Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice on his international return as Portugal completed their Euro 2024 preparations with a 3-0 victory over Republic of Ireland in Aveiro.
Roberto Martinez s side were 2-1 losers against fellow European Championship hopefuls Croatia on Saturday but responded three days later with a convincing victory at Aveiro Municipal Stadium.
Joao Felix opened the scoring after just 18 minutes, while Ronaldo was denied by the woodwork in a one-sided first half against John O Shea s visitors on Tuesday.
Ronaldo would not be stopped after the interval, though, curling in a fine 50th-minute strike before adding a second soon after in a dominant win, just a week before Portugal s Euro 2024 opener against Czechia.
Que venha o Europeu! | 3-0 |
Germany coach Joachim Loew has urged his players to concentrate on the finer details in order to triumph at Euro 2012.
Loew s team were one of only two nations, along with Spain, to boast a 100 percent record in qualification for the tournament, and have been labelled as one of the favourites to win in Poland and Ukraine.
Four years ago they lost 1-0 to Spain in the final of Euro 2008, and Loew believes it will be the little things which decide the champion this year.
We have established ourselves in the world s top class and at the highest level it is often only small details which decide whether you win or lose, Loew said.
If you are at the top and winning a lot of matches it becomes more and more difficult to improve, but it is necessary. That will …
Mexico have dismissed head coach Jaime Lozano following an underwhelming Copa America campaign.
Mexico finished third in Group B, scoring just once in the group stage as they finished with one win.
Lozano, who was in charge for just under a year, reportedly turned down a demotion to stay under a new head coach, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) said in a statement.
Following the Copa America, the FMF has begun an analysis to determine mistakes, and successes and evaluate areas for improvement in the process, the FMF said on Tuesday.
Jaime Lozano was offered a contract until 2030 in which, during the period 2024-2026, he will accompany a more experienced manager towards our World Cup.
Llegaste en un momento difícil y supiste afrontar los ret…
Eder s super extra-time winner sent France s Euro 2016 hopes heading in the wrong direction. Their celebratory bus is sure to do likewise.
HEADING QUICKLY BACK DOWN THE MOTORWAY
Obviously, celebrations for winning major football tournaments cannot just be thrown together like an impromptu garden party, but perhaps the organisers of the party France will never enjoy might have been a touch more subtle.
Sending a Champions of Europe bus hurtling down the motorway in broad daylight is set to become the joke that will never get old in Portugal.
First thing Monday morning, get the whitewash out. Pronto.
Je suis passé dans le futur je crois
— Hugo Legrand (@HugoLgrnd)
PARIS FAN ZONE A TOWERING SIGHT ONCE MORE
T…
Jonas Eidevall has called time on his spell as Arsenal head coach after an underwhelming start to the campaign.
The Gunners have been tipped as title contenders in the Women s Super League this season, yet they have won just one of their opening four matches.
They also went down 5-2 to Bayern Munich in their first Women s Champions League group stage match last week, before losing 2-1 to Chelsea to suffer their first loss of the WSL season.
A bad week that started with a draw against struggling Everton and ended with that loss to Chelsea at Emirates Stadium has ultimately signalled the end of Eidevall s tenure.
Arsenal confirmed on Tuesday that the Swede, who was appointed in June 2021 and has overseen 120 matches in all competitions, had resigned.
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Wales are confident Liverpool striker Lewis Koumas will continue to play for them on the international stage and not change his allegiance to England.
Dual-qualified Koumas has been promoted to the Wales Under-21 set-up after being capped at U19 level and breaking in to the first-team picture at Liverpool.
The 18-year-old was an unused substitute in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea and scored on his senior debut in the 3-0 FA Cup defeat of Southampton at Anfield last month.
A first professional goal for Lewis Koumas
A terrific reverse finish from the youngster
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup)
Koumas’ father Jason was a full Wales international, winning 34 caps between 2001 and 2009 while playing for West Brom…
Spain s football season is almost upon us, with another thrilling campaign in store in LaLiga.
But while many will focus on Lionel Messi, Eden Hazard and the revolution at Atletico Madrid, some younger talents could establish themselves as LaLiga stars in the coming season.
There are several players up and down the league who will be desperate for their big opportunity.
With the help of Opta, we take a look at five prospects who debuted in the competition last term and will hope for breakout seasons.
Diego Lainez (Real Betis)
Winger Lainez only turned 19 in June, but he already has four caps for Mexico, having established himself as a top prospect at Club America after debuting at 16.
Although Lainez did not make an immediate i…
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique was not disheartened by seeing his side relinquish top spot following Sunday s 1-1 draw at Nice in Ligue 1.
PSG were forced to come from behind to maintain their unbeaten start to 2024-25, with Nuno Mendes cancelling out Ali Abdi s opener early in the second half.
The French champions were unable to find a winner despite enjoying 71.1% of the possession and attempting 19 shots to Nice s eight. Nice s possession share of 28.8% was their lowest in Ligue 1 since December 2011 (28.7% versus Lille).
The result leaves PSG second in the table with 17 points, two adrift of Monaco.
It is the second season in a row that PSG have not led Ligue 1 after seven matchdays, having sat fifth at this stage last term. They topped the ta…
Verdict: Away win
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Napoli travels to Cagliari searching for the 3rd win in Serie A following a shocking start with a defeat in the opening round against Verona. The game will be played Sunday afternoon at Unipol Domus, where over 16000 fans will back the host to break the ice and record the first win against Napoli since 2009.
Cagliari
Taking Cagliari from 14th place in Serie B to a dramatic last Summer promotion achieved after an intense play-off win against Bari, Claudio Ranieri became a legend for the Islanders. Although returning to the first stage of Italian football was a great performance, Cagliari had a reality check after ending the previous term under a real relegation threat.
However, the vast experience, knowl…
Only 16 teams remain alive on the race to claim the 2019-20 UEFA Europa League title. The completion of the Round of 32 had to wait until Friday following the match between RB Salzburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, and the Bundesliga side notched a spot in the next stage of the tournament.
Here is the full round of fixtures for the 2019-20 UEFA Europa League Round Of 16:
Sevilla (Spain) vs AS Roma (Italy)
Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany) vs FC Basel (Switzerland)
Istanbul Basaksehir (Turkey) vs FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
LASK Linz (Austria) vs Manchester United (England)
Inter Milan (Italy) vs Getafe (Spain)
Wolfsburg (Germany) vs Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
Rangers (Scotland) vs Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
Olympiacos (Greece) vs Wolv…