Liam Reddy saved four penalties and scored one of his own as Perth Glory booked a place in the A-League Grand Final by beating Adelaide United 5-4 on penalties following an amazing 3-3 draw after extra time.
Perth seemed set to cruise into their first final since 2012 thanks to Diego Castro s double, but Adelaide roared back to force extra-time through Papa Baba Diawara and Ryan Kitto, who struck an equaliser in the 94th minute.
Adelaide needed another leveller in extra time as Scott Neville s header was cancelled out by Michael Marrone, but Tony Popovic s Premiers finally found a way to win the game in the penalty shootout.
The Reds led 3-1 but Reddy dragged them back into the shootout with some superb stops, allowing substitute Joel Chianese to convert…
Barcelona must regroup from their Champions League exit in order to get their La Liga ambitions back on track at home to Valencia on Sunday.
A month ago Barca were cruising towards the defence of their league title, while a repeat of last season s Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble was still on track.
However, Luis Enrique s men have suffered a surprise slump in form and a run of three league matches without victory including back-to-back losses to rivals Real Madrid, and Real Sociedad has left them just three points clear of Atletico Madrid, and four ahead of Real.
Barca s misery was compounded on Wednesday as they were knocked out of Europe by Atleti, a 2-0 loss consigning the Catalans to a 3-2 quarter-final aggregate defeat.
The downturn …
Paolo Maldini lamented the fading identity of Italian football, with the nation left behind following the success of Spain in continental competition.
As Italy prepare for next month s Euro 2016, former AC Milan captain and international defender Maldini said Italian football needs to start over again .
The Serie A has only been represented once in a Champions League final since Inter won the competition in 2009-10, while Spanish side Sevilla have won three consecutive Europa League titles.
Add to that, Italy have failed to progress beyond the group stages at the past two World Cups.
And speaking ahead of Saturday s Champions League final between Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, Maldini bemoaned: Italian football needs to start over again.<…
Chelsea captain Millie Bright is likely to miss her side’s Women’s Champions League meeting with Paris FC at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
Blues manager Emma Hayes confirmed Bright has a knee problem and, although it is not a serious issue, said the 30-year-old will also be a doubt for Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses squad for the upcoming Nations League games against the Netherlands and Scotland in the first week of December.
Bright had knee surgery prior to last summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where she skippered England to second place, before returning to pre-season training at Cobham ahead of the Women’s Super League season.
Back at the Bridge for some Champions League action on Thursday.
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW)
…
Xabi Alonso conceded he was a bundle of emotions as he brought down the curtain on a glittering playing career during Bayern Munich s 4-1 win over Freiburg.
The Bundesliga champions bode farewell to Alonso and captain Philipp Lahm at the end of yet another triumphant campaign.
Lahm is a celebrated one-club man at Bayern but Alonso has starred for Real Sociedad, Liverpool and Real Madrid, while also claiming Euro 2008, Euro 2012 and World Cup glory with Spain.
I m very satisfied to close my time as footballer, the cultured midfielder told reporters.
Inside there is a lot of emotion. There were moments [in the game] I was about to break.
The sensation I had was a mix of emotion, nostalgia, melancholy and sadness, but at the same time happiness, …
World Cup Preview & Prediction – Group A: Can Ecuador or Senegal stop more Dutch dominance in Qatar?
With only a matter of days until this year s World Cup takes center stage, it will be the Middle East that steals all of the headlines as we enter the festive period.
While all of world football s elite will have their sights set on making history in Qatar, it will be Group A that opens proceedings on November 20th when the host nation meet Ecuador in Al Khor.
With many believing that a high-flying Holland are sat in pole position to cruise their way to the knockout stage, the likes of Senegal will also be looking to punch a ticket out of Group A.
Ahead of what is a month of wall-to-wall international action from the Middle East, we have taken a look at some of the big Group A talking points and who we belive will come out on top.
Expecting more Dutch domin…
William Saliba has said he wants to show Arsenal his true face next season.
The France international has still not played for the Gunners since his transfer from Saint-Etienne in 2019, reportedly worth around £27million (€31.5m).
Loan moves with Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille have followed, but now the 21-year-old centre back is eager to finally show his parent club what they bought three years ago, although he admits he does not know if the Premier League club still want him.
Speaking to Telefoot, Saliba said: I belong to Arsenal, I still have two years left [on my contract].
I will be back with Arsenal. I have played zero matches and I still want to show them my true face and have the chance to play for these fans and this great club.
<…
Lionel Messi admitted he wanted to leave Barcelona in order to get out of Spain after authorities investigated him for tax fraud.
The Argentina star and his father were found guilty of evading tax on income from image rights by a Catalonian court in 2016 and were sentenced to 21 months in prison, although this was changed to a fine a year later.
Messi has now revealed he felt so mistreated during the investigation that he considered quitting Barcelona so he could get out of the country, but he thinks other clubs were put off making official offers as they knew he was at heart a one-club man.
In the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, I had a tough time, Messi told RAC1. Yes, for the issue with the Hacienda [Spain s state tax agency]. It was really difficult for me and my…
Martin Sjogren has agreed his departure as head coach of Norway Women following their woeful Women s Euro 2022 campaign.
Much was expected of two-time European champions Norway after Ada Hegerberg ended her international exile to join an exciting attacking line-up.
But after a 4-1 opening win over Northern Ireland, they suffered a remarkable, record-breaking 8-0 reverse at the hands of hosts England.
Norway could still have qualified for the quarter-finals but instead lost 1-0 to Austria and exited the tournament.
The Norwegian Football Federation confirmed on Tuesday that Sjogren, who had been in charge since 2016, and assistant Anders Jacobson were leaving their roles.
NFF, Martin Sjögren og Anders Jacobson er enige om en avtale som innebærer …
Pep Guardiola is tactically the greatest but his man-management skills leave a lot to be desired and Cristiano Ronaldo is the undoubted best player in the world, according to Medhi Benatia.
Benatia spent two years playing under the tutelage of now Manchester City boss Guardiola at Bayern Munich between 2014 and 2016.
The experienced centre-back s time in Munich was stop-start due to issues with form and injury but he still won two Bundesliga titles and a DFB-Pokal.
Reflecting on working with Guardiola, Benatia told Goal there were positive and negative aspects playing for a coach regarded by many as the best in the game.
Tactically he s the best coach in the world, I don t see one better than him, he said.
But I didn t like him very much in th…