Category: Football

Barcelona blew away a miserable Valencia 7-1 on Sunday to get back on track in La Liga with a ruthless victory.

Fermin Lopez struck twice for the Catalans in the first half, along with goals from Frenkie de Jong, Ferran Torres and Raphinha which gave Barcelona a commanding five-goal lead at the break.

Hugo Duro pulled one back early in the second half before Robert Lewandowski pounced for Barca, followed by a Cesar Tarrega own goal, with the third-placed hosts earning just their second win in their last nine league matches.

Hansi Flick’s side trail La Liga leaders Real Madrid by seven points and second-placed Atletico Madrid by three.

“I think in La Liga we were in a bad dynamic and we needed this win, it’s very important and now we have to keep fighting,” Lopez told DAZN.

“The coach says everyone in the team is important, and whoever is playing we have to be up to it — that’s what being a team is and that’s how we can compete for the title.

“There’s still a long way to go and we will fight until the end.”

Flick shuffled his pack against Valencia in order to spark a response given the club’s poor domestic form.

The coach began with Lewandowski and Ronald Araujo on the bench, while Pedri was absent because of a stomach bug, leading to De Jong, Ferran Torres and the superb Lopez all starting.

It took just three minutes for De Jong to open the scoring, with teenage star Lamine Yamal crossing for him in the area virtually unmarked, and he fired home.

Barcelona soon had their second, with Torres tucking home from Alejandro Balde’s cross, in similar fashion to the first goal but from the opposite flank.

The hosts moved three goals ahead in the 14th minute when Lopez clipped a fine ball over the top for Raphinha to run onto.

The Brazilian winger rounded Giorgi Mamardashvili and rolled home for his 12th league goal of the season.

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Valencia, without the suspended Cristhian Mosquera, were struggling badly in defence and Barcelona broke in seemingly at will.

Lopez collected a perfectly measured Pau Cubarsi long pass for the fourth and although it was initially ruled offside, the decision was corrected by VAR.

Valencia thought they had won a penalty when Wojciech Szczesny brought down Hugo Duro but play was eventually brought back for a foul on Jules Kounde after another video review.

Lopez rattled home the fifth on the volley before half-time when Raphinha’s effort hit the post and fell nicely for him with the goalkeeper stranded.

Hugo Duro pulled one back for Valencia before the hour mark from Diego Lopez’s low cross and Flick responded by sending on La Liga’s top goalscorer Lewandowski.

The Polish forward finished clinically for his 17th league goal of the season after being sent through by Lopez for Barca’s sixth on the night.

Barcelona netted their seventh when Torres’ hammered cross was deflected into his own net by Tarrega.

“For me it was the perfect match,” Flick told reporters. “(Fermin) today showed how good he was… he attacked everything and defended very well, with the ball he was unbelievable.”

Seven goals did not flatter Barcelona by any means and the thrashing is a setback for Carlos Corberan’s Valencia, 19th and four points from safety.

“I feel angry and sad for all the people who came to see us, all the fans watching at home, we have to say sorry because we weren’t up to the level of the game or the shirt that we represent,” said Valencia defender Jose Gaya.

“It was an enormous step backwards, we have to ask for forgiveness… we have to feel hurt after this, we can’t forget it, we have to focus that energy and rage into the next game.”

Earlier Athletic Bilbao, fourth, could only produce a 0-0 draw at home against Leganes, and now trail Barcelona by two points.

Relegation-battling Getafe earned an impressive 3-0 win at Real Sociedad to climb to 14th, while Rayo Vallecano came from behind to beat Girona 2-1.

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Manchester City on Thursday announced the signing of Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush for a reported initial fee of around £59 million ($72.6 million).

The 25-year-old, whose contract is understood to include a potential further £4.2 million in add-ons, has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Premier League champions.

Marmoush is the third signing of Manchester City during the January transfer window following the arrivals of defenders Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis.

“This is a day I will never forget. To sign for Manchester City — one of the best teams in the world — is an amazing feeling,” he said.

“I am delighted, my family are so proud, and we are all very happy to be here in Manchester.”

Director of football Txiki Begiristain said Omar Marmoush was an “accomplished and exciting forward”.

“He’s had an outstanding season, and every time we have watched him, he has influenced matches,” he said.

