Luis Enrique defended his decision to start without a recognised striker after Spain required a last-minute goal to snatch a 1-1 draw in Saturday s Nations League clash with Switzerland.

Spain were heading for successive Group A4 defeats before substitute Gerard Moreno struck to cancel out Remo Freuler s first-half opener in a game that saw Sergio Ramos miss two penalties.

Having started with Gerard and Alvaro Morata in Wednesday s 1-1 friendly draw with the Netherlands, Luis Enrique reverted back to his striker-less system at St Jakob-Park by recalling Dani Olmo to lead the line.

It was ultimately Villarreal striker Gerard who made the difference for Spain as he got on the end of Sergio Reguilon s left-sided cross and clinically converted from seven yards out …

Jupp Heynckes believes Clasico heavyweights Barcelona and Real Madrid are the favourites for Champions League glory along with Paris Saint-Germain, and is keen to avoid comparisons between his current crop at Bayern Munich and the 2013 treble winners.

Bayern entertain Turkish champions Besiktas in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday and Heynckes expects the usual suspects to be in contention come the final reckoning, while he has also been impressed by the performances of the Premier League contingent.

Madrid claimed a 3-1 win over PSG at the Santiago Bernabeu last week to place the reigning champions firmly in control of their tie but Bayern s veteran head coach is not ruling out the big-spending Ligue 1 leaders just yet as he reviews the sides most likely to …

Defending African champions Al Ahly are on the brink of the 2021-22 CAF Champions League final after dominating 10-man ES Setif in a 4-0 first-leg win in the last four.

Setif already had a tough task going away to the 10-time winners of the competition and trailed to Percy Tau s close-ranger header in the 30th minute before the tie took another turn in Al Ahly s favour.

Amir Karaoui was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Hussein El Shahat with 10 minutes of the first half still to play, giving the Algerian side a mountain to climb.

Al Ahly did not immediately punish their opponents, but Taher Mohamed doubled their advantage after 54 minutes when Tau s shot looped up in front of goal.

Tau continued to be involved in all of Al Ahly s best play and fed Mo…

A Segunda Division game on Sunday was suspended at half-time due to chanting aimed at Albacete player Roman Zozulya.

Rayo Vallecano fans aimed chants at the forward during the first half of the game and the referee, Jose Antonio Lopez Toca, opted not to play the second half after a long delay.

Zozulya joined Rayo on loan from Real Betis in 2017 but the move was cut short after supporters protested against the transfer due to alleged far-right links, which the player denied.

A statement released by the league on Sunday backed the referee s decision to stop the match.

LaLiga expresses its agreement with the decision taken by Jose Antonio Lopez Toca, the referee of the match between Rayo Vallecano and Albacete, to suspend the match after serious insults…

Rob Holding has signed a new contract at Arsenal running until June 2024, the Premier League club have confirmed.

The centre-back s terms contain the option to extend for another year and his new deal is a reward for overcoming injury to establish himself as a first-team fixture under Mikel Arteta.

Holding suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament against Manchester United in December 2018 but returned to the fray last season to lift his second FA Cup in Arsenal colours.

The 25-year-old has made 16 appearances so far in 2020-21, taking him to 96 overall for the Gunners, who he joined from Bolton Wanderers in July 2016.

Since I started as manager, I have been hugely impressed with Rob’s contribution to the club and the dressing room, on and off t…

France have confirmed that Kylian Mbappe suffered a broken nose against Austria on Monday but will not need surgery on the injury.

Les Bleus were able to hold onto a 1-0 victory over Ralf Rangnick s side, courtesy of a first-half own goal by Max Wober, who turned in Mbappe s cross.

However, the France captain was involved in an aerial collision with Kevin Danso, hitting his face on the defender s shoulder, and needed lengthy treatment before being forced off in the final minute of normal time.

The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed on Tuesday that Mbappe had broken his nose and would need to wear a mask for the rest of the Euros but no update was given on whether he would be available for their game against the Netherlands on Friday.

He has retur…

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson admits his side are in the thick of a “serious injury crisis” with midfielder Eberechi Eze becoming the latest player set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Eze’s hamstring issue ruled him out of selection for Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad after he featured last month, with the 25-year-old joining an ever-growing list of Palace players unavailable for Saturday’s home encounter with Nottingham Forest.

Despite the latest blow, Hodgson made clear he had no intention of courting pity, pointing to the bigger picture as he sought to assure concerned supporters.

Hodgson said: “There is no sympathy in the world of football for injuries and there is no point seeking sympathy. It happens to all teams.

“We h…

Diego Simeone is ready to accept responsibility if Atletico Madrid fail to qualify for the Champions League.

On the day Atleti saw their LaLiga crown taken by bitter rivals Real Madrid, they suffered a potentially damaging 2-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.

They remained in fourth after the defeat, yet fifth-placed Real Betis can cut the gap to just a point if they overcome Getafe on Monday.

Los Colchoneros face a tough run-in that sees them play champions Madrid, Sevilla and Real Sociedad in three of their four remaining games.

Asked at a media conference if he was worried about not securing a top-four spot, Simeone said: It occupies me. You have to know how to be in difficult moments and there have been a few in recent years. 

We wil…

Real Madrid travel to Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday in a rare position as they seek to end a run of two La Liga defeats on the spin.

Carlo Ancelotti s men have made a stuttering start to the season, going down 4-2 to Real Sociedad ahead of the international break before a 2-1 reverse against bitter rivals Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu last weekend.

The latter led to whistles from sections of the home support towards goalkeeper Iker Casillas as certain fans lost patience with Real s disappointing start to the campaign.

However, a dominant 5-1 win over Basel in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday helped stop the rot for the European champions.

Casillas impressed and earned warm applause while the attacking quartet of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth…

Arsenal and Manchester United lock horns at Emirates Stadium on Sunday in perhaps the biggest clash between the two sides since the title-tussling encounters of the mid-2000s.

The two Premier League greats are a shadow of their former selves; the Gunners have not won the title since 2004 while United last lifted the Premier League in Alex Ferguson s final season in charge, 10 years ago.

Yet the 2022-23 season has seen the old rivals show signs of vast improvement.

Arsenal s patience in Mikel Arteta is paying off. A return to the Champions League might have been the target heading into the campaign, but the Gunners find themselves in pole position in the title race.

Similarly, Erik ten Hag has steadied the ship at Old Trafford, following a difficult start …