Karim Benzema became Real Madrid’s second-highest LaLiga scorer of all time as Los Blancos eased past bottom side Elche in a 4-0 victory.
The Madrid captain was on target twice from the penalty spot at Santiago Bernabeu, where Marco Asensio had broken the deadlock, while Luka Modric completed the rout later on.
Benzema surpassed legendary striker Raul by taking his Spanish top-flight tally for the club to 230 goals, with only Cristiano Ronaldo (311) netting more.
With Barcelona in Europa League action on Thursday, Carlo Ancelotti’s side capitalised by closing the gap on the league leaders to eight points.
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
Fresh from claiming a record-extending fifth Club World Cup crown, Madrid took the lead in the e…
Vicente del Bosque expects to leave his position as Spain coach after Euro 2016.
The 64-year-old has led the Iberian nation to glory in consecutive European Championships, with a World Cup triumph in 2010 sandwiched in between.
The former Real Madrid coach has suggested next year s competition in France could be his final bow, and he hopes to depart on a high.
If everything goes as expected, after Euro 2016 I ll leave the national team and the RFEF, Del Bosque wrote in his book Winning and Losing: Emotional Strength , an extract of which was released to Spanish media.
I will have been the national team coach for eight years and I do not intend to cling on to the post.
My greatest desire is for us to go out on a high. I could have retired a lon…
The lack of communication around VAR decisions to fans in stadiums and watching on television is a “huge missed opportunity” according to the boss of a key Premier League and Champions League rights holder.
More than three quarters of match-goers (79.1 per cent) and two-thirds of TV viewers (65.4 per cent) rated their experience of VAR as either poor or very poor in a survey of almost 10,000 fans published by the Football Supporters’ Association last month.
Eighty per cent said fans should be able to hear live discussions between the VAR and the on-pitch referee, something not allowed under the current laws of the game.
2017 FSA National Supporters Survey – 74.6% of fans in favour of VAR.
2023 FSA National Supporters Survey – 26.8% of fans in fa…
Kylian Mbappe poached a double as France became the first side to clinch a place in the last-16 stage at the Qatar World Cup with a 2-1 win over Denmark.
It took France until just past the hour mark to make a breakthrough, as Mbappe finished off an electrifying break.
Denmark were level seven minutes later when Andreas Christensen planted a close-range header past Hugo Lloris, and substitute Martin Braithwaite later clipped the post.
However, Mbappe was decisive when he bundled in Antoine Griezmann s cross from the right in the 86th minute.
France get the win!
The holders are the first team into the last 16 at |
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup)
After beating France in Nations League games in June and September already this ye…
Stefano Pioli has signed a contract extension that will keep him at Milan until the end of the 2024-25 season.
The Rossoneri coach has been in position at San Siro since 2019, having previously taken charge of rivals Inter.
Pioli did not last long with the Nerazzurri, yet he has been a huge success with Milan, last season winning the Scudetto – their first since 2011.
The 57-year-old s deal was due to expire at the end of this campaign, but the club confirmed a two-year extension on Monday.
Having begun this virtuous path, which led to the 2021-22 Serie A title, AC Milan and Stefano shall continue to work on this ambitious project, which reflects the club s history and values, a short statement added.
Sealing the deal
— AC M…
David Alaba and Marko Arnautovic are the headline names in Austria coach Marcel Koller s 24-man provisional squad for Euro 2016.
Versatile Bayern Munich star Alaba and Stoke forward Arnautovic, who netted seven goals between them as Austria went unbeaten in qualifying, have both enjoyed fruitful seasons with their respective club sides.
Alaba helped Bayern Munich to a fourth consecutive Bundesliga title, while Arnautovic looks certain to Stoke s top goalscorer.
And Koller, who must cut the selection of players down to 23 on May 31, believes that having the likes of Alaba, Arnautovic and Christian Fuchs fresh from lifting the Premier League title with Leicester City available means that Austria have plenty of quality among their ranks.
We can rely on th…
Welcome to Wrexham! Former England and Man Utd keeper Foster joins as promotion nears in Ryan Reynol
Ben Foster has come out of retirement to join National League leaders Wrexham, the club owned by US actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The former England and Manchester United goalkeeper joins the Robins as they look to clinch a return to the English Football League, sprinkling a little more stardust on the promotion project.
Wrexham, who have eight games remaining, are three points clear of nearest rivals Notts County and have a game in hand over the Magpies.
Foster, 39, has spent most of his career in the Premier League and played for Watford last season as the Hornets suffered relegation from the top flight.
He now resumes his career in the fifth tier with a Wrexham side who have been the subject of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary, looking at …
Aaron Ramsey has been appointed Wales captain after Gareth Bale announced his retirement from football in the aftermath of last year s World Cup campaign.
Former Real Madrid forward Bale retired from professional football at the age of 33 in January, having led Wales into their first World Cup campaign since 1958 in Qatar last year.
Having won a record-breaking 111 caps for his country, Bale will be succeeded by the man joint-seventh in their all-time appearance list – former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder Ramsey.
Ramsey moved to France in search of regular minutes following a frustrating loan spell at Rangers last term, and has made 21 league appearances since joining Nice on a free transfer last August.
The 32-year-old already has experience of capta…
European football s governing body UEFA announced Wednesday it has reached an exclusive agreement for broadcasting rights of Euro 2012 matches with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
This deal covers 29 of 36 UEFA member nations for the tournament being co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland.
UEFA is delighted to have reached such a significant agreement with the EBU, said UEFA General Secretary David Taylor.
We are looking forward to working together to offer football fans across Europe an extensive coverage of the competition already during the qualifying phase of the tournament.
The agreement will allow spectators in 29 countries to follow Euro 2012 matches on public channels notably in Russia, Serbia and Turkey.
In these countries a minimum o…
Everton have announced they are to remain at Goodison Park for an extra season as competitive matches will not be played at their new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium until the 2025/26 campaign.
The new waterside ground is still on schedule to be completed by the end of 2024 but a decision has been taken not to move mid-season.
“Firstly, and to be absolutely clear, our decision to not move in mid-season is not because of a construction delay,” said interim chief executive Colin Chong.
We can confirm our Men’s Senior Team will play competitive fixtures at at the start of the 2025/26 season.
The full 2024/25 campaign will be our last at Goodison Park.
— Everton (@Everton)
“It is a club decision driven by a combination of commercial i…