Month: November 2024

Crystal Palace eased their own relegation fears with 2-0 win at Selhurst Park a result that condemned Huddersfield Town to the Championship. 

The Eagles have found goals hard to come by at home this season but were gifted the chance to break the deadlock when Juninho Bacuna carelessly fouled Wilfried Zaha in the 75th minute. 

Luka Milivojevic converted from the spot for his 10th goal of the season, easing the concerns of the home fans after an otherwise frustrating performance from their side.

Palace secured all three points in the 88th minute, Patrick van Aanholt showing his team-mates how to finish by slotting a low drive underneath goalkeeper Ben Hamer.

With Burnley and Southampton both winning on Saturday, Huddersfield now
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The reigning world champions have officially gotten their World Cup campaign underway, but it wasn t exactly the start they d been anticipating. Despite many fans writing off Mexico before they were even able to kick a ball, they defied all forms of logic by overcoming Germany and registering a 1-0 victory. The Germans never looked like they were at the races from the first minute, with their opposition seeming far more hungry throughout the course of the game.

The tempo was always going to be high but few expected Mexico to be the ones who were setting the pace, and for the first half hour, many were wondering whether or not they d regret not taking their early chances. Alas, they shouldn t have worried, as Hirving Lozano cut inside following a decisive breakaway and put the M…

Carles Puyol has labelled his former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi the best in history and also heralded Pep Guardiola as the world s top coach.

Puyol, 38, retired in 2014 after a glittering career with Barca and Spain, capturing six LaLiga titles and lifting the Champions League three times, as well as winning the World Cup and European Championship.

The former centre-back was already an established regular when Messi made his first-team debut in 2003 and, serving as captain for much of their time together, witnessed the Argentinian s meteoric rise to the top of the sport first hand.

Messi does things with the ball that nobody can, Puyol told I am Naples.

He has been playing at an incredible level for 10 years, which has led him to be the best in h…

Japan became the first team to qualify from the World Cup group stages via fair play rankings despite a 1-0 defeat to Poland in which Akira Nishino bizarrely made six changes to an unbeaten team.

The Samurai Blue had beaten Colombia and drawn with Senegal to enter their final Group H match, against already-eliminated Poland, requiring only a point to reach the last 16.

But Japan scarcely threatened in Volgograd as Shinji Kagawa and Takashi Inui started on the bench and they were instead dependent on results elsewhere after Jan Bednarek s fine strike won the game for Poland.

Colombia s Yerry Mina came to Nishino s rescue, though, as his goal defeated Senegal and ensured Japan progressed in second place due to their superior disciplinary record.

Senegal s s…

Son Heung-Min scored a first-half brace as Tottenham continued their perfect run in pre-season with a 4-3 victory over Team K League in South Korea on Wednesday.

On home soil, the forward scored twice in 10 minutes, with Dejan Kulusevski and Will Lankshear also hitting the target for Ange Postecoglou s side.

Oberdan set the game up for a nervy finish after Stanislav Iljutcenko s double, but they could not find a winner at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Kulusevski got the ball rolling, latching onto Son s saved effort before picking out the bottom corner to edge Spurs in front before the South Korean delighted the crowd with two clinical finishes.

Second-half substitute Iljutcenko scored two goals in as many minutes shortly after his introduction, though Lankshe…

Lionel Messi has his sights on a record set by Real Madrid great Raul when Barcelona face Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, as the Champions League proper gets started for the 2019-20 season.

Barca s talisman is back in their squad for the trip to Germany after missing the start of the campaign with a calf injury and, while he is unlikely to start, few would bet against him having a decisive impact if he does make an appearance.

Reigning champions Liverpool begin their title defence at Napoli in what will surely prove to be a tricky test, although Sadio Mane will be aiming to equal a record set by Didier Drogba.

There will also be Champions League bows in the dugout for Frank Lampard and Sylvinho.

Below, we examine the key data for Tuesday s encounters

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has lavished praise upon his Tottenham counterpart Mauricio Pochettino ahead of Sunday s top-of-the-table clash at White Hart Lane.

The Premier League s two remaining unbeaten sides meet in north London, with City four points ahead at the summit by virtue of their 100 per cent record from six matches.

Guardiola tangled with Pochettino when they were local rivals as coaches of Barcelona and Espanyol in LaLiga and he is an admirer of Spurs progress under the Argentinian.

I played against Pochettino as a player and then as a coach, Guardiola told a pre-match news conference. I think he s one of the best managers in the world I enjoy watching Tottenham.

He s doing an amazing job in London. The way they play I like a lot…

With the Champions League once again stealing centre stage in midweek, Wednesday promises a string of heavyweight affairs from across the continent.

Likewise, with another stacked Championship schedule throughout Wednesday night, we have found a pair of eye-catching betting markets that are worth taking note of.

19:45 Sheffield Wednesday vs Leicester

While Leicester might have come under a huge amount of scrutiny last season as they shockingly lost their Premier League status, the Foxes are cruising their way towards an immediate top-flight return. Continuing on what has been a record-breaking romp since opening up the 2023/24 campaign and holding a commanding 10-point buffer from slipping out of the automatic promotion places, Enzo Maresca s side will be con…

Manchester City were on the right side of some contentious decisions as Sergio Aguero s controversial goal and a late Kevin De Bruyne effort earned a 2-0 win over Sheffield United, Pep Guardiola s 100th in the Premier League.

With leaders Liverpool having extended the gap at the top with a win over Wolves, City were fortunate not to fall behind in the first half when Lys Mousset had a goal harshly disallowed by VAR.

However, there was more controversy to follow, with the visitors incensed after referee Chris Kavanagh failed to stop the play despite accidentally blocking off John Fleck in the build-up to Sergio Aguero s opener.

VAR did come to the Blades assistance when it deemed John Egan had not deliberately handled a Riyad Mahrez shot, though City had the point…

Ruben Amorim has renewed his contract as Sporting CP head coach until 2026, the club announced on Tuesday.

Amorim, 37, had been linked with Premier League clubs Chelsea and Aston Villa earlier this season but no move ever materialised.

The former Portugal international moved to Sporting in 2020 after a positive spell with Braga and went on to guide the club to their first Primeira Liga title in 19 years in 2021.

Last season they finished as runners-up in Portugal s top tier, though after 13 games of the 2022-23 campaign they find themselves fourth and 12 points adrift of bitter rivals Benfica at the summit.

They also finished third in their Champions League group, subsequently dropping into the Europa League.

Our manager

Rúben Amorim ext…