Monaco moved top of Ligue 1 as a first hat-trick in four years from Radamel Falcao fired them to a 4-0 victory over Bordeaux on Saturday.
Leonardo Jardim s side seized the advantage with two goals inside five minutes as Djibril Sidibe slotted home from close range, before goalkeeper Jerome Prior inadvertently parried Valere Germain s cross off Falcao and into the net.
The Colombia international made certain of the victory for his side shortly after half-time as he collected Germain s cut-back before coolly rounding Prior and turning home, while a penalty completed his first treble at club level since December 9, 2012.
Adam Ounas was sent off for a challenge from behind on Sidibe to compound Bordeaux s misery as Monaco celebrated moving top of the table on goal …
Does Wilfried Zaha regret snubbing England in favour of Ivory Coast? No.
Zaha switched his international allegiance last year and the Crystal Palace star is now gearing up for the Africa Cup of Nations with the reigning champions.
The 24-year-old, who was born in Abidjan, made two appearances for England in friendlies against Sweden and Scotland in 2012 and 2013 respectively, meaning he was eligible to represent the country of his birth due to never representing the European nation in a competitive fixture.
Zaha has not looked back and is happy with his decision ahead of Ivory Coast s AFCON opener against Togo on January 16.
I left for England and I did not return to the country [Ivory Coast]. So I did all my schooling in my adopted country and it was mo…
Arsenal star Mesut Ozil insists he has never been concerned by critics and is proud of what he has achieved in his career.
The 28-year-old has won trophies with Werder Bremen, Real Madrid and the Gunners and lifted the World Cup with Germany in 2014.
The midfielder has rarely been far from the critical spotlight, however, with concerns raised about his ability to influence the biggest games for an Arsenal side that has enjoyed only fleeting success since his arrival in 2013.
But Ozil has little interest in the view of pundits, telling the Daily Mail: I hear a lot, but I don t give any worth to it. What the manager says is what s important to me. What experts say doesn t interest me and never will.
I know what I can do. I ve not been playing at the top le…
Porto have exercised their option to purchase Oliver Torres permanently from Atletico Madrid at the end of the season.
Already on loan at the Estadio do Dragao, Torres will arrive from Madrid for €20million ahead of the 2017-18 Primeira Liga campaign.
The 22-year-old Spanish midfielder has flourished in Portugal, scoring two goals in 18 league appearances for Porto this season.
Porto hereby informs the market that it has exercised the purchase option for the acquisition of the sporting rights of the athlete Oliver, for the amount of €20m, from Atletico Madrid, Porto said in a statement on Thursday.
It is further informed that the contract of employment with the player will be effective upon the termination of the loan agreement currently in force. <…
Tottenham s rumoured pursuit of Dani Ceballos has become trickier with the Real Madrid midfielder declaring he does not want to be sold.
Ceballos, 22, has been mentioned as a potential makeweight in a deal that could send Christian Eriksen the other way.
Arsenal have also been linked with a move for the former Real Betis player, who signed a six-year contract at the Santiago Bernabeu in July 2017.
But it appears the only hope the north London rivals have of engineering a deal is on a loan basis.
I don t want to be sold, Ceballos told Spanish broadcaster Onda Cero.
Whatever comes next, wherever I am, I want to enjoy myself and feel important.
I ve got a lot of football left in me and I think the next season will be my best.
You…
Gianluigi Buffon arrived at Juventus to undergo a medical ahead of a stunning return to the club he left 12 months ago.
Serie A champions Juve shared footage on social media of goalkeeper Buffon greeting fans and signing autographs outside their health facility.
The 41-year-old former Italy international is tipped to sign a one-year deal in Turin, where he enjoyed astonishing success from 2001 to 2018.
Buffon, who won nine Scudetti with Juve, moved to Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the 2017-18 campaign but parted ways with the French outfit after just one season, having struggled to keep Alphonse Areola out of the line-up.
You are my love
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen)
Signed from Parma almost two decades ago, World Cup winner Buffo…
World Cup winner Alexia Putellas says the current situation in Spanish football is “unacceptable” after Luis Rubiales refused to resign as FA president amid strong criticism of his behaviour at last weekend’s final in Sydney.
The Spanish media had widely reported on Thursday evening that Rubiales was about to stand down at an extraordinary general assembly of the Spanish federation (RFEF) on Friday.
FIFA had opened disciplinary proceedings against him on Thursday, after he grabbed his crotch in celebration of Spain’s victory over England despite being just metres away from Spain’s Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter in the stadium VIP area.
Esto es inaceptable. Se acabó. Contigo compañera
— Alexia Putellas (@alexiaputellas)
He t…
Brendan Rodgers faced dissent from the stands and apparent disquiet from within his squad following Saturday’s goalless home draw with St Johnstone.
Celtic followed their Viaplay Cup exit at Kilmarnock with another setback as they saw their early-season cinch Premiership advantage over Rangers cut to one point before travelling to Ibrox next Sunday.
Celtic were booed off the park after failing to break down a team who had lost their last four matches.
There was further acrimony as Rodgers joined his players as they walked round the stadium to show their appreciation to the fans who had stayed behind.
Many of those in the standing section, which had expressed opposition to Rodgers’ reappointment in June, reacted angrily when the group reached them.
…
Stuart Holden has finally conceded defeat to a succession of long-term injuries, announcing his retirement from football on Wednesday.
The former Bolton Wanderers and Houston Dynamo midfielder had an eight-year club career both in The United States and England, but his injury troubles began with a broken femur while playing for Bolton in March 2011 which sidelined him for six months.
Holden played in one game on his return but was then absent for six more months with torn cartilage in his knee. In his final senior outing, Holden tore his anterior cruciate ligament during the 2013 Gold Cup final against Panama.
While he attempted to make a comeback eight months later with an eye on the USA squad for the 2014 World Cup, he reinjured the same knee in a…
Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart have announced the triple capture of Marco Rojas, Konstantin Rausch and Daniel Schwaab.
Stuttgart have failed to build on last season s sixth-placed finish and lie 12th in the table with just two matches to play.
But they have already moved to bolster their squad ahead of next season, with the signings of Rojas, Rausch and Schwaab adding to the options available to coach Bruno Labbadia.
While Rausch and Schwaab – who are free transfer signings from Hannover and Bayer Leverkusen respectively – are known quantities, it is the potential of Rojas that will excite Stuttgart fans.
The 21-year-old winger from New Zealand is fresh off a dominant A-League season, in which he scored 15 goals in 27 appearances for the Melbourne Victory.
Rojas was awarded th…