SCORELINE: March 2021

Monday 29 March 2021

Kane happy to break 500-day England goal drought

Harry Kane has acknowledged that barren runs in front of goal are part and parcel of being a striker after the England captain ended his 500-day international goal drought against Albania on Sunday.

The Tottenham forward headed home Luke Shaw's cross late in the first half to finally break the deadlock in Tirana, before setting up Mason Mount after the interval to secure a 2-0 victory.

Robert Lewandowski will miss Poland's upcoming Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying Group I clash with England, after it was confirmed he had damaged ligaments in his knee against Andorra on Sunday.

The Bayern Munich forward, who has been in the form of his life for both club and country, was replaced during his nation's routine 3-0 win on Sunday just after the hour mark, having bagged a brace.

Nigeria striker Ugochukwu Oduenyi has returned from three weeks injury for FC Minaj to boost their squad ahead of crucial match against Kolos Kovalivka on Saturday.

The 25-years-old striker was out of action after sustaining a knock injury and was advised to sit out of actions by the club the doctor.

Mikel recalls Chelsea ‘chaos’ after Drogba ‘f***ing disgrace’ rant

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has recalled the chaotic scenes in the aftermath of their 2009 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals.

The Blues had a number of appeals turned down by referee Tom Henning Ovrebo that night with a late Andres Iniesta strike eliminating Chelsea on away goals.

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka thinks he is “deliberately” targeted by critics but insists his doubters “won’t break” him.

A number of sendings off and mistakes have seen Xhaka come under fire from a number of supporters with the Switzerland international even telling his own fans to “f*** off” when substituted in a draw with Crystal Palace in 2019.

Gareth Bale revealed he is planning to return to Real Madrid this summer at the end of his Tottenham Hotspur loan. Bale returned to Spurs last summer after falling out of favour under Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane and signed up for a season-long loan with his former club.

The Wales captain, 31, has another year left on his £31million-a-year contract at Real Madrid and Bale admitted he is planning for another season with the side he has won four Champions Leagues with.

AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic shed a few tears of pride as he returned to Sweden's national team after a four-year absence for their World Cup qualifiers and recounted how his son did not want him to leave home to join up with Janne Andersson's squad.

The 39-year-old, who quit international football after Euro 2016, choked up when he was asked what his boys, Maximilian, 14, and 12-year-old Vincent, thought of his decision to answer his country's call again and return to the world stage.

Steven Gerrard said he was surprised by England coach Gareth Southgate's decision to drop Trent Alexander-Arnold from the squad for their World Cup qualifiers and described the Liverpool defender as the "best English right-back in the country."

Alexander-Arnold was left out of Southgate's 26-man squad last week for this month's 2022 World Cup qualifying matches against San Marino, Albania and Poland.

David Beckham has told ESPN that his former Manchester United teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is doing an "incredible job" at Old Trafford.

Beckham and Solskjaer enjoyed seven successful years together at United between 1996 and 2003, winning five Premier League titles, the Champions League and an FA Cup.

United are second in the league this season and on course to record back-to-back top three finishes for

Juventus striker, Cristiano Ronaldo is just seven goals away from matching Iranian Ali Daei's all-time record of 109 international goals.

The Juventus forward has netted a whopping 102 goals for Portugal, with whom he will face Azerbaijan, Serbia and Luxembourg on March 24, 27 and 30, respectively.

Having made his debut with the Portuguese national team at the age of 18, on August 20, 2003 in a match against Kazakhstan, Ronaldo is not

Nigeria international Simeon 'Simy' Nwankwo is the latest African footballer in the Italian Serie A subjected to racial abuse on social media.

The 28-year-old, who played for his country at the 2018 World Cup, shared screenshots of abusive messages sent to him on Instagram after scoring in Saturday's 3-2 home defeat by Bologna.

"It's sadly become a regular occurrence on social media but these hateful words have no place

Former Real Madrid ace David Beckham has his sights set high with his MLS club Inter Miami.

So much so, that he isn't ruling out a move for players like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

"When we announced Miami, there was always going to be talk about what players we were going to bring in, whether it was Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar," Beckham told ESPN.

The countdown is on and a solution doesn't seem to be any closer as Sergio Ramos and Real Madrid enter the final 100 days of his existing contract.

