Portugal win 5-3 on aggregate with Ronaldo on targetRepublic of Ireland defeat Bulgaria to stay in League B Francisco Trincão came off the bench to score twice and Cristiano Ronaldo also found the net as Portugal defeated Denmark 5-2 after extra time for a 5-3 aggregate victory that sent them through to the Nations League semi-finals, where they will face Germany. With the Danes leading the tie 1-0 thanks to Rasmus Højlund’s goal in Thursday’s first leg in Copenhagen, Ronaldo won and then missed an early penalty before Portugal took the lead on the night in the 38th minute thanks to an own goal from the Denmark defender Joachim Andersen. Continue reading...

The young Brazilian forward has been sensational in Ligue 1 this season. Next step the Seleção and Premier League? By Luke Entwistle for Get French Football News When Luis Henrique signed for Botafogo three years ago, the club’s owner – who also owns Lyon – cracked a joke at his unveiling. “He spent a bit of time playing for a small, small team in France called Olympique de Marseille,” said the American businessman. “Those of you from Lyon, I hope you’ll enjoy the joke.” Lyon were not laughing last weekend, though. Henrique has returned to the Vélodrome and it was his late volleyed goal that gave Marseille a 3-2 win over their fierce rivals in the Choc des Olympiques. It was Henrique’s ninth goal of the season, a remarkable achievement given he had only scored eight in his previous four seasons. The 23-year-old has racked up 15 goal contributions this season, which puts him among the top five most decisive Brazilians in Europe’s top five leagues, below Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, and Rodrygo, but above internationals such as Gabriel Martinelli and João Pedro. Continue reading...

Whether he jumped or was pushed, the former Liverpool captain is once again bequeathing a club at risk of the drop Perhaps it was the sight of Piers Morgan in Saudi Arabia that prompted Steven Gerrard to leave the country. Or maybe it was the opposite, and the presence of the former broadcaster – in Riyadh to watch his mate Cristiano Ronaldo – provoked pangs of homesickness. Or did the 44-year-old even choose to go at all? Reports in England suggested the Liverpool legend wanted out for personal reasons, while those coming out of Saudi Arabia suggested that Al-Ettifaq, languishing 12th in the Pro League, made the move. “I want to express my gratitude to the club, the players, the fans, and everyone involved for the opportunity and the support during my time here,” Gerrard said on Thursday as his departure was confirmed. “From the first day I was warmly welcomed and I have enjoyed the chance to work in a new country with a different culture. So overall I have learnt a lot and it’s been a positive experience personally and for my family as well. But football is unpredictable and sometimes things don’t go the way we want.” Continue reading...

Talks held with Villa, who would want about £80mVilla more likely to land Chelsea’s Disasi than Félix Al-Nassr are exploring a deal to sign Aston Villa’s Jhon Durán instead of the Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface. Although an agreement is in place for Boniface to move to the Saudi Arabian club, there is confusion over whether the €70m transfer will go ahead. Al-Nassr, whose attack is led by Cristiano Ronaldo, are also looking at Durán and have held talks over a move for the Villa striker. Continue reading...

The Seleção had high hopes before heading to Switzerland but the ‘Battle of Berne’ quarter-final ended in a riot The fallout from the defeat to Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup final overshadowed Brazil’s buildup to Switzerland. Some of the Brazilian press had labelled the national team “bottlers” and what many saw as their inability to perform in crunch games had become a preoccupation. The pressure had eased a little after the Seleção went unbeaten on their way to clinching the Campeonato Pan-Americano in 1952 – Brazil’s first tournament win on foreign soil. But losing the deciding match to Paraguay in the Sul-Americano the following year raised more questions over the team’s temperament. Alfredo Moreira Júnior had replaced Flávio Costa as manager. Zezé, as he was known, made fewer than 50 appearances as a midfielder at Flamengo, Palestra Itália (now Palmeiras) and Botafogo but would go on to clock up a staggering 474 games as Fluminense coach over several spells from the 1950s to the early 70s – a record that still stands today. Zezé was famed for being one of the country’s early strategists and tried to bring some balance to the Brazil squad that had fired in an impressive 22 goals in the World Cup in 1950 but were suspect at the back. The coach toyed with zonal marking, which made Brazil’s defence a little tighter but reduced their firepower. Continue reading...

A brave Matildas outfit has lost the second of their matches against Brazil after the Seleção scored two goals in 11 minutes to triumph 1-2 and sweep the seriesAny thoughts? Email Joey It’s not just Australia and Brazil in action this week, of course, with plenty of other games taking place across the international window. Goals from Eugénie Le Sommer and Amel Majri helped France beat Nigeria 2-1 at the Stade Raymond Kopa overnight, Spain and Germany recorded convincing wins over South Korea and Switzerland, and Argentina beat Colombia on penalties. Continue reading...