Author: Barkha Roy

Borussia Monchengladbach won 1-0 at Hertha Berlin on Friday thanks to a first-half penalty, moving to the top of the Bundesliga standings with seven points as their opponents went three games without a victory. The hosts were the better team throughout and took the lead in the 34th minute with a penalty awarded for hand ball by Alassane Plea. Hertha, which also lost in the first round of the German Cup to lower-tier Eintracht Braunschweig, tried to get back into the game, with Dodi Lukebakio coming close several times. Gladbach earned another penalty for handball in the 68th minute, with Hertha’s Filip Uremovic sent off…

Desperate in their search for midfielders and after facing rejections from Frenkie de Jong and Adrien Rabiot, Manchester United decided to pull the trigger on Real Madrid’s Casemiro. The Brazilian international has already parted ways with Los Blancos and will be having his medical with the Old Trafford-based outfit soon. The club announced the signing of the 30-year-old. The deal is subject to pending medical clearance as well as sorting out visa issues, but after much rejection and disappointment in the transfer market, United manager Erik ten Hag finally has a reliable name in the middle of the park that he had…

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person per Forbes, confirmed early Wednesday that he wasn’t serious when he tweeted hours earlier that he was going to buy Manchester United, which is currently languishing at the bottom of the Premier League as disgruntled fans urge current owners, the American Glazer family, to sell up. “No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter. I’m not buying any sports teams,” Musk posted when asked by a user if he was serious about buying the club when he had posted, “I’m buying Manchester United ur (sic) welcome.” Credit: WireImage “Although, if it were any team,…

According to reports in Germany, Naby Keita is “unhappy” at Liverpool and may leave the club, though Merseyside journalists have dismissed the possibility of a move. The 27-year-old is in his fifth season at Anfield, and despite being a once-record signing, the Guinean has struggled to make an impact as many had hoped. He has made 117 appearances for the club, starting 72 of them, and his highest tally of games was 40 that came in last season. Injuries have marred Keita’s time at Liverpool, but reports have stated that the club is looking to sign him to a new…

The family of a young man sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia after being arrested at the age of 15 has written to Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain striker Lionel Messi, the country’s new tourism ambassador, pleading with him to intervene in the case. Mohammed al Faraj was arrested in 2017 for alleged crimes against the Saudi government, and prosecutors have requested the death penalty, despite his family’s claims that he was tortured into a confession. Credit: Reprieve US The decision to contact Messi, who was named Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambassador in May, is yet another sign that the country’s efforts…

Indian Super League club Bengaluru FC announced the signing of Indian international centre-back Sandesh Jhingan on a one-year contract ahead of the 2022-23 season on August 14. The 29-year-old, who most recently played for ATK Mohun Bagan, joined Simon Grayson’s squad for an open training session at the Bangalore Football Stadium, and is no stranger to the club, having previously played on loan for the Blues during their Federation Cup-winning 2016-17 season. “There were a few factors that made the decision to come back to Bengaluru FC easy. I’ve spent a season here before and the amount of love and support I’ve received…

The world governing body of football, has banned AIFF with immediate effect for the first time since its inception in 1937. As such, the women’s U17 World Cup will not be held in India until the ban is lifted, and no Indian team will be able to compete in international competitions or friendlies until the ban is lifted. The ban eliminates ATK Mohun Bagan’s opportunity to compete in the inter-zonal semi-finals of the AFC Cup, an Asian inter-country competition, in September. Gokulam Kerala will also not be able to represent India at the Asian women’s club championships next week. It also means that India’s…

Romelu Lukaku scored his first goal of the season in just 82 seconds to mark his return for Inter Milan. But it was Denzel Dumfries’ stoppage-time winner that gave Inter a 2-1 victory over newly promoted Lecce on Saturday, just as the Nerazzurri appeared to be heading for a surprise draw. The Belgian returned to Inter on loan this offseason, a year after leaving to join Chelsea shortly after leading the Nerazzurri to the Serie A title. The Belgian began his second stint at Inter against the same team he faced on his debut three years ago, scoring in a…

Former Chelsea striker Timo Werner scored on his emotional return to Leipzig, but it was not enough to secure their first win of the season, as Koln drew 2-2 on Saturday. Leipzig played the majority of the game with 10 men after Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai was shown a straight red card just before halftime for an elbow to the throat of Cologne’s Florian Kainz. Werner’s long-range strike dipped under goalkeeper Marvin Schwaebe’s body and trickled across the line in the 36th minute, giving Leipzig the lead. However, Koln equalised just four minutes later when Florian Dietz dinked in from close range for his first Bundesliga goal.…

PSV Eindhoven will not sell Manchester United target Cody Gakpo before August 24. The striker has responded positively to Manchester United’s approach, and the 23-year-old winger would welcome a summer move to Old Trafford. United are stepping up their efforts to sign new players before the transfer deadline at the end of the month, following their Premier League opening weekend defeat at home to Brighton. According to the Daily Record, if they want to sign Dutch international Gakpo, they must now wait until PSV has completed their crucial Champions League play-off against Rangers. The Dutch club is refusing to let the…