Paul Ikpe's Blog ❤

​ Joel Pereira saves a penalty in Manchester United’s 9-8 shootout victory Manchester United and AC Milan needed 26 penalties to separate them as United ran out 9-8 winners after a 1-1 draw. Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring in the 12th minute before Suso equalised for Milan just three minutes later. The match went straight… Continue reading AC Milan 1-1 Manchester United: Man Utd win after 26 penalties

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised his players’ “incredible” effort after their pre-season defeat by Liverpool, sealed by Sadio Mane’s late penalty Mohamed Salah wasted no time in returning to goalscoring form as Liverpool came from behind to beat Manchester City 2-1 in New Jersey. The Egypt forward, who scored 44 goals in 52 games… Continue reading Man City 1-2 Liverpool: Mohamed Salah & Sadio Mane score in Reds win

Emile Smith-Rowe is not 18 until the weekend but scored a superb goal in Singapore Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Antonio Adan saved three penalties and scored the winning kick as Arsenal lost their International Champions Cup match. The 31-year-old, who was a half-time substitute, had a remarkable debut in Singapore after signing from Betis. Arsenal teenager… Continue reading Atletico Madrid 1-1 Arsenal (3-1 penalties): Gunners lose Singapore shootout

​ Serena Williams returned to tennis in February after a year out, during which she gave birth to her first child Serena Williams says she is a victim of “discrimination” as she is the most drug tested American tennis player. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion made the claim in a tweet on Tuesday, after doping officials… Continue reading Serena Williams says she is being ‘discriminated’ against over doping tests

​ Richarlison: Everton perform medical for Watford forward before making £50m move Richarlison scored five goals in 41 appearances for Watford during the 2017-18 season – including against Everton at Goodison Park in November Everton hope to sign Watford’s Brazilian forward Richarlison within 24 hours in a deal that could eventually be worth £50m. The… Continue reading Richarlison: Everton perform medical for Watford forward before making £50m move

​ Ozil, capped 92 times by Germany, announced he has quit international football Ehrenfeld is a part of Cologne, Germany, renowned for its multi-cultural community. Senol, working behind the till at one newsagents by the train station, represents just that. About half a century ago, his family uprooted from Turkey and came to Germany as… Continue reading Mesut Ozil: Germany divided because of midfielder decidion to leave

​ Ozil could not stop Germany losing to South Korea and going out of the 2018 World Cup at the group stage Germany’s football association (DFB) has “emphatically rejected” allegations of racism from Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil, but says it could have done more to protect him from abuse. Ozil, 29, said he no longer wants to… Continue reading Mesut Ozil: German FA rejects Arsenal midfielder’s racism claim

​ Ernesto Valverde’s squad is missing its Argentina talisman, with Gerard Pique, Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Rakitic also absent Lionel Messi will miss Barcelona’s pre-season tour of the United States following his World Cup exploits with Argentina. The mercurial number 10 has been given extra time to recover from football’s global showpiece, even though Argentina were… Continue reading MESSI SITS OUT BARCELONA’S INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS CUP CAMPAIGN

Ilkay Gundogan and Mesut Ozil, along with Everton’s Cenk Tosun, pose with the Turkish president Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has quit international football, citing the “racism and disrespect” he has faced in Germany over his Turkish roots. The 29-year-old was criticised after being photographed with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a London event in May. He… Continue reading Mesut Ozil: Arsenal midfielder quits Germany over ‘racism and disrespect’

​ From the sect Moutinho started Portugal’s first two games of this summer’s World Cup. Wolves are set to sign Portugal midfielder Joao Moutinho from Monaco for £5m. The 31-year-old, who has 113 caps, is close to joining the newly promoted Premier League side on a two-year deal. The former Porto player helped Portugal win… Continue reading Joao Moutinho: Wolves to sign Portugal midfielder from Monaco

