, before missing the first half of this season with a knee injury.
It …
Celtic suffered a 4-3 Europa League defeat at Real Betis after an impressive opening half an hour had Ange Postecoglu s men two up in Seville.
A tricky first Group G fixture for the Bhoys initially went entirely to plan as Albian Ajeti broke the deadlock and Josip Juranovic s penalty doubled their lead.
But Betis class told as Juan Miranda and Juanmi netted in quick succession before half-time, a feat the hosts repeated after the break.
Borja Iglesias and a second for Juanmi did the damage for Betis, with Anthony Ralston s late header not enough to ignite an unlikely Celtic fightback as a trip that promised so much ended in disappointment, although their sublime start suggested they could yet have a major part to play in a tough group.
Ajeti, signed b…
Liverpool are interested in signing Aaron Ramsey from Juventus in the summer of 2021, according to . It has been reported by the Spanish news outlet that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp wants to bring the former Arsenal midfielder to Anfield, and that he could be open to letting Thiago leave for Barcelona.
Thiago joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2020. Much was expected of the Spain international central midfielder when he arrived at Anfield, but the former Barcelona star has had injury problems and has not been able to make a huge impact, at least on a regular basis.
Ramsey has had injury problems of his own at Juventus and has failed to become a key figure at the Italian club. Although the former Arsenal star has a lot of experience in the Premier Le…
AZ Alkmaar have announced the dismissal of head coach Gertjan Verbeek despite Saturday s win over Eredivisie leaders PSV Eindhoven.
The 51-year-old had been in charge at the AFAS Stadion since 2010, overseeing two fourth-placed finishes in the Eredivisie and a disappointing final standing of 10th last term.
But, despite AZ moving within two points of top spot in the Dutch top flight as they defeated PSV 2-1 at the weekend, the club have elected to part ways with their manager.
On the basis of a lack of chemistry between the squad and the coach and a lack of confidence, the club s directors do not see any possibility for further co-operation, read a statement on the club s official website.
Verbeek began his managerial career with Heracles in 2001, with his succes…
Germany, Belgium and Switzerland sealed their places at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Friday s European qualifying action.
Joachim Low s Germany – who finished third at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa – booked their place in Brazil with a classy 3-0 triumph over the Republic of Ireland in Cologne.
Sami Khedira s deflected strike put Germany in front after just 12 minutes before second-half goals from Andre Schurrle and Mesut Ozil capped off the victory to see them progress as the winners of Group C, giving them their eighth win in nine qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Belgium defeated Croatia 2-1 in Zagreb to confirm their position at the top of Group A.
The Everton forward struck in the 15th and 38th minutes and despite Niko Kranjcar comi…
Frank Lampard, Chelsea s all-time record goalscorer, has announced his retirement from professional football.
After coming through West Ham s famed youth academy, Lampard enjoyed a trophy-laden 13-year spell at Stamford Bridge, winning three Premier League titles, the Champions League, the Europa League, four FA Cups and the League Cup twice.
Following an emotional Chelsea farewell, Lampard signed for MLS side New York City in July 2014 but spent that season on loan at Manchester City, where he scored an equalising goal against his old club Chelsea and refused to celebrate.
Lampard made 106 appearances for England, scoring 29 goals his last cap coming against Costa Rica in the group stages of the 2014 World Cup.
Announcing his retirement via a lengthy Fa…
Roberto Martinez says Everton defender John Stones has grown as a person as a result of interest from Premier League champions Chelsea.
The 21-year-old England international was the subject of a number of rejected bids from Chelsea during the close-season transfer window as Everton held onto one of their most prized assets.
Stones continues to be linked with a move away from Goodison Park fresh rumours in recent days suggesting interest from Barcelona but Martinez feels the centre-back is now better equipped to deal with speculation over his future.
One hundred per cent, everything that went on in the summer helped John grow as a person and a player, the Everton boss told reporters.
You need to understand the human side of a footballer gets heavily t…
Miralem Pjanic acknowledged this season would go down as a disappointment for Juventus after they again failed to follow their Serie A title with Champions League success.
The Bianconeri won a ninth straight Scudetto in 2019-20 yet once more fell short in European competition.
Juve crashed out to Lyon at the last-16 stage after Cristiano Ronaldo s two goals in a 2-1 win in Turin on Friday could not rescue the tie, with the Ligue 1 side going through on away goals.
Captain Leonardo Bonucci was first in front of the Sky Italia cameras following full-time and he suggested the team could still reflect fondly on their domestic campaign.
The main thing was always to win the Scudetto, he said. We knew anything could happen in the Champions League with this form…
Australian club Perth Glory confirmed they have made an approach for LA Galaxy superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Ibrahimovic s contract is set to expire following the Galaxy s elimination from the MLS play-offs and the 38-year-old striker is attracting interest.
Former Manchester United, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus star Ibrahimovic has been linked with a move to LaLiga, as well as Napoli, Bologna and Inter amid talk of a return to Europe.
Now, A-League premiers Perth have thrown their hat into the ring to bring the ex-Sweden international to Australia on a reported guest-player deal for up to six games this year.
An approach has been made to his agent [Mino Raiola], Glory CEO Tony Pignata told Fairfax.
We ve asked the question first…