Lionel Messi was sent off as Argentina beat Chile 2-1 to clinch Copa America bronze with both sides reduced to 10 men in an ill-tempered clash at Arena Corinthians.
The five-time Ballon d Or winner appeared to be the victim of shoving by Chile s Gary Medel, but the referee sent both players off after 37 minutes with Argentina already two goals to the good.
Messi provided the assist for Sergio Aguero s 12th-minute opener before Juventus forward Paulo Dybala doubled Argentina s lead, but the first half ended with protests against the contentious red cards.
There were 21 fouls before the break and sparks continued to fly as Chile were awarded a penalty just before the hour, Arturo Vidal scoring from the spot.
Reinaldo Rueda s men failed to force an equalise…
Paul Pogba has included two goals from his time at Juventus and one from his second Manchester United spell in his personal top three strikes.
The France international might have missed out on a nomination for the Puskas Award this year, but he has scored a number of sublime goals throughout his career.
He still remembers his best goals fondly and was happy to discuss his own top three.
If it was the Pogba Award, instead of the Puskas Award?, Pogba told the official FIFA website when asked about his best goals.
Third place, because of the technique, would be my volley against Swansea [this season]. This is because of the technique, it was not easy.
Second one, against Napoli for Juventus [in November 2013]. I missed my touch first, the ball wen…
Melbourne City have parted ways with head coach Warren Joyce following their elimination from the A-League finals.
Joyce s departure was announced on Wednesday following the conclusion of his two-year contract with the Australian club.
Former Wigan Athletic manager and Manchester United reserve team boss Joyce oversaw Sunday s 1-0 extra-time loss to Adelaide United in the Elimination Final.
It s been a challenging couple of seasons, but I have great pride in the players and staff for the progress the club has made, Joyce said.
I ve seen real growth from the playing group and within the football organisation and the continued development of the right kind of culture. I am confident that A-League success is around the corner for the club. I d like to …
The confidence that a player needs doesn t only come from himself but also from the players around him and the coach, Ronaldo told DAZN.
You need to feel like you are an important part of the group and Zidane made me feel special.
He helped me a lot. I already had a lot of respect for him but working with him made me admire him more.
That s because of what he s like as a person, how he talks, how he led the team and how he treated me.
He d tell me, Cris, relax and just play your game you are the one who is going to make the difference.
He was always honest with me and that s why I ll always have a real affection for him.
Ronaldo scored 21 Serie A goals in his first season with Italian champions Juventus, who won their eighth s…
Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been ruled out of the England squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers due to a thigh strain.
Calvert-Lewin did the damage in a 2-0 Premier League win at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
The 24-year-old, who scored his third goal in as many top-fight games this season against the Seagulls, underwent a scan and has been forced to pull out of the squad.
Gareth Southgate has not called up a replacement, so the Euro 2020 runners-up will have a 24-man squad for the three qualifiers.
The Three Lions face Hungary at the Puskas Arena on Thursday before taking on Andorra at Wembley three days later and travel to face Poland at the Stadion Narodowy a week on Wednesday.
England are top of Group I with …
With another action-packed midweek schedule on the cards, we have a hectic Tuesday night from across England s lower leagues. On that note, for those of you looking to stick on a Tuesday acca, we have searched far and wide to find you a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.
Tuesday 12th January
BST 19:00 Luton Town vs QPR
Starting with Tuesday s hosts, putting on an eye-catching display in Bedfordshire over the weekend, Luton managed to book their spot in the fourth-round of this year s FA Cup. Collecting a fellow Championship scalp, the Hatters landed a deserved 1-0 win against Reading on home soil and the mood in their camp should once again be at a high. Despite enduring what appeared to have been just a minor blip over the festiv…
Salma Paralluelo has called on Spain to “face the ultimate challenge” after reaching the World Cup final with a 2-1 win against Sweden.
A cagey game with few clear-cut chances suddenly sparked into life with three goals in the last 10 minutes.
Barcelona winger Paralluelo put Spain ahead in the 81st minute before Sweden soon levelled with a cool finish from Rebecka Blomqvist.
Still only 19 and on the brink of being a 3x world champion!
Salma Paralluelo isn t wasting any time! | |
— FIFA Women s World Cup (@FIFAWWC)
However, just one minute later Olga Carmona grabbed the winner with a wonderful first-time strike from a short corner, and Paralluelo praised the resilience of her side, who reached their first-ever World Cup final…
Casemiro is confident Brazil can get by without Neymar for now as he backed the star of the team to get fit in time for the business end of the World Cup.
An ankle ligament injury forced Neymar to be substituted late on in Brazil s 2-0 win over Serbia on Thursday, as they got their Qatar 2022 campaign under way.
Richarlison scored both of Brazil s goals, and the Tottenham striker s form is one factor that gives holding midfielder Casemiro heart.
Neymar will certainly miss the game against Switzerland on Monday, and most likely the clash with Cameroon on Friday.
Whether he can recover in time to feature in the knock-out stages remains to be seen, but Brazil are optimistic.
Casemiro, quoted by Brazilian newspaper Globo, said: If we keep talking abou…
Dalian Aerbin midfielder Seydou Keita believes Barcelona have not changed significantly since he left Camp Nou.
The Mali international spent four years of his career with the Blaugrana, before moving to the Chinese side on a free transfer.
And having completed a training session with his former club, he said everything has remained exactly as he remembered it.
I was on holiday and I called (Barcelona coach) Tito (Vilanova) to see if I could train a bit with the team. He told me it was fine. I turn 33 in January, but being able to train here makes me feel like a child, Keita said.
It s like nothing has changed at all. I m very proud to be here with my team-mates and friends.
He then commented on what he believes is the winning formula of the s…
Arsenal handed Chelsea hope in the WSL title race as they came from behind to beat Manchester City 2-1 thanks to Stina Blackstenius late double.
Substitute Blackstenius scored in the 89th and 92nd minutes to snatch a memorable win for the Gunners and snap City s long winning run.
Gareth Taylor s side had won their last 14 WSL matches, dating back to a 1-0 loss to Brighton in November, which itself came on the back of another 2-1 defeat to Arsenal.
Lauren Hemp s 17th-minute opener set WSL leaders City, who were saying farewell to retiring captain Steph Houghton, on their way on Sunday, but despite mustering 1.3 xG in the first half, the hosts could not add to their lead.
Arsenal duly made them pay, with Blackstenius cropping up with the equaliser in the 89…