Новости за 12.12.2017

A stunning Everton goal early in extra-time secured Gremio's progression to the Club World Cup final with a 1-0 victory over 10-man Pachuca in Al Ain on Tuesday. It was a fiercely contested fixture which lacked quality in the final third for much of the game, resulting in proceedings going to an extra 30 minutes, but ultimately a sublime solo goal made the difference, with Gremio set to meet either Al Jazira or Real Madrid in the final. Chances were at a premium in the first half, as both sides... Читать дальше...

Zlatan Ibrahimovic says Pep Guardiola is the most "immature" coach he has worked with over his distinguished football career. Guardiola's Manchester City came out on top in Sunday's Premier League derby clash with Ibrahimovic's United at Old Trafford, with the pair having had a stormy relationship during their time at Barcelona. Ibrahimovic moved to Camp Nou from Inter in 2009, but spent a single season under Guardiola's leadership before returning to Serie A, joining AC Milan. Although Guardiola... Читать дальше...

Paul Pogba has no regrets about following his heart by returning to Manchester United and rejecting the chance to join Real Madrid. Pogba signed for United, where he began his professional career, for a record initial fee of €105million in August 2016 after winning four successive Serie A titles at Juventus. Madrid had been keen to take the France international to the Santiago Bernabeu, but unfinished business at United saw Pogba opt to go back to the Premier League. "To be honest, Real Madrid came to me and I was thinking to go there... Читать дальше...

Gennaro Gattuso has denied reports the agent of AC Milan's highly sought teenage goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has demanded to have his contract renewal annulled. After a drawn-out saga, Donnarumma signed new terms in July to commit to Milan until 2021, with his old contract having been set to expire in 2018. However, reports in Italy have suggested Donnarumma's agent Mino Raiola has told the San Siro club the 18-year-old felt pressurised into agreeing the extension and wants the contract to... Читать дальше...

Roberto Mancini's Zenit played out a goalless draw against Terek on Monday night, but it could have been so different had Kokorin converted from a matter of metres out in front of an open goal.In the 57th minute, Emiliano Rigoni attempted to lob Terek goalkeeper Vitaliy Gudiev from a tight angle, but his effort bounced off the bar and into the feet of Kokorin.Yet somehow, the 26-year-old failed to even hit the target with his effort and really should have broken the deadlock.Unbelievable.With the... Читать дальше...

Out of favour, out of the picture and utterly alone, Henrikh Mkhitaryan is in good company. The future may not look bright for the Armenian, who has featured in Manchester United’s matchday squad just once since the defeat at Chelsea on November 5, but he can console himself with the fact that he’s hardly the first high-pedigree playmaker to have felt the full force of a Jose Mourinho banishment.The experience is not even new to Mkhitaryan himself, who spent two-and-a-half months of last season in a similar state of exile ... Читать дальше...

A fine Mauricio brace helped Urawa Red Diamonds to a comfortable 3-2 win over Morocco's Wydad Casablanca in the Club World Cup fifth-place play-off on Tuesday. Wydad gave a good account of themselves during their 1-0 extra-time defeat to Mexico's Pachuca in the quarter-finals, but they were second best to the reigning AFC Champions League champions for most of the match. Brazilian defender Mauricio gave Urawa the lead in stunning fashion, finding the top-right corner with a controlled effort from about 40 yards... Читать дальше...

Colombia midfielder Edwin Cardona has been given a five-match international ban after FIFA found he made a "discriminatory" gesture during a game against South Korea. The Boca Juniors star made a gesture with his eyes at Korea players after a clash involving James Rodriguez and Kim Jin-su. Although Cardona denied all wrongdoing, Korea international Ki Sung-yueng described the behaviour as "absolutely unacceptable" after the match. Colombia, who have been drawn alongside Poland, Japan and Senegal for the World Cup in Russia... Читать дальше...

James Rodriguez is still adapting to life in the Bundesliga, but Jupp Heynckes is satisfied with the midfielder's performances at Bayern Munich. The Colombia international has started 10 league games since moving to the Allianz Arena from Real Madrid on a two-season loan deal, scoring twice and supplying three assists. James this week suggested he would be keen to stay at Bayern "for many years", and Heynckes is willing to be patient to get the best out of the 2014 World Cup's top goalscorer. ... Читать дальше...

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is hopeful Vincent Kompany can make a swift return from his latest injury setback. City captain Kompany was substituted at half-time during Sunday's 2-1 derby victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford, a win that stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League table over their rivals to 11 points. Kompany has been ravaged by injuries over recent seasons, with calf complaints his downfall more often than not. Speaking ahead of City's trip to Swansea City on Wednesday... Читать дальше...

Adam Lallana is closing in on a return to action for Liverpool and it will come at an important time, with Jurgen Klopp adamant they need him over the hectic Christmas period. The England international has played just one minute of senior football this season, appearing as a late substitute against Chelsea in November. Lallana has had to contend with a persistent thigh problem and, although he has been in training for over a month, he is still a little off the pace. But Klopp predicts an important... Читать дальше...

Jose Mourinho believes the alleged fracas between Manchester United and City players after Sunday's derby came down to a "diversity in behaviour" and "education". City left Old Trafford with a 2-1 win thanks to goals from David Silva and Nicolas Otamendi, opening up an 11-point lead ahead of United at the top of the table. But news later broke about an incident in the tunnel after the match, with reports suggesting Mourinho and several members of United's team and coaching staff reacted angrily to apparently disrespectful celebrations. Читать дальше...

Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City's celebrations at Old Trafford were "correct" and refused to be drawn on Sunday's post-match fracas. City set a new Premier League record of 14 consecutive wins in the same season and moved 11 points clear of Manchester United at the summit as goals from David Silva and Nicolas Otamendi secured a 2-1 derby victory. But an alleged incident involving players and officials from both sides has subsequently dominated the headlines, with the Football Association... Читать дальше...

