Sports

Jude Bellingham scored on his return to action as Real Madrid beat lowly Cadiz 3-0 to move to the top of LaLiga.

Bellingham had missed the last two games for Los Blancos after suffering a shoulder injury in the 0-0 draw with Rayo Vallecano which also saw him ruled out on England’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.

But the 20-year-old looked back to his best as he scored for the 11th time in 12 league appearances this season after being set up by Rodrygo, whose earlier brace had set the away side on their way to an impressive win.

0-3 14 64 74 |

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)

Real went close to taking the lead in the third minute when Dani Carvajal’s attempted cross took a big deflection and almost caught o…

After a number of false dawns since Alex Ferguson s retirement from coaching, Manchester United are reportedly looking to make a splash with Erik ten Hag.

West Ham s Declan Rice has emerged as one of Europe s premier defensive midfielders and is seen as a key piece in a potential rebuild.

According to reports, this off-season might be the time West Ham and Rice s representatives look to cash in.

TOP STORY – UNITED TO MAKE RECORD PLAY FOR RICE

Manchester United are ready to break their transfer record and make him a marquee signing under new boss Erik ten Hag, according to 90Min.

It is understood West Ham made an offer to extend Rice s contract last year, but ultimately, the Hammers would be unable to compete with likely wage offers …

Manchester City moved closer to the Premier League title with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa in their first match since the remarkable European Super League fiasco. 

City were among 12 elite clubs signed up to play in a controversial new continental competition until its spectacular collapse on Tuesday. 

They appeared to be suffering a hangover from the affair as John McGinn gave Villa the lead inside the first minute, though the impressive Phil Foden and Rodri ensured Pep Guardiola s men went in at the interval ahead. 

City s hopes of victory appeared to suffer a blow when John Stones was dismissed before half-time, but Matty Cash saw red before the hour to level things up as the leaders sealed a win that moved them 11 points clear of Manchester United, hav…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be re-joining AC Milan in January after keeping his word about a renewal at LA Galaxy, the Serie A club s sporting director Leonardo has confirmed.

Ibrahimovic enjoyed two years at Milan from 2010, initially joining on loan from Barcelona before eventually signing a permanent deal.

The Swede was a revelation in his one season as a Milan-owned player, scoring 28 times in 32 Serie A games.

Now 37, Ibrahimovic had been linked with a return to Milan having made a strong impact in MLS.

But Milan will have to consider other options, as Leonardo understands Ibrahimovic has opted to remain with the Galaxy.

Ibrahimovic won t be returning to Milan, Leonardo told Sky Sport Italia. He gave his word to LA Galaxy that he would rene…

San Marino scored their first home goal in six years – and their first of any kind since 2017 – in Saturday s 3-1 Euro 2020 qualifying defeat to Kazakhstan.

Placed 209th in the latest FIFA rankings, joint-bottom with Anguilla, San Marino s run without a goal on home soil stretched back 20 matches since a 5-1 loss against Poland in September 2013.

They had also failed to find the net home or away since Mirko Palazzi s consolation goal in a 5-1 reverse at the hands of Azerbaijan 26 months ago, suffering 9-0 defeats to Russia and Belgium and an 8-0 loss to Norway during that streak.

Those barren goalscoring runs ended in the qualifying clash with Kazakhstan in Serravalle thanks to Filippo Berardi s second-half strike.

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Kenny Dalglish will manage a team of Liverpool legends in a charity match against former AC Milan stars next month.

Reds great Dalglish made 515 appearances for the club between 1977 and 1990, scoring 172 goals, and enjoyed two spells as manager, first between 1985 and 1991 and then again between 2011 and 2012.

He lifted six league titles and three European Cups as a Liverpool player, before winning the top flight three times while in the dugout.

Proceeds from the game against Milan Glorie, which will be played at Anfield on March 23, will go to the LFC Foundation and AC Milan s official charity, Fondazione Milan.

Players confirmed to appear include Kaka, Andrea Pirlo, Paolo Maldini, Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman.

I certainly didn t expect to…

Julen Lopetegui expects Sevilla to leave our lives on the pitch in the Europa League final against Inter, for which Lucas Ocampos remains a doubt.

Sevilla have won Europe s secondary club competition a record five times, three of which came in succession from 2014 to 2016.

They take on Serie A runners-up Inter in Cologne on Friday and Lopetegui hopes to continue the club s rich tradition in the Europa League.

However, the former Real Madrid and Spain boss acknowledged overcoming Antonio Conte s team will prove an extremely difficult task.

We are calm. This is a final we have worked hard for. The objective is to arrive well in every way, with balance and the right emotions, Lopetegui told a pre-match news conference on Thursday.

Inter are a very …

Gareth Bale could make his first appearance since rejoining Tottenham after he was named on the bench for the Premier League fixture with West Ham.

The Welshman returned to his former club on loan from Real Madrid in late September but was unable to play immediately due to a knee injury.

Spurs always said the target was for Bale to feature after the international games in October, and that is set to be the case as they resume domestic duties following the break.

Jose Mourinho has included Bale among the substitutes for Sunday s game, along with another new recruit in Carlos Vinicius.

London derby focus

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)

Bale scored 55 goals in 203 matches for Spurs during his first stint. He was twice named PFA Pla…

Jurgen Klopp believes it is unfair to expect players to engage in political protests at the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

The decision to host the tournament in Qatar – where male homosexuality is illegal – has long been criticised due to concerns about the country s human rights record.

England s Harry Kane will be among eight European captains to wear a distinctive heart-adorned armband at the tournament, in order to raise awareness of the OneLove campaign against discrimination.

Meanwhile, tennis great Billie Jean King has called on players to act as influencers in Qatar, but Klopp believes handing down that level of responsibility is unjust.

I understand 100 per cent that we talk about it, Liverpool manager Klopp told Sky News after receiving the …

Manchester United s quest to return to greatness suffered another humbling setback on Tuesday as they crashed out of the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2015-16 with a 3-2 defeat to RB Leipzig.

While the scoreline suggests a close, hard-fought encounter, in truth the one-goal deficit flattered Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s side greatly as the visitors had fallen 3-0 behind in Germany.

It was yet another stark reminder that this once great club is now a faded power, lacking direction in the boardroom and from the sidelines.

Julian Nagelsmann learned from his errors in the 5-0 Old Trafford defeat earlier this season, while Solskjaer seemingly sent his team out to rely on a defence that has conceded fewer goals than just seven teams in the P…