Argentina came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw with Bolivia in their South American World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
Marcelo Martins opened the scoring in La Paz 25 minutes in, but Argentina levelled just before half-time thanks to Ever Banega.
Returning to the site of one of their worst results in history, a 6-1 thumping in 2009, Argentina came out with a cautious outlook, trying to keep hold of possession early and absorb Bolivia s attacks, while waiting patiently to counter.
The long grass of Bolivia s Hernando Siles stadium, however, was not conducive to keeping the ball on the ground, and Alejandro Sabella s men struggled early on to compete against fearsome pressing from the home team.
Bolivia made all the early running, and they were rewarded aft…
Diego Costa has warned Atletico Madrid team-mate Antoine Griezmann there will be no going back if he joins Barcelona at the end of the season.
Griezmann has been strongly linked with a move to Camp Nou for much of the campaign after a switch to Manchester United failed to materialise last year.
Such reports have intensified in recent days, but Costa has urged the Frenchman to think long and hard about leaving the Europa League finalists.
The Brazil-born Spain international found himself in a similar scenario when joining Chelsea in 2014, a move that initially worked well but turned sour due to a breakdown in his relationship with coach Antonio Conte.
Costa counts himself lucky Atletico kept the door open for a return, but he does not think that would be …
Schalke midfielder Marco Hoger has agreed a contract with FC Koln and will move to Cologne at the end of the current season, the ‘.
The 26-year-old German international has put pen to paper on a deal until 2021 and is set to leave Schalke after five years spent with the Royal Blue.
Cologne-born midfielder returns to his home town and is excited to start the new chapter of his career.
“It is a childhood dream to play for this club. I could not say no to the opportunity to put on a Koln shirt”, Hoger said.
Marco Hoger endured difficult time at Schalke ever since his move in 2011.
He suffered a cruciate ligament injury in September 2015, but the Gelsenkirchen club have supported him throughout his injury woes by extending his contract by anoth…
Neymar would be a threat to Barcelona s squad harmony if he returned to the club from Paris Saint-Germain, according to Blaugrana great Hristo Stoichkov.
Brazil star Neymar left Barca for PSG in a world-record €222million move in 2017, as the Ligue 1 side paid the forward s release clause.
Neymar s split from Barca was ugly – the club criticising PSG s conduct and disputing the player s loyalty bonus.
But, according to media reports, that has not stopped Neymar and Barca working behind the scenes in recent weeks in order to facilitate a move.
Neymar s position at PSG looks untenable after the club s ultras sang offensive chants about him during their Ligue 1 opener, while Barca are said to have offered multiple players and a transfer fee to secure …
Leicester City manager Claude Puel says the club has not received any offers for Kasper Schmeichel, despite speculation linking the goalkeeper with a move away from the King Power Stadium.
The 31-year-old, who was a member of Leicester s remarkable Premier League title-winning team in 2015-16, was recently at the World Cup as Denmark were eliminated by Croatia on penalties.
Since then, the Foxes have signed Danny Ward from Liverpool for £12.5million, but Puel is determined to keep Schmeichel at the club for the upcoming season.
Of course Kasper is a very important player for us. He had a very strong World Cup, he said after Leicester s 4-1 win over Notts County in a pre-season friendly.
We need Kasper, with his character, his performance and his consi…
Pep Guardiola revealed he took Raheem Sterling back to basics to rediscover his form and says the Manchester City forward knows he is not at the peak of his powers.
England international Sterling had gone 13 games without goal for club and country before he was on target in a 4-1 Champions League win over Club Brugge this month.
The former Liverpool man followed that up with a sublime finish in the 3-0 victory over Everton last weekend and was also on target in a 2-1 defeat of Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.
Sterling has only started eight games for the Premier League champions this season on the back of an impressive Euro 2020.
Guardiola stated it is only normal that players go through frustrating spells and the City boss says there has been no speci…
Nani scored a 79th-minute equaliser as Orlando City salvaged a 1-1 draw at Sporting Kansas City in MLS action on Friday.
Orlando, who opened their 2021 season with a goalless draw against Atlanta United, had not gone two consecutive games without scoring since August 2019 and they avoided doing so thanks to former Manchester United star Nani.
Gianluca Busio put Sporting KC ahead on the stroke of half-time – Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese s pass picked off by Daniel Salloi, who teed up his team-mate.
Sporting KC won their final three regular-season home games in 2020 – the last visiting side to take a regular-season point in Kansas City were Orlando on September 23.
Captain cool |
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC)
A cheeky back…
Harry Kane took responsibility for England s World Cup exit after blazing a late penalty over the bar in the Three Lions 2-1 defeat to France, saying he will have to live with the error.
England more than matched France during Saturday s tense quarter-final at Al Bayt Stadium, with Kane cancelling out Aurelien Tchouameni s opener from the spot after the France midfielder fouled Bukayo Saka in the area.
However, Olivier Giroud restored the holders lead with 12 minutes remaining, and Kane was unable to score again when Theo Hernandez conceded a second penalty six minutes from time, firing over the crossbar.
The miss saw Kane squander the chance to surpass Wayne Rooney as England s all-time top goalscorer with his 54th international strike, while the Three Lions fel…
Leeds United will struggle to keep hold of talismanic winger Raphinha, as he could play right at the top , according to former defender Jonathan Woodgate.
The Brazil international was linked with a big-money move to West Ham in January but has remained at Elland Road, where Leeds face a survival bid.
Only three Premier League players have scored more than Raphinha s eight this season, while he also has two assists, having a hand in 10 of Leeds 24 goals.
The 25-year-old is excelling on the international stage, too, with three goals and two assists in World Cup qualifying.
In South America, among players with five or more starts, only Neymar (67.5) is averaging fewer minutes per non-penalty goal or assist than Raphinha (84.6).
Woodgate therefore exp…
Los Angeles Galaxy head coach and general manager Bruce Arena has signed a new multi-year deal with the franchise.
The former United States coach joined the Galaxy in 2008 and has since led the Californian outfit to three MLS Cup finals, claiming the title in both 2011 and 2012.
He has also achieved first-place finishes in the Western Conference in three of the last five seasons, winning the Supporters Shield in 2010 and 2011.
We are very pleased to sign Bruce Arena to a multi-year contract extension, said Dan Beckerman, president and CEO of AEG, the company that owns the Galaxy.
Bruce is one of the finest coaches in the history of soccer in the United States.
His commitment to the LA Galaxy, the club’s winning tradition and continued excellence on and of…