Dortmund hope cup ‘balm for soul’ will boost Bundesliga bid

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder Julian Brandt says he hopes his side’s 2-1 midweek win over Borussia Moenchengladbach in the German Cup will mark a turning point in the season. 

While some had the black and yellows as favourite to win the Bundesliga after an aggressive off-season recruitment effort, Dortmund sit in fifth place after nine rounds, with four wins, four draws and a loss.

New recruit Brandt scored two goals in three minutes in the second half of the German Cup tie, a welcome return to form for a player who had scored only once in 12 appearances for Dortmund prior to Wednesday night.

With pressure mounting on coach Lucien Favre, and a mounting injury list, Brandt said the win was just the tonic Dortmund needed.

“These games, these difficult games, give you a lot of confidence,” said Brandt.

“We are a young team, and we definitely have a lot to learn. We don’t do everything right, but if you can manage to win despite these difficulties, it’s like a balm for the soul.

“And if you win, the pressure will of course subside.”

Brandt himself had come in for stinging criticism after his performance in the Champions League against Inter Milan the previous week.

Former Dortmund forward and captain Michael Rummenigge criticised Brandt’s attitude and commitment in the loss to their major group rivals.

“Normally I would never single out a specific player, but Julian Brandt in the game against Inter Milan? That was C-grade youth football, with no physical contact or assertiveness,” he said.

Brandt was unconcerned about any criticism he or the team may face for their performances, saying that difficulties were important in steeling the team for the challenges ahead.

“Overall, I think (such a result) welds us all together. It’s probably better than a 4-0 win,” Brandt said.

Borussia Dortmund welcome fourth-placed Wolfsburg to Signal Iduna Park on Saturday afternoon ahead of next week’s Der Klassiker showdown away against rivals Bayern Munich.

One to watch: Javairo Dilrosun

— Dutch winger Javairo Dilrosun has been a shining light in what has been a difficult season for Hertha Berlin, scoring three and assisting two in six games.

Dilrosun will be crucial for Hertha as they make the trip to neighbours Union Berlin for the first ever top-flight derby between the two teams from the German capital.

A product of Manchester City’s academy, Dilrosun followed in the footsteps of Borussia Dortmund’s superstar winger Jadon Sancho by moving to the Bundesliga in 2018 after being frustrated at a lack of first team opportunities with the English champions.

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Zidane settles on core selection but Madrid need regular results

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid’s 5-0 thumping of Leganes on Wednesday was their biggest win in La Liga since his first spell as coach but Zinedine Zidane was hardly in a celebratory mood.

In the press conference after the match, one expectant journalist asked if it was Madrid’s best performance of the season. “No I don’t think so,” Zidane said. 

Another suggested this was at least their most complete showing so far. “There are people who will think it’s our best game,” Zidane said. “Not for me, but we have to be happy.” 

A third finally questioned which matches did Zidane prefer, to which the Frenchman proposed the season’s opening win over Celta Vigo or last week’s 1-0 victory over Galatasaray in the Champions League. 

The fact is there are few candidates, from a campaign in which Real Madrid have produced only in spurts, flitting between commanding and chaotic even within individual matches, let alone from week-to-week. 

Their win over Leganes was their most emphatic in the league since they beat Celta 6-0 under Zidane in May 2018 and there have also been resilient away victories at Galatasaray and Sevilla this term, not to mention goal flurries against Granada and Levante. 

But both Granada and Levante almost pulled off comebacks while miserable defeats away at promoted Mallorca and Paris Saint-Germain exposed a bluntness up front and fragility at the back that felt all-too familiar.

“The problem is we have to show every three days that we are good,” Zidane said earlier this month. “That is the difficulty and that is what we do not do.”

After 10 games, the juncture when teams can supposedly be judged, the picture is still not clear, yet there are signs, in Zidane’s selection at least, that his second tenure is taking shape. 

A spine has been established with the places of Thibaut Courtois, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema seemingly assured. 

Dani Carvajal has been more reliable at right-back than the erratic Alvaro Odriozola while on the other side Ferland Mendy has yet to dislodge Marcelo, despite his 50 million arrival last summer. 

Casemiro remains the squad’s only defensive midfielder and Fede Valverde has brought much-needed energy into the midfield, leaving the 34-year-old Luka Modric to be used more sparingly. 

Up front, Eden Hazard is still not at his best but enjoys a connection with Benzema. If Gareth Bale’s fitness or future makes him unpickable, Rodrygo is an exciting alternative on the right, the 18-year-old’s pace adding an extra dimension Madrid have so lacked in attack. 

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Man City look for Bernardo to hit the heights

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City host struggling Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday with Pep Guardiola hoping that Bernardo Silva maintains his recent return to something approaching the peak of his powers.

Portuguese playmaker Silva was among the most feared players in the Premier League last season as City won all three domestic trophies.

The 25-year-old helped City supporters forget a long-term injury to Kevin De Bruyne, scoring 13 goals and adding 14 assists as his side re-wrote the English football record books.

The opening months of the new season have painted a very different picture for Silva and City, however, not least after he found himself embroiled in a racism controversy.

Silva has been charged with misconduct by the FA after posting a picture of team mate Benjamin Mendy next to a mascot for a Spanish snack brand which invited accusations that he was guilty of racial stereotyping.

The issue became even more complex when Guardiola and City star Raheem Sterling made impassioned verbal defences of the player, who could face a suspension when his case is heard by an independent regulatory commission.

And reports, citing sources close to Silva, have claimed that the articulate Portuguese, who is fluent in English, has been adversely affected by the controversy and accusations.

That has certainly appeared to be the case when comparing his form with that of last season, although the return of De Bruyne, and some influential cameos from a rejuvenated David Silva, have reduced the pressure on Bernardo to be quite so dominant.

– Unequivocal defence –

Indeed, Bernardo has only started six of City’s 10 league games to date, with De Bruyne and Silva both making two more starts than their team-mate.

That has been due, in part, to Guardiola opting to reduce his early-season workload after Bernardo starred for Portugal in the Nations League this summer.

Twelve months earlier, the City manager requested Bernardo cut short his break after the World Cup in Russia to return to Manchester in readiness for the start of a campaign in which his form never dipped.

But, after 12 months of non-stop football, it appeared that Guardiola decided to use his asset more sparingly at the start of this season, with the Portuguese star’s form dropping off accordingly.

The one glaring exception to that was the recent 8-0 win over Watford, in which Bernardo scored a hat-trick, and, given the fact that Southampton followed last week’s 9-0 home defeat by Leicester with a 3-1 League Cup reverse at City on Tuesday, he will relish the chance to face such out-of-form opposition once more.

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Busy Inter Milan have another chance to overtake Juventus

Milan (AFP) – It is early days in Inter Milan’s pursuit of perennial Serie A pacesetters Juventus, but already the chasers are worrying about flagging.

Inter host Bologna on Saturday in the 11th round and can briefly overhaul Juventus ahead of the Turin derby later in the day. 

Third-place Atalanta face in-form Cagliari on Sunday. Roma, in fourth, open the weekend against Napoli.

