Milan sealed their place in the Europa League last 32 after coming from behind to beat Celtic 4-2 in an entertaining Group H game at San Siro on Thursday.
Stefano Pioli – back in the dugout after missing three games with COVID-19 – saw his side get off to a torrid start, with Tomas Rogic and Odsonne Edouard putting Neil Lennon s struggling Scottish Premiership outfit into an early two-goal lead.
Milan powered back, though, and restored parity with quickfire goals from Hakan Calhanoglu and Samu Castillejo before the break.
Jens Petter Hauge scored a wonderful goal at the start of the second half and set up substitute Brahim Diaz with eight minutes remaining, with Milan advancing to the knockouts courtesy of Lille s dramatic late comeback for a 2-1 w…
Olivier Giroud staked his claim for a regular place in Chelsea s starting line-up after scoring four goals against Sevilla, according to the last player to net four in a game for the Blues, head coach Frank Lampard.
Giroud scored with his left foot, right foot, his head, and netted a penalty at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as the 34-year-old became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the modern Champions League and the first Chelsea player to hit four since Lampard did so against Aston Villa in 2010.
His performance, which followed another match-winning appearance in Chelsea s 2-1 victory over Rennes a week earlier, left Lampard unable to deny that the World Cup winner is in contention for a place in the first XI to face Leeds United on Saturday.
Giroud has ye…
Watford have appointed Premier League winner Claudio Ranieri as their new head coach.
Ranieri has signed a two-year deal at Vicarage Road following the departure of Xisco Munoz, who became the first Premier League managerial sacking of the season on Sunday.
Under Munoz, the Hornets won their first game on their top-flight return against Aston Villa but only managed to pick up four points from the next six games to leave them in 15th.
However, new appointment Ranieri is no stranger to English football having enjoyed spells with Chelsea and Fulham, while overseeing the most unlikely of title-winning terms with Leicester City.
The Foxes secured the title in 2015-16, led by the likes of Riyad Mahrez, N Golo Kante and Jamie Vardy as they lost just three times…
Olivier Giroud has questioned why Didier Deschamps did not give France s senior players any advance notice of Karim Benzema s return from international exile.
Real Madrid striker Benzema was named in France s Euro 2020 squad in May following an absence of nearly six years.
He had been frozen out by head coach Deschamps since 2015 after becoming embroiled in a blackmail scandal involving international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena. Benzema has strenuously denied he was complicit in attempted blackmail.
Looking to bolster his attacking options, Deschamps decided the time was right to bring back Benzema ahead of the European Championship, but Giroud believes the move proved unsettling to France s established way of playing.
Giroud has not featured for Franc…
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In an Italian heavyweight showdown on Sunday night, Roma will welcome a struggling AC Milan to the Stadio Olimpico this weekend.
Starting with the hosts, putting in another eye-catching display while on Europa League duties earlier in the week, Roma find themselves enjoying a real purple patch. Landing a 3-1 romp against Portuguese outfit Braga on Thursday, Paulo Fonseca s side cruised their way to the round of 16 in a routine fashion. Making an immediate return to winning ways after their 0-0 stalemate against Benevento last weekend, I Giallorossi have managed to find a route back into the top-four. With a Champions League return at the top of their agenda this year, Roma have lost just one of their last seven matchups across all forma…
Nick Montgomery aims to forge a “new identity” for Hibernian after being appointed the club’s head coach.
The former Sheffield United midfielder arrives in Edinburgh after 11 years with Central Coast Mariners, who he led to the A-League title last season following a 6-1 Grand Final victory over Melbourne City with the help of a hat-trick from former Hibs striker Jason Cummings.
The 41-year-old initially moved to Mariners as a player after making almost 400 appearances for Sheffield United. He was captain, assistant coach, youth coach and head of football at the Australian club before taking over as head coach in August 2021.
He has now taken charge at Easter Road on a three-year deal, describing Hibs as the “perfect” club for him.
He said: “I …
Manchester City have won the Champions League to add to their Premier League and FA Cup triumphs.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the key players in their stunning treble.
Erling Haaland
The Norwegian has been an absolute sensation, scoring a record 36 goals in City’s Premier League campaign and 52 in all competitions. People doubted whether he would be able to maintain the phenomenal scoring rate of his early career once he arrived in the Premier League following his £51million move from Borussia Dortmund but he quickly dispelled their reservations. He formed a potent partnership with Kevin De Bruyne and bagged six hat-tricks in all competitions including a stunning five-goal Champions League haul against RB Leipzig. City had to adjust their playing style to accom…
In what was a thrilling showdown from Rotterdam on Wednesday night, Croatia punched their Nations League final ticket as they clinched an action-packed 4-2 victory away at the Netherlands.
Although Borussia Dortmund’s Donyell Malen might have opened the scoring for Ronald Koeman’s men just 11 minutes before the half-time break, it was the World Cup bronze medalists who mounted a stunning comeback after returning from the interval.
While Andrej Kramaric and Mario Pasalic might have seen their second-half brace ruled out as Noa Lang produced a stunning last-gasp equaliser at the De Kuip, that 96th-minute heartbreak was not enough to stand in the way of Zlatko Dalic s high-flying squad.
Despite being dragged to extra-time, Wednesday’s guests eventually collec…
Olivier Giroud said his move to Los Angeles FC was in a quest to win trophies after he helped guide his side to a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City in the US Open Cup final.
LAFC exorcised the demons from four consecutive final defeats, including in the Leagues Cup showpiece against Columbus Crew last month, to prevail at the BMO Stadium in extra-time.
Giroud, who made the move to the MLS after leaving Milan last season, opened the scoring in the 53rd minute, turning home Mateusz Bogusz s cross from close range.
Sporting KC responded seven minutes later when Erik Thommy fired Daniel Salloi s cutback beyond Hugo Lloris at his near post to send the game to extra-time.
Substitute Omar Campos curled home a fine finish in the 102nd minute to give the Black …
Sampaoli´s still rebuilding his reputation, but transforming sluggish Sevilla will complete the cycl
In each of the past two seasons, there were periods where Sevilla could consider themselves genuine threats in LaLiga s title race.
That was perhaps more relevant in 2020-21, though it shouldn t be forgotten that Sevilla looked like the only team capable of stopping Real Madrid in the first half of the 2021-22 campaign.
But much has changed in 2022. They head to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday as bigger outsiders than they ve been for years in this fixture.
That s certainly not to say they ve ever been considered favourites against Madrid in recent memory, but there will be some Sevilla fans just hoping they can hold on to a respectable scoreline – it s a pretty significant come-down for a club that in the past three years felt they weren t far from establish…