Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was pleased with the mission accomplished from his side by reaching the final of the Copa del Rey after coming from two goals down to snatch a 4-4 draw against Real Sociedad to scale through 5-4 on aggregate. The Italian shrugged off questions regarding a poor performance by his charges, praising his players for their efforts in what he labelled an entertaining affair. “We have achieved our goal today which was to reach the final and there is not much time to think about it,” Ancelotti said in a press conference. “It was an entertaining…
Author: Somto Isaac
Lionel Messi’s bodyguard Yassine Cheuko has been banned from the touchline from protecting the Argentine superstar during live matches. Cheuko – who is a former Navy SEAL – has been on the end of wide popularity after social media videos showed him keenly watching the crowd to intercept pitch invaders from potentially harming the Inter Miami forward. The Major League Soccer has now decided to take total control of matchday security and Cheuko will now only be permitted to access locker room and mixed zones. “They don’t allow me to be on the field anymore,” the bodyguard said to Spanish…
Liverpool manager Arne Slot revealed Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss the Merseyside derby against Everton on Wednesday. However, the Dutchman insisted the defender remains committed to the Reds despite reports of an agreed free transfer to Real Madrid upon the expiration of his contract at Anfield. “His situation is unfortunately that he is injured, otherwise people would have probably spoken about him that he had one or two brilliant performances for the England team. “But he’s injured and for him that means he is fully focused on his recovery and for us that means we are trying to help him to…
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has sounded out the readiness of Bukayo Saka to return to competitive action after three months out with a hamstring injury. The 23-year-old has not featured for Arsenal since the 5-1 triumph at Crystal Palace on December 21. “Bukayo is ready to go,” Arteta ahead of match against Fulham on Tuesday. “All the careful things are already done so now it’s about putting him on the grass in the right moments. But he’s pushing because he really wants to. “We have respected the timeframe and we have done everything and we had to hold him back,…
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick confirmed he will be without two key players in the rearranged LaLiga clash against Osasuna on Thursday. Raphinha and Ronald Araujo — who were involved in the South American World Cup qualifying games this week — will be given a rest so as to recover from the games and their journey back to Spain. Barcelona were unsuccessful in their appeal not to play the match this week after it was initially moved from March 8, when the club doctor passed away. “They will not play, they are not in the team, they have a long…
FIFA have revealed that the winners of this year’s 32-team Club World Cup in the United States of America will earn up to $125 million. Football’s governing body had earlier announced this month, a total prize pot of $1 billion for the event which takes place from June 14 to July 13. “FIFA will neither retain any funding for this tournament, as all revenues will be distributed to club football, nor will it touch FIFA’s reserves, which are set aside for global football development through the 211 FIFA Member Associations,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement. About half…
Spain midfielder Pedri revealed his choice between winning the Ballon d’Or or lifting the treble with Barcelona. The Spaniard insisted he would put team trophies above individual accolades – except if the Catalan giants do win the Champions League or completes the treble. The Blaugrana are on an 18-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, which has elevated them to the summit of the LaLiga standings, the Champions League quarter-finals and the last four of the Copa del Rey. “I would rather win the treble than the Ballon d’Or. If the Ballon d’Or comes, I want it to come alongside the…
Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence took aim at former head coach Antonio Conte, revealing his confidence hit a low point during the Italian’s tenure. “It wasn’t a nice feeling,” Spence said on the ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast’. “Especially as I was coming to the club on a high, I was confident, I was buzzing, had just won promotion. “Then it was like running into a brick wall. It shattered my confidence a bit, obviously, I’m young. It’s not nice to hear. “I knew it was rubbish at the time. It wasn’t a nice feeling. I was even going into the…
England head coach Thomas Tuchel has beckoned on world football’s governing body, FIFA, to reschedule the June international break. Tuchel made the urge due to the fact that players do not have an extended rest at the end of the season. “It’s FIFA who can maybe align the calendar and find a gap where we put this window somewhere else to open the window for the better of the players. “I am not so concerned about the amount of games the players play. I am more concerned that they never have a real break of three to four weeks ……
Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai aimed a brutal dig at Real Madrid’s Arda Guler following Hungary’s 3-0 loss to Turkey. Turkey emerged 6-1 aggregate victors following goals from Hakan Calhanoglu, Guler and Abdulkerim Bardakci. During the second leg, Guler made a gesture appearing to shush Szoboszlai after the pair argued over a decision — with the Hungarian captain laughing at the perceived lack of respect of the 20-year-old. Nemzeti Sport Online posted a picture of the scene on Instagram, which got the attention of Szoboszlai who responded “1088”, referring to the number of minutes Guler has player for Madrid this season.…