Новости за 16.04.2018

VAR confusion reigned in the Bundesliga as Mainz and Freiburg players had to be recalled from the half-time break after a penalty was belatedly awarded. Referee Guido Winkmann blew his whistle to signal the end of the opening 45 minutes of Monday's match, with players from both sides leaving the pitch for the interval. But a VAR intervention saw Winkmann call the players back from the dressing rooms after a handball by Freiburg defender Marc-Oliver Kempf was spotted on video replays. After a lengthy delay... Читать дальше...

Al Ain crushed Al Rayyan 4-1 to make sure of progression from AFC Champions League Group D, with Swedish striker Marcus Berg netting twice. Zoran Mamic's men began the day just a point ahead of their hosts in the crucial final group game, but in the end there was clear daylight between the two sides. Hussein El Shahat gave the visitors the lead after just 11 minutes and they managed to hold off any fightback from Al Rayyan, despite Mohsine Moutouali hitting the post late in the first half. Omar... Читать дальше...

West Brom forward Jay Rodriguez says he is relieved after being cleared of a charge of alleged racial abuse. Rodriguez was charged by the Football Association (FA) with using "abusive and/or insulting words which included a reference to ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race" towards Brighton and Hove Albion defender Gaetan Bong during a Premier League game in January. But an independent regulatory commission found the accusation made against the England international could not be proven. Bong... Читать дальше...

Abuse sent to Michael Oliver and his wife following the referee's controversial penalty decision in the Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Juventus has been strongly condemned by UEFA. Having lost the first leg of their quarter-final contest 3-0 at home, Juve were on the verge of forcing extra-time at the Santiago Bernabeu as they led by the same scoreline heading into stoppage time. But then Oliver penalised Medhi Benatia for bundling Lucas Vazquez over from behind in the area and... Читать дальше...

Leroy Sane says it is an "overwhelming feeling" to be crowned Premier League champions with Manchester City, although he would have preferred his side to have claimed the title in different circumstances. Manchester United denied City the chance to win the league on derby day last weekend with a stunning comeback at the Etihad Stadium, only for Jose Mourinho's men to suffer a shock 1-0 home loss to bottom side West Brom on Sunday. City are therefore 16 points clear at the top with rivals United... Читать дальше...

Inter coach Luciano Spalletti has demanded more from his players after three Serie A games without a goal dented their Champions League qualification hopes. The Nerazzurri have taken two points from their last three league outings and sit fifth in the table, a point and a place outside the Champions League spots. And Spalletti conceded a dry spell in front of goal has come at the wrong time for Inter's hopes of booking a place in Europe's premier club competition for next season. "We created the... Читать дальше...

Lionel Messi will have plenty of energy left for the World Cup and Argentina should not worry about their star forward, says Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde. A hamstring injury saw Messi sit out Argentina's March friendlies against Italy and Spain - the latter a crushing 6-1 defeat in Madrid. Speculation about Messi's fitness has continued despite his form for Barcelona including a stunning hat-trick in a 3-1 home win against Leganes in LaLiga. Valverde suggested Messi could sit out Tuesday's trip to Celta Vigo... Читать дальше...

Andres Iniesta's future is not yet decided, according to Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde. The 33-year-old midfielder has told the media he has made up his mind about whether he will stay at Barcelona or leave at the end of the season. But despite reports Iniesta is ready to end a career-long stay at Camp Nou that has yielded eight LaLiga titles, five Copas del Rey and four Champions League crowns, Valverde says that is not the case. "Talking about a possible farewell for Andres Iniesta - it's... Читать дальше...

10. Patrick Bamford (Middlesbrough)The former Chelsea youngster has been thriving as a focal point over the past couple of months, scoring nine goals inseven matches as a lone striker following a season-ending injury to Rudy Gestede.His game intelligence, close control and trickery have given Boro fresh impetus just when Adama Traore was beginning to tire in his Forrest Gump-like role of getting Boro high upfield quickly. Thankfully, Bamford's collision with Aden Flint at the weekend wasn't as bad... Читать дальше...

