Defender Jason McCarthy confirmed Friday he has penned a new two-and-a-half-year deal with Premier League side Southampton. . The 19-year-old made his professional debut in Saints’ 3-1 win at Crystal Palace last December and has been involved in the first-team squad on a number of occasions. . Captain of the club’s Under-21s side, McCarthy’s new deal runs until 2017. . “It’s great to put pen to paper,” he told Southampton’s official YouTube channel. . “Obviously at the start of the year I knew I was out of contract at the end of the season. . “I was pleased with my…
Author: David F.
West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian has had a one match ban overturned and will be available for the Premier League side’s FA Cup fifth round tie at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. . However, West Ham were charged with failing to ensure players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion after the Spanish goalkeeper was shown the red card against Southampton in a 0-0 draw on Wednesday. . “His one-match suspension has been withdrawn with immediate effect,” the English Football Association said in a statement after a wrongful dismissal appeal on Friday. . Adrian was sent off for handling the ball…
As David Luiz geared up to play against former club Chelsea in next week’s Champions League last 16 first-leg tie, the Paris St Germain player said the Premier League leaders had improved as a team since he left eight months ago. . The centre half, who was sold to PSG for a fee that media reports put at £50 million, believes close-season signing Cesc Fabregas has made the runaway Premier League leaders a more formidable unit. . “Chelsea are better this season,” Luiz told the Evening Standard newspaper. “Above all they are better balanced following the arrival of Fabregas. .…
The Nigeria Football Federation has announced that the Super Eagles will face Bolivia in an international friendly at the Akwa Ibom Stadium on March 26. . This is coming on the heels of the cancellation of the international friendly with the Selecao of Brazil on the same date after the Confederation of Brasil Football (CBF) opted to continue with their World Tour programme in Europe. . “We have had to work at a pace to seal agreement for this match, after the Brazilian Football Federation opted out at the last hour,” Pinnick said via a statement released on Friday. .…
Borussia Dortmund experienced a rollercoaster of emotions before winning 4-2 against Mainz 05 on Friday, a first home victory of the year that moved them out of the Bundesliga relegation zone. . Last season’s runners-up needed the skills of Marco Reus, who this week extended his contract with the club until 2019, as the German international scored one goal and set up another to lift them into 14th spot with 22 points. . The visitors shocked Dortmund in the first minute when keeper Roman Weidenfeller failed to clear after a mistake and Elkin Soto lobbed the ball into an empty…
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang admits Borussia Dortmund’s 4-2 win over Mainz, to climb out of the relegation places, was almost as good as hearing Marco Reus had extended his contract earlier in the week. . “That was the best news of the week,” admitted Gabon goal-scorer Aubameyang after Friday’s win at Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion. . On Tuesday, Germany winger Reus ended weeks of speculation that he was set to quit at the end of the season by announcing he had signed a new contract until 2019. . The Mainz victory capped a red-letter week for Borussia, who had climbed off the bottom of…
Bayern Munich crushed Hamburg SV 8-0 on Saturday while Bas Dost scored four goals, including a stoppage-time winner, to give VfL Wolfsburg a 5-4 victory at Bayer Leverkusen on an unforgettable day in the Bundesliga. . The leaders handed Hamburg the heaviest defeat in their 52-year Bundesliga history to stay eight points clear of second-placed Wolfsburg at the top of the table and respond in style to recent criticism of their performances by coach Pep Guardiola. . Thomas Mueller, Arjen Robben and Mario Goetze each scored twice for Bayern to sink sorry Hamburg who were beaten 9-2 in the same…
Real Sociedad twice came from behind to draw 2-2 against Almeria in the Spanish league on Friday. . The hosts took the lead in just the fifth minute after Sociedad goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli badly mistimed a tackle and brought down Congo forward Thievy Bifouma in the area, with Jose “Verza” Garcia converting the penalty. . Imanol Agirretxe equalised for Real Sociedad with a well-placed back-header from Esteban Granero’s free kick in the 27th. . Bifouma then set up Almeria’s second when he raced up the left flank and sent a perfect pass toward Tomer Hemed, who scored his seventh goal…
Barcelona may be without midfielder Andres Iniesta for Sunday’s La Liga game at home to Levante (4pm GMT) after the Spain international missed training on Saturday due to a bout of flu. . “The FC Barcelona first team trained on Saturday morning after having the day off on Friday,” Barca said on their website (www.fcbarcelona.es). . “(Coach) Luis Enrique had his full squad at his disposal apart from Andres Iniesta, who has the flu,” they added. . Second-placed Barca are a point behind Real Madrid ahead of the leaders’ game at home to Deportivo La Coruna later on Saturday. .…
Real Madrid returned to winning ways after last weekend’s drubbing at Atletico but failed to convince and were whistled by their own fans during a drab 2-0 victory at home to Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday. . La Liga leaders Real were looking for an inspiring performance before Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Schalke 04 and were fortunate not to drop points with another insipid display following the humiliating 4-0 defeat at the Calderon. . Cristiano Ronaldo, criticised this week for throwing a 30th birthday party hours after the Atletico game, and Gareth Bale each struck efforts against the crossbar…
