Chancel Mbemba hopes his move to Porto will provide him with more first-team opportunities after struggling to break into Rafael Benitez s plans at Newcastle United.
Mbemba signed a four-year contract with the Primeira Liga champions on Monday after two seasons in the shadows at St James Park.
Having arrived in England from Anderlecht in 2015, the 23-year-old played 33 times in the Premier League as Newcastle were relegated, but made only 21 league appearances in 2016-17 and 2017-18 combined.
He hopes the switch to Portugal will increase his time on the pitch, and is desperate to get started with Sergio Conceicao s men.
Chancel Mbemba has completed a permanent move to . Good luck, !
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC)
I came her…
Leroy Sane broke Arminia Bielefeld s resolve as Bayern Munich battled to a 1-0 win at Allianz Arena to reclaim top spot from Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.
Dortmund s earlier 3-1 win at Wolfsburg saw them climb to the summit, but Bayern responded in Saturday s late kick-off to move a point clear ahead of next week s Klassiker.
After failing to forge a breakthrough in the first half of a league game for just the second time this term, Sane finally found the net for Bayern with 71 minutes played.
That was Bayern s 102nd league goal this calendar year – a Bundesliga record – and proved enough to help the hosts bounce back from last week s 2-1 loss at Augsburg.
102 – FC Bayern München have scored 102 goals in the German Bundesliga in 2021 –…
Jesse Lingard admitted it had been a long journey back after earning an England recall following his fine form for West Ham.
Lingard s most recent international appearance came in June 2019, as he was part of Gareth Southgate s squad that featured in the inaugural Nations League Finals, eventually finishing third in the tournament.
The 28-year-old was also a regular as England reached the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup, yet a lack of playing time at Manchester United saw him slip down the pecking order with the Three Lions.
However, a loan spell away from Old Trafford has helped the United academy product kick-start his career. Now he has the chance to force his way back into Southgate s plans ahead of the delayed Euro 2020, receiving a place in the s…
Bruno Fernandes acknowledged Morocco as deserving World Cup semi-finalists after seeing Portugal s campaign cut short by the Atlas Lions in Saturday s quarter-final.
Youssef En-Nesyri headed home the game s only goal as Morocco caused another upset at Al Thumama Stadium, becoming the first African side to reach the final four in tournament history.
The defeat provoked a furious reaction from some Portugal players, with Pepe describing the appointment of Argentinian referee Facundo Tello as unacceptable after he opted against awarding a penalty when Fernandes went down under a challenge from Achraf Hakimi.
The playmaker echoed Pepe s thoughts in the immediate aftermath of the loss, saying the officials had tilted the field against Fernando Santos men.
How…
According to a recent report from Daily Mirror, Inter Milan may terminate the contract of Danish star Christian Eriksen.
The belief is that they would be doing so to let him find a club that will allow him to play. Right now, Eriksen isn’t able to compete for Inter due to his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 in Denmark’s opening game.
Some believe a move back home to Denmark would be the logical next step, especially given how much fanfare and support he received from their faithful supporters in their run to the semi-finals of the Euros.
Inter likely wouldn t be doing this lightly but purely from a business point of view, it makes sense for both parties. Inter will always have a place for Eriksen within the foundation of the club but if he s desperate to resume …
Stoke City manager Mark Hughes is encouraged by the greater attacking threat his side are beginning to offer.
Finding regular goals has proved something of a recurring problem for Stoke ever since the club were promoted to the Premier League in 2008.
Yet Hughes feels improvement is being made, illustrated by a 2-2 draw at Southampton on Saturday that saw Stoke twice come from behind to grab a welcome away point.
Peter Odemwingie registered his first goal since arriving from Cardiff City last month and former Southampton striker Peter Crouch was also on target, with Charlie Adam providing the assist on each occasion.
Scotland midfielder Adam scored two goals last weekend as Stoke defeated Manchester United 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium.
Reflecting on Stoke s …
UEFA and FIFA would be entitled to freeze out a European Super League and its competing teams, according to a key opinion published on Thursday by the European Union s Court of Justice.
A calamitous launching of the Super League last year saw 12 teams agree to take part, before most pulled out in a hurry after a furious backlash from fans, politicians and football governing bodies.
The Spanish league has since said it is determined to fend off a new proposition for an elite league, which it has warned would destroy the existing structure of the domestic game.
It was revealed in October 2022 that a move was under way to revive the proposals, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus still thought to be keen; however, there remains firm opposition from UEFA, which r…
England full-back Kyle Walker has signed a new contract to keep him at Tottenham until 2019.
Walker joined the London club from Sheffield United in July 2009 but had loan spells with the latter, Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa before establishing himself in the Tottenham team.
Now an integral member of Andre-Villas Boas squad, the 23-year-old has nine caps for his country and featured in the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Montenegro earlier this month.
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Lionel Messi will break the record for most World Cup match appearances in Sunday s final against France after being named in Argentina s starting XI.
Messi s outing in the semi-final win over Croatia took his World Cup games tally to 25, level with Lothar Matthaus.
But he was unsurprisingly named among the starters for Sunday s showpiece at Lusail Stadium, with Messi aiming to win the World Cup for the first time.
Another lesser record is within his grasp as well, as Messi will be become the first player to score in the group stage, last 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final in a single edition of the tournament if he nets against Les Bleus.
That would also ensure he becomes the first player (since 1966) to record 20 goal involvements in World Cup tour…
Market: Mirassol win
Odds: 7/10 @
Hoping to make an immediate return to winning ways late on Tuesday night, Mirassol will welcome Guarani to the Jose Maria Campos Maia.
Starting with the hosts, watching their Serie B purple patch come to an abrupt end last week as they suffered a 1-0 loss away at Amazonas, Mirassol will be seeking an immediate response here. Looking to make up some ground in the promotion chase late on Tuesday night, Mozart’s men have suffered just a single defeat from any of their previous six appearances. Losing just a trio of their previous 16 appearances continuing on from last season, the Yellows will be excited to make a return to home soil in midweek. Putting in a stellar performance on May 19th as they secured a deserved 2-0 win agains…