Lautaro Martinez insists he was not feeling the pressure despite a goal drought that ended with his strike in Argentina s 4-1 Copa America win over Bolivia on Monday.
The win extended Lionel Scaloni s side s unbeaten run to 17 matches – the joint-third longest undefeated sequence in the country s history – yet Argentina came into the game having only scored three goals from as many Copa games.
Inter forward Martinez had drawn a blank in his past five games for Argentina, dating back to November s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win in Peru.
Martinez was back on the scoresheet against the bottom side in Group A, coming off the bench to strike in the 65th minute in a resounding win.
I m calm because the coaching staff and my team-mates trust me, Martinez …
Jurgen Klopp s inside knowledge of the Bundesliga will be an advantage when Liverpool meet Bayern Munich in the Champions League, according to former Reds striker Ian Rush.
Klopp joined Liverpool in October 2015 after a hugely impressive seven-year spell at Borussia Dortmund, during which he guided them to two league titles and a DFB-Pokal triumph.
Bayern have won six successive Bundesliga crowns but are struggling, in relative terms, this season and sit nine points behind Dortmund after 15 games.
Asked if having a German in the Liverpool dugout for the last 16 tie would be a benefit, Rush said: Yes, it ll be an advantage.
Jurgen knows all the German teams he ll have done his homework.
Bayern have got [Robert] Lewandowski, who s the top scorer i…
Ansu Fati was back in group training at Barcelona for the first time in over two months on Monday.
Spain international Fati has been out of action since suffering a hamstring injury in the Copa del Rey defeat to Athletic Bilbao on January 20.
The 19-year-old, who took the number 10 shirt vacated by Lionel Messi ahead of this season, has been blighted by injuries and played just 20 times in all competitions since the start of 2020-21.
Barca posted footage on social media of Fati being applauded back onto the training pitch by his team-mates.
Look who it is!
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
He will combine training with the squad with an individual workout programme as he continues his recovery.
…
Gareth Southgate hailed the character of his England players after they came from behind to beat Denmark 2-1 in extra-time and book a place in the final of Euro 2020.
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was beaten for the first time in the tournament when Mikkel Damsgaard converted a stunning 30-yard free-kick.
That left Three Lions supporters fearing the worst – another major tournament semi-final disappointment to go alongside the loss Southgate s men suffered against Croatia at the 2018 World Cup.
But Denmark captain Simon Kjaer put through his own net under pressure from Raheem Sterling before half-time and, although mounting England pressure could not settle matters inside 90 minutes, the Manchester City forward won an extra-time penalty.
Kasper Sc…
Full-back Branislav Ivanovic is one of the best signings in Chelsea s history, according to manager Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho paid the ultimate compliment to full-back Branislav Ivanovic after his match-winner against Aston Villa on Saturday, claiming he is among Roman Abramovich s best buys.
Ivanovic scored the all-important goal as Premier League leaders Chelsea downed hosts Aston Villa 2-1 over the weekend to preserve their seven-point lead.
The 30-year-old Serbia international has shown a knack for scoring important goals in 2014-15 following his winner against Liverpool in the Capital One Cup semi-final last month and that continued at Villa Park as he took his season tally to four in all competitions.
While there have been countle…
While England might have extended on their unbeaten start to EURO 24, the Three Lions missed out on the opportunity to officially secure their knockout stage ticket as Group C winners.
Although the Three Lions might have arrived in Frankfurt on Thursday evening looking to make a statement of intent, Gareth Southgate’s side had to settle for a sluggish 1-1 stalemate against Denmark.
While England skipper Harry Kane might have opened the scoring after just 18 minutes as the Bayern Munich record-breaker tapped home, that lead didn’t last long as Morten Hjulmand struck a sublime 25-yard strike in the 34th-minute.
Once again failing to find any kind of fluidity in the final third and often outplayed by a resident Danish squad, some of England’s travelling suppo…
Dimitar Berbatov is eyeing a Premier League return after he was released by Monaco.
Berbatov is a free agent after Ligue 1 side Monaco opted against extending the Bulgarian striker s contract during the week.
The 34-year-old is no stranger to England, having enjoyed successful spells with Tottenham and Manchester United, prior to joining Fulham, where he left for Monaco in 2014.
It d be a pleasure [to return to England], said the Bulgarian.
I spent a long time in England and I keep very good memories. Everyone is watching the English championship the Premier League, and I ll be delighted to return.
I feel good and I think I still have a lot to give to football.
Berbatov, who scored 13 goals in 38 Ligue 1 appearances, won two Premier Le…
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez thinks Kylian Mbappe will already be regretting staying at Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe was widely expected to move to Madrid when his PSG contract expired in June, but agreed to a three-year extension in the French capital.
Perez previously stated the Mbappe who snubbed the LaLiga and European champions is not the same character he wanted to bring to Los Blancos.
The Madrid chief, speaking during a meeting with the club s fans, again commented on Mbappe s decision as he declared the World Cup winner will be wishing he had moved to Los Blancos.
The poor guy, Mbappe must already be sorry, Perez said when signing autographs after a fan had asked him about the France international.
Mbappe was in scintillati…
Casemiro will miss Manchester United’s trip to Sheffield United on Saturday after sustaining a “small issue” while playing for Brazil, the club have said.
The midfielder was in action for his country in World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela last Friday and then Uruguay five days later.
In an update on players on United’s official website following a session at their training ground on Thursday, the club said: “Casemiro was absent, having remained in Brazil, on the club’s advice, to recover as swiftly as possible from a small issue picked up while playing for his country.
Encouraging news from our training camp ahead of Saturday s return. ||
— Manchester United (@ManUtd)
“He will be unavailable for Saturday’s game with the Bl…
Juventus are not afraid of being hit with a ban from European competition despite their Serie A points deduction.
That was the defiant message from Juve s chief football officer Francesco Calvo, who was appointed in January just days after the Bianconeri were hit with a 15-point punishment.
Those charges for the Turin side followed investigations into financial violations from past transfer dealings, with former Juve president Andrea Agnelli and ex-sporting director Fabio Paratici handed bans.
While Massimiliano Allegri s side aim to battle back on the pitch, there are suggestions a second investigation by UEFA could result in Juve being banned from playing in Europe.
But Calvo insisted Juve have no reason for concern with European football s governing bo…