England were held by group winners Costa Rica, whilst Uruguay beat Italy to qualify but Luis Suarez was involved in a biting incident. Roy Hodgson made nine changes to his England side which notably saw Frank Lampard names as captain ahead of Steven Gerrard, but their task was tough against a Costa Rica side who had already qualified for the next round of the tournament. Both teams played considerably well in a game that had the feeling of a friendly and Costa Rica could have taken the lead midway through the second half when Celso Borges hit a delightful free-kick,…
Author: Staff Writer
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand wishes to see out his football twilight years with the man who bumped him up into first team football as a 17-year-old West Ham trainee – QPR boss Harry Redknapp. Redknapp is in the process of bolstering his freshly-promoted Premier League QPR side by swooping in on players with experience for the start of his side’s 2014/2015 campaign in the top flight. Top of his wish list was 35-year-old Ferdinand, who was released by Man United last month and has just agreed to join Redknapp at QPR on a third of the wage he…
Manchester City star Yaya Toure has lifted the lid on the shocking insensitivity displayed by his club during his period of anguish over his terminally ill brother, who lost his battle with cancer last week. Following Man City’s Premier League title win last month, the Ivorian midfielder was under obligations to travel to the United Arab Emirates and take part in a post-season celebratory friendly against Arabic side Al-Ain. It has been reported by France Football, that Toure wished for time off from that particular club duty in order to visit his desperately sick brother Ibrohim, who at the age…
AC Milan’s Robinho could be set for a move away from the San Siro after his agent was unable to confirm the former Brazil striker will play for the Italian giants next season. Brazilian flair player Robinho joined AC Milan from Manchester City in August 2010 and is under contract with the Serie A side until June 2018. It does not look likely that the striker will see out the remainder of his contract however, after his agent Marisa Ramos revealed to Italian press that he is in regular discussions with the club over the player’s immediate future. Ramos hinted…
Alex Butcher (@alexbutcher12) takes a look at the dark horses who have produced some impressive performances so far at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. With the group stages approaching their climax, there have already been shocks, surprises, and the obvious disappointments. But there are a few teams that don’t, and perhaps won’t, fit into those categories at whatever furlong they may fall. There are three teams in my eyes that came into this competition as dark horses. The first of which are Belgium. The ‘Red Devils’ have been talked about so much that I almost ruled them out of…
Football Express News understands that Arsenal have joined Liverpool with interest in Barcelona’s Alexis Sanchez and have made a initial offer. The Chilean winger has been in superb form of late for his country at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, leading to more discussion about his future at Barcelona, which has been heavily debated in the last six months. The former Udinese man had a good season with the Catalan club and was second only to Lionel Messi in terms of consistency and goalscoring accolades, but his future has been questioned after the appointment of Luis Enrique as coach.…
Napoli are ready to block former West Ham United midfielder Valon Behrami’s departure from the club, according to fresh reports in Italy. Il Mattino claims the Switzerland international was keen on a switch to Serie A rivals Inter Milan during the summer transfer window, only for Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis to step in and prevent a deal from being thrashed out. A source close to White Hart Lane told Football Express News the ex-Hammers star features prominently on Tottenham Hotspur’s shopping list, but they are prepared to move on to other targets if he is deemed unavailable. Technical director…
Atletico Madrid are reported to have said goodbye to keeper Thibaut Courtois, who will return to Chelsea this summer. The Belgian keeper first joined Chelsea in 2011 from Genk but failed to make an appearance for the English club, being loaned out to Spanish side Atletico Madrid within weeks of moving to London. Three years with the Spanish capital side have seen Courtois make 37 league appearances in each of his three seasons at the club, establishing himself as arguably the best keeper in Spanish football. Consistency saw him help Atletico win the Europa League in 2011/2012, the UEFA Super…
England’s troubles are largely caused by the bench as this is where their best players spend the most part of the game, in the eyes of ex-playmaker Alan Hudson. Former Chelsea and England midfielder Hudson was referring to England’s not-so-shock exit from the Brazil World Cup when he likened the tournament to going to war. He said it is pointless sending a weak army onto a battlefield, then accepting defeat having chosen not to use enough firepower. Hudson told Football Express News: “It’s about time somebody sat down and spoke to the country. Going to the World Cup is like…
Lazio have reportedly contacted Cagliari with a view to buying Liverpool and Southampton target Davide Astori. According to Il Messaggaro, the Rome outfit’s president Claudio Lotito entered into a dialogue with his counterparts at Astori’s club in an attempt to secure a £5million deal. The report claims Lazio also face stiff competition from Serie A rivals Inter Milan and Fiorentina, both of whom are anxious to bolster their backlines before the 2014-15 campaign gets started. Astori has jumped to the top of Lazio head coach Stefano Pioli’s wishlist and the hierarchy have made an early move as they look to…