Germany coach Hansi Flick says his side lacked intensity and precision in their 1-1 Nations League draw with Italy on Saturday.
Die Mannschaft looked the brighter side in the first half, yet the best chance fell to the Azzurri, with Gianluca Scamacca striking the post from distance.
Roberto Mancini s side were much improved after the break, though, and Lorenzo Pellegrini put them ahead in the 70th minute.
However, Germany recovered a point three minutes later courtesy of Joshua Kimmich s neat finish after a scramble in the penalty area.
The result means Flick has not lost any of his first 10 matches in charge of the national team, becoming the third Germany coach to achieve that feat after Sepp Herberger and Josef Derwall.
Despite that, …
David Brooks is confident he will make a full recovery and return to playing after the Bournemouth and Wales midfielder was diagnosed with cancer.
Brooks was with the Wales squad last week but left international duty and underwent a medical examination, which found he has stage two Hodgkin lymphoma.
The 24-year-old will undergo treatment next week.
He said in a statement: This is a very difficult message for me to write.
I have been diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin lymphoma and will begin a course of treatment next week.
Although this has come as a shock to myself and my family, the prognosis is a positive one and I am confident that I will make a full recovery and be back playing as soon as possible.
I d like to show my appreciatio…
N Golo Kante becomes an animal that never stops running when he puts on the Chelsea shirt, team-mate Davide Zappacosta has told Stats Perform.
The France international has won three major honours in five years at Chelsea since joining from Leicester City, where he played his part in a shock Premier League triumph in 2016.
He has also lifted the World Cup with France and will be looking to add a first Champions League title to his collection when Chelsea take on Manchester City in Saturday s final.
Kante is a fitness doubt for the all-English showpiece and would be a huge miss for the Blues should he fail to fully recover from a niggling hamstring complaint.
The 2.48 interceptions Kante averaged per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season trailed only…
England defender Esme Morgan has urged critics to empathise with players who have the desire, but no longer the capacity, to meet every autograph hopeful amid growing concern that a minority of fans feel overly entitled to their time.
Morgan’s fellow Lioness, Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps, this week posted on Instagram after she was tagged in a post-match comment by a parent who claimed the award-winner was “far too busy and important to stop for her fans these days”, admitting she found the accusation “hurtful” when she had taken time to meet as many as she could.
It is easy for Morgan, who was at the age of five already a Manchester City season-ticket holder, to put herself in the shoes of supporters hoping for a post-match meeting with an idol.
…
Rudi Garcia is determined to hit AC Milan when they are down and relaunch Napoli’s Serie A title defence.
A rocky start to the season saw the Partenopei fall well short of expectations and critics of new head coach Garcia’s approach did not take long to make their voices heard.
But three league wins from four have thrust Napoli right back into contention and a home win against second-placed Milan, whose bubble has been burst by consecutive defeats to Juventus and Paris St Germain, could lift them to third.
Garcia: Il Milan è un grande avversario ma noi abbiamo voglia di vincere!
Rivedi la conferenza sul nostro canale YT:
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli)
“We have this home match against one of our direct rivals an…
Market: Fulham win
Odds: 1/1 @
Two sides who find themselves leading the chase at the top of the Championship table, Fulham will welcome Bournemouth to Craven Cottage on Friday night.
Starting with the hosts, having to settle for back-to-back stalemates against Preston and Derby over the past week, there is no doubt that Fulham will be seeking a real boost here. Gaining a host of plaudits since bringing in Marco Silva earlier in the year, many have tipped the Cottagers as the standout pick to book an immediate Premier League return. Opening up Friday s contest holding a one-point buffer at the top of the table, the former Everton boss has also seen his side continue to shine at Craven Cottage. Picking up 16 points from their last six Championship games on home s…
Beth Mead will miss the Women s World Cup unless a miracle happens , according to England head coach Sarina Wiegman.
The Arsenal forward suffered an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury in November and has not played since.
Such injuries are long-term setbacks, and it was the cruellest of blows for Mead, coming so soon after she played a starring role in England s Euro 2022 triumph.
Mead won the Player of the Tournament award and the Golden Boot as hosts England swept to glory, edging out Germany 2-1 in the Wembley Stadium final on July 31.
The 27-year-old former Sunderland striker would have been central to England s plans for this year s global tournament, which is being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in July and August.
Wiegman believ…
Manchester United are interested in signing Federico Valverde from Real Madrid, according to . It has been reported by the British tabloid that Premier League giants United are keeping an eye on the 22-year-old midfielder should Paul Pogba leave for Madrid next summer.
Valverde has been at Madrid since 2016 when he joined from Penarol and reportedly has a buyout clause of £640 million. The youngster was on loan at Deportivo La Coruna during the 2017-18 season and is starting to make himself a big figure in Zinedine Zidane’s first-team squad.
According to , Valverde made three starts and two substitute appearances in La Liga for Madrid so far this season, scoring one goal in the process. During the 2019-20 campaign, the 22-year-old made 21 starts and 12 substitute app…
Zinedine Zidane and Sergio Ramos dismissed the importance of Neymar s absence for Paris Saint-Germain, highlighting the threat of former Real Madrid star Angel Di Maria, who is set to replace the Brazilian in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Madrid travel to Paris with a 3-1 advantage from the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu in their round-of-16 clash.
They also received a boost last week when it became apparent Brazil star Neymar will miss out after fracturing his foot in a Ligue 1 match.
But Zidane and captain Ramos claimed that will not make a huge difference, as they both pointed out Di Maria, who played for Madrid between 2010 and 2014, is expected to be the one to benefit from Neymar s absence.
When asked about the importance of Neymar s injury, …
Carlo Ancelotti has reaffirmed there is no problem with Eden Hazard, who is finding Real Madrid game time hard to come by.
Hazard was an unused substitute in both of Madrid s Supercopa de Espana matches last week in Saudi Araba, as Los Blancos went on to win their first trophy of Ancelotti s second spell in charge.
The former Chelsea star, who turned 31 earlier in January, has endured an injury hit time at Santiago Bernabeu since his big-money move in 2019.
While he has in the main avoided injuries so far this season, Hazard has only made eight starts across all competitions, with his game time totalling 724 minutes.
Hazard has only completed a game on one occasion this season, having been subbed off in his other seven starts, and he has only assisted on …