The Windsor Expresshave reported that 15 or 16 Marlow players texted manager Mark Bartley on Saturday morning saying they were 'unavailable' for the 3pm fixture.Once the clock hit 1:45pm, only one player had arrived at Oak Tree Road before the game had to be called off, since the Buckinghamshire club did not have11 players available by kick-off.Neither the club's board, nor Bartley, claim to know the reasons why most of their players were no-shows.A meeting has been called for Monday evening to debate the fall-out from the weekend. Читать дальше...

In a digital age, why are people still obsessed with the simple thrill of tearing open a packet of stickers? After the global success of their 2014 World Cup album, FourFourTwo headed to Panini HQ in Italy to get the inside story ahead of Russia 2018.We met up with everyone from the super-collectors to those responsible for actually creating each album; from picking World Cup squads months in advance to ensuring 32 different countries are all happy with how their players look.We've discovered the... Читать дальше...

Sergio Aguero is relieved Manchester City were spared the drama of their 2011-12 title triumph in clinching the Premier League crown. After City moved to the brink of glory with a 3-1 defeat of Tottenham at Wembley on Saturday, a shock 1-0 win for bottom side West Brom at Old Trafford meant rivals Manchester United could no longer catch Pep Guardiola's side. EFL Cup winners City are crowned Premier League champions for the third time, with five games remaining and various records within their grasp. Читать дальше...

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has defended goalkeeper Hugo Lloris amid criticism of his recent form. The France international conceded a penalty and was perhaps fortunate not to be sent off during Spurs' 3-1 defeat to Manchester City last Saturday. With Lloris having produced unconvincing displays against Chelsea and Stoke City in recent weeks, there have been calls in his homeland for him to lose his place as first-choice keeper ahead of the World Cup in Russia. However, speaking ahead of... Читать дальше...

Michy Batshuayi is likely to miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury, but Borussia Dortmund say the striker could be fit for the World Cup. Batshuayi had to be carried from the pitch on a stretcher towards the end of Dortmund's Ruhr derby loss to rivals Schalke in the Bundesliga on Sunday. The striker has hit seven Bundesliga goals since signing on loan from Chelsea, helping to keep Dortmund's hopes of Champions League qualification alive. But Belgium international Batshuayi faces a battle... Читать дальше...

West Ham manager David Moyes believes record signing Marko Arnautovic is "a little bit of a Zlatan", as the Austrian enjoys a rich vein of form. The former Stoke City forward has scored nine goals and added four assists in his last 14 games as he looks to help the Hammers stay in the Premier League, most recently setting up Javier Hernandez's equaliser in their morale-boosting 1-1 draw with Chelsea. Arnautovic will be hopeful of delivering another decisive performance on Monday against his old club... Читать дальше...

In the 53rd minute, Suarez was teed up by team-mate Faycal Fajr before the 29-year-old unleashed a ferocious drive towards goal which dumbfounded goalkeeper Pau Lopez.Aprende lo que es un misil, @norcoreano .Tremendo golazo de Damián Suárez que dio la victoria al #Getafe ante el Espanyol.(Vídeo vía @LaLiga)#SomosKousa #Fútbol #LigaSantander #GetafeEspanyol #TuAficiónNuestraInspiración pic.twitter.com/BYPTrUab7Y— Kousa Merchandising (@Kousa_Spain) April 16, 2018Take a bow, indeed–not a bad way to... Читать дальше...

Mauricio Pochettino says he is likely to rotate his squad a little more for Tottenham's remaining games, hinting Lucas Moura will be one of the main beneficiaries. Lucas arrived at Spurs for a reported £23million fee in January having fallen out of favour at Paris Saint-Germain following the arrivals of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Although the Brazil international impressed in a handful of FA Cup appearances, scoring once and setting up two more across a couple of clashes with Rochdale, he has not been a regular for Pochettino. Читать дальше...

