Новости за 22.12.2018

Atletico Madrid have paid a tribute to their former captain Gabi, several months after the midfielder left the LaLiga club. Gabi came through the ranks at Aleti, and although he left in 2007 to join Zaragoza, came back to Madrid for a second spell that lasted seven years. The midfielder quickly became a crucial part of Diego Simeone's side, and won a LaLiga title, the Copa del Rey and two Europa League trophies before joining Qatari club Al Sadd in July. And, after Atleti's 1-0 win over Espanyol... Читать дальше...

Jarrod Bowen scored a brace to make up for an earlier penalty miss as Hull City came from behind to beat Swansea City 3-2 in the Championship on Saturday. The two sides served up a Christmas cracker, with Swansea beaten despite taking a third-minute lead thanks to Wilfried Bony's first league goal in over a year. Hull had a chance to level before the break when Fraizer Campbell was fouled by Erwin Mulder, the Swansea goalkeeper making amends for the error by denying Bowen from 12 yards. But with... Читать дальше...

Franck Ribery became the oldest Bayern Munich player to score more than one goal in a Bundesliga game after he netted twice in a 3-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. Aged 35 years and 259 days, the former France international slotted in Bayern's opener midway through the first half before adding a second with a scuffed finish late on. Saturday's performance could have been even more memorable for Ribery, had Robert Lewandowski not failed to control the veteran's pass at the culmination of a superb run. Читать дальше...

Diego Simeone has vowed to support whatever decision Lucas Hernandez makes regarding his future, amid reports the Atletico Madrid defender is interesting Bayern Munich. Reports began to circulate earlier in the week claiming Bundesliga champions Bayern were preparing to trigger Lucas' €80million release clause. The versatile defender was a key part of France's World Cup winning campaign this year and has developed into a fine player since coming through the ranks at Atletico. Simeone insists he... Читать дальше...

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Wayne Rooney encouraged him to get Manchester United attacking again prior to Saturday's 5-1 thrashing of Cardiff City. The Red Devils were on fire in south Wales in Solskjaer's first match as caretaker manager, with Jesse Lingard scoring twice and Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera and Anthony Martial also on the scoresheet. It was the first time United have scored five goals in a Premier League game since Alex Ferguson's final match in charge in 2013 and was in stark contrast... Читать дальше...

Santiago Solari shared the credit for Real Madrid's record-breaking Club World Cup triumph with former head coach Zinedine Zidane. Solari, the replacement for Zidane's short-lived successor Julen Lopetegui, led Madrid to their first title under his stewardship with a 4-1 win over Al Ain in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Victory means Madrid have won the tournament three years in a row and their fourth triumph in the competition moves them clear of rivals Barcelona as the Club World Cup's most successful team. Читать дальше...

Luka Modric vowed to shoot more often after scoring a sensational opening goal to set up Real Madrid's victory over Al Ain in the Club World Cup final. The midfielder wrapped up a golden 2018 with the first goal in a 4-1 win for Santiago Solari's side, who won the tournament for the third year in a row. Modric, winner of the Ballon d'Or, World Cup Golden Ball and FIFA's The Best Men's Player prize, scored his first Madrid goal since January to start the rout. It was also his first goal in a final... Читать дальше...

Pep Guardiola defended his decision to start Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero on the bench as Manchester City fell further behind Premier League leaders Liverpool with a 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace. De Bruyne came on to score a fortuitous 85th-minute goal on Saturday, but the damage had already been done. Jeffrey Schlupp's first-half goal cancelled out Ilkay Gundogan's opener and an Andros Townsend wonder strike was added to by Luka Milivojevic's penalty. The result means City are four points behind Liverpool at the summit... Читать дальше...

Javi Gracia insists he was "never afraid" of West Ham after Watford left the London Stadium with a 2-0 win on Saturday. The Hammers went into the match with four successive wins in the Premier League, but they came unstuck against the high-flying Hornets. Troy Deeney opened the scoring with an emphatic penalty after Fabian Balbuena tripped Roberto Pereyra in the area in the 30th minute. West Ham applied pressure and had chances, but they were unable to make the most of them – Javier Hernandez... Читать дальше...

