Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti lauded the character of his team following their hard-earned 1-0 win against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, keeping their LaLiga title hopes alive. Federico Valverde was the hero with a late winner to help Los Blancos move four points behind leaders Barcelona. “Valverde was the key because he scored the goal,” Ancelotti told reporters. “The team did well. We were a bit slower in the first half, but in the second half we did very well in every aspect. We wanted to win, to bounce back after being knocked out of the Champions League. “It was…
Author: Somto Isaac
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick spoke proudly of the never say die attitude of his side following their 4-3 comeback triumph over Celta Vigo. A game which left a lasting memory – which was only dampened by an injury to Robert Lewandowski – aided Barcelona to crucial maximum points in the title race after Raphinha’s 98th-minute penalty. Flick admitted it would be a comeback that will not be forgotten easily, noting the belief was further weakened after Borja Iglesias netted a hat-trick to give Celta a 3-1 lead. “When we win, we like these kinds of games. We’ve played against…
Aston Villa gaffer Unai Emery remained positive his side could overturn their first leg 3-1 loss against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday and reach the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League. Villa went in front in the first half of the tie thanks to Morgan Rogers’ goal but the Paris side turned things around thanks to stunning goals from Desire Doue and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia as Nuno Mendes wrapped the win in injury time. The two-goal advantage for the French giants leaves Emery’s side with a major task ahead of the return leg in England. “At 2-1 we were thinking about playing…
The quarter-final first leg stage of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League brought drama, great goals and shocks. Unarguably the most jaw-dropping tie of the round, Arsenal stunned defending champions and record-winners of the competition Real Madrid, following an emphatic first leg display. The floodgates of goals were opened in the second half, as a pair of cracking free-kick goals from Declan Rice and a well-placed finish from Mikel Merino handed the North London side a 3-0 win at the Emirates on Tuesday. Another surprising result was at the Allainz Arena as Inter Milan defeated hosts Bayern Munich 2-1 on Tuesday.…
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti believes their first leg quarter final clash against Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday is only the beginning part of the tie, with a second leg in view. The Italian looked unfazed by outside talk of the inconsistency of the European champions this season, rather calling for focus on upcoming crucial games. “We can’t think about criticism when we have a game every three days,” Ancelotti said in the press conference. “What we do is analyse each game and prepare for the next one. Tomorrow’s game is very important but it’s only the first 90…
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka insisted his time on the sidelines due to injury would be of benefit to the club in view of their Champions League quarter-final first leg contest against European champions Real Madrid on Tuesday. The 23-year-old has shown himself as a key player for the Gunners – and while a return from a serious hamstring injury might be late to rescue their Premier League hopes, European triumph could still be possible. “I think mentally it was really good for me,” said Saka, who missed more than three months after sustaining an injury before Christmas. “Obviously it was…
FIFA have announced referees at the 2025 Club World Cup will be making use of body cameras and implement new rules to reduce time wasting by goalkeepers. The use of cameras will be tried after they were approved last month by football’s lawmakers, IFAB. “We think that it is a good chance to offer the viewers a new experience, in terms of images taken from a perspective, from an angle of vision which was never offered before,” said the chairman of the FIFA referees committee, Pierluigi Collina. “It’s a combination of new experience for broadcasters and also for coaching purposes.…
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has defended his players, insisting they are far from being complacent, following their 3-2 defeat at Fulham on Sunday, which was a show of errors. The league leaders took an early lead through Alexis Mac Allister’s goal – but Fulham reaped from their opponent’s defensive mishaps to score thrice in 14 minutes to take a healthy lead despite Luis Diaz’s late goal setting up a grandstand finish. Slot admitted the errors were a major pointer for the defeat but firmly rebuffed any talk of his side being nonchalant due to their 11-point lead at the top.…
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca admitted the “unfair” schedule forced him to leave out-of-form attacker Cole Palmer for the goalless draw at Brentford on Sunday. Maresca’s team had just 24 hours less than Brentford to prepare for the game following their 1-0 win against fellow Londom rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday. Star player Palmer was eventually brought into the contest by Maresca after the hourmark, with his best chance being an effort over the crossbar in stoppage time. Though Palmer has struggled for a period this term — he has failed to score in his last 12 games in all…
Manchester United gaffer Ruben Amorim insisted his team need to improve “everywhere” following their display in the derby draw against Manchester City on Sunday. Their rivals’ hopes of playing Champions League football next season still remains uncertain, as they sit sixth on the log. The goalless result at Old Trafford left the Red Devils in 13th as they missed out on a chance to do the league double against their neighbours for the first time since 2019-20. “We have so many aspects to improve. Everywhere we need to improve in every aspect: build up, transition, decisions in the final third,”…