Liverpool destroy Barcelona at Wembley (0-4)

Bad image shown by Barcelona in their last pre-season game. Luis Enrique's boys suffered a huge defeat against Liverpool that were more prepared and showed more desire in the game.

The first half didn't start well. Klopp's players had more pace and Coutinho, Mane and Firmino were incredibly dangerous. It was the forty million signing from Southampton Mané ho opened the score. Ter Stegen, who defended Barcelona's goal in the first half, didn't have any chance to stop him. Arda Turan lost a ball in midfield and from there it all went even worse. Messi had Barcelona's best chance of the match, but his shot hit the post. Suarez had given him a very good assist.
Barcelona were patient, recovered the ball and ended the second half with better feelings. But they started the second one in the worst possible way. Two consecutive goals. Claudio Bravo was in goal by then but he wasn't the one to blame. Barcelona started the second half really slowly and Henderson -with Mascherano's help- and Origi put the 3-0 in a couple of minutes.
With only a few minutes to gol, Grujic scored a header and put the 4-0. A day to forget for Barcelona at Wembley.

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Great finishing Mbwana Samata KRC Genk vs Oostend

Great finishing Mbwana Samata KRC Genk vs Oostende and the final result Genk 4 - 1 Oostende

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring a bicycle kick on his first Red Devils appearance.

Ibrahimovic, 34, met Antonio Valencia's cross with a typically athletic volley as United beat Galatasaray 5-2.
The Turkish side bossed the remainder of the half and led thanks to goals from Sinan Gumus and Bruma.
But a much-changed United side turned the match around through Wayne Rooney (two), Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata.
And Swedish striker Ibrahimovic believes the future is bright for the Red Devils, who continue to be linked with a £100m move for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.
"There is something big on the go, it's going to be very interesting this year," he said. "Let us say that if Pogba comes too, it's going to be very interesting.
"I'm going to help the team as much as I can and do what I'm good at, creating chances and scoring goals."
Manager Jose Mourinho used 22 players and will leave Gothenburg with as many questions as answers as he ponders his starting XI for next Sunday's Community Shield, which sees his FA Cup winners face Premier League champions Leicester at Wembley.
Ibrahimovic led the line in the first half, with Rooney behind him and Anthony Martial and Henrikh Mkhitaryan either side.
But half-time replacements Marcus Rashford, Ashley Young and Jesse Lingard looked far sharper and led to United's revival after a sleepy first 45 minutes.
Rooney equalised with a clean volley from another Valencia cross before Rashford won a penalty with an individual run from near halfway, and captain Rooney converted.
Valencia then made another goal as Fellaini drifted a header into the corner and Mata - who was sold by Mourinho at Chelsea - collected Michael Carrick's clever ball to slide in.
World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger - one of nine players reportedly told they can leave the club - did not feature.

Manchester United: De Gea, Valencia, Bailly, Blind, Shaw, Schneiderlin, Herrera, Mkhitaryan, Rooney, Martial, Ibrahimovic. Subs: Johnstone, Romero, Darmian, Jones, Rojo, Fellaini, Carrick, Lingard, Mata, Young, Memphis, Rashford.

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Last chapter of Michael Phelps’ Olympic career will be written clean, focused and on his own terms

BALTIMORE — For a beast of a man, an athlete who has made the Olympic Games his own personal splash pad, Michael Phelps carries with him some heavy regret.

Yes, the