European Football
Eto'o vows to be top scorer despite four-month absence
Published: 06 January 2007
La Liga returns today but next weekend's fixtures are as eagerly awaited after Samuel Eto'o earmarked Barcelona's match a week tomorrow for his return.
Beckham poised to begin talks on new deal at Real
Published: 04 January 2007
David Beckham will not leave Real Madrid during the current transfer window and is about to reopen talks over a new deal at the Bernabeu, according to the former England captain's spokesman.
Adriano gains recall as Internazionale close on record run
Published: 23 December 2006
While the English, Scottish and Dutch leagues plough on through the fog, the rest of the Continent's leading footballers will be enjoying their winter hibernation from this weekend onwards, with the French and Italian leagues the last to break for Christmas.
Beckham out in cold as Real buy Argentine
Published: 22 December 2006
David Beckham will complete his footballing annus horribilis at 9pm tonight in a benefit match in freezing conditions in Atletico Madrid's Vicente Calderon stadium. "The Jesus Gil Memorial" game, played in honour of Atletico's late president, comes 48 hours after what Beckham's manager, Fabio Capello, described as Real Madrid's worst performance of the season.
World award has forced my critics to shut up, says Cannavaro
Published: 20 December 2006
Fabio Cannavaro feels vindicated. The Italy captain said his Fifa World Player of the Year award would answer critics who complained he should not have been voted Europe's best player recently.
Wanted: foreign patience allied to British passion
Published: 17 December 2006
Dancing Berbatov relishes the trip
Published: 17 December 2006
'You are not better than us' Benitez warns Barcelona
Published: 16 December 2006
For a Madrileno it is the ultimate grudge match, but when you have also triumphed over them as manager of Valencia, then playing Barcelona in the Champions' League's last 16 takes on another dimension altogether.
Stadium ban may hit Spurs' Feyenoord trip
Published: 16 December 2006
Tottenham's Uefa Cup away match against Feyenoord could be played behind closed doors because of possible disciplinary action against the Dutch club.
Tragedy at Juventus as two trainees drown
Published: 16 December 2006
Juventus's Serie B game at home to Cesena last night was postponed after two players in the youth team drowned in a lake inside the club's sports centre. Fire brigade divers retrieved the bodies of Alessio Ferramosca and Riccardo Neri, both aged 17, from the small artificial lake. Police said that they had fallen in the ice-cold water as they were trying to retrieve a football.
Newcastle 'win' Intertoto Cup
Published: 16 December 2006
There was a pleasant surprise for Glenn Roeder on his arrival at work yesterday when he was informed that he had guided Newcastle United to their first "major" trophy in 37 years.
English trio pray to steer clear of Barça
Published: 15 December 2006
The representatives of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United will spend this morning honing their platitudes, setting their faces ... and praying. Praying that when the draw is made at 11am in Nyon, Switzerland, for the knock-out stages of the Champions' League their club is paired with Lille rather than Barcelona. And if the prayers are answered they will seek to remember, "do not smile, not when the cameras are watching, and do not suggest in interviews that back in England your manager has cracked open the champagne and everyone is booking flights for the final in Athens".
Tottenham 3 D. Bucharest 1: Defoe double sees Spurs finish at summit
Published: 15 December 2006
The club that was once the footballing face of the Romanian secret service needs to brush up its intelligence. Dinamo Bucharest were out-thought and outplayed at White Hart Lane last night, the final scoreline doing scant justice to Tottenham's dominance. Two strikes from Jermain Defoe and another from Dimitar Berbatov meant Spurs qualified as group winners, with a 100 per cent record, for the knockout stages of the Uefa Cup.
Rangers 1 Partizan Belgrade 0: Hutton confirms Rangers' top spot
Published: 15 December 2006
Having already qualified for the last 32, Rangers struggled to lift themselves for much of last night's final match in Group A of the Uefa Cup. However, the incentive of avoiding third-placed drop-outs from the Champions' League groups in the next stage was enough for victory over Partizan, thanks to Alan Hutton's second-half header.
Blackburn Rovers 1 Nancy 0: Neill builds bridges with table-topping strike for Rovers
Published: 14 December 2006
Blackburn Rovers fans have been questioning Lucas Neill's commitment to the cause, but they cannot question his sense of timing.
Real Madrid deny French allegations of 'doping doctor' link
Published: 14 December 2006
Real Madrid have begun legal action against the French newspaper Le Monde following an article published last week alleging that the club had links to the controversial Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes.
Seville 2 Real Madrid 1: Beckham beaten and booked, but back to his best form
Published: 11 December 2006
Victoria Beckham may have been busy looking at property in Los Angeles but her husband, David, does not look ready for Major League Soccer just yet. There were few bigger games in Europe at the weekend than Real Madrid's visit to Seville and there were few better performances than the former England captain's.
Inter maintain record form to extend their lead at top
Published: 11 December 2006
The Serie A leaders, Internazionale, beat Empoli 3-0 yesterday to notch up their eighth league win in a row and match their best winning run in Italy's top flight.
Real face rivals in Barça chase
Published: 09 December 2006
While Barcelona test the team spirit of Real Sociedad this evening, their closest rivals in La Liga, Real Madrid and Seville, meet in Andalucia. Jesus Navas, the winger who has inspired Seville's season, returns to their squad after a month out with a knee injury.
Scots urge Uefa to expand European finals
Published: 09 December 2006
The Scottish Football Association is attempting to persuade Uefa to expand the European Championships from 16 to 24 teams. It has submitted a proposal for next month's Uefa's Congress to consider the expansion and has been supported by the Republic of Ireland, plus the FAs of Sweden and Latvia.
Arsenal and United join England's top dogs in Europe
Published: 07 December 2006
Sir Alex Ferguson called it an "absolutely fantastic night" for British football as Manchester United and Arsenal joined Chelsea and Liverpool in qualifying for the knockout round of the Champions' League on top of their groups
Manchester United 3 Benfica 1: United sail on with all cannons blazing
Published: 07 December 2006
A Portuguese winger called Nelson almost inflicted a second successive Champions' League catastrophe on Manchester United last night but it is at times like these that Sir Alex Ferguson expects that every man will do his duty. And their duty last night, with their European campaign on the brink of oblivion, was to put on a performance that was a throwback to the glory nights of Old Trafford eight years ago.
Under-fire Ronaldo guilty only of trying a little too hard
Published: 07 December 2006
The Manchester United match programme, like most of the ilk, tends to be more old style pravda than an independent forum for objective debate, but last night's edition had it right on Cristiano Ronaldo: "With each game his popularity grows at Old Trafford and diminishes among rival fans.''
Porto 0 Arsenal 0: Quaresma shines but Arsenal do enough
Published: 07 December 2006
To the delight of punters across Europe the most predictable result of the season duly came to pass last night as Arsenal and Porto played out the goalless draw which ensured both would reach the potentially lucrative stages of the Champions' League.
Adebayor left to chase shadows in Wenger's safety-first plan
Published: 07 December 2006
The Porto fans like to sing many songs during a home game but one of their more surprising ones is Moonlight Shadow. It may come as a big surprise that Mike Oldfield's early 1980s hit ever found popularity in Portugal's second city but the Ultras were to be heard happily humming the chorus.
