Laos aim to repeat 2009 success

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted the decision to start Paul Pogba on the bench in Manchester United s crucial Champions League clash with RB Leipzig was made way before the game.

Pogba starred in a 3-1 win over West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday, but was left out of the team for the meeting with Bundesliga side Leipzig on Tuesday after his agent, Mino Raiola, claimed he is unhappy at United and should be sold in the next transfer window.

The outspoken Raiola told Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport that Pogba could return to Juventus as he needs a change of air .

His comments come at a crucial juncture for United, who need to take at least a point from their game against Leipzig to qualify for the last 16, with Manchester City up next in the Premier League.

Benin head coach Michel Dussuyer believes his players are equipped to chase a maiden win in the Africa Cup of Nations against Guinea-Bissau.

A brace from Mickael Franck Pote helped the Squirrels to a 2-2 draw when faced with a much-fancied Ghana side in their opening Group F match.

However, versus opponents ranked 118th in the world by FIFA, Dussuyer and his players must now deal with a weight of expectation.

All my players are ready physically and mentally to win the next match,  the 60-year-old, who is in his second spell as Benin boss having led Ivory Coast s unsuccessful defence of their title at the 2017 AFCON, told a pre-match news conference.

I respect Guinea-Bissau and it won t be an easy game.

Benin are boosted by having veteran at…

Chile international superstar Alexis Sanchez completed his Manchester United switch in the January transfer window when he was handed the number seven shirt at Old Trafford.

Since the time of French legend Eric Cantona, the number 7 has held an iconic – and even magical – status at Manchester United. The No.7 shirt also brought a curse with it, seemingly casting a spell on a number of players who failed to live up to the expectations wearing the heavy burden on their back.

Will Alexis Sanchez become its latest victim at the Theatre of Dreams?
Number 7 Through Man United History

John Berry was the first Manchester United player to be linked with a No.7 shirt at Old Trafford. One of the Busby Babes won three league titles during his eight years with the Red Devils a…

Jorginho scored from the penalty spot as Chelsea came from behind to draw 1-1 with Krasnodar in their final match of the Champions League group stage on Tuesday.

Frank Lampard s side had already qualified for the knockout phase as winners of Group E and marginally had the better of a low-key fixture at Stamford Bridge.

Remy Cabella put Krasnodar ahead with a crisp low finish before Jorginho equalised from the penalty spot a few minutes later.

Tammy Abraham twice went close for Chelsea in open play but despite his tireless efforts up front the Blues could not find a winner.

Krasnodar began brightly with Tonny Vilhena s swerving half-volley whistling just over the crossbar and Viktor Claesson striking a shot just past the post from a good position.

…

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said Eden Hazard was still some way short of being match fit after a low-key debut in Saturday s victory over Levante.

Hazard made a subdued start to his Madrid career with an appearance as a second-half substitute in a 3-2 win against Levante at the Bernabeu.

The Belgium international, who joined Madrid from Chelsea in June, has only recently returned to training following a thigh injury.

Hazard showed a few nice touches after he came off the bench in the 60th minute, although the 28-year-old forward was far from his sparkling best.

When he touches the ball he has a lot of versatility, Zidane said.

But what he needs now is to train more. He has only done four workouts with the team.

The second half wa…

Marseille head coach Andre Villas-Boas believes Paris Saint-Germain s spending power means they are operating in another league from their domestic rivals in France.

The Parisian giants have dominated Ligue 1 since they were taken over by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011, winning six out of a possible eight league titles.

They are also responsible for paying the two biggest transfer fees of all time, shattering the record when they spent €222million to get Neymar from Barcelona in 2017, while Kylian Mbappe cost €135m from Monaco.

Unsurprisingly, they have wasted little time in stamping their authority on the league again this season, racing into a five-point lead at the summit after 10 games.

Marseille travel to Parc des Princes for Le Classique on…

Switzerland rubber-stamped their place in the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar by emerging deservedly victorious from a difficult and exciting match against Serbia in the last round of Group G.

Xherdan Shaqiri broke the deadlock with a deflected 20th-minute shot, Aleksandar Mitrovic equalized with a perfectly hit header six minutes later, Dusan Vlahovic struck a goal of his own to put Serbia ahead in the 35th, and Breel Embolo set the score back level just before the break. It was eventually Remo Freuler who got on the end of a superb flick from Ruben Vargas to score the winning goal for the Swiss.

The game

Obviously in need of three points to progress from the group, Serbia wanted to attack from the start and take matters into their own hands, but they probably d…

Kevin De Bruyne has given Manchester City a huge boost ahead of their final push for the quadruple, signing a new contract with the club until 2025.

Since De Bruyne signed for City in August 2015, he has won eight trophies including two Premier League titles.

City are still dreaming of winning the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Champions League as part of a memorable 2020-21 season under Pep Guardiola.

They will now do that safe in the knowledge their 29-year-old playmaker has committed the remainder of his peak years to them.

I could not be happier, De Bruyne told the club s official website after the deal was signed on Wednesday.

Since joining City in 2015, I have felt at home. I love the fans, my family are settled here in Manchester and…

Sergio Ramos says Real Madrid s players will have no say in whether Julen Lopetegui will be sacked but reiterated the team are with the under-pressure coach to the death after their Clasico humiliation.

Despite Barcelona being without injured captain Lionel Messi at Camp Nou on Sunday, Ernesto Valverde s men ran out 5-1 winners with Luis Suarez scoring a brilliant hat-trick.

Lopetegui s men trailed 2-0 at the break and a tactical change saw an improvement from Madrid before a trio of late goals consigned Los Blancos to a damaging defeat.

Madrid have now lost five of their last seven matches in all competitions, languishing ninth in the LaLiga table, seven points behind defending champions Barca.

Captain Ramos and his team-mates have consistently backed Lo…

Goalkeeper Jon McCracken said “it feels great” after joining Dundee from Norwich on a season-long loan deal.

The 23-year-old began his career at Hamilton before joining the Canaries in 2016.

McCracken, who has had loan spells at League of Ireland side Bohemians and more recently Stevenage, was recruited by Dundee boss Tony Docherty and the former Scotland under-17 keeper told the club’s official website: “It feels great, there has been a bit of interest for a while now, so I’m glad to get it done and to be here.

“I spoke to the gaffer quite a few times over the last couple of weeks and once I spoke to him my mind was pretty much made up on where I wanted to go and it was just a matter of getting the green light from Norwich to come up.

“The …