Santander sign Xisco and Henrique

Lucien Favre saluted goalkeeper Roman Burki and the rest of his squad after Borussia Dortmund squeezed through to the Champions League s last 16.

A nerve-jangling 2-1 home win over Slavia Prague and Inter s late loss to Barcelona saw Dortmund finish second in Group F on Tuesday.

Tomas Soucek cancelled out Jadon Sancho s opener before Julian Brandt restored the Bundesliga side s lead just after the hour.

Julian Weigl s subsequent dismissal for two bookable offences led to a tense finale, but Burki brilliantly denied Milan Skoda and Abdulla Yusuf Helal to secure all three points.

Everyone, without a single exception, played a part in this win, Favre said.

It was a crazy match. Constant chances. We had to win this game – it s what we were aiming …

Owen Coyle and Houston Dynamo have agreed to part ways, with the 49-year-old old claiming he wants to be closer to his family back in England.

Coyle joined MLS outfit Houston in 2014 following spells with Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League and Wigan Athletic in the Championship. 

The Scotsman guided Houston to 15th in the overall standings in his first season, winning 11 out of 34 games. 

Dynamo are last in the Western Conference this term, having won just three times to claim 11 points from their opening 12 games. 

Coyle said in a statement: I asked [Dynamo president] Chris [Canetti] if I could speak with him today and I explained to him the challenge of being away from my family and how we all want the best for Houston Dynamo.

I want t…

Cristiano Ronaldo s form is getting better , according to Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti argued on Tuesday that Cristiano Ronaldo s form is not as bad as reports have suggested.

The Portuguese attacker has scored 33 goals for Real in all competitions this season, including 28 in La Liga.

Since returning from a two-match ban incurred for his dismissal at Cordoba in January, Ronaldo is yet to find the back of the net in two domestic outings one of which was Real s 4-0 defeat at the hands of rivals Atletico Madrid.

Ancelotti claimed though, that Ronaldo impressed in their 2-0 win at home to Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday, despite not scoring.

Ronaldo is set to feature when the UEFA Champions League holders head …

The highest levels of the Spanish government Wednesday came out in support of Atletico Madrid, penalised by UEFA for crowd trouble and racist insults by their supporters in a match against Marseille.

The Spanish media also slammed the decision, blaming the Marseille supporters for the incidents and suggesting that France s UEFA president Michel Platini may not be impartial in the matter.

Marseille lodged an official complaint with European football s ruling body after several of their players were targeted by Atletico fans during their Champions League match in Madrid on October 1.

It alleged monkey chants were aimed at the French club s players, while the Marseille team bus was attacked after the match.

Atletico were also charged with a lack of orga…

Lazio and Roma will be playing for more than local bragging rights when they meet in the season s first Rome derby on Sunday evening.

Delio Rossi s Lazio have made a strong start to the season, winning seven of their 11 league matches, draing one and losing three to leave them two points behind leaders Inter Milan in fourth place with 22 points.

One of the main reasons behind Lazio s form is summer loan signing Mauro Zarate. The Argentine, who is on loan from Qatar s Al Saad, has hit seven goals so far and is expected to form part of a three man attack, alongside captain Tomasso Rocchi and Goran Pandev.

Rocchi has already declared what he expects, telling Sky Italia; I wouldn t settle for a draw. The derby is a truly great match and is important to play in. Y…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not injured but being frozen out by Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, claims Adrian Mutu.

Ibrahimovic has been dogged by injuries this season, only recovering from the knee ligament damage that ended his 2016-17 campaign prematurely in November.

The former Sweden international, who will leave at the end of the season amid links to LA Galaxy, made seven appearances – the majority from the bench – before a recurrence of his previous problem.

He returned to training in February but has not featured for United since, and Mutu says that is because of a deteriorating relationship with Mourinho, rather than due to a lack of fitness.

Mourinho doesn t care about the performance, only the result, Mutu told Telekom Sport Romania.

Highly-rated Bordeaux attacker Malcom believes the time has come to leave the Ligue 1 side and is eager to realise his dream of playing for a club like Bayern Munich.

Malcom has been with Bordeaux since leaving Corinthians in January 2016, becoming one of the standout players in Ligue 1 despite still being just 21.

Arsenal and Tottenham have been linked as suitors, with the Gunners initially emerging as favourites for his signature in January when Alexis Sanchez secured a move to Manchester United.

But Bordeaux dug their heels in on that occasion and now Bayern appear to be frontrunners, with the Bavarian giants reportedly keen on bringing in younger wide players, as Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery – both 34 – head towards the end of their careers.

And…

Lazio goalkeeper Federico Marchetti is wanted by top European clubs, .

The Italy international has enjoyed another excellent season at Stadio Olimpico and his impressive displays did not go unnoticed.

According to Il Corriere dello Sport, Barcelona and Manchester United are among clubs showing interest in the 30-year-old.

While the Red Devils are not really expected to make a move any time soon given David De Gea s outstanding showings, the Catalans could decide to submit an official proposal as they search for a successor to Victor Valdes.

Lazio chairman Claudio Lotito has so far refused to negotiate the sale, but he may not be able to resist a big money offer from Camp Nou.

Federico Marchetti, who joined the club in a cut-price deal from Caglia…

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Blaise Matuidi has dismissed suggestions that he is keen on leaving the club.

The 26-year-old, who made 37 appearances last season as Carlo Ancelotti’s side lifted the Ligue 1 title, has just one year remaining on his contract.
But Matuidi is eager to stay at the Parc des Princes, despite rumours that several clubs around Europe are vying for his signature.
I still have a year left on my contract with the club, Matuidi told Le Parisien.
For now, I am a PSG player 100%. I have ever confidence in the club and the president and they have faith in me.
I can say that I will honour my contract until the last.
Matuidi joined PSG from Saint-Etienne in 2011 amid rumoured interest from numerous Premier League sides.
…

Liverpool s Albert Riera warned his Spanish teammates that Turkey, who face the Euro 2008 champions in a World Cup qualifying game on Saturday, are a very aggressive team which plays as one.

Turkey is a proud team, very patriotic, he said. They have a very aggressive game, hard It s a team that plays as one, the midfielder said on Wednesday.

Valencia s Juan Mata, who replaces the injured Andres Iniesta in midfield, said Turkey who reached the Euro 2008 semi-finals is Spain s toughest opponent in the group.

Spain top their 2010 World Cup qualifying group, with four wins from four games, and have only conceded one goal in their last 10 matches.

Turkey are second in the group, which also includes Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Estonia and Armenia.

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