Melbourne Victory 2 Newcastle Jets 1: Berisha strike boosts leaders Sydney

Besart Berisha struck a second-half winner as Melbourne Victory edged Newcastle Jets 2-1 in Friday s A-League clash at AAMI Park.

The 32-year-old steered home eight minutes after the break to give the home side the win after Jason Hoffman had cancelled out Kosta Barbarouses opener.

Mark Milligan missed the chance to make it 3-1 from the penalty spot, but Victory held out for a win that gives leaders Sydney FC the chance to move eight points clear at the top when they face Perth Glory on Saturday.

Barbarouses stylishly curled home from Jason Geria s low cross to give Kevin Muscat s side the lead 33 minutes in, but Hoffman burst through the defence before slotting beneath goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas to level the scores before the break.

Berisha s clever fi…

United unlikely to do business in January window – Woodward

Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward believes it is unlikely the club will bring in players during the January transfer window.

The 13-time Premier League champions published a review of their accounts for the first quarter of the 2015 financial year on Tuesday, which revealed revenue had dropped by almost 10 per cent.

The results come on the back of United s disappointing 2013-14 season, in which they failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League under the leadership of David Moyes.

Since Louis van Gaal s arrival as manager, the club have spent big money on the likes of Angel di Maria, Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo, while Radamel Falcao has arrived on loan from Monaco as United aim to break back into the top four and secure Champions League football for…

Atletico Madrid v L´Hospitalet: Simeone likely to rotate

Atletico Madrid are likely to rotate in the second leg of their last-32 Copa del Rey clash against L Hospitalet.

The Spanish champions hold a 3-0 aggregate lead ahead of Thursday s match after a hard-fought away win earlier this month.

L Hospitalet, who sit 11th in the regonialised third tier of Spanish football, put up a good fight on that occasion the game still goalless after an hour.

It was the introduction of France international Antoine Griezmann that changed the game, though, as he eventually broke the deadlock.

Further goals for Gabi from the penalty spot and Cristian Rodriguez in the last 10 minutes virtually sealed Atleti s place in the last 16.

Those late strikes mean Simeone can give his squad a chance to rest, particularly after …

Women´s Euros: England´s ´day of opportunity´ is just ´the start´, says skipper Williamson

England captain Leah Williamson believes the Women s Euro 2022 final is not the end of the story for this Lionesses team, describing the mark Sunday s match can have on the sport.

Just 90 minutes separate Sarina Wiegman s side from a first Euros title, having fallen short at the final hurdle in the past, but historic rivals Germany stand in their way.

England s stellar campaign on home soil has continued to build momentum for the women s game in the host country, but Williamson insists this is not the peak.

Instead, while she outlined how the performance from her team has changed the overall perception of the sport, the Lionesses skipper suggests there is plenty more to come in the years ahead.

I think what we ve seen in the tournament already is this…

Griezmann in talks over new Atletico deal

Antoine Griezmann is in talks over a new contract at Atletico Madrid and the France international claims even the presence of Zinedine Zindane would not persuade him to join  bitter rivals Real Madrid.

Griezmann has scored 32 goals in 53 appearances across all competitions for Atleti this season, including a memorable strike at Bayern Munich to help secure a Champions League final showdown against Madrid.

The 25-year-old forward is set to be a key performer when France hosts Euro 2016 next month, ideally assuming the mantle that Zidane took on when inspiring the national team to glory on home soil at the 1998 World Cup.

But Griezmann s admiration for the Madrid coach would not lead to him swapping loyalties in Spain s capital and he told Canal Plus he hopes to e…

Humble hat-trick hero Klose saves Germany´s blushes

Veteran striker Miroslav Klose got Germany out of jail with a hat-trick to seal a late 3-3 draw against Finland in Wednesday night s World Cup 2010 qualifier.

With less than ten minutes left, Euro 2008 finalists Germany were looking down the barrel of a defeat orchestrated by Finland s former Liverpool forward Daniel Sjolund who had put his side 3-2 ahead early in the second-half.

Despite recent criticism in the German press for his lack of goals for Bayern Munich, 30-year-old Klose silenced his critics with three goals to give Germany a point in their quest to reach the next World Cup in South Africa.

That is football, I never let my head drop, I knew what I can do. If I kept working, I knew it would work itself out, said Klose who was winning his 84th cap.<…

Koeman rules himself out of Barcelona running

Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman says the time is not right for him to consider becoming the new boss of former club Barcelona.

Koeman emerged as a leading candidate to take charge of the Blaugrana following reports that Ernesto Valverde was on the brink of his losing job.

Speculation surrounding the Spaniard s position has since gone quiet, with Valverde seemingly set to be granted a reprieve despite presiding over a second successive Champions League failure.

It is not the first time Koeman, who spent six seasons at Barca as a player, has been linked with a return to Camp Nou.

But having only been in his current role since February 2018, the former Everton and Southampton manager is not prepared to think about a change.

If it s been a ye…

Rodriguez set for Wolfsburg stay

Wolfsburg starlet Ricardo Rodriguez admits he is likely to remain at the club in spite of the heavy interest in his services.

The Switzerland international has been linked with clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool following some scintillating displays in the previous Bundesliga campaign and many people believed the Wolves would not be able to keep hold of him this summer.

However, Wolfsburg have made it clear that they have no intention to sell their star player, and Rodriguez does not seem to have a problem with staying at Volkswagen Arena.

“I have a two-year contract. I am looking forward to the new season,” the Swiss defender .

Asked whether he will be playing at Wolfsburg next season, Rodriguez replied: “Yes, I can say that. I am calm. I …

Prediction: Wales vs Croatia

Best odds: 21/20

Bookmaker:

After suffering an unexpected home defeat to Turkey on Thursday, Croatia will seek to set a few things right on Sunday when they travel to Cardiff to take on Wales in the Euro 2024 qualifications.

The campaign has reached a crucial stage now, with every point vitally important for all teams in Group D, apart from Latvia who have lost all hope of qualifying for the final tournament next year.

Wales

The campaign started very well for Rob Page and his team, who got a hard-earned point away to Croatia in the opening round and built on it through a win over Latvia. However, a real shock soon followed as they lost 2-4 at home to Armenia, and then they were beaten 2-0 away to group leaders Turkey. They finally got back to winning wa…

Celtic get Sarajevo in Champions League, Rangers learn Europa League fate

Celtic were drawn against Sarajevo in the Champions League first qualifying round, while Rangers learnt their Europa League fate.

While Celtic completed a third straight domestic treble in 2018-19, they failed to reach the group stage of Europe s elite club competition after falling to AEK Athens in the third qualifying round.

Neil Lennon s team will begin their quest to return to the Champions League with a home match against Sarajevo on July 9 or 10, with the return game in Bosnia-Herzegovina taking place the following week.

The biggest mistake you can make is underestimating a team like this. It s the Champions League so anything can happen. You just have to do your research and do as well as you can, said the club s on-loan attacker Daniel Arzani.

I…