Ronaldo insists there is no controversy over substitution in South Korea loss

Cristiano Ronaldo appeared dissatisfied when he was substituted in Portugal s World Cup defeat to South Korea, though he indicated it had more do with the actions of an opponent than Fernando Santos decision.

Ronaldo was withdrawn in the 65th minute and replaced by Andre Silva with the scores level at 1-1 in the Group H finale.

Hwang Hee-chan s injury-time winner gave South Korea a 2-1 win to seal their progression to the last 16 alongside Portugal.

With Ronaldo having long since exited the stage, Portugal were unable to rescue anything from the game, with the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star urging his team-mates to learn from their poor performance.

He said of his reaction while leaving the field: What happened was that before my departure,…

Ligue 1 Preview: Paris Saint-Germain v Valenciennes

Paris Saint-Germain can clinch the Ligue 1 title when they face Valenciennes at the Parc Des Princes.

The Parisians go into this contest knowing a win and anything less than three points for Marseille in their game with Bastia will see them crowned champions of France for the first time since 1994.

However, PSG will have to do it without a number of first-team players with goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu, Marco Verratti and David Beckham all set to miss out through suspension after being sent-off in the 1-0 win at Evian.
Thiago Motta is also banned for Carlo Ancelotti s side, but with no injury concerns the men from the French capital should be able to name a relatively strong squad for the visit of a team they dispatched 4-0 at the Stade du Hainaut back in December.
Zlatan I…

Chelsea v Paris Saint-Germain: Verratti puts PSG on war footing for Costa

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has warned his team-mates to be on their guard for Diego Costa s warfare when they visit Chelsea in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

For the third season in succession, the reigning Ligue 1 and Premier League champions have been paired together in the knockout rounds, with each side claiming a slender away goals aggregate triumph apiece so far.

Similarly, the latest tie is finely poised PSG holding a 2-1 advantage thanks to goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani either side of John Obi Mikel s equaliser at the Parc des Princes.

Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink is set to recall Costa to lead the attack after the striker sat out Saturday s 1-1 Premier League draw against Stoke City due to a ten…

Caballero: Argentina respected due to World Cup history

Argentina struggled to qualify for the World Cup, but Willy Caballero believes their exploits at previous editions means they are still respected.

Lionel Messi secured Argentina s place at Russia 2018 with a hat-trick in the crucial 3-1 win over Ecuador in their final qualification game last October.

The South American giants are two-time World Cup winners and finished as runners-up in 2014, beating Belgium and Netherlands before being denied the trophy by Mario Gotze s extra-time winner for Germany in the final.

Chelsea goalkeeper Caballero thinks Argentina s reputation for performing on the big stage holds more sway than one tough qualifying campaign that was overseen by three different coaches.

When I saw the draw for the World Cup groups, I was out o…

Prediction: Bournemouth vs Everton

Verdict: Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals

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After enjoying a stellar start to the new campaign, Eddie Howe s Bournemouth side will look to make it three wins on the bounce when they welcome Premier League big spenders Everton to the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Bournemouth

For Saturday s hosts, after breaking the bank this summer and bringing in Columbian international Jefferson Lerma there is a real feeling of optimism around the Vitality Stadium. Picking up an eye-catching 5-2 win at home to Marseille in their final pre-season match, Bournemouth have now won their two opening Premier League matches. Beating Cardiff 2-0 and then fighting back from a goal behind at half-time to leave the Olympic Stadium with all…

City´s Guardiola-era shellackings – Watford the latest victim of prolific Pep teams

Kevin De Bruyne dazzled and Bernardo Silva hit a hat-trick as Manchester City put Watford to the sword 8-0 on Saturday.

The victory is City s biggest in a top-flight match – a fitting landmark to reach on the weekend the club marked their 125th anniversary.

But huge winning margins have become something approaching the norm in the Pep Guardiola era, with this latest rout the 11th time in all competitions since the start of the 2017-18 campaign City have scored six or more in a match. Six of those have come in 2019 alone.

From lower-league cup opponents unfortunately out of their depth to Champions League rivals and European trophy winners, a variety of clubs have felt City s wrath.

Spare a thought for Watford, who account for three entries on the list…

European Under-21 Championship: France knocked out, Portugal edge eight-goal thriller

European Under-21 Championship favourites France were knocked out as the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Germany claimed semi-final spots.

France, boasting a squad littered with senior internationals that included some of the hottest prospects in European football, lost 2-1 to the Netherlands thanks to Myron Boadu s last-gasp goal.

Dayot Upamecano, who will play for Bayern Munich in 2021-22 following his move from RB Leipzig, opened the scoring for Les Bleus, but Boadu equalised early in the second half.

And despite finishing with 14 attempts – six of them on target – France suffered a disappointing exit when Boadu finished on the counter in the 93rd minute, Houssem Aouar having headed a glaring chance over at the other end.

That game was the only…

Neymar needs to leave PSG – Rivaldo

Neymar should move on from Paris Saint-Germain in order to become the best player in the world, according to former Brazil star Rivaldo.

As quoted by, the 2002 World Cup winner said he fully believes in Neymar, but he doesn t see the Ligue 1 champions as the club that would provide the right kind of platform for him to grow into a player that would be considered as the best on the planet. Real Madrid, Barcelona, or some other big clubs from England, some from Germany , that is where Neymar needs to be playing to reach his full potential. Such a stance naturally implies another, one that Neymar s move from Barcelona to PSG for a still-holding world record fee in 2017 was a huge mistake, but Rivaldo said it explicitly.

He said that Neymar should take the path of Ronaldinh…

Schneiderlin hints at Southampton discontent

Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has hinted at discontent at apparently being forced to remain with the club.

France midfielder Scheinderlin and England striker Jay Rodriguez were rumoured to be set to join Tottenham and become the latest members of the mass exodus from the south coast club.

A total of five first-team players have already left St Mary s in the transfer window, with the trio of Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren joining Liverpool, and the young defensive duo Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers signing for Manchester United and Arsenal respectively.

Those departures came after manager Mauricio Pochettino left the club to take over at Tottenham and club chairman Ralph Kreuger insisted on Tuesday that Schneiderlin and Rodriguez would no…

Ten Hag faces long job with Man Utd’s mentally shot squad, believes Neville

Manchester United should not be expected to win trophies under Erik ten Hag immediately, says Gary Neville, warning it is a long job for the Dutchman with a mentally shot squad at Old Trafford.

The Ajax boss will take the reins from interim manager Ralf Rangnick at the end of the season, with the Red Devils arguably facing their lowest point in the post-Alex Ferguson era.

Questions over whether a squad low on confidence can challenge for Champions League football remains in the air, and several key players look destined for the door.

Hopes are high that Ten Hag can facilitate a fast turnaround but speaking after his appointment, former defender Neville has warned there will be no quick fix at the Theatre of Dreams.

What we re seeing at this current momen…