Platini to visit Poland and Ukraine 2012 chiefs

Liverpool provided a huge boost to their hopes of Champions League football next season as they claimed a thrilling 4-2 win over rivals Manchester United.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s side took the lead early through Bruno Fernandes, but were pegged back before half-time as Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino got on the scoresheet.

It looked like the visitors had things wrapped up early in the second period as Firmino headed in his second only for Marcus Rashford to set up a nervy finish as he pulled one back with 20 minutes remaining.

But the visitors rounded things off late on through Mohamed Salah to put pressure firmly back on Chelsea and Leicester City in the chase for top four.

2 Mo Salah is only the second player in Liverpool s history to score away to Man Ut…

David de Gea is no stranger to scrutiny at Old Trafford.

There were serious concerns over De Gea when he was lured to Manchester United by former boss Alex Ferguson as a lean 20-year-old goalkeeper in 2011.

De Gea, though, answered questions about his physique – the Spaniard repaying Ferguson s faith and going on to win a Premier League title, as well as FA Cup, Europa League, EFL Cup and Community Shield silverware.

He cemented himself as one of the world s best keepers. However, those concerns have emerged again and they are growing louder following his latest mistake in Sunday s 1-1 draw away to Everton.

The key moments from our clash against Everton

— Manchester United (@ManUtd)

De Gea s attempted clearance was blocked by Evert…

Real Madrid s Champions League defence came crashing down in a humiliating home defeat to Ajax on Tuesday, ending their three-year grip on the trophy.

The Eredivisie side triumphed 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu to prevail 5-3 on aggregate in the last-16 tie and pile further pressure on Madrid boss Santiago Solari.

Defeat marks the first time since 2009-10 that Madrid have been eliminated at this stage of the competition and comes on the back of consecutive Clasico losses to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey and LaLiga.

Here, with the help of Opta, we take a look at some of the key stats behind Madrid s shock exit from the competition.

Lasse Schöne

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)

Madrid are the first reigning Champio…

Paraguay will need to end a torrid run of form against Peru if they are to book a place in the semi-finals of the Copa America. 

Eduardo Berizzo s side have failed to win any of their last seven games against Peru, with their last victory coming in a friendly in November 2014. 

A 1-0 defeat to Uruguay in their final Group A game meant Paraguay finished third with six points from four games. 

They suffered a blow in that clash when influential midfielder Miguel Almiron limped off.

A late decision will be made on the Newcastle United man s fitness ahead of the match at Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico in Goiania, with Oscar Romero and Andres Cubas among the options to come into the starting XI.

Peru, meanwhile, wrapped up their Group B campaign…

Real Madrid are interested in signing Jonathan David from Lille, according to .

The LOSC Lille forward currently tops the Ligue 1 goalscoring chart with 13 strikes, which is pretty impressive given that he has the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to compete against. Nick Mavromaras, the 21-year-old s representative, has openly admitted he expects 2021-22 to be his last season with Lille.

Real will surely face fierce competition for a forward of such potential. Liverpool are said to be monitoring the situation as well, with all three of their long-serving star forwards set to turn 30 by next summer, when they ll also reach the final 12 months of their contracts.

David is bound to Lille until 2025, and the Ligue 1 club are expected to demand at leas…

Defending Copa Libertadores champions River Plate will face Cruzeiro in the last 16, while last season s runners-up Boca Juniors are set to meet Athletico Paranaense again.

River s quest for back-to-back titles will continue against Brazilian giants Cruzeiro in a two-legged round-of-16 clash starting in July.

After edging Argentine rivals Boca in a dramatic final last season, River advanced to the knockout stage as runners-up to Internacional in Group A.

Meanwhile, two-time champions Cruzeiro – who last won the competition in 1997 having reached the final in 2009 – finished six points clear atop Group B.

So here is the draw for the round of 16 in the !

— CONMEBOL Libertadores (@TheLibertadores)

Monday s draw in Paraguay also has …

Juliano Belletti believes Barcelona and Real Madrid can make memories to last for many years in Sunday s Clasico as he recalled being on the team that swept aside the famous Galacticos .

Brazilian full-back Belletti spent three seasons at Camp Nou between 2004 and 2007, winning two LaLiga titles and scoring the winner in the 2006 Champions League final against Arsenal.

He featured in four games against Los Blancos for the Blaugrana, winning one, losing one and drawing two.

The 45-year-old, who is now assistant manager at Brazilian club Cruzeiro, reflected on the stature of the historic fixture and cast his mind back to his first Clasico after arriving in Catalonia.

Most of the best players in the world are [at Barcelona and Real Madrid], Belletti told…

Didier Deschamps hailed a beautiful win for his France side after Kylian Mbappe inspired Les Bleus to an 8-0 thrashing of Kazakhstan.

Mbappe scored a first-half hat-trick at Parc des Princes, paving the way for Karim Benzema, Adrien Rabiot and Antoine Griezmann to get in on the act after the break.

The Paris Saint-Germain star rounded off the scoring as France booked their place at the Qatar World Cup in truly excellent fashion.

It was an emotional match on Saturday, with the game played six years to the day since the terrorist attacks that took place across Paris on November 13, 2015. 

In total, 130 people were killed across separate incidents, with one target having been the Stade de France, which was at the time hosting a game between France and Germ…

Jesse Lingard has opened up on how he pondered taking a break from football due to his struggles with mental health.

The attacking midfielder endured a difficult 2020 having fallen down the pecking order at Manchester United.

Off the pitch, Lingard s cared for his brother and sister while his mother – who has suffered with depression – received treatment in London.

Lingard spoke to entertainment show Presenting back in January, with the video released on Thursday, and he was asked if his personal struggles and those of his mother left him contemplating quitting football.

Not quit football, just have a time out really, he said.

I was going into games happy sitting on the bench and that s not me. I was telling my brother the other day: Remembe…

Steven Naismith believes Stephen Kingsley can still earn more Scotland caps even though the on-form defender did not get the nod to join three of his Hearts team-mates in the latest squad.

Free-scoring captain Lawrence Shankland plus goalkeepers Zander Clark and Craig Gordon were included in Steve Clarke’s 25-man pool for the national team’s pre-European Championship friendly double-header against Netherlands and Northern Ireland later this month.

Kingsley, who won the last of his two caps against Ukraine in September 2022, was also understood to have been in the thoughts of the Scotland boss after returning to his best form at Tynecastle this term.

However, the prospects of the 29-year-old former Swansea and Hull defender – who can play at centre-back or l…