Rafa Benitez has revealed he and Cristiano Ronaldo are “adapting to each other” after reports claiming the Real Madrid forward was not happy with the coach. Benitez took over at Madrid this summer after Carlo Ancelotti was sacked in May, though the former Liverpool and Chelsea coach has come under criticism for his tactics, the 4-0 Clasico home defeat to Barcelona, and for Madrid being thrown out of the Copa del Rey due to fielding the ineligible Denis Cheryshev against Cadiz. Reports in the Spanish media have repeatedly suggested that Ronaldo is unhappy with Benitez’s style, and the forward –…
Author: David Folami
Manchester United still hope they can beat neighbours Manchester City to the signing of Pep Guardiola and have hastily upgraded what had previously only been back-channel contact with the Bayern Munich manager, sources have told Theinfostride — but there is concern they might have left it too late. Despite widespread reports last week that United were giving full backing to Louis van Gaal, sources now say that was partly because it was close to a big Champions League game against Wolfsburg. Defeat in that match and subsequent elimination from the competition, however, has caused doubt about the Dutch coach’s suitability…
Crystal Palace moved up to sixth in the table thanks to a Yohan Cabaye winner that grant a third defeat in four league games on struggling Southampton. The hosts fully deserved their first Premier League win over Southampton, a victory that also extended Palace’s unbeaten run to three league games. Yannick Bolasie’s perfect cross allowed the unmarked Cabaye to tap home from six yards late in the first half. Southampton’s best chance was a Shane Long strike late on. Wayne Hennessey’s stop to prevent the Republic of Ireland striker’s low shot earning Southampton an injury-time equaliser was the Welshman’s second…
Odion Ighalo’s early goal gave Watford their third successive win and left Sunderland stuck in the bottom three. Ighalo and Black Cats defender Sebastian Coates met Allan Nyom’s low cross at the near post and diverted the ball past Costel Pantilimon. Sunderland took time to find a response but dominated the second half. Jermain Defoe and Jack Rodwell forced good saves from Heurelho Gomes but the Hornets hung on for a victory that moves them up to seventh in the table.
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart admitted his side played poorly as they beat Swansea thanks to Kelechi Iheanacho’s injury-time deflection. The win took Manuel Pellegrini’s team to the top of the Premier League, but they looked weak after a Champions League win on Tuesday. Swansea, who sacked Garry Monk on Wednesday, had equalised on 90 minutes after Wilfried Bony’s opener. “It was a big win considering we were awful,” Hart told BBC Sport. Listen – Man City leave it late to beat Swansea “I thought Swansea played really well considering the difficult circumstances. When we play well, I am a…
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal urged his team “to stick together” as he set a target of three successive victories to keep his side in the Premier League title race. A 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday means United have won just two of their last seven league games. They are fourth in the standings, three points behind leaders Manchester City. “Losing two in a row is disappointing, now we have to stay in a position to keep fighting,” said Van Gaal. “We now have to win three matches in a row to still be up there after Christmas.”
Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter dedicated Saturday’s victory over Manchester United to his family following the death of his daughter. Arter, 25, and his partner lost their child at birth in midweek. Despite his loss, Arter played for 86 minutes as the Cherries added to last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Chelsea. “I just felt that coming in and trying to take my mind off things would make it a little bit easier, my family would want me to play,” Arter told the club. Republic of Ireland international Arter was close to tears after being booked after 84 minutes, and was substituted…
Bayern Munich made sure they will go into the Bundesliga winter break in top spot after defeating promoted Ingolstadt 2-0 on Saturday to bounce back from their first league loss. Second-half goals from Robert Lewandowski and Philipp Lahm lifted Bayern, who lost to Borussia Moenchengladbach last week, on to 43 points, eight ahead of Borussia Dortmund, who play Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday, with one more matchday left before the one-month break. Bayer Leverkusen scored four times in 13 minutes in an explosive second half with Javier Hernandez netting a hat-trick, to crush Borussia Moenchengladbach 5-0 and snap their 10-game unbeaten…
Former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez claimed only the second hat-trick of his career on Saturday to extend his scoring run to 15 goals in Bayer Leverkusen’s last 12 games. “Chicharito” needed just 13 second-half minutes to score his three goals in Leverkusen’s 5-0 victory over Borussia Moechengladbach in the German league as ex-Germany striker Stefan Kiessling also scored either side of halftime. Ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid star Hernandez has now scored ten league goals for a total of 17 in all competitions for Leverkusen this season. It extends Hernandez’s remarkable run of 15 in the last 12 games…
Valencia coach Gary Neville is ready to get the best out of Alvaro Negredo and says he was the “perfect striker” when he played for Manchester City. The powerful centre-forward fell out with previous coach Nuno Espirito Santo and this along with an appendicitis means he has not played since early October. Neville, though, is eager for him to show the form that brought him 23 goals for City during the 2013-14 season and helped them win the Premier League. “I saw Alvaro play a lot at City and he was an important player in the league, he was like…
