Christian Eriksen said he was a happy man after making his long-awaited return to football in Brentford s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United, having suffered a near-fatal cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 fixture last June.
The Denmark midfielder joined Brentford on a free transfer in January after leaving Serie A champions Inter, having suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch during his country s Euro 2020 group-stage fixture against Finland in Copenhagen.
Eriksen received a standing ovation from both sets of fans when he was introduced as a second-half substitute against the Magpies, 766 days after making his last Premier League appearance, which came for Tottenham against Norwich City in January 2020.
The timing of his return was not entirely ideal, with the Bees…
Pep Guardiola believes he has everything I could possibly want at Manchester City after signing a new two-year contract.
Guardiola arrived at City from Bayern Munich in 2016 and has won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and three EFL Cups.
The Catalan manager s deal at the Etihad Stadium was set to expire at the end of the 2020-21 season, with rumours of interest from former club Barcelona emerging.
But an agreement with Guardiola was announced on Thursday, extending his City stay until 2023.
The treble-winning coach was delighted with the news as he spoke glowingly of the support he receives in Manchester.
Ever since I arrived at Manchester City, I have been made to feel so welcome in the club and in the city itself from the players, the staf…
Marco Verratti and Jorginho were among a group of six players to leave the Italy camp after their failure to qualify for the World Cup.
Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne, Domenico Berardi and Gianluca Mancini also returned to their clubs ahead of schedule, with the latter two having sustained knocks.
Italy coach Roberto Mancini is expected to ring the changes in a friendly against Turkey on Tuesday following the Azzurri s shock defeat to North Macedonia in a World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final on Thursday.
The Euro 2020 champions first ever home loss in World Cup qualifying meant they failed to reach successive finals for the first time in their history.
Instead of taking on Portugal in the play-off final, Italy will depart for Konya on Monday.�…
Tottenham Hotspur are in talks over the possibility of signing Jannik Vestergaard with the defender in the final year of his contract with Southampton, according to .
The talks are a result of their wish to sign two defenders this summer, and Vestergaard s international teammate Joachim Andersen is another player considered, having spent 2020-21 on loan with Fulham. Anderson apparently has no intention of returning to his parent club, Olympique Lyon, where he is under contract until 2024. The final decision will be made by the newly appointed Spurs manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who prefers a three-man line at the back. It is a system which both Vestergaard and Andersen are familiar with, having played that way with Denmark at the ongoing Euros.
Vestergaard joined the Sai…
Damien Comolli has criticised Harry Redknapp s stance on sporting directors, insisting the former QPR boss has much to thank him for.
Former Tottenham and Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli believes all major sports clubs could eventually be run by sporting directors, and has hit out at Harry Redknapp s dislike of the role.
Redknapp who resigned as QPR manager on Tuesday branded directors of football a joke last year and was instrumental in Comolli leaving Tottenham in 2008, when he took over at White Hart Lane.
Ironically, Redknapp s departure from Loftus Road this week saw the promotion of Les Ferdinand to director of football, with the former England striker given responsibility for recruitment.
And, harking back to his time at Totten…
France captain Karim Benzema warned his team-mates they must be more consistent to beat the best in the world after a superior Brazil won 3-1 in Paris on Thursday.
In a replay of the 1998 World Cup final, Brazil again conceded from a corner Raphael Varane giving the hosts the lead with a thumping header but were able to turn the match around almost 17 years after losing 3-0 to a Zinedine Zidane-inspired France.
Oscar produced the equaliser for the visitors before the break at the Stade de France before goals from Neymar and Luiz Gustavo secured a seventh straight win for Brazil since last year s World Cup.
Both sides had entered Thursday s friendly unbeaten since the 2014 World Cup but France had few answers for a fluid and confident Brazil.
France goalke…
Five years since the day of his last France goal, Andre-Pierre Gignac found the net as Didier Deschamps men beat Armenia 3-0 on Tuesday.
The Marseille striker, making his first international start since France s elimination from the 2010 World Cup, scored from the penalty spot in a comfortable friendly win in Yerevan for the Euro 2016 hosts.
France dictated proceedings for much of the encounter at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium and took the lead after just seven minutes through Gignac s strike partner Loic Remy.
The hosts threatened sporadically, but Gignac made the game safe in the 55th minute by repaying the faith shown in him by Deschamps, who was part of France s team for their last meeting with Armenia in 1999.
Gignac displayed the composure …
Max Johnston has been called into the Scotland squad for the first time ahead of the friendly against France on Tuesday night.
The 19-year-old defender, who joined Austrian Bundesliga club Sturm Graz from Motherwell in the summer, replaces skipper Andy Robertson and Aaron Hickey, who have both been withdrawn.
Left-back Robertson injured his shoulder in the 2-0 defeat by Spain in Seville last week, while Brentford full-back Hickey’s issue is unspecified.
Scotland squad update.
IN: Max Johnston.OUT: Andy Robertson Aaron Hickey.
— Schottland (Q) (@ScotlandNT)
Johnston, son of former Scotland attacker Allan Johnston, has been capped up to Under-21 level with Scotland and played – and was sent off late – in the 3-1 win over Hungary at…
New York City FC snapped a three-game losing streak in emphatic fashion as they came out on top 4-2 in a six-goal thriller against Orlando City.
Goals from Dagur Thorhallsson and Duncan McGuire set up a grandstand finale at Yankee Stadium, with Orlando hitting back from 3-0 down.
Santiago Rodríguez, Hannes Wolf and Agustin Ojeda had put the hosts in complete control in the first half.
But ultimately Nick Cushing s team had to grab a fourth to settle the contest deep in second-half stoppage time, with substitute Mounsef Bakrar netting to end Orlando s comeback hopes.
The victory moves NYCFC into fourth place in the Eastern Conference, while Orlando are 11 points back in 10th.
An instant summer classic.
— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc…
Carlo Ancelotti insists Real Madrid will fight to claw back Barcelona in the LaLiga title race.
Los Blancos sit in second place, 11 points behind their Clasico rivals with a game in hand, which they play against Elche at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Fresh from winning the Club World Cup after beating Al Hilal 5-3 in Morocco at the weekend, Ancelotti stated his belief that winning trophies makes you hungrier for more.
I don t think it s a problem for Real Madrid, he told reporters. The idea I have is that winning helps you win. When you win you feel things you want to repeat.
Repeating is motivation for us. We have a disadvantage in LaLiga, but we re going to fight.
Madrid have won just four of their last nine LaLiga games (D2, L3) and we…