Barcelona defender Sergi Roberto claimed his side s 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid on Sunday could prove a pivotal moment in the LaLiga title race.
The Catalan club were second best for much of the fixture at the Wanda Metropolitano but Lionel Messi scored a dramatic winner four minutes from time.
It helped Barca leapfrog Real Madrid back to the top of the table – albeit on goal difference – but provided a huge psychological boost.
We knew that their fans were going to pressure us and it was the case, Roberto told Marca.
Matches like these are where the league can be decided, and we have had to suffer to win.
But there is a long way to go, and many teams will pose a threat.
16 Diego Simeone is winless in his managerial career ag…
Stand-in skipper Philippe Coutinho led Liverpool to the Champions League knockout stages as Group E winners with a 7-0 demolition of Spartak Moscow at Anfield on Wednesday.
Selected to help secure the three points that would sew up top spot, Coutinho s hat-trick headlined a fearsome display of attacking speed and precision as the home side ran riot from the outset.
The Brazilian wearing the armband as Jordan Henderson watched on from the bench was on target twice in the opening 15 minutes to dispel any doubts over their command of a seeded berth in the last 16.
He first converted from the spot in the fourth minute and then capped off a classy attacking move for a second, before Roberto Firmino got in on the act by making it 3-0 in just the 18th minute.
Gareth Bale will be monitored after suffering a minor ankle twist on his impressive return to Real Madrid s starting side, head coach Zidane Zidane confirmed on Wednesday.
Bale scored the opener in a 3-1 Copa del Rey win over Unionistas de Salamanca but was unable to continue beyond the 53rd minute midweek.
Wales star Bale, who has battled injury and illness this season, was making his first appearance since the LaLiga victory against Getafe on January 4.
He s twisted his ankle a bit, Zidane said. I don t think it s much but, as always, we ll see tomorrow. He couldn t go on.
Bale s forced withdrawal appeared to unsettle Madrid, who conceded a stunning equaliser four minutes later as Alvaro Romero surged forward and fired past goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.…
Jose Mourinho seemingly has Gareth Bale in his Tottenham plans, but he will have to wait until before the start of next season.
Mourinho was named Spurs head coach on Wednesday, a day after the Premier League club sacked Mauricio Pochettino.
Unsurprisingly, there is plenty of talk around his potential movements in the transfer market – including a Tottenham return for Bale.
TOP STORY – MOURINHO EYES BALE, BUT CAN T SPEND IN JANUARY
Mourinho s arrival at Tottenham offers Bale the perfect escape route from Real Madrid, according to AS.
The star attacker left Spurs for Madrid in 2013, but is set to leave the LaLiga giants at season s end, the report says.
Marca reports Madrid have ruled out a January exit for Bale. That would s…
Aleksandar Kolarov says he cannot deny his past but that Lazio are his rivals now after leaving Manchester City for Roma.
Left-back Kolarov won the Coppa Italia with Lazio in 2009 but left for City a year later, going on to win the Premier League twice at the Etihad Stadium.
His return to Rome was confirmed on Saturday, the Serbia international signing a three-year contract with Lazio s arch-rivals.
And Lazio fans have already reacted negatively, unveiling a banner labelling him a worm at a pre-season friendly, and Kolarov has fanned the flames further.
He told Roma TV: I cannot, and do not want to, deny my past. But now I am with Roma and just as I gave 100 per cent when I was at Lazio I will now give 100 per cent and more for Roma.
Lazio was …
Tottenham Hotspur are willing to sell Dele Alli, according to . Although Tottenham do not expect the England international midfielder to leave before the summer transfer window closes next month, the North London club are open to serious offers for the 24-year-old.
Alli has been on the books of Tottenham since 2015 when he joined from Milton Keynes Dons. While the youngster showed a lot of promise in the first two or so seasons under then head coach Mauricio Pochettino, for the last 18 or so months, the Englishman has failed to progress and seems stagnated.
Tottenham are aiming to finish in the top four of the Premier League table this season after missing out a Champions League place last time around. Wales international Gareth Bale is to join Jose Mourinho’s side o…
According to a recent report from AS, Manchester United are ready and willing to put forward a bid for Atletico Madrid star Saul Niguez during the January transfer window. The belief is that they will need to pay his £125 million release clause fee in order to get a deal over the finish line after months of speculation over whether or not they will actually go ahead with a move.
It was confirmed recently that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will indeed get the backing he so desperately needs in order to improve the fortunes of the squad during January and beyond, and now that they’ve been able to put together surprising wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, it feels like this squad could be moving in the right direction.
The Atletico midfielder has be…
Following weeks of speculation, Massimiliano Allegri confirmed on Friday that he is to leave Juventus at the end of the season after five years at the club.
Allegri will have won the Serie A title in all five of his seasons with Juve having done likewise in his first campaign with AC Milan in 2010-11 while also lifting the Coppa Italia on four occasions.
But the 51-year-old s future at the Allianz Stadium had been uncertain ever since Juve crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Ajax.
Following a meeting with president Andrea Agnelli this week, Allegri has decided to step down and seek a new challenge away from Turin.
Given his success in Italy, a number of teams including some of those he has faced regularly in Serie A could be interested…
Atletico Madrid and Sevilla are interested in signing Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette in the summer transfer window, according to . Lacazette is out of contract at Arsenal at the end of the season, and Spanish clubs Atletico and Sevilla are keen on securing the services of the 30-year-old France international.
Lacazette has been on the books of Arsenal since 2017 when he joined from French club Lyon. The 30-year-old has 50 goals in 129 appearances in the Premier League so far this season.
Talks between Arsenal and Lacazette’s agents over a new deal are reportedly not going well, and it is very likely that he will leave on a free transfer next summer. It is unlikely that the North London club will give him a three-year deal or hike his pay, as he is 30 now.
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Erik ten Hag hailed Ajax after the Eredivisie giants made it three wins from three games in the Champions League thanks to a stunning 4-0 rout of Borussia Dortmund.
Ajax produced a merciless performance in Amsterdam, where Dusan Tadic s free-kick deflected off Marco Reus to set the tone before Daley Blind, Antony and Sebastien Haller also scored in Tuesday s rout.
With the Dortmund demolition, Ajax have now won their opening three Champions League matches in a season for the first time since 1995-96, when they went on to reach the final, losing to Juventus on penalties.
Ajax have also scored 11 goals through three matchdays, their most at this stage of a European Cup/Champions League campaign since scoring 26 times in their first three games in the 1979-80 season…