Leaders Barcelona threw a two-goal lead away as late strikes from Lucas Perez and Alex Bergantigave Deportivo La Coruna a 2-2 draw in La Liga on Saturday. A Lionel Messi free kick and a fire strike from Ivan Rakitic put Barca in control but they dropped quality in the closing stages and the visitors took advantage. Messi curled the ball into the top corner of the net from 25 metres to break the resistance of a well-organised Deportivo team after 39 minutes. Rakitic then fired home from a similar distance in the 62nd minute before in-form Lucas pulled a goal…
Teenage substitute Kelechi Iheanacho gave a freak stoppage-time winner as Manchester City beat coachless Swansea City 2-1 on Saturday to reclaim top spot. Yaya Toure’s shot deflected in off Iheanacho’s back, barely two minutes after Bafetimbi Gomis’s first goal since August looked to have earned the visitors a draw at a sodden Etihad Stadium. Wilfried Bony had headed City in front against his former club in the first half and Manuel Pellegrini’s side came perilously close to throwing two points away before claiming victory amid a remarkable finish. Swansea, who sacked Garry Monk on Wednesday, continue to go towards trouble,…
Manchester United’s terrible week hit rock bottom as Bournemouth famously condemned them to a 2-1 defeat on Saturday and, to rub salt into the injury, neighbours Manchester City moved back to the top of the Premier League. After City clambered above Leicester City on goal difference with a lucky last-gasp strike in a dramatic 2-1 win over Swansea City, Bournemouth wrote another astonishing fairytale by beating United a week after taking the scalp of champions Chelsea. United’s defeat multiplies the pressure on manager Louis van Gaal, already under pressure for their prosaic playing style and midweek exit from the Champions…
Louis van Gaal was left battling growing pressure after Josh King’s goal earned Bournemouth a 2-1 win on Saturday and condemned Manchester United to a second costly defeat in a week. Having been forced to defend his record in the face of heavy criticism following his side’s Champions League exit at Wolfsburg, United manager Van Gaal again saw his team undone by alarming defensive lapses. Goalkeeper David de Gea was at fault for Junior Stanislas’s second-minute opener – a corner that went straight in – while Daley Blind allowed former United youngster King to score after Marouane Fellaini had equalised.…
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal invoked the belief of the club’s players and fans after their season took another downward slide with a 2-1 loss at Bournemouth. Former United trainee Josh King scored a 54th-minute winner to prevent United from bouncing back from their mid-week Champions League exit at Wolfsburg and keep them three points off the pace in the Premier League. A return of three wins from 12 games in all competitions, coupled with some turgid football, has seen Van Gaal come in for heavy criticism from fans and pundits, but he said his shoulders were broad enough…
Manuel Pellegrini believes Manchester City showed great spirit they will need to maintain their Premier League title challenge after getting a late 2-1 win over Swansea. Pellegrini’s team looked set to drop two points at home to their managerless opponents on Saturday when substitute Bafetimbi Gomis drove in a 90th-minute equaliser for his first goal since August. But City then found a dramatic stoppage-time winner as Yaya Toure’s shot was deflected in off the back of Kelechi Iheanacho. The victory moved City back to the top of the table, although Arsenal will replace them on Sunday with a victory at…
Valencia coach Gary Neville has emphatically denied he is positioning himself to one day take charge of Manchester United, where he enjoyed an immensely successful 19-year playing career. Neville was handed a shock first managerial role at the Mestalla until the end of the season by Singaporean business partner and Valencia owner Peter Lim earlier this month. However, he didn’t get off to a great start in his first match as head coach as Los Che crashed out of the Champions League in midweek due a 2-0 defeat to Lyon. Yet, with United also failing to reach the knockout stages…
Jose Mourinho’s claim that Chelsea’s season is finally heading in the right direction but will face a tough test when the Premier League champions visit unexpected pace-setters Leicester City on Monday. Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester will go into the game having been taken off the head of the table by Manchester City, who moved top on goal difference following Saturday’s 2-1 win over Swansea City. But their form this season has been in stark contrast to that of Mourinho’s Chelsea, whose last league outing ended in a shock home defeat by Bournemouth. That result left the Blues manager stunned and appeared…
Beautiful Nollywood actress, Adesua Etomi has been nominated for ‘Best Actress’ at the upcoming 2016 edition of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award. The actress who was nominated for her impressive delivery in ‘Falling’ will however be facing stiff competition from celebrated screen star Genevieve Nnaji who gets the nod for her portrayal of a disturbed housewife in her self-produced movie, ‘Road to Yesterday’. Other nominees are Nse Ikpe-Etim (The Visit), Mary Lazarus (Don’t cry for me), Belinda Effah (Stop) and Fulu Mugovhani (Ayanda).
Talented Nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe has expressed her immense excitement over her nomination at the AMVCA. The pretty screen star, whose movie ‘Victim’ is up for Best Yoruba Film, took to Instagram to share her excitement. Mercy wrote ‘OMGOD! Super excited my movie VICTIMS just got nominated at the forthcoming Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards! (AMVCA) I bless the Most High! Jehovah indeed u are God!…..To u be all the Glory!’ Victims is up for Best Indigenous Movie alongside ‘Taxi Driver (Oko Asewo), ‘Ayomi’, ‘Shadow’ and ‘Binta Ofege’. Mercy won in the same category two years ago with her movie,…