“He has all the attributes a top-class attacker requires. He has outstanding pace and awareness, and he is exceptional in front of goal. He can also play a number of different positions, which is a really valuable asset.”

His arrival at the Etihad Stadium comes during a frustrating season for City.

Manchester City, champions for the past four seasons, are currently fifth in the Premier League, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool having played a game more.

Defeat at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on Wednesday has also left Pep Guardiola’s side in danger of missing out on the Champions League knockout stages.

READ: Neymar in talks to leave Saudi team Al-Hilal: club source

Brazilian star Neymar is in discussions about leaving his Saudi club Al-Hilal but his financial demands are holding up an agreement, a club source told AFP on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward has had an injury-plagued stay in Saudi Arabia, playing just seven times despite a reported salary of around $104 million a year.

The source, who spoke on condition that he was not identified, said: “Neymar is discussing his departure with Al-Hilal but his high financial demands remain a major obstacle.”

Neymar is under contract with the Saudi Pro League club until June.

Reports in Brazil say Santos, the club where Neymar made his name in his now fading career, are in talks for him to return to his homeland but Al-Hilal would prefer a transfer while Neymar wants a loan deal.

Neymar, the subject of what is still the biggest transfer in football history when he joined PSG from Barcelona in 2017 for a fee of 220 million euros ($230 million), joined Al-Hilal in August 2023.

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He followed fellow superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to the lucrative Saudi league.

But two months after his arrival in Riyadh, he ruptured a cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing for Brazil in a 2026 World Cup qualifier, which kept him on the sidelines for a year.

He then suffered a series of hamstring and knee injuries as he tried to return to action for Al-Hilal.

The club’s coach Jorge Jesus said recently: “He can no longer play at the level we are used to. Things have become difficult for him, unfortunately.”

A return to Brazil would likely be the last chance for a player who is his country’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals in 127 matches.

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Kylian Mbappe struck twice and produced a brilliant performance to power Real Madrid to a 4-1 win over Las Palmas and take the reigning champions to the top of La Liga on Sunday.

Los Blancos enjoyed a perfect weekend, overtaking Atletico Madrid by two points after their neighbours slipped up with a shock defeat at Leganes on Saturday, while Barcelona, third, could only draw at Getafe.

Mbappe has hit top form in recent weeks after an inconsistent start to life at Real Madrid following his dream switch from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.

The 26-year-old reached 12 league goals with his brace, becoming the Spanish league’s second top-scorer behind Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, with Brahim Diaz and Rodrygo Goes also on target.

“It was a very important game because we knew what had happened yesterday, with Atletico and Barca, we wanted to win and we did,” Mbappe told Real Madrid TV.

“We started badly, letting in a goal (so early)… but the reaction was top.

“We got the ball forward, quickly, attacking the spaces and with quality, we scored a lot of goals… we’re happy because we’re leaders.”

Mbappe has 18 goals for the season in 30 appearances across all competitions, and is looking increasingly crucial for his side in attack.

With Vinicius Junior suspended, the spotlight was on the French forward at the Santiago Bernabeu and he delivered with a sparkling performance.

“I am very happy, I have adapted to the team and I can play how I want, with my team-mates, with personality,” continued Mbappe.

“I think that we are all enjoying it.”

Madrid were thrashed by Barcelona last week in the Spanish Super Cup final, leading to some whistles for the team when they played at home in midweek in the Copa del Rey.

Kylian Mbappe posted on the social media network Instagram to encourage the fans to stick together and support the team.

“I think we have to be united, and like that, we can go for all the trophies,” he explained.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was questioned over his positioning of Mbappe earlier in the season, using the striker through the middle instead of on the left, where Vinicius plays and Mbappe often did at PSG.

“He’s the best central striker in the world,” said Ancelotti.

“He’s a great forward, he’s very comfortable in the middle, more than on the wing, his ability to get away from players is unique and inside he can take better advantage of that.”

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Las Palmas took a surprise lead in just over 30 seconds when a rapid move sliced open Madrid’s defence.

Sandro Ramirez crossed for Fabio Silva to apply the finishing touch from close range.

Real Madrid hit back strongly, with Diaz shooting wide when he should have scored, and Mbappe’s fierce effort tipped away by Jasper Cillessen.

