Football Mag

Vinicius Junior has been named as part of a strong Brazil squad for March's Chevrolet Brasil Global Tour matches against Panama and Czech Republic. The Real Madrid star will be hoping to make his senior international debut following an impressive first season in Spain that has seen him emerge as one of the club’s most important players under new coach Santiago Solari. PSG right-back Dani Alves has also re-joined the squad and is set to make his first international appearance since suffering an injury shortly before World Cup 2018. Gabriel Brazao, Dede, Pablo, Marcelo, Paulinho, Walace, Willian and Douglas Costa were all left out. Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Man City), Weverton (Palmeiras). Centre-backs : Eder Militao (Porto), Marquinhos (PSG), Miranda (Inter), Thiago Silva (PSG). Full-backs: Dani Alves (PSG) , Danilo (Man City), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid), Alex Sandro (Juventus). Midfielders: Allan (Napoli), Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Fabinho (...

Tottenham striker Harry Kane will not face any punishment following an incident with Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta on Wednesday. England captain Kane, 25, appeared to move his head towards the Spaniard in an incident during Chelsea's 2-0 Premier League win at Stamford Bridge. Kane was not punished at the time and, as the incident was seen by officials, no further action will be taken. Tottenham host Arsenal in the north London derby on Saturday. The incident took place after Chelsea kicked the ball out of play to allow Spurs' Kieran Trippier to receive treatment. Kane pressurised Chelsea defender David Luiz when Tottenham returned the ball. Luiz complained to Kane and captain Azpilicueta confronted him before the pair were separated by Luiz.

Claudio Ranieri is set to be sacked by Fulham, with the club’s directors and supporters having lost confidence in him. The final straw for the manager came in the relegation battle at Southampton on Wednesday, when the team lost 2-0 and the travelling fans chanted “You don’t know what you’re doing” at him. The vice-chairman, Tony Khan, was at St Mary’s for a result that took Ranieri’s Fulham Premier League record to P16 W3 D3 L10 since he replaced Slavisa Jokanovic in mid-November and left the team 10 points off Premier League safety with 10 games to play. Shadid Khan, the Fulham chairman and Tony’s father, is in the United States but he has been involved in discussions on Thursday regarding Ranieri’s future, along with the club’s other key decision-makers, including the chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh, and the non-executive director Mark Lamping. The writing is on the wall for Ranieri, who had been advertised as a “risk-free” appointment by Shahid Khan. Unhappy Fulham supporte...

Manchester City have signed the biggest kit deal in their history and the second-highest in the Premier League, with a 10-year agreement with Puma worth a reported £650 million ($863m). The deal sits only behind Manchester United’s with Adidas when it comes to the most lucrative in the English top-flight. City, who currently work in partnership with Nike, will see a new sponsorship contract kick in from the summer of 2019. The club’s chief executive, Ferran Soriano, has said: “It’s a historic day for us because what we are doing has not been done before, an unprecedented partnership covering five clubs over four continents.” Puma’s deal includes not only Manchester City but also sister clubs Melbourne City, Girona, Club Atletico Torque and Sichuan Jiuniu and involves the male, female and youth sides.

Jordi Alba has signed a new long-term contract at Barcelona, keeping him at Camp Nou until 2024, the Spanish champions have confirmed. Alba has been in inspired form for Barca this term, providing 14 assists in all competitions and scoring two goals, with Ernesto Valverde's side currently seven points clear of second-place Atletico Madrid in La Liga. With his previous deal expiring at the end of the season, 29-year-old was recently linked with a switch to Manchester United and Juventus. But after the club tied coach Ernesto Valverde down to a new deal last week, they have rewarded the full-back's form with a new five-year deal, containing a €500 million (£428m/$569m) buyout clause. "Barcelona and Jordi Alba have reached an agreement to renew his contract for the next five seasons, until June 30, 2024. The buyout clause is set at €500M," a statement read.

Romelu Lukaku says he is enjoying working with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United because the manager keeps the striker "hungry". Lukaku scored twice on Wednesday to end his six-game goalless streak in the English top-flight to guide United to a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Man Utd have now recorded 12 wins from 15 games since Solskjaer was put in charge in December on an interim basis until the end of the season. The Red Devils' resurgence under the former striker has prompted calls for United to appoint him on a permanent contract and Lukaku is the latest to voice his admiration for Solskjaer. “I like him. He's really open, really honest in his communication, and keeps me hungry, so whenever I get a chance to play I just want what's best for the team and to help the team win.," he told The Daily Mirror. "It is really helpful that he is a former player. If you look at my career I've always had good strikers helping me, so ...