The top two flip-flopped in midweek. Inter won 2-1 at Brescia on Tuesday. Juventus, playing with 10 men, regained a one-point lead when Cristiano Ronaldo converted a 90th-minute penalty at home to Genoa on Wednesday.

After the victory at Brescia, Inter manager Antonio Conte, always a glass-half-empty type, complained that his squad is being asked to do too much.

“It becomes difficult to talk about the game because we’ve now played our fourth match in nine days with the same players,” he said. 

“We now have to recover because we’re only halfway there, I haven’t seen any other side having to play seven matches in 20 days. Next up it’s Bologna on Saturday and then we’ve got a Tuesday fixture away to Dortmund.”

Conte reportedly had meetings with Inter management this week to discuss adding one or two midfielders in the winter transfer period.

“We are pushing the engine to the max,” he said.

Most of his players had got the message. 

“We’re playing every three days and it isn’t easy. There is slight fatigue,” said Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez, who scored Inter’s opening goal in Tuesday, his fifth of the season.  

There was one dissenting voice. 

“It’s nice to play every few days,” said Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt.  “We footballers live to play games. It’s tiring but we’re happy.”

Bologna are anchored in mid-table after losing 3-2 away to Cagliari on Wednesday but defender Stefano Denswil promised Inter a tough match.

“We want to play a great game against Inter in front of our fans,” the Dutchman said. 

One to watch

Meanwhile Juventus’s weekend opponents are in some disarray. Walter Mazzarri, the Torino manager, received the dreaded vote of confidence ahead of the Turin derby.

Torino lost 4-0 at Lazio on Wednesday, although all the goals came after  defender Nicolas Nkoulou received a second yellow card after 21 minutes.  

Torino president Urbano Cairo was not happy.

“We have a derby ahead of us but above all a long championship ahead of us: I think it’s right today to examine everyone’s conscience.”

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Villas-Boas struggling to revive Marseille’s fortunes

Paris (AFP) – He has only been in charge for 12 games but the pressure is building on Andre Villas-Boas at Marseille after a disastrous week for the former European champions.

Marseille were dumped out of the French League Cup at the first hurdle on Wednesday, going down 2-1 at Monaco as a potential route to silverware and European qualification was cut off.

That result followed a 4-0 humbling away to Paris Saint-Germain, a loss which left OM winless in 16 Ligue 1 meetings with their greatest rivals.

Villas-Boas has overseen only four wins this season and Marseille have managed only one victory in their last seven outings.

They lie seventh in France’s top flight before a pair of huge home games. The visit of last season’s runners-up Lille to the Velodrome on Saturday is followed by a date with Lyon.

“We can accept losing against Paris, given the difference between the squads, but not that,” said Villas-Boas after the Monaco reverse.

“We have been knocked out of a Cup that I wanted to win, the players too. It is shameful.”

The 42-year-old has struggled to live up to his reputation since winning a domestic double and the Europa League in his one season at Porto in 2010-11.

Spells in England with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur never quite worked out, and while he won a Russian league and Cup with Zenit, Villas-Boas arrived in Marseille last May with something to prove on his return to Europe following a stint in China.

It was always going to be a gamble for him at the Velodrome, with Marseille’s American owner Frank McCourt no longer investing large sums in the squad and the team having failed to qualify for Europe this season.

Despite the underwhelming start, a top-three finish and a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2013-14 remains the objective.

All is certainly not lost. Marseille are currently only two points behind third-placed Lille and above other leading contenders like Monaco and Lyon.

“We are still on course for our main objective, just like Lyon and Monaco, but it is true that I said I wanted to win something here in Marseille and we have missed one opportunity,” Villas-Boas added.

At least top scorer Dario Benedetto can return against Lille after serving a suspension against Monaco.

Player to watch: Wissam Ben Yedder

Ben Yedder has been in sensational form for Monaco, and has been central to their much-improved recent form. The principality club have won five of their last six games and France striker Ben Yedder — a summer signing from Sevilla — has found the net in each of his last six league appearances.

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Firmino leads Liverpool’s high-tempo title charge

Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Liverpool resume their Premier League title charge at Aston Villa on Saturday with Jurgen Klopp hoping to avoid a repeat of the defensive mayhem that nearly wrecked their dramatic League Cup win against Arsenal.

Klopp played a reserve side for the fourth round tie on Wednesday, featuring a number of emerging stars, and saw them advance via a penalty shoot-out having twice overcome two-goal deficits to draw 5-5 in 90 minutes.

Liverpool conceded as many goals in one cup game as they have all season at Anfield in the Premier League so, while it was a memorable evening, Klopp will be banking on his regular defence returning to their miserly ways at Villa Park.

Klopp’s system is based on defending from the front and launching a devastating press whenever the opposition are in possession.

It is an approach that carried Liverpool to Champions League glory last season and has put them in pole position to win the title this term.

Klopp’s high-tempo game-plan also makes the most of the abilities of Brazilian striker Roberto Firmino.

The 28-year-old has scored just three league goals in 10 appearances this season, below his normal productivity rate.

While Firmino’s goal record may have come under scrutiny outside Anfield, within the club his status and reputation appears to be rising with every passing month.

Experts have described Firmino as the best player in the world at what he does: implementing Klopp’s complicated, but hugely successful, tactical, pressing system.

By comparison, Xherdan Shaqiri has been with Liverpool for nearly 18 months and is still not trusted by Klopp, in big games at least, because of his inability to carry out precise and demanding instructions.

The Liverpool manager requires his forwards, when out of possession, to constantly close down angles to prevent opposition defences passing the ball forward.

– Durability –

Many strikers may not have the discipline or worth ethic to carry out those demands, but Firmino and team mates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane fit Klopp’s identikit striker.

The pressure on Firmino to score goals is far less given the outrageous productivity of his two colleagues. 

Salah and Mane both scored 22 goals in the Premier League last season and have five apiece in the league to date – figures that reduce the need on Firmino to score.

Speaking earlier this season about the durability of his three front-line strikers, Klopp did not hold back in talking about Firmino’s worth and durability.

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Evergreen Aguero holds key to Man City’s title defence

London (AFP) – Sergio Aguero holds the key to Manchester City’s bid to overhaul Premier League leaders Liverpool as the Argentine striker reaps the rewards of the “best decision of his life”.

When Aguero walks onto the Etihad Stadium pitch ahead of Saturday’s clash with Southampton, he will feel more at one with his surroundings than he would ever have imagined when he arrived eight years ago.

Back then, Aguero was a talented but not yet fully rounded player hoping to thrive in England after a promising start to his European career with Atletico Madrid.

The intervening years have been a dream come true for Aguero, who is now City’s record goal-scorer and has amassed four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and four League Cups while helping the club’s become top dogs in Manchester after decades of dominance from United.

Aguero marked his 350th appearance with two goals against Southampton in the League Cup fourth round win on Tuesday, giving him 12 for the season and 243 in his City career.