Wayne Rooney believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the right man to heal the player unrest that contributed to Jose Mourinho's dismissal from Manchester United. Appearing on television ahead of the club's Premier League clash against Cardiff City, Rooney said recent conversations with former team-mates confirmed the atmosphere "wasn't great" at Old Trafford. Mourinho was dismissed after a 3-1 loss to Liverpool in which star midfielder Paul Pogba, with whom the Portuguese reportedly had several run-ins, was an unused substitute. Читать дальше...

Maurizio Sarri felt his Chelsea side paid the price for a poor reaction to falling behind in Saturday's 1-0 loss to Leicester City. The Blues were beaten at Stamford Bridge for the first time under Sarri thanks to Jamie Vardy's emphatic counter-attacking goal in the 51st minute. Chelsea twice hit the woodwork through Eden Hazard and Marcos Alonso – the latter in second-half injury-time – and Sarri, who vented his frustration at one stage by throwing his jacket, rued the way his side failed to respond to adversity. Читать дальше...

Rafael Benitez was disappointed with aspects of Newcastle United's performance in the 0-0 home Premier League draw with Fulham, but questioned whether his side should have been rated as big favourites. Newcastle failed to register a shot on target for a game they were widely tipped to win against Claudio Ranieri's bottom-of-the-table visitors, who kept their first clean sheet of the season. Benitez felt it was a "tense" atmosphere with his players expected to triumph, but was keen to point out... Читать дальше...

Luka Modric's wonderful goal helped seal Club World Cup history as Real Madrid beat Al Ain 4-1 to become the first team to win the tournament three years in a row. Santiago Solari's first silverware since being appointed as Julen Lopetegui's successor was set up by Modric's first-half strike as Madrid comfortably triumphed in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, moving past rivals Barcelona with their fourth title in the competition. The Croatia midfielder, who added the Ballon d'Or crown to his World Cup Golden Ball this month... Читать дальше...

Manchester City's commitment to pressing persuaded Andros Townsend to smash in his goal of the season contender. Crystal Palace claimed a shock 3-2 win at the Etihad Stadium to land a telling blow against City's Premier League title defence. Jeffrey Schlupp cancelled out Ilkay Gundogan's opener and Luka Milivojevic's penalty 10 minutes into the second half ultimately proved decisive after Kevin De Bruyne reduced the arrears late on. But it is Townsend's sumptuous volley from 30 yards after City... Читать дальше...

Crystal Palace captain Luka Milivojevic marvelled at Andros Townsend's wonder strike after Roy Hodgson's side stunned Premier League champions Manchester City with a 3-2 victory. Palace fell behind to Ilkay Gundogan's 27th-minute header but Jeffrey Schlupp found a swift response before Townsend left Ederson with no chance by launching a remarkable 30-yard volley into the top-right corner. Milivojevic compounded City's problems with a 55th-minute penalty and, although Kevin De Bruyne's overhit cross flew in five minutes from time... Читать дальше...

Antoine Griezmann has reached the 200-goal mark for club and country after scoring the winner in Atletico Madrid's 1-0 LaLiga triumph over Espanyol on Saturday. In an otherwise unremarkable game, Griezmann proved decisive from the penalty spot in the 56th minute after Koke had been felled by a wild Esteban Granero kick. It was Griezmann's 86th LaLiga goal for Atletico in his 160th outing since joining from Real Sociedad in 2013. He also scored 40 LaLiga goals for La Real across four seasons in the top flight... Читать дальше...

Teemu Pukki's 86th-minute winner against Blackburn Rovers sent Norwich City back to the top of the Championship on Saturday, while QPR triumphed 1-0 at Nottingham Forest to end the longest away hoodoo in English football. Norwich looked set to endure frustration at Ewood Park, but Pukki's late strike - one of countless late goals for the Canaries this term - earned a 1-0 win and ensured they moved two points ahead of Leeds United, who host Aston Villa on Sunday. West Brom kept up the pressure on... Читать дальше...

