Lukas Podolski broke his Inter Milan duck in style, scoring with a fantastic strike from outside the area, to give them a 2-1 victory at nine-man Udinese in Serie A on Tuesday. . Inter also benefited from a penalty which infuriated Udinese, while Antonio Di Natale scored for the hosts to join Roberto Baggio as Serie A’s joint-sixth leading all-time scorer with 205 goals. . The first half ended goalless but Udinese were reduced to 10 men in the 40th minute when Maurizio Domizzi, already booked for dissent over a corner, was given a second yellow card for a late…
Author: David Folami
Pep Guardiola admits fatigue ended Bayern Munich’s chances of winning three trophies in one season after losing their German Cup semi-final by missing all four penalty kicks in a shoot-out against Borussia Dortmund. . Just two days after being crowned German league champions for the 25th time, Bayern were knocked out of the domestic cup as Tuesday’s semifinal finished 1-1 after extra-time before Dortmund claimed a 2-0 victory on penalties. . The defeat came at an extra cost as striker Robert Lewandowski is doubtful for next Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final at Barcelona after suffering a fractured cheekbone and concussion, while…
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique believes his side is impossible to defend against when his star attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar are as efficient in front of goal as they were in Tuesday’s 6-0 hammering of Getafe. . The three now have a combined 102 goals between them in all competitions this season after Messi and Suarez each scored twice, while Neymar and Xavi also found the net to move the Catalans five points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga. . “It is another day to congratulate the team because these types of…
Bayern Munich’s legend Arjen Robben is out for the season after tearing a muscle in their German Cup semifinal defeat by Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday while Robert Lewandowski broke his jaw and nose and suffered concussion. . The injuries come days before Bayern travel to Barcelona for next week’s Champions League last four clash, dealing a major blow to their hopes of lifting the trophy on home soil with the final scheduled to be played in Berlin in June. . “Arjen Robben suffered a torn muscle in his left calf and his season is over after only making his comeback…
Atletico Madrid are not aware of a possible transfer ban after Spanish media reported Fifa were set to bar the club and city rivals Real Madrid from the next two windows. . Fifa had decided to sanction the pair over similar breaches of rules on the transfer of foreign Under-18 players that last year led to a ban for La Liga rivals Barcelona, according to the reports, which did not identify the source of the information. . “We have no information regarding that,” an Atletico spokesman said on Wednesday when asked about the reports. . “We collaborated with Fifa in…
Liverpool’s poor pre-season transfer dealings have come back to torture them with Brendan Rodgers admitting his side have lacked the quality to finish in the Premier League’s top four. . Monday’s tepid 1-0 defeat by relegation-threatened Hull City left Liverpool in fifth place and all but ended their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. . That represents a sharp decline from last season when the goals of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge propelled the club to within a whisker of a a first English league title since 1991. . Rodgers was powerless to stop Uruguayan Suarez joining Barcelona for…
Former star striker Alan Shearer is afraid that Newcastle are heading towards relegation from the Premier League on the back of terrible loss of form. . A former skipper at the northeast club, Shearer was stunned by Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Swansea at St James’ Park which was the Magpies’ seventh straight loss, their worst ever run in the top flight. . That loss left them 14th with 35 points, just five ahead of arch-rivals Sunderland in 18th with four games to go. . “Have no doubts about it – Newcastle are now in real danger of going down,” Shearer…
Arsene Wenger believes there is not much between his team and Chelsea after the Gunners held the Premier League champions-elect to a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. . A point away to their London rivals saw Chelsea edge closer to the title, which they could secure by the end of the week should they both win at Leicester City on Wednesday and defeat Crystal Palace in front of the Blues’ faithful at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. . Arsenal, although level with second-placed Manchester City, are still 10 points behind leaders Chelsea with five league games of the…
Chelsea will take another massive step towards the Premier League title should they win at relegation-threatened Leicester City on Wednesday but boss Jose Mourinho expects their opponents to stay up whatever the result. . Leicester, who were bottom from the end of November until last week, have climbed out of the drop zone after winning their last four matches and Mourinho said on Monday he was surprised they were ever there in the first place. . “I was surprised with their bad position. For me they are a good team with good players. We played them very early in the…
Daniel Sturridge could miss out on the rest of the Premier League season due to injury, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed on Monday. . Sturridge, 25, has been plagued by a variety of fitness problems this season and the England striker has missed Liverpool’s last three matches with a hip problem that is set to see him left out of the Reds’ squad for their Premier League match away to Hull on Tuesday. . “We’ll see if he’s going to be back this season or pre-season,” Rodgers told a news conference on Monday. . “It has been difficult for Daniel,”…