For all the brilliance of his City team-mates Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne, it is the 31-year-old Aguero and the guarantee of goals  which remains the key element in their bid for a third successive English title.

“It was hard to imagine spending so long with one club when I first started off but as time went by, it became clearer to me that it was exactly what I wanted. And here I am, enjoying my eighth season with Manchester City,” Aguero said.

“How couldn’t I feel like a Mancunian? I feel at home in this club and in this city. As soon as I arrived, I’ve felt like I belonged, that made the adaptation process much more natural.

“I believe coming to Manchester City is one of the best decisions I’ve taken in my life.”

– Intense competition –

Chasing their first top-flight title since 1990, Liverpool are six points clear of City and remain a daunting obstacle for Aguero and company.

Jurgen Klopp’s side head to Aston Villa with nine wins from their 10 league games this season, a blistering streak that is fuelled by the intense competition for places and the high standards set by the European champions.

Evidence of that desire was provided by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored a superb goal in the midweek League Cup win over Arsenal but then admitted he hadn’t done enough to deserve to retain his place against Villa.

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Where to find Dijon vs. PSG on US TV and streaming

If you’re trying to find out how you can watch Dijon vs. PSG on US TV in Ligue 1, you’ve come to the right place.

In Paris Saint-Germain’s twelfth game of the 2019/20 season, Dijon vs. PSG will be shown on TV and streaming (more details below).

Match: Dijon vs. PSG

Kickoff: Friday, 3:45pm ET

Looking to watch Dijon vs. PSG online from your work, home or on the go? If you live in the USA, there are several options to catch all the action.

We Recommend:

US Only.

Here are all of the details of where you can watch it on television and via legal streaming:

Who: Dijon vs. PSG
What: Ligue 1, gameweek 12
When: Game kicks off at 3:45pm ET / 12:45pm PT; Friday, November 1, 2019
Where: Live on beIN SPORTS, Fanatiz, Sling Latino, Sling World Sports and fuboTV (free trial)

 

 

With fuboTV, you can watch Dijon vs. PSG and tons more Ligue 1 games with a 7-day trial. With the legal streaming service, you can watch the game on your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, Apple TV or hook it up to your TV with Google Chromecast.

Now with fuboTV, you can stream NBCSN, FS1, FS2 as well as beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS en Español, beIN SPORTS Connect, NBC (in select cities), CNBC, USA, FOX (in select cities), FOX Soccer Plus, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports Net, Telemundo, Univision, Univision Deportes, UniMas, Eleven Sports, CBS, CSN, RAI Italia America and YES.

Plus fuboTV, the legal streaming service, also streams Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Liga MX, World Cup, Women’s World Cup, MLS, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Primeira Liga, Ligue Un, World Cup qualifiers, Bundesliga, select USMNT games, select USWNT games, select Mexico games, select England games and Euro 2020 qualifiers.

The fuboTV app is available for Windows PC, Mac, Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, Apple TV, Android smartphones, Android tablets, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Kindle.

 

Here are the steps to take to watch the Dijon vs. PSG game with your free fuboTV trial:

1. Click on this link for the fuboTV 7-day trial.

2. Click on the red ‘Start for free’ button (see screengrab below)

3. On the login page, enter your e-mail address to sign up (or you can use your Facebook or Google logins) (see screengrab below)

4. After entering your login details and signing up for the free trial, you’ll be taken to the fuboTV main screen (see screengrab below)

5. From here, you can either scroll down the page to see the TV listings which include the Dijon vs. PSG game (see screengrab below)

6. Or you can click on the ‘Guide’ button at the top to see all of the channels available to you, which will include beIN SPORTS Connect featuring Dijon vs. PSG (see screengrab below)

SEE MORE: Schedule of Ligue 1 games on US TV and streaming

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Xhaka blames death threats and sick taunts for Arsenal fan feud

London (AFP) – Granit Xhaka has blamed death threats to his family for his furious response to jeers from Arsenal fans during last weekend’s clash with Crystal Palace.

Xhaka appeared to swear at the Emirates Stadium crowd after his second half substitution prompted sarcastic cheers and booing during the 2-2 draw.

The Arsenal midfielder cupped his ears, waved his arms angrily and ripped off his shirt before storming down the tunnel.

Xhaka has faced calls to be stripped of the Arsenal captaincy after Gunners boss Unai Emery admitted the Swiss midfielder’s reaction was wrong.

But the 27-year-old, who was also booed against Aston Villa earlier this season, has now revealed he reached boiling point following a series of sick taunts toward him and his family via social media.

“My feeling of not being understood by fans, and repeated abusive comments at matches and in social media over the last weeks and months have hurt me deeply,” he wrote on Instagram.

“People have said things like ‘We will break your legs’, ‘Kill your wife’ and ‘Wish that your daughter gets cancer’.

“That has stirred me up and I reached boiling point when I felt the rejection in the stadium on Sunday.”

Xhaka missed Arsenal’s League Cup fourth round loss at Liverpool on Wednesday as Emery took him out of the firing line.

But he was already a disliked figure among many Arsenal fans after lacklustre displays since his 2016 arrival from Borussia Monchengladbach.

His failure to block the cross that led to Palace’s equalising goal on Sunday was the final straw for some at the Emirates as they vented their frustrations.

A decision over the captaincy remains to be announced, although Xhaka is said to retain the backing of Arsenal’s players, who voted him skipper in pre-season.

With Arsenal due to face Wolves at home on Saturday, Xhaka’s statement will keep the issue firmly in the spotlight.

Despite the lengthy message, he did not offer a direct apology for his actions, only saying sorry if people felt he had been disrespectful.

“In this situation I let myself get carried away and reacted in a way that disrespected the group of fans that support our club, our team and myself with positive energy,” he added.

“That has not been my intention and I’m sorry if that’s what people thought.

“My wish is to get back to a place of mutual respect, remembering why we fell in love with this game in the first place. Let’s move forward positively together.”

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Messi returns for Argentina after ban for Brazil, Uruguay friendlies

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Lionel Messi was called up by Argentina on Thursday for friendly games against Brazil and Uruguay next month, the country’s football association announced on Twitter. 

Messi has not played for Argentina since he was sent off against Chile in their victorious third-place play-off match in the Copa America on July 7. 

The striker was then handed a three-month suspension for comments he made after the game, in which he accused CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American football, of corruption.

In-form Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero has been recalled after missing out on the last four friendlies, while Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo remains in the squad following his surprise recall after the Copa America.

In Messi’s absence, Argentina have played four friendlies, drawing against Chile (0-0) and Germany (2-2) while thrashing Mexico 4-0 and Ecuador 6-1.

They face Brazil in Saudi Arabia on November 15 and then Uruguay in Israel on November 18. Messi’s ban ends on November 3.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has endured an injury-hit start to the season after hurting his foot in August and then his thigh in September. 

But his recovery has coincided with a return to form for Barcelona, who have won their last seven consecutive games in all competitions. 

Messi scored twice in a 5-1 win over Real Valladolid on Tuesday. 

