World News Delight

James Rodriguez is targeting Champions League glory with Bayern Munich, with the Bundesliga giants expected to challenge for every major honour available to them in 2018-19. Those at the Allianz Arena have continued to enjoy domestic dominance over recent years, with a sixth successive league crown secured in 2017-18. That will be the minimum requirement again this season, with DFB Pokal success also there to be shot at. It is, however, in Europe that Bayern are really looking to make their mark, with 2012-13 the last time they savoured continental glory. Ahead of Thursday’s group stage draw, Colombia international James told reporters at an Adidas Tango League event in Berlin of his aspirations: “The Champions League is a very difficult competition, but a club like Bayern Munich must be looking to win it. “No matter who the opponent is, we always have to play for victory. We always have to try to be successful.” As they wait to discover their European foes for ...

Agence France-Presse President of world football–ruling body, FIFA, on Thursday hailed Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Coach Gernot Rohr, the backroom staff, officials and Nigerian ball fans for their efforts at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia. In a letter addressed to NFF President Amaju Pinnick and dated 30th August 2018, Gianni Infantino wrote, inter alia: “I would like to express our most sincere appreciation to your National Team for participating in this 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup. The 2018 FIFA World Cup was an unforgettable celebration of football and a major factor in this was the participation of the Super Eagles, their sixth FIFA World Cup appearance. “I personally was very happy and proud to be able to attend in your presence two of your National Team matches, against Croatia and Iceland. Please pass on my compliments to all those who have contributed to this campaign, the players, the head coach Gernot Rohr but also the technical and medical te...

Ahead of the Super Eagles 2019 African Cup of Nation’s qualifier against Seychelles, the first Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation and chairman of Lagos State Football Association, Barrister Seyi Akinwummi has said that he is confident that the Eagles will be victorious in match day 2 slated for Saturday, September 8, 2018 in Seychelles Speaking with sports journalists in Abuja yesterday, Akinwummi opined that the 24-man list put together by coach Gernot Rohr will deliver, hence the team has the right attitude to work and the experience gained from the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia will enhance their performance. “We have the right attitude to work and the experience from the World Cup recently will help the team. Our players now play regularly for their clubs at the beginning of the season. I do not expect anything than a victory,” he said. He went further to reveal that despite the absence of Captain John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses in the team, the pla...

Getty Images France coach Didier Deschamps gave his firm backing to Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and recalled “retired” defender Adil Rami as he named his first post-World Cup squad ahead of two Nations League matches. Barely six weeks after their triumphant World Cup campaign in Russia, France face Germany on September 6 and the Netherlands three days later as part of the Nations League competition which has replaced the traditional friendlies. If fans expected Deschamps to punish Lloris over a recent drink driving charge — he was arrested on Friday morning in London before being released on bail and will face a magistrates’ court hearing on September 11 — they will be disappointed. Deschamps gave the 31-year-old World Cup winner his full backing after naming a largely unchanged squad from the one that triumphed 4-2 over Croatia in Moscow on July 8. “I’ve spoken with him, he realises his mistake and he’s sorry for it,” Deschamps told reporters on Thursday. “He know...

Shutterstock Gareth Southgate says Luke Shaw’s new-found aggression and desire convinced him to recall the Manchester United defender for next month’s matches against Spain and Switzerland. Injury-plagued Shaw has not played for his country since 2017, but the left-back has returned at the expense of Old Trafford team-mate Ashley Young in England’s first squad since the World Cup. The 23-year-old was subjected to stinging criticism from Jose Mourinho last season as the United manager questioned his approach to training and commitment to the club. Shaw, who could hardly walk for several months after suffering a broken leg while playing for United in 2015, has enjoyed a strong start to the new campaign, scoring the first goal of his professional career against Leicester this month. England boss Southgate believes the former Southampton star is now a tougher and more driven player because of his travails. “He has had a difficult period adapting to a new club, a horrendous ...

Leicester City attacker Kelechi Iheanacho has described his goal in Tuesday night’s EFL Carabao Cup 4-0 demolition of Fleetwood Town as the beginning of better things to come for him and his club this season. After hitting home The Foxes’ third goal of the night at King Power Stadium, Kelechi Iheanacho was already looking at another glorious run in cup competitions, as it was for him last season, but also had an eye on Sunday’s EPL clash with Liverpool. It came after Iheanacho was on target for the first time this season, as he helped The Foxes made light work of their League One opponents in the second round of the EFL Cup. Christian Fuchs put the former English Premier League champions ahead in the eighth minute, before Vicente Iborra made it 2-0 five minutes to halftime. Leicester extended its lead after just 40 seconds, when Iheanacho collected a pass from Marc Albright before hammering into the back of the net to make it 3-0. He was taken off four minutes lat...

Getty Images La Liga has plans to stage matches in Mexico alongside their hopes of taking the league directly to the United States. The league has struck a 15-year deal with US company Relevent to play games in America but now they have also confirmed they have plans of taking those matches to Mexico. “La Liga has massive potential to be played outside of Spain,” Nuno Perez-Pla is cited as saying by Marca. “Mexico is a key destination for us, it is the second most important country is, and after our successful matches in the US we will look to it. “Mexico has close cultural links with Spain and many of its players have come to play in La Liga, so it is important to bring the league to its fans. “Monterrey and Tijuana are the two key venues we would consider for games and the uncertainty regarding playing matches abroad when they see how successful it will be.”

