Manchester City’s dreams of retaining the Champions League were shattered after a dramatic penalty shoot-out loss to Real Madrid.
Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic both missed from the spot as City were beaten 4-3 on penalties after their pulsating quarter-final tie ended 4-4 on aggregate.
Rodrygo had given Real an early lead in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium but City otherwise dominated and, after creating a host of chances, finally made it 1-1 on the night through Kevin De Bruyne in the 76th minute.
De Bruyne spurned a good chance to win the tie in normal time and Erling Haaland had earlier hit the crossbar but it was the competition’s record 14-time winners who ultimately prevailed.
It was harsh on City, who had immediately set out their stall…
Jude Bellingham can take the World Cup by storm with his unbelievable talent, according to England team-mate Luke Shaw and Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
At the age of 19, Bellingham could be handed a prized England midfield berth in Gareth Southgate s starting XI at the Qatar finals.
The teenager s development at Dortmund has been so great he was handed the chance to captain the team last month, when Marco Reus and Mats Hummels were unavailable.
Having begun his career at Birmingham City, Bellingham has built on his early promise while in Germany, where he is flourishing in his third season.
Left-back Shaw, who scored for England in last year s European Championship final, has seen young players come and go during his England career.
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Wayne Rooney has revealed he would consider a move to MLS when his time at Manchester United comes to an end.
Rooney signed a new five-and-a-half-year deal with United in February 2014 and is on course to break the goalscoring records for both club and country in the upcoming campaign.
But, speaking ahead of United s pre-season fixtures in the International Champions Cup, he told the Seattle Times that he would consider following in the footsteps of former England team-mates Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the future.
I m obviously concentrating on Manchester United, [but] when that time comes, that ll be something I d think about, said United and England captain Rooney, whose brother John made 14 appearances in MLS for New York Red Bulls and Orlan…
Manchester City have rewarded Kevin De Bruyne for his sensational form by handing him a new five-year contract, the club have announced.
De Bruyne s previous deal was not due to expire until 2021, but his increasing importance to Pep Guardiola s side has encouraged City to offer him fresh terms.
The Belgium international signed from Wolfsburg in August 2015 for a reported £55million and has since established himself as one of the most important figures at the Etihad Stadium.
De Bruyne led the Premier League with 18 assists last season, a number he could well replicate this term having managed 10 in 24 top-flight matches.
GET EXCITED! has today signed a new contract at the Club!
INFO
— Manchester City (@ManCity)
The 26-yea…
Bundesliga outfit Schalke have confirmed the signing of Germany Under-21 international striker Cedric Teuchert from Bundesliga 2 side Nuremberg.
The 20-year-old forward is set to join his new teammates at training camp in Spain following a medical.
Teuchert agreed on a three-and-a-half-year deal with the Gelsenkirchen club who are reinforcing their squad and enhancing their options upfront in case any of the wantaway stars – Max Meyer and Leon Goretzka – end up leaving the club in January.
Cedric Teuchert is described as a courageous striker who isn’t afraid of a duel and a player with a nose for goal.
The Coburg-born striker made his debut for Nuremberg as a 17-year-old in 2014. He has represented Germany throughout all youth levels from the Under…
Best odds: 8/11
Bookmaker:
Liverpool are set to travel to Amsterdam where they will face Ajax in the opening round of the 2020/21 Champions League group stages on Wednesday evening at the Johan Cruyff Arena. The man whose name the stadium bears scored three goals the last time these teams met in a competitive game, back in 1966/67.
Ajax and Liverpool have been drawn in Group D of UEFA s elite club competition, together with Italian side Atalanta and Danish champions Midtjylland, who play each other at the MCH Arena in Denmark at the same time.
The 2019/20 Eredivisie campaign ended with the standings on March 8th declared as final due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with Ajax sitting top of the table. However, they weren t named as champions, given that they sa…
Andre Villas-Boas is looking forward to the great challenge of returning Marseille to the Champions League after taking over as head coach.
Marseille endured a disappointing 2018-19 season under Rudi Garcia, finishing fifth in Ligue 1 and missing out on European qualification.
However, Villas-Boas, who was appointed on Tuesday, believes the lack of midweek commitments could work in his favour as he looks to get Marseille back into the top three.
Coming to a club the size of Marseille is fantastic for me, he told a news conference. This is a great challenge for me and we will do everything to fulfil our objectives.
We must finish in the top three in Ligue 1, especially as we are not playing in Europe. This will give us the time to prepare the matches and…
Best Odds: 1/1
Bookmaker:
Hoping to widen their buffer in the top-four this weekend, West Ham will make the trip to Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon when they face off against Burnley.
Burnley
Starting with the hosts, putting in what was a hugely worrying display on their travels last weekend, there is no doubt that Burnley find themselves at the heart of a relegation scrap. Handing fellow bottom-three candidates Newcastle their first victory of the season after getting hit with a 1-0 defeat at St. James Park, the Clarets have had little to cheer about since opening the 2021/22 campaign. Still sat three points adrift of safety, Sean Dyche s men have now managed to win just one of their last 10 outings, a run that stems all the way back to a 4-1 win against League …
Lionel Messi s departure to Paris Saint-Germain ripped out the soul of Barcelona, former Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said after the Blaugrana s heavy Champions League defeat to the Bundesliga champions.
Barca may have avoided another demolition job at the hands of Bayern, who defeated them 8-2 in the Champions League quarter-finals 13 months ago, but Tuesday s 3-0 loss was a damning indictment of the gulf between them and the teams likely to challenge for European club football s biggest prize this term.
It was the first time since Opta records began (2003-04) that Barca have failed to get a shot on target in a Champions League game, and Bayern s superiority condemned Ronald Koeman s men to three successive home defeats in the competition for the first time.…
England’s countdown towards the World Cup final against Spain continues with expectations rising at home as well as for Lionesses fans Down Under.
Elsewhere, Sweden and co-hosts Australia are getting set to battle it out for a third-place finish.
Here, the PA news agency looks at all the latest news heading into the final weekend of the showpiece tournament.
Russo at the ready
Off to the World Cup Final
— Alessia Russo (@alessiarusso7)
Alessia Russo cannot wait to kick off England’s World Cup final – after years spent rehearsing the winning strike in her childhood garden.
On Sunday night in Sydney, the Lionesses could become the first England team to bring football ‘home’ since Sir Alf Ramsey and his men lifted the Jules Rim…