Rudi Garcia called Lyon s loss to Juventus the happiest defeat of my career as his side earned a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Memphis Depay s early penalty ultimately earned an away-goals victory for Lyon, despite Cristiano Ronaldo s double in Turin meaning the last-16 tie ended 2-2.
Manchester City, who overcame Real Madrid in Friday s other fixture, await the Ligue 1 side in the last eight on August 15 in Lisbon, and the result left former Roma coach Garcia revelling in his team s success.
It s one of the most satisfying moments of my career and getting past Juventus really is an exploit, Garcia told Sky Italia.
The penalty we conceded just before half-time hurt us, Juve hadn t been that dangerous until then and it gave them con…
Barcelona are lining up a cut-price bid for Liverpool forward Philippe Coutinho, according to Sky Sports.
The Catalan club pursued the Brazil international throughout the summer though the Merseyside outfit stood firm, determined to keep hold of their key man.
Three bids from the La Liga giants were rejected by the Reds in the close season, the last of which was around £114m and they are now set to offer around £35m less with a further year ran down on his current contract.
Coutinho has impressed since slotting back into Jurgen Klopp’s side this season, scoring four goals in nine appearances in all competitions.
In total, he has played one hundred and ninety-one times since signing from Inter Milan in the summer of 2013, scoring forty-six goals w…
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola insists he would not consider selling midfielder Phil Foden for €500m (£460m) because he is the only player at the could who cannot be sold under any circumstances .
Foden, 19, has long been championed as a star of the future for City and England, having been around Guardiola s first-team squad for almost three years already.
He played named player of the tournament after England s Under-17 World Cup success in 2017 and has steadily become a more prominent player in City s senior squad, playing 26 matches across all competitions last season.
The midfielder has featured for just 10 minutes in the Premier League this term, sparking suggestions he is being held back by City.
But, with David Silva set to leave the club w…
New sporting director of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Jose Molina wants Gerard Pique to reconsider his decision to retire from international duty.
Pique previously indicated the 2018 World Cup would be his last tournament for Spain, who lost in the last 16 to hosts Russia on penalties.
There are people who think it s better if I m not here, said Pique, who is often jeered by Spain supporters due to his political views.
Former Barcelona team-mate Andres Iniesta announced his international retirement following the World Cup exit, with Spain captain Sergio Ramos hinting others could follow.
Pique is yet to confirm his definitive plans but Molina, who played for Spain as a goalkeeper, is hopeful the centre-back can be persuaded to stay on un…
Leicester City players are devastated by the death of the club s owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and will be given time off to attend his funeral, said manager Claude Puel.
Srivaddhanaprabha was one of five people who died when the Leicester chairman s helicopter crashed moments after taking off from the King Power Stadium s pitch on Saturday.
Puel confirmed reports that Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, a key player in the club s remarkable Premier League title triumph in 2015-16, was one of the first people on the scene of the accident.
Yes I don t want to give out the details of course just for Kasper, he lives this situation and he saw a lot of things, Puel told a news conference.
Kasper, like the other players, they all have a lot of histo…
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named in UEFA s Team of the Year nominees for a record 14th time as part of an 11-strong contingent from Real Madrid, in a list that also includes fellow usual suspects Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Madrid dominated on the domestic and European front last season, clinching a first LaLiga title since 2012 and becoming the first team to defend the Champions League.
Portugal superstar Ronaldo was typically at the forefront of their success, scoring 25 league goals and a further 12 in Europe s premier competition.
Madrid team-mates Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Casemiro, Isco, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Dani Carvajal, Marcelo, Keylor Navas and Sergio Ramos – who earned the highest percentage of votes in last year s poll – also made the cut.
Lionel Messi is currently holidaying in his homeland after Argentina s World Cup victory.
But the seven-time Ballon d Or winner s club future is a hot topic, having put off any contract talks until after the event.
Messi is out of contract at Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this season, with former club Barcelona consistently linked.
TOP STORY – MESSI AGREES TO STAY WITH PSG
Lionel Messi has agreed to a one-year contract extension with PSG, according to Le Parisien.
The 35-year-old had put off contract talks until after the World Cup, which concluded on Sunday with Messi lifting the title with Argentina.
The report claims Messi and PSG have reached an agreement in principle, with the deal to be sealed once the Argentine returns to Fra…
With another stacked schedule from across the MLS on the cards this weekend, we have a host of noteworthy meetings for those of you looking to stick on a Sunday acca. On that note, we have found a handful of helpful tips from throughout the early hours of Sunday morning that are worth keeping an eye out for.
Sunday 4th July
BST 00:30 Orlando City vs New York Red Bulls
Starting with Sunday s hosts, despite getting hit with a 2-1 defeat when they faced off against this weekend s guests when heading into the international break, Orlando have only continued on a real purple patch. Last seen landing themselves a deserved victory against Inter Miami, The Lions are now in the midst of a three-match winning run and have their sights set on clinching top spot in the Ea…
Liverpool teenager Rhian Brewster would not be guaranteed regular Premier League starts if he joined Crystal Palace on loan, says Roy Hodgson.
The 19-year-old is one of England s most highly rated young forwards, having fired the Young Lions to Under-17 World Cup glory in 2017.
But Brewster subsequently suffered serious knee and ankle injuries and only made his Liverpool debut against MK Dons in the EFL Cup in September.
The striker has featured just once at senior level since in the same competition and is yet to score for the Reds.
Brewster therefore looks primed for a loan move in January, with Palace and Aston Villa both linked with bids.
But Palace manager Hodgson would be reluctant to offer any assurances over game time for a player yet to a…
Striker Umut Bulut hopes Monday s Group A clash with Latvia can serve to kickstart Turkey s Euro 2016 qualification campaign.
Both sides have made poor starts in their bid to reach the competition in France, with Turkey coach Fatih Terim reported to be under plenty of pressure going into the clash at Stadions Skonto in Riga
While Latvia have picked up a point in their campaign so far, Turkey are yet to get off the mark as they followed up a 3-0 defeat against Iceland with Friday s 2-1 loss to Czech Republic.
Bulut opened the scoring in Istanbul but goals from Tomas Sivok and Borek Dockal condemned Terim s men to a second defeat of the group.
Now in his third term as coach of the national team, Terim spoke of maintaining belief in the dressing room as Tur…