Kylian Mbappe, who suffered heavy criticism after missing two penalties towards the end of 2024, levelled from the spot after Sandro clumsily felled Rodrygo.

The striker was involved in Madrid’s second goal, with the rebound from his saved shot falling to Lucas Vazquez, who squared for Diaz to convert.

Mbappe netted his second with a fine finish which arced into the top corner after Rodrygo cut the ball back.

Mbappe thought he had completed his hat-trick before the break but the goal was ruled offside in the build-up.

Rodrygo stroked home the fourth from Fran Garcia’s low cross after Mbappe played the left-back in early in the second half.

Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde had strikes ruled out for offside as Madrid continued to dominate, and they were able to welcome David Alaba back as a substitute after more than a year out with a serious knee injury.

“(Alaba) is a player who can help us a lot, you don’t know how much it means for us to have him back on the pitch with us,” Madrid’s Dani Ceballos told DAZN.

Midfielder Ceballos had one of his best games for Madrid and was given an ovation by the Santiago Bernabeu.

“I have worked, waited for my moment, and now I have to keep working,” he added.

Athletic Bilbao, fourth in the La Liga points table, won 2-1 at Celta Vigo earlier Sunday to pull level on points with third-place Barcelona.

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Manchester United and Scotland great Denis Law has died at the age of 84, sparking a wave of heartfelt tributes to a man known at Old Trafford as “The King”.

Law was a member of United’s European Cup-winning side under Matt Busby in 1968, when they became the first English club to lift the trophy, though he was injured for the final.

Capped 55 times by Scotland, he remains his country’s joint all-time leading scorer with 30 goals alongside Kenny Dalglish and is the only Scottish player to win the Ballon d’Or, in 1964.

Law — part of the famed “Holy Trinity” at Old Trafford alongside Bobby Charlton and George Best — was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in 2021.

His death was confirmed on Friday “with a heavy heart” by his family, who said “he fought a tough battle but finally he is now at peace”.

“We would like to thank everyone who contributed to his wellbeing and care, past and much more recently,” the statement added. “We know how much people supported and loved him and that love was always appreciated and made the difference. Thank you.”

Denis Law scored a total of 237 goals in 404 appearances during an 11-year spell at Old Trafford until 1973, which places him third behind Wayne Rooney and Charlton on United’s all-time list.

Manchester United said the club was mourning the loss of “the King of the Stretford End”.

“He will always be celebrated as one of the club’s greatest and most beloved players,” United added.

“The ultimate goalscorer, his flair, spirit and love for the game made him the hero of a generation.”

The Scotland national team called Law “a true great”, adding: “We will not see his likes again.”

Rooney paid tribute on X, posting: “Legend. Thoughts with all Denis’ family and friends.”

Former United and England captain Bryan Robson, who worked with Law in an ambassadorial role at Old Trafford, described the Scot as a “fantastic man”.

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“We have lost one of football’s giants both as a player and a gentleman. It’s incredibly sad,” Robson wrote in a column in the Daily Mail.

“Denis was more than just a fantastic footballer, he was a fantastic man. So generous with his time and everything delivered with that great sense of humour of his.”

Law began his career at Huddersfield Town and also had two spells with Manchester City plus one with the Italian club Torino.

He was sold for a British record fee three times during his career.

During his time at United, Law won the FA Cup and English top-flight twice, in 1965 and 1967.

However, a cartilage injury forced him to miss the famous 4-1 victory over Benfica in the European Cup final at Wembley in 1968.

Law is the only player to have two statues dedicated to him at Old Trafford, one as part of the “United Trinity” alongside Best and Charlton.

Law’s other previous clubs added their tributes. City, the current English champions, said the “whole of Manchester” was mourning.

In a reply to United’s X post, the club said: “The whole of Manchester, including everyone at City, is mourning with you.”

Huddersfield called their former player an “immortal” of football while Torino said he was an “iconic figure” in the club’s history.

In the years after his retirement Denis Law worked as a broadcaster as well as for numerous charities.

Former Scotland international Joe Jordan said he was a “proper icon”. “Denis was a special player and to lose someone like him, I think will affect an awful lot of Manchester United fans,” Jordan told the BBC.

