Новости за 06.09.2018

The previous two World Cup winners failed to live up to their billing as Germany and France played out a 0-0 draw in their Nations League opener. France boss Didier Deschamps stuck with 10 of the players who started their final triumph against Croatia at Russia 2018, with an injury to captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris enforcing his only change. Deputy Alphonse Areola impressed on his debut with a string of late saves. It showed Germany belatedly shifting into gear after a forgettable opening hour... Читать дальше...

Wesley Sneijder's Netherlands farewell ended in victory as Memphis Depay scored a brace in Thursday's 2-1 friendly triumph over Peru. With luminaries from the team that Sneijder helped to reach the 2010 World Cup final looking on, the 34-year-old toiled throughout his 134th and final Oranje appearance as Pedro Aquino's first-half goal looked likely to take down an uninspired home side. Ricardo Gareca's Peru impressed many at the World Cup despite their group-stage exit and they were once again well-organised... Читать дальше...

World Cup finalists Croatia were pegged back by a Pepe header as they drew 1-1 with a Portugal side minus the services of Cristiano Ronaldo at the Estadio Algarve. Ivan Perisic gave the visitors an 18th-minute lead in the friendly fixture, lashing in a first-time shot with his right foot after a deflected clearance had run perfectly into his path. Croatia had rarely threatened prior to the opener but the Inter winger benefited from a lucky break to fire home after Portugal had carelessly given away possession inside their own half. Читать дальше...

Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey were on the scoresheet as Wales thrashed Republic of Ireland 4-1 in Ryan Giggs' first competitive game in charge. Tom Lawrence and Connor Roberts were also on target in Thursday's League B Group 4 clash, with Wales totally controlling their opening match in the Nations League. Martin O'Neill's men were dreadful at Cardiff City Stadium and could have lost by more, Wales easing off after the break having established a 3-0 lead prior to the interval. But the visitors... Читать дальше...

Girona have accepted a LaLiga proposal to face Barcelona in the United States, adamant it represents a "great possibility of and expansion" for their club and city. LaLiga announced in mid-August they had struck a groundbreaking deal with multinational media, sports and entertainment company Relevent that will boost the competition in North America and see a Spanish top-flight match played in the United States for the first time. Such a move has been met with staunch opposition, particularly from the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE)... Читать дальше...

Ilkay Gundogan dubbed Pep Guardiola "the best manager in the world" and said his Manchester City team-mates should feel privileged to play for the Catalan. Gundogan has enjoyed a strong start to the season and suggested Guardiola's ability to engage with players on their level is key to his success. The 27-year-old thinks the manager's pedigree as a player at Barcelona, where he made 472 appearances, influences how he is perceived by his squad. "It's a mix of the fact that he played at a very... Читать дальше...

The Danish Football Association (DBU) has reached an agreement for senior Denmark stars to return to the national team to face Wales. Denmark were forced to field a team made up of lower division and futsal players in Wednesday's friendly against Slovakia. Former midfielder John Jensen took temporary charge instead of Age Hareide and an unfamiliar side went down 3-0, but the likes of Christian Eriksen will be back in the fold for Sunday's Nations League game against Ryan Giggs' men. A row over... Читать дальше...

Tottenham have announced their EFL Cup tie with Watford will be hosted at Stadium MK due to the unavailability of Wembley and their new stadium, despite pressure from fans. It was revealed straight after the draw on August 30 that Spurs had applied for special dispensation to hold the match at a neutral ground. Spurs have hit delays with the major rebuilding project for their new stadium at White Hart Lane, and Wembley - their temporary home - is unavailable on the week commencing September 24. Читать дальше...

Roberto Martinez has hailed the impact of the newcomers in his Belgium squad but is set to stick with the senior players who guided the country to third place at the World Cup for the forthcoming matches against Scotland and Iceland. The Red Devils are in friendly action in Glasgow on Friday before playing their opening Nations League game in Reykjavik. Christian Benteke, Marouane Fellaini and Simon Mignolet have all withdrawn from the squad through injury but uncapped quartet Timothy Castagne... Читать дальше...

Isco refused to answer a question from a journalist in a tetchy Spain news conference, telling the reporter to "write whatever you like". The Real Madrid playmaker appeared in front of the media on Thursday ahead of Luis Enrique's first game in charge, against England in the Nations League. But a question from an El Pais journalist, who asked about Spain's tactics against teams that defend deep, was met with a sharp response from Isco. "I won't answer that question as you'll write whatever you like in your section in the newspaper... Читать дальше...

Nacho Monreal says there is no rift between Mesut Ozil and Arsenal head coach Unai Emery, while defending his team-mate over "unfair" treatment. Ozil has endured a tempestuous 2018, a controversial photograph with Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan overshadowing the build-up to the World Cup. After Germany's shock group-stage exit at Russia 2018, the 29-year-old stepped away from international duty citing a "feeling of racism and disrespect". Returning to club duty provided little respite,... Читать дальше...

Olivier Giroud has defended his failure to score at the World Cup, claiming he contributed to France triumphing at Russia 2018 in other ways. Fellow forwards Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe scored four times apiece as Didier Deschamps' men won the World Cup in July. Les Bleus' success echoed their last triumph in the tournament 20 years ago, when striker Stephane Guivarc'h did not score. But Giroud says lifting the trophy more than made up for his inability to score a World Cup goal. "It... Читать дальше...

