Sports

Tottenham fans have a new hero in Tanguy Ndombele.

The France midfielder marked his Premier League debut with a goal to help Mauricio Pochettino s side defeat Aston Villa on Saturday.

With Spurs struggling to break down Villa after going behind to John McGinn s goal, Ndombele levelled matters with an expertly taken strike from 20 yards out that left the excellent Tom Heaton with little chance.

The goal proved to be the catalyst for Spurs, who went on to win 3-1 thanks to two late finishes from captain Harry Kane.

Seventeen players have now scored a debut goal in the Premier League for Spurs, stretching back to Steve Sedgley in 1992, but only five have done so on the first day of the season.

The question is, will Ndombele follow a similar career pa…

In 2015, Lionel Messi and Barcelona were on top of the world.

Led by Messi alongside Neymar and Luis Suarez in a devastating 122-goal attack the Blaugrana claimed their second treble with Champions League success, then making them the first European club to achieve such a feat.

The Club World Cup title followed for Luis Enrique s side, but such supremely high standards were not maintained.

Five years later, the MSN front line has long since been broken up by Neymar s departure and now Messi intends to follow his former colleague out of Camp Nou.

Barca did not win a single trophy in a 2019-20 campaign that ended in humiliation with the 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich that prompted Quique Setien s sacking before Messi s shock transfer request.

Just wher…

Atletico Mineiro had plenty to celebrate after the Brazilian side won their first Brasileirao title in 50 years.

Not since 1971 had Atletico – the oldest active club in Minas Gerais – conquered the country s premier club competition.

But Atletico ended their half-century wait with two matches remaining thanks to Thursday s enthralling 3-2 victory at Bahia.

Atletico trailed 2-0 away from home but Hulk s 73rd-minute penalty and a three-minute Keno brace ensured the club could not be caught by Flamengo.

It is Atletico s second Brasileirao trophy – the longest interval between two titles of the same team in the tournament since 1959.

It s been 50 years since we won the title, that s a long time, said two-goal hero Keno, with Atletico reportedly…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was kept waiting but finally scored his 500th career club goal for Milan against Crotone on Sunday.

The 39-year-old reached 499 on Tuesday with the opening goal against rivals Inter in the Coppa Italia, but he was later sent off in a 2-1 defeat.

Ibrahimovic should have netted the milestone goal in the first half against Bologna last weekend, only to miss a 26th-minute penalty, although Ante Rebic scored the rebound.

But the former Sweden striker s moment came at San Siro when he played a one-two with Rafael Leao.

Ibrahimovic fed Leao on the edge of the box and the young Portuguese slotted a perfect return ball behind the Crotone defence for his veteran strike partner to drive into the far right corner, securing another milestone for …

Luis Diaz does not believe Liverpool s start to the Premier League season has been  problematic , but accepted the stumbling Reds must improve quickly. 

Liverpool have failed to win any of their opening three league games for the first time since Brendan Rodgers first season at the helm in 2012-13, having fallen to a 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on Monday.

Goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford dealt the Reds their first Premier League loss of 2022, which followed back-to-back draws with Fulham and Crystal Palace.

Liverpool have now conceded the opening goal in seven successive Premier League games for the first time in their history, while a number of injuries to key players have led to calls for Jurgen Klopp to dip into the transfer market.

W…

Jorginho wants Arsenal stay amid Lazio interest reports

Recent rumours suggest Lazio are interested in taking Jorginho back to Italy this summer.

The Arsenal midfielder spent four years at Napoli, before joining Chelsea in 2018. He only made the move across London to join the Gunners this January, and the 31-year-old Italy international reportedly has no intention of leaving the UK capital just yet, even though the club are doing what they can to boost their midfield ranks.

The potential arrivals of players like Declan Rice or Moises Caicedo would surely limit Jorginho s time on the pitch.

Gundogan set for Barcelona switch

Ilkay Gundogan has reportedly decided to leave Manchester City and join Barcelona as a free agent.

It …

Liverpool are not battling through a blip but a serious problem , according to club great Jamie Carragher.

Jurgen Klopp s side sit ninth in the Premier League, 13 points off the top ahead of Arsenal s meeting with Nottingham Forest on Sunday, after falling to defeat against Leeds United on Saturday.

Crysencio Summerville s late strike snatched an unlikely victory for strugglers Leeds as Liverpool suffered their first Premier League defeat at Anfield since March 2021, ending a 29-match home unbeaten run in the competition.

Despite Mohamed Salah cancelling out Rodrigo Moreno s early opener, Illan Meslier made a series of impressive stops to help pave the way for Summerville s winner, and Carragher feels his former side face a worrying situation.

It s a hug…

Paris Saint-Germain are 90 minutes away from avenging their Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich.

The Ligue 1 champions go into the return leg of the quarter-final with Bayern at the Parc des Princes with a one-goal advantage and with their talisman eyeing a slice of history in Europe s elite club competition.

If PSG complete their task and ensure there is to be a different name on the trophy this year, then in-form Chelsea will fancy their chances of lifting club football s most sought-after prize.

Led by the man who guided PSG to the showpiece last season, the Blues hold a comfortable lead in their last-eight encounter with Porto.

All the evidence points to Chelsea going through to the semis as they look to replicate their team of 2011-12, wh…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been ruled out of Milan s Champions League clash at Liverpool after suffering an injury setback.

The 39-year-old former Manchester United striker made a goalscoring return for Milan as a substitute against Lazio on Sunday, coming on to tap in the second goal in a 2-0 Serie A victory.

That followed a four-month knee injury lay-off, and the Swedish frontman has now reportedly suffered discomfort in an Achilles, forcing him out of plans for Wednesday s Anfield tussle.

That means coach Stefano Pioli will name Ante Rebic or former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud as his attacking spearhead when he selects his side to face Jurgen Klopp s Reds.

Pioli stated Giroud would not be able to play a full 90 minutes, having returned fro…

Ronald Koeman admits it was a relief to see speculation over his future as Barcelona head coach ended this week.

On Thursday, Barca president Joan Laporta confirmed Koeman would remain in charge of the first team for the 2021-22 season.

A hero as a player at Camp Nou, Koeman could only secure third place in LaLiga last season as Atletico Madrid won the title, his Copa del Rey success doing little to quieten the doubters.

Laporta had seemed keen to appoint a replacement before next season, with former club captain Xavi reportedly among the favourites for the role, but he announced his support for Koeman following a reflection period .

Koeman said the discussions and doubts over his position had been intense , but that he was now focused on steering Barca b…