Gabriel Barbosa s long wait for a first Serie A goal ended as the Brazil international came off the bench to seal a 1-0 win for Inter at Bologna.
Stefano Pioli s men looked set to miss out on the opportunity to regain fourth place in the top flight as Bologna displayed the type of defensive resilience entirely absent from their 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Napoli at Stadio Renato Dall Ara earlier this month.
But Gabriel – who arrived amid much fanfare from Santos but offered little to back up his famed Gabigol nickname across five previous substitute cameos in Italy s top flight – provided a headline-grabbing turn worthy of a forward talent who helped to fire the home nation to gold-medal glory at Rio 2016, alongside Neymar and Gabriel Jesus.
The finish…
Keira Walsh vowed England are determined to honour their injured team-mates and “get the job done” when they face Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final.
This is the furthest the Lionesses have ever advanced in a global showpiece, with Wednesday’s 3-1 semi-final victory over co-hosts Australia assuring them of at least one place higher than the bronze medal achieved eight years ago in Canada.
England have reached this unprecedented stage without Euro 2022-winning captain Leah Williamson, that tournament’s Golden Boot winner Beth Mead, and one of the game’s most creative attackers in Fran Kirby, all of whom were ruled out of this event with knee injuries.
“I think it is difficult for them,” said Walsh, who started every game of the Euros triumph alongsi…
Bournemouth have confirmed Maxim Demin again owns 100 per cent of the Premier League club.
US-based Peak6 Football Holdings bought a 25 per cent stake in Bournemouth three years ago.
But the firm co-founded by Matt Hulsizer, who has been involved at Minnesota Wild has sold the stake back to Demin.
Russian businessman Demin now owns 100 per cent of Bournemouth shares through his company AFCB Enterprises.
Demin arrived at Bournemouth in 2011 and has overseen the club s rise to the Premier League.
Under manager Eddie Howe, the Cherries sit 12th in the top flight.
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Newport County FA Cup hero Padraig Amond will enjoy an unlikely reunion when Premier League champions Manchester City visit Rodney Parade in a David-versus-Goliath last-16 clash on Saturday.
Amond s sweetly struck goal against Middlesbrough to help set up the money-spinning tie followed a coolly dispatched penalty as County saw off Leicester City in round three.
The 30-year-old Irish forward has 18 goals in all competitions this season – making him Newport s main threat as they chase an upset he feels would rank as the biggest shock in the history of the FA Cup .
Amond s route to south Wales comes after stints in England s lower divisions with the likes of Accrington Stanley and Hartlepool United but is far from typical.
Following his breakthrough as a…
Manchester United marked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s appointment as permanent manager with an unconvincing 2-1 victory over Watford on Saturday.
Goals in each half from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial got the Red Devils back to winning ways after losses to Arsenal and Wolves in the Premier League and FA Cup, despite Abdoulaye Doucoure s late strike.
It was a mostly uninspiring performance from United at Old Trafford, but the result moves them back into the top four at the end of a week in which Solskjaer was confirmed as their next full-time boss on a three-year deal.
Doucoure dragged a shot wide from inside the United box as the home side endured a strangely sluggish start in the Manchester sun, but they took the lead 28 minutes in, with Rashford clipping a clev…
Marouane Fellaini scored twice as Manchester United cruised to a 4-0 victory over rock-bottom Crystal Palace in the Premier League at Old Trafford.
Juan Mata, one of Jose Mourinho s five changes from Wednesday s win over CSKA Moscow, struck early on, netting his first Premier League goal since February on his 200th appearance in the competition.
And two close-range finishes from the in-form Fellaini either side of half-time took his season tally to four before Romelu Lukaku sealed a comprehensive victory late on as United continued to impress even without the injured Paul Pogba.
United s win, which saw Marcus Rashford also shine with two assists, moved them top of the Premier League, a position they will keep unless Manchester City can defeat fellow title riva…
Netherlands international Daley Blind has ended his four-season stay at Manchester United and returned to former club Ajax for a fee potentially rising to €20.5million.
The 28-year-old has signed a four-year deal with the club that handed him his professional debut in 2008.
Ajax have paid an initial transfer fee of €16m that could rise a further €4.5m depending on variable factors , the Dutch club confirmed.
Blind originally left Amsterdam in order to link up with Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford in 2014, but fell out of favour under Jose Mourinho and featured just seven times in the Premier League last season.
The versatile midfielder ends a mixed spell with the Red Devils having won an FA Cup, EFL Cup, Europa League and Community Shield.
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Mesut Ozil s fall from grace continued on Thursday when he was left out of Arsenal s Europa League squad.
The 2014 World Cup winner was the biggest omission from the 24-man list submitted to UEFA ahead of the group stage, when the Gunners will face Rapid Vienna, Dundalk and Molde.
Ozil, 31, has not been included in any of Arsenal s six squads across the Premier League and EFL Cup in 2020-21, and he has not appeared for the club since March, when leagues and competitions were shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
There was little suggestion that Ozil would move ahead of Monday s transfer deadline, though, given his reported £350,000-a-week deal which expires next year.
On Tuesday, the German offered to pay the salary of Arsenal mascot Gunnersaur…
According to a recent report from Sky Sports News, Benfica midfielder Gedson Fernandes still prefers the idea of moving to West Ham United ahead of any other potential English – or European – club.
Manchester United and Everton have both been linked in the past and even recently, but it seems like the ship has sailed for them in this instance.
Fernandes is currently over in Lisbon alongside his representatives who are discussing the possibility of a move between the two parties. The deal that is currently on the table would allow for an 18-month loan switch to go with an option to buy at the end of that period.
The Hammers seem to be going for it in regards to what they want to accomplish in the January transfer window, and their optimism and quick a…
Jose Mourinho has little interest in external scrutiny after three consecutive Tottenham defeats, insisting he places enough pressure on himself.
Spurs host struggling West Brom on Sunday but head into the weekend eighth in the Premier League, 14 points off top, after losing to Liverpool, Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea consecutively.
That miserable run has made Mourinho the first Tottenham boss since Andre Villas-Boas in November 2012 to suffer three defeats in a row in the league.
Indeed, the reverses against Liverpool and Chelsea represented the first time in 327 home league matches in Mourinho s managerial career he has lost back-to-back games.
Speaking ahead of the West Brom game, where Spurs will aim to bounce back at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium,…