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Lionel Messi says he would have “loved” for Neymar to return to Barcelona as his arrival would have “increased our chances of achieving our objectives.” Neymar, 27, joined Paris St-Germain from Barcelona in 2017 for a world record fee of 222m euros (£200m). “He was desperate to come back,” Messi told Spanish newspaper Sport. “I don’t know if the club ...

Belgium and the Netherlands both cruised to 4-0 wins over Scotland and Estonia respectively in Euro 2020 qualifying on Monday, while Germany claimed a crucial victory over Northern Ireland in their bid to qualify for next year’s finals. > > > HIGHLIGHTS from the Euro 2020 qualifying games . . . Roberto Martinez’s Belgium, the world-number-one ranked side, were not ...

Rafael Nadal won his 19th Grand Slam title after holding off Russian Daniil Medvedev’s exhilarating fightback in one of the greatest US Open finals. Spain’s Nadal, 33, won 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4 against the fifth seed in New York. Nadal, seeded second, was cruising at two sets and a break up, only for Medvedev to force a decider. But ...

Striker Romelu Lukaku says “we are going backwards” on racism after he was racially abused by Cagliari fans while playing for Inter Milan on Sunday. Serie A is investigating after the Belgian was abused when scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 away victory. It follows incidents where Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford, and Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham ...

Pep Guardiola says he will not judge himself too harshly if his spell as Manchester City manager ends without winning the Champions League. The draw for this year’s competition this week appeared to offer City a favourable route into the knock-out stages, pairing them with Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk, Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb and Italian side Atalanta. After Guardiola led City ...

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has been fined a week’s wages by the club after defying manager Maurizio Sarri and refusing to be substituted during the League Cup final on Sunday. “Although there was a misunderstanding, on reflection, I made a big mistake with how I handled the situation,” Kepa said in a statement on Chelsea’s website which announced the fine. ...

Premier League sides Norwich and Crystal Palace bowed out of the League Cup on Tuesday beaten by fourth tier sides Crawley Town and Colchester United respectively. Democratic Republic of Congo-born Beryly Lubala scored Crawley’s goal – his fifth of the season – in their 1-0 win over a second string Norwich side for the victors first ever win over top ...

Everton midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin has been sidelined for at least eight weeks after injuring his thigh in training, the Premier League club said on Tuesday. The 23-year-old, who signed in the close season from Bundesliga side Mainz 05 for a fee reported to be around £25 million, suffered a tendon injury and did not play a part in the 2-0 ...

Seven people suspected of organising and taking part in burglaries at the homes of Paris Saint-Germain footballers Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Thiago Silva were charged in the French capital on Tuesday, according to judicial sources. Six men and one woman, aged between 25 and 29, were detained in Paris and the surrounding area last Thursday. Six of those subsequently charged ...

epa07793752 Tottenham’s Harry Kane reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in London, Britain, 25 August 2019. EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single ...