Mathieu Valbuena revealed he was not consulted by Didier Deschamps over the surprise recall of Karim Benzema to the France squad.
Real Madrid striker Benzema is due to stand trial in October regarding an allegation of complicity in the attempted blackmail of former France team-mate Valbuena over a sex tape.
The 33-year-old Benzema strenuously denies putting pressure on Valbuena to pay the alleged blackmailers, who were said to be threatening to release a video featuring the former Marseille and Lyon player.
Since the claims of blackmail emerged in late 2015, Benzema was dropped from the France squad and looked to have no future with Les Bleus, at least until his case was heard in court.
However, a surprise recall came on Tuesday when Benzema was select…
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has set his sights on bringing Milan back where they deserve to be after signing a new one-year contract with the Serie A club.
The former Sweden captain made a considerable impact following his arrival in January, scoring 11 goals in 20 appearances.
He has now penned a fresh deal with the club and expects the Rossoneri to challenge for silverware in the 2020-21 campaign.
I came here to bring Milan back to their level, where they deserve to be, he told Milan TV. I do everything to achieve the goals I set.
We have to work and sacrifice, but the last six months we have shown we have what it takes to reach certain goals.
We must not forget, however, that we have not won anything. In my head, the goal is always to win s…
Josef Martinez has left Atlanta United for Inter Miami, replacing the retired Gonzalo Higuain.
Miami announced the deal on Wednesday after Atlanta confirmed they had agreed a contract buyout with the player.
Martinez had been with Atlanta since their debut MLS season in 2018 and is the club s record scorer with 111 goals.
In the 2018 season, he teamed up with Miguel Almiron to lead the Five Stripes to MLS Cup glory.
Martinez was the MLS MVP, MLS All-Star MVP and MLS Cup MVP in that campaign, as well as winning the Golden Boot and scoring the opening goal in the title match.
Atlanta went on to win the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup the following year but have increasingly struggled since Almiron s record-breaking move to Newcastle United in the Pr…
Kasper Hjulmand is confident Denmark will triumph at a major tournament after they suffered a semi-final exit to England at Euro 2020.
The Danes – who were rocked by Christian Eriksen s cardiac arrest in their opening game of their campaign – have garnered plenty of support throughout the tournament, but fell short in a 2-1 defeat to Gareth Southgate s team at Wembley on Wednesday.
Harry Kane tucked away a rebound after seeing a penalty, contentiously awarded for a foul on Raheem Sterling, saved by Kasper Schmeichel in extra-time.
It proved too much for Denmark, who took the lead through Mikell Damsgaard s excellent free-kick – the first direct free-kick goal of Euro 2020 – to come back from. Simon Kjaer s own goal, the first Denmark have scored at a Euro…
Life under Ronald Koeman got off to a solid start with successive wins over Villarreal and at Celta Vigo, where they historically struggle, but Sunday s visit of Sevilla posed their first real test of the season.
Ultimately Barca had to make do with a 1-1 draw, though it is fair to say it could have been worse on a different day as Sevilla looked every inch a side potentially capable of giving the Blaugrana and LaLiga champions Real Madrid a run for their money this term.
Julen Lopetegui s Sevilla were physical, tidy in possession and mostly water-tight defensively – arguably the only part of their game that could have improved was their accuracy in front of goal, as just one of their 13 shots hit the target.
But while the point is a good one for Sevilla, it ac…
Xavi declared Barcelona s slender 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao as a golden victory after they survived a late onslaught to restore their nine-point lead ahead of next weekend s Clasico.
Raphinha s first-half goal at San Mames ultimately proved decisive, but that was just the tip of the iceberg as Barca were forced to withstand intense late pressure.
Earlier, Raul Garcia had hit the post for the hosts, and Athletic s late barrage began with Alex Berenguer striking the woodwork.
Athletic thought they salvaged a dramatic draw when Inaki Williams surged clear and smashed home, but the goal was then disallowed after a VAR check, with Iker Muniain deemed to have handled in the build-up.
Nico Williams then somehow failed to properly connect with the ball when se…
Michael O’Neill believes 2024 can bring a “rebirth” for Northern Ireland but knows he must also forge a new identity for his young team.
A hugely disappointing Euro 2024 qualifying campaign that was ruined by injuries forced O’Neill to accelerate the rebuilding process Northern Ireland knew was coming, and the next steps will be seen in friendlies now and in June before the Nations League returns in September.
A new generation spearheaded by the likes of Conor Bradley, Isaac Price, Trai Hume and Shea Charles offers great hope – as did November’s 2-0 win over Denmark – but O’Neill knows he must now mould this inexperienced squad into a team that can play to their collective strengths.
Some changes to our squad to report
— Northern Irela…
Portland Timbers are through to the MLS Western Conference final after a dramatic 1-0 win over Colorado Rapids.
Larrys Mabiala struck in the final seconds of regulation time as the visitors broke the hosts hearts at Dick s Sporting Goods Park.
The Timbers will play either Sporting Kansas City or Real Salt Lake in the Western showpiece after inflicting a first home defeat in 17 on the Rapids – and eighth defeat in nine play-off games.
Although, Giovanni Savarese s side ended the contest with 10 men as Dairon Asprilla was dismissed after appearing to strike Braian Galvan in the face.
LARRYS MABIALA YOU LEGEND
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC)
The Rapids were unbeaten in their last five meetings with the Timbers and carried the greate…
England defender Maya Le Tissier has signed a new contract extension at Manchester United.
The centre-back joined United from Women’s Super League rivals Brighton in July 2022 and has gone on to make 59 appearances.
Her existing contract was due to expire next year but she has pledged her future to United, with the length of the deal not disclosed.
Your Friday just got better has signed a new contract with United
— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen)
“I’m really happy to sign a contract extension with this great club and look forward to ending the season strong, while continuing to build for the future,” the 22-year-old said on www.manutd.com.
“A big thank you to all our fantastic fans for their great support since I joi…
Market: Vasco win
Odds: 8/13 @
Hoping to claim back-to-back Serie A victories late on Thursday night, Vasco will welcome Coritiba to the Sao Januario.
Starting with the hosts, putting in a rampant performance over the weekend as they landed a 4-2 victory at home against Fluminense, Vasco are enjoying a recent flurry. While Ramon Diaz’s men might have only made their Serie A return this season, the Admirals are desperate to extend on their top-flight status this time around. Opening the midweek fixtures sat five points adrift of safety, the rio de Janerio-based outfit will know that they face another crucial showdown here. However, with their eye-catching resurge underlined by a stellar 1-0 win against top-four contenders Gremio last month, Vasco have suffered …