Chelsea sealed a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Lyon to reach the semi-finals of the Women s Champions League, having rescued the tie through Maren Mjelde s last-gasp spot-kick in extra-time.
Despite winning last week s first leg 1-0, Chelsea appeared destined for an exit when Sara Dabritz drilled into the bottom-right corner in extra time after Venessa Gilles flick had levelled the tie.
However, a trip on Lauren James gave Mjelde the chance to keep the game alive at the last, and the Norwegian made no mistake eight minutes into stoppage time, taking the contest to a shoot-out.
James and Wendie Renard both saw their kicks saved before Jess Carter converted, meaning Lyon s Lindsey Horan had to score to keep the holders in the competition.
Chelsea s An…
Bayern Munich s Arjen Robben says his future will be sorted out next month.
Speaking to Bayerischer Rundfunk, the 34-year-old winger said he was somewhat impatient regarding his future. His contract expires at the end of the season, but he has been informed by the club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge that the talks about a potential new deal will be held in April.
Robben expressed he finds it very difficult to make the right decision, given his age and the fact that the end of career is approaching. He has been at Bayern Munich since 2009, and during that time he won six Bundesliga titles, four DFB-Pokal trophies, one German Supercup, and a Champions League and UEFA Supercup in the same year (2013). Overall he made 282 appearances and scored 131 goals for the Bavarian …
Oscar Pareja is keen to ensure Orlando City s positive momentum does not dissipate after one poor result, as they look to return to winning ways against Nashville SC.
Orlando occupy the final automatic playoff place in the Eastern Conference, but their five-match unbeaten run in MLS play was halted by a 3-0 defeat to Sporting Kansas City last week.
With struggling Nashville the visitors to Inter Co Stadium this week, Pareja is not worried about that defeat being a turning point.
We recognise that we didn t have our best game in Kansas, Pareja said.
We tried to get our energy back during this week, understanding that we have had a good time with good results and good football.
We want to continue with that momentum, we feel it. We are just rea…
Rasmus Hojlund’s long-awaited first Premier League goal completed a stunning comeback as Manchester United recovered from 2-0 down to beat high-flying Aston Villa 3-2 at Old Trafford.
Villa appeared to be heading level on points with league leaders Liverpool after goals from John McGinn and Leander Dendoncker put them 2-0 up inside 26 minutes, but United found a rousing response in the second half, with Alejandro Garnacho scoring twice before Hojlund won it in the 82nd minute.
The result was badly needed by Erik ten Hag after four games without a win or even a goal, and with INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford watching on from the director’s box two days after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s imminent investment in the club – and control of footballing matters – was…
He s the Juventus No.10, sporting director Fabio Paratici said. He is fundamental. We know what value he has and what he represents. In the coming months, we will talk to him.
We have already had some initial discussions before January and agreed to talk nearer to the end of the season.
As noted in the above quote, Juventus are seemingly ready to discuss future plans with forward Paulo Dybala over extending his time with the club.
The Argentine striker has been linked with every top club under the sun over the course of the last few months, and it’s become a point of irritation for a lot of fans – both for and against Juve.
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United were two of the leading contenders during the summer transfer window but n…
Lacklustre Juventus needed a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty to salvage a 2-2 home draw with Sassuolo that left the door ajar for Serie A title rivals Inter.
Maurizio Sarri s men were set to pay a hefty price for a poor performance until Paulo Dybala appeared off the bench and won a 68th-minute spot-kick, which Ronaldo duly converted.
Leonardo Bonucci had fired Juve into a 20th-minute lead but an almost immediate response from Jeremie Boga seem to send panicked shivers through the home side.
Francesco Caputo capitalised on dual defensive blunders to give Sassuolo the lead and, though Juve steadied enough to pinch a point, the result would have been appreciated by Inter, who had SPAL at home later on Sunday.
Coach Sarri heeded Emre Can s public plea for a star…
Mauricio Pochettino described Unai Emery as “one of the best coaches in the world” ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup fourth-round clash against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea booked their place in the Carabao Cup final on Tuesday and they will look to advance in another competition against Premier League high-flyers Villa on Friday.
Villa side sit five points behind leaders Liverpool in the league and have been rejuvenated under Spanish boss Emery since he joined from Villarreal in 2022.
“I think that Unai Emery is one of the best coaches in the world and he’s creating a very good organisation at Aston Villa,” Pochettino told a press conference on Thursday.
“They have very good players, amazing players.
“It is clear the project of…
Neymar is confident this could be the year Paris Saint-Germain end their wait for a Champions League trophy.
Having long been the dominant force in French domestic football, European supremacy has eluded the capital club.
The 2011 takeover of the club by Qatar Sports Investments took PSG to another level financially, paving the way for Neymar s arrival six years later.
But even with that backing and a wealth of talent on the pitch, the most sought-after prize has eluded the Parisians.
Asked if that could change in 2020, when the first hurdle for Thomas Tuchel s side is to get past Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16, Neymar told Red Bull: Yes, I think there s a possibility we can make it.
In terms of the team and players, since I ve played fo…
Manchester United cruised to an impressive 5-1 Premier League victory over Cardiff City on Saturday in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s first match in charge.
Three goals in the first half from Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera and Anthony Martial and a brace from Jesse Lingard earned all three points at Cardiff City Stadium, with Victor Camaras penalty proving little consolation.
United stay sixth in the table, but the manner of the performance, as well as the result the first time the side have scored five times in the league since Alex Ferguson s final game will have been a welcome sight for the travelling fans at the end of a week that saw Jose Mourinho s contentious time in charge come to an end.
The new United era got off to a stunning start when Rashford blasted ho…
Liam Rosenior described Hull’s performance in their 2-1 victory over Southampton as the culmination of his work as Tigers boss.
Anass Zaroury bagged his first goal for the club since arriving on loan from Burnley before Liverpool loanee Fabio Carvalho put the visitors in control for their fourth straight away win – and first at Southampton since 1951.
Rosenior, whose side made it three wins in a row for the first time since he took over in November 2022 and moved into the play-off places, said: “We’ve come away to an outstanding team, with outstanding players and an outstanding manager, and we had to be brave.
“That first-half performance is exactly what I’ve been working so hard to bring to the club. I have bored all the supporters talking about the …