Anthony Martial scored just his second goal for France as the world champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Ukraine in World Cup qualifying.

Mykola Shaparenko s sublime strike had put the home side in front just before half-time, but Martial forced home an equaliser five minutes after the restart.

Substitute Moussa Diaby hit the post as Les Bleus toiled in vain to find a winner, with Didier Deschamps men having now drawn five matches in a row in all competitions.

France were winless in four games in Kiev heading into this contest and there was little that was confident about their early play, Antoine Griezmann flashing a shot wide with one of his few openings.

Ukraine looked more dangerous on the break and Andriy Yarmolenko spurned a good chance when his hea…

Jamie Carragher has accused FIFA of putting players in a disgusting position by planting the Qatar World Cup slap bang in the middle of the club season.

For most players involved, the tournament will be taking place while their domestic leagues are put on hold, after it was decided Qatar would not be able to host in the usual June-July time slot, due to its climate.

It means the leading lights of the game are playing important club games just days before the opening matches of the World Cup, knowing an injury, even at a minor level, could scupper hopes of being involved.

Former Liverpool and England defender Carragher said a World Cup in November and December is absurd and has succeeded in compromising every major football competition this season, including their…

Borussia Dortmund ace Jadon Sancho revealed he has been in contact with Real Madrid stars Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr ahead of the Champions League final.

Sancho and Bellingham were former teammates at BVB before the former departed for Manchester United in July 2021.

Bellingham left Germany for Madrid last June and has been a phenomenon at the Santiago Bernabeu, while conversely Sancho sealed a return to Signal Iduna Park in the January transfer window after struggling for form at Old Trafford and falling out with boss Erik ten Hag.

The 24-year-old winger has been rejuvenated back in Dortmund, though, helping Edin Terzic s men to Saturday s showpiece European fixture at Wembley and he spoke of how he reached out to his pals after the semi-finals.

Spe…

Adrien Rabiot would like to play in the Premier League one day, the Juventus midfielder has reiterated.

Rabiot was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United earlier this year, but reports suggested that even though a fee of an initial £15million (€17.4m) had been agreed, terms could not be reached with the player and the Red Devils instead opted to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid.

The 27-year-old is currently with France at the World Cup and ahead of their quarter-final with England on Saturday, Rabiot said he would like to play his club football in the Premier League at some point.

Referencing the short period he spent at Manchester City s academy in 2008, he told reporters: It was a very good experience. I didn t do a whole season, though.

Eve…

Niklas Sule can forget about featuring in Germany s Euro 2020 campaign, according to Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness.

The 24-year-old underwent surgery on Sunday after scans confirmed he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the 2-2 Bundesliga draw with Augsburg.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Bayern s Champions League clash with Olympiacos on Tuesday, Hoeness said: Sule can forget the Euros. That s all nonsense. He should focus on the next season now.

Hoeness assessment will come as a blow to national team boss Joachim Low, who has made the former Hoffenheim man a central part of his side over the past few years.

Sule played the full 90 minutes in last week s friendly against Argentina, as well as the Euro 2020 qualifier agains…

Jamie Carragher believes a repeat of Liverpool s third-place finish in their final season under Jurgen Klopp will represent a success in Arne Slot s first campaign at the helm.

Liverpool fell off at the tail end of 2023-24 to finish third behind Manchester City and Arsenal, before former Feyenoord boss Slot took the reigns from Klopp.

The Dutchman s first league game at the helm ended in a 2-0 win over newly promoted Ipswich Town on Saturday, with the Reds producing an impressive second-half display.

Liverpool created the highest expected goals figure (2.65 xG) of any team on matchday one of the Premier League season, registering 15 shots and 43 touches in the Ipswich area after half-time as goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah handed them victory.

Des…

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Molde will welcome Silkeborg to Molde Stadion on Thursday evening for the first leg of their Europa League second qualifying round tie.

Both teams are making their first continental appearance of the season after securing their spots in the second round through domestic cup victories in their respective previous campaigns.

Molde

After six consecutive seasons finishing in the top two of the Norwegian Eliteserien, including title wins in 2019 and 2022, Molde experienced a disappointing 2023 season, ending in fifth place, 19 points adrift of champions Bodo/Glimt.

However, they managed to salvage their season by clinching the Norwegian Cup for the sixth time in their history, securing a spot in the second qualifying roun…

Liverpool and Chelsea failed to find a cure for their January blues as the out-of-form giants played out a goalless draw in Saturday s headline Premier League clash at Anfield.

While Graham Potter s visitors went close through £89million signing Mykhaylo Mudryk, the contest offered a stark reminder of why both teams are marooned in mid-table, though there was plenty of intrigue to be found elsewhere.

While Champions League-chasing Newcastle United failed to make further inroads in a stalemate of their own at Crystal Palace, it was a day of contrasting fortunes at the bottom.

West Ham clinched a huge win over Everton as Leicester City were pegged back by Brighton and Hove Albion, leaving both Frank Lampard and Brendan Rodgers under severe pressure.

Here,…

Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi admitted he had only previously dreamt about his team reaching the final four of the Champions League.

The Nerazzurri were drawn into what was considered a group of death earlier in the tournament when they were put in with Bayern Munich and Barcelona, making it through as runners-up ahead of the LaLiga giants.

Inter beat Benfica 5-3 on aggregate following a 3-3 draw at San Siro in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, meaning they will face city rivals Milan in the semis for the first time since the 2002-03 season, while it will also be the first time the two will meet five times in one season.

There is great happiness, Inzaghi said after the game. We played a great game against a difficult team.

We fully deserved this semi-f…

FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan expects a tough test against the Philadelphia Union despite their recent form, as he faces his former side this Thursday.

The Orange and Blue come into the contest as the overwhelming favourites having won eight of their last nine matches, the latest coming in a 4-2 win over San Jose Earthquakes last time out.

Noonan s side are just two points behind the Eastern Conference league leaders, Inter Miami, but have played two games less than the side directly above them.

However, Noonan was quick to look past the two sides differing recent form, insisting the game will be a tougher encounter than many will expect.

“They ve been stable for a long time, and when you re stable and at the top of the league for so long, anytime…