Gonzalo Martinez scored twice on his final River Plate appearance as the Copa Libertadores champions secured third place in the Club World Cup by beating Kashima Antlers 4-0. Beaten on penalties by Al Ain in the semi-finals, River – who have yet to return to Argentina following their Copa triumph over rivals Boca Juniors in Madrid – made light work of AFC Champions League winners Kashima in Saturday's encounter. Although Jung Seung-hyun hit the crossbar, Kashima were on the back foot from the off ... Читать дальше...

Dwight Yorke has questioned whether Manchester United interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has the personality to handle high-profile players. Solskjaer was appointed as United's temporary boss on Wednesday, a day after the club had sacked Jose Mourinho. First up for Solskjaer is a trip to his former side Cardiff City, whom he managed in 2014, and Yorke – who spent four years alongside the Norwegian at Old Trafford – doubts that his old team-mate has the ability to deal with United's big players... Читать дальше...

Juventus were the only club Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to join when he decided to leave Real Madrid, according to the player's agent Jorge Mendes. Ronaldo ended his trophy-laden nine-year stint at Madrid in the close-season, joining Serie A giants Juve in a deal worth €112million, and has scored 12 goals in 21 appearances across all competitions since his arrival in Turin. And Mendes has revealed that Ronaldo had his heart set on a switch to Juve since the start of 2018. "Ronaldo told me that he... Читать дальше...

Real Betis fans embraced the season of goodwill on Saturday as they hurled soft toys onto the pitch at half-time of the LaLiga match with Eibar. Hundreds of teddy bears and other stuffed animals were thrown from the stands of the Benito Villamarin after a pre-game appeal on behalf of the club for charitable donations. The toys, gathered up promptly before the second half, are to be donated to disadvantaged families in the region as part of the club's commitment to community outreach. In keeping with the spirit of the occasion... Читать дальше...

Karim Benzema has reiterated his commitment to Real Madrid, and believes he now has the full respect of Los Blancos' fans. Benzema is Madrid's top scorer this season, with 11 goals across all competitions. The former Lyon forward netted the winner in Madrid's last LaLiga outing, as Santiago Solari's side edged past Rayo Vallecano.  And, ahead of Madrid's FIFA Club World Cup final clash with Al Ain on Saturday, Benzema has revealed that the reception he received following his goal against Rayo shows he has the full trust of the fans... Читать дальше...

Real Madrid have announced the death of director Angel Luis Heras Aguado. Club president Florentino Perez described Aguado, who died on Friday, as his "best friend" in a statement confirming his passing. "Angel Luis Heras Aguado was a key part of the board of directors since 2000," said Perez. "He was a Real Madrid member for 62 years, and he is an example of commitment, dedication and loyalty to the club.   "His dedication and hard work over the years helped us to keep this club growing and shaping what it is now... Читать дальше...

Borussia Dortmund suspect striker Paco Alcacer suffered a torn muscle in their Bundesliga win over Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday. Dortmund extended their lead at the top of the table back to nine points with a 2-1 victory at Signal Iduna Park. And they had to do it largely without talisman Alcacer, who has 12 Bundesliga goals to his name this season, after he came off in the 34th minute. Alcacer was replaced by Mario Gotze, and goals from Jadon Sancho and Marco Reus earned Dortmund all three points. Читать дальше...

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has handed Mesut Ozil a recall as captain for Saturday's Premier League match against Burnley at Emirates Stadium. Ozil was a surprise omission from the matchday 18 for Wednesday's 2-0 EFL Cup quarter-final defeat to rivals Tottenham, heightening speculation he could be set for a move in the January transfer window. But Emery has restored Ozil to his starting XI as one of six changes to the side that lost a first Premier League game since August at Southampton last weekend. Читать дальше...