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Agustin Marchesín (Porto/POR), Juan Musso (Udinese/ITA), Emiliano Martinez (Arsenal/ENG), Esteban Andrada (Boca Juniors)

Defenders: Juan Foyth (Tottenham/ENG), Renzo Saravia (Porto/POR), Nicolas Otamendi (Man City/ENG), German Pezzella (Fiorentina/ITA), Marcos Rojo (Man Utd/ENG), Walter Kannemann (Gremio/BRA), Nicolas Taglafico (Ajax/NED), Nehuen Perez (Famalicao/POR), Guido Rodriguez (America/MEX)

Midfielders: Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham/ENG), Leandro Paredes (PSG/FRA), Nicolas Dominguez (Velez), Rodrigo de Paul (Udinese/ITA), Marcos Acuna (Sporting Lisbon/POR), Roberto Pereyra (Watford/ENG), Lucas Ocampos (Sevilla/ESP)

Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona/ESP), Sergio Aguero (Man City/ENG), Nicolas Gonzalez (Stuttgart/GER), Lucas Alario (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan/ITA), Paulo Dybala (Juventus/ITA) 

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England plan celebration of 1,000th international

London (AFP) – England’s 1966 World Cup winners, former captains and most capped players have been invited to celebrate the country’s 1,000th international against Montenegro in November.

The Euro 2020 qualifier at Wembley will see England become the first country to reach 1,000 senior men’s internationals.

147 years since the first against Scotland, the English Football Association are marking the occasion in a number of ways, including recognising the notable contributions of former internationals while the current crop will wear individual ‘legacy numbers’ on their shirts.

England manager Gareth Southgate, who represented his country 57 times and has the legacy number 1,071, believes the November 14 qualifier will be an occasion to remember.

“It encapsulates the history and the importance of the team going back right the way through,” Southgate said.

“We always talk to the players about the badge on the front of the shirt and how we are a small part of that history.

“It’s important we respect the shirt and leave it in a better place than when we found it. So, to be involved in this game is a particularly poignant moment, especially given that some of our great former players will be at the match.”

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Levein sacked as Hearts manager

Glasgow (AFP) – Former Scotland boss Craig Levein was sacked as manager of Scottish Premiership strugglers Hearts on Thursday.

Levein has stepped down from the club’s board, although he will stay on in a lesser role until the end of the season.

The decision came after Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat by fellow strugglers St Johnstone saw Hearts slip to 11th spot, level on points with bottom of the table St Mirren.

“The board of directors of Heart of Midlothian Football Club has today taken the decision to relieve Craig Levein of his first-team managerial duties,” a Hearts statement read.

Levein spent 14 years as a Hearts player before starting a managerial career that including two spells as Hearts boss and stints with Leicester and Scotland.

Assistant manager Austin MacPhee will take charge ahead as Hearts prepare to face Rangers in the Scottish League Cup semi-finals on Sunday.

“Craig will not return to his previous director of football role and, that being so, will step down from the board,” the statement added.

“He will, however, see out his contract, which runs until the end of the season, working closely with the executive management team in continuing to develop and improve the structure of the backroom and youth operations within the development.”

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‘Romario Baggio’-led Malagasys seek historic CAF Cup victory

Johannesburg (AFP) – Jean Romario Baggio Rakotoarisoa is a footballer with an eye-catching name who hopes to lead Malagasy club Fosa Juniors to a historic CAF Confederation Cup success in Morocco this weekend. 

The 23-year-old captain converted a stoppage-time penalty kick last weekend to seal a 2-0 play-off first leg win over Renaissance Berkane of Morocco in the Indian Ocean island.

If Fosa emerge victorious on aggregate after the return match they will become the first club from Madagascar to secure a place in the group phase of a CAF competition.

The outcome could hinge on Fosa being able to score in Berkane, as one goal for them would leave 2018/2019 Confederation Cup runners-up Berkane needing at least four to survive.

Renaissance reached the play-off round by defeating Ashanti Gold of Ghana 2-0 in Morocco, and a repeat of that result would force the tie against Fosa into a penalty shootout.

While Berkane started the CAF season in the Confederation Cup, Fosa were among 16 Champions League first round losers who dropped to the second-tier competition.

They were demoted after losing 3-1 away to five-time African champions TP Mazembe in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and a repeat of that scoreline would take them past Berkane.  

Rakotoarisoa owes his striking name to the fondness his father had for two stars of the 1994 World Cup, Brazilian Romario and Italian Roberto Baggio. 

“My father loved those footballers having watched them during the 1994 World Cup in the United States,” Rakotoarisoa told the Malagasy media.

“I was born two years after that tournament and my dad wanted the names of the two stars included in mine. My mother did not agree initially, but eventually relented.” 

– Realistic chances – 

Fosa are among seven east African clubs involved in the play-offs, with 16 group phase places up for grabs.

But only the Malagasys, Proline of Uganda and Bandari of Kenya have realistic chances of survival in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League.

African debutants Proline twice came from behind to hold Al Nasr of Libya in a first leg moved from Benghazi to Egyptian city Alexandria for security reasons.

Given that a goalless or 1-1 draw in Kampala will take the Ugandans through, a side boasting the leading Confederation Cup scorer this season in five-goal Ivan Bogere are favourites. 

Bandari trail Horoya of Guinea 4-2 after the first leg in Conakry, where giant Burkina Faso forward Aristide Bance scored a hat-trick.

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Barcelona’s players offered to change contracts to sign Neymar – Pique

Madrid (AFP) – Gerard Pique has said Barcelona’s players offered to alter their own contracts to help the club buy Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain last summer. 

Barca attempted to re-sign Neymar, sold to PSG for a world record 222 million euros ($249 million) in 2017, but the two teams were unable to agree a deal. 

Key players, including Lionel Messi, were eager for the Brazilian to return and Pique says they tried to help the club’s president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, complete the transfer while satisfying UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules. 

“What we proposed to the president was that we could tweak our contracts because we knew there was an issue with Fair Play,” Pique told Cadena Ser on Wednesday night. 

“Instead of getting paid what we were owed for that year, we could transfer it to the second, third of fourth year so Ney could come. 

“Ultimately we wanted to support the club and if we could help in some way, we had no problem with that.” 

Neymar earns 38 million euros a year at PSG and the financial implications of signing the 27-year-old would be huge. 

“We told him, ‘you live in a golden prison’,” Pique added. “But in football anything can happen and the door is open.” 

Pique also said the postponement of last Saturday’s Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid was unnecessary. 

The fixture has been rescheduled for December 18 after violent protests broke out last week in Catalonia, following the imprisonment of nine pro-independence leaders. 

“My opinion is the postponement was unnecessary,” said Pique. “Common sense says that in Spanish stadiums there has not been any violence. We are civilised people. 

“That same weekend the Espanyol-Villarreal game was played and nothing happened. And why isn’t something going to happen on December 18 if it was going to happen before? The situation will be similar. 

“It was magnifying a problem that wasn’t a problem in the first place.” 

Pique is also the founder of Kosmos, the investment group leading the revamp of tennis’ Davis Cup, which begins in its new format in Madrid on November 18.