A relationship which began in 2005 could come to an end on June 30 if there is no agreement reached, and for now it looks less and less likely.

The absence of movement from either side suggests that Florentino Perez's offer doesn't convince the club's captain, who was hoping for a longer deal, which reduces his wages by 10 percent, as other teammates have accepted.

According to Sky Sports, Manchester City are interested in signing Southampton striker Danny Ings this summer as a potential successor to Sergio Aguero.

Aguero's City future is in major doubt with his contract expiring at the end of the season and identifying his replacement has become one of the Premier League leaders' top priorities.

Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey has been linked with a shock move to Liverpool in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The 30-year-old has started just 12 of the club's 27 Serie A games so far, and has been sidelined due to multiple injuries for the longest time. Ramsey moved to Juventus last summer on a free from Arsenal, but has failed to live up to the hype.

Porto legend Paulo Futre has told Chelsea to beware of underrated team like Porto following the London club’s reaction to the Champions League quarter-final draw.

Thomas Tuchel’s side have been accused of celebrating that fact, with the Premier League heavyweights seemingly convinced that they will be edging one step closer to continental glory.

Super Eagles of Nigeria players will stage a protest of accumulated bonuses owed by the Nigeria Football Federation since 2019, a source from the team’s camp leaked the players plans.

The source claims that over seven players are ready to influence the protest of ‘pay us our bonuses or no AFCONT ticket’ before the team departs to Benin Republic.

Jose Mourinho's utterances could 'hurt' Tottenham fans

Tottenham manager, Jose Mourinho has risked the wrath of Tottenham fans by posting a social media message praising his former player John Terry after their 2-0 victory over Aston Villa.

Following a woeful week in which Spurs lost to their bitter rivals Arsenal and were then knocked out of the Europa League by Dinamo Zagreb, the pressure was well and truly on Mourinho to get a positive result at Villa Park.

Barcelona have always boasted incredible defenders throughout their existence. Players who are ready to fight for the badge through their unparalleled determination, coupled with excellent technical ability. Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Ronald Koeman, Dani Alves are examples of the same, but another name that can never be forgotten is of Eric Abidal.

The Frenchman served through six years at the club, during which he suffered from liver cancer, and came back to start, and win the Champions

Thomas Tuchel has told Tammy Abraham to stop worrying about his Chelsea selection battle and focus instead on finally beating his troublesome ankle injury.

Abraham must start from scratch in his latest bid to beat the injury that has plagued him since the Blues’ 2-0 Premier League win over Newcastle on February 15.

The 23-year-old has featured just once since first suffering the problem and missed Sunday’s 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Sheffield United.

Leeds United should have no trouble beating Tottenham and Liverpool to the signing of Reading playmaker Michael Olise, according to Noel Whelan.

The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, suggested several factors could work in the Whites’ favour this summer.

As revealed by Football Insider, Leeds are planning on triggering the 19-year-old’s £8million release clause this summer.

Portuguese super star, Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at Juventus beyond this season, the club's managing director Fabio Paratici said after a 1-0 defeat to Benevento.

Ronaldo, who joined the Italian side on a four-year deal for a reported $117 million transfer fee in 2018, is the top scorer in Serie A so far this season with 23 goals.

Leicester City hero Kelechi Iheanacho has described their 3-1 defeat of Manchester United in the FA Cup as a historic feat which he dedicated to the fans.

The 24-year-old delivered a man-of-the-match performance at the King Power Stadium on Sunday with two goals and an assist that sent Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men packing from the cup competition.

The victory saw Leicester City advance to the

Former Bayern Munich and Liverpool player Xabi Alonso is set to take over at Borussia Monchengladbach, according to German publication Bild.

Incumbent Monchengladbach coach Marco Rose is set to take over at Borussia Dortmund at the conclusion of the current campaign, and Die Fohlen have identified current Real Sociedad B team manager Alonso as their prime target, report Bild.

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has raved over the performance of Martin Odegaard in Arsenal's 3-3 draw with West Ham United. The Real Madrid loanee impressed again in midfield and Arteta has spoken about his impact, which helped the Gunners come back from three goals down at the London Stadium.

