Dick Advocaat enjoyed a successful farewell as Netherlands coach as a trio of second half goals secured a routine 3-0 victory in Romania on Tuesday.
Following the disappointment of falling short in World Cup qualification, Advocaat was given the chance to conclude his third stint in charge on a more positive note.
And the Little General got his wish as last week s 1-0 win in Scotland was followed by a polished performance in Bucharest.
The Oranje are searching for an attacking talisman to help replace the retired Arjen Robben and Memphis Dempay continued to press his case, opening the scoring in the 47th minute with his fifth goal in his last eight Netherlands appearances.
Ryan Babel is also back in the fold as a potential short-term solution and the B…
Christian Eriksen is sad to see Cristiano Ronaldo leave Manchester United but insists supporters will soon forget what it was like having the forward at the club.
Ronaldo s second spell at Old Trafford came to an end last month when his contract was mutually terminated after criticising the club and manager Erik ten Hag in an interview.
United have not looked back since, having defeated Burnley 2-0 in the last 16 of the EFL Cup and Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the Premier League on their return to action.
While Eriksen is grateful to have played alongside Ronaldo this season, the Denmark international is glad he and his team-mates can now focus solely on football matters.
First of all we are sad Ronaldo is not part of it. His legacy and his name at any club …
Time and again the 29-year-old has made the difference when it mattered for Juve, including in matches against his former team, would-be Scudetto challengers Roma and local rivals Torino.
Perhaps his most important intervention came this month in Monte Carlo, where he struck twice to secure a 2-0 lead in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Monaco, dealing a fatal blow to the hopes of Leonardo Jardim s team.
If the goals were classic, opportunistic Higuain finishes, the celebration for the first also embodied the idiosyncrasy of the striker s potency, as he hauled himself gingerly over an adverting board a manoeuvre many others would have taken at a hurdle to celebrate with the travelling fans.
A night earlier, the antithesis of Higuain had ex…
Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic says critics of his side s 2-2 draw with Tottenham do not appreciate the strength of the Premier League side.
Juve raced into a 2-0 lead inside the first 10 minutes of the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie, but goals from Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen sealed a draw for Spurs to put them in the driving seat ahead of the return game at Wembley.
The Serie A champions faced a lot of criticism for their performance in Turin, prompting striker Gonzalo Higuain, who scored both of their goals, to blast the armchair fans for their comments.
And Pjanic insists Juve should not be too disappointed with the result against Mauricio Pochettino s side.
It was too much [criticism] because we faced Tottenham, who are a ve…
Paul Pogba will be made to wait for his second Juventus debut after being ruled out of Thursday s Coppa Italia quarter-final against Lazio with another injury problem.
The France international has yet to feature for Juve since rejoining the club from Manchester United at the start of the season due to a succession of setbacks.
He sustained a knee injury in pre-season that later required surgery, forcing him to miss the entire season to date and France s World Cup campaign.
Pogba was back on the substitutes bench for last week s Serie A meeting with Monza, but he was not brought on by Allegri as Juve suffered a shock 2-0 loss at Allianz Stadium.
Allegri confirmed at Wednesday s pre-match press conference that the 29-year-old is now nursing another minor is…
Atletico Madrid snatched an unlikely 2-2 draw at LaLiga newcomers Girona after Antoine Griezmann was sent off at Montilivi.
A pair of headers in the space of three first-half minutes from Uruguay international Cristhian Stuani had the Catalan club within touching distance of a remarkable triumph.
Victory seemed virtually assured for Girona after Griezmann collected a second yellow card for dissent immediately after being booked for diving, marking his first ever red card in LaLiga.
But substitute Angel Correa rifled in from the edge of the area at the end of a brilliant solo run in the 78th minute and a previously nerveless showing from Pablo Machin s men wobbled in untimely fashion.
Goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz was culpable as Stuani s countryman Jose Gimene…
Former Argentina and Inter defender Javier Zanetti believes pressure on Lionel Messi has increased in recent years following the national side s struggles.
La Albiceleste lost 1-0 to Germany in the World Cup final in Brazil four years ago and also suffered consecutive Copa America defeats to Chile in 2015 and 2016.
Messi, who turns 31 later this month, has won everything he can at club level but has only managed to win an Olympic gold medal with his country in 2008.
Now preparing for what could be his last World Cup, Messi carries the hopes of Argentina on his shoulders again and does so with intensified scrutiny on his performances, according to Zanetti.
There is a lot of pressure on him, but not only in this competition but also in the past, Zanetti t…
Chelsea recovered from a dour first-half showing to beat Sheffield United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge and claim back-to-back Premier League home wins for the first time in over a year.
Cole Palmer continued his fine start to life in west London and was the difference for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, knocking in the opening goal from Raheem Sterling’s cut-back early in the second half before crossing for Nicolas Jackson to make it two.
The first half was instantly forgettable as Chelsea laboured without invention when in possession, before the summer signing from Manchester City enhanced his reputation as a match-winner in a team that remains maddeningly inconsistent in the final third.
Pochettino named Christopher Nkunku amongst his substitutes for the first time, …
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hit back at Sergio Conceicao after the Porto coach s claims he pressured referees.
Conceicao accused Guardiola of pressuring referees during Porto s 3-1 Champions League loss to City in October.
Ahead of the return Group C meeting on Tuesday, Guardiola denied the claims.
I m not in agreement. He can say, maybe it s his opinion, but I m not agreeing that we pressure the referees, he told a news conference.
It s not the way that we in the history speak for ourselves. We are not the type of team to do this, honestly. I would admit it. So one thing is an action that you don t agree [with], you can make any comment, one specific action. But it s not a part of who we are, honestly.
In the five years we are here t…
David Silva is on course to become the fastest player to achieve 200 Premier League wins as he enters his last season as a Manchester City player.
The four-time Premier League winner has announced that the 2019-20 season will be his last in the sky blue of City, giving himself one last opportunity to add to his already staggering achievements across nine glittering campaigns.
Silva joined City from Valencia in 2010 and went on to become one of the club s greatest ever players, contributing exquisite goals while earning a reputation as one of European football s most unselfish creative players.
A glance at the Opta data on Silva s nine years in Manchester leaves no room for doubt about his importance to Pep Guardiola s team next season, when he will aim to further…