Barcelona are into the Copa del Rey final for the sixth year in a row after a 3-0 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday sealed a 4-1 aggregate semi-final victory. Luis Suarez scored twice in the second half either side of a Raphael Varane own goal to send the Catalans through and keep their treble hopes alive. Madrid had gone into the second leg with a slight edge following a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou, but they failed to best Marc-Andre ter Stegen with some clear-cut chances in the first half. Vinicius Junior was the biggest attacking threat in some cagey opening minutes, seeing a shot well blocked by Ter Stegen after earlier having a penalty appeal waved away. Ter Stegen again came to Barca's rescue 10 minutes before the break, denying Karim Benzema on the half-volley, before Vinicius steered the ball over the bar from Sergio Reguilon's low cross. However, 50 minutes in, Barca's attack finally came to life. Ousmane Dembele raced away from Dani Carvajal and c...

Tottenham were left red-faced as a pair of sloppy goals dealt a significant blow to their Premier League title hopes in a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea on Wednesday. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris allowed a Pedro strike to sneak between his legs just short of the hour, before a miscommunication between the France international and Kieran Trippier saw the full-back roll a backpass into an open net. Coming on the back of Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Burnley, the loss leaves Spurs eight points adrift of second-place Manchester City and nine off leaders Liverpool. For Chelsea, who dropped Kepa Arrizabalaga in favour of Willy Caballero following the former's refusal to be subbed during the EFL Cup final, the result is the perfect response to their Wembley defeat against City on Sunday. Chelsea had an opportunity to take an early lead when the ball fell to Gonzalo Higuain in the box after six minutes, but the on-loan Juventus striker did not hit the ball cleanly, finding only the right-hand ...

Romelu Lukaku ended a nine-match goal drought with a double as a depleted Manchester United beat Crystal Palace 3-1 to secure a club-record eighth successive away victory across all competitions. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was without a host of first-team regulars due to injuries, but Lukaku stepped up having been given a rare opportunity to lead the line, his pair of goals playing a part in downing a spirited Palace side. United just about shaded an even first half and went into the break ahead thanks to a fine Luke Shaw-inspired Lukaku goal in the 33rd minute. Lukaku got his second of the day just after the break and, although Joel Ward pulled one back in the 66th minute, Ashley Young struck late on to end the hosts' hopes and keep United just a point behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who thrashed Bournemouth 5-1.

Sadio Mane scored a superb double and Virgil van Dijk also grabbed two goals as Liverpool ended a recent blip and retained top spot in the Premier League with an emphatic 5-0 win over Watford. A run of three draws in four league matches had seen Liverpool's advantage over Manchester City trimmed to a point heading into Wednesday's fixtures. However, Liverpool never looked like a team in danger of cracking under the pressure as Mane's brilliant brace - highlighted by a stunning backheeled finish for his second - put them in command. Divock Origi put the result beyond doubt in the second half and a pair of late headers from Van Dijk completed the rout.

Sergio Aguero's 59th-minute penalty earned Manchester City their fourth successive Premier League win as they beat West Ham 1-0 to remain one point behind leaders Liverpool. Having beaten Chelsea on penalties in Sunday's EFL Cup final at Wembley, quadruple-seeking City were not at their usual brilliant best against a West Ham side led by their former manager Manuel Pellegrini. David Silva hit the post early on but it was substitute Bernardo Silva who came off the bench to win a spot-kick that Aguero converted by sending Lukasz Fabianski the wrong way. Liverpool's 5-0 victory over Watford at Anfield may have been more emphatic, but City got a result that means they can at least temporarily return to the summit at the weekend as they play before their title rivals.

Maurizio Sarri insisted Kepa Arrizabalaga remains his number one after dropping the goalkeeper for Chelsea's victory over Tottenham on Wednesday. Sarri drafted Willy Caballero into his starting XI after Kepa refused to be substituted in the closing stages of Chelsea's Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City. Kepa was handed a fine by the club , although he and Sarri initially explained away the incident as a misunderstanding . Sarri said he was trying to send a message to his squad by dropping Kepa that Chelsea are a team and not a collection of individuals. While standing by his decision to call on Caballero, who did not face a single shot on target but dealt confidently with any balls into his box, Sarri says Kepa will not be out of the side for long. Asked whether Kepa was still his number one, the Italian told a news conference: "Of course. "I think it was the right decision [to drop him]. Kepa made a big mistake. He paid [a fine] with the club and then he ...

Mesut Ozil marked his Premier League recall with a goal and an assist as Arsenalcruised to a crushing 5-1 home victory over an out of sorts Bournemouth. Named for his first top-flight start since January 29, playmaker Ozil justified Unai Emery's decision by scoring inside four minutes and providing the pass for the equally impressive Henrikh Mkhitaryan to double the advantage. Bournemouth responded through Lys Mousset but the Gunners were never threatened as they kept the pressure on third-placed Tottenham ahead of this weekend's north London derby. Mkhitaryan got two assists of his own after half-time for Laurent Koscielny and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, before substitute Alexandre Lacazette's free-kick rubbed salt into the wound of Bournemouth's ninth straight away league loss.