Portugal boss Fernando Santos says his players cannot face any more pressure than they already weather, ahead of their Nations League crunch clash with Spain.
The Euro 2016 winners will play their neighbours in their last game in Group A2, with a two-point cushion ahead of Luis Enrique s side at the summit.
It means the winner will progress through to next year s finals, though a draw in Braga would be enough for the hosts to edge La Roja.
Ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup later this year, it presents a suitable high-pressure test for Santos and his side – but the 67-year-old says there can be no further weight upon what his squad already have to deal with.
Three days ago, Portugal had to win the next two games because Spain would win their first, he s…
Europe s top five leagues have monopolised the Champions League knockout stage for the first time in the competition s history.
With Atalanta s 3-0 defeat of Shakhtar Donetsk, the Serie A side ensured only nations from Italy, England, France, Germany and Spain would complete the last-16 line up prior to the final group fixtures on Wednesday.
Atalanta s win left only one place in the last 16 to be decided, with Atletico Madrid s 2-0 triumph over Lokomotiv Moscow – combined with a 2-0 loss for Bayer Leverkusen at home to Juventus – enough to send Diego Simeone s men through.
It is the first time only teams from the top-tier nations in European football have been included in the draw for the knockout stage, which will take place on Monday.
1 It is the …
Villarreal midfielder Alex Baena has filed a complaint with police after he was allegedly assaulted by Real Madrid s Federico Valverde following Saturday s LaLiga match.
Spain Under-21 international Baena was reportedly involved in a heated confrontation with Valverde shortly after the game.
According to sports newspaper AS, Baena was punched while looking at his phone when making his way to the Villarreal team bus.
Baena played a full part in the LaLiga contest at the Santiago Bernabeu and assisted Samuel Chukwueze s late goal as Villarreal beat Madrid 3-2.
In a statement issued late on Sunday, in which Valverde was not referenced by name, Villarreal confirmed the police involvement and said Baena have the club s support.
The club said: Villarrea…
Erling Haaland is the name on everyone s lips as Europe s elite try to get their hands on the Borussia Dortmund and Norway sensation.
Haaland is already on the cusp of half a century of Bundesliga goals, having scored 49 in 49 league appearances since swapping Salzburg for Dortmund in January 2020.
It is a remarkable return – the 21-year-old has 70 goals in 69 games for the German club overall, only Bayern Munich s Robert Lewandowski (89 goals in 74 games) has a better return among players from Europe s top-five leagues.
Haaland has always been a goalscorer.
Born in Leeds in 2000, where his father Alf-Inge played for Leeds United in the Premier League at the time, Erling relocated to Bryne by the age of three – the hometown of his parents in Norway.
Barcelona are working hard to bring Lionel Messi back from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, according to .
Having previously spent his entire career at Camp Nou, Messi finally left Barcelona and joined PSG as a free agent in 2021 and signed a two-year contract with the Ligue 1 giants. PSG had hoped the iconic Argentinian would help them finally win the Champions League, but it hasn t happened for them yet.
And with Messi s contract set to expire at the end of the season, PSG are believed to be very keen for the World Cup winner to remain in the French capital, but there has been no significant progress in the talks over a new deal. That, apparently, is what Barcelona regard as a boost for their hopes of bringing their iconic forward back.
Meanwhile, the Catalans…
Slumping to a last-gasp 2-1 loss at home against Crystal Palace over the weekend, it is fair to say that West Ham have found themselves in the midst of a Premier League nightmare since opening the 2022/23 campaign.
While the Hammers might have gained a string of plaudits after reaching the Europa League semi-finals last season, David Moyes now finds himself under a huge amount of scrutiny in east London.
Picking up just a quartet of Premier League victories from their opening 14 appearances, fans around the London Stadium are growing frustrated by Moyes uninspiring approach.
Despite breaking the bank over the summer and recruiting European superstars such as Gianluca Scamacca and Lucas Paqueta, the one-time Manchester United boss has failed to offer West Ham a n…
Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas suffered a heart attack during training on Wednesday but is recovering in hospital, the club have confirmed.
Reports emerged that Casillas had been hospitalised after falling ill but Porto said his heart problem has been resolved .
Iker Casillas suffered an acute myocardial infarction during Wednesday morning training session held at the PortoGaia Training and Training Center in Olival, a statement from the club read.
Training was promptly interrupted to provide assistance to the Porto goalkeeper, who is currently at the Hospital CUF Porto. Casillas is well, stable and his heart problem resolved.
Messages of support for Casillas quickly populated social media in the wake of the news, with former Spain team-mate Carles Pu…
Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw has signed a two-year contract extension with the Women’s Super League outfit running to the summer of 2026.
The 26-year-old Jamaica international, nicknamed ‘Bunny’, scored 31 goals in 30 City appearances in all competitions in the 2022-23 season and has netted 50 times for them in total since joining in 2021 from Bordeaux.
Shaw said in a statement from the club: “I’m delighted to continue my journey with this amazing group.
Here to stay!
— Manchester City (@ManCity)
“Everyone made me feel welcome from the first day I came here.
“I enjoy the way we play and I’m at a stage now where I understand the way we play and I can only get better and grow.
“I think here at City is th…
England midfielder Jordan Henderson should expect “some tough times” from the LGBTQ+ community when he returns from Saudi Arabia, according to a European supporters’ equality campaign group.
Former Liverpool captain Henderson signed for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq in a lucrative but controversial move last summer.
The 33-year-old looks set for a return to Europe after reportedly reaching an agreement with Al-Ettifaq to terminate his contract and sign for Dutch giants Ajax.
Henderson was a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield, and subsequently apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal.
Today is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia Biphobia.
Football …
The UK and Ireland’s bid to host Euro 2028 is poised to get the formal seal of approval on Tuesday.
The UEFA executive committee is set to give the green light to the five-nation bid, which is unopposed after Turkey withdrew last week to focus on its joint bid with Italy for Euro 2032.
Ten stadia were included in the UK-Ireland’s bid submission in April. Six of the venues are in England, with one each from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Joint statement with the , , and
— The FA (@FA)
The six in England are Wembley, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Etihad Stadium, St James’ Park, Villa Park and Everton’s new home at Bramley-Moore Dock.
A redeveloped Casement Park in Belfast, the Aviva Stadium …