Category: Football (Soccer)

Football (Soccer) News

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Rangers see off wasteful Panathinaikos in Champions League qualifier

  • Rangers draw 1-1 in Athens to win 3-1 on aggregate

  • Shelbourne into Europa League after Qarabag defeat

Djeidi Gassama turned super-sub once again with a crucial goal as Rangers beat profligate Panathinaikos 3-1 on aggregate in their Champions League second qualifier in Athens.

Leading 2-0 from the first leg at Ibrox, only another fine performance in the Olympic stadium from Rangers’ goalkeeper Jack Butland, who thwarted the Greek side in the first leg, kept the tie goalless at the break. Filip Djuricic opened the scoring with a header in the 53rd minute but moments after coming off the bench, Gassama, who scored from a substitute’s role on his debut last week, levelled at 1-1 with a stunning drive.

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Isak, Gyökeres and Ekitiké herald a new age of the center-forward | Jonathan Wilson

After years spent in striker-less formations, the Premier League’s top teams are seemingly all set to rely on a big body (or two) up top

It’s only been a decade since it seemed the center-forward was being refined out of existence. Spain had won Euro 2012 with Cesc Fàbregas as a false nine, and Germany, who largely took Spain as a model, were less than convinced they needed one at the 2014 World Cup. They fielded Thomas Müller as a false-ish nine until the quarter-final, when Jögi Löw finally went back to basics and turned to Miroslav Klose. That he was 36 only seemed to confirm that the old-fashioned No 9 was an old-fashioned phenomenon – a dying breed. Yet this summer, the main interest in the transfer market has been the carousel of strikers.

Of course, strikers never entirely disappeared. The four leading scorers in the Premier League in 2014–15 were Sergio Agüero, Harry Kane, Diego Costa and Charlie Austin. Mauri Icardi and Luca Toni topped the charts in Italy, while Cristiano Ronaldo, his conversion to A No 9 complete, was top scorer in Spain (although that he was followed by Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann, and Neymar suggested a greater variety of goalscorer there).

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Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba suspended by MLS for skipping All-Star game

  • Messi, Alba miss All-Star Game without league OK

  • MLS suspends both for Inter Miami’s next match

  • Garber says policy review may come after decision

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba have been suspended from their next club match after missing Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game against Mexico’s Liga MX.

Messi’s club coach Javier Mascherano told reporters on Friday the Argentinian World Cup winner had sat out the showpiece due to fatigue, while Alba is believed to have sustained a knock in their previous MLS fixture.

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MLS Suspends Lionel Messi for Missing All-Star Game

Major League Soccer suspended Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba for one game each after they missed Wednesday night’s All-Star Game in Austin, Texas, the league said Friday afternoon. “Per league rules, any player who does not participate in the All-Star Game without prior approval from the league is ineligible to compete …

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Los Angeles FC keen on move for Tottenham captain Son Heung-min

  • MLS club expected to make bid for Spurs forward

  • Talks with Forest over Gibbs-White at an impasse

Son Heung-min is a target for Los Angeles FC and they have made their interest in him known to Tottenham. The London club have yet to receive any bids for Son but they can expect one from LAFC, which would leave their highest-profile player with a decision to make.

LAFC, who signed Hugo Lloris from Spurs in December 2023, have tracked Son for some time. It is understood there is no interest in him at present from clubs in Saudi Arabia, which has been mooted as a possible destination.

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MLS Brings Lionel Messi Cam Back to TikTok

Lionel Messi will star in an exclusive TikTok livestream during Inter Miami’s Aug. 2 Leagues Cup matchup with Necaxa as part of Major League Soccer’s continued audience expansion efforts, MLS announced Thursday. A Messi-focused camera will track the 38-year-old Argentine superstar throughout the game, in a mobile-friendly vertical format with custom graphics. MLS rolled out …