Ukraine s 2009 UEFA Cup champions Shakhtar Donetsk reached the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time here on Wednesday with a 2-0 victory over Portuguese side Sporting Braga.
A dour match was brought to life late in the game when Romanian international defender Razvan Rat opened the scoring with the hosts nailing their place in the last 16 and top spot in Group H shortly afterwards through Luiz Adriano.
Defeat ended the visitors hopes of progressing though Arsenal s win at home to Partizan Belgrade would have made even a Braga win in Ukraine fruitless.
Braga were already up against it as Shakhtar went into the match unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions since being hammered 5-1 by Arsenal and unbeaten in 52 successive home clashes since a…
Krzysztof Piatek marked his first AC Milan start by scoring both goals as AC Milan reached the Coppa Italia semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Napoli on Tuesday.
New boy Piatek signed by the Rossoneri from Genoa to replace the departed Gonzalo Higuain quickly endeared himself to Milan fans, striking twice in the first half to become an instant hero with the San Siro faithful.
The Poland international had made his debut off the bench in the 0-0 draw between the teams last Saturday, yet his finishing abilities made sure there was no repeat of that Serie A stalemate.
Both times he capitalised on space available through Napoli s right channel; his opener was tucked home with finesse when clean through but his second was all about power, a right-footed rocket fizzing pas…
Manchester City F.C. forward Sergio Aguero has signed a new five-year deal with the English Premier League champions.
The Argentina international, who joined City from Atlético Madrid for €45 million in 2011, is now under contract at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2019.
Aguero has joined captain Vincent Kompany and David Silva in committing to City for the long-term, and understandably so.
Since arriving in Manchester, the 26-year-old Argentine has been one of the most prolific strikers in the Premier League, tallying 52 goals and 16 assists in 87 league appearances for City.
However, Aguero has on several occasions been linked with a return to Spain, with Real Madrid believed to be the front-runners for his signature, if he we…
England defender Tyrone Mings has renewed his contract at Aston Villa until June 2024.
Mings initially joined Villa on loan from Bournemouth in January 2019, helping to secure their promotion back to the Premier League.
The 27-year-old made the move permanent before the 2019-20 campaign and continued to impress earning his maiden England cap in a 6-0 Euro 2020 qualification win over Bulgaria in October last year.
Mings penning fresh terms completes a productive few days for Villa.
Influential playmaker Jack Grealish agreed a new five-year contract last week before they signed goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez from Arsenal and Lyon forward Bertrand Traore.
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Liverpool are close to completing a deal to sign AS Roma winger Mohamed Salah for £35m this summer, with manager Jurgen Klopp strengthening the attack for their upcoming Champions League campaign.
The Egyptian international had a forgettable spell in the Premier League with former side Chelsea, but has resurrected his career in Italy. So what can Liverpool expect from Salah?
Goals and assists
Salah is a left-footed right-winger who likes to cut inside on his stronger foot to get among the goals or create chances for others. He’s best deployed in a role that allows him freedom in the final third to get into dangerous areas and his record at Roma is evidence of this.
The 25-year-old made 31 appearances in the Serie A last season, scoring 15 goa…
Sandro Ramirez has joined Everton from Malaga on a four-year deal and immediately set his sights on Champions League qualification.
The Spain Under-21 international who had a reported buyout clause of €6million (£5.3m) is the latest recruit of a busy transfer window for Toffees boss Ronald Koeman, who has already brought in the likes of Jordan Pickford and Davy Klaassen.
Former Barcelona man Ramirez caught the eye in LaLiga last season, scoring 14 times, and will now get the chance to prove himself in the Premier League.
I m very happy, this is a big step in my career, Sandro told the club s official website. I know I m signing for a massive club in England.
Everton is the ideal place for me, I ve got the ideal manager who is going to keep giving …