Real Madrid recorded their fifth victory from five matches played in Group C of the Champions League when they hosted Napoli at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

The match ended 4-2, with Napoli taking the lead through Giovanni Simeone in the ninth minute, and Real responding within two minutes through Rodrygo Goes. Jude Bellingham put the Spanish giants ahead in 22nd, and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa leveled again less than two minutes after the break. Nico Paz made it 3-2 with six minutes of the 90 left on the clock, and Joselu set the final score deep in stoppage time.

The game

It was a contest with plenty of twists and turns in terms of threatening the opposition goal, as well as the kind of football one would expect from the reigning Italian champions visiting the…

Dusan Vlahovic s fine volley saw Juventus end a five-game winless run with a 2-1 victory over Lecce in Serie A, boosting the Bianconeri s hopes of Champions League qualification.

Vlahovic fired home on the turn to hand Massimiliano Allegri s men their first league win since April 1, deciding an entertaining contest at the Allianz Stadium.

Leandro Paredes had earlier seen his terrific free-kick cancelled out by Assan Ceesay s penalty, while both teams had goals disallowed for offside in an open first half.

While Lecce continued to test the Bianconeri backline after the break, Vlahovic s first league goal since February 7 ultimately proved decisive, piling the pressure on Juve s rivals in a fascinating battle for a top-four finish.

773 Dusan Vlahovic has f…

Paolo Maldini insists AC Milan remain a long way off challenging Juventus for the Serie A title.

The 50-year-old was speaking after Gennaro Gattuso s side were held to a 1-1 draw at Cagliari, leaving them with a record of one win, one draw and one defeat from their opening three Serie A games in 2018-19.

In contrast, Juventus have won all four of their league matches and Maldini – who is in his first season as the club s sporting strategy and development director – accepted that the Rossoneri are unlikely to push for the title.

The anti-Juventus? Let s be serious, we re still a long way off being that, club legend Maldini told Sky.

Sporting director and Sporting Strategy Development Director Paolo Maldini at Sardegna Arena for the game

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Market: Porto win

Odds: 4/9 @

Hoping to open the New Year with a statement, Porto will travel to the Estadio do Bessa when they meet local rivals Boavista on Friday night.

Starting with the hosts, while Boavista might have eventually snatched a top-half finish among Portugal’s elite last season, the Panteras have struggled to replicate a similar level this time around. Last seen signing off 2023 with a toothless 1-0 loss away at Gil Vicente, Ricardo Paiva’s side are looking over their shoulder at a looming relegation scrap. In the midst of a major struggle, they have now collected just a single point from any of their previous seven straight Primeira Liga appearances a run that stems all the way back to a 1-1 stalemate against Moreirense back on October 6th.…

Meanwhile, Bologna captain Dzemaili said Mihajlovic is like a father following the news.

The coach will win this battle for us too, as we feel like we are his family, Dzemaili told Sky Sport Italia.

What he has given us over the last six months has rarely been given by any coach, especially in such a short space of time. We know what kind of person he is, how strong he is and we ll try to transmit our strength to him too. We can t wait until he returns.

I will win this battle.

Forza Sinisa

— Bologna FC 1909 (@BolognaFC1909en)

Mihajlovic will begin treatment on Tuesday and Bologna doctor Gianni Nanni added: The coach talked about leukaemia, which 20 years ago we might not even have talked about challenging.

Now that we hav…

Brendan Rodgers is adamant Celtic are getting a better manager this time round than the one that won all seven domestic trophies available to him during his previous spell in Scotland.

The Northern Irishman returned to Parkhead on Monday, almost four and a half years after he left to take charge of Leicester.

In his time at the Foxes, he oversaw FA Cup glory in 2021 and back-to-back fifth-place finishes in the Premier League before things unravelled in his closing season, culminating in his sacking in April as they spiralled towards relegation.

Rodgers explained that his football philosophy remains largely unchanged since he was previously at Celtic but he feels he is returning as a more astute operator overall.

“In terms of how we play my teams always …

Talk of diving and tactical fouls has only added fuel to the fire as Liverpool and Manchester City face off in a mouth-watering top-of-the-table Premier League clash at Anfield.

The unbeaten league-leading Reds needed an 87th-minute header from Andy Robertson and an injury-time winner from Sadio Mane to defeat Aston Villa 2-1 last time out and preserve a six-point cushion over City.

Champions City needed to rally themselves to overcome Southampton, after which manager Pep Guardiola stoked the fires by saying of Liverpool s star forward Mane: Sometimes he [Mane] is diving. Sometimes he has this talent to score incredible goals in the last minute. He s a talent.

It was a suggestion Klopp bridled at and, although Guardiola later sought to clarify the meaning of his…

Carney Chukwuemeka praised “big brother” Raheem Sterling after the England forward endured a mixed afternoon during Chelsea’s FA Cup win over Leicester.

Sterling left the field late in the second half to a smattering of applause but also audible boos, with fans near the Stamford Bridge dugout having implored manager Mauricio Pochettino to substitute him.

Earlier he had missed two golden chances to help wrap up the game, which Chelsea eventually won 4-2 with stoppage-time goals from substitutes Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke.

He received scorn from sections of the home support for taking the ball out of the hands of regular penalty taker Cole Palmer after winning a first-half spot-kick, which he subsequently saw saved by Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk.<…

Newcastle United have confirmed the appointment of boyhood fan and ex-Sunderland boss Steve Bruce as their new head coach, replacing departed manager Rafael Benitez.

The Magpies had been searching for a new coach since Benitez s departure at the end of his contract last month and they have found their man in Bruce, who leaves Sheffield Wednesday after a short but impressive stint.

The former Manchester United captain was reported to have resigned from his role at Wednesday earlier this week, having confirmed talks with Newcastle.

Bruce s links to rivals Sunderland, where he was manager between 2009 and 2011, may not go down well with supporters who were already organising protests against owner Mike Ashley, but he has signed a three-year deal at St James Park.

Zinedine Zidane moved to stamp out any speculation over his future on Friday, insisting he will be the Real Madrid coach next season.

Madrid s 2019-20 campaign finally came to an end at the Etihad Stadium with a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League – Los Blancos exiting the competition with a 4-2 aggregate loss.

The club do have the league title to show for the campaign, and it is their first LaLiga crown since 2017.

Asked if he planned to be in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2020-21, Zidane gave a defiant response.

Well, I m here, I m Madrid s coach until something happens which is out of the ordinary. I m here, of course, he told a news conference.

You don t have to think anything. I am the coach of Madrid, and that…