Hansi Flick heaped praise on Barcelona s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal after he scored a double to help the LaLiga leaders earn a 4-1 victory at Girona on Sunday.

Yamal, who grabbed the spotlight as he helped Spain win their fourth European Championship title in July, scored twice in seven first-half minutes to put them in control.

Dani Olmo and Pedri then secured the win before Cristhian Stuani s consolation and Ferran Torres late sending-off for a reckless challenge.

Barcelona maintained their unbeaten start to the season, getting their fifth consecutive win at the start of Flick s tenure.

I m very happy about Lamine s two goals, he s very young, but he s really incredible, a difference maker at such a young age, Flick told Movistar Plus.

Hav…

Unai Emery has blamed bad decisions made by the club for his Arsenal exit and confirmed he favoured a move for Wilfried Zaha over Nicolas Pepe in his final season.

The 49-year-old spent 18 months in charge at Emirates Stadium before being sacked in November 2019 and subsequently replaced by Mikel Arteta.

He guided Arsenal to the Europa League final and a fifth-place finish in the Premier League in what proved to be his only full season in charge.

Arsenal spent a club-record £72million to bring in Pepe from Lille ahead of 2019-20, but Emery felt the Gunners should have instead moved for fellow Ivory Coast international Zaha.

I usually want to sign first the players I know, he told Football.London. When we played against Crystal Palace, Zaha showed he was…

Barcelona coach Xavi was left seething after his side missed a golden opportunity to move clear in second place in LaLiga.

Having been eliminated from the Europa League on home soil by Eintracht Frankfurt last Thursday, Barca lost consecutive games at Camp Nou for the first time since April 2003 as lowly Cadiz condemned them to a 1-0 defeat.

Lucas Perez s second-half winner marked the 32nd goal Barca have conceded in 31 league games this season, their worst tally at this stage of a season since the 2012-13 campaign (33).

Barca s 15-match unbeaten run in the league had seen them harbour hopes of a title challenge, but they now have just seven games left to catch Real Madrid, who are 15 points clear.

Indeed, Barca s main focus will now realistically be on…

Romelu Lukaku has revealed how training sessions at Inter are like a war zone, as well as making clear he wishes nothing but the best for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United.

Lukaku offered Twitter followers the chance to send in questions via social media – and the striker duly replied to a wide range of topics during the session, one that he moved forward to make sure he was free to play NBA 2K later on Tuesday.

The Belgian striker has once again been pivotal for the Serie A leaders this season, scoring 17 goals to help the Nerazzurri stride four points clear at the summit in their pursuit of a first league title since 2010.

Inter coach Antonio Conte was known for a combative approach during his playing days and, according to Lukaku, he …

Netherlands star Vivianne Miedema has tested positive for COVID-19, ruling her out of the Oranje s Group C fixture with Portugal on Wednesday.

Miedema scored 14 goals in 22 Women s Super League appearances for runners-up Arsenal last season, a tally only bettered by Chelsea s Sam Kerr (20).

The 25-year-old, widely regarded as one of the best players in the women s game, has also netted an incredible 94 goals in 112 international appearances, making her the Netherlands all-time leading scorer.

Miedema started her country s Euro 2022 opener on Saturday, a 1-1 draw with Sweden, but coronavirus will prevent her facing Portugal.

An update from the Oranje s Twitter account read: Vivianne Miedema has unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19 and will therefore…

Kingsley Coman signed a new long-term deal with Bayern Munich on Wednesday, keeping the winger at the Allianz Arena until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

The France international has been one of Bayern s most consistent performers across his six-and-a-half years with the club, during which time he has made 217 appearances, even though he has struggled with injuries.

Coman wrote his name in club folklore with the winner in the 2019-20 Champions League final against former side Paris Saint-Germain, one of 17 trophies he has won with Bayern.

Following confirmation of Coman s new contract, Stats Perform picks out some of the standout numbers from the 25-year-old s time in Bavaria.

– Only Manuel Neuer (255), David Alaba (259), Joshua Kimmich (280), Thomas M…

Chelsea are interested in signing Declan Rice from Premier League and London rivals West Ham United in the summer transfer window, according to . It has been reported that Chelsea are among three clubs in England who are keen on securing the services of Rice, who plays predominately in midfield but can also operate in central defence.

Rice is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and is also a regular in the England squad. The 23-year-old has made 24 appearances in the Premier League for West Ham so far this season, scoring one goal and providing four assists in the process. Rice has also scored two goals in four Europa League games, has scored one goal in two FA Cup appearances, and has made one appearance in the Carabao Cup.

West Ham are aiming to finish i…

A binding ruling in the Super League case will be handed down on December 21.

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice will rule that morning on whether or not UEFA and FIFA acted lawfully in blocking the creation of the Super League in April 2021, and in seeking to sanction the clubs involved.

The ruling is a binding interpretation of European Union law, and once handed down the case will then be referred back to the Madrid commercial court that will apply it to the facts of the Super League case.

Bernd Reichart, the chief executive of A22 which is promoting the concept of a new European league, said: “Club football is on the eve of major change. We hope the European Court of Justice will end the monopoly of UEFA and enforce the fundamental freedoms …

Lautaro Martinez s fine goalscoring form continued as he sealed top spot for Argentina in Group A, with a 2-0 victory over Peru, who were eliminated from the competition.

With Lionel Messi out due to a groin injury, the forward stepped up, scoring at the start and end of the second half to ease any nerves after a slow first 45 minutes at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Leandro Paredes miss from the penalty spot did not prove costly as Peru failed to threaten in what was a must-win game.

Argentina will face the runner-up of Group B in their quarter-final, while Canada take second place in the group after their 0-0 draw with Chile, while Peru make an early exit.

With a place in the quarter-finals already secured, Argentina made a slow start to the game Alej…

Holders Algeria have been grouped alongside two-time winners Ivory Coast following the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations draw ceremony held in Yaounde on Tuesday.

The delayed event, which will be hosted in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6, features 24 teams for the second time with six groups of four.

Algeria, who triumphed in Egypt in 2019, are alongside 1992 and 2015 winners Ivory Coast as well as Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea in Group E.

Hosts Cameroon will open the tournament in Group A, where they were drawn alongside Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Cape Verde.

Record seven-time winners Egypt, who last lifted the title in 2010, are grouped with three-time champions Nigeria, Sudan and Guinea-Bissau in Group D.

Arsenal team-mates Pierre-Emerick A…