Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim blasted Arsene Wenger’s accusations that his side did not deserve to qualify for the Champions League quarterfinals and said the Frenchman showed a lack of respect after the Ligue 1 club went through on away goals. . Despite a remarkable turnaround, the Gunners paid the price for a sloppy 3-1 first leg defeat at home but restored their pride with a 2-0 win that sent them out of the competition after the two clubs finished 3-3 on aggregate. . Arsenal manager Wenger, who enjoyed great success at Monaco between 1987 and 1994, said following the tie…
Author: David F.
Wayne Rooney ensured Manchester United packed a punch as they tightened their grip on a top-four place with an impressive 3-0 victory over Tottenham .on Sunday. . After going out of the FA Cup against Arsenal last Monday, the sole remaining target for Louis van Gaal’s first season in charge is to finish at least fourth in the Premier League to seal a return to the Champions League. . A record of just two league defeats since the start of November had given them every chance, but the unconvincing nature of some of their performances had still raised doubts that…
Everton ended a five-match winless run and eased their relegation worries with a 3-0 rout of 10-man Newcastle at Goodison Park on Sunday. . Roberto Martinez’s team had slumped to within three points of the Premier League’s bottom three after their recent struggles. . But goals from James McCarthy, Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley gave the Merseyside club a first home league win of 2015 to lift them six points clear of the drop zone. . A dismal day for Newcastle was summed up when captain Fabricio Coloccini was sent off with his side already two goals down in the…
Everton manager Roberto Martinez hailed the return of his “irreplaceable” midfielder Leon Osman as the key to their 3-0 Premier league win over Newcastle United on Sunday which eased any relegation fears. . Osman, the 33-year-old former England international, was inspirational on his first start since recovering from a foot injury that saw him miss nearly three months of the season, masterminding Everton’s first win at Goodison for three months. . It capped a potentially tide-turning four days for under-pressure Spaniard Martinez, who had seen his side come from behind to claw out a 2-1 home win against Dynamo Kiev…
Brendan Rodgers says his in-form Liverpool side are “re-energised and refreshed” ahead of their Barclays Premier League meeting with his former club Swansea City on Monday. . The Merseyside club were held to a goalless draw by Championship side Blackburn Rovers last weekend, so will need to win a replay at Ewood Park next month in order to face Aston Villa in an FA Cup semifinal. . Liverpool had played three matches in the space of six days before facing Rovers and Rodgers is in no doubt that such a hectic schedule took its toll on his team, who are…
Sunderland parted company with manager Gus Poyet on Monday with the club facing a battle for Premier League survival after a crushing 4-0 home defeat by Aston Villa on Saturday. . Sunderland are 17th in the 20-team league with 26 points, one place and one point above the relegation zone with only nine matches left to play. They have won only one of their last 12 league games. . “I would like to thank Gus for his endeavours during his time at the club, in particular last season’s ‘great escape’ and cup final appearance, which will live long in the…
Jordan Henderson’s fortuitous goal earned Liverpool a 1-0 win at Swansea on Monday as they moved within two points of fourth-placed Manchester United ahead of an eagerly-anticipated showdown against their bitter rivals. . Henderson scored for a third successive Premier League game to make it five successive top-flight victories for Brendan Rodgers’ team as their charge for the Champions League continues to gather pace. . Yet there was more than a stroke of luck about Henderson’s second-half winner after Swansea defender Jordi Amat’s attempted clearance ricocheted off the onrushing Liverpool midfielder and looped over goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. . That will…
Sunderland are banking on the guile of Dick Advocaat to save them from relegation after the English Premier League strugglers appointed the Dutchman as head coach until the end of the season on Tuesday. . The club, who sacked Gus Poyet on Monday following a poor run of results that culminated in a 4-0 home thrashing by Aston Villa on Saturday, are one point and one place clear of the relegation zone with nine matches remaining. . “Sunderland is a big club and I am very much looking forward to the challenge ahead. We must now concentrate on Saturday as…
The English Football Association has warned clubs about their players’ on-field behavior after what it calls a “scary” rise in the number of cases of referees being surrounded. . Such incidents in the top five divisions have already led to 16 FA charges against clubs, which results in a sliding scale of fines, compared with six cases in each of the previous two seasons. A further 29 warnings have also been issued to clubs this season. . “We have seen a pretty scary increase this season in the number of clubs charged with their players surrounding referees,” FA chairman Greg…
Glo Premier League side Giwa FC have named FC Sarduana coach Tony Bolus as head coach for the ongoing 2014/15 league season. . Bolus will be assisted by coach Ehis Ediale while the caretaker coach, Aminu Musa, has reverted to his former position as goalkeeper trainer of the Tin City side. . The former FC Abuja coach will lead the Jos-based side in Wednesday’s rescheduled Glo Premier League match day 2 clash against Warri Wolves at the Warri Township Stadium. . Bolus said he is humbled with the great responsibility to lead the side to a successful campaign in the…
Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune and Ajax Amsterdam star midfielder Thulani Serero made their return to Bafana Bafana for the upcoming friendly matches against Swaziland and Nigeria. . Khune, who last featured for Bafana Bafana at the 2014 African Nations Championship (Chan), was included in the 30-man squad for the international friendly matches against Swaziland and Nigeria later this month. . Missing out on selection this time around is goalkeeper Darren Keet who has been part of coach Shakes Mashaba’s squad since he took over from Gordon Igesund. Keet has been inactive at his Belgian club and this could be…
The Bolivian Football Federation [FBF] has reportedly pulled out of the international friendly match with Nigeria scheduled for Uyo on March 26. . According to Bolivian newspaper La Razon, the country’s football federation has cited security concerns for opting out of the international friendly match with the Nigerians. . “The armed conflict in Nigeria has forced the cancellation of the game,” said president of the FBF, Carlos Chavez, in a press conference in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. . La Razon had earlier reported that the Bolivian FA was engaged in talks on how to withdraw from the friendly “with…
Monaco desperately held on to qualify for the Champions League quarterfinals after a desperate fightback from Arsenal on Tuesday fell just short at the expense of away goals after the tie finished 3-3 on aggregate. . Arsene Wenger, who was returning to the club he led to the French title in 1991, looked on as his valiant side almost completed the greatest comeback in Champions League history. . A 2-0 Arsenal victory at a packed Louis II stadium was one goal short after a first-half strike from Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey’s goal with 11 minutes left set up a…
Atletico Madrid progressed to the Champions League quarterfinals for the second successive season after squeezing past Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 on penalties after the scores were locked at 1-1 on aggregate. . The Spanish champions won 1-0 on the night thanks to Mario Suarez’s deflected first-half strike in 120 minutes short on clear-cut chances. . And after a topsy turvy shootout including five missed penalties, Stefan Kiessling blazed Leverkusen’s final effort over the bar to hand Atletico a place in the last eight. . Atletico boss Diego Simeone sprung a huge surprise prior to kick-off by handing on-loan Villarreal midfielder Cani…
Kano Pillars head coach, Okey Emordi has said it will be difficult to prosecute the Caf Champions League clash at Moroccan champions, Moghreb Athletic de Tetouan (MAT) without his key injured players. . The Nigerian champions were involved in an armed robbery attack on the outskirt of Abuja on their way to Owerri for Glo Premier League match day opener at Heartland on Saturday which saw five key players namely Gambo Mohammed, Eneji Otekpe, Adamu Murtala, Moses Ubong Ekpai and Reuben Ogbonnaya hospitalized after the ugly incidence. . The Pyramid City are expected to depart the nation’s shore on Thursday…
Arsenal’s FA Cup quarterfinal at Manchester United on Monday will revive bitter memories for manager Arsene Wenger who says he is still spooked by a Ryan Giggs wonder goal in 1999. . Giggs scored one of the most memorable goals ever in the competition’s long history when he weaved his way through Arsenal’s defence in extra time to deliver a knockout blow in a semifinal replay at Villa Park. . Arsenal’s Dennis Bergkamp had missed a penalty in the last minute of normal time with the score 1-1. . United went on to complete a treble but Wenger says that…
Arsenal’s FA Cup quarterfinal at Manchester United on Monday will revive bitter memories for manager Arsene Wenger who says he is still spooked by a Ryan Giggs wonder goal in 1999. . Giggs scored one of the most memorable goals ever in the competition’s long history when he weaved his way through Arsenal’s defence in extra time to deliver a knockout blow in a semifinal replay at Villa Park. . Arsenal’s Dennis Bergkamp had missed a penalty in the last minute of normal time with the score 1-1. . United went on to complete a treble but Wenger says that…
The stage is set for a battle for points as Ghana meets South Africa on day 2 of the Africa U-20 Championship. . A promising encounter beckons as both sides have set the strong target of advancing from Group B which automatically qualifies a team to participate in the Fifa U-20 World Cup later in the year in New Zealand. . South Africa are into their 5th appearance with their best finish being runners-up of the 1997 edition in Morocco. In their build-up to the finals, the Amajitas defeated Ghana on penalties after a 1-1 score line in regulation time.…
Barcelona moved to the top of La Liga for the first time since early November as Lionel Messi struck his 32nd hat-trick for the club in a 6-1 thrashing of 10-man Rayo Vallecano on Sunday. . Champions Atletico Madrid remain seven points off the top, though, after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Valencia at the Vicente Calderon. . Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday handed Barca the chance to overtake the European champions and Luis Suarez wasted no time in taking advantage as he slotted home his sixth goal in as many games. .…
Liverpool were left frustrated by Championship side Blackburn Rovers who defended heroically to draw 0-0 at Anfield on Sunday and force a replay in their FA Cup quarterfinal. . After an even first half Liverpool dominated the second period but wave after wave of attack was thwarted by a Blackburn side who had already accounted for Premier League sides Swansea City and Stoke City in the two previous rounds. . Kolo Toure headed against a post, while Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling failed to break down their second tier visitors despite relentless pressure. . Aston Villa – who…