Stand-in captain Harry Kane struck deep into injury time as England rescued a 2-2 draw in a dramatic finale to Saturday s World Cup qualifying contest against old rivals Scotland.
It looked as though the Three Lions were on course for a routine three points when substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was the beneficiary of poor goalkeeping from Craig Gordon with 20 minutes remaining.
However, Hampden Park erupted in the 87th minute when Leigh Griffiths curled home a 25-yard free-kick for his first international goal, before lightning struck twice in the final minute of normal time as another set-piece from the Celtic star put Scotland on the brink of a famous Group F victory.
The drama was not finished, though, as Kane – wearing the armband in place of the absent…
Paul Pogba deserved to be dropped by Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, according to the club s former defender Mikael Silvestre.
Pogba was left on the bench for last month s Champions League game at Sevilla, with Scott McTominay preferred, although the France international came on as a first-half substitute due to Ander Herrera s injury.
Mourinho has criticised Pogba s form, with the midfielder struggling in Premier League defeats at Tottenham and Newcastle United, while the 24-year-old made little impact in Monday s comeback win at Crystal Palace.
Silvestre, who played for United between 1999 and 2008, thinks Mourinho made the right decision in leaving former Juventus midfielder Pogba, who was signed for €105million in August 2016, out of his team.
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Jose Callejon joined Napoli from Real Madrid in 2013, and since then he has scored 78 goals in 297 games for the Serie A side. His fine form has sparked reports about a possible departure from Naples last summer, with AC Milan most frequently named as a potential destination. Even a swap deal, involving Suso, who would in that scenario move the other way, was mentioned.
However, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis dismissed those reports back then, and it seems the club s stance hasn t changed to this day. This time it was head coach Carlo Ancelotti who moved to quash any suggestion of the winger leaving the Sao Paolo stadium this summer, by making it perfectly clear that his vice-captain, behind Lorenzo Insigne, would not be leaving during the upcoming transfer window.
According to Marca, Everton midfielder is set to leave the club after apparently being informed that he is surplus to requirements under the regime of new manager Marco Silva. The 28-year-old has been at Goodison Park for a year now following a two-year stint with Manchester United, which was preceded by his time with Southampton from 2008 to 2015.
The Frenchman has fallen down the pecking order from an international standpoint in the last few years, and as a result, it seems as if a move back to his homeland could be imminent. Europa League finalists Marseille are said to be the team who are most interested in bringing him over, and according to reports, Schneiderlin is already in advanced talks to sign on the dotted line. also brought another PL player back over to France l…
According to a recent report from El Desmarque, Chelsea are ready and willing to try and sign Philippe Coutinho if German giants Bayern Munich do not exercise the option to try and buy the Barcelona star on a permanent basis.
Coutinho has had a solid run with Bayern up to this point with seven goals and seven assists to his name so far this season, having recaptured the form that saw him achieve so much during his time with Liverpool.
Barcelona will know that there’s a very good chance La Liga just isn’t the division for him, and if so, that could swing the door wide open for Chelsea to make their presence known.
The Blues have their fair share of superstars within their ranks, but when Coutinho is playing at his very best, he’s up there with the be…
Market: Uruguay win
Odds:
With a spot in the semi-finals of this year s Copa America up for grabs, Uruguay will meet Peru at the Arena Fonte Nova in Bahia on Saturday night.
Starting with Óscar Tabárez s Uruguay side, while a run of four consecutive defeats may have had some questioning Tabárez s role in charge of La Celeste at the back end of last year, the Blues appear to be getting back to their best. Thanks to Edinson Cavani s late winner against Chile last week, they managed to secure top spot in Group C and they now have their sights firmly set on lifting their first Copa America crown since 2011. Along with boasting an attacking line-up glittering with talent, it will undoubtedly be their continued defensive resolve most impressing Tabárez. Recordin…
Frank Lampard is adamant he can handle the pressure that has come with Chelsea s slump in form, which continued with a 2-0 defeat to Leicester City on Tuesday.
Goals from Wilfred Ndidi and James Maddison sent Leicester top of the Premier League, nine points clear of a Chelsea side that has now won just two of their last eight league games.
Lampard s team are five points adrift of the top four, with their 29 points the fewest Chelsea have had at the midway point of the season since 2015-16, when Leicester won the league and the Blues finished 10th.
Asked about his future at a post-match media conference, head coach Lampard said: I can t control it. I ve been asked before, I understand it, it s the expectations of this club.
It s a developing team but I c…
According to a recent report from Tuttosport, Dries Mertens looks set to turn down a move to Premier League side Chelsea.
The Blues are believed to have put forward a bid of around €7 million, but instead of making the jump over to English football, the Napoli veteran instead wants to stay in Italy and break Marek Hamsik’s record as the club’s all-time top goalscorer.
He only needs four goals in order to accomplish that goal, so once we get around to the summer transfer window, this could wind up being a different story altogether.
Chelsea seemed to be putting all of their eggs into the Mertens basket following a disappointing January transfer window, so if they can’t get this deal over the finish line, they need to be swift in turning their atte…
Ander Herrera found his exit from Manchester United an emotionally taxing departure, calling it painful to leave the Premier League club.
The Spaniard, who spent five years at Old Trafford before moving on a free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2019, is currently on a season-long loan with Athletic Club.
During his time with United, Herrera helped the club to FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League honours, and was named their Player of the Year for the 2016-17 season.
Having departed at the close of his contract, it was assumed the Red Devils had been happy to let him go, and Herrera has now revealed the lack of a suitable offer throughout his final few seasons was tough to take.
To leave, it was difficult because six months before, I was expecting that of…
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed Liverpool target Thiago Alcantara will leave the Bundesliga champions.
Thiago is out of contract at Bayern next year and the 29-year-old Spanish star is reportedly ready to depart Bavaria after opting against a renewal.
Jurgen Klopp is believed to be keen on bringing Thiago to Anfield, where Liverpool won their first league title since 1990 this season.
Amid growing speculation over Thiago s future, Rummenigge said the former Barcelona midfielder is ready for a new challenge.
Just Lewy things
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN)
Actually, the conversations [sporting director] Hasan [Salihamidzic] had with him were always very productive. And at some point it actually see…