Sports

Marek Hamsik remains bullish about Slovakia s hopes of reaching the Euro 2020 knockout stage ahead of their final group game away to Spain.

Slovakia lost 1-0 to Sweden on Friday in St Petersburg, leaving them on three points from two games after defeating Poland 2-1 in their opening fixture.

Spain, who drew 0-0 with Sweden on matchday one, face on Poland in Seville on Saturday, before their final group clash with Slovakia, which will determine group placings.

It s still open. We have to recover well, Slovakia star Hamsik said after the Sweden defeat.

Spain are the group favourites and also contenders to win the tournament. It will be very challenging.

Sweden scored the game s only goal in the 77th minute from an Emil Forsberg penalty, won after…

There was nothing especially surprising about Vinicius Junior s performance against Borussia Monchengladbach in last season s 2-2 Champions League draw in Germany.

The Brazilian played as he usually did, with wastefulness interspersed by occasional flashes of flair and trickery.

And there s every reason to suggest that s what you should expect from a teenager still finding his footing. Even the most talented superstars struggle with consistency during their formative years.

Just look at Cristiano Ronaldo. When he first joined Manchester United, he was even more of a showboater who frustrated and entertained in equal measure – a few years later, he was probably the best striker on the planet.

Development is a process, everyone knows that, but it doesn t…

Lionel Messi became the first player to score 400 LaLiga goals on Sunday as Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 victory over Eibar at Camp Nou.

After an unusually quiet first 45 minutes, Messi burst into life after the restart and claimed his milestone goal – his 13th in eight appearances against Eibar.

Luis Suarez had given Barca the lead with their only shot on target in the first half, and he doubled his tally six minutes after Messi s moment in the spotlight with a composed finish from a tight angle.

That was enough to seal a sixth win in a row for Barca in the league, and a ninth successive over Eibar since their promotion to the top flight.

His goat-ness.

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)

Messi took up more of a playmaker role in the openin…

Diego Maradona has claimed Lionel Messi lacks the character to be a leader.

Argentina great Maradona was caught on microphone discussing the Barcelona star with Pele at a publicity event on Thursday in Paris.

Iconic former Brazil forward Pele asked his fellow World Cup winner if he knows his compatriot personally, prompting Maradona to offer an unguarded response.

He s a really good person, but he has no personality, Maradona said.

He lacks [the] character to be a leader.

Pele responded: Ah, I get it, he s not like we were back in the days. In the 70s we [Brazil] had really good players like Rivellino, Gerson, Tostao. 

Not like Argentina now, which depends only on Messi. He [Maradona] is saying that Messi is a good player, there s no …

England have appointed Lee Carsley as their new Under-21 head coach, with former Chelsea star Ashley Cole named as his assistant.

Carsley is promoted from his role with the England Under-20 team to replace Aidy Boothroyd, who has left after almost five years in the position.

Cole won 107 caps in an illustrious playing career and will be the chief support to Carsley, combining the position with his role as a coach in Chelsea s academy.

I m really happy to get this opportunity to support Lee and work with the best youngsters in the country, said Cole, who began his coaching career with Derby County.
 
I loved playing for the national team and to now get the chance to work as an England coach is a special feeling. 

St. George s Park is an amazing plac…

Ivan Perisic had no doubts about joining Bayern Munich once the Bundesliga champions came calling, even if he was not their first-choice target.

Perisic signed for Bayern on Tuesday, arriving on an initial one-season loan from Inter, with an option to buy.

Bayern had looked set to make a move for Leroy Sane throughout the transfer window, but any possibility of signing the Manchester City winger was ended when the 23-year-old sustained knee ligament damage in the Community Shield clash with Liverpool on August 4.

The move for Perisic was made swiftly, though not all Bayern fans have been pleased by the transfer, with coach Niko Kovac hitting out at suggestions the Croatia forward was not of the standard required.

Although Perisic acknowledged he was not…

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane dismissed Paul Pogba s pre-match rallying call for the Manchester derby and accused the France star of playing for himself. 

Pogba retained his place in a team featuring five changes from the XI thrashed 4-0 at Everton on Sunday in the Premier League. 

Ahead of Wednesday s clash with title-chasing Manchester City at Old Trafford, Pogba told Sky Sports in a pre-recorded interview that United had to show fighting spirit after a run of six defeats in eight matches across all competitions. 

I wouldn t believe a word he says, there s no meaning to it, said Keane, responding in his role as a pundit for the UK broadcaster. 

If you re going to be a good team-mate you have to run back and defend. They said it was he…

Fabio Capello believes Italy s failure to qualify for back-to-back World Cups is due to a national obsession with following Pep Guardiola s Barcelona blueprint.

Former Milan, Real Madrid, Juventus and Roma boss Capello claims Italian football should have been following the German heavy metal model rather than copying the more intricate noodling of the Spanish style of play.

Capello, who also coached Russia and England, cannot see why Italy would go against their great strengths by trying to match the high technical levels of Spain.

He told Sky Sport Italia: The explanation is very simple. I have been saying for a long time that we are copying Guardiola s football of 15 years ago.

The 75-year-old Capello said this meant all sideways passing, no verticali…

Jurgen Klopp s long-term future at Liverpool could hinge on the famously unpredictable English weather, according to his agent Marc Kosicke.

Klopp was appointed by Liverpool in October 2015 and extended his deal at the end of his maiden campaign, with another three years remaining on those terms.

The 52-year-old recently hinted that he may retire when his contract expires in 2022, but the European champions hope to persuade him to stay on.

However, Kosicke has suggested Klopp is stalling on agreeing a fresh deal as he is not entirely happy with the weather on Merseyside – even alluding to the possibility global warming may impact the German s decision.

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

Jurgen s contract is still valid until 2022 and it is a…

Yaya Toure will leave Manchester City at the end of this season as one of the defining players of a trophy-laden era at the Etihad Stadium.

The Ivory Coast midfielder s £24million move from Barcelona in 2010 raised many eyebrows but he quickly proved a pivotal figure in Roberto Mancini s side, inspiring City to the FA Cup and Premier League title in consecutive seasons.

Toure reached levels rarely seen from a midfielder in the Premier League era during Manuel Pellegrini s first season at the helm in 2013-14, securing his legacy as a City great.

Even though he has proved a more marginal presence under his old Barca boss Pep Guardiola, particularly en route to a third top-flight title in City colours this season, there can be little doubt over the 34-year-old s s…