Michael Dawson, the Hull City captain, scored a fantastic and crucial goal that secured a 1-0 home win over Liverpool and had a significant impact on both ends of the Premier League table on Tuesday. . This was Liverpool’s game in hand over Manchester United and their failure to win it leaves Brendan Rodgers’s team seven points adrift of the Old Trafford club with an inferior goal difference. . Both of them now have four games to play and Liverpool’s pursuit of a Champions League place looks to be over. . “Our fight is to perform better through to the…
The celebrations came down after Hull City’s 1-0 home win over Liverpool on Tuesday but the champagne will be kept on ice after manager Steve Bruce said they need more than their 34 points to stay in the Premier League. . Michael Dawson’s first-half goal and some solid defending helped Hull to a second successive victory, after they beat Crystal Palace at the weekend, and moved them up to 15th in the table, four points clear of the relegation zone. . “It is a great victory – make no bones about it. But we have still got a bit to…
It was a chance telephone call to NFF media man Ademola Olajire that presented me with the chance to ask if I could have audience with the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick. . It was a long shot as I did not think Pinnick would agree and Olajire was leaving London the following day. As it happened I was asked to come to the Maida Vale area and I merrily went along. . I eventually met with Pinnick at his London apartment for a quick chat that touched on a number of subjects, especially the new kit…
Bayern Munich’s hopes of winning 3 trophies in one season were ended on Tuesday after losing 2-0 to Borussia Dortmund on penalties as their German Cup semifinal finished 1-1 after extra-time. . Having been crowned German league champions on Sunday, Bayern missed all four of their spot-kicks to put Dortmund in the German Cup final on May 30. . Bayern – who did win the treble of European, Cup and Bundesliga titles in 2013 – can still win the Champions League and face Barcelona next Wednesday in the semifinal, first-leg. . “The shoot-out had a stupid start, it summed up…
Barcelona’s star front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar brought up multiple of goals in all competitions as the Catalans moved five points clear at the top of La Liga with a stunning 6-0 humbling of Getafe on Tuesday. . All three were on target inside 28 minutes as Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot before teeing up Suarez to volley home and Neymar was left with the simple task of registering the 100th goal between the trio from Suarez’s pass. . Xavi Hernandez then curled home a stunning fourth before Suarez made it 5-0 with…
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is refusing to cancel out their chances of finishing in the top four of the Premier League after their 1-0 defeat at Hull City. . However, it is significant that he is already planning how to strengthen his team ahead of next season. . Rodgers is realistic enough to know that their Champions League ambitions are surely over as they lie seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United with an inferior goal difference and only four games to play. . A place in the Europa League is also far from assured, underlining why Rodgers is under pressure…
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said his team lacked the killer instinct after performing poorly for the second straight game in a 1-0 Premier League defeat at Hull City on Tuesday. . A Michael Dawson goal put the hosts ahead in the first half, as the central defender made the most of a terrible offside trap to head home a cross from the right. . Although Liverpool pushed forward in numbers as the match wore on they never looked like breaking down Hull’s massed defensive ranks. . “We just lacked that killer instinct in the final third. We are disappointed with…
AC Milan’s players have been forced to attend an indefinite training camp by furious coach Filippo Inzaghi following their dismal performance in Saturday’s 2-1 Serie A defeat at Udinese. . The players were allowed home after an additional practice session on Sunday morning but ordered to return in the evening for the so-called “ritiro”, the Italian word for the practice of confining players to the team’s headquarters. . “The team will meet up again at Milanello (Milan’s training ground) for dinner, beginning the ‘ritiro’ for real,” said Milan in a statement. . “The duration of the ‘ritiro’ has not been…
Juventus will have to wait at least a few more days before they can celebrate winning a fourth consecutive Serie A title as Massimiliano Allegri’s side lost 2-1 to city rivals Torino on Sunday. . Fresh from winning through to their first Champions League semifinal in 12 years after beating Monaco in midweek, Juve took their eye off the ball domestically and suffered a second defeat in three Serie A matches. . “All we had to do is be patient,” Allegri said after Juve’s first derby loss in 20 years. . “We were ahead, why would we run after that…
Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola said on Friday he was he glad to have been drawn alongside his former club Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals and expected the face-off to be a special experience for him. . The Spaniard, a long-time Barca player, won 14 trophies in a four-year spell as head coach at the Nou Camp from 2008, including two Champions League titles. . Bayern midfielder Thiago Alcantara, lured to Bayern by Guardiola last season, is also a Barcelona youth product. . “Everyone understands how special this game is for me, for Thiago and my staff,” Guardiola, who…