Kylian Mbappe s double helped Paris Saint-Germain take another step towards retaining their Ligue 1 title, thrashing Ajaccio 5-0 as Lionel Messi returned from his club-issued suspension.
Messi was jeered by some home fans throughout his first appearance since an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia, but Mbappe took the focus away with a second-half brace.
Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi had earlier given PSG a commanding half-time lead, and Ajaccio s Mohamed Youssouf later put through his own net as the visitors relegation to Ligue 2 was confirmed.
Both teams finished with 10 men as Hakimi and Thomas Mangani were dismissed for trading punches, but that was not enough to dampen PSG s spirits as they restored their six-point cushion to second-placed Lens.
25 Kyl…
Kobbie Mainoo says a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad is the end goal after the Manchester United teenager’s whirlwind rise continued with a first senior call-up.
Long considered a future Old Trafford star, the 18-year-old midfielder has established himself as key part of Erik ten Hag’s side since returning from an ankle ligament injury sustained in pre-season.
Mainoo produced a man-of-the-match display as he made his first Premier League start against Everton in November and received his maiden England call-up just 114 days later.
Initially named in the under-21s set-up, he was promoted to the senior squad for the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium fresh from United’s jaw-dropping 4-3 FA Cup quarter-final win against Liverpool.
“It’s bee…
Italy travel to the Faroe Islands in Euro 2012 qualifying on Friday, with coach Cesare Prandelli bemoaning the strike in Serie A.
An industrial dispute between the Italian players association and the league has seen the first week of the domestic campaign postponed, meaning many of Prandelli s squad are yet to make a competitive appearance this season.
Italy top Group C of qualifying by five points from Slovenia with a game in hand over the second-placed side.
Nevertheless, they will be keen to maintain momentum by collecting three points in the match at the Torsvollor Stadium.
And Prandelli is hoping his squad s lack of sharpness does not prove damaging to their chances.
Everyone thinks that a win is in the bag, but in reality it depends on how…
Nico Estevez believes FC Dallas are building towards a big result against a top team as they travel to Minnesota United on Saturday.
Dallas are winless in their last four games and have not won on the road yet this season, leaving them 12th in the Western Conference with 13 points.
Estevez said he was pleased with the performances he has seen away from home so far and is hopeful they can turn that into their first win.
I think it s important because overall, we have performed very well against the top teams in the West, said Estevez, as quoted by the Big D Soccer substack.
I think we were unlucky not to have more points than we have. We have to take those positives, but as I said to the guys, is all these little steps that we are making, and we re feel…
In what looms as the toughest of Euro 2012 playoff qualifiers on Friday, Bosnia-Herzegovina take on Portugal in the first leg in Zenica.
Bosnia were just 12 minutes away from clinching an automatic qualifying berth before Samir Nasir s late penalty for France in a 1-1 draw between the sides gave Les Bleus the edge in Group D.
Portugal suffered a similar fate, losing their right to automatic promotion following a shock 2-1 loss to Denmark in their final group-stage game.
Manager Paulo Bento has recalled Hugo Almeida, Fabio Coentrao and Pepe to the squad. Jose Bosingwa is left out while Bosnia will be missing Mensur Mujdza through injury.
Manchester City target man Edin Dzeko holds the key for Bosnia while Cristiano Ronaldo, fresh from a fourth hat-trick …
The countdown to the 21st World Cup can now well and truly begin following Friday s group-stage draw in Moscow.
All 32 teams learned their fate for next year s finals in Russia, and one from those nations will enter football history on July 15 when the final will be contested at the Luzhniki Stadium.
Before we get that far, though, the pool stages must be contested and – with the help of Opta data – we have analysed groups E-H.
Group E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia
Brazil are the great entertainers and the most successful team in the history of the competition with five victories. A 7-1 humiliation to Germany in 2014 ended their hopes of home success. But Brazil, the only team to have qualified for every finals, coasted through qualifying and …
Theo Hernandez refused to disclose whether his future remains with Milan amid links to Bayern Munich, as the France international places his full focus on Euro 2024.
Defender Hernandez, brother of Paris Saint-Germain s Lucas, has reportedly drawn interest from Vincent Kompany s Bayern as the Bundesliga giants aim to bolster their defence.
The 26-year-old continues to impress for the Serie A side, who appointed Paulo Fonseca as Stefano Pioli s success this week, despite Milan finishing well behind rivals Inter in the 2023-24 campaign.
Unsurprisingly, his reliable form has led to speculation over his future in Italy, though Hernandez does not want to think about that ahead of France s Euro 2024 opener against Austria on Monday.
Now I am 100 per cent focuse…
Lionel Messi says breaking the single-season MLS points record is a secondary concern for Supporters Shield winners Inter Miami as they approach the playoffs.
Miami clinched their first Supporters Shield triumph by beating the Columbus Crew – the reigning MLS Cup holders – 3-2 on the road on Wednesday, with Messi scoring two goals including a wonderful free-kick.
With two games remaining in the regular season, versus Toronto on Saturday and the New England Revolution two weeks later, Miami could yet set a new points record for the league, with two victories enough to overhaul the Revs 2021 mark of 73 points.
Messi, however, says achieving that feat will mean nothing if the Herons cannot back it up in the postseason.
The points record is secondary, th…
Marcelo Bielsa s Uruguay are the only team capable of stopping Argentina from defending their Copa America crown, so says Sergio Aguero.
First, though, Uruguay will have to overcome nine-time Copa America champions Brazil.
Uruguay, who topped Group C with nine points from their three games, face the Selecao in Las Vegas on Saturday. They scored nine times across those three group contests, which is three goals more than any other team in the competition.
Brazil finished second in Group D, behind Colombia, drawing two and winning one of their matches. Not securing top spot means they now have to overcome a huge quarter-final test.
USA 0-1 Uruguay
Uruguay go through at the top of Group C, and the United States crash out after their goalkeeper attemp…
Frank de Boer has stepped down from his role as Netherlands boss after overseeing a disappointing Euro 2020 campaign.
The 51-year-old took charge of his country in late September 2020 following Ronald Koeman s departure for Barcelona.
He became the first Oranje boss to fail to win any of his first four games but oversaw improvement in the form of eight victories and a draw from the 10 subsequent fixtures.
Three of those triumphs came as the Netherlands cruised through the group stages of this tournament, setting up a last-16 meeting with the Czech Republic.
But the Dutch fell short of their quarter-final target as they lost 2-0 in Budapest; a result that has prompted De Boer to leave his role prior to a planned meeting with KNVB chiefs.
Frank d…