Champions League success will not dictate my Madrid future, insists Zidane

Lorenzo Insigne said Napoli had one of their worst performances of the season after losing the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final at Arsenal 2-0.

Aaron Ramsey s opener and a Kalidou Koulibaly own goal left Napoli with it all to do in the return fixture at the Stadio San Paolo next Thursday.

Insigne wasted a big chance to reduce the deficit moments before half-time, while Piotr Zielinski missed an opportunity to secure a late away goal when set up by the Italy forward.

And Napoli s captain accepted he felt guilty about blazing over the crossbar, while highlighting the failures of his side in the first half.

I am still thinking about that chance, because an away goal would have been important, Insigne said to Sky Sport Italia.  I got there to…

Juventus winger Juan Cuadrado believes a very strong Juve is being born ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

The Colombia international was speaking after a 2-0 friendly win over Mexican side Guadalajara in Las Vegas; Marco Da Graca and Mattia Compagnon on target at the Allegiant Stadium.

Juventus struggled at the beginning of last season, but they soon picked up under head coach Massimiliano Allegri and finished fourth in Serie A to ensure Champions League qualification.

While they have lost key defender Matthijs de Ligt to Bayern Munich, the Bianconceri have brought in the likes of Angel Di Maria and the returning Paul Pogba on free transfers, as well as Bremer from Torino.

TFW you absolutely NAIL that killer touch

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen…

Arsene Wenger s record-breaking 811th Premier League match in charge of Arsenal ended in a dramatic 1-1 draw with West Brom.

The Gunners produced a fairly listless performance at The Hawthorns in the absence of the injured Mesut Ozil, but Alexis Sanchez s deflected free-kick seven minutes from time looked to be enough for them to snatch all three points.

However, a controversial late penalty allowed Jay Rodriguez to score the equaliser and lift West Brom off the bottom of the table on goal difference, while Arsenal move into fifth above arch-rivals Tottenham, but are three points off the Champions League spots.

Ozil was left out of the squad due to a knee injury that could also see him miss Wednesday s clash with Chelsea, and Wenger was given a further headache …

Luis Suarez will resume training with his Atletico Madrid team-mates on Friday after the club announced he has returned a negative coronavirus test.

The Uruguay international has missed Atletico s last four matches after he contracted COVID-19 while away on international duty last month.

In his absence Atletico have won two LaLiga matches 1-0 – including against his former club Barcelona – and drawn Champions League games 0-0 and 1-1 against Lokomotiv Moscow and Bayern Munich respectively.

Suarez s match fitness will be assessed by head coach Diego Simeone to determine whether the 33-year-old can feature in Atletico s league fixture at home to Real Valladolid on Saturday.

Luis Suarez will join the group training sessions of the first team to…

Steve Bruce is sure his struggling Hull City can finish higher in the Premier League than last season and is eyeing a revival at Sunderland.

Hull have endured a miserable 10-match winless run their last victory coming over Crystal Palace on October 4 leaving them second from bottom at Christmas.

The barren sequence comes despite heavy investment during the last transfer window, with the likes of Abel Hernandez, Gaston Ramirez and Mohamed Diame all moving the KC Stadium.

Bruce admits that he is going through his toughest period as Hull manager, but he is adamant the club can move up out of the relegation zone and improve on a 16th-placed finish in the 2013-14 campaign their highest ever placing in English football.

Of course it s been the most difficult […

Riccardo Montolivo is dreaming of reaching the FIFA World Cup final with Italy, but admits there are better sides in the competition.

The likes of hosts Brazil, reigning champions Spain, Argentina and Germany are among the favourites for the tournament, which starts next month.

However, it would be foolhardy to rule out four-time champions Italy, who often preserve their best performances for major tournaments a point emphasised by their World Cup win in 2006 and run to the final of UEFA Euro 2012.

Milan captain Montolivo is quietly confident of going far in Brazil, though he does feel there are other teams with more quality than Italy.

Our common dream is to get to the final, he said. We have to chase this dream and exceed the expectations.

It s a tough Wo…

With one thing and another it hasn’t been possible until now to pay tribute to the career of one of the greatest defenders ever to grace our game. Former France defender Lilian Thuram has brought his illustrious playing career to an end after being diagnosed with a heart condition.

He has been an unsung hero for many years and as a defender hasn’t had the same type of adulation and praise that is afforded to the likes of Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane, although his contribution has been at least equally as important.

The thirty-six year old right back or centre half had been set to return to France to sign for Paris St Germain, so that he could end his career in his own country. He had struggled to maintain a regular first team plac…

Michael O’Neill believes Northern Ireland still have everything to play for in their bid to reach Euro 2024 even as injuries hit hard during the qualifying campaign.

With a trip to Denmark and a home match against Kazakhstan up next, O’Neill has named a 28-man squad that includes five uncapped players and a total of 15 with fewer than 10 caps.

Although Jonny Evans returns from the hamstring injury that prevented him from adding to his 100 caps in March, Steven Davis, Stuart Dallas, Corry Evans, Liam Boyce, Josh Magennis, Conor Washington and Shane Ferguson remain sidelined, forcing O’Neill to rely on youth.

When O’Neill returned to the Northern Ireland job in December there was an opportunity to capitalise on a favourable qualifying draw, and although tha…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has compared his long-awaited move to Manchester United with Floyd Mayweather Jr s fight against Manny Pacquiao.

Ibrahimovic finally agreed his switch to Old Trafford on Friday after weeks of speculation, reportedly signing a one-year deal with an option of a further 12 months following the expiry of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.

The 34-year-old Sweden International kept fans and the media alike guessing with his next destination, but it soon became clear that a move to United and a reunion with Jose Mourinho, with whom he worked at Inter, was the obvious choice.

Ibrahimovic stated the decision was an easy one to make and says his move will be worth the wait, just as boxing fans were finally appeased when Mayweather and Pacquiao met in the …

Atletico Madrid have announced the signing of promising teenager Diogo Jota from Portuguese outfit Pacos de Ferreira.

The 19-year-old winger joins the Vicente Calderon club for the next five seasons in a fee reportedly close to €7million.

Jota was named the Portuguese Primeira Liga young player of the month twice in 2015-16 after scoring 12 goals in 31 appearances.

He has represented his native Portugal at various youth levels and is expected to be named in the 18-man squad for the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

To be part of this great club has made me feel very proud, Jota said.

He is a young player, very fast and vertical, carries the ball very well and has a great run, Atletico sporting director Jose Luis Perez Caminero added.