Raul Garcia scored twice as Athletic Bilbao secured a rare 2-1 win over holders Real Madrid to set up a Supercopa de Espana final against Barcelona.
Athletic had won only one of their previous 22 matches against the LaLiga champions but beat them for the first time since March 2015 at La Rosaleda on Thursday to hand Marcelino his first victory.
Raul Garcia was set up by Dani Garcia for the opening goal and struck again from the penalty spot to stun Madrid in the first half.
Karim Benzema reduced the deficit after Marco Asensio struck the woodwork twice, but Bilbao held on to end Madrid s nine-match unbeaten run and ensure they will do battle with Barca for the trophy at Estadio de La Cartuja on Sunday.
Athletic did not allow Madrid to settle and they we…
Harry Maguire defended John Stones after bailing out his centre-back colleague s error with a late winner in England s 2-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Poland on Wednesday.
England s 100 per cent start in Group I was seemingly about to end after Harry Kane s first-half penalty was cancelled out just before the hour by Jakub Moder.
Stones was robbed just outside his own box by Moder, who nudged the ball to Arkadiusz Milik and quickly received a return pass before emphatically firing beyond Nick Pope with the first shot on target England had faced in the group.
But Maguire lashed in a fierce effort of his own five minutes from time, latching on to a knock-down by Stones at a corner, ensuring the Three Lions made it three wins from as many games on the road to …
Gareth Bale surpassed 50 goals in the Premier League as his hat-trick saw Tottenham keep their top-four hopes alive with a 4-0 win over Sheffield United.
With Chelsea having beaten Fulham on Saturday, the onus was on Spurs to claim three points against the relegated Blades to boost their Champions League ambitions, especially after seventh-place Liverpool saw their game at Manchester United postponed due to anti-Glazer protests by home fans.
Bale put the beaten EFL Cup finalists ahead with a deft finish in the first half before bringing up his half-century in the competition with an emphatic strike after good work from Son Heung-min.
The Real Madrid loanee completed his hat-trick with a low strike from the edge of the box before Son completed the rout with an exc…
Zlatko Dalic was sorry to see Belgium lose a great coach in Roberto Martinez as his departure was confirmed with Thursday s World Cup exit.
Dalic s Croatia held Belgium to a goalless draw at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, following Morocco through to the last 16 in Group F.
Martinez, who was out of contract after six years as Red Devils coach, announced he would be leaving his role in his post-match news conference.
I think Belgium have lost a great coach, said Dalic. I m sorry he resigned.
Discussing his own future, the Croatia boss added: My project is Euro 2024 and the Nations League Finals. When I finish these projects, then I ll think about how to proceed.
Although the 2018 finalists themselves missed out on topping the group, Dalic hailed the per…
Former Italy goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca expects Gianluigi Donnarumma to sign a new deal and remain with Milan.
Donnarumma is out of contract at the end of the season and is yet to agree terms to extend his stay with the Rossoneri.
Chelsea are among the clubs to be linked with the 22-year-old Italy international, who has made over 200 appearances for Serie A giants Milan since making his debut in 2015.
But ex-Inter keeper Pagliuca does not believe Donnarumma is coming towards the end of his time at San Siro.
A punteggio pieno! Forza
— Gianluigi Donnarumma (@gigiodonna1)
He told Stats Perform News: I think he will stay at Milan, finding a solution in between. The club offers €8million, he wants €12m. They will find an agr…
Teenager Naci Unuvar became the youngest player to score on debut for Ajax with a nerveless penalty in Wednesday s KNVB Beker thrashing of amateur side Spakenburg.
Aged 16 years and 223 days, attacking midfielder Unuvar was introduced for the final 15 minutes in Amsterdam and rounded out a 7-0 rout after he was brought down in the box.
Unuvar s record-setting goal might be of interest to Barcelona, who reportedly monitored the Netherlands youth international during last year s U-17 World Cup.
I immediately asked Klaas-Jan Huntelaar if I could take the penalty, because he would normally take it, Unuvar told Fox Sports Netherlands after the match.
It was great that everyone let me [take it] and was happy for me. The keeper went to the wrong corner. It was…
Tottenham boosted their Premier League top-four hopes with a 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.
Goals from Cristian Romero and Harry Kane moved Antonio Conte s side to within three points of fourth-placed Arsenal – although that margin will increase should the Gunners avoid defeat against Liverpool later on Wednesday.
Romero opened his Tottenham account in the 37th minute when he diverted Dejan Kulusevski s effort past Robert Sanchez.
Kane doubled the visitors lead and sealed the points 12 minutes after the break; becoming the Premier League s all-time leading away scorer as he netted his 95th such goal from 139 appearances.
Aiming to end a run of five successive defeats, Brighton almost gifted their opponents the lead insid…
Karim Benzema lauded the qualities of Zinedine Zidane as a coach and a man after his decision to leave the top job at Real Madrid for a second time.
It was announced on Thursday that Zidane would depart the hot seat at the Santiago Bernabeu after a season in which Madrid failed to win a trophy.
However, Zidane did lead them to the LaLiga title in 2019-20 and Benzema, speaking while on international duty after his surprise recall for France, was full of praise for the 48-year-old.
He s a very great coach, on a human level, he s the perfect man, he said.
With me, he s magnificent. I m disappointed that he is leaving Real, but that s how it is. Life goes on.
11 Zinedine Zidane has ended his second stage as manager. He has won 11 titles, being t…
Jose Mourinho kept his cards close to his chest on the possibility of Gareth Bale rejoining Tottenham, as negotiations continue with Real Madrid.
Bale left Spurs to join Madrid in a €100million (£85m) move in 2013, after several outstanding seasons at White Hart Lane.
However, despite having gone on to win numerous honours – including four Champions Leagues and two LaLiga titles – the Welshman has seen his game time become increasingly limited under Zinedine Zidane.
Bale s agent Jonathan Barnett on Friday confirmed talks between Madrid and Spurs were ongoing, telling Stats Perform News: We re negotiating at the moment, that s all. I won t discuss [how close it is].
In his news conference ahead of Tottenham s Europa League clash with Lokomotiv Pl…
Thanks to the FA Cup semi-finals, matchday 33 in the Premier League is a bit more spread out, with just six games taking place at the weekend.
A further six games are scheduled for midweek, so there is a chance to get some of those pulling double duty in your fantasy team.
Whether your interests lie in the title race, the top-four scuffle or the relegation battle, there promises to be entertainment for everyone.
Therefore, it is time for Stats Perform to give you some suggested picks for your team using stats from the wonderful people at Opta.
HUGO LLORIS (Tottenham v Brighton and Hove Albion)
As odd as it sounds after a 4-0 win, had it not been for Lloris heroics between the sticks last time out, Spurs could very well have lost against Aston Vil…