Mohammed Salah #11 of Liverpool celebrates his goal against Manchester City during their match at MetLife Stadium on July 25, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images/AFP JEFF ZELEVANSKY / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP Liverpool will take on Chelsea in the League Cup third round, while holders Manchester City start their bid to retain the trophy at minnows Oxford. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea both enter the competition at the third round stage due to their participation in European action this season. Their clash at Anfield will be a repeat of the 2005 League Cup won 3-2 by Chelsea City beat Arsenal to win the League Cup at Wembley last season, securing the first trophy of Pep Guardiola’s reign at the Etihad Stadium. The Premier League champions head to third tier Oxford to start their defence of the trophy after receiving a second round bye. Manchester United, the 2016-17 League Cup winners, will face Championship si...

Christian D’Urso. Credit: Getty Images Italian midfielder Christian D’Urso has been loaned for this season by Roma to Apollon Smyrni, the Greek Super League club announced Thursday. No financial details of the loan were announced by the Athens side. D’Urso, 21, has played for the Italian national youth teams (Under 18, 19 and 20). On a club level he has been loaned by Roma to Ascoli (2017-2018), Carpi (2017) and Latina (2016). AFP

Alexis Sanchez is now Chile’s all-time record goalscorer after scoring his 38th goal against Germany in the Confederations Cup on Thursday. Franck Fife / AFP Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez has been left out of Chile’s squad for September friendlies away to Japan and South Korea because “his club needs him”, coach Reinaldo Rueda revealed on Thursday. United have had their worst start to a Premier League season since the inaugural edition in 1992/93 following back-to-back defeats to Brighton and Tottenham. Chile face a pair of long-distance friendlies against Asian powerhouses on almost exactly the opposite side of the world. Rueda said such a trip would be “exhausting” and that United “need him in a difficult moment” despite Chile’s matches in Sapporo on September 7 and Seoul four days later. United’s 3-0 defeat at home to Spurs on Monday heaped the pressure on increasingly disgruntled manager Jose Mourinho and followed an abject performance in a 3-2 defeat on th...

Real Madrid Croatia’s midfielder Luka Modric (C) receives the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin (R) during the draw for UEFA Champions League football tournament at The Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on August 30, 2018. Valery HACHE / AFP Luka Modric of Real Madrid and Croatia on Thursday received the accolade of UEFA Player of the Year in Monaco after his Champions League exploits. “My father always pushed me to fight for my dreams, I owe him a lot for everything,” said Modric, whose silky midfield skills helped Real to a third straight European crown and then propelled Croatia to the World Cup final. “It’s an incredible moment for me, I feel really excited and proud of this great award,” said the 32-year-old, who started out at Dinamo Zagreb and then had four years with Tottenham before Real prised him away six years ago. Real Madrid’s Croatian midfielder Luka Modric in action against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in ...

Juventus’ Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo.                                           Marco BERTORELLO / AFP Cristiano Ronaldo can look forward to a return to Old Trafford in the Champions League this season after his new team Juventus came out in the same group as Manchester United in Thursday’s draw in Monaco. Ronaldo spent six years at United, winning the Champions League in 2008, before moving to Real Madrid in 2009. He will come up against his compatriot Jose Mourinho, under whom he played during his time at Real, while United midfielder Paul Pogba can also look forward to facing his old team. While those sides will be favourites to progress to the last 16 from Group H, they will have to be wary of Valencia, with the Spaniards returning to the group stage for the first time in three years. Swiss champions Young Boys, group-stage debutants, look to be the ...

File photo: Oli SCARFF / AFP Last year’s beaten finalists Liverpool were paired with Neymar’s Paris Saint-Germain in Thursday’s draw for the group stage of the Champions League. The Premier League leaders also face last year’s Serie A runners up Napoli and former European champions Red Star Belgrade. English champions Manchester City were placed in Group F with Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon and Hoffenheim. Tottenham, who last year topped a group containing reigning and eventual champions Real Madrid, will face three former European champions: Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal returns the ball to Canada’s Vasek Pospisil during their men’s singles tennis match on day 3 of the 2018 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on August 29, 2018. EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ / AFP World number one and defending champion Rafael Nadal steamed into the third round on another scorching day at the US Open on Wednesday with a straight-sets win over Vasek Pospisil. Nadal, spared the worst of the heat thanks to his late-night start on Arthur Ashe Stadium, sped past Pospisil 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. His only hiccup came in the second set when he dropped his serve to fall 2-4 down. “The conditions are tough,” Nadal said. “It was important to start very well with that break. To win in straight sets is always very positive, especially in these conditions. It’s almost midnight, very happy about the victory.” Former champions Stan Wawrinka and Juan Martin del Potro also advanced, while 2012 winner Andy Murray, like Wawrinka back ...

Real Madrid’s Welsh forward Gareth Bale celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the Spanish league football match between Girona FC and Real Madrid CF at the Montilivi stadium in Girona on August 26, 2018. Pau BARRENA CAPILLA / AFP Gareth Bale can cope with the pressure of replacing Cristiano Ronaldo as the star man at Real Madrid, says his Wales boss Ryan Giggs. Bale has become the main forward at Real since Ronaldo’s summer departure to Juventus, scoring in their opening La Liga wins against Getafe and Girona. “When someone like Cristiano leaves there is always going to be a spotlight on who is going to replace him goal-wise and threat-wise,” said Giggs. “It’s a massive void to fill but Gareth has the experience now of being at the club for a long time. Every year there is pressure on him and he has handled it brilliantly.” Giggs said Ronaldo’s departure meant there will be more focus on the players who are going to score the goals. But he added: “Garet...