The 2009 French champions Bordeaux were held to their fourth successive draw on Sunday, a 1-1 stalemate with Sochaux.
Brazilian striker Jussie had given Bordeaux the lead in the 28th minute with a header from Czech Republic international midfielder Jaroslav Plasil s corner, the 11th goal this season out of a total of 21 conceded by the hosts to come from dead ball play.
However, Sochaux levelled six minutes later as playmaker Marvin Martin broke down the right and passed to an unmarked Ideye Brown who slotted the ball past Bordeaux goalkeeper Cedric Carasso.
The visitors pressed hard in the second-half and Malian striker Cheikh Diabate went desperately close to scoring on his first appearance in nearly a year but his shot was brilliantly saved by Pierrick Cros.<…
Napoli edged closer to securing a UEFA Champions League place with a 0-0 draw at Inter in Rafael Benitez’s first return to his former club.
Benitez endured a troublesome six-month spell in charge of the Milan giants in 2010, which ended when he was unceremoniously sacked despite winning the FIFA Club World Cup, but could easily have enjoyed a victory against his former employers in the Serie A clash at San Siro on Saturday.
An even first half saw both sides create numerous chances, but Napoli forward Jose Callejon was wasteful at one end, while goalkeeper Jose Reina was rarely troubled and the Spaniard was alert when he was called into action.
Napoli went close again at the start of the second half, as Jorginho was denied in the 50th minute.
Gonzalo Higuain had…
Valve has revealed the top releases on Steam for April 2021. The list includes a number of categories, ranging from top free-to-play titles to those that feature controller support, but there are two particular games that make consistent appearances across most of the list: Nier Replicant and Outriders.
Both Nier Replicant and Outriders claim a spot in Steam’s Top 20 Releases, Top RPGs, and Top Controller Support categories for April 2021. Nier Replicant has an edge for being a remaster, meaning it shows up in the Top Remasters category alongside remakes for Saga Frontier and Total War.
It’s worth calling attention brief to Outriders specifically. The game, which also made PlayStation’s most-downloaded titles of April 2021 list, hit 3.5 million players in its first month. Th…
Joachim Low insists Germany will do their best to give a good account of themselves at the Confederations Cup, but concedes his priority is to experiment ahead of next year s World Cup.
Low has opted to rest several of his star names for the upcoming tournament in Russia with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels among those staying at home.
Only three members of the side that lifted the 2014 World Cup are included, with Low naming seven uncapped players in his 23-man squad.
And Low says that there is no set goal for his side at the tournament, which he described as a stop on the road to Germany s World Cup defence.
There has been a lot of talk about the use of the Confederations Cup, but the fact remains it is on the calend…
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been taking cues from Dani Alves since moving to a wing-back role for Arsenal.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was redeployed to cover the right flank when Arsene Wenger re-jigged his side into a 3-4-3 formation last month and turned in a string of impressive performances.
The England international set up Nacho Monreal s equaliser in the 2-1 FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester City but his chances of taking part in the final were placed in jeopardy when he suffered a hamstring strain at Southampton two weeks ago.
But the 23-year-old, who missed out on a place in the matchday squad when Arsenal lifted the cup in 2014 and only featured in a late substitute cameo 12 months later at Wembley, confirmed he is fit to face Chelsea in Saturday s showpiece…
Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann has tested positive for COVID-19.
Nagelsmann was absent due to flu-like symptoms as Bayern beat Benfica 4-0 in Portugal on Wednesday, maintaining their flawless Champions League group-stage record so far this season, with assistant manager Dino Toppmoller standing in.
The Bavarian giants have won each of their first three games in the competition, scoring 12 times and not conceding a single goal to sit five points clear at the top of Group E.
The club confirmed on Thursday morning that the 34-year-old, despite being fully vaccinated, had tested positive for the virus and will return to Munich separately instead of with the rest of the squad before isolating at his home.
As a result, Nagelsmann will miss Bayern s …
Sergio Ramos claims he belatedly accepted a contract offer from Real Madrid but then the club withdrew it, resulting in his impending departure.
Madrid confirmed on Wednesday that the club was to host a farewell news conference and ceremony for Ramos the following day, with his future finally resolved.
The 35-year-old s contract was due to expire at the end of June and speculation had long been stirring about what would come next for Ramos, with 2020-21 a difficult one for him due to injuries and illness.
For several weeks there had been rumours suggesting Ramos had decided to leave, with the reports generally claiming Madrid were unwilling to meet his contract demands.
It was said Ramos wanted a two-year deal but Madrid would only offer him a one-year ex…
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has put his side s shock 2-1 loss to Real Sociedad down to their lack of command on the ball and possession.
The reigning champions opened the scoring through youngster Thiago Alcantara s goal in the first half but uncharacteristically conceded twice after the break, with Diego Ifran and Xabi Prieto goals condemning the Catalans to only their second defeat in the 2010-11 season.
But Guardiola has insisted the Blaugrana will take the defeat in their stride as they look to seal their third straight La Liga title.
It is an important lesson that we were taught today. We have to play with our heads. We need four points and we must find where we can get them, he said.
We are a team capable of winning or losing. We have come fro…
PSV have been fined €40,000 by UEFA and banned from selling tickets for their next Europa League away game after fans ripped out seats and hurled items after the match at Arsenal.
The Dutch club discovered their punishment just hours ahead of the Group A return game between the teams in Eindhoven on Thursday.
UEFA has also ordered PSV to reimburse Arsenal for the cost of repairing the damaged seats, giving them 30 days in which to address the matter with the Gunners.
Trouble broke out at the end of last Thursday s game, which Arsenal won 1-0 at Emirates Stadium to guarantee a place in the knockout stage.
— PSV (@PSV)
As well as seats being damaged and thrown, a flare was also tossed from the PSV section towards Arsenal supporters.
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Sandro will be out for three months after undergoing surgery on a knee injury picked up on Brazil duty.
The 22-year-old withdrew from the Copa America on Tuesday after scans revealed a torn lateral meniscus in the left knee.
Tottenham have confirmed Sandro will be out until October at the earliest following an operation on Friday.
Sandro signed for Spurs from Internacional in March 2010, remaining with the Brazilian club and helping them to Copa Libertadores success last year.
He made 26 appearances for the English Premier League club in all competitions last season, impressing against AC Milan in the Champions League round of 16.
A six-cap Brazil international who made his debut in 2009, Sandro has not featured for …