The 32-year-old said the plan is for the new one-week competition with 18 teams to expand to two weeks and 24 teams, although Roger Federer has expressed scepticism about the changes.

Asked if he would mind Roger Federer changing football, Pique said: “Not at all.”

Pique added: “We sent him a letter and were surprised by his statements. They see the Davis Cup as competing with the tournament he has.”

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Manchester United’s confidence on the rise, says Rashford

London (AFP) – Three successive away wins have done wonders for Manchester United’s confidence following a difficult patch, according to striker Marcus Rashford.

Rashford celebrated his 22nd birthday a day early in some style on Wednesday scoring both United’s goals as they beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge to progress to the League Cup quarter-finals.

His second goal, a swerving 30-yard free-kick, was labelled by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as “Cristiano (Ronaldo)-like” though Rashford preferred to see it as an important boost to team morale following away wins at Partizan Belgrade and their first in the Premier League in eight months last Sunday at Norwich. 

Solskjaer had been under pressure after United made their worst start to a league season in 33 years, but Rashford hopes the team have now turned the corner since becoming the first side to take points off leaders Liverpool a fortnight ago with a 1-1 draw. 

“If you get a couple of wins back-to-back early on in the season it can change the direction the season is going,” Rashford told Sky Sports.

“Because mentally, for a team like Man United, when you’re winning back-to-back games, the team’s confidence levels go up.

“So, if we can keep doing this and keep it up in the league, we take it game by game and go back up the table.”

United’s next challenge is a fourth successive away trip, this time in the Premier League to Bournemouth, who are level on points with them, on Saturday.

  pi/cw

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Kante set for return to training, says Lampard

London (AFP) – France’s World Cup winning midfielder N’Golo Kante is due to return to training with Chelsea after almost a month on the sidelines, said Chelsea manager Frank Lampard.

The manager is counting on the  28-year-old’s return to ease the workload being shared by Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic, who both played the full 90 minutes in the 2-1 League Cup fourth round defeat by Manchester United on Wednesday.

Defeat ended Chelsea’s seven match winning streak and Lampard suggested that the setback was due to a shortage of midfield options.

“He (Kante) is hopefully going to join in training in the next two or three days,” said Lampard.

“Hopefully he will be back before the international break.

“I would have liked to have given Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic a rest because of the work they are putting in.

“I couldn’t because of N’Golo, Ross (Barkley), and Ruben (Loftus-Cheek) out long term.”

Should Kante’s groin injury not suffer a reverse he could be fit to play a role in Chelsea’s home match with Crystal Palace on November 10.

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Fourth-tier Colchester get dream draw with Manchester United

London (AFP) – Fourth-tier Colchester United’s chairman expressed his delight at being drawn away at Manchester United in their League Cup quarter-final declaring “You come into football for days like this.”

Colchester — the lowest ranked side remaining in the competition — have lost both times they have faced United: 1-0 in the FA Cup fifth round in 1978-79 and 2-0 in the League Cup third round in 1983-84.

However, that did not diminish the joy at the prospect of playing at Old Trafford. Having knocked out last season’s Champions League finalists Tottenham Hotspur in the third round, Colchester are keen for another high-profile giant-killing act.

“Everyone’s delighted with the draw,” their chairman Robbie Cowling told the BBC.

“You come into football for days like this. We’re going to enjoy every minute.”

Holders Manchester City also face lower-league opposition as they travel to third tier Oxford United — who knocked out Manchester United in the fourth round of the 1983-1984 edition.

There are two all-Premier League ties with Aston Villa to host Liverpool and Everton at home to Leicester City.

After their thrilling win on penalties over Arsenal following a 5-5 draw, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp threatened to call a halt to his side’s participation because the quarterfinal is too close to the FIFA World Club Cup.

Liverpool are due to play in the semi-finals in Qatar on December 18 and the League Cup quarter-finals are scheduled for that week.

However, the EFL — organisers of the League Cup — released a statement saying they were talking to Liverpool about an alternative date.

“The EFL is in discussions with Liverpool to identify an alternative date given the club’s participation in the FIFA Club World Cup competition,” they said.     

Draw:

Aston Villa v Liverpool

Everton v Leicester City

Manchester United v Colchester United

Oxford v Manchester City

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English League Cup quarter-final draw

London (AFP) – Draw for English League Cup quarter-finals made on Thursday:

Aston Villa v Liverpool

Everton v Leicester City

Manchester United v Colchester United

Oxford v Manchester City

Ties to be played save Aston Villa v Liverpool — who are at the FIFA Club World Cup — week beginning December 16.

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Where to find Milan vs. SPAL on US TV and streaming

If you’re trying to find out how you can watch Milan vs. SPAL in the US, we have all of the details for you about the Serie A match.

Milan vs. SPAL is available exclusively via ESPN+ but will not be on television. However, you can stream the game from ESPN+ to your TV set.

League: Serie A

Genre: Sports

Looking to watch Serie A matches online from your office, home or on the go? If you live in the USA, there are several options to catch all the action.

We Recommend:

US Only.

 
Here are all of the details of where you can watch it on television and via legal streaming:

Who: Milan vs. SPAL
What: Serie A, gameweek 10
When: Game kicks off at 4pm ET / 1pm PT; Thursday, October 31, 2019
Where: Live on ESPN+

With ESPN+, you can watch Milan vs. SPAL and tons more Serie A games. With the legal streaming service, you can watch the game on your computer, smartphone, tablet, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 and XBOX One.

Now with ESPN+, you can stream Serie A, UEFA Nations League, Championship, League One, League Two, FA Cup, League Cup, Copa America, US Open Cup, International Champions Cup, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, Eredivisie, Danish Superliga, Chinese Super League, Indian Super League, Australian A-League, Sweden’s Allsvenskan, MLS out-of-market games and USL.

ESPN+ is only $4.99/month.

In addition to all of the soccer coverage, ESPN+ also includes UFC, MLB, MLS, NHL, select PGA TOUR golf, Top Rank Boxing, cricket and Grand Slam tennis from Wimbledon to the US Open and Australian Open. Plus you get instant access to your favorite college sports like football, basketball, lacrosse, softball and more.

There’s also the daily ESPN FC show, 30 For 30 documentaries, exclusive access to studio programs and more.

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Liverpool reach League Cup quarters after 10-goal thriller against Arsenal

London (AFP) – Liverpool reached the League Cup quarter-finals in thrilling style as their incredible 5-5 draw against Arsenal was followed by a 5-4 penalty shoot-out triumph on Wednesday.

Both Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Arsenal boss Unai Emery made 11 changes for the fourth round tie, but the understudies served up one of the most entertaining games of the season at Anfield.

Arsenal enjoyed a memorable 6-3 League Cup quarter-final win at Liverpool in 2007, but this time they squandered multiple leads in an even more dramatic clash. 

In the shoot-out, Dani Ceballos’ penalty was saved by 20-year-old Irish keeper Caoimhin Kelleher before 18-year-old Curtis Jones converted the winning kick.

