World Cup 2018: Swiss rolled and England to the fore as St Petersburg sees hosts exit

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted he is worried by Manchester United s goal drought following their 0-0 Premier League draw away to Crystal Palace.

United were held to their third successive scoreless draw across all competitions after firing another blank against Palace on Wednesday.

Solskjaer s faltering United produced another toothless display at Selhurst Park, where the Red Devils slipped 14 points adrift of runaway leaders Manchester City ahead of Sunday s derby.

United registered their sixth goalless Premier League draw of the season – the club s joint-most ever in a campaign, along with 2004-05 and 2016-17.

The Premier League giants have also drawn three consecutive matches 0-0 in all competitions for the first time since October 2015 under Louis va…

Spain head coach Luis Enrique cast his vote in the Barcelona presidential election on Sunday and kept his fingers crossed for a positive outcome.

The former Barcelona player, who coached the team to treble glory in the 2014-15 season, was one of thousands who turned out to Camp Nou to vote in person.

Barcelona said 20,663 club members had already voted by post for their choice of the president to lead the club forward.

Luis Enrique was among a host of big names who arrived at the club s stadium to have their say in the election, with current players including Lionel Messi also exercising their right.

It is an opportunity to choose the president of Barca and with joy. I hope that the one who comes out on top, the one picked by all the members, will be the…

Outgoing captain Vincent Kompany is the DNA of Manchester City, according to club hero Shaun Goater.

City confirmed on Sunday that Kompany s 11-year stay at the club is coming to an end, with the defender s appearance in Saturday s thumping FA Cup final win over Watford his last for the Premier League champions.

In all, Kompany has made 360 appearances for City since joining the club in August 2008, playing a crucial role in four successful Premier League title tilts, two FA Cup victories and four League Cup triumphs.

And Goater, himself a cult figure with City fans, believes that Kompany represents the essence of what the club stands for.

What a way to bow out, what he s done for the club, the former Bermuda striker told Sky Sports.

He is the D…

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Joshua Kimmich gave Bayern Munich a 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen and put them on the brink of a ninth consecutive Bundesliga title.

RB Leipzig s shock 2-1 defeat at relegation-threatened Cologne earlier on Tuesday gave Hansi Flick s side the opportunity to go 10 points clear with four matches remaining.

They did so with the minimum of fuss after Choupo-Moting – again deputising for the injury Robert Lewandowski – opened the scoring in the seventh minute.

A superb second from Kimmich made a response from Leverkusen deeply unlikely, as their struggles during the second half of this season were again laid bare at the Allianz Arena. Hannes Wolf s side are seven points behind four-placed Wolfsburg having played a game more.

Fo…

The penultimate day of the Games on Saturday offers medals across 34 events, with athletics, wrestling and boxing featuring heavily.

The United States basketball team overcame an early scare against Australia and they now face France in a gold-medal clash on day 15 in Tokyo.

Just five medals away from table-toppers China, the USA will be hoping for more gold in both the men s and women s 4 400 metre relay races.

Spain and defending Olympic champions Brazil clashing in a mouth-watering men s football final among a host of other events and Stats Perform considers the potential highlights to look forward to.

CAN BRAZIL DO THE DOUBLE?

Spain head into their third Olympic men s football final, having settled for silver in 2000 after triumph…

Carlo Ancelotti rates Liverpool as favourites to win the Champions League but has warned that his Napoli side have also improved since last season s meeting.

Liverpool lost 1-0 in Naples last October but won the reverse fixture to scrape through the group stage at Napoli s expense and went on to lift the famous trophy for a sixth time.

The sides face off again at Stadio San Paolo on Tuesday in their Group E opener and Ancelotti has targeted another victory on home soil against the best team in Europe .

Liverpool have grown because last season gave them so much awareness, he said at his pre-match news conference.

 : The atmosphere makes a big difference. I hope the San Paolo really gets behind us
 
 
 

— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapo…

Best odds: 6/5

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The group stages are over and we re now into the knockout phase. There s some really cracking encounters to come from Saturday to Tuesday, and along with the one between England and Germany on Tuesday, Belgium taking on Portugal at the Estadio la Cartuja in Sevilla should be at the top in terms of balance and quality.

Belgium

Having thrashed Russia in the opening round by 3-0 and then beaten Denmark by 2-1, they made sure they got the maximum number of points against Finland, courtesy of an own-goal by Lukas Hradecky and a strike from Romelu Lukaku. The fact that Belgium top the FIFA rankings at the moment obviously speaks a lot about their quality, and it seems that quality is finally matched by form.

Many see this as the one …

Erling Haaland is on the same early career trajectory as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Norway coach Lars Lagerback.

Haaland, 20, enjoyed a sensational breakout season in 2019-20, impressing for both Salzburg and then Borussia Dortmund after a January move.

The Norwegian striker scored 28 goals in 22 matches for Salzburg across all competitions, before adding 16 in 18 outings for BVB.

He was unable to help Dortmund to a first Bundesliga title since 2011-12 as Bayern Munich continued their dominance, but Haaland s swift adaptation provides optimism for the seasons to come – if they can keep hold of him.

Haaland s introduction to international football has seen him score once in three games, that strike coming in Friday s 2-1 defea…

Liverpool completed one of the Champions League s greatest ever escapes on Tuesday as they overturned a 3-0 first-leg deficit to power past Barcelona and into their second consecutive final.

Divock Origi set Liverpool on their way to a famous 4-0 victory early on before Georginio Wijnaldum scored twice in quick succession shortly after being introduced at the interval.

Trent Alexander-Arnold s quickly taken corner was then buried by Origi 11 minutes from time as Jurgen Klopp s side booked their spot in next month s final in Madrid where they will take on either Ajax or Tottenham.

Here, with the help of Opta, we look at some of the key stats behind Liverpool s incredible Anfield victory.

AAARRGGHHHHHH!!  

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

…

Gerard Pique believes Josep Maria Bartomeu was among the worst presidents in Barcelona s history.

Bartomeu held the post from January 2014 until his resignation in October last year, courting controversy along the way.

His exit was forced amid the threat of a no-confidence vote as Barca lurched from one setback to the next on and off the field.

Barca won the treble in Bartomeu s first year in charge, yet things gradually began to unravel over the course of his tenure. 

Lionel Messi had made clear his desire to leave before eventually sealing a move to Paris Saint-Germain, while Pique is one of several players who have taken a pay cut to ease the Camp Nou club s perilous financial situation.

With questionable head coach appointments added into the…