“A proper icon for his ability on the field to score goals but he had a special edge to him, not just as a player but as a person. He was a special player.”

READ: Erling Haaland signs new Manchester City deal until 2034

Norwegian striker Erling Haaland has signed a new 9.5-year deal at Manchester City that will keep him at the Etihad until 2034, the Premier League champions announced on Friday.

The 24-year-old striker’s existing deal was due to expire in June 2027 but he has now committed his future to the club for the next decade.

The Norwegian joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 and has scored 111 goals in 126 games for the club.

“I am really happy to have signed my new contract and to be able to look forward to spending even more time at this great club,” said Haaland.

“Manchester City is a special Club, full of fantastic people with amazing supporters and it’s the type of environment that helps bring the best out of everybody.

“I also want to thank Pep, his coaching staff, my teammates and everyone at the Club as they have all helped me so much in the past couple of years. They have made this such a special place to be and now I am City no matter what.

“I want to keep developing, keep working to get better and look to do my best to try and help us achieve more success going forward.”

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Manchester City’s outgoing director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “Everyone at the club is absolutely delighted that Erling has signed his new contract.

“The fact he is signed for so long demonstrates our commitment to him as a player, and his love of this club.

“He has made an incredible impact already in his time here and his amazing numbers and records speak for themselves.

“But in addition to his outstanding natural talent and ability, Erling’s dedication, professionalism, humility and desire to keep getting better sum up what we all strive to achieve at Manchester City.

“He is one of the finest strikers in world football, but Erling is still very young and will only continue to improve working under Pep and his coaching team. If he works hard, which I know he will, he will create an incredible legacy at this football club.

“Now he can focus on his game and continuing to play a huge part in helping us try to achieve even more success.”

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Trials for the Pakistan Street Child Football Team are in full swing across the country, aiming to select young talent for the prestigious Norway Cup 2025 and Street Child World Cup 2026.

In the first phase, trials have been successfully completed in 12 cities across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

These cities include Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Peshawar, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan, and others. The trials witnessed an overwhelming response, with a large number of young players participating enthusiastically.

The next phase of trials will focus on Sindh, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Young athletes from these regions will have the opportunity to showcase their skills and secure a spot in the national team.

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To ensure fair competition, the maximum age limit for participants has been set at 17 years.

The Norway Cup 2025 will be held in Oslo, Norway, from July 26 to August 2. Meanwhile, the Street Child World Cup 2026 is scheduled to take place in the United States of America (USA) in February and March, bringing together talented young players from around the globe.

These tournaments not only provide a platform for underprivileged youth to shine on the global stage but also inspire countless others across the country.

The ongoing trials reflect Pakistan’s commitment to nurturing young talent and promoting football as a sport of unity and opportunity.

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Pep Guardiola said he would not “take another club” after ending his stint as Manchester City manager, although he left open the possibility of coaching a national team.

Shortly after signing a contract extension in November, Guardiola gave an interview in Manchester to visiting Spanish celebrity chef Dani Garcia, who posted the conversation on his YouTube channel.

“I feel this is enough. I’m going to stop. I’m not going to take another team,” Guardiola said. “I’m not talking about the long-term future, but what I’m not going to do is leave Man City, go to another country, and do the same thing as now.

“I wouldn’t have the energy. The thought of starting somewhere else, all the training and so on. No, no, no! Maybe a national team, but that’s different.

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“I want to leave it and go and play golf but I can’t. I think stopping would do me good.”

Pep Guardiola has previously expressed an interest in coaching at international level later in his career.

“That’s different. It’s not (training) every day, (playing) every three days,” he said. “To rest, to see what we have done, what we can do better because day-to-day we don’t have much time to rest.”

In a conversation that included his taste in food and his philosophy of life, Guardiola told Garcia that from the start of his career ,he had looked to one day having time to study French, play golf and learn to cook.

READ: Mohamed Salah strikes to keep Liverpool perfect in Champions League

Mohamed Salah helped Liverpool to stay perfect in the Champions League on Tuesday while holders Real Madrid bounced back from their defeat at Anfield to topple in-form Italians Atalanta.

Elsewhere, struggling Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) gained a vital win at Salzburg, while Bayer Leverkusen edged Inter Milan to move second.

