greenmatt

  When Desire Doue walked off slowly and disconsolately after only 64 minutes at Arsenal in October, the teenager touted as French football's next golden boy looked alone and out of his depth. Fast forward six months - with a potential Champions League semi-final reunion with the Gunners a growing possibility - and Paris St-Germain's brilliant young forward has captured the imagination of Europe. For someone whose name translates to 'desire gifted' in English, the 19-year-old has lived up to that billing since putting the false start behind him in spectacular fashion. Doue's day of disappointment came in a 2-0 loss at Emirates Stadium in the tournament's new league table format. Since then, he has matured into a central piece in the new PSG assembled by coach Luis Enrique, performing superbly when Manchester City were beaten 4-2 at Parc des Princes in January, then delivering a brilliant cameo as a substitute before scoring the decisive penalty in the shootout w...

  The clubhouse clock was ticking towards 11pm on the night of Rory McIlroy's greatest day in golf. In the hours that followed his dramatic play-off win over Justin Rose to land his first Masters Green Jacket, the Northern Irishman talked and talked and talked. First to CBS's Jim Nantz and Augusta chairman Fred Ridley in the Butler Cabin, then to the assembled members for the formal prize presentation. Then numerous television interviews, the media in the sumptuous press building. Then to the clubhouse, where he joined club members in the Grill Room to discuss the dramatic preceding hours that had captivated the sporting world. And then more television interviews. Eventually he emerged into an adjacent room where we had been waiting - Greenmatt Northern Ireland's Stephen Watson and RTE's Greg Allen - colleagues with whom I've shared so much time covering McIlroy's extraordinary career. As he entered the room, the new Masters champion saw us waiting, puffed out h...

  Publishe Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk are in talks to fight at Wembley Stadium on 12 July. The rival heavyweight champions hold all four major world titles between them, with Dubois the IBF champion and Usyk the WBA (Super), WBO and WBC belt holder. Usyk, 38, is undefeated in 23 fights and has a win over Dubois, stopping him in August 2023. Their rematch would be for the undisputed heavyweight title as well as offer 27-year-old Dubois the chance of revenge. While talks are ongoing between both camps, no contracts have been signed. Dubois has won three fights since his defeat by Usyk, securing a knockout in each of them. If the Londoner cannot reach terms with Usyk, he will be ordered by the IBF to face 49-fight veteran Derek Chisora who the IBF has as its number one contender. The projected date in July comes in the middle of a busy period in sport with Katie Taylor's trilogy fight against Amanda Serrano on 11 July in New York, the final weekend of Wimbledon on...

  Real Madrid  have published their squad list for Sunday’s away match against Alaves. Goalkeepers : Courtois, Fran González and Sergio Mestre. Defenders : Alaba, Lucas V., Vallejo, Fran García, Rüdiger and Asencio. Midfielders : Bellingham, Camavinga, Valverde, Modrić, Tchouameni, Arda Güler and Ceballos. Attackers : Vini Jr., Mbappé, Rodrygo, Endrick and Brahim. Dani Ceballos is back after recovering from the serious muscle injury he suffered more than a month ago. However, he should not be expected to start and his main goal will be to improve his form and conditioning ahead of Wednesday’s clash against Arsenal.

  Arsenal slipped up in the Premier League title race yet again as they drew 1-1 with Brentford on Saturday evening to hand another  major boost to Liverpool in their pursuit of glory . Arne Slot’s side are 10 points clear of the Gunners, with a game in hand, and face West Ham United in their next outing on Sunday afternoon. The Reds did lose last time out as they were beaten 3-2 by Fulham at Craven Cottage. The result in North London meant Liverpool only need three more wins to guarantee the title - providing Arsenal win their final six Premier League fixtures. However, the data experts at Opta do not believe it will take the current 82-point goal for Arne Slot’s men to seal first spot. After hosting West Ham on Merseyside, Liverpool travel to a Leicester City side who are highly likely to be relegated, before Tottenham Hotspur travel to Anfield at the end of the month. Opta predict final points total needed to win Premier League title Arsenal can only reach a maxim...

