Chelsea managed to beat Crystal Palace in a difficult game at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, booking vital three points as they seek a way to get their season back on the right track. Mykhaylo Mudryk scored first for the home side in the 13th minute, and Michael Olise set the score back level in the last seconds of the first half. Having won a penalty for his team, Noni Madueke took responsibility and converted from the spot to settle the contest.
The game
Chelsea s struggles to impose themselves on a game are hardly a surprise anymore, and Palace didn t find it too hard to control the proceedings while the score stood at 0-0. However, Chelsea threatened occasionally through counterattacks, and after Dean Henderson in the Palace goal, with the help of Tyrick Mitchell, thwarted …
Alvaro Morata scored twice to help Juventus to a 3-1 home win over Lazio on Saturday and keep alive their faint hopes of a 10th consecutive Serie A title.
The Bianconeri, who started with Cristiano Ronaldo on the substitutes bench, had started sluggishly and fell behind inside 15 minutes courtesy of Joaquin Correa s third league goal of the campaign.
Adrien Rabiot pulled them level with their first shot on target in the 39th minute, though, before Morata s quickfire double after the break – the second from the penalty spot – sealed a third win in four top-flight games.
Andrea Pirlo s side remain in third, but have moved to within a point of Milan and seven of leaders Inter, having played the same number of games.
FT | | A BIG AND BRILLIANT BIAN…
Kylian Mbappe was influential again as he scored one and set up another to help Paris Saint-Germain maintain the pressure on Ligue 1 leaders Lille with a commanding 4-1 win at Strasbourg.
A 1-0 defeat at home to the leaders coupled with Lille s 2-0 win over Metz left Mauricio Pochettino s men six points adrift heading into the match at Stade de la Meinau.
But Mbappe backed up a double in PSG s fine 3-2 first-leg triumph at Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarter-final tie with his 21st Ligue 1 goal of the season.
That preceded efforts from Pablo Sarabia – his third in four games – and Moise Kean before the break, with Dion Moise Sahi replying for the hosts prior to Leandro Paredes executing a fine free-kick to wrap up the points.
19 Kylian Mba…
Guus Hiddink, the former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Netherlands head coach, announced his retirement at the age of 74.
Hiddink declared in a television interview that he had decided to quit as boss of Curacao and would not return to football.
The Dutch great told SBS 6: Lately, with COVID, I haven t worked much. Coincidentally I was talking with the president of the Curacao federation and we came to the conclusion it was better that I stop for a while, because they are going in a new direction.
But I m going to stop totally. Am I going to do a Advocaat. No, no.
That was a reference to his fellow veteran coach Dick Advocaat, who was expected to retire after leaving Eredivisie giants Feyenoord last season but instead took on the job of coaching Asian natio…
Pedri believes last year s near misses in the European Championship and the Nations League will benefit Spain in their quest to win a second World Cup this year.
The Barcelona midfielder was named Young Player of the Tournament as Spain were beaten by Italy in the semi-finals of the delayed Euro 2020, before La Roja suffered a Nations League final defeat to France last October.
While Spain have only reached the World Cup s final four once in their past 13 participations – when they won the tournament in 2010 – Pedri is optimistic about their chances of competing in Qatar.
Asked by Mundo Deportivo whether Luis Enrique s side could win the tournament, the 19-year-old responded: Why not?
You have to focus first on the group stage and then on the follow…
Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku has revealed he plans to retire from international football after Euro 2020, despite the fact he will be just 27.
Lukaku is his nation s all-time top scorer having found the net 40 times in 75 games and was instrumental in Belgium reaching the World Cup semi-finals in Russia.
However, the 25-year-old has suggested he will not be part of the team in Qatar in four years as he is prepared to call time on his international career after the next European Championship.
After the Euros, I think I ll stop, the Manchester United striker said in an interview with Business Insider.
I m 25, I m like, I m not even in my prime yet. So I still see [younger players] as competition right now because they try to take my spot and I don t wa…
It was almost exactly a year to the day since Marcus Rashford was substituted in an FA Cup win over Aston Villa and subsequently took his place on the bench wearing the look of a player who seemed completely bereft.
His body language, the apparent disappearance of his smile, his general form. Everything about Rashford was scrutinised to the nth degree. A few months earlier he reportedly sought the help of a sports psychologist in an attempt to move on from his part in England s Euro 2020 failure.
In simple terms, a player who once looked able to go as far as he pleased in the game was beginning to look a lost cause at Old Trafford.
Fast forward to January 14, 2023, Rashford is now the poster boy of a new era at the Theatre of Dreams, and his late winner in the Ma…
Borussia Dortmund left everything out there on the Wembley Stadium turf, but everything was not enough. For the Champions League belongs to Real Madrid, and to Toni Kroos.
Los Blancos captured their record-extending 15th European crown with a hard-fought 2-0 win over BVB on Saturday, with second-half goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior punishing Edin Terzic s men for a series of misses.
For all the star power available to them, for all the talk of destiny pitting Jude Bellingham against his former club at the home of English football, Madrid just seem to have a knack for finding unlikely heroes, and Carvajal certainly fits that category.
The identity of Madrid s opening scorer may have been a surprise, but that of the man who created it was not.
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FC Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan is relishing going up against Inter Miami in an enthralling clash at the top of MLS.
Eastern Conference leaders Miami, who will be without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez due to their continued Copa America duties, visit Cincinnati on Saturday.
The defending Supporters Shield champions are second in the East, just two points behind Miami.
Both teams have won four of their last five league games, and Noonan is anticipating a stern test of his team s quality.
They re a very deep team. You can see with key pieces missing the team that they re fielding is very strong, Noonan said.
There s a reason they re still winning games and doing it home and away.
They have a lot of quality and a lot of guys that have played…
Watching Scottish giants Rangers open the new Premiership campaign on Saturday lunchtime, we have a handful of eye-catching battles on the cards this weekend.
With the Turkish Super Cup up for grabs, we have a stacked schedule from across the footballing globe throughout Saturday.
So, for those of you looking to stick on a weekend acca, we have taken an in-depth look at some of the most appealing betting markets.
Saturday, August 3rd
BST 12:30 Hearts vs Rangers
Eventually finishing eight points of reclaiming their Premiership crown last season, Rangers find a huge amount of pressure on their shoulders this time around. However, reportedly dealing with some major issues behind the scenes at Ibrox, Philippe Clement’s men drastically struggled to find…