Beckham will be back for 2009 start, says MLS boss

Milan failed to move back within three points of Serie A leaders Napoli as goals from Koffi Djidji and Aleksey Miranchuk condemned the Rossoneri to a surprise 2-1 loss to Torino.

Miranchuk followed up Djidji s glancing header with a cultured left-footed finish as Torino scored twice in two frantic first-half minutes to stun Milan at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.

Stefano Pioli s men travelled to Turin looking to stay within touching distance of the Serie A summit, but were uncharacteristically lethargic for long periods on Sunday.

Junior Messias was gifted a goal following a bizarre mix-up at the back, but Milan failed to build on that strike late on as Torino clung on for a huge win.

Rafael Leao missed two golden chances in the first six minutes, sen…

Canada s 1-0 defeat to Belgium was statistically , according to John Herdman, a winning performance – and it is easy to see why he thinks that.

Canada attempted 22 shots, twice as many as their previous World Cup record (11 versus USSR in 1986), with their attempts worth a combined 2.6 expected goals.

Belgium s chances were worth 0.8 xG, but they crucially scored through Michy Batshuayi.

Canada still have not scored a World Cup goal from 50 shots. No team have played more finals matches (four) without ever finding the net, while only Bolivia have previously failed to register in their first five such fixtures.

Another winning performance against Croatia will count for little if they cannot end that drought.

It s those behaviours that we ll cont…

Chelsea survived a spirited late fightback by Luton to edge a dramatic match 3-2 at Kenilworth Road and end their four-game losing streak away from home.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side looked to be cruising to a first victory on the road since early November thanks to two goals from Cole Palmer – his second a sensational piece of individual skill – and one from Noni Madueke who scored for the second time in two games as the visitors took a 3-0 lead.

But that breathing room was sucked away by Luton during a frenetic final 10 minutes, when first Ross Barkley then Elijah Adebayo struck to offer their supporters hope of a spectacular recovery.

That s why they call him Cold Palmer.

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)

Yet Chelsea held their nerve, claiming …

Zlatko Dalic confidently declared the World Cup in Qatar will not be Luka Modric s last international tournament as the Croatia head coach insisted the midfielder will strive for self-improvement .

Croatia have become accustomed to requiring extra time and penalties at FIFA s top tournament, edging past Japan with a shoot-out victory on Monday to tee up a quarter-final clash with Brazil.

Dalic s side needed penalties to defeat Denmark and Russia, then extra time against England, as they reached the final in 2018, the year in which Modric won the Ballon d Or with his efforts for club and country.

The Real Madrid veteran is now 37, yet Dalic has no doubts he can call upon the evergreen veteran past the tournament in Qatar.

This will not be Luka’s last to…

Aaron Ramsey is hoping to scale his next Euro 2024 qualifying challenge before climbing the three highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours.

Wales skipper Ramsey will lead the Dragons into battle against Armenia and Turkey and then turn his attention to the National Three Peaks Challenge and ascending Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Yr Wyddfa on Wednesday.

The walking distance is 23 miles and total ascent 10,052 feet with a driving distance of 462 miles.

“I am fully focused on the Welsh games, but we get back and fly up to Scotland and start there first,” said Ramsey, who is embarking on the journey with 10 others to raise funds for the @its.neveryoucharity created in memory of six-year-old Hugh Menai-Davis who died from rhabdomyosarcoma in Sep…

Agent Joao Santos, who represents Jorginho, says that a new contract with Chelsea is currently a priority for the Italy international despite various rumours of interest in his services from other clubs.

The 31-year-old midfielder is reportedly of interest to Barcelona, as well as former club Napoli where he spent four years before joining Chelsea in 2018 for close to €60 million. However, Santos has dismissed rumours of Napoli interest, saying he and his client would welcome it but also making it very clear that nothing is happening on that front at the moment.

Meanwhile, Chelsea appear keen to add to their midfield ranks, reportedly showing strong interest in Benfica s World Cup star Enzo Fernandez, and Fabrizio Romano reports that they re on the verge of signing 18…

Sheffield United are interested in signing Neal Maupay from Everton in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that the Blades have asked about a possible loan deal for the 26-year-old striker.

Maupay has been on the books of Everton since the summer of 2022 when he joined from Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion. The 26-year-old French striker is under contract at the Toffees until the summer of 20-25, with the option for a further year.

The Frenchman made 11 starts and 16 substitute appearances in the Premier League for Everton last season. Maupay scored one goal in those games. In 2021-22, the forward made 25 starts and seven substitute appearances in the Premier League for Brighton, scoring eight goals and providing two assists i…

Barcelona will be asked for an explanation after allegations they paid €1.4million to a company part-owned by former LaLiga referee Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said on Thursday it had begun a request for information from Barcelona and the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), of which Negreira was a long-time vice-president.

LaLiga giants Barca have been alleged to have paid the seven-figure sum between 2016 and 2018 to Negreira s company DASNIL 95 SL, with the claims first revealed by broadcaster SER Catalunya.

Newspaper El Pais alleged that in return for payments, Barcelona received a written report and DVD assessment of referees prior to games.

Barcelona have strenuously denied wrongdoing, stating they …

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Facing what appears to be another season-defining affair on Wednesday night, Manchester City will welcome Aston Villa to the Etihad.

Manchester City

Starting with the hosts, forced to settle for a 0-0 stalemate at home against title rivals Arsenal over the weekend, Manchester City know the importance of making a crucial statement here. However, despite opening the midweek fixtures sat three points adrift in the title chase, Pep Guardiola’s men are unbeaten in all of their previous 23 straight appearances across all competitions. With that run stemming all the way back to a 1-0 loss away at Aston Villa on December 6th, the former Barcelona boss has also seen his squad gain a reputation for their success on home soil. Despite eventua…

Napoli have confirmed the signing of Denmark international Jesper Lindstrom on a permanent deal from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The 23-year-old had been linked with several clubs during the summer transfer window, including reported interest from Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham.

Lindstrom joined Frankfurt from Brondby in 2021 and went on to help the German club win the Europa League the following season with a penalty shoot-out victory over Scottish side Rangers.

Jesper Lindstrøm is a Napoli player!

— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli)

The Denmark midfielder, who played at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is said to have agreed a five-year deal with Napoli.

A brief statement from the Serie A side read: “Napoli is deligh…