Market: Both teams to score
Odds:
On Wednesday afternoon Japan will welcome Ghana to the National Olympic Stadium in an international friendly.
For Akira Nishino s Japan side, after finishing rock bottom of Group C at the 2014 World Cup, Japan appears to have bounced back after dominating in the Asian qualifying groups. Finish top of the group and holding both the best attacking and defensive records in the group stages, Japan will head to Russia in a group with Poland, Senegal and Columbia. While they did impress during the Group stages, Nishino will know his side must use their friendlies against Ghana, Switzerland and Paraguay to iron out their recent issues. Japan are coming off the back of a 2-1 loss at home to Ukraine and they have now won just two of …
When Anthony Martial hit the target against Everton on Sunday, he etched his name into the Manchester United record books by scoring the club s 1,000th goal at Old Trafford in the Premier League era.
The France international scored at the back post after 54 minutes, converting Timothy Fosu-Mensah s cross after Marcus Rashford s flick set up the opportunity.
United are the most successful club in the history of the Premier League, winning the title on 13 occasions under legendary manager Alex Ferguson and there have been a plethora of memorable goals at the Theatre of Dreams over the past 24 years.
The sight of Steve Bruce heading in a 96th-minute winner against Sheffield Wednesday that proved the catalyst in their 1992-93 winning title season, and also acted as…
Slovakia secured qualification as runners-up with a 4-2 win over Iceland in Bratislava.
Orri Oskarsson headed Iceland into an early lead, before Juraj Kucka equalised and Ondrej Duda’s penalty turned things around.
Lukas Haraslin struck twice for Slovakia in the second half, with Andri Gudjohnsen scoring a late second for Iceland.
Luxembourg beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1, with both sides set to go into the play-offs.
Spain move clear at the top of the Euro2024 qualifying group with a 1-3 away win over Cyprus!
1-3 | 90+3 |
— Spanish Football (@SpainIsFootball)
Spain took control at the top of Group A with a 3-1 win in Cyprus.
Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal gave the visitors an early lead after just five minutes, …
Pep Guardiola does not believe he will return to coach Bayern Munich after the Bundesliga champions celebrated their third straight league title under his leadership with a 3-1 victory over already-relegated Hannover.
Mario Gotze hit a brace and Robert Lewandowski struck his 30th league goal of the season to cement his status as the German top flight s leading scorer.
Guardiola will take charge of Bayern for the last time in next Saturday s DFB-Pokal final against Borussia Dortmund and the coach, who will take over at Manchester City next season, ruled out a return to Bavaria.
I don t think [I will be back], Guardiola said. Bayern need a new coach, to fight on another level.
Bullseye!
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN)
…
Lorenzo Insigne was revealed as the clear top earner in Major League Soccer as the players association published its list of annual salaries.
Italy striker Insigne joined Toronto FC from Napoli at the end of the 2021-22 Serie A season, signing a four-year contract.
It can now be revealed that Insigne will earn $14million in his first season, putting him far ahead of the next highest paid player in MLS, who is Chicago Fire s former Liverpool and Bayern Munich player Xherdan Shaqiri.
HE SAID THE THING |
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC)
Shaqiri earns a base salary of $7.35m, but his guaranteed compensation comes to $8.153m. The 31-year-old joined Chicago from Lyon in February.
The MLS Players Association (MLSPA) published its list that includ…
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah did not mince his words when defending his place as he declared he is the best player in the world in his position.
The Egypt international is on track to win the Premier League Golden Boot, while also boasting the highest assist tally in the top flight, being directly involved in 35 goals from his 34 appearances.
Salah was recently named the Football Writers Association Player of the Year in England, and has a chance to make history with this Liverpool team as they have won the EFL Cup, and are still in the hunt for the Premier League title, FA Cup and Champions League.
Speaking to beIN SPORTS, Salah was adamant that there is no forward in world football scaling his heights.
Thank you to all those who voted for me.
…
Pep Guardiola has heralded outgoing full-back Pablo Zabaleta as one of the most important players in Manchester City history.
City announced late on Saturday that Zabaleta had informed the club he will leave when his contract expires next month, bringing down the curtain on a celebrated nine-year spell in Manchester.
An unheralded signing from Espanyol in August 2008, shortly before Sheikh Mansour s takeover drastically altered City s fortunes, Zabaleta made his Premier League debut alongside showpiece signing Robinho in a 3-1 defeat to Chelsea the following month.
But it was the tough-tackling Argentinian who would go on to firmly establish himself as a fans favourite thanks to numerous all-action displays.
A pivotal member of the title-winning sides o…
England will head into the Women’s World Cup having played more total minutes than any other leading country, according to a report by global players’ union FIFPRO.
Workload and injuries have been a major talking point in the women’s game, with a particular focus on the number of players suffering ACL damage.
Arsenal defender Leah Williamson, who captained England to European Championship success last summer, and Beth Mead, who won the Golden Boot and was named player of the tournament, will both miss the World Cup because of ACL injuries, as will Chelsea’s Fran Kirby with her own knee issue.
FIFPRO’s 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Workload Journey Report, published on Thursday morning, examined workload and playing opportunities for players at internati…
Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Valladolid in their first home game of the season on Saturday.
Karim Benzema s precise strike with eight minutes to play looked enough to earn Zinedine Zidane s side a second win from two LaLiga matches in 2019-20, only for Sergi Guardiola to level late on.
Madrid started their first home game of the season with none of their new signings in the first XI, as Zidane put faith in Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Isco despite weeks of speculation over their futures.
It was Bale who looked likeliest to break the deadlock in the first half, prodding a first-time effort just wide of the left-hand post and sending a header over the crossbar.
James also twice came close with a good strike and a header, but Valladolid go…
When Monaco and Manchester City embarked upon a sensationally riotous Champions League last-16 affair in 2017, a livewire forward with a combination of technique and pace to leave the most seasoned defenders utterly mortified scored in both legs as the Ligue 1 side went through 6-6 on away goals.
That young man was Kylian Mbappe. But it was also, in a losing cause, Leroy Sane.
Four years on from a knockout tie that marked out both players as potentially dominant figures for the decade to come in European football, each had points to prove at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.
Mbappe was looking to add to the argument that he is the finest player in the world right now, Paris Saint-Germain s talisman in their quest for elusive continental supremacy. Sane was trying…