Aston Villa, in their first appearance in the continent’s elite club competition for 41 years, maintained their bright progress beating Leipzig 3-2 to sit third.

The first eight teams qualify directly for the last 16 with those placed ninth to 24 entering a play-off round.

In Spain, Salah’s 63rd-minute penalty proved decisive against dogged debutants Girona to extend the Premier League leaders’ record to six from six in the revamped format of Europe’s flagship club competition.

Under new coach Arne Slot Liverpool are virtually assured a place in the last 16.

“If you ask me about all six games, I’m really pleased with all the results… (but) I’m far from pleased about the performance tonight,” Slot told reporters in Girona.

“(We had) hardly any control at all over the game, maybe the second half was a bit better but then I’m trying to be positive.”

Mohamed Salah sent Paulo Gazzaniga the wrong way to net his 50th Champions League goal, pulling the Egyptian level with Filippo Inzaghi as the 10th-highest goalscorer of all time in the competition.

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The winger is out of contract at the end of the season but his 16 goals across all competitions have been essential in Liverpool’s superb first half of the season.

While Liverpool are sitting pretty with two league phase rounds to come early next year, kings of Europe Real Madrid, beaten 2-0 by Liverpool last time out, have work to do to ensure their progress into the knockout phase.

Kylian Mbappe gave Real a 10th-minute lead before hobbling off injured in Atalanta, his strike was cancelled out by Charles de Ketelaere’s penalty in first-half additional time.

Real coach Carlo Ancelotti started Vinicius Junior for the first time since a hamstring problem last month. The Brazilian had Real back on top before the hour, with Jude Bellingham also on the scoresheet for a 3-2 win over the Serie A leaders.

The hard-fought victory moved Real up to 18th on nine points and will have helped to settle any nerves at the 15-time European champions ahead of games against Salzburg and Brest in January.

PSG put the wheels back on their stuttering campaign with a much-needed 3-0 defeat on the road at Salzburg.

The French champions went into this encounter in the 25th with just four points and three goals scored after five matches.

They approach their last two league outings in provisional 24th – the final berth for the playoffs ahead of Wednesday’s games.

Bayern swept aside Ukraine side Shakhtar Donetsk in Gelsenkirchen 5-1. Fellow Bundesliga giants Leverkusen became the first team to score against Inter in this year’s competition in a 1-0 win that lifted them five points adrift of Liverpool at the top of the league.

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Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer will likely not play again in 2024, coach Vincent Kompany confirmed ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Shakhtar Donetsk.

Speaking on Monday, Kompany said “he’s got a broken rib, which means he probably won’t play again this year.

“What’s important is that it heals now. Hopefully from the start of January, we’ll have Manu back, but for now, it’s too early.”

Kompany confirmed that Neuer broke his rib in a collision with Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong on Tuesday, for which the goalie also picked up the first red card of his 866-game career.

Bayern Munich are missing several first-team players as an injury crisis sweeps through the club.

Manuel Neuer, Harry Kane, Kingsley Coman, Alphonso Davies, Joao Palhinha, Serge Gnabry, Josip Stanisic, Hiroki Ito and Mathys Tel are all on the injured list, while backup ‘keeper Sven Ulreich is out for personal reasons.

“We’re missing a lot of players, but I think we’ve come through well so far,” Vincent Kompany said.

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Neuer’s absence means Bayern’s third-choice goalie, Daniel Peretz, will start between the sticks.

The Israel goalkeeper will play his third game for Bayern having made his club debut off the bench after Neuer’s sending off in the 1-0 German Cup last 16 loss to Leverkusen.

The six-time Champions League winners sit in 13th spot on the Champions League table after five matches, after three home wins and away losses to Barcelona and Aston Villa.

A win against Shakhtar would help Bayern’s bid to finish in the top eight and avoid an additional playoff round.

Officially an ‘away’ fixture for Bayern, Tuesday’s match is in the German city of Gelsenkirchen, Shakhtar’s European base this season as their displacement due to Russia’s invasion continues.

Bayern last lost in Gelsenkirchen, the home ground of second-division Schalke, in 2010. Since then, Bayern have won 11 and drawn one of 12 games, scoring 29 goals and conceding just two.

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