Pablo Sarabia s header 10 minutes from time ensured Paris Saint-Germain did just enough to beat Ligue 2 side Lorient 1-0 and book their place in the last 16 of the Coupe de France.
Thomas Tuchel s men were far from their best at Stade du Moustoir and extra-time appeared to be on the cards, but Sarabia was decisive in the 80th minute to end Lorient s hopes of an upset.
While Tuchel did use the opportunity to rest some of his key players, PSG still had an exceptionally strong starting XI – but they offered very little spark or imagination in the first half, with Lorient actually crafting the best chance.
The contest was more open after half-time, particularly in the final 20 minutes, and Sarabia produced a well-placed header late on to seal the victory, as PSG lo…
Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers is hoping Chelsea will consider allowing a loan move for starlet Josh McEachran to the Welsh club.
Rodgers was a youth and reserves team coach at the London club from 2006 to 2008 and is looking to discuss a potential loan move with the Blues for the England Under-21 star.
I need to have a conversation at length [with Chelsea], Rodgers said.
(McEachran) is not playing at the moment, he is on the bench. He is a wonderful talent and the positive thing is that clubs see Swansea as a club that can develop such talents.
He has a big future, he played in the same team as my son right through the system at Chelsea and has kicked on since he turned 14.
He has got great vision, he is a terrific footballer and he …
Massimiliano Allegri says there is no point in dwelling on the absence of Paul Pogba after the Juventus midfielder was ruled out of the World Cup.
It was announced on Monday that Pogba will play no part in France s bid to retain their title in Qatar due to a knee injury.
Pogba has not played a competitive game for Juve since returning to the Serie A club as a free agent in July after his Manchester United contract expired.
The 29-year-old underwent surgery last month and although he recently returned to training, he must now undergo further rehabilitation.
Bianconeri head coach Allegri says Pogba has been sorely missed, but felt it had looked increasingly unlikely he could play in the World Cup.
He said: It is useless to repeat what has already be…
Mikel Arteta insists he is extremely happy and proud to lead Arsenal despite reports linking him with Barcelona as he praised Xavi s phenomenal work at Camp Nou.
Arsenal have won 10 of their 12 Premier League games this season to lead Manchester City by two points at the summit, and they will top their Europa League group if they beat Zurich on Thursday.
The Gunners excellent form has seen Arteta linked with a move to Barcelona, where Xavi is facing mounting pressure after failing to lead the Blaugrana to the Champions League s last 16.
However, Arteta remains fully focused on his current role, saying: What I can say is I am extremely proud and happy to be where I am now. I think Barcelona are on a really good path now.
I think they have a phenomenal co…
Ottmar Hitzfeld says Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is keen on avoiding Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Bayern who Hitzfeld managed for seven seasons in two different stints have marched to the summit of the Bundesliga and sit top of Group A in the Champions League
English Premier League holders Manchester United, on the other hand, are going through a shaky period after being dispatched ruthlessly 6-1 at Old Trafford by bitter rivals Manchester City, while they have been inconsistent in Europe.
Now in charge of Switzerland, Hitzfeld was present at United s heavy derby defeat last Saturday and has spoken of a conversation he held with Ferguson.
He said that he really liked (Bayern) so far this season and sees them as major competitors t…
AC Milan fullback Ignazio Abate is hoping to earn a place in the Italy team after receiving his first international call-up.
Abate, 24, was named by national coach Cesare Prandelli in the squad for Italy s friendly matches against Poland and Uruguay.
The right-back began his career with Milan as a youth player, before joining Empoli in 2007 and then Torino a year later.
He earned a move back to the San Siro in 2009, securing a regular starting berth as Milan captured the Seria A title last season.
And Abate has now been rewarded for his consistent performances with an opportunity to impress Prandelli ahead of next year s European Championship finals.
I m relaxed, Abate said.
It s normal that I ll have to prove that I deserve my role, a…
Uzbekistan will be aiming for a better performance and more goals when they take on China in the Asian Cup on Wednesday.
The clash at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane will pit Group B s two winners from the opening round against each other with both sides having won their first match of the tournament 1-0.
If either team wins they will be almost certain of advancing to the quarter-finals.
China stunned Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the Queensland capital on Saturday just after Uzbekistan edged out North Korea by the same scoreline in Sydney, but the Uzbeks were left frustrated after wasting a raft of goal-scoring opportunities.
The central Asian nation took 24 shots against North Korea but only five were on target, with striker Igor Sergeev scoring the only goal.
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According to , Arsenal central defender William Saliba wants to return to Saint-Etienne on a loan deal in the January transfer window. It has been reported that the 19-year-old central defender is not happy with his current situation at the Gunners and is ready to make a move back to the French club.
The youngster became an Arsenal player in the summer of 2019, but as part of the deal, he spent the 2019-20 campaign on loan at Saint-Etienne. Saliba was expected to stay on loan at the Ligue 1 club this season as well, but the move collapsed in the final stages of the summer transfer window.
Saliba has yet to play for the Arsenal first team and has also been left out of Mikel Arteta’s Europa League squad. It does not make much sense for the youngster to just train or pla…
Edinson Cavani will not return to Napoli from Paris Saint-Germain, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis has said.
The Uruguay international enjoyed three strong seasons at the San Paolo before moving to the Ligue 1 champions for a reported fee of €64million in 2013.
Cavani, 29, endured a poor personal performance in PSG s 3-0 win over Metz last week and speculation has seen him linked with a move back to his old stomping ground in Serie A.
But De Laurentiis is keen to put faith in Napoli s young players rather than turn to an old fan favourite, despite the blow of losing Gonzalo Higuain to Juventus for €90m last month.
7 Edinson Cavani has made 7 shots tonight, more than any other player but he has failed to find the back of the net. Block.
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Hull City manager Steve Bruce believes Swansea City are a fine example to clubs outside of the Premier League s heavyweights.
Bruce takes his team to the Liberty Stadium on Saturday on the hunt for vital points in the fight to preserve their top-flight status.
Swansea are sitting far more comfortably in eighth position and their Premier League status has rarely been under threat since they were promoted from the Championship in 2011.
Brendan Rodgers moved on from Swansea to take the manager’s job at Liverpool, leaving predecessor Michael Laudrup to mastermind a League Cup triumph in 2013 before former club captain Garry Monk took the reins last term.
The South Wales club have achieved their success while retaining an element of fan ownership and Bruce i…