SOCCER FOOTBALL 24H

England,  put in another excellent performance to beat Lithuania 4-0 at Wembley in their qualifier. It is probably fair to say, that two years ago, the Three Lions might have made harder work of this game, and ended up winning from a set piece or goal mouth scramble, however, under Roy Hodgson so far this campaign, England’s performances have been progressive, and the team is slowly starting to click and play attractive, clinical football. As a result we take a look at five things that were learned from the match. Danny Welbeck fits the style of play superbly The Arsenal attacker dispatched again to become the top-scorer in the qualifiers with six goals. However, it is his link-up play which was again, most effective. His movement and intelligence off the ball creates space for the likes of Wayne Rooney and the midifelders, and he can become a top player in time. It is hard to believe he is still only 24, and he will prove that Manchester United were ...

Liverpool's hopes of being the club to drag Ciro Immobile out of his Borussia Dortmund misery has suffered a blow after AC Milan reportedly declared their interest in the Italy striker. Immobile only joined Jurgen Klopp's side last summer following a breathtaking season for Torino, in which he netted 22 Serie A goals. But according to talkSPORT, the German outfit are now willing to cut their losses on the striker - who has managed only three Bundesliga goals in 17 appearances since making the £13million move. Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers had reportedly expressed an interest in recruiting the out-of-favour Immobile for a knock-down fee, and whilst interest will no doubt intensify after the forward put his German house up for sale, it is Milan who now appear the front-runners to secure his signature.

Brazil coach Dunga says the team will help Neymar become the nation's all-time top goalscorer, but warned that the only number that will really matter come the end of his career is how many World Cups he has won. The Barcelona striker has netted eight of Brazil's 17 goals since Dunga's arrival as coach in July 2014, inspiring the Selecao to seven consecutive victories. But for all his fine individual form, 1994 World Cup-winning captain Dunga says all Neymar should really concern himself with is becoming a world champion. "We do hope he becomes Brazil's record goalscorer and we will try and help him to do that," Dunga told a press conference. "But the number of goals he scores won't be a problem - it's about how many World Cups he wins." The 23-year-old now has 43 goals in 61 internationals and is widely tipped to eclipse Pele's total of 77 official international strikes by the time he hangs up his boots. He is expected to start Sunday...

Both Liverpool and Real Madrid are considered suitors of the 33-year-old, who hosts over 100 international caps for Sweden. Since January there have been reports coming from France that the player is tired of Ligue 1 and seeking a new challenge, with the Premier League appearing an attractive destination for the forward. But Ibrahimovic has put his foot down, insisting he is going nowhere. "I'm happy in France," he said. "I wouldn't have come to France if I hadn't liked it and I wouldn't have signed a new contract if I hadn't liked it and played for this long if I hadn't liked it." "All those other things that are being said is just that they want to drag me down from the top but they won't succeed, neither will you, I am happy at the top and that's where I'll stay." Unfortunately for Ibrahimovic, PSG may have to sell him in the summer in order to appease UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations - which they...

SOCCEROOS coach Ange Postecoglou went into this morning’s clash against Germany wanting his team to continue their climb up the international football ladder. His counterpart Joachim Loew was seeking a tough contest that would get Germany’s World Cup defence back on track. A heart-pumping 2-2 draw gave them both what they were hoping for. In a game that Australia could have easily won, the Socceroos took up where they left off at the Asian Cup, doing their country proud in a whole-hearted display that proved once again that under Postecoglou they will not take a backward step against any team in the world. They have never lacked heart, but their most recent performances have shown that skill and cohesion have been added to the mix. In fact, if not for the lack of the kind of ruthless finisher that Germany and the other top nations seems to grow on trees, they could have been out of sight by half-time. If Socceroos’ supporters ever needed evidence of just how much the t...

UEFA President Michel Platini has been re-elected for a third four-year term at the helm of European football at the XXXIX Ordinary UEFA Congress in Vienna. Mr Platini, who was the only candidate, was re-elected by acclamation by delegates from UEFA's 54 member national associations. The Frenchman was elected as UEFA President at the XXXI Ordinary UEFA Congress in Dusseldorf in January 2007, and was re-elected for a second term at the XXXV Ordinary UEFA Congress in Paris. Mr Platini thanked Europe's national associations for the confidence they have continued to show in him. "Thank you – thank you very much," he said. "Thank you for your trust and your kind support. This means more to me than you can possibly imagine. "I am proud to be your team-mate, proud to be the captain of this winning team and proud of our achievements," he added. "And I am excited to be taking on the challenges that await us over the next four years. "I know tha...

Suarez was to have the final say though, as he registered his first goal in an El Clasico by controlling Dani Alves's long ball before turning to strike into the far corner.   Barca went in front after 18 minutes when Mathieu headed home Messi's in-swinging free-kick from the left for his first league goal for the club.   Neymar should have doubled the hosts' advantage on the half hour when he fired straight at Iker Casillas with the goal gaping after a miss-hit Suarez shot rolled across goal.   Seconds later Real were level thanks to a lovely move as Benzema backheeled Luka Modric's pass into Ronaldo's path and he poked the ball past Claudio Bravo on the stretch.   The visitors then went on to end the half the stronger as Gareth Bale had a goal ruled out for offside, whilst Bravo tipped a piledriver from Ronaldo over and Bale stabbed inches wide from the resulting corner.   Madrid also had the first opportunity of the second-half as lovely link-up pl...