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique said he is savouring the chance to watch Lionel Messi after the Argentine notched his fifth hat-trick of the season in a 5-0 romp over Levante on Sunday. . Messi was at the heart of the action as he teed up Neymar for the opener and then struck three times either side of halftime to take his tally for the season to 37 on his 300th La Liga appearance. . Neymar was then replaced by Luis Suarez midway through the second-half and he also made his presence felt with a stunning overhead kick to round off…
Equatorial Guinea president Teodoro Obiang has pardoned 149 people who were arrested following clashes during the host country’s Africa Cup of Nations semifinal defeat to Ghana. . All those arrested have been released, Martin Ndong Nsue, president of Malabo Supreme Court confirmed on Friday. . “We were ready to go to trial for you to be punished … but the President of the Republic Teodoro Obiang, in his role as chief magistrate of the nation and father of all of you, has forgiven you and you are free,” Ndong Nsue told the accused before they were released to their families…
Queens Park Rangers have appointed caretaker boss Chris Ramsey as manager until the end of the season, the Premier League strugglers said on Friday. . The 52-year-old has limited coaching experience but has impressed the squad since taking over from Harry Redknapp who resigned last week. He steered QPR to their first away victory of the season, a 2-0 league win over Sunderland on Tuesday. . “Ramsey will work alongside Kevin Bond (first team coach) and Kevin Hitchcock (goalkeeping coach),” fourth from bottom Rangers said in a statement. . “Director of football Les Ferdinand will oversee the trio whilst also…
Under-fire striker Diego Costa, set to return for Chelsea’s Champions League tie at Paris St Germain on Tuesday following a three-match ban, believes his on-field challenges sometimes provoke “exaggerated reactions”. . The Brazilian-born Spanish international was heavily criticised after incurring a suspension for stamping on Liverpool’s Emre Can in a League Cup semifinal victory at Stamford Bridge in January. . Manuel Pellegrini, manager of Chelsea’s Premier League title rivals Manchester City, said last month that he hoped Costa’s ban would be “a good thing for him to change in the future”. . The 26-year-old former Atletico Madrid forward sees things…
Tim Sherwood is the man tasked with preserving Aston Villa’s ever-present Premier League status and igniting their misfiring attack after being confirmed as the struggling club’s new manager on Saturday. . Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Sherwood, 46, replaces Paul Lambert who was sacked by the Midlands club after they were beaten 2-0 against fellow strugglers Hull City on Tuesday, their fifth successive league defeat. . Goal-shy Villa, who have hit the net only 12 times in 25 Premier League games this season, are 18th in the table having won none of their previous 10 games. . “It is a great…
January signing Victor Valdes must earn his spurs in Manchester United’s reserve side before he can be considered for a full first-team debut, according to manager Louis van Gaal. . The 33-year-old arrived at Old Trafford for a free transfer on an 18-month deal in January having been the bedrock of a Barcelona side that won six La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies. . Valdes, however, has failed to displace incumbent David de Gea who continues to impress in an inconsistent United side, and Van Gaal had previously stated it would be ‘very hard’ for him to do…
Lionel Messi marked his 300th La Liga appearance with his 31st Barcelona hat-trick as the Catalans moved within a point of Real Madrid at the top of the table with a 5-0 win over Levante. . However, champions Atletico Madrid remain seven points off the top in third after losing 2-0 at Celta Vigo. . Barca have now won 11 straight matches in all competitions and never looked in danger despite coach Luis Enrique making eight changes from the side that beat Villarreal in the Copa del Rey in midweek. . Messi teed up Neymar to open the scoring early…
Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez is “not himself” and could be feeling the effects of fatigue after making an impressive start to life in the Premier League, manager Arsene Wenger said. . The 26-year-old has been Arsenal’s standout performer this season and has scored 18 goals in 32 appearances since signing from Barcelona for 35 million pounds ($53.91 million) in July. . But the Chile international went off with a knee injury in last week’s 2-1 win over Leicester City and Wenger conceded that Sanchez may be showing signs of fatigue. . “He had not the same intensity in his game…
Bradford City, a venerable third-tier English club with a history touched by tragedy, were “living the dream” on Sunday after knocking out another Premier League victim and powering into the FA Cup quarterfinals. . The Yorkshire club, whose indomitable spirit has never been extinguished in hard times over the 30 years since a fire at their stadium claimed 56 lives, wrote a new, uplifting tale at Valley Parade as they defeated Sunderland 2-0. . On the eve of the game, Bradford manager Phil Parkinson had said his League One side, perpetrators of one of the Cup’s greatest upsets by winning…
Third-division Bradford City continued their remarkable progress in the FA Cup by beating Premier League Sunderland 2-0 to reach the quarterfinals on Sunday, while holders Arsenal overcame Middlesbrough. . Bradford, beaten League Cup finalists in 2013, stunned Chelsea 4-2 at Stamford Bridge in round four and they pulled off another upset at Valley Parade courtesy of a John O’Shea own goal and a strike by Sunderland old boy Jon Stead. . “There is always a danger because the expectancy might have been we would win this one after beating Chelsea, but we have kept that underdog spirit,” Bradford manager Phil…