​ Match-fixing: Parma striker Emanuele Calaio banned and club given points deduction Parma striker Emanuele Calaio has been banned for two years for match-fixing. Parma have also been deducted five points for the 2018-19 Serie A season and Calaio, 36, has been fined 20,000 euros (£17,800). Italy’s National Federal Court (TFN) imposed the sanctions after Calaio… Continue reading Match-fixing: Parma striker Emanuele Calaio banned and club given points deduction

​ Getty Images Senegalese referee Malang Diedhiou is hanging up his whistle after a career that has seen him take charge at the Fifa World Cup, Confederations Cup and the Olympics. Diedhiou, 45, a Senegalese customs inspector, was involved in four matches at the recent World Cup in Russia. He was in charge of the … Continue reading Senegal’s World Cup referee retires

​ https://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.21.6/iframe.htmlWorld Cup 2018: Paul Pogba’s curling shot puts France 3-1 up against Croatia Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says he hopes World Cup winner Paul Pogba “understands why he was very good” during the tournament. Red Devils midfielder Pogba scored as France beat Croatia 4-2 in the final to win the World Cup for the second … Continue reading Paul Pogba: Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho hopes player ‘understands why he was good’

​ Edit Richarlison scored five goals in 41 appearances for Watford during the 2017-18 season Everton are close to signing Watford’s Brazilian forward Richarlison in a deal that could eventually be worth £50m. He signed a five-year deal with the Hornets in August 2017, arriving from Fluminense for £11.5m after starring in the Under-20 World … Continue reading Richarlison: Everton close to agreeing deal worth up to £50m for Watford forward

​ Alisson played in both legs as Roma lost 7-6 on aggregate to Liverpool in the semi-finals of the Champions League last season. Liverpool have agreed a fee of about £66.8m for Roma goalkeeper Alisson. The Premier League club are now expected to hold talks with the Brazil international. The 25-year-old has been at Roma … Continue reading Alisson: Liverpool offer for Brazil goalkeeper accepted by Roma

​ France were crowned world champions for the second time with victory over Croatia Four simple words, used variously as a statement or a question across the country during a baking June and scorching July: “Best World Cup ever?” The 2018 edition of international football’s ultimate gathering was not the most-anticipated tournament in the game’s … Continue reading World Cup 2018: Why the tournament in Russia was statistically the best

https://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.21.4/iframe.htmlCristiano Ronaldo: Juventus newcomer ready for the challenge Cristiano Ronaldo says he is “grateful for the opportunity” given to him by Juventus, as players of his age “usually go to Qatar or China”. The 33-year-old Portugal forward has joined the Italian champions for £99.2m after nine years at Real Madrid. “To come to this club at this … Continue reading Cristiano Ronaldo: New Juventus signing says players his age go to Qatar or China

​ https://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.20.2/iframe.htmlWorld Cup 2018: Kylian Mbappe goal stretches lead Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are “handing over their crown” as the world’s best players to teenage France forward Kylian Mbappe, says former England defender Rio Ferdinand. Mbappe, 19, scored his side’s fourth goal as France beat Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup final in Moscow, … Continue reading Mbappe: France World Cup star ‘taking crown from Messi and Ronaldo’

​ England captain Harry Kane has won the Golden Boot after finishing as the World Cup’s top scorer with Croatia’s Luka Modric winning the Golden Ball for being the player of the tournament. Belgium midfielder Eden Hazard was the second-best player, with France forward Antoine Griezmann third. His French team-mate Kylian Mbappe won the Young … Continue reading World Cup 2018: Harry Kane wins Golden Boot and Luka Modric the Golden Ball {WITH PICTURES}

​ Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionFrench fans celebrate in front of the Eiffel Tower. French fans have been celebrating after their team scored a 4-2 victory over Croatia to win the 2018 World Cup. It was an emotional victory for all the team, but for none more than coach Didier Deschamps, who has now become only the … Continue reading Celebration as France lifts the trophy {MORE PHOTOS}