  Manchester United have reportedly ‘asked for information’ on the transfer of a Premier League and international goalkeeper, with Andre Onana soon to be pushed out. The signing of Onana has at many times looked like a failed one for United. He’s the Premier League goalkeeper with most errors leading to goals in all competitions since joining the club in 2023. Two of those errors came in United’s Europa League quarter-final first leg against Lyon, after which reports stated he has been losing the trust of the coaches, and there’s ‘serious consideration’ about replacing him. Brighton man Bart Verbruggen could be the man to do it. The 20-cap Netherlands keeper, who’s started all but two Premier League games for his club side after sharing duties last season, is on United’s radar, with them and Bayern Munich said to have ‘asked for information’ on him, per  Gazzetta dello Sport . Verbruggen is also being eyed by AC Milan, but the report admits that move could ...

  When asked for his thoughts on   Mohamed Salah 's freshly-announced Liverpool contract extension,   Pep Guardiola   could only give a muted congratulations. His reaction to that question and others during Friday's press conference showed the vast difference in mood between Merseyside and Manchester City. After months and months of speculation, Liverpool and Salah finally put to rest any lingering doubts of their partnership coming to an end this summer with a big announcement on Friday morning. The Egyptian is now destined to continue his career at Anfield until 2027 at least. As confidence-inducing as this piece of business is for the Reds, it should have the completely opposite effect on rivals. And that is the impression Guardiola certainly gave off when speaking to the media. Asked how good it is to see a player of the 32-year-old's ilk stay in the Premier League, the City manager replied: "That's good to Arne Slot and th...

  Former Chelsea attacker, Joe Cole, has picked the best team in this season’s UEFA Champions League competition. According to him, this is the year for Paris Saint-Germain to win the coveted trophy. Cole believes that the French side would be crowned champions over Barcelona and Arsenal. Cole move forward by saying that Arsenal and Barcelona will not be able to beat PSG this season while praising Aston Villa for their effort in the UCL quarterfinals first leg on Wednesday. The former England international said, “Aston Villa played well by the way, they were on it last night. But PSG are just steamrolling teams, they really are. I think it’s their year, I really do.” Asked if 15-time champions, Real Madrid, would be able to overcome the 3-0 deficit against Arsenal, Cole said, “I don’t. Arsenal are well set up to hold them off. There will be pressure but I’ve watched Real Madrid a few times this year and I think there’s something missing. You never want to write them off but there i...

  He is stuck and hasn't evolved as desired: he will be the big victim of the debacle against Arsenal Florentino Couldn't Have Finished the Match Against Arsenal More Upset . The president of  Real Madrid  considers, internally, that it is one of the biggest embarrassments that has occurred with him in charge. Changes are necessary and  all eyes are on a footballer who not only didn't perform well but also got himself sent off: Eduardo Camavinga . At 22 years old, he seems to have stagnated, and the possibility of cashing in on his sale is on the tabl Eduardo Camavinga Available for 70 Million The Frustration with Eduardo Camavinga Is Real and It Seems His Poor Performance Will Have Harsh Consequences.   It can't be said that the Frenchman is for sale, but it is true that he has lost his untouchable status. He arrived in 2021 for 31 million, and if he leaves, the plan is clear: double the investment that was made. Camavinga has lost his untouchable sta...

  Goalkeeper Andre Onana was at fault for two goals as a last-gasp Lyon equaliser put Manchester United's Europa League quarter-final tie in the balance at the halfway stage. United went behind after 25 minutes when under-pressure Onana failed to get a strong enough hand to Thiago Almada's wide free-kick. In the final seconds of the first half Leny Yoro equalised with his first goal for United by reacting quickly to Manuel Ugarte's volley and diverting the ball into the bottom corner. The visitors thought they had won late on when substitute Joshua Zirkzee headed home Bruno Fernandes' looping cross in the 88th minute. But, with the last play before the final whistle, Onana spilled Georges Mikautadze's shot and Rayan Cherki tapped in on the rebound. United host Lyon in the second leg at Old Trafford next Thursday (20:00 BST). Worst Utd keeper' Onana under pressure after sloppy display Attention was always going to be on Onana who was labelled "one of the wor...