Zlatan Ibrahimovic became Paris Saint-Germain s record goalscorer on Sunday as his penalty brace helped the Ligue 1 champions to a 2-1 victory over old foes Marseille at the Parc des Princes.
The PSG striker moved to 110 goals for the capital club surpassing former Portugal striker Pauleta having converted two first-half spot kicks as the leaders came from behind to extend their unbeaten run against their south-coast rivals to 10 matches.
Michy Batshuayi looked to have ensured Marseille a half-time lead when he nodded home his sixth Ligue 1 goal of the season but Ibrahimovic s quick-fire double put paid to that.
The striker was bundled over by Steve Mandanda before levelling the match and equalling Pauleta s record, while his historic second came after Rolando s …
Burak Yilmaz s return to fitness has provided a boost for Galatasaray as the Turkish side attempt to deal Benfica their first Champions League loss of the season on Wednesday.
Portuguese champions Benfica have taken two wins from two in Group C and produced a shock 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in their last encounter in the competition.
Rui Vitoria s men now attempt to continue that run at the Turk Telekom Arena but face a tough task to keep Turkey striker Yilmaz at bay.
Yilmaz has 75 goals for Gala since joining from Super Lig rivals Trabzonspor in July 2012.
The 30-year-old had been out for almost a month because of a hamstring injury but made his comeback in Saturday s 4-1 league win over Genclerbirligi.
Having come off the bench six mi…
James Forrest scored twice as Scotland set up an all-or-nothing Nations League promotion shootout with Israel by dispatching 10-man Albania 4-0 on Saturday.
Alex McLeish s resources were spread thin by nine withdrawals but proceedings were smoother in Shkoder as Forrest struck a brace after Ryan Fraser and Steven Fletcher opened up a two-goal first-half advantage.
Albania captain Mergim Mavraj made the task simpler than it should have been, receiving a red card for headbutting Ryan Christie soon after Fraser s 14th-minute opener.
His team were left bottom of Group 1 in League C, from which Scotland can escape if they beat Israel 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture in Glasgow on Tuesday.
Albania s hopes of avoiding a third-place finish, where they are at ri…
Milan-based Italian television channel Telelombardia have reported that Inter Milan have all but agreed to purchase Greek international defender Kostas Manolas from AS Roma.
Manolas has been at the epicentre of intense transfer speculation for quite some time now with the host of European powerhouses believed to be monitoring the 26-year-old.
However, according to the latest reports it is Inter Milan who slotted into pole position in chase for Manolas’ signature with a €43 million offer plus bonuses.
A deal between AS Roma and Inter Milan has reportedly been struck on Tuesday night and the highly sought-after defender will move to Inter at the end of the season.
Manolas is on a contract with AS Roma which expires in June 2019, but the player has opte…
Manchester United and Bayern Munich are both interested in signing West Ham star Declan Rice this summer, but according to , it s Premier League runners-up Arsenal who lead the race for his services at this point.
At the age of 24, Rice is one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe at the moment who can also play as a centre-back, but obviously with room and time for further improvement, should he continue his career at a club regularly competing for the biggest trophies. He has already lifted a trophy, captaining the Hammers as they beat Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday.
Speaking after the match, the England international refused to reveal anything regarding his future.
Let s wait and see, he replied when asked if that was his…
Chelsea head coach Graham Potter has given his backing to Steven Gerrard following a poor start to the season for Aston Villa.
Villa have won just two of their opening nine Premier League matches, sitting just three points above the relegation zone with only Wolves having scoring fewer than their goal tally of seven.
That has resulted in boss Gerrard coming under pressure, with speculation that Villa could move on from the former Liverpool captain if results do not improve.
Potter has made it clear that the situation can change swiftly, adding that there is always somebody under pressure in England s top flight.
The margins are very small in the Premier League I m sure Steven will want to improve their results, he said ahead of Chelsea s trip to Villa on…
Craig Brown is expected to be named the new manager of Aberdeen on Friday after he walked out on Motherwell.
Dons chairman Stewart Milne approached Brown on Wednesday to offer the role left vacant in the wake of Mark McGhee s sacking, but the 70-year-old refused.
However, it appears a second overture from Milne has swayed Brown, who resigned from the Scottish Premier League club along with assistant Archie Knox on Thursday.
Motherwell released a statement expressing their shock at their manager s apparent defection, as well as lambasting Aberdeen for approaching Brown, who was working without a contract at Fir Park.
We are surprised and disappointed by the decision of our management team to leave the club at this time and in this way, the statement on M…
Vote of confidence
Bottom of the table with just nine points from thirteen games. Only one win all season and the team have managed to find the net just eleven times. There are two things in these circumstances that the manager doesn’t want to hear. Firstly, he doesn’t want to be given the sack. Secondly, and only marginally less upsetting, is to be given the dreaded vote of confidence from the club board.
Safe
Unfortunately for West Ham’s Avram Grant, the second of those things happened to him yesterday when vice-chairperson Karen Brady said that his job is safe.
Asked by the BBC if Grant would still be the club’s manager at the end of this season she replied,
Almost definitely, yes.
Troubling
With the Hammers already fi…
Werder Bremen have agreed a new deal with Alexander Nouri that will see him remain as head coach at the Bundesliga club.
Nouri replaced Viktor Skripnik in September after Bremen had lost their first three matches, initially on an interim basis and then on a permanent deal until the end of the season.
The 37-year-old has taken them from the bottom of the table up to eighth, with a Europa League spot still possible going into Saturday s final match of the season away to Borussia Dortmund.
That form has seen Nouri rewarded with a new contract, the length of which has not been announced.
Even in February when results weren t going our way, I was certain that my journey with Werder was not over, Nouri told the club s website.
I always had the feeling…
Wayne Rooney believes lifting the FA Cup could prove to be the start of something special for Manchester United.
Louis van Gaal s side secured a dramatic 2-1 win over Everton at Wembley on Saturday to reach their first final since 2007, thanks to an injury-time strike from Anthony Martial.
Rooney has twice suffered defeat in the FA Cup final in the past, with United losing to Chelsea in 2007 and Arsenal two years earlier, making it the one domestic trophy the England captain has yet to get his hands on.
And the 30-year-old hopes that bringing an end to his long wait to lift the famous trophy could spark a successful run for United, who have won nothing but the Community Shield since Alex Ferguson s retirement in 2013.
I ve played in two FA Cup finals and…