Klopp hails Minamino´s ´best game´ for Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp hailed Takumi Minamino s performance in Liverpool s 2-1 FA Cup win over Norwich City as the winger s best game for the club.

Minamino scored both of Liverpool s goals before half-time to help the Reds into the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since Klopp took over as manager in 2015.

Japan international Minamino has scored three goals in this season s FA Cup, to add to his tally of four goals in five games from Liverpool s triumphant EFL Cup campaign.

Klopp acknowledged the 27-year-old s importance to his side, telling ITV Sport: Taki is an incredible player a big part of it tonight was for sure the best game he had for us.

He played a super game and was a constant threat, kept all the balls. I m really happy for him.

Bitesize Prediction: FC Dallas vs DC United – 05/07/23

Market: FC Dallas win

Odds: 6/5 @

Looking to secure back-to-back MLS victories in the early hours of Wednesday morning, FC Dallas will welcome DC United to the Toyota Stadium.

Starting with the hosts, managing to make a return to winning ways over the weekend thanks to a stellar display on home soil, Dallas should be smelling a golden chance here. Eventually picking up a 2-0 victory against Los Angeles, Nico Estevez’s men find themselves tipped as a standout contender to claim another play-off ticket in 2023. Although the Toros might have failed to collect back-to-back MLS victories since the middle of May, Dallas should be excited by their continued success in front of their own supporters. Including their marking their return from June’s international brea…

USA overcome Haiti in Gold Cup opener

The United States started their CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign with a 1-0 win over Haiti on Sunday.

Sam Vines first international goal proved to be enough for the USA at Children s Mercy Park in Kansas City.

The eighth-minute header helped the USA make a winning start in Group B, in which they sit behind Canada, who crushed Martinique 4-1 earlier on Sunday.

The USA are six-time Gold Cup champions, including winning two of the past four editions – in 2013 and 2017.

They went close to an opener in just the sixth minute, but Walker Zimmerman s volley from a corner hit the crossbar.

However, they opened the scoring just three minutes later as Vines headed in powerfully from close range after Gyasi Zardes pass from inside the area.

GOAL!  Sam Vi…

17 days in April: A Clasico World Series

Pep Guardiola had a simple message for the fans after becoming Barcelona head coach in 2008: Fasten your seatbelts.

In April 2011, the Catalan press recalled that promise of excitement as they previewed a once-in-a-generation event: four matches between Barcelona and Real Madrid, with three trophies at stake, in 17 days. A Clasico World Series. A defining run of fixtures where winning was everything and losing was unimaginable, with each side dreaming of celebrating a treble and terrified of watching the other do the same.

More like fasten your bandoliers. This was war.

On one side, the Barca of Guardiola, the man taking the coaching world by storm in his first senior post-playing job. A team built from La Masia, boasting some of the academy s greatest ever prod…

Brazil 1-0 Chile: Paqueta sends Selecao through to Copa semis despite shocking Jesus red card

Defending champions Brazil kept their hopes of back-to-back titles alive after overcoming a numerical disadvantage and Chile 1-0 en route to the Copa America semi-finals.

Brazil substitute Lucas Paqueta scored in the 46th minute and it proved to be the winning goal on Friday, despite Gabriel Jesus remarkable red card in Rio de Janeiro.

Jesus was sent off for a high boot to the face of Chile s Eugenio Mena two minutes after Paqueta s strike, but Tite s Brazil withstood an onslaught from La Roja to set up a final-four showdown with 2019 runners-up Peru.

Brazil had entered the clash having won their previous for Copa clashes with Chile – scoring 11 goals and conceding just once across the streak, while the team s 10-game winning streak was snapped following a draw…

Juventus 2-0 Genoa: Cuadrado and Dybala deliver win for Allegri´s men

Juventus moved up to fifth in Serie A as goals from Juan Cuadrado and Paulo Dybala sealed a 2-0 win over Genoa at the Allianz Stadium.

Cuadrado got Juve on their way in the ninth minute of Sunday s game, the wing-back whipping in straight from a corner for his third league goal of the campaign.

Salvatore Sirigu made a string of saves to deny Juve after that, but Dybala ensured there was to be no tense finale with a fine finish eight minutes from full-time.

Despite now winning four of their last five Serie A matches, Juve are still seven points adrift of fourth-placed Atalanta, while Genoa remain 18th and two points from safety.

Juve went ahead when Cuadrado s corner from the left looped over Sirigu and in off the underside of the crossbar, the Co…

Ronaldo turns 36: Can Juventus star break Serie A ´golden oldies´ record?

With a double over Inter in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg, Cristiano Ronaldo took his tally to 22 goals in 23 appearances for Juventus this season.

The Portugal star is the leading goalscorer across all competitions from within Italy s top flight, two above Romelu Lukaku and four clear of Ciro Immobile, the winner of last season s European Golden Shoe.

Not bad for a man who turns 36 on Friday.

Of course, Ronaldo is far from your average goalscorer and few would discount him from continuing to break records even as he approaches his 40th birthday.

He has already made history in his two and a half years in Serie A and will be gunning for more before he leaves Turin.

OLD HABITS DIE HARD

Since his €112million move from Real Madrid in…

Ronaldo compares himself to Messi and Maradona in football´s GOAT debate

Ronaldo Nazario ranks himself alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona as part of a very special group of football s greatest ever players.

Legendary forward Ronaldo led Brazil to their most recent World Cup triumph 20 years ago, scoring eight goals as Luiz Felipe Scolari s team sealed the country s fifth title in Japan and South Korea.

No Brazilian has ever bettered Ronaldo s tally at a single edition of the tournament, while his total return of 15 World Cup goals has only been beaten by Germany s Miroslav Klose (16).

While Ronaldo believes his exploits put him in the pantheon of footballing greats, he told the Guardian it was difficult to compare his abilities to those of players from different generations.

Asked to choose between seven-…

Milan 2-1 Fiorentina: Last-gasp own goal cuts Napoli´s Serie A lead

A last-gasp Nikola Milenkovic own goal handed Milan a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina at San Siro on Sunday to cut Napoli s lead at the top of Serie A.

Rafael Leao opened the scoring after just two minutes, but Fiorentina responded fiercely, finding an equaliser before the half-hour mark through Antonin Barak s deflected effort.

It appeared Milan would have to settle for a share of the points, which would have seen them sit 10 behind Napoli, but a remarkable end saved the hosts.

Milenkovic diverted the ball into his own net to deny Fiorentina in cruel fashion, with their appeals for VAR to intervene being waved away.

4 Rafael Leão is the fourth player to have scored more than five goals in at least four consecutive seasons in Serie A with AC Milan in the thr…

Man Utd CEO promises ´relentless´ effort in bid to restore club to former glory

Manchester United are confident change is coming and they will be relentless in attempts to bring long-term success back to Old Trafford, according to CEO Richard Arnold.

United have become accustomed to not challenging for the Premier League title since Alex Ferguson s retirement in 2013, but the 2021-22 season saw them plumb new depths.

Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, caretaker manager Michael Carrick and then interim manager Ralf Rangnick, United accumulated just 58 points, their worst record in a single Premier League campaign.

But on top of that, champions Manchester City s haul of 93 points meant United finished the season 35 points adrift of the summit – that is comfortably the furthest off the top the Red Devils have ended a term in the Premier League era.…