Los Angeles FC kept rivals LA Galaxy within touching distance as they got back to winning ways with a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday.
Denis Bouanga scored in both halves, either side of Mateusz Bogusz s strike, to earn a resounding win at Lumen Field.
The hosts got off to a terrible start as Nouhou Tolo was penalised for a handball during a scramble in the box, with a spot-kick being awarded to LAFC.
Bouanga made no mistake from 12 yards, giving Stefan Frei no chance as he rifled a powerful effort high down the middle.
LAFC doubled their lead 10 minutes later, with Seattle failing to clear their lines following a free-kick before Bogusz volleyed brilliantly across goal.
Despite a flurry of chances in the second half, the Sounder…
Referees’ chief Howard Webb believes the VAR came to the correct decision to allow Anthony Gordon’s controversial goal for Newcastle which enraged Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
The Spaniard labelled the decision a “disgrace” following his side’s 1-0 defeat last Saturday.
On-field referee Stuart Attwell awarded the goal but it took a four-minute, triple VAR check to determine whether the ball had gone out of play before Joe Willock’s cross, whether Joelinton had fouled Arsenal defender Gabriel, and whether Gordon had been offside.
The recording of the conversation between Attwell, VAR Andy Madley and assistant VAR Stuart Burt was aired on Sky Sports’ Match Officials Mic’d Up.
Club statement
— Arsenal (@Arsenal)
Madley said h…
Robert Lewandowski will stay at Bayern Munich next season, chief executive Oliver Kahn insists, despite speculation linking him with a move to Barcelona.
The Poland international has hit 32 goals in 29 Bundesliga games for Bayern this season, scoring 47 times for his club in all competitions.
Lewandowski s latest goal came in Bayern s 1-1 draw with Villarreal on Tuesday, making him just the third player to reach 30 goals in the knockout stages of the Champions League after Cristiano Ronaldo (67) and Lionel Messi (49).
Recent speculation has linked Lewandowski with a move to LaLiga, given his Bayern contract is set to expire in just over a year s time.
But Kahn, speaking ahead of the Villarreal game, said Lewandowski would be remaining in Munich and the …
Dusan Vlahovic said he was honoured to play alongside Angel Di Maria after the Argentina international claimed three assists in Juventus Champions League win over Maccabi Haifa.
Adrien Rabiot scored a brace either side of Vlahovic s cool second-half finish as Juventus triumphed 3-1 to boost their hopes of progressing from Group H on Wednesday, but Di Maria was the star of the show.
At 34 years and 233 days old, Di Maria became the oldest player to record a hat-trick of assists in the Champions League since data began in 2003-04, as well as the first player to do so for an Italian club.
Since Di Maria made his first Champions League appearance in the 2007-08 season, meanwhile, only Lionel Messi can match his tally of 35 assists in the competition.
Asked ab…
Barcelona have finally been able to register new signing Ferran Torres after agreeing a new contract with Samuel Umtiti that sees the Frenchman s salary temporarily decreased.
Barca signed Torres from Manchester City last month in a deal that could eventually cost €65million, but due to the club s financial difficulties, they were unable to register him.
The Blaugrana s salary cap this season was set at just €97m, a decrease of €280m from 2020-21 due to their financial performance.
Although a recent bank loan reportedly made the signing of Torres possible, the club have had to be creative with their use of funds to ensure he is eligible to play in LaLiga.
That has involved Umtiti, who is now tied to the club until 2026, rather than 2023.
Umt…
Barcelona s medical team have given midfielder Rafinha the all-clear after he completed his recovery from a knee injury that kept him out for almost seven months.
The Brazilian playmaker ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Barcelona s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in November 2018 and he had surgery to address the problem.
A statement on Barcelona s official website confirmed the 26-year-old has been given the green light to return to full training, but it remains to be seen whether he can force his way back into the first team at Camp Nou.
Rafinha s Barcelona career was stuttering when he sustained the injury and he made just five LaLiga appearances for the club in the first four months of the 2018-19 season, having spent the previous…
According to a recent report from The Times, Tottenham are ready and willing to offer Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg a new contract with the club.
The belief is that Spurs are gearing up to give the midfielder a new deal based on his impressive performances so far this season under the guidance of Antonio Conte. Hojbjerg hasn’t always been seen as a fan favourite in North London but across the last couple of months, he’s been able to step his game up notably.
The 27-year-old signed on a five-year contract back in 2020 after a strong start to life in the Premier League with Southampton.
Conte, while he may be unpredictable, knows what kind of setup he likes to use in England s top flight and he s going to utilise that to the best of his abilities, regardless of whethe…
Gareth Bale has declared himself fit to start for Wales in Thursday s World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final against Austria, despite his limited playing time for Real Madrid.
The 32-year-old was not part of Madrid s squad for Sunday s 4-0 defeat to fierce rivals Barcelona, which head coach Carlo Ancelotti put down to illness.
Bale has played in just five of Madrid s 42 matches in all competitions this season, totalling 270 minutes on the field – the equivalent of three whole games.
Despite repeated setbacks, the former Tottenham star has played 233 minutes for Wales across four games this season, helping to keep his side s qualifying dreams alive.
And Bale insists he is capable of lasting the distance against Austria, with the winners going on to fa…
Sydney FC snatched a late point from Melbourne City, but were unable to gain a full measure of revenge for last week s FFA Cup final defeat.
City won their first silverware since the club s formation as Melbourne Heart in 2009 at AAMI Park thanks to Tim Cahill s goal, and went ahead at ANZ Stadium through Fernando Brandan s long-range effort.
Josh Brillante was dismissed for a second bookable offence 17 minutes from time and it looked as though City would eat into Sydney s six-point advantage at the top of the A-League.
But Michael Jakobsen tugged Bobo s shirt in the penalty area, allowing the Brazilian to equalise from the spot in the 81st minute and preserve the unbeaten hosts cushion.
FT | A 10 man Sky Blues battle back to earn a share of the points at…
Thiago Silva and Edinson Cavani are both set to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, according to reports in France.
The Brazilian international centre-back, the club s long-standing captain and one of their most faithful stars since his arrival from AC Milan in 2012 for €42 million, has played a total of 284 games in all competitions, and scored 16 goals.
The Uruguay striker arrived a year later and bagged a fantastic sum of 195 goals in 284 games. However, there s always been a feeling of under-appreciation around him, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic taking the spot light for a long time. And just as it seemed Cavani would become the team s main star when the Swede moved to Manchester United in 2016, PSG spent huge money to sign Neymar and Kylian Mbappe a yea…