Former Arsenal youngster Kaylen Hinds has been released by Wolfsburg after going AWOL during pre-season. The 20-year-old failed to report for training for several weeks after reportedly claiming he had lost his passport during a return visit to England. Wolfsburg says Hinds' "unauthorised absence" constitutes a breach of his contract and have cancelled his deal. "VfL Wolfsburg has parted with Kaylen Hinds. The club has reacted to the forward's unauthorised absence of several weeks by terminating... Читать дальше...

Philipp Lahm wants to see a Bundesliga title race because he feels the gulf between Bayern Munich and the rest is not good for the competition. Bayern have won the title in each of the last six seasons, with 10 points as close as any side has come to toppling Germany's most successful team since Borussia Dortmund were victorious in 2011-12. In the same period, the Bavarian club have won the title by as many as 21 and 25 points and their former captain Lahm – who retired in 2017 – wants to see more competition at the top of the table. Читать дальше...

EA Sports have today announced the first 20 player ratings inFIFA 19, which is set to be available to play in the UK on September 28.Demo details are still sketchy for now, but it's looking most likely that you'll be able to start playing the game on September 13.EA have released 20 85-rated players ranking 100-81, featuring Liverpool trio Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Alisson, plus Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling and Vincent Kompany. The full list of player ratings is expected to... Читать дальше...

Paul Pogba has refused to commit his long-term future to Manchester United, but has described speculation linking him with a move away from Old Trafford as "talk". Pogba was a reported target for Barcelona throughout the transfer window, with former United defender Gerard Pique saying he would be welcome at Camp Nou. However, Pogba remained at Old Trafford when the European window closed on Friday. The relationship between Pogba and Jose Mourinho has repeatedly been questioned but the World Cup... Читать дальше...

1. The Atom Men bombExperiencing the Jasper Carrott gag about Birmingham City (“You lose some and you draw some”) as reality would have been dreamland for Berkshire berks AFC Aldermaston in 2010.The unfortunate Wessex League Division One outfit couldn’t even manage a stalemate over 40 fixtures between May 2009 and April 2010, until they finally scraped a 1-1 with Warminster Town. During a sickening campaign, they conceded more than 150 goals.While the team claimed that morale remained pretty high... Читать дальше...

Maxime Gonalons faces at least six weeks out after suffering a fractured fibula in Sevilla training, the Spanish club have revealed. Gonalons only arrived at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan from Roma in August and the loanee looked set to play a prominent role following the departure of Steven N'Zonzi, who left Sevilla for Eusebio Di Francesco's side. The France international has made four appearances in all competitions for the LaLiga club, scoring his first goal in Sevilla's 3-0 Europa League qualifying win over Sigma Olomouc. Читать дальше...

Isco thinks Real Madrid are showing they do not miss Cristiano Ronaldo, although he expects critics to doubt their chances of success if they fail to sustain their form. Julen Lopetegui's side lost the UEFA Super Cup to Atletico Madrid but have started LaLiga in strong fashion, scoring 10 goals in their three consecutive victories. Seven of those goals have been scored by Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale – two players often said to be marginalised during Ronaldo's time at the Santiago Bernabeu – while... Читать дальше...

Joachim Low is now held in even greater regard after standing up and taking responsibility for Germany's woeful World Cup campaign, according to defender Mats Hummels. Germany went to Russia as defending champions, but they were knocked out in the group stage – their only first-round exit since 1938. A 2-0 defeat to South Korea in Kazan proved to be the decisive result in their final group outing, sending shockwaves through world football. Many associated with German football called for an inquest and for Low to lose his job... Читать дальше...

The agent of Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic suggested the midfielder was offered an €8million-per-year contract by Paris Saint-Germain in the transfer window. Serbia international Milinkovic-Savic is one of Serie A's standout young players and has been linked with a number of Europe's top clubs, including Juventus, AC Milan and Manchester United. The 23-year-old stayed with Lazio despite constant speculation over his future, having agreed to help spearhead their attempts to qualify for the Champions League this season. Читать дальше...

Olivier Giroud has dismissed the importance of The Best FIFA Men's Player award and is adamant a Frenchman or Luka Modric has to win this year's Ballon d'Or for their respective World Cup exploits. FIFA revealed the three-man shortlist for their individual gong on Monday, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah and Modric the three nominated. Many were surprised by the fact Lionel Messi and all of France's World Cup-winning squad were overlooked, with Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe perhaps particularly... Читать дальше...

Eric Dier thinks England's performance at the World Cup has made them a team everyone else now wants to beat. Gareth Southgate's side made it to the semi-finals for the first time since 1990, and they lost to Croatia in the final four before being beaten in the third-place play-off by Belgium. Their efforts in Russia saw them climb six places to sixth in the FIFA rankings, ahead of European champions Portugal and Spain, the team they face in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday. Dier believes they... Читать дальше...

The what, why, when and whereIn a nutshell, UEFA created the Nations League to replace international friendlies and add a competition to those horrible non-tournament years. Remember how barren last summer felt, even though European qualification for the 2018 World Cup began in September 2016? That 15-month slog and the empty summer are both gone for good.The qualifying campaign for Euro 2020 will produce 20 of its 24 offspring within nine months, from immaculate conception in March 2019 to cigars all round in November. Читать дальше...

Oslo, June 2, 1993. One of the bleakest moments in the England football team’s recent history is about to get bleaker.The national side trail 2-0 at half-time to Egil Olsen’s Norwegian long-ball merchants. World Cup qualification has slipped further from England manager Graham Taylor’s grasp. His duo of lieutenants, Phil Neal and Lawrie McMenemy, sit either side of him staring blankly into space.A camera positioned on the ground points up at their faces, capturing their anguish and despair. Catching his own reflection in the lens... Читать дальше...