Inter s poor start to the Serie A season continued as Federico Dimarco s stunning late strike saw them suffer a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Parma, who claimed their first win back in the top flight.
Luciano Spalletti s men appeared to kick-start their campaign with a 3-0 win at Bologna before the international break, but they were wasteful in front of goal and ultimately paid the price.
The absence of Mauro Icardi – who could only make the bench due to a recent thigh injury – seemed to be particularly felt in the first half, when Inter crafted several chances but failed to take any.
Parma became more defensively minded after half-time and Inter struggled to break them down, before getting caught out late on.
Dimarco, who previously denied Ivan Perisi…
Michael Beale knows Rangers duo Kemar Roofe and Tom Lawrence will now be desperate for more game time after both returned to action after lengthy spells in a friendly against Hamburg at Ibrox.
First-half goals from attacker Fashion Sakala and captain James Tavernier, with a penalty, had the Light Blues comfortably ahead at the interval and before a slew of substitutions took place.
Amid the replacements, Nigeria forward Cyriel Dessers – signed from Cremonese – made his home debut with Roofe coming back to action after a hip injury had kept him out since February, with fellow attacker Lawrence making his first appearance since August 2022, after he had recovered from a knee problem.
Hamburg substitute Jean-Luc Dompe curled in a fantastic free-kick in the last …
Ernesto Valverde has called on his Barcelona team to help star man Lionel Messi as they cope with the absence of the departed Neymar and injured Luis Suarez.
Barca were thrashed 5-1 on aggregate by rivals Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana, with Neymar missed and Suarez suffering a knee injury that will see him miss four or five weeks.
Now, ahead of their LaLiga opener against Real Betis, Barca have only Messi remaining of their famed MSN strike force and Valverde wants his other players to contribute.
Messi is the best player in the world we are lucky but we all have to help him, he told a pre-match news conference.
We have to make him feel at ease so he can play his game and make his team shine. He needs a compact group around him.
31 ha…
England boss Sarina Wiegman is confident the Lionesses are capable of getting creative should Nigeria target breakout talent Lauren James in their last-16 clash in Brisbane.
Chelsea forward James was awarded player-of-the-match against China in England’s final group stage contest after contributing two goals and three assists in the 6-1 victory.
Having shown the world just how dangerous she could be, it would not be a surprise if Nigeria head coach Randy Waldrum spent plenty of time planning a corresponding response to mitigate the potent threat posed by the 21-year-old.
Back to Brisbane.
— Lionesses (@Lionesses)
Asked if she was prepared for that to happen, England boss Sarina Wiegman grinned and said: “Well, first of all we didn’t make…
A return to Barcelona could be on the cards for Adama Traore.
Wolves star Traore has taken the Premier League and Europe by storm with his performances this season.
Barcelona s LaLiga rivals Real Madrid are also reportedly interested.
TOP STORY – BARCA AND MADRID EYE TRAORE
Barcelona are plotting a move to bring Wolves star Adama Traore back to Camp Nou, according to the Daily Mail.
LaLiga rivals Real Madrid are also interested in Spanish winger Traore, who left Barca in 2015.
Wolves are set to command a big transfer fee for Traore amid links to Manchester City and Liverpool, having signed the 24-year-old from Middlesbrough two years ago.
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Gazzetta dello Sport claims Manchester United a…
Arne Slot got off to a winning start at Liverpool as the Reds kick-started their 2024-25 Premier League campaign with a 2-0 defeat of Ipswich Town.
Ipswich impressed in flashes in their first Premier League match since 2002, but Liverpool ultimately had too much as the Slot era began with a comfortable triumph at Portman Road.
Their goals came in quick succession – Diogo Jota opening the scoring on the hour with a composed close-range finish.
Having supplied the assist for Liverpool’s opener, Mohamed Salah got in on the act himself in the 65th minute, and Slot’s side showed no sign of slipping up from there.
Jota had squandered a golden chance just before putting Liverpool ahead, though the Reds were arguably second-best for much of the first half.<…
Memphis Depay will not be joining Inter from Barcelona in the January window, his lawyer has said.
The Netherlands striker is expected to leave Barca this month, with Inter among the clubs reported to be keen to sign him.
Following Barcelona s signing of Robert Lewandowski, Depay has found first-team opportunities difficult to come by – making just two starts in LaLiga this season.
Depay s lawyer Sebastian Ledure has denied that the 28-year-old, also linked with the likes of Atletico Madrid, could be on his way to San Siro.
There are no negotiations ongoing for Memphis to join Inter, he told Fabrizio Romano.
I can deny all these links, it s not a possibility that we are discussing.
The former Lyon and Manchester United forward joined …
Manchester City have completed the signing of defender Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund for a reported fee of £15.1million (€17.4m)
The Switzerland international has put pen to paper on a five-year deal for the Premier League champions, and will wear the number 25 shirt at the Etihad Stadium.
Akanji will provide further competition for a place in the heart of Pep Guardiola s defence, with Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake injured.
The 27-year-old, who was into the final year of his contract at Signal Iduna Park, is the second player to swap Dortmund for City during this window after Erling Haaland, alongside whom he won the German Cup in 2021.
Akanji played 158 times for BVB across all competitions after arriving from Basel in 2018, scoring four …
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 26th goal of the season as Al-Nassr swept aside rivals Al-Shabab to reach the semi-finals of the Saudi King Cup.
Ronaldo netted his side’s fourth in a 5-2 win with 16 minutes of the match remaining.
The breakthrough took his goal tally for the calendar year to 50.
Into semi-final
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN)
Former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane was also on target for Al-Nassr, who are hunting for their first King Cup win since 1990.
Qualification for next year’s AFC Champions League would be assured were they to achieve it.
…
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has signed a one-year contract extension with Bayern Munich.
The 33-year-old has excelled this season, scoring 15 goals in 24 matches to stand as the team s joint-top scorer alongside Jamal Musiala.
Cameroon international Choupo-Moting s reward is another year in Munich, with his fresh deal due to expire in June 2024.
I m super happy to be staying longer and continuing to have lots of fun with the club. I feel very much at home here, he told the club s website.
My family also feel at home in Munich. That s a very important point for me. I m obviously pleased I can help the team so much. I get on really well with the guys, we work hard on our goals.
The competition is big, but when you want to be among the best, that s p…