Following Manchester United FA Cup exit to Leicester City on Sunday, Fred has become the latest footballer to be subjected to racist abuse on social media.

Fred was at fault for Leicester's opening goal during the 3-1 defeat at the King Power Stadium. After the game a number of racist messages were left on the Brazil international's Instagram account, some including a derogatory emoji.

Over the past few weeks there’s been an outbreak of optimism at Barcelona. The Catalan club have had a difficult period over the past year or so, with issues on and off the pitch.

Joan Laporta winning the club’s presidential election has given many surrounding the Camp Nou a boost, and it’s clear several key players are happy that he’s now the man in charge.

Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho and his compatriot, Wilfred Ndidi will join the list of invited players for AFCON qualifiers at Eko Hotel and suites in Lagos on Monday, according to a source from London.

Iheanacho scored twice and provided an assist as Leicester City secured a 3-1 victory over Manchester United in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-

Super Eagles first training tomorrow, 9 players now in camp

Not fewer than nine players already in the Super Eagles hotel in Lagos as the Super Eagles will begin training tomorrow morning ahead of AFCON qualifiers against Benin and Lesotho, according to SCORENigeria

Genk striker Paul Onuachu and Alex Iwobi from

Barcelona super star, Lionel Messi has written himself into the history books once more after moving clear at the top of the list of Barcelona's all-time appearance makers.

Just under a week after drawing level with fellow Blaugrana legend Xavi against Huesca, the Argentine has now taken the outright record for the Catalans with his start against Real Sociedad marking his 768th for the club.

Liverpool star Georginio Wijnaldum has reportedly decided he will leave the club to join FC Barcelona next season on a free transfer.

The Netherlands international looks likely to leave the Premier League champions on a free transfer as his contract comes to an end at the end of the current season.

Cristiano Ronaldo received 770 Fan Tokens $JUV ahead of Juventus' match against Benevento on Sunday as a way of marking his record-breaking goal milestone.

Ronald Koeman is expecting his Barcelona side to run Atletico Madrid close in this season's LaLiga Santander title race.

The Catalans cut Atletico's lead at the top of the table to four points on Sunday, overtaking Real Madrid in the process, with a 6-1 win over Real Sociedad.

"Every game is difficult," Koeman - who turned 58

David Moyes full of praise for 'fabulous' Fabianski

David Moyes has hailed the role played by Lukasz Fabianski in West Ham’s charge towards the Champions League.

Poland goalkeeper Fabianski last week signed a new contract to keep him at the London Stadium until next summer.

The 35-year-old faces former club Arsenal today, whose fans dubbed him ‘Flappyhandski’ following some shaky performances early in his career.

Tuchel: We are confident to beat FC Porto in UCL

Thomas Tuchel has declared that Chelsea FC are feeling “confident” about their Champions League hopes after they were pitted against Porto in the quarter-finals.

The Blues secured their spot in the last eight of Europe’s elite club competition thanks to an impressive victory over Atletico Madrid in the last 16.

Tuchel will now be looking to steer his Chelsea FC

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) have given approval for ten thousand fans to watch the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier between the Super Eagles and Lesotho’s Crocodiles at the Teslim Balogun stadium in Lagos on March 30, 2021.

CAF gave the nod in response to NFF request to allow football fans to watch the match in Lagos, but warned that it has to comply with the COVID-19 protocols.

CD Leganes defender Kenneth Omeruo is the next player to withdraw from the Super Eagles squad for AFCON qualifiers against Benin and Lesotho with Paul Onuachu (Belgium) and Jamilu Collins (Germany) also now increasingly doubtful.

Omeruo has also been caught up by the travel restrictions caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic and will have to quarantine in Spain for at least a week on return from Africa.

Germany midfielder Ilay Gundogan’s late strike set up a 2-0 victory at Everton that secured Pep Guardiola's history-chasers a place in the FA Cup semi-finals

With Manchester City's quadruple hopes hanging in the balance at Goodison Park on Saturday evening, the Germany international steadied himself to calmly head into an empty net and pave the way for his side to progress to the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Everton.

After making a thrilling start to his Chelsea career, Hakim Ziyech is now battling to avoid an ignominious end.

