February 2018, Gareth Bale tore up Real Madrid s left flank and played an inch-perfect cross into the centre for Karim Benzema to further embarrass Real Sociedad and surely wrap up a 6-2 mauling at the Santiago Bernabeu.
But Benzema remarkably sliced his first-time effort over the crossbar from about seven yards when it appeared impossible to miss – Madrid s fans held up their infamous reputation and rained a torrent of jeers down on the much-maligned Frenchman.
It had become par for the course with Benzema, who was relentlessly whistled by his own supporters through the 2017-18 campaign. But this time Cristiano Ronaldo took a stand, wagging his finger disapprovingly at those responsible before seeming to sarcastically applaud the fans behind Gol Sur .
Benzema…
Barcelona, Manchester United, Arsenal and Napoli – The most memorable matches of Terry´s Chelsea car
With Chelsea announcing on Monday that John Terry is set to leave the club at the end of the 2016-17 campaign after 22 years of loyal service, we look back at some of the defender s most memorable games for the Blues.
Chelsea 4-2 Barcelona (5-4 agg) – March 8, 2005
To this day, it remains one of the most treasured European nights at Stamford Bridge. An electrifying start saw Chelsea race into a three-goal lead and take command of the tie within 19 minutes, but the magical Ronaldinho turned it back in Barcelona s favour before the interval – converting a fantastic outside-of-the-boot finish from the edge of the area.
The match remained level until the 76th minute, when Terry rose to steer a corner from Damien Duff across the face of goal and inside the far p…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists the Reds must be excited rather than concerned about the prospects of the new season, despite the departure of Sadio Mane.
Mane completed a €41million (£34.7m) move to Bayern Munich in June, ending a successful six-year spell at Liverpool, where he won both the Premier League and Champions League.
Since arriving from Southampton in 2016, Mane scored 90 goals in 196 Premier League games, a tally bettered only by Jamie Vardy (104), Mohamed Salah (118) and Harry Kane (134) in that period.
The Senegal international heads to the Bundesliga champions for the 2022-23 term, while Klopp s side have brought in Darwin Nunez from Benfica to fill the void up top.
Salah has also penned a contract extension at Anfield, with …
As for the visitors, despite still dealing with a string of injury issues, Newcastle have continued to show some very impressive resolve. Despite only managing to play out a 0-0 draw against rock-bottom Norwich when opening February, Steve Bruce s men did manage to book their spot in the fifth round of this year s FA Cup thanks to a dramatic 3-2 win away at League One outfit Oxford last week. Also pulling off what was a stunning fightback to snatch two injury-time strikes away at Goodison and leave with a point intact, the Magpies are enjoying an eight-match unbeaten run across all competitions that stems back to New Year s Day. More impressive, also unbeaten in their last four top-flight appearances, the one-time Sunderland boss finds his side on their most successful run since Novembe…
According to a recent report over in the Netherlands, Ibrahim Affelay has offered his services to former club PSV Eindhoven. The 32 year old spent 14 years with the Dutch giants between the years of 1996 and 2010, making his way up through their youth system. The attacking midfielder then went on to place for Barcelona, Schalke, Olympiacos and Stoke City, before leaving the Potters this year after four years with the Championship side.
However, instead of just outright being offered a contract, PSV have asked for him to prove his fitness prior to agreeing to any kind of deal. He certainly isn’t over the hill by any stretch of the imagination, but going from Championship football to the top tier in Holland may be a bit of a challenge at this stage of his career.
Either…
Eric Bailly has criticised Manchester United for what he perceives to be a bias towards English players following his departure for Marseille.
Bailly was very highly rated when he became Jose Mourinho s first signing at the club in 2016, but he left late last month on a loan deal that could become permanent having only once accumulated more than 21 appearances in a full season.
Injuries undoubtedly played their part in Bailly s struggles, but he was also prone to moments of rashness and the occasional loss of concentration, which did not help his cause.
Seemingly, however, Bailly thinks there were other factors at play as well, claiming there to be a bias towards English players at the club, with his comments interpreted by many as clear criticism of the much-mal…
Aston Villa have reached an agreement with Nottingham Forest over the transfer of Matty Cash, according to . It has been reported that the Premier League club will pay the Championship side an initial transfer fee of £14 million plus add-ons for the 23-year-old.
Cash, who can play as a right-back or as a winger, is keen on playing in the Premier League, and that has what has helped push through a deal, according to the report. It has been further claimed that the English youngster will undergo a medical with Villa before the weekend and complete his move to the Villans.
The 23-year-old has been on the books of Forest since 2014 and has established himself as an important player for the Reds. According to , Cash made 40 starts and two substitute appearances in the Champ…
Chelsea centre-back David Luiz has signed a new two-year contract, the Europa League finalists have confirmed.
The Brazil defender helped the Blues to reach an all-London showpiece against Arsenal with a penalty shoot-out win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday, and he has been rewarded with fresh terms.
David Luiz s contract was due to expire at the end of the season but his second spell at the club will now be extended to the end of 2020-21.
Having fallen out of favour under Antonio Conte last season, David Luiz has again become a regular since Maurizio Sarri s appointment as head coach, starting 35 Premier League games this term.
I am so happy to be here and to have this opportunity to stay. I love this club and I still have the ambition of a young p…
England coaches Gareth Southgate and Sarina Wiegman have led tributes from the national side following the passing of Her Majesty The Queen.
Britain s Monarch passed away on Thursday after a reign of over 70 years, leading to the cancellation of all football fixtures across the United Kingdom this weekend.
The Football Association has also confirmed that tributes will be paid at the UEFA Nations League fixture against Germany at Wembley Stadium on September 26, with a period of silence and the wearing of black armbands.
Southgate, who was awarded an OBE in the 2019 New Year Honours, said in his message that the Queen showed the world what it is to be British .
My thoughts today are with His Majesty King Charles III, the FA President HRH The Duke of Camb…
Nicolo Fagioli marked his first Serie A start with a crucial goal as Juventus clinched a 2-0 win over Derby d Italia rivals Inter in Turin, leapfrogging the Nerazzurri in the Serie A table.
Juventus and Inter entered Sunday s match 13 and 11 points adrift of the Serie A summit respectively, but the Nerazzurri began with more urgency and missed several clear chances before half-time.
However, Massimiliano Allegri s hosts improved after Adrien Rabiot s side-footed finish put them ahead against the run of play, and 21-year-old midfielder Fagioli made the points safe with a late deflected effort.
The result lifted Juventus above Inter into Serie A s top five, leaving Simone Inzaghi s men – runners-up last term – languishing in seventh place.
Lautaro Mart…