Milan strengthened their grip on top spot in Serie A with a 2-1 win over Sampdoria on Sunday thanks to goals from Franck Kessie and Samu Castillejo.

Ivory Coast midfielder Kessie gave the Rossoneri the lead from the penalty spot after Jakub Jankto handled inside the area.

Spaniard Castillejo scored with his first touch of the game to notch Milan s second before Albin Ekdal ensured a tense finish when he bundled in from a corner.

Milan are now five points clear of second-placed Inter after 10 games, with Napoli and Juventus a further point behind in third and fourth.

9 AC Milan have won eight of the first 10 games played in Serie A 2020/21: over the previous 86 seasons in the competition, the Rossoneri had won more at this point of the season only in 19…

When Borussia Dortmund parted with a reported €20million to sign Erling Haaland from Salzburg a little over a year ago, they ll have been acutely aware of the coup they d just struck – but whether they expected him to be quite this good is another matter entirely.

Those explosive first few months of the 2019-20 season at Salzburg left most of Europe s biggest clubs clamouring for the Norwegian, but Bayern were seemingly not among them. At least, not in the final straight.

While you can t necessarily have too many great players, few at the time or since have decried Bayern s lack of interest in the striking sensation, and that purely comes down to the presence of Robert Lewandowski.

Eleven months on from Haaland s Dortmund debut, Lewandowski won the FIFA Best …

Sebastien Haller thanked well-wishers after the Borussia Dortmund striker had to leave the club s pre-season training camp due to a testicular tumour.

The Ivory Coast striker recently joined Dortmund on a four-year deal from Dutch champions Ajax, arriving as a replacement for Erling Haaland who moved on to Manchester City.

Haller was with his new club in Switzerland when he complained of feeling unwell at training on Monday. Subsequent medical tests revealed the tumour, and 28-year-old Haller has returned to Germany for further assessment.

Dortmund have said they will offer updates on Haller s condition when possible.

Haller wrote on Twitter on Tuesday: I want to thank you again from the bottom of my heart for all the many and warm messages received. I ve…

Premier League managers are already feeling the strain amid cascading numbers of COVID-19 cases and mid-season injuries. Now many top bosses stand to lose stars to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Africa s greatest football show – now commonly known as AFCON – gets under way on Sunday in Cameroon.

Although the 2019 edition was held in June and July, it has historically been a January-into-February tournament and has returned to that place on the calendar.

A host of Premier League big names are hoping to make an impact during the four-week tournament, which falls slap-bang in the middle of European club campaigns, causing a major clash of competitions.

Premier League clubs certainly cannot complain of a lack of fair warning. It was June 2020 when African…

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli insisted that his side cannot be obsessed with the past as they battle to win Serie A, which no team has managed to run away .

The Rossoneri climbed back to the summit with a 1-0 victory at fellow title contenders Napoli last time out, but could be leapfrogged by second-placed Inter, who have a game in hand.

Milan next host Empoli, who they have won their past two top-flight meetings against, and Pioli demanded his team take each game as it comes ahead of the clash on Saturday.

However, Pioli s men have won only two of their past six Serie A meetings with sides in the bottom half of the table, drawing their previous two against Salernitana and Udinese.

We are satisfied, but it was not the final step, Pioli said of the w…

Everton boss Sean Dyche insists his side is not feeling the pressure following reports of a possible 12-point deduction for alleged financial breaches.

The Toffees are preparing to travel to West Ham on Sunday and will look to bounce back to winning ways following their 2-0 derby defeat to Liverpool last week.

News surfaced this week about a potential violation of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability regulations during the period leading up to the 2021-22 season but Dyche denies it has added any pressure to him or his side heading into the weekend.

He told a press conference: “Ever since I’ve been here there has been pressure.

“There is pressure on all sorts around Everton Football Club and we’ve been trying to stay calm within …

Diego Simeone hailed the football that Manchester City produce but promised Atletico Madrid will play where they can hurt Pep Guardiola s side in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.

Atleti overcame Manchester United 2-1 on aggregate in their last-16 clash to tee up the first-ever meeting in Europe between the Spanish side and City, who cruised past Sporting in the last round.

However, Simeone and Guardiola are no stranger to one another given they have faced each other three times, with the former eliminating the Spaniard s Bayern Munich in the 2015-16 Champions League semi-final.

Atletico averaged just 27 per cent possession across the two legs and scored twice from 18 shots, while Bayern netted the same number of goals from 53 attempts, a…

Lionel Messi s incredible Barcelona career appears set to come to a remarkable end after the Argentina great informed the club he wishes to leave Camp Nou.

Messi made his first-team debut as a 17-year-old and has gone on to become Barca s all-time leading scorer with 634 goals and 276 assists in 731 appearances in all competitions for the club.

His incredible feats in front of goal have helped him win 34 trophies with the Catalan club, but Stats Perform News has learned he has committed to a decision to activate a clause to leave on a free transfer at the end of the 2019-20 season.

Barca s campaign ended in a humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, with the arrival of club legend Ronald Koeman as the replacement for Quiqu…

Hugo Lloris has retired from international football after leading France to a second consecutive World Cup final.

Goalkeeper Lloris is Les Bleus most-capped player and has captained the team since 2012.

The Tottenham man skippered his country at six major tournaments, including three World Cups.

Lloris was the man between the posts as France won their second world title in 2018, having lost in the final of their home Euro 2016 two years earlier.

With Lloris still in goal, France returned to the World Cup final at Qatar 2022, only to lose on penalties to Argentina.

Having taken time to announce a decision following that defeat, Lloris confirmed his retirement in an interview with L Equipe on Monday.

There comes a time when you have to know…

Diego Maradona enjoyed a stellar career, playing for some of the world s biggest clubs and instilling himself in World Cup folklore.

The Argentina great passed away at the age of 60 on Wednesday. No cause of death was stated, though it was reported he suffered a heart attack.

While his career was not shy of controversy, at his best Maradona was simply unplayable, and enjoyed success in South America and Europe, as well as on the international stage.

We take a look at his five greatest achievements, from World Cup success with Argentina to an era of Serie A glory with Napoli.

Bernabeu ovation

It takes something truly special for Real Madrid fans to contemplate applauding a Barcelona player at the Santiago Bernabeu. Maradona delivered ju…