Jurgen Klopp has no regrets about a heated interview he took part in after Liverpool's draw with Everton on Sunday, stating he would not change the way he acted. Liverpool dominated Everton for most of the 1-1 draw at Anfield, with Wayne Rooney's late penalty denying them the victory after Dejan Lovren nudged Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the area. After the full-time whistle, Klopp was interviewed by Sky Sports and was particularly confrontational as the reporter's line of questioning relating to the spot-kick irritated him. Читать дальше...

50. Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)There was definitely a ‘before and after’ for Lukaku in 2017, as he made plain his intention to leave Everton long before the transfer window actually opened. From a public relations perspective, it wasn’t his finest moment.A £70m transfer followed, and Manchester United beckoned. Lukaku is anaturally divisive player who will likely be argued over until the end of his career; as such, henot only had to start well at Old Trafford, but also needed to develop as... Читать дальше...

Diego Maradona wasn't the only one causing a stiramong India'sfootball communityon Monday.Minerva Punjab beat Chennai City 2-1 in the I-League but were gifted their opening goal from the visitors' goalkeeper Poljanec.The Slovenian, who recently played six games for Icelandic club Fjardabyggdar -regarded as one of the worst clubs in the country -naively tried to tap theball away from his goal rather than give it a proper hoof.The result? The ball instantly smackingGhanaian forward William Opoku's leg before crashing into the back of the net. Читать дальше...

Everton manager Sam Allardyce has defended his tactics from Sunday's Merseyside derby against Liverpool – insisting Jose Mourinho used similar methods with Manchester United at Anfield. A Wayne Rooney penalty 13 minutes from time secured a 1-1 draw for Everton, who spent long periods on the backfoot either side of Mohamed Salah's 42nd-minute opener. Speaking ahead of Wednesday's trip to Newcastle United, Allardyce stood by Everton's approach, which he likened to United's in a dour 0-0 stalemate in October. Читать дальше...

Former Portgual coach Paulo Bento has reached an agreement to join Chongqing Lifan following the departure of Chang Woe-ryong. The club announced Chang's departure on Monday, claiming the South Korean had asked to leave despite discussing a contract renewal. Chongqing have not wasted any time in hiring his replacement, with Bento joining the Chinese Super League side with significant pedigree. Bento began his coaching career with Sporting CP, the last club of his playing days, before then going on to take over Portugal... Читать дальше...

Ever fancied a crack at being a pro gamer and thought: ‘Well, how hard can it be be?’ If so, you’re in luck. Starting from January 2018, you’ll be able to put your controller when your mouth is and be in with a chance of rising to the top of the FIFA 18 eSports mountain.The eSports company Gfinity have recently announced plans for a FIFA 18 Elite Series – essentially pitting the world’s best against each other – with the addition of a Challenger Series launching on January 8 and the Elite Draft on February 23.So... Читать дальше...

Aaron Ramsey will miss Arsenal's midweek trip to West Ham due to a hamstring injury, although Arsene Wenger insists the Wales international's problem is not serious. Ramsey has put recent fitness woes behind him to feature in all but one of Arsenal's Premier League games this season, scoring three times and supplying six assists. The 26-year-old completed 90 minutes as Olivier Giroud came off the bench to head a late equaliser at Southampton but did not come through the game unscathed. Ramsey... Читать дальше...

Watford will be without defender Marvin Zeegelaar for three matches after his appeal against a red card picked up at Burnley on Saturday was rejected. Zeegelaar was dismissed six minutes before half-time for jumping in two-footed on Steven Defour, with Burnley scoring the only goal of the game through Scott Arfield soon after. The Dutch defender did appear to make some contact with the ball, leading Watford coach Marco Silva to label the decision as "harsh" after full-time. However, their bid... Читать дальше...

60. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)Bale can be a devastating weapon for Real Madrid: the only problem is making it onto the pitch. A series of injuries have restricted the Welshman to just 13 league games in 2017, triggering rumours that Madrid might be prepared to sell.The timing has been unfortunate. The ‘Cardiff Express’ got derailed just as Madrid clicked into gear last season. A symbolic moment came against Barcelona in April, when Zinedine Zidane decided to start him when only half-fit, only to see... Читать дальше...

Cardiff came from two goals down in the last seven minutesto draw 2-2with the Royals on a freezing cold Monday night at the Madejski Stadium.ButNeil Warnock's promotion-chasing Bluebirds got off to a terrible start when23-year-old Paterson headed in a haplessopening own goal from Liam Kelly's 16th-minute corner.Cardiff's boss Warnock was sent to the stands in the second half, but after the game seemed to be in good spirits when joking about his right-back's excellentgoalscoring instinct."Paterson might as well have left it," he told Sky Sports.

Former Germany and Bayern Munich star Lothar Matthaus believes Tottenham striker Harry Kane could play for any club in Europe. Kane has been in a prolonged rich vein of form and the England striker brought up 50 goals for club and country in 2017 on Saturday with a brace in Spurs' 5-1 demolition of Stoke City at Wembley. Matthaus believes only Bayern number nine Robert Lewandowski is superior to Kane in his position at present, adding the at the 24-year-old has youth on his side. Having already... Читать дальше...

You can really see the African impact on the Premier League in this prize. Back in the mid-'90sit was just Everton and Daniel Amokachi popping up with the odd third-place spot – but in more recent years, it’s had Premier League players everywhere.That’s why the total of 60 answers isn’t as intimidating as itfirst looks. The majority of players have played Premier League football, while there’s also plenty of repeat names – meaning youonly actually have to get 28 players.Our particular favourite years are2003 and 2004... Читать дальше...