Brescia promoted to Serie A after eight-year absence

Lionel Messi could stay at Barcelona after all.

Messi, 33, sensationally asked to leave the LaLiga giants after a tumultuous 2019-20 season, which ended without a trophy.

But the saga goes on – and it may conclude with Messi remaining at the club.

TOP STORY – MESSI CONSIDERING BARCELONA STAY

Messi is considering staying at Barcelona until the end of the upcoming season, according to Sport.

The Argentina star, who is contracted through until the end of June 2021, would begin negotiating with another club from January, the report says.

 Se lo piensa

 Messi estudia ahora quedarse en el Barça

— Diario SPORT (@sport)

Messi has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City, while Pa…

God willing we would like to lift the World Cup trophy. That s what we re here for.  

Dejan Lovren followed a similar theme to Domagoj Vida when he said:  We have a chance to outdo the 1998 generation with luck and hard work.

Talk of winning the World Cup and outdoing the famed 1998 generation dominated the pre-match build-up of Saturday s quarter-final against Russia as confidence oozed through the Croatia camp.

Two decades ago, Croatia announced themselves on the international stage with a third-place finish in France. And quite rightly, this group were considered a dark horse to get their hands on the trophy after years of promise and close calls.

Croatia reached Euro 2008 quarter-finals and the last 16 of Euro 2016. And with Luka Modric, Ivan R…

Jordan Henderson had big shoes to fill when he took the Liverpool captain s armband in 2015. Many (understandably) doubted his leadership qualities in comparison with those of Steven Gerrard, but it s now five years, a Champions League, a UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and a Premier League trophy later, and nobody doubts him anymore.

Here he is, supporting his teammates at the top of his voice while putting in some extremely hard work in the middle of the park himself.

https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1325005569766404096

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Arsenal are interested in signing Jerome Boateng from Bayern Munich this month, according to Sky Sports.

The 31-year-old defender has been at the Bavarian club for eight and a half years, during which he made over 300 appearances for them, and won seven consecutive Bundesliga titles and the 2013 Champions League.

However, Bayern have been going through some big changes in the recent few seasons, with the likes of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Mats Hummels among the notable names no longer present at the club. Also, they are apparently on the lookout for a long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski, though the Poland international is still pretty much on fire these days.

Boateng has been drifting down the pecking order and has been linked with departure for a…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said Manchester United were given more belief in their Premier League ambitions after Saturday s 0-0 draw at Arsenal.

The Red Devils, three days on from a shock home defeat by Sheffield United, failed to take advantage of a weakened Gunners side as their winless run over Mikel Arteta s men stretched to five league games.

Alexandre Lacazette hit the crossbar with a free-kick but Edinson Cavani missed perhaps the best two chances of the match as United made it five consecutive league meetings with so-called big-six sides without scoring a goal.

The draw means Solskjaer s men are three points behind league leaders Manchester City, having played a game more, as their title aspirations took another blow.

Although manager Solskjaer was not…

Bukayo Saka scored twice as England made a flying start to their World Cup campaign by thrashing Iran 6-2 at the Khalifa International Stadium on Monday.

Saka – whose penalty miss proved decisive in the Euro 2020 final last year – netted a stunning volley to help Gareth Southgate s side take a 3-0 lead into half-time, before he doubled up after the break.

With Iran crumbling after goalkeeper Alireza Beyranvand suffered a nasty head injury early on, Jude Bellingham set the tone by scoring his first international goal, while Raheem Sterling prodded home England s third.

Mehdi Taremi denied England a clean sheet with a powerful finish, but substitutes Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish responded as the Three Lions sent out a message to their Group B rivals despit…

Jurgen Klopp will not let the frustrating draw with West Brom distort his impression of the Liverpool team he still regards as a top group .

The champions have not had it all their own way this season, but they are top of the Premier League again as others scrabble to stay in touch.

After dominating the first half at Anfield against West Brom on Sunday, Liverpool s levels dipped and they had to settle for a 1-1 draw with their lowly visitors.

Klopp s side have not lost in the English top flight since the freakish 7-2 loss to Aston Villa on October 4, however, and they head to Newcastle United on Wednesday looking to end the year on a high note.

Match highlights from Sunday s Anfield stalemate. |

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

In their game…

Alejandro Gomez s seven-year association with Atalanta is over after their former captain completed a move to Sevilla.

Gomez, 32, joined Atalanta from Metalist Kharkiv in 2014 and was a key factor in the club s rise from mid-table also-rans to regular top-four challengers.

He became captain in 2017 after a personal-best haul of 16 Serie A goals in 2016-17 and then skippered the club to their highest-ever top-flight finish of third in 2018-19.

They repeated the feat in 2019-20 and Gomez, whose 16 assists was the most by any player in a single Serie A season this century, was named the league s best midfielder in the end-of-season awards.

But Gomez and coach Gian Piero Gasperini reportedly fell out earlier this season, with Italian media claiming the player…

Manchester United moved a step closer to playing in the Champions League next season as Casemiro’s brilliant overhead kick earned a 1-0 win away at Bournemouth.

Victory on the south coast, together with Liverpool’s failure to beat Aston Villa, strengthened United’s grip on a top-four spot with two games to play and meant Erik ten Hag is close to achieving his primary objective in his first season in charge.

This was not Ten Hag’s side at their best, but once they were in front they limited a spirited and organised Bournemouth to a handful of chances, with David de Gea in form to deny Gary O’Neil’s side whenever they threatened.

Casemiro s early acrobatic effort earns all three points for

— Premier League (@premierleague)

A point a…

Kylian Mbappe rescued a late victory for Paris Saint-Germain on their return to Ligue 1 action as his injury-time penalty seized a 2-1 win against Strasbourg on Wednesday.

The league leaders had looked destined for a draw at Parc des Princes after captain Marquinhos had cancelled out his opener with an own goal and Neymar had been sent off for consecutive bookings.

But a 96th-minute spot-kick for the France international, just under a fortnight on from his hat-trick in defeat for France in the World Cup final, ensured his side avoided dropping points for the third time this season.

It marked a major reprieve for Christophe Galtier s side, who were without Qatar 2022 winner Lionel Messi in the French capital, and struggled to convert their early dominance into a m…