Tag Archives: spain

Once capped at U16 level for Ireland, talented striker Louie Barry has joined Premier League side Aston Villa following a spell in Spain with Barcelona. Barry featured for the Boys in Green before switching his international allegiances to England, the country of his birth, where he has played at U15, U16 and U17 level. The 16-year-old joined Barcelona during the …

First-half goals from Marcus Rashford and two from Raheem Sterling inspired England to a 3-2 victory against Spain in their Nations League game. The first goal started with a long ball from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to Marcus Rashford, who then picked out Sterling on the shoulder of the last defender. The Manchester City forward then ran through on goal and …

World Cup-winning coach, Vicente del Bosque has some advice for sprint king Usain Bolt’s new Australian club, play him in defence. The Jamaican superstar has been handed the chance to train with the Central Coast Mariners for an indefinite period in a bid to prove he has what it takes to earn a professional playing contract. The eight-time Olympic champion …

Gareth Southgate pledged to stick to his principles after Spain delivered an uncomfortable reality check at Wembley but admitted he was unsure whether England had time to become genuine Euro 2020 challengers. England were surprise World Cup semi-finalists in July, riding a wave of euphoria back home, but their 2-1 Nations League defeat on Saturday was their third consecutive loss. …

Luke Shaw insisted he is “doing fine” after being stretchered off with a nasty-looking head injury on his first England start for three years in a 2-1 defeat to Spain on Saturday. The Manchester United left-back took to Twitter to reassure England fans of his condition following the game. “Thank you for all the love and support I am doing fine …

Former Brazilian striker Ronaldo has taken control of Real Valladolid after buying 51 percent of the La Liga club’s shares, it was announced on Monday.  At a press conference held in the city’s town hall, Valladolid president Carlos Suarez said: “Today is a starting point. Ronaldo personally acquires 51 percent of the shares of Real Valladolid.” “He is an idol …

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso announced on Tuesday that he will retire from Formula One at the end of the season after his recent struggles with underachieving McLaren. The 37-year-old Spaniard, who has 32 Grand Prix wins to his credit in 17 seasons, has become increasingly disenchanted with Formula One as the once all-powerful McLaren team have fallen way off …

Spain centre-back Gerard Pique confirmed that he had ended a glittering international career on Saturday, saying that the appointment of his former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique would not change his mind. The 31-year-old made the last of his 102 international appearances in Spain’s World Cup last-16 loss to Russia. Enrique took over as coach after the World Cup last month, …

Barcelona have denied that they illegally bought a transplant liver for their former defender Eric Abidal. A Barcelona court admitted it had investigated a possible crime of organ trafficking for more than a year before deciding not to proceed because of a lack of evidence. “FC Barcelona roundly deny any irregularity in the matter,” the club said in a statement in English …

David De Gea has taken to social media to give his early thoughts on Spain’s surprise World Cup exit. Fernando Hierro’s side exited the competition on Sunday on penalties after a 1-1 draw with hosts Russia – a bitter end to a campaign fraught with issues stemming from the sacking of Real Madrid-bound manager Julen Lopetegui just days before the …

Despite a shock defeat to Russia in the last 16 of the 2018 World Cup, Spain set a number of records at the Luzhniki Stadium. Their possession game was overwhelming against the hosts on Sunday, but Fernando Hierro’s side were unable to threaten the Russian goal for long periods. 438 – Spain attempted 438 passes against Russia, the most by any …

Spain are currently leading tournament hosts Russia in the Round of 16 World Cup clash at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.  The hosts conceded a goal after just 12 minutes when a free kick was sent in by Spain but it took a rather odd and unfortunate deflection off Sergei Ignashevich. Ignashevich and Sergio Ramos were tussling with one another in the box with …

With the World Cup group stage coming to a close, the hopes of 16 teams have come to a juddering halt. Among them, the biggest surprise is that defending champions Germany are on the plane home, their fate sealed by a 2-0 defeat to South Korea on Wednesday. Elsewhere, the likes of Poland and Morocco turned out to be major …

The second round of World Cup group fixtures has seen a number of sides through to the last 16, while for others, their race is effectively run. 32 will soon be officially cut down to 16, in a final wave of fixtures that promises plenty of drama, relief and heartbreak for the nations involved. As we head into the final …

The World Cup is on the verge of moving into the last 16 phase, with the number of teams remaining in the competition to be cut in half. The latest round of matches has seen Poland unceremoniously dumped out, Argentina come perilously close to joining them on the plane home, and Germany strike late against Sweden to rescue their tournament. …

It may have taken a while, but the most pointless, facile (and often petulant) debate in football has now reached the world’s biggest international competition. It’s Ronaldo v Messi: World Cup Edition. Lionel Messi is taking an inordinate amount of flak for Argentina’s dismal World Cup thus far, but in many ways, the narrative was set before he’d even kicked …

The seventh day of World Cup action is beginning to bring clarity to proceedings in Russia. After the hosts sunk Egypt yesterday to book their place in the last 16, Uruguay did likewise today, following an unimpressive 1-0 win over a hapless Saudi Arabia. Both on six points in Group A, the sides will face off on Monday to see …