Liverpool have won the League Cup a record eight times and they remain on course to lift the trophy for the first time since 2012.

After Granit Xhaka’s astonishing outburst at Arsenal fans during Sunday’s traumatic Premier League draw with Crystal Palace, this was another body blow for Arsenal, who lost despite leading 3-1, 4-2 and then 5-4 with seconds to go.

Xhaka was absent while Emery debates whether to strip the midfielder of the captaincy, but Arsenal were unable to take advantage of Liverpool’s youthful line-up.

With an average age of 23 years and 122 days, it was Liverpool’s youngest starting eleven in any competition since January 2017 as teenagers Neco Williams, Harvey Elliott, Rhian Brewster and Sepp Van Den Berg all featured.

Liverpool’s rookies went ahead after just six minutes as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain sent over a low cross and Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi, sliding in to clear, accidently deflected it onto his knee and into the back of his own net.

Yet, with all of Liverpool’s star defenders rested, the Premier League leaders were far less solid than usual and Arsenal drew level in the 19th minute.

The goal came via an assist from the rarely used Mesut Ozil, who was making his only his third appearance of the season and his first since September 24.

Ozil picked out Bukayo Saka in space and when his shot was saved, the unmarked Lucas Torreira slotted home despite Liverpool’s appeals for offside.

– Origi heroics –

Emery’s team took the lead in the 26th minute after more sloppy defending allowed Ainsley Maitland-Niles to cross and Gabriel Martinelli was on hand to fire into the roof of the net from close-range.

Martinelli struck again 10 minutes later when Ozil intercepted Elliott’s loose pass to send Saka clear and he produced a low cross for the 18-year-old Brazilian forward to grab his seventh goal in seven appearances this season.

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Chile confirms Libertadores final goes ahead despite crisis

Santiago (AFP) – The final of South America’s club football showpiece will go ahead in Santiago next month despite violent protests that have rocked Chile for more than 10 days, leaving 20 people dead.

Argentine holders River Plate face Brazilian giants Flamengo in the November 23 Copa Libertadores final at the 49,000-capacity national stadium in Santiago.

Chile’s Sports Minister Cecilia Perez said on Wednesday she’d spoken with South American football governing body CONMEBOL’s president Alejandro Dominguez and had confirmed Chile’s “desire and commitment to put on the Copa Libertadores final in our country.”

It comes after Chile President Sebastian Pinera revealed earlier that Santiago was withdrawing from hosting the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on November 16-17 and the Cop 25 climate change conference from December 2-13.

Chile has been hit by its worst social unrest and violent protests in decades as hundreds of thousands of people have expressed anger over social and economic inequality.

CONMEBOL posted a message on Twitter thanking Chile’s government “for guaranteeing the security conditions” to allow the final to go ahead.

River are aiming for a second straight title having knocked out bitter domestic rivals Boca Juniors — their final opponents last year — 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals.

Flamengo were in dazzling semi-final form, knocking out 2017 champions and fellow Brazilians Gremio 6-1 on aggregate thanks to a 5-0 second leg success at the Maracana.

It will be the first time the Libertadores final is played in a single match at a neutral venue.

Last year’s final second leg was relocated 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) to Madrid after fan trouble caused the original fixture to be twice postponed.

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Ancelotti blasts ‘attack on my professionalism’ in red card rage

Milan (AFP) – Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti and his assistant were sent off in a fiery end to an entertaining 2-2 draw against Atalanta in Serie A on Wednesday.

Josip Ilicic struck a disputed 86th-minute equaliser that was upheld following a lengthy VAR review, as Napoli appealed for a penalty.

Napoli forward Fernando Llorente tumbled to the ground after jostling with Simon Kjaer in the Atalanta area before the visitors countered and scored through Ilicic.

A five-minute interruption followed before the referee awarded the goal without reviewing the incident on the touchline monitor. 

Images suggested Llorente committed the initial foul but Ancelotti and his assistant coach were shown red cards for protesting the decision.

“I consider what happened an attack on my professionalism, my players and my club,” Ancelotti said.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis was livid with the controversial finish to the game.

“If there is VAR it’s pointless creating eight minutes of additional time because all that happens is pushing and shouting,” he told Sky Sport Italia. 

“And what is this buffoonery from the referee who kicks out a gentleman like Ancelotti?

“We’re fed up. Without us the referees would be peeling potatoes. We’re tired of paying for this standard of officiating.”

Nikola Maksimovic had headed in a Jose Callejon cross to give Napoli the lead on 16 minutes at the San Paolo, but Remo Freuler levelled just before half-time when his shot squirmed through goalkeeper Alex Meret.

Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik hit the post and crossbar before putting Napoli back on top on 71 minutes when he raced onto a Fabian Ruiz pass and rounded Pierluigi Gollini.

However, Ilicic levelled and nearly grabbed a winner in stoppage time as Atalanta stayed third, four points behind Inter Milan who beat Brescia 2-1 on Tuesday.

Juventus would reclaim top spot with victory at home to Genoa later on Wednesday.

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Another ‘offside’ goal mars South African Premiership

Johannesburg (AFP) – Bloemfontein Celtic equalised with a goal that should have been ruled offside in a 1-1 South African Premiership draw against SuperSport United Wednesday.

It was the second successive night in which an offside goal was allowed with Orlando Pirates benefitting Tuesday as they won 1-0 at Highlands Park.

There have been calls for the introduction of the VAR (video assistant referee) system and they are sure to intensify as the Orlando Pirates scorer was several metres offside before scoring.

Celtic forward and Lesotho international Sera Motebang was clearly ahead of the last SuperSport defender when the ball was passed to him five minutes into the second half. 

He did not hesitate to fire past SuperSport and South Africa goalkeeper Rowen Williams from close range and cancel the 19th-minute lead Aubrey Modiba gave the visiting club.

Modiba, who was called up by South Africa this week for 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Ghana and Sudan during November, scored direct from a free-kick just outside the box.

The draw was the seventh in the last 11 league matches between the clubs and SuperSport climbed two places to fifth after nine rounds while Celtic rose one position to 11th.

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Derby sack Keogh for ‘gross misconduct’ after car crash

London (AFP) – Derby captain Richard Keogh has been sacked by the Championship club “for gross misconduct” following an internal disciplinary hearing.

Keogh suffered a serious knee injury after the Republic of Ireland defender was involved in a car accident with Derby team-mates Tom Lawrence and Mason Bennett on September 24.

The 33-year-old, who was in the back seat of Lawrence’s car when it crashed into a lamp post, sustained serious knee ligament damage that is likely to keep him on the sidelines for more than a year.

Lawrence and Bennett, who later admitted to drink-driving charges, were both fined the equivalent of six weeks’ wages by Derby.

But Keogh has been axed after reportedly refusing the club’s request to take a pay cut.

“Mr Keogh has had his contract terminated with immediate effect for gross misconduct. He has the right of appeal within 14 days,” a Derby statement said on Wednesday.

“As we have said from the outset, the club will not tolerate any of its players or staff behaving in a manner which puts themselves, their colleagues, and members of the general public at risk of injury or worse, or which brings the club into disrepute.”