United were already leading through Mata's composed finish in the 14th minute at Anfield on Sunday when Gerrard made Liverpool's task even harder as he earned a red card just 43 seconds after coming on as a half-time substitute. Making his final appearance against United before his close-season move to LA Galaxy, Gerrard was sent off, for the eighth time in his career, for a clear stamp on Ander Herrera. United took full advantage of their numerical superiority as Mata scored a quite brilliant second goal in the 59th minute. Angel di Maria picked out the former Chelsea midfielder with a clipped pass that Mata converted with a stunning bicycle kick. Daniel Sturridge got one back for Liverpool 10 minutes later, but Brendan Rodgers' side couldn't find an equaliser, leaving Gerrard to apologise. Fifth placed Liverpool are now five points behind fourth placed United. "I have let my teammates and manager down today, even more importantly I let all the suppor...

The draw for the last eight of the UEFA Europa League has been made, with FC Zenit the next obstacle for Sevilla FC to overcome and VfL Wolfsburg paired with SSC Napoli. The draw for the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals has been made in Nyon, pitting together two former winners and bringing positive omens for VfL Wolfsburg, ACF Fiorentina and holders Sevilla FC. Quarter-final draw Sevilla FC (ESP) v FC Zenit (RUS) • Two of the three previous winners left, Sevilla and Zenit met three times in 2005/06, two of them in the last eight with the Spanish side triumphing 5-2 on aggregate en route to lifting the UEFA Cup for the first time. Club Brugge KV (BEL) v FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (UKR) * • Club Brugge, the only unbeaten team left in the competition, have encountered quarter-final debutants Dnipro once before, the Ukrainian outfit prevailing 3-2 in a UEFA Cup group stage tie in 2004. FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) v ACF Fiorentina (ITA) • The Italian club have not lost in four meet...

The German team will be favoured against the unexperienced Portuguese side, which beat Bayern in the 1987 European Cup final, after reaching the quarterfinals for the 14th time. Porto won the 2004 trophy under coach Jose Mourinho by defeating Monaco in the final. “The atmosphere in Porto is very heated,” Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said. “With these fans it won’t be easy for us, but we have played in many different stadiums with varying atmospheres and we will know what to expect.” PSG will be without its main striker against Barcelona for the first leg at the Parc des Princes after Zlatan Ibrahimovic was suspended for one game following his sending off against Chelsea in the previous round. PSG beat Barcelona 3-2 at home in the group stage but lost 3-1 at the Camp Nou. The teams also met in the quarterfinals two seasons ago, with Barcelona progressing on away goals. Atletico and Real Madrid will be facing each other for the seventh and eighth times this season, with R...

Wales international manager Chris Coleman has come out to urge Real Madrid star Gareth Bale to forget about a move to Manchester United, according to reports from the Daily Mail. The 25-year-old has been on the receiving end of quite a bit of criticism from the Madrid fans in recent weeks. However, he silenced some of his critics after netting a brace in a 2-0 victory against Levante at the weekend, but is still being linked with a move to Manchester United. His unsettled situation at the Bernabeu has alerted the likes of the Red Devils as well as Chelsea, with both Premier League sides hoping they can lure him back to England. There were even rumours suggesting that United were prepared to include star goalkeeper David de Gea in a swap deal to ensure Bale's arrival. Despite all the speculation regarding the Welsh winger, Coleman revealed that he believes Madrid is exactly where the former Tottenham Hotspur man belongs. "He should stay where he is," he said. "Chelsea...

m The Qatar World Cup 2022 final is set for Sunday December 18 The climax of the winter World Cup will take place a week before Christmas - a decision which will allow traditional Boxing Day club matches to take place. UEFA president Michel Platini said the decision was acceptable - but warned that FIFA must now protect four international dates that could be disrupted. Meanwhile FIFA's executive committee meeting in Zurich has chosen France to host the 2019 women's World Cup over South Korea. The 2022 World Cup is to be played in the winter to avoid the fierce heat of June and July, and it will be a shortened tournament over 28 days instead of the usual 32, starting on November 21. The final on Sunday December 18 is also Qatar's national day. UEFA had initially pushed for the final to be as late as December 23 but Platini said he now supported December 18. He insisted however that FIFA now had to re-arrange the calendar to protect up to four international dates that...

The two most successful clubs in English football meet on Sunday, and with a Champions League place to play for, it doesn't get much bigger than this.  Liverpool v Manchester United Sunday, 13:30 Live on Sky Sports 1 It probably hasn't escaped your attention that I am indeed a Liverpool supporter. I was hugely disappointed, devastated in fact, last season when The Reds blew the league title, and while this year didn't start too well,  Brendan Rodgers  has seemingly worked his magic again and got his players purring. If we ignore European action - something which Liverpool have evidently done this term - then Liverpool haven't lost a match inside of 90 minutes since their trip to  Old Trafford  back in December. The 3-0 scoreline didn't reflect the way the match went and, despite the defeat, I took positives from the performance. Since then it's been a run to rival last year's success. They may not be scoring the goals that Luis Suarez and co. deli...

We want to give our opponents the feeling that they don't stand a chance," said Frank de Boer as his AFC Ajax side look to overturn a 1-0 deficit against FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. Frank de Boer,  Ajax  coach: "It's going to be a tough job to reach the quarter-finals. The main focus will be scoring the first goal, but we have to beware of our opponents, because they will be waiting for us to make mistakes. We have to be fully focused, keep the ball moving and play our own game. We want to give our opponents the feeling that they don't stand a chance and can't draw breath until the final whistle." Olexandr Ivanov,  Dnipro  assistant coach: "It is a very big thing playing against Ajax in a crowded stadium with a great atmosphere. Our opponents will be aggressive and will put us under a lot of pressure because they need a goal. We are fully prepared, although we are missing an important player in each line [defence, midfield and attack]. Other player...