Posts

Ramos the hero again as Neymar & Messi miss chance to close Liga gap Barca headed into the contest at Camp Nou six points adrift of leaders Madrid, but appeared on track to close the gap when Luis Suarez put the hosts ahead early in the second half. Lionel Messi and Neymar wasted fine opportunities to extend Barca’s lead and the misses proved costly when Sergio Ramos headed home a 90th-minute equaliser....

City have been dominant in the Premier League this season, winning 16 of 17 games and scoring 52 goals to earn praise for their approach. Guardiola led Barca to three La Liga titles and two Champions League crowns, and his success in England has come as no surprise to Pique. The Spain defender, who was part of Guardiola’s famous Barca side, says he wants to face his former manager in Europe this season – in the Champions League decider....

The Barca captain had to be substituted in the first half of Sunday’s 1-0 LaLiga win against Atletico Madrid with a hamstring injury. Iniesta is expected to miss Barca’s league game at Malaga on Saturday and Valverde is unsure whether the midfielder will be available to face Chelsea, with the sides tied at 1-1 after the first leg. “He is training separately at the moment,” Valverde told a news conference....

The Blaugrana sit atop the Spanish La Liga table, in a fierce title contest with rivals Real Madrid and they are also still alive in the Copa del Rey, having advanced to the semifinals after knocking off Real Sociedad and third-tier sides Intercity FC and CD Ceuta. The semifinal winner will be determined over two legs. Additionally, Barcelona are still alive in European competition. Their third-place group finish in the UEFA Champions League saw them drop down to the Europa League, where they will take on Manchester United in the knockout playoff round in February....

Having graduated out of the famed La Masia academy system in Catalunya, the 34-year-old matured into one of the most decorated players of the modern era . He helped Barca to nine La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns during his time at Camp Nou, while also landing World Cup and European Championship honours with Spain. Iniesta has, however, decided to open himself up to a new challenge and will be continuing his distinguished career in Asia....

Real Madrid show off new kit for 2017-18 The 37-year-old enjoyed tremendous success at Camp Nou as a player, where he won 15 trophies, including two Champions Leagues and four Ligas, in a seven-year spell with the club. His career, however, was interrupted by a tumour on his liver, which forced him to receive a transplant, although he was able to resume his career. “It makes me really happy to be officially part of the club,” he told Barca’s official website....

Jose Mourinho has been linked with an astronomic 150 million euro ($166M) bid for the Uruguayan, who lifted the Pichichi award last season as the top scorer in La Liga. “We read, we listen, we see this news, but of course, our interest in this particular case is that Luis Suarez is happy at Barcelona,” the president told Sky Sports. “We are trying to extend his contract with Barcelona and he is one of our big future efforts because he is still young, he has a vision, a lot of ambition....

The 23-year-old returns to the Premier League just seven months after Barca triggered their buy-back clause to sign him from Everton. He previously played for the Toffees on loan during the 2013-14 season before making a permanent move to Goodison Park in 2015. Deulofeu has struggled for minutes at Barca this season despite the summer sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, starting 10 of 17 appearances in all competitions. He has played just nine minutes since the end of November, and the recent addition of Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool figured to further limit his minutes....

Taking to Instagram to make the change public, Verratti, who is on PSG’s tour of the United States, thanked former agent Donato Di Campli for his work but said Raiola was the person responsible for representing his interests, starting immediately. Get PSG’s Ligue 1 title odds Verratti wrote: “I’m hereby stating with immediate effect that the sole person able to legitimately represent my interests is Mino Raiola. I’m thanking Di Campli for all the work done until today and presenting him with my renewed and unchanged esteem”....

‘Suarez can be Barca’s new Harry Potter!’ - Enrique After knocking out Real Sociedad in the quarter-final, the holders will travel to the Vicente Calderon for the first leg on February 1 before the return at Camp Nou a week later. “We face Atleti again. We know them very very well. It’ll be a very difficult game,” Barca midfielder Sergi Roberto said following the draw. “The smallest things can make the difference in this kind of game....

The 27-year-old who scored the Lilywhites’ only goal in their 4-1 loss against Watford on Saturday, continued from where he stopped at Vicarage Road with another effort on Tuesday. Barkhuizen broke the deadlock at the Vitality Stadium in the 16th minute, after benefiting from Daniel Johnson’s assist. The goal was the only difference that separated both teams in the first 45 minutes and it stretched the 27-year-old’s tally to three goals after 14 games in the Championship this term....

Ruiz stunned the boxing world by delivering a huge upset at Madison Square Garden in June, knocking Joshua down four times to claim the WBA, WBO and IBF belts. MORE: Join DAZN and watch more than 80 fights a year It was announced by promoters Matchroom earlier in August that the rematch would take place in Riyadh on Dec. 7. The decision has been met with criticism from human rights organizations, while Ruiz reportedly only agreed to fight in Saudi Arabia following a change to his purse for the bout....

If you haven’t seen the softball trick video that went viral over the weekend, you must. But this? This is next-level stuff. I’m not even sure where to begin describing the flips, spins and kicks this guy can do. You just need to see it for yourself. MORE: Best batting stances in baseball history | Rob Manfred: Pete Rose decision is coming You’re impressed. I can see it in your eyes....

It’s an amazing accomplishment — he’s been the lead play-caller for SNY since the network was founded in 2006 — but only scratches the surface of his connection to the Mets. Before landing the TV job with SNY, Cohen was the radio play-by-play man for the Mets’ radio broadcasts from 1989 to 2005. And going even deeper, Cohen was a kid growing up in Queens who listened to Mets broadcasts on the radio and dreamed of what might be ahead in his future....

Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah has confirmed that he has tendered his resignation as the president of KFA effective Tuesday May 16. The decision by the former menteri besar of Kedah was taken during an executive meeting that also saw Datuk Aminuddin Omar (secretary-general) and Datuk Yusof Ismail (treasurer) handing in their respective resignations. This now opens the door for the new menteri besar of Kedah, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Tun Dr Mathathir to take over the reins but that only remains a possibility at the moment....

A spokesperson for the DeKalb County Police Department told Newsweek that the incident took place Sunday at Stronghold Christian Church in Lithonia. Police were called in reference to an assault on a referee, allegedly at the hands of both youth basketball players and adults. “Upon arrival, officers located the victim who advised that he was assaulted by multiple suspects after the basketball game,” the spokesperson said. “The incident is under investigation at this time....

The Belgium international moved to Stamford Bridge in 2016 boasting a prolific record from stints at Standard Liege and Marseille. He was, however, to be given limited opportunities to impress by the Blues, with Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata blocking his path. With Olivier Giroud brought in to bolster Antonio Conte’s options late in the winter transfer window of 2018, Batshuayi – despite having 10 goals to his name for the campaign – was allowed to head for Germany on a short-term deal....

Two hours up the road, Peyton Manning was slinging touchdowns around Neyland Stadium, leading Phillip Fulmer’s Tennessee Volunteers to double-digit wins each season. And two crazy ideas were starting to take shape. At Tennessee and Virginia Tech, border schools three hours apart, athletic directors Doug Dickey and Jim Weaver were talking about the two schools playing football for only the third time since 1937. Down the road, Bruton Smith, the owner of NASCAR’s most distinctive racetrack, had an even crazier idea: Why not play the game inside the place known then as “Thunder Valley"?...