Lawrence, 25, and Bennett, 23, appeared in court to answer charges of drink-driving on October 15.

The pair had initially fled from the scene of the crash, which happened after a team-bonding day that finished in a local bar.

They returned about 45 minutes later and were arrested, with both admitting drink-driving and failing to stop at the scene of an accident. 

They were ordered to do 180 hours of unpaid work and were disqualified from driving for two years.

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RB Leipzig tear Wolfsburg apart in German Cup

Berlin (AFP) – RB Leipzig demolished Wolfsburg 6-1 in the German Cup on Wednesday after a second-half exhibition featuring four goals in 13 minutes from the visiting side.

Leipzig trail Wolfsburg by two points in the Bundesliga but grabbed the lead on 13 minutes in their last-32 tie courtesy of an own goal by Dutch defender Jeffrey Bruma.

Marcel Sabitzer scored Leipzig’s second in the 55th minute and opened the floodgates, with goals from Emil Forsberg, Konrad Laimer and Timo Werner padding the score out to 5-0.

Germany forward Werner struck again in the 88th minute before Wolfsburg got a consolation goal from Wout Weghorst.

Elsewhere, Werder Bremen dominated second division side Heidenheim, winning 4-1. Milot Rashica scored after just six minutes, with Leonardo Bittencourt and Davy Klaassen adding two more before the game had reached 20 minutes.

Austrian defender Marco Friedl added a fourth in the 41st minute, before Heidenheim’s Marc Schnatterer converted a penalty in first-half injury time.

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Verratti signs new PSG deal until 2024

Paris (AFP) – Italy midfielder Marco Verratti has extended his contract with French champions Paris Saint-Germain until 2024, the club said Wednesday.

Verratti, who turns 27 next week, has won six Ligue 1 titles with PSG since joining the club from Pescara in 2012.

“I think I’m coming to the most important moment of my career. I think at 27 you know a lot, you have more experience… I’m really happy to be able to continue here in Paris,” Verratti told the club’s website.

“Like I’ve said since day one, I feel really good here. I feel that I play for a team with big ambitions. That’s the key thing for me because I want to win as much as possible.”

“Here we have that possibility because we have a great team, we have a great coach,” he added. “We can do great things together.”

Verratti has won four French Cups and the French League Cup on five occasions with PSG, although the club have failed to progress beyond the Champions League quarter-finals under Qatari ownership.

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Wolves defender Boly sidelined until next year

London (AFP) – Wolves defender Willy Boly will be sidelined until next year after undergoing surgery on his fractured leg on Wednesday.

Boly, 28, suffered the injury in training on Saturday and the Ivory Coast international is expected to be out for several months.

Head of medical Phil Hayward told Wolves’ website: “Willy had surgery in London this morning to repair the bone with a small metal plate and screws.

“The procedure went as planned with no complications and he will now return to Compton to begin the early stages of his rehabilitation.

“Willy will be in a boot for the first six weeks, working hard to maintain fitness and muscle bulk in the leg before progressing to more functional activities.

“In terms of time scales, a lot depends on how he progresses in the first few weeks and how well the fracture heals.”

Boly joined the Premier League club from Porto, initially on loan, in 2017 before completing a permanent move last year.

He had played in 16 of Wolves’ 20 games this term.

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Feyenoord turn to veteran Advocaat as Stam successor

Brussels (AFP) – Former Netherlands boss Dick Advocaat will replace Jaap Stam as coach of Feyenoord until the end of the season, the Dutch club announced Wednesday.

The vastly experienced Advocaat, 72, takes over from Stam who stepped down Monday following a 4-0 thrashing by fierce rivals Ajax that left the club languishing in 12th place. 

Advocaat, who has had three spells in charge of the Netherlands as well as stints coaching Belgium, Russia and South Korea, previously served as an assistant to Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Feyenoord in 2016.

Stam reasoned that it was “better for the club, the players and myself if I step aside” as he chose to resign with immediate effect despite support from Feyenoord’s hierarchy and players.

The 15-time Dutch champions are also struggling in the Europa League, where they are bottom of Group G after three matches.

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Hegerberg sets new record for Women’s Champions League goals

Paris (AFP) – Norwegian star Ada Hegerberg on Wednesday became the leading goal scorer in the history of the Women’s Champions League when a double strike for Lyon in the game against Hjorring of Denmark took her to 53 in the tournament.

The 24-year-old had equalled the previous record of 51 held by Germany’s Anja Mittag in the first leg of the last-16 tie against the Danes, which the defending champions won 4-0 earlier this month.

Hegerberg, playing her 50th game in the competition, then hit the record-setting goal in the 12th minute of the second leg on Wednesday before adding a second on the night.

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Bierhoff opens door for Hummels Germany recall

Berlin (AFP) – Germany general manager Oliver Bierhoff suggested on Wednesday that Mats Hummels could still play for the country, even though coach Joachim Loew said he would not pick the defender again.

Loew went to Munich in March to tell three Bayern players, defenders Hummels and Jerome Boateng and striker Thomas Mueller that he did not intend to pick them as he prepared for Euro 2020 qualifying because he wanted to bring on a new generation.

Bierhoff said Loew had been misunderstood.

“The communication created the impression that he would never play for the national team again,” Bierhoff told German television. “I’ve always said we haven’t said goodbye to a player yet.”

Hummels, who is 30 and has won 70 German caps and a World Cup winner’s medal, took the initial comments by Loew badly. 

In the summer he returned to Borussia Dortmund and has shown impressive form this season.

The chorus of demands for his recall has increased since Niklas Suele, who has taken Hummels’ role at Bayern and with Germany, suffered a knee injury that rules him out for the season.

“At the time, I thought it was very clear,” said Bierhoff of Loew.

“He was saying,’We no longer rely on you, we have other projects and we don’t want to discuss this for months.’ But in football, I would never rule anything out.”

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‘Africa’s greatest’ Eto’o eyes move into management

Paris (AFP) – Samuel Eto’o is convinced that he is the best African footballer of all time and is now targeting more success as a coach, the Cameroon great told AFP in an exclusive interview.

The 38-year-old is pondering his next step after hanging up his boots in early September, bringing the curtain down on his playing days with a brief spell turning out for Qatar Sports Club.

“There comes a point where you have to look for other challenges. That is what I have chosen to do. I have had a wonderful career,” Eto’o told AFP during a visit to Paris.

His career spanned more than 20 years in which he won 18 major trophies, including two Champions Leagues with Barcelona and another with Inter Milan. He also won the Africa Cup of Nations twice with Cameroon as well as Olympic gold in 2000.

One prize that did get away from him, however, was the Ballon d’Or. Liberia’s George Weah, in 1995, remains the only African to have claimed that award, but that does not change Eto’o’s belief that he is the best player to have come out of the continent.

“I don’t need to lay claim to anything, it’s just a fact. Whether you accept it or not, it’s a fact,” he said, as frank and outspoken as ever.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion. You know, as an African, you are always being judged. What is unacceptable is that the first people to do it are always the Africans. They can’t take anything away from me because I am proud to be African.