Having belatedly arrived last summer from Ajax even though his £37 million ($48m) transfer had been agreed in February, the Morocco international's Blues debut was then delayed by injury.

However, last October, he became the first Chelsea player since Diego Costa to score in each of his first two starts for the club.

Manchester City and Real Madrid have ‘positioned themselves’ to acquire Erling Haaland’s services this summer, and they also ‘have the money ready’ to formalise the transfer, according to reports from Sport Witness.

With Julen Lopetegui's side chasing a Champions League spot this season they could ill afford to drop points, and the goalkeeper intervened at the death in order to claim a point.

He finished with a left-foot strike in a crowded area as Valladolid failed to clear a corner, with Jules Kounde sending in a low cross.

Sevilla remain fourth and move to 55 points, 10 ahead of fifth-placed Real Sociedad who host Barcelona, in third on 59 points, on Sunday.

Manchester United are preparing for contract talks with defender Luke Shaw.

The in-form left-back has been one of United’s standout performers in recent weeks and has been rewarded with an England recall for the World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland.

Shaw is enjoying what has arguably been his best season with United since joining from Southampton in 2014.

Lionel Messi is leaving his rivals in the dust in terms of pay, raking in just under double the salary of Cristiano Ronaldo, according to the release of new figures.

Barcelona are £1.1 billion in debt, but the club’s talisman is paid incredibly well with a gross monthly pay amount of £7 million.

In contrast, his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo earns a monthly amount of £3.8m at Juventus, according to figures released by L’Equipe.

City made it through to the FA Cup semi-final thanks to a 2-0 win at Everton, extending our unbeaten run away from home to a Club record 17 matches.

Ilkay Gundogan broke Everton’s stern resistance, heading home after Joao Virginia had pushed Aymeric Laporte’s effort onto the bar.

And with a minute remaining, substitute Kevin De Bruyne sealed the victory with an emphatic finish.

Karim Benzema scored twice in Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Celta Vigo and Zinedine Zidane was full of praise for the No.9 after the victory. He was asked about Benzema’s continued exclusion from the France national team and chuckled, before saying:

“You don’t understand [why he isn’t called up]. I don’t understand it. Many don’t understand it. But, as coach of Real Madrid, it’s better for me.

"But, what he did today once again was spectacular. I’m happy for him because he’s a hard worker and he always wants more.

Karim Benzema led Real Madrid to a 3-1 victory away at Celta Vigo, scoring twice and setting up a late Marco Asensio goal to earn the capital city side another vital three points in the title race.

Santi Mina had pulled one back for Celta Vigo after an early Benzema brace, but the Galician side couldn't draw level despite throwing all they had at their guests in the second half.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has defended Chelsea’s approach to hiring and firing managers, with their trophy haul speaking for itself.

Thomas Tuchel became the 15th boss under Abramovich, when he replaced club legend Frank Lampard back in January.

Unusually, the Russian directly addressed the decision shortly after Lampard’s departure, such is the former midfielder’s stature at Stamford Bridge.

The Bayern Munich striker hit his thirteen Bundesliga hat-trick as they ran riot against Stuttgart in the first-half of their clash on Saturday.

Incredibly, Bayern managed to score four goals after Alphonso Davies was dismissed in the 12th minute at the Allianz Arena.

Lewandowski got three of them, and did it in style too with a goal from his left foot, right foot and head to complete a perfect hat-trick… in just 22 minutes.

Nathan Redmond was the star man for the visitors at the Vitality Stadium with two goals, including a stunning solo effort, as the Saints denied their south coast rivals a place in what would have been the Cherries’ first ever FA Cup semi-final.

Redmond also grabbed an assist as he set up Moussa Djenepo for the opening goal in the first-half, as the Mali international curled a low shot around Asmir Begovic.

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo was named Serie A's Player of the Year for the 2019-20 season at the Gran Gala del Calcio on Friday.

Ronaldo won award, which is voted by the Italian Footballers' Association, after helping Juventus to a ninth successive Serie A title last season.

"It was a strange year, a year that no one would have wanted, but on a personal and team level, it was positive, because we won the championship," Ronaldo told Sky Sport Italia.

Monday 29 March 2021

Tuesday 23 March 2021

Monday 22 March 2021

Sunday 21 March 2021

Saturday 20 March 2021