Getafe did their survival chances the world of good beating relegation rivals Osasuna 3-0 on Sunday to move three points clear of the drop zone.
Esteban Granero scored a brace and Kalu Uche added another as Michel savoured his first win in charge of Getafe and Osasuna now hover two points above the drop zone.
Michel and Osasuna coach Jose Antonio Camacho were good friends after playing together at Real Madrid in the 1980s but that friendship had to be put aside with both sides staring relegation in the face.
Another Real old boy Granero, who joined Getafe permanently from Real in the summer of 2008, decided a heated match in which both sides were reduced to ten men.
Granero converted a 25th minute penalty but the turning point in the match was his second…
Midfielder Kevin Prince Boateng has joined Jermaine Jones in turning his back on a possible future with the German national team, plumping instead for Ghana, Sport Bild magazine reported on Wednesday.
I would like to play for Ghana I have made contact with officials It s Ghana I would like to progress with, the magazine quoted Boateng, 22, as saying.
Berlin-born Boateng spent the second half of last season on loan with Borussia Dortmund from Tottenham, where he had struggled to hold down a starting place.
He is now set to return to London as his Spurs contract runs to 2012.
He began his career with Hertha Berlin.
Jones, a 27-year-old midfielder with Schalke 04, decided earlier this month to play for the United States having only made it as far a…
Lionel Messi already had offers from other clubs after becoming a free agent and Barcelona president Joan Laporta is unwilling to offer false hope of a resolution.
Barca sensationally announced on Thursday their greatest ever player would not be returning to the club.
Messi s contract had expired at the end of last season, but a new deal was anticipated ahead of the new campaign, with an announcement reportedly imminent this week.
The tone of reports in Spain changed on Thursday, however, and Barca soon confirmed they were unable to do a deal due to economic and structural obstacles as any agreement could not fit within LaLiga s salary restrictions.
Laporta faced the media on Friday and, after an opening statement in which he blamed the developments on th…
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has warned that his side still have work to do to reach the 2010 FIFA World Cup, despite a 5-0 win over Belgium which extended their 100 per cent record in Group 5 of European Zone qualifying.
Spain made it seven wins out of seven on the road to South Africa 2010 after thrashing Belgium in La Coruna on Saturday 5 September. However, they are still not assured of a place at next year s finals given that closest challengers Bosnia-Herzegovina are six points behind with three games remaining.
Indeed, the last of those matches has Spain travelling to Bosnia-Herzegovina in the final round of group fixtures, and Del Bosque will be hoping his side have their FIFA World Cup ticket booked well before that game.
It s a pity that after seven…
Brendan Rodgers is eyeing redemption at the Britannia Stadium as Liverpool return to the scene of their shocking 6-1 drubbing on the final day of last season.
Liverpool were taken apart by a rampant Stoke City in May as a campaign that promised much for the 2013-14 runners-up ended in embarrassment.
Much has changed at Anfield since then, with Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling leaving and the likes of Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino and James Milner arriving.
Rodgers has also overhauled his backroom staff over the close-season, and the Northern Irishman believes his new-look team are ready for their trip to the Britannia after their mauling in May.
We ll certainly be better than we were last year that s for sure, Rodgers said on Friday.
…
Liverpool star Sadio Mane insisted he was very happy at the Premier League club amid links to Real Madrid.
Mane, 26, has been linked with a shock switch to the European champions after another fine campaign in England.
While the Senegal international said he was happy with life at Liverpool, he was unwilling to rule out a move in the future.
I am very happy in Liverpool and my contract will last for three more years, Mane told Salzburger Nachrichten.
He added: As I said, I m happy in Liverpool. But you never know what will happen in the future.
Mane scored 10 goals and provided seven assists in 29 games in the Premier League in 2017-18.
…
Sir Alex Ferguson believes he can get at least another two years of five-star service from Ryan Giggs.
The evergreen Welshman, who scored his 100th Premier League goal in Manchester United s 4-1 win at Portsmouth, turned 36 on Sunday and is currently playing some of the best football of his career.
Wayne Rooney s first hat-trick for United since October 2006 laid the foundations for the champions victory at Fratton Park but the artistry of Giggs, who curled in a late free-kick, was every bit as significant.
Happy Birthday Ryan, Ferguson said. He has had it 36 times in his life, wait until he gets to 67 I think he will be retired by then!
He is an exceptional player a rarity. He will play for two years yet.
Portsmouth put up a spirited perform…
Mexico face Costa Rica in the semi finals of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup following a convincing 4-0 win over Haiti in the quarters.
The opening goal came on 23 minutes. Israel Castro had a penalty saved my keeper zephirin but Miguel Sabah smashed it home on the rebound.
A powerful shot from Giovanni Dos Santos made it 2-0 with three minutes left in the first half and the Barcelona player delivered a corner that allowed Sabah to head home a third in minute 63.
The fourth and final goal came after another corner from Dos Santos, with substitute forward Pablo Barrera volleying home from the edge of the penalty area.
Another highlight in this game was the amount of spectators that found their way to Arlington s Cowboys Stadium, with no less than 81,000 fans w…
Liverpool defender Joe Gomez is in line to make his first appearance for 14 months when his side take on Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup.
Manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed Sunday s third-round match at Anfield will likely see the 19-year-old play for the first time since October 2015, when he suffered a serious ACL injury.
Gomez sustained the injury playing for the England Under-21 team in his first season at the club following a £3.5million move from Charlton Athletic.
It wouldn t be the biggest surprise if he is in the line-up, Klopp said at his pre-match media conference.
Playing for us is the logical next step for him. It is his first game at Anfield for a long time.
Joe is in a good way and really good in training.
“He already had a…
Brighton have sacked head coach Melissa Phillips after a little under 10 months in the role.
Phillips signed a two-year deal upon joining the south coast club last April and helped them avoid relegation from the Women’s Super League in her first few months in charge.
But despite a decent outlay in the summer, which included the signings of Maria Thorisdottir, Vicky Losada and Pauline Bremer, results have not been what the Brighton hierarchy anticipated this term.
Melissa Phillips has left her position as women s head coach with immediate effect.
Mikey Harris, supported by Owen Fisher, will take interim charge for the foreseeable future, supported by the current women’s first-team technical staff.
— Brighton Hove Albion Women (@BHAFCWomen)