“When I look at where I came from and how far I got, I tell myself that I am entitled to be proud. That doesn’t mean I am big-headed, far from it. It is just that, in this world, people like puppets and I don’t accept being one.”

– ‘Could have won World Cup’ –

Eto’o also turned out for the likes of Real Madrid and Chelsea, but for all he won in the game, it is his first major title with his country that sticks out when asked for his fondest memory.

“I would say my first Africa Cup of Nations (in 2000), because it was my first AFCON, an unforgettable moment, and I had come away from the 1998 World Cup in France with the hope of making history,” he said.

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Cameroon footballing legend Eto’o rules out career in politics

Paris (AFP) – Samuel Eto’o is up there with George Weah as an African great on the football field, but he says he has no plans to follow the Liberian into politics “for the moment”.

“Everyone wants me to go into politics, but there won’t be 10 million Weahs,” Eto’o said in an exclusive interview with AFP.

Weah, the only African player to win the Ballon d’Or, became president of Liberia in January 2018.

“Everyone is born with their own star. Everyone at some point gets involved in politics at their own level, but, for the moment, it doesn’t interest me.”

The 38-year-old Cameroon legend recently brought the curtain down on a glittering playing career during which he won the UEFA Champions League twice with Barcelona and once more with Inter Milan.

An idol in his homeland, Eto’o gave his backing to Paul Biya — who has ruled the country for 37 years — before his re-election in 2018.

Biya is 86 and is dealing with a major crisis in Cameroon as a two-year secession drive by anglophone separatists has claimed thousands of lives.

Main opposition leader Maurice Kamto walked free from jail earlier this month after a military court ordered his release at Biya’s behest.

Of his supposed political ambitions, Eto’o added: “A lot of people might be saying that it’s an idea I have, but I say to them it doesn’t exist in my mind at the moment.

“But every citizen has the right. If you want to stand, nobody is going to stop you. But in our country it is as though it is something reserved for certain people. Personally it is not an objective.”

The two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner says he wants to move into coaching, although he has also taken a role with the Confederation of African Football.

“My role is to lobby the different federations to convince them to adhere to the work being done by president (Ahmad) Ahmad,” he said.

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Footballers’ ‘wives’: the interpreters who are a lifeline in China

Shanghai (AFP) – Rafa Benitez says his Chinese-language interpreter is always by his side and former Barcelona defender Sergi Barjuan joked that his translator was like his wife, because they were together so much.

At training, matches and press conferences in China, the interpreters are always close by — but they get scant attention and are paid far less than the coaches or players they help.

But Benitez and other foreigners in Chinese football would not be able to do their jobs without their interpreters, who also play a crucial role in everyday life.

Benitez, a Champions League winner as Liverpool manager, said soon after arriving at Dalian Yifang in July that communication was his biggest challenge.

“You always have an interpreter at your side shadowing you,” the 59-year-old Spaniard, who speaks good English, wrote on his blog.

“Mine, Justin, is copying my gestures at training and at the matches and each day we are more in sync,” he added, highlighting just how critical the dynamic is.

– Filtering out ‘sharp words’ –

Interpreters are not unique to China: former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho famously started out as a translator, and worked for England’s Bobby Robson when he managed Barcelona.

But the difficulty many people have learning Chinese and the lack of English in the country as a whole has spawned an industry of football interpreters, almost always young and male.

One of them is Hong Wenjie, right-hand man to coach Dragan Stojkovic at Guangzhou R&F, who like Benitez’s Dalian are in the top-tier Chinese Super League.

The 29-year-old Chinese, who can speak English and Spanish, describes his job as “a bridge”.

He has been Stojkovic’s interpreter since the Serbian, who speaks English, French and Italian, arrived at the club in August 2015. 

“The challenges were more at the beginning. I needed to know about the coach’s personality, habits and his football philosophy,” said Hong, who once did a stint as a tour guide.

Language skill is one thing, Hong said, but you also need to know football jargon and have an intricate understanding of the game.

Being a “bridge” is not always a comfortable place to be, especially when feelings are running high in the changing room at half-time or after a defeat.

Hong said he sometimes uses his own discretion to water down some of Stojkovic’s more scathing remarks.

“Everyone understands that only when you really love the team, you will have such a strong emotion,” he said.

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Where to find Real Madrid vs. Leganes on US TV and streaming

If you’re trying to find out how you can watch Real Madrid vs. Leganes on US TV in LaLiga, you’ve come to the right place.

With Comcast Xfinity and DIRECTV dropping beIN SPORTS, be sure you don’t miss out on the LaLiga season, which you can watch for free with a trial to fuboTV. More details below.

Match: Real Madrid vs. Leganes

Kickoff: Tuesday, 4:15pm ET

Looking to watch Real Madrid vs. Leganes online from your work, home or on the go? If you live in the USA, there are several options to catch all the action.

We Recommend:

US Only.

Here are all of the details of where you can watch it on television and via legal streaming:

Who: Real Madrid vs. Leganes
What: LaLiga, gameweek 10
When: Game kicks off at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT; Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Where: Live on beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS en Español, fuboTV, Sling Latino, Sling World Sports and Fanatiz (free trial)

 

 

With fuboTV, you can watch Real Madrid vs. Leganes and tons more LaLiga games with a 7-day trial. With the legal streaming service, you can watch the game on your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, Apple TV or hook it up to your TV with Google Chromecast.

Now with fuboTV, you can stream NBCSN, FS1, FS2 as well as beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS en Español, beIN SPORTS Connect, NBC (in select cities), CNBC, USA, FOX (in select cities), FOX Soccer Plus, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports Net, RAI Italia, Telemundo, Univision, Univision Deportes, UniMas, Eleven Sports, CBS, CSN and YES.

Plus fuboTV, the legal streaming service, also streams Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Liga MX, World Cup, Women’s World Cup, MLS, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Primeira Liga, Ligue Un, World Cup qualifiers, Bundesliga, select USMNT games, select USWNT games, select Mexico games, select England games and Euro 2020 qualifiers.

The fuboTV app is available for Windows PC, Mac, Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, Apple TV, Android smartphones, Android tablets, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Kindle.

 

Here are the steps to take to watch the Real Madrid vs. Leganes game with your free fuboTV trial:

1. Click on this link for the fuboTV 7-day trial.

2. Click on the red ‘Start for free’ button (see screengrab below)

3. On the login page, enter your e-mail address to sign up (or you can use your Facebook or Google logins) (see screengrab below)

4. After entering your login details and signing up for the free trial, you’ll be taken to the fuboTV main screen (see screengrab below)

5. From here, you can either scroll down the page to see the TV listings which include the Real Madrid vs. Leganes game (see screengrab below)

6. Or you can click on the ‘Guide’ button at the top to see all of the channels available to you, which will include beIN SPORTS featuring Real Madrid vs. Leganes (see screengrab below)

SEE MORE: Schedule of LaLiga games on US TV and streaming

from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/2Njutb2