BREAKING NEWS: Barcelona sign Man City legend Aguero on free transfer

Brisbane Roar confirmed their place in the A-League Finals thanks to a 2-1 win over Perth Glory, whose own top-six hopes were ended on Wednesday.

Glory required a win to remain in contention for a spot in the Finals, but found themselves trailing early in the second half.

Jonathan AspropotamItis could not get out of the way of a cross and diverted it into his own net as Brisbane edged closer to the Finals.

Riku Danzaki ultimately got the goal that sealed their qualification in brilliant fashion.

He raced on to Alex Parsons pass in behind the defence on the break and, although Daryl Lachman caught up, Danzaki produced a clever turn to leave him in his tracks before slotting into the bottom-left corner with 17 minutes to go.

Perth pulled one back th…

Massimiliano Allegri might not have selected Paulo Dybala in his starting XI over recent weeks but he believes the Juventus forward can be the leading star in world football along with Neymar when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo leave the stage.

Dybala was named from kick-off for the first time in four Serie A matches against Verona on Saturday and proved to be his side s matchwinner after a late brace – including a stunning solo goal to seal the points – gave the champions a 3-1 victory to close out 2017 a point behind leaders Napoli.

The 24-year-old international has struggled for his best form over the past couple of months and had his commitment questioned by Juventus vice-president Pavel Nedved.

Before the Verona match, Allegri claimed comparisons to …

A delighted Frank Lampard hailed his Chelsea players for returning to form following their miserable loss to West Ham with a vastly improved performance in Wednesday s 2-1 win over Aston Villa.

Goals from former Villa loanee Tammy Abraham and Mount proved enough to ensure Chelsea got back to winning ways after successive Premier League defeats, while the hosts should have won by a wider margin after creating a host of chances in the second half as Willian excelled.

Although Chelsea were unable to claim a third goal, their manager was buoyed by an encouraging display more in keeping with their general form this season, after they had struggled badly in Saturday s home defeat to West Ham.

Having seen his side strengthen their hold on fourth place, Lampard said: I t…

Jermain Defoe will remain at Sunderland for at least another three years after signing a contract extension.

Sunderland narrowly escaped relegation from the Premier League in 2015-16, with Defoe s 15 goals proving crucial to their survival.

The 33-year-old striker has been rewarded with an extension to his existing deal that was due to expire in June 2018, meaning he will remain at the Stadium of Light for a further year.

Manager Sam Allardyce said:  Jermain is one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of the Premier League and is a player that every manager would want to have in their team. 

He proved that beyond doubt last season by scoring 15 league goals, he is in fantastic physical condition and we are very pleased that we have been able t…

Substitute Adrian struck in stoppage time to give Villarreal a 1-0 Europa League semi-final first-leg win over Liverpool at El Madrigal on Thursday.

Adrian, who scored in Atletico Madrid s Champions League semi-final win over Chelsea in 2014, was on hand to potentially deal out further misery to a Premier League side, while Liverpool will need another inspired Anfield night next week.

Liverpool set pulses racing with a remarkable comeback and injury-time triumph over tournament favourites Borussia Dortmund in the previous round – a stark contrast to this largely cagey encounter.

Visiting manager Jurgen Klopp started without a conventional centre forward, leaving Daniel Sturridge as an unused substitute despite Divock Origi s injury absence and Liverpool lacke…

Cristiano Ronaldo had the world at his feet in Moscow on May 21. The Manchester United winger had just helped the Premier League champions win the Champions League and, having scored 42 goals in an incredible season, it appeared that nothing could stop him being crowned as the 2008 World Footballer of the Year.

Fast forward just eleven weeks, though, and the 23-year-old Portugal international is faced with the task of rebuilding his reputation after a close season that has seen him openly defy United by declaring his ambition to move to Real Madrid and foolishly compare himself to a footballing slave.

A disappointing Euro 2008 campaign dented his hopes of cementing his status as the planet s number one footballer and subsequent ankle surgery, that will keep him sidel…

Sampdoria are back in Serie A after defeating Varese over two legs in the final of their promotion play-off.

The Marassi outfit had already drawn first blood in the tie, winning 3-2 thanks to Daniele Gastadello s double and a strike from Nicola Pozzi, cancelling out Emanuel Rivas and Giuseppe De Luca s respective efforts.

Having done the hard work in Genoa already, Sampdoria only needed to avoid defeat in the return leg to confirm their place in next season s Serie A championship, but Pozzi s late goal saw his side go one better and seal a 4-2 aggregate win.

It caps a magnificent turnaround for the club, who despite qualifying for the Champions League play-off round in 2010, saw their fortunes take a dramatic turn for the worst.

The departure of coach Lu…

With clock winding down on a rather busy January transfer market, we already have more than enough to announce the winners despite there’s still plenty of time before the window is officially closed.

English clubs have it until 11pm on Wednesday, 31 January to conclude their transfer dealings and there’s no doubt we will witness a stomping race to the very last minute. The top flights in France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, the Netherlands and Germany also have their respective transfer windows closed on the same day – albeit on different times.

Bundesliga clubs will see their transfer window close at 5pm, but that should not be a worry for Arsenal fans who are waiting for the end of the winter market with a big smile on their face.

And who’d say that would hap…

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has challenged his team-mates to break Europe s established order and challenge for Champions League glory this season.

The runaway Premier League leaders turn their attention back towards Europe s top competition with a trip to Basel on Tuesday.

Kompany has already won every domestic honour available as City s long-serving captain but continental success has proved elusive.

This is the club s seventh Champions League campaign and they have only progressed beyond the last 16 once – losing a semi-final to eventual winners Real Madrid in 2016 – but the dominant nature of their performances under Pep Guardiola this season has many tipping City for glory.

We lacked experience for sure, the 31-year-old centre-back s…

Inter want to extend Walter Mazzarri s contract by an extra year, president Erick Thohir has confirmed.

Mazzarri was appointed as head coach in May 2013, replacing Andrea Stramaccioni, who had overseen a poor 2012-13 campaign in which Inter finished ninth in Serie A.

The 52-year-old led Inter to a fifth-placed finish in his debut season in charge, with the team showing a marked improvement in performances.

Thohir who assumed ownership of Inter last October has now revealed that talks have taken place with Mazzarri about the possibility of extending his present deal by another 12 months to 2016.

We had a long talk with (technical director) Piero Ausilio and Mazzarri, Thohir told reporters in Milan.

We want to go forward with him, but haven t dec…