Zinedine Zidane admitted Real Madrid lacked fluency in their 2-0 win over Espanyol and said the team can do much better , yet he still had saw positives at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Goals from Zidane s French compatriots Raphael Varane and Karim Benzema saw off the lowly visitors from Barcelona.
There were promising performances from the likes of striker Vinicius Junior and midfielder Federico Valverde, two youngsters of whom much is expected in the coming years.
But it was largely an underwhelming display by a team that ultimately ground down their opponents, Madrid s pedigree telling in the end despite Ferland Mendy s late red card.
Today, we have to be happy because we continue on a good run, Zidane said afterwards.
Of course, we can do much …
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was full of praise for goalkeeper Simon Mignolet after Saturday s 2-0 Premier League win at Aston Villa.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers paid tribute to Simon Mignolet s outstanding display in Saturday s 2-0 Premier League victory at Aston Villa.
Fabio Borini prodded home his first Premier League goal for Liverpool since April 2013 to set the visitors on their way at Villa Park, before substitute Rickie Lambert drilled home a second 11 minutes from time.
Liverpool were forced to withstand sustained pressure in the second half with the score still at 1-0, though, with Christian Benteke forcing one particularly fine save from goalkeeper Mignolet with a close-range half-volley.
Mignolet was dropped in favour of Brad Jone…
Real Madrid are 40 million euros better off after selling Robinho to Manchester City, but his loss leaves the Spanish champions short of firepower in their quest for a third successive title.
Real coach Bernd Schuster was so concerned by the Brazilian s exit that he made two last-ditch offers for Valencia striker David Villa, top-scorer at Euro 2008, before the transfer window shut but the player decided to stay put.
I was really happy when Valencia rejected the offer because it was a true gesture of confidence and I felt really wanted, said Villa.
They preferred me to stay than to take all that money.
After failing to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United it represented another huge setback for Real but they must overcome it ahead of Sunday…
Harry Kane netted his 150th goal in club football as a late header claimed a vital 1-0 victory for Tottenham against Crystal Palace, handing a hammer blow to the Eagles bid for Premier League survival in the process.
Having missed a gilt-edged opportunity earlier in the second half, Kane made amends in the 88th minute of Sunday s clash at Selhurst Park, powering home a brilliant header from Christian Eriksen s corner.
Mauricio Pochettino s side had dominated throughout, but often struggled to break down Palace s stubborn defence.
Eriksen did manage to carve out an opening in the 54th minute, only for Kane to volley wide from inside the six-yard box.
It was Kane s second big opportunity of the game, with Wayne Hennessey having pulled off an excellent stop …
Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung has failed to get the money laundering case against him dismissed.
The Hong Kong businessman was hoping the judge would agree that the absence of some documents would make a fair trial impossible.
However, District Court judge Douglas Yau rejected Yeung s claims over charges of dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence between 2001 and 2007.
Defence counsel Graham Harris stated that Yeung could not receive a fair trial as he was unable to secure documents that might be crucial to his case.
The prosecution have claimed that deposits of about 60 million pounds were made to accounts in the name of Yeung and his father, despite a combined income of only 180,000 pounds.
Pro…
Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann has conceded that lots of clubs would want to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, but suggested his wage demands are preventing most from being interested.
The Bavarian giants were linked with a move for the Manchester United forward earlier in the transfer window after reports emerged he wanted to leave Old Trafford in search of Champions League football.
However, Bayern ruled themselves out of a move, with CEO Oliver Kahn saying it would not fit into our philosophy .
Ronaldo has been linked with another Bundesliga side in Borussia Dortmund, though their CEO, Hans-Joachim Watzke, also distanced his club from the Portugal international on Friday.
Asked about possible Bundesliga interest in Ronaldo at a press conference, Nag…
Verdict: Liverpool not to Lose
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Manchester City face an uphill battle against Liverpool in their efforts to reach the Champions League semi-finals and to bounce back from back-to-back setbacks which are marring the close-to-perfect season for Pep Guardiola and his men.
Manchester City
The Citizens have been enjoying a sensational season in the Premier League this season. Pep Guardiola has led his team to a tangible lead at the top of the table while at the same time the team did rather well in the Champions League despite the 2-1 loss to Basel in the second leg of the previous round of competition.
As one of the standout teams in England – and Europe for that matter – this term, Manchester City were expected to stage a …
Canada ended a winless drought that lasted almost two years, as they defeated Jamaica 3-1 in a friendly in Toronto on Tuesday.
The BMO Field hosts came from behind to win for the first time since October 2012, with their streak without success ended at 16 games.
Jamaica, meanwhile, have gone five matches without a win.
The two nations traded fine goals a minute apart in the first half, Kemar Lawrence s free-kick for Jamaica on the half-hour mark cancelled out almost instantaneously by a David Edgar volley from a corner.
Another brilliant free-kick, this time from Canada s Marcel de Jong, put Benito Floro s men ahead for the first time before Tosaint Ricketts tapped in the sealer in the 72nd minute.
It was a much-needed win for Spanish tactician Fl…
Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal has moved to quash speculation that he has signed a new contract with the club.
The 26-year-old has played an integral part in a Juventus resurgence that has seen them claim consecutive Serie A titles under the stewardship of Antonio Conte.
Vidal has been linked with a move to Real Madrid in the close-season and has yet to make a long-term commitment to the Turin club.
He told Gazzetta dello Sport: There has been no renewal but I do have a contract at the club so let’s see what happens.
The Chile international s stock has risen significantly since moving to Italy from Bayer Leverkusen in 2011 and he admitted that he is flattered to have his name mentioned in respect to a potential switch to Real.
It is an honour when a bi…
Unhappy Real Madrid striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is poised to sign for AC Milan, Gazzetta dello Sport claimed Thursday.
AC Milan annonced Wednesday they were on the lookout for a top class striker and, says the report, will pay 15 million euros for the Dutchman who would be given a contract until 2013 with an annual net salary of three million euros.
Huntelaar, who will turn 26 years old on August 12, finished as the Dutch league s top scorer with 33 goals in 2007-2008 when he played for Amsterdam giants Ajax.
He then moved to Real on a four-and-a-half-year deal in December 2008 for a fee of 27 million euros but since then he has played only 19 matches for a return of eight goals.
Last month Huntelaar tried in vain to get out of his contract with Real in …