Troyes boys heading to Ligue 1

Thibaut Courtois made the decision himself to go up for the late corner that saw Real Madrid snatch a last-gasp draw with Valencia, according to head coach Zinedine Zidane.

Madrid were staring down the barrel of a second LaLiga defeat of the season courtesy of Carlos Soler s 78th-minute striker at Mestalla.

However, Belgium goalkeeper Courtois saw a late header saved by Jaume Domenech and Karim Benzema lashed home to ensure Madrid returned to the capital with a point.

He decided to go up and this shows that we wanted more, that we never give up, Zidane told a news conference.

The equaliser is something that we put a lot of effort into. This is Real Madrid, a team that never gives up. They believed they could do it and they did.

With everything …

Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer was less than impressed with the defensive errors that littered his side s 3-1 defeat at Porto in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

The 2013 European champions began Wednesday s first-leg clash at the Estadio do Dragao in disastrous fashion, handing their opponents two goals in the opening 10 minutes.

First, Xabi Alonso was robbed of the ball by Jackson Martinez, who was then fouled by Manuel Neuer before Ricardo Quaresma netted the resulting penalty.

Quaresma then dispossessed Dante and ran clear to score a second, and although Thiago Alcantara pulled one back, Jerome Boateng s misjudgment let in Martinez to round Neuer and slot home after the break, leaving Bayern with it all to do in next we…

Spanish programme Cadena Cope has learned that Atletico Madrid are considering a summer bid for Malaga stopper Martin Demichelis.

With Cata Diaz looking to leave the club, los Colchoneros are hoping to sign another experienced centre-back and Demichelis certainly fits the bill.

The Argentine is set to leave Malaga when his contract expires at the end of the month, although he is believed to be keen on a return to River Plate.

Atletico Madrid officials hope the lure of Champions League football will persuade the Argentine to move to Vicente Calderon instead, especially as they are able to offer him a lucrative contract.

The 32-year-old joined Malaga from Bayern Munich in January 2011, and has since clocked up 84 La Liga appearances and scored 7 goals in t…

Spain can seal a second consecutive UEFA Under-21 Championship crown when they face Italy in the final in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

The Spanish starlets won the crown in 2011 in Denmark and are aiming to replicate the achievement of the senior side by securing back-to-back European titles, but will have to overcome a strong Italian outfit to do so.

Both sides are unbeaten in the tournament, and have conceded just one goal between them in the eight games they have played so far.
Spain booked their place in the final with a 3-0 win over Norway, Benfica forward Rodrigo giving them the lead before Isco and Alvaro Morata closed the game out.
Morata is the top marksman for Julen Lopetegui s men with four goals in four games, and they will be hoping the Real Madrid forward can cont…

Heading into week four of the Premier League season, fantasy football managers find themselves in a position where team selection becomes even more crucial.

Some big-name players have disappointed in the opening weeks, leading bosses to consider whether to stick or twist in favour of in-form options.

With three weeks down, the week ahead may prove crucial for your hopes for the season, with the first midweek fixtures of the campaign also looming large.

Crucial decisions lie ahead and Stats Perform is here to help, using Opta data to select four picks for your consideration.

Robert Sanchez (Brighton and Hove Albion vs Leeds United)

Brighton s fine start to the Premier League season has seen the Seagulls secure wins against Manchester United and Wes…

Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta dropped out of the Spain squad for the Confederations Cup because of an injury and will be replaced by Valencia s Pablo Hernandez, the Spanish Football Federation said Friday.

Medical tests carried out on the 25-year-old confirmed that his thigh muscle injury was more serious than previously thought and could require him to be sidelined for up to two months, it said in a statement.

There is a strong chance of a relapse. He already had one in the Champions League final and we don t want another. He needs a long period of recuperation, federation doctor Oscar Celada told a news conference.

Iniesta picked up the injury at the beginning of last month and he aggravated it during Barcelona s 2-0 Champions League final win over Manc…

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With a chance to potentially move level on points with Liverpool, Manchester United will welcome a high-flying Aston Villa to Old Trafford on Friday night.

Manchester United

Starting with the hosts, while they might have left it extremely late earlier in the week, Manchester United did manage to pick themselves up what was a last-gasp 1-0 win against Wolves. Although the former Premier League champions might have been drastically struggling with their form when opening the 2020/2021 campaign, the Reds have managed to bounce back in a hugely impressive fashion. With that woeful 6-1 drumming against Tottenham back in September now a distant memory, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s side find themselves enjoying a real purple patch. Knowing that thr…

Jurgen Klopp confirmed Liverpool are still working to make a signing in the transfer window ahead of Thursday s deadline, even if he will be relieved when it is all over.

Reds manager Klopp revealed last week he had changed his opinion on the need for a new midfielder at Anfield, having previously insisted his squad was strong enough.

When the Liverpool boss made those comments, ahead of facing Bournemouth at home, they were still winless.

Bournemouth were subsequently swatted aside 9-0, but Klopp is pressing ahead with the new plan to make a signing, although the really important stuff will follow after the window closes.

Asked if Liverpool were still active, Klopp replied: Ish . Somehow, yeah, but the closer we get to the last minute, the more unlikely …

Fernando Torres s double on his final Atletico Madrid appearance was not enough to secure victory for Diego Simeone s 10-man side as Ruben Pena s stunner earned Eibar a 2-2 draw.

Captaining a second-string Atleti side – playing four days on from their Europa League triumph against Marseille in Lyon – at a celebratory Wanda Metropolitano, Torres netted either side of the interval in Sunday s clash.

Having cancelled out Kike Garcia s opener just before the break, Torres edged Atleti ahead on the hour, rolling back the years with a fantastic run and delicate finish.

Any hopes Torres had of making way to a standing ovation were ended shortly after he netted his second, though, as Jose Gimenez entered the fray for Atleti s third change after Lucas Hernandez had se…

Jose Mourinho admits Tottenham may soon start to feel the effects of playing catch-up in the race for a top-four finish and believes it will be a different story next season.

Below-par Tottenham salvaged a 2-1 comeback win against Brighton and Hove Albion on Thursday, four days on from a disappointing 2-0 home loss to Chelsea.

Spurs are once more three points behind Chelsea, who went down 2-0 to Southampton, but Mourinho is realistic about their prospects of finishing in the top four.

Mourinho, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino last month with Tottenham 11 points adrift of the Champions League places, told reporters: I started with minus 12 here. Minus 12. 

With minus 12, you have to recover 12 points that s a lot. You can tell me, A couple of days ago y…