Author: Akshat Mehrish

Striker Bartholomew Ogbeche took his season’s tally to 12 after netting three against East Bengal in Hyderabad FC’s 4-0 win. The Nizams topped the Indian Super League table post the thrashing but could yet end the matchweek as low as fourth due to an increasingly congested competition at the summit. East Bengal picked up their first win of the season last time out – in what was Mario Rivera’s first game in charge. However, the tangible progress Red and Gold Brigade fans would have hoped for stopped almost immediately and, despite hoarding possession, they gave away three goals within the first forty-five…

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte hinted that new arrivals might be needed for the club to challenge for top prizes in his post-match interview. “To be an important team, you need important players. At the moment we are far away. It takes time. Years,”the Italian said upon witnessing his team lose to rivals Chelsea the third time in a month. Tottenham’s latest defeat came in the league and was Conte’s first reverse in the competition since he was appointed manager of the North London club. Prior to the match, the Italian decided to leave certain players out of the matchday squad,…

Chelsea beat Tottenham Hotspur for the third time this month; the Blues were victorious in their Premier League meeting on Sunday night after beating Spurs both home and away in the EFL Cup semifinals. Controversy punctuated the first half of the Premier League encounter between London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham. VAR decided, early on, not to send Matt Doherty off for a studs-up challenge on Malang Sarr, while, right before the end of the half, the technology interfered again, denying Harry Kane the opening goal, deeming him to have pushed Thiago Silva out of the way before attempting his shot. Chelsea scored the opening goal…

Sunil Chhetri’s record-breaking goal helped Bengaluru FC rescue a point against FC Goa from their Indian Super League clash. ATK Mohun Bagan, meanwhile, were denied a win by some superb defending and goalkeeping by Odisha FC. Four sides in the bottom half of the Indian Super League table faced each other on Sunday night as part of a rearranged schedule. Earlier in the evening, Sunil Chhetri scored a record-breaking goal as he brought Bengaluru FC level against FC Goa. Later, Arshdeep Singh and his defence repelled wave after wave of ATK Mohun Bagan attack to earn a point at the Fatorda. Goa started their…

River Plate’s Julian Alvarez has turned heads across the Atlantic with his sensational domestic performances. Manchester City have leapfrogged the competition and are currently in talks to the 21-year-old, as per The Athletic. The striker played a key role for the Argentine Primera side in their domestic title win last season, scoring 20 goals in 35 appearances. His fine form attracted attention from across the Atlantic, with clubs ranging from Bayern Munich to Manchester United and Real Madrid being linked. As per the report, City are the most advanced of the clubs linked to Alvarez. The Citizens are being asked to fork out a fee in the region of 21 million pounds while…

Spurs’ winter pursuit of Wolverhampton winger Adama Traore is set to bore fruit, as the two clubs are closing in on a fee to trigger his transfer, reports Sky Sports. Tottenham Hotspur have been in pursuit of the Spaniard in recent weeks and have already had a bid turned down by Wolves, who, as it was reported, were holding out for more than the 15 million pounds fee Spurs were offering. In turn, the North London outfit has seemingly upped their bid, and the two clubs aren’t far apart in terms of his valuation, believed to be in the region of 20 million.…

Former Chelsea midfielder and Brazil international moved to Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port on a bumper contract in 2017. Six years later, the midfielder – now 30 – is willing to return to Europe and sign for FC Barcelona, who, according to his own words, hold an interest in the player. The Brazilian midfielder revealed that the Spanish giants have been in contact with his agent over a potential short-term loan deal until the end of the season but doubts if they will be able to bring him in due to their ongoing difficulties in registering new signings. “They…

Newcastle United have launched another attempt to loan Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard until the end of the season. Meanwhile, Arsenal are closing in on a deal for New England Revolution custodian Matt Turner. The Magpies are again attempting to sign Lingard on a short-term loan – says The Athletic. Following a successful loan spell at West Ham United last season, Lingard returned to Manchester, hoping to break into the first team with momentum on his side. However, the Englishman was used sparingly by his former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and even less so by his current coach Ralf Rangnick. The lack of playing…

Diogo Jota scored twice to book Liverpool’s place in the EFL Cup Final at the expense of Arsenal. The two sides played out a 0-0 draw in the first leg, but Jota’s goals – one in each half – decided the tie in normal time of the second leg. Liverpool will meet Chelsea in the EFL Cup Final on February 27 – the Reds have booked their place in the final by beating Arsenal 2-0 in the semi-final second leg. The Portuguese scored twice at the Emirates, once on either side of the break, while Thomas Partey saw a red card in the last minutes of the match. …

Barcelona exited the Copa del Rey at the Round of 16 stage after being suffering a 3-2 defeat against Athletic Club. Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard scored his first goal of the season to help Los Blancos come from behind to beat Elche 2-1. Athletic took the lead against holders Barcelona after just two minutes played. Nico Williams beat Jordi Alba with his pace down the right flank, but his subsequent cross evaded forward Oihan Sancet – and defender Ronald Araujo – in the Blaugrana box. Iker Muniain collected the loose ball on the left of the six-yard box before cutting back onto his favored right foot and lifting it over a…