10. John JensenIf Arsenal fans needed evidence of where the club was headed as the Premier League era dawned in the summer of 1992, it came with the signing of the curly-haired defensive midfielderwho’d just won the European Championship with Denmark. His thunderous goal in the final against Germany was hardly a portent of things to come at Highbury.A solitary strike – a magnificent curled effort against QPR on New Year’s Eve 1994 – spawned a T-shirt with the slogan: ‘I was there when Jensen scored’. Читать дальше...

Napoli captain Marek Hamsik insists his side will "fight to the end", despite falling six points behind Juventus in the race for the Serie A title. The Partenopei dropped two points in a goalless draw at AC Milan on Sunday, while the Bianconeri extended their advantage at the top by beating Sampdoria 3-0 in Turin. And the result "leaves a bitter taste in our mouths", according to Hamsik, but he insists they must believe that they can catch the league leaders. "There are still 18 points up for grabs... Читать дальше...

EA SPORTS™, the Lead Partner of the Premier League, has teamed up with FourFourTwo to offer one lucky readera pair of tickets toArsenal vs West Ham on Sunday, April 22.EA SPORTS delivers the most authentic gaming experience for fans engaging with Premier League clubs and players within EA SPORTS FIFA 18.To enter, all you have to do is answer correctly the question onthis post @FourFourTwo.Terms and conditionsAll entries must be received by09:00on 19/04/2018One entry per household. Entries sent in... Читать дальше...

Football has long been a breeding ground for fly-on-the-wall documentaries, with relatively recent efforts from the likes of Liverpool, Juventus and Manchester City (imminently) merely following on from '90s greats likeThe Impossible Job, Leyton Orient: Club For A Fiver and... er, There's Only One Barry Fry.Now, according to the Sunderland Chronicle, Sunderland are getting their own on Netflixfollowing a woeful 2017/18 campaign.The Championship's bottom club are perilously close to back-to-back relegations... Читать дальше...

Two of the PFA’s six nominees for 2017/18, Ederson and Harry Kane, turn 25 this summer. The rule is that to be eligible, a nominee must be 23 at the start of the season. Ederson was, by a matter of days, although Kane had his 24th birthday on July 28, a week before the Football League’s first fixture and two weeks before the Premier League’s, so the definition is slightly nebulous.The nominations themselves are fair. If Kane makes the cutoff that’s been set, then he should be shortlisted. There’s room for leftfield inclusions... Читать дальше...

Dele Alli is backing Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane to ignore the social media debate that surrounded his goal against Stoke City and hunt down Mohamed Salah in the race for the Premier League's Golden Boot. Christian Eriksen was originally awarded the goal in the 2-1 beating of the Potters this month, but Kane was adamant he had got a touch on the Dane's free-kick. A subsequent appeal ruled in favour of Kane and left the England striker on 25 league goals for the season, which is five behind Liverpool forward Salah... Читать дальше...

Former Brazil star Pele has backed Neymar to inspire the team to redemption at the 2018 World Cup finals. The Paris Saint-Germain forward was injured in the quarter-final win over Colombia on home soil four years ago and therefore missed the 7-1 destruction at the hands of Germany in the last four. Tite's side have been tipped to make amends at this year's tournament in Russia, though, after they breezed through qualifying to top the South American section with 12 wins and one defeat from 18 matches. Читать дальше...

Arturo Vidal is a doubt for both legs of Bayern Munich's Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid as he requires knee surgery, head coach Jupp Heynckes has confirmed. The 30-year-old felt pain in his right knee during training on Sunday and was sent for further tests. Heynckes says the Chilean now requires a small operation to remove "a loose body" from within the joint, meaning he faces a spell on the sidelines. "Arturo had a trip without any contact from anyone else," Heynckes told a news conference. Читать дальше...