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Juventus' bid for an eighth consecutive Serie A title was given a boost on Saturday after title-chasing Napoli were held to a goalless draw by bottom club Chievo. Carlo Ancelotti's second-placed side needed a win to maintain the six-point gap between them and leaders Juventus, but could not find a way past Chievo in the Stadio San Paulo just days before hosting Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League. Napoli are now eight points behind Juventus, who beat SPAL 2-0 on Saturday with goals from in-form Cristiano Ronaldo and Mario Mandzukic. Inter Milan are a further point back in third following their comfortable 3-0 win over second-from-bottom Frosinone. "There's no point looking at the Serie A table now. We'll look and evaluate at the halfway point," said Ancelotti. "We were too bland in everything we did today – in construction, ball recovery and finishing, which allowed Chievo to play a defensive game. "But it was a good test ahead o...

Manchester City stretched a relentless winning run to eight games by thrashing West Ham 4-0 on Saturday, while Tottenham ended Chelsea's unbeaten start to the season with a stylish 3-1 win on Saturday. With Chelsea stumbling, second placed Liverpool remain the most likely challengers for City's title after sweeping to a 3-0 win at Watford that keeps them two points behind the leaders. Manchester United are 14 points adrift of the leaders as Paul Pogba was hauled off by Jose Mourinho as they failed to break down Crystal Palace in a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. Everton leapfrogged United to move up to sixth with a 1-0 victory over Cardiff, while Claudio Ranieri won his first match in charge of Fulham in a 3-2 thriller over fellow strugglers Southampton. City have now won 12 of their last 13 games with the only dropped points coming in a creditable 0-0 draw at Liverpool last month. Pep Guardiola's men had scored 13 goals in their three previous visits to the London ...

Radamel Falcao secured Thierry Henry his first win as Monaco boss with a free-kick that would have made his manager proud as Paris Saint-Germain warmed up for Liverpool's visit by strengthening their hold on Ligue 1 with a routine win over Toulouse without Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. The Colombian striker struck with a dipping set-piece nine minutes after the break, and Henry could be be seen smiling on the touchline as his players celebrated Falcao's winner wildly. Falcao's fifth league goal of the campaign secured Monaco's first win in any competition since the opening day of the league season, a miserable run of form that has left them second-bottom in Ligue 1 despite Saturday's win. Earlier on Saturday Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani saved a disjointed performance from runaway leaders PSG to maintain their 100 percent start to the season ahead of the crunch Champions League clash with Liverpool on Wednesday. Neymar and Mbappe were both injured during fr...

Cristiano Ronaldo continued his hot form for Juventus on Saturday as he and Mario Mandzukic scored both goals in the second consecutive game to help the Serie A leaders open up a nine-point lead at the top of the table with a 2-0 win over struggling SPAL. Ronaldo slotted home Miralem Pjanic's free-kick after 29 minutes in Turin to join Genoa's Krzysztof Piatek at the top of the Serie A scoring charts with nine goals, before Mandzukic sealed the three points on the hour mark in a simple warm up for Tuesday's crucial Champions League visit of Valencia. The pair also scored both in Juventus' 2-0 win over AC Milan before the international break, and Ronaldo's strike was his seventh in eight games in all competitions for his new club, for a total of 10 goals this season. "Cristiano does things that catch opponents off guard and that's exactly what we need," said coach Massimiliano Allegri. "Sometimes we play one pass too many and the moment ...

Atletico Madrid came within a whisker of their first league win over Barcelona in eight years on Saturday only for Ousmane Dembele to dash their hopes with a dramatic equaliser in injury-time. Diego Costa looked to have won a dreary contest at the Wanda Metropolitano when he headed in his first La Liga goal since February with 12 minutes left, as Atletico prepared to go top of the table with a long-awaited victory. Instead, Barca produced another fightback as Dembele, on as a substitute, slid home a cool finish in the 90th minute to earn the visitors a 1-1 draw. The relief was palpable in the celebrations of the luminous yellow shirts in the corner but perhaps just as grateful were Real Madrid, beaten 3-0 by Eibar earlier in the day. Santiago Solari had proven the perfect caretaker but his debut as permanent coach ended in a disastrous, and deserved, defeat at Ipurua. Madrid's only consolation was that neither Atletico nor Barca were able to secure the win that would ...

Tottenham Hotspur full back Kieran Trippier has withdrawn from the England squad for matches against the United States and Croatia due to a groin injury, the Football Association said on Tuesday. Trippier, who scored England's only goal in the World Cup semi-final defeat by Croatia, picked up the injury in the first half of Tottenham's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday. The 28-year-old reported for international duty at England's St. George's Park facility on Monday but has been sent back to Spurs to continue rehabilitation. England host the U.S. in a friendly on Thursday and Croatia in the Nations League on Sunday.

Former England midfielder Joe Cole announced his retirement on Tuesday after making more than 700 appearances for seven clubs including West Ham and Chelsea. Cole, who turned 37 last week, said his career had been "a dream come true" and he now hopes to move into coaching. His final club was Tampa Bay Rowdies in the United Soccer League, the second tier in the US. Cole made 716 professional appearances, scoring 104 goals for seven clubs and his 56 England caps spanned across three World Cup tournaments. He made his international debut aged 19 when he was earmarked as one of England's brightest young talents at the Hammers. Cole was part of England's so-called "Golden Generation", playing alongside David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard, plus his Chelsea teammates John Terry and Frank Lampard. Cole said in a statement: "After 20 years as a professional, the time has come for me to hang up ...

Santiago Solari on Tuesday was confirmed as Real Madrid coach until 2021 following his successful spell in charge as caretaker boss of the European champions. "Real Madrid's board of directors met today and decided to name Santiago Solari as first team coach until June 30, 2021," the club announced in a statement. Solari's anointment as sacked Julen Lopetegui's permanent successor comes after wins in his first four matches. And with 15 goals scored and only two conceded the 42-year-old Argentinian has established the best ever start for a Real manager. After thrashing Melilla in the Copa del Rey, they won 5-0 away to Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League, between victories over Real Valladolid and Celta Vigo in La Liga. The upturn has left Madrid only four points adrift of league leaders Barcelona and on the brink of qualification for the last 16 in Europe. Solari was handed the reins on a temporary two-week basis on October 29 after Lopetegui had o...

Atletico Madrid's Uruguayan defender Diego Godin is set to miss upcoming matches against Brazil, France and Barcelona after suffering a thigh injury in last weekend's league win over Athletic Bilbao. Although the Spanish club refused to put a timeline on a return, AS sports daily reported the 32-year-old could be out for three to four weeks. If confirmed it would rule Godin out of international friendlies away to Brazil on November 16 and France, at the Stade de France, on November 20. Godin scored the winner in Atletico's 3-2 victory on Saturday which left them in third just one point behind leaders Barcelona, but could also miss the La Liga clash at home to the Catalan giants on November 24. Atletico coach Diego Simeone is already without the services of fellow defenders Lucas Hernandez, Jose Maria Gimenez and Stefan Savic.

Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial have withdrawn from the France squad for matches against the Netherlands and Uruguay due to injury, the French Football Federation (FFF) said on Monday. The two Manchester United players arrived at France's Clairefontaine training base but were released following assessment by team doctor Franck Le Gall. Pogba was diagnosed with a muscular lesion in his left thigh while Martial suffered an adductor issue. Midfielder Pogba missed United's 3-1 away defeat by Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday. Forward Martial played 90 minutes and scored United's goal from the penalty spot in the second half. The injury setback will be frustrating for Martial, who had fought his way back into the national squad after scoring six goals in his last five league appearances for United. The pair have been replaced by Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Moussa Sissoko and Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette. World champions France visit the Neth...

Samir Nasri is in line to rejoin Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham when his doping suspension ends, the London Evening Standard reported Monday. The Standard said the 31-year-old midfielder, who played under Pellegrini at Manchester City, is undergoing a medical prior to signing a short-term contract with London club West Ham. While the former France international's ban means he is unable to play until January 1, the terms of Nasri's suspension allow him to train with any club from this month onwards. In February, Nasri was given a six-month suspension after taking a multi-vitamin booster in contravention of World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) rules. Nasri had the drip treatment at a Los Angeles clinic two years ago while he was on loan at Sevilla from City during the 2016/17 season, prompting the Spanish anti-doping agency to open an investigation. He retroactively appealed to Uefa to grant him a therapeutic use exemption (TUE), but his request was refused by European foo...

Paco Alcacer scored the winner as Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund twice came from behind to beat defending champions Bayern Munich 3-2 on Saturday and move seven points clear of their third-placed rivals. Robert Lewandowski twice gave Bayern the lead at Signal Iduna Park against his old club, but Dortmund captain Marco Reus equalised on both occasions before substitute Alacer struck in the 73rd minute. Earlier, Alassane Plea scored a quickfire hat-trick for Borussia Moenchengladbach in 3-1 win at Werder Bremen to roar to the top of the Bundesliga scoring charts. The thumping win in Bremen keeps Gladbach second in the German league table, a point behind leaders Borussia Dortmund, who host defending champions Bayern Munich later in the day's mouth-watering clash. Bayern sit third in the table, four points behind Dortmund and now three behind Gladbach. Plea ran riot in Bremen, taking just 13 minutes to claim his hat-trick as the hosts suffered their third straight l...

Salomon Rondon netted an impressive brace for Newcastle United as they claimed consecutive wins in the Premier League for the first time since April to move a point clear of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth. Newcastle, full of confidence following their previous victory over Watford, got off to the perfect start when Rondon opened the scoring after seven minutes following a fine build-up from DeAndre Yedlin. Bournemouth's Adam Smith suffered what appeared to be a serious injury and play was suspended for eight minutes while he received treatment before being carried off with suspected knee ligament damage. Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said later that Smith was in a lot of discomfort in the dressing room and the long delay had affected his team. "Adam Smith looks like he’s got a knee injury; it looks quite serious, he’s in quite a bit of pain in the dressing room,” Howe said. “It did disrupt the flow of the game, the long delay, and obviously the...

Tottenham ground out another Premier League away win to move to within two points of leaders Manchester City as Juan Foyth's first senior goal secured a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace. Once more Mauricio Pochettino's men were not at their best and needed a great late save from Hugo Lloris to claim all three points as a torrential downpour affected conditions at Selhurst Park. However, a run of five straight league wins on the road means Spurs move level with Chelsea and Liverpool and four points clear of local rivals Arsenal, all of whom are in action on Sunday. At the end of a gruelling run of five games in 12 days, Pochettino made six changes from the side that battled back from a goal down against PSV Eindhoven in midweek to keep their hopes of reaching the Champions League last 16 alive. However, Palace were also missing star man Wilfried Zaha due to a hamstring injury and missed the Ivorian's end product. Spurs were dealt an injury blow when Kieran Trippie...

Raheem Sterling has committed his long-term future to Manchester City after signing a three-year contract extension with the Premier League champions on Friday. Sterling had been in negotiations with City for several months and the England winger has finally agreed the bumper new deal after being linked with a move to Real Madrid. The 23-year-old is now tied to City until 2023, with reports earlier this month claiming his extended contract would be worth £300 000 per week, making him England's best paid player. "I'm delighted to sign. My development here has been incredible," Sterling told City's website. "I felt from the minute I got here it was the right choice for me. It's really paid off for me and I'm really grateful." Sterling has blossomed under City manager Pep Guardiola and has developed into a key player for club and country since arriving from Liverpool in 2015. He scored 23 goals in all competitions last term as City w...

Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool are being made to apologise for not performing in the same free-scoring style as Premier League title rivals Manchester City. Last weekend's draw at Arsenal and a shock Champions League loss at Red Star Belgrade have somewhat stalled the momentum Liverpool built across an unbeaten start in the league. The Reds have been restricted to a lone goal or less in seven of their past nine matches in all competitions, in contrast to a City side that has recently hit top gear. "Everybody is searching for [fluidity]... but we are here to get results," Klopp said. "The Champions League final was last season and we were the better team for the first 25 minutes. It doesn't help now, but that's the impression people have. "We have to start again, and the other teams don't get worse. A little moan about the situation is great, but we are really ambitious and want whatever we can get. "With new signings, it sounds li...

Sandro Tonali, Vincenzo Grifo and Stefano Sensi have been called up to the Italy squad for the first time. Brescia midfielder Tonali, who only turned 18 in May, has been included on the 27-man list after impressing in Serie B to the extent that he has been compared to Azzurri great Andrea Pirlo. Hoffenheim's Grifo and Sassuolo's Sensi have also been named in the squad ahead of next week's matches against Portugal and the United States. Roberto Mancini's side host Portugal at San Siro on November 17, looking for a win that will take them top of Group 3 of League A of the Nations League. They then take on the USA in Genk three days later. _*Italy squad in full:*_ *Goalkeepers:* Alessio Cragno (Cagliari), Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan), Salvatore Sirigu (Torino) *Defenders:* Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Mattia De Sciglio (Juventus), Emerson Palmieri (Chelsea), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Ales...

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola described old foe Jose Mourinho as a "good guy" ahead of this weekend's Manchester derby. United boss Mourinho has clashed with Guardiola numerous times over the years, with their previously intense rivalry dating back to when they coached Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. Mourinho was widely assumed to have been annoyed by Barca's decision to appoint Guardiola over himself in 2008 and the pair had a number of fractious encounters during their time together in La Liga. A Clasico clash provided the nadir when Mourinho poked a finger into the eye of Guardiola's assistant Tito Vilanova during a touchline fracas. But since they took charge at United and City the relationship between Mourinho and Guardiola appears more cordial, with the Catalan happy to avoid the rows of the past. "Thank you so much. Thank you," Guardiola said when asked if he was pleased the pre-match focus was not placed on the perceiv...

Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has been recalled to the France squad following his fine form for the Red Devils over the last month. The 22-year-old starlet has scored five goals in his last six appearances for the club and seems to be improving with each passing week, with the Old Trafford outfit securing three successive wins in all competitions. Martial was omitted from Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps' squad for the 2018 World Cup and has been fighting for a return to the national team ever since, with his wish finally granted on Thursday morning. SQUAD *Goalkeepers:* Areola, Lloris, Mandanda *Defenders:* Digne, Pavard, Sidibe, Kimpembe, Rami, Varane, Mendy, Sakho *Midfielders:* Kante, Nzonzi, Matuidi, Pogba, Ndombele *Forwards:* Dembele, Griezmann, Thauvin, Fekir, Martial, Giroud, Mbappe

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo was left on the sidelines again as expected by Portugal coach Fernando Santos who named his squad on Thursday for Nations League games against Italy and Poland. Ronaldo was initially left off Portugal's squads earlier this season as he tried to settle into life in Turin following his summer move from Real Madrid. But the five-time Ballon d'Or winner spent much of last month vehemently denying allegations of rape. A former American model Kathryn Mayorga, 34, accused Ronaldo of raping her on June 13, 2009, just before he joined Real Madrid from Manchester United. When asked about Ronaldo's absence, Santos said: "The only thing I can say is that he deserves winning the Ballon d'Or. It would be a travesty if he didn't win it. "That's all that matters now." Portugal face Italy in Milan on November 17 and host Poland three days later in Guimaraes. SQUAD: Goalkeepers:  Rui Patricio (Wolverhampton/ENG), ...

Chelsea booked their place in the Europa League knockout stage as Olivier Giroud's first club goal of the campaign gave Maurizio Sarri's men a 1-0 win at BATE Borisov, while Rangers lost a seven-goal thriller against Spartak Moscow. Giroud ended his 11-game goal drought this season by giving Chelsea a 53rd-minute lead, and the Premier League giants held on despite BATE striking the woodwork three times in the match. "I was hoping to score soon because I came back late from the World Cup and I was lacking maybe a bit of efficiency and luck but you always need to keep working hard and keep the faith and that's what happened tonight," France striker Giroud told BT Sport. The Londoners moved six points clear of Hungarians Vidi at the Group L summit and remain unbeaten in 17 matches since losing the Community Shield to Manchester City in August. BATE started strongly and came within a whisker of taking an early lead as former Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hl...

Champions League ⚽ Bayern Munich 2-0 AEk Athens ⚽ Manchester City 6-0 Shakhtar ⚽ Juventus 1-2 Manchester United ⚽ Victoria Plzeň 0-5 Real Madrid ⚽ Benfica 1-1 Ajax ⚽ Valencia 3-1 Young Boys ⚽ CSKA Moscow 1-2 Roma

Karim Benzema's first-half brace propelled Real Madrid to a 5-0 thrashing of Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League on Wednesday, putting the holders one win from the last 16 after a third straight victory under Santiago Solari. Former Real midfielder Solari took over from the sacked Julen Lopetegui as interim coach on October 29, and has now seen his side score 11 times without reply following wins over Melilla and Real Valladolid. "I think we played a very nice game today, we scored wonderful goals," Solari told reporters. "A 5-0 win in the Champions League -- I can only be happy with that." The 42-year-old Argentinian dismissed questions about his possible future as Real's head coach. "I only think about the next game. Football is about the present and it's the next game that matters," he said, with a trip to Celta Vigo on Sunday next up for Real. Benzema struck first in the 21st minute on Wednesday, weaving his way through the ...

Allegations of financial impropriety off the field couldn't derail Manchester City moving to the brink of the Champions League last 16 as Gabriel Jesus scored a hat-trick in a 6-0 thrashing of Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday. A series of allegations published by German magazine Der Spiegel in recent days claim City attempted to bypass Uefa's Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, but the English champions showed no signs of distraction as they swatted the Ukrainian aside and took control of Group F. David Silva had already prodded City into a 13th minute lead before they were awarded a comical penalty when Raheem Sterling tripped himself up as he bore down on goal under no challenge from a Shakhtar player. Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai remarkably pointed to the spot and Jesus stroked home the penalty. Jesus scored a second penalty after the break and completed his hat-trick with a lovely chipped finish in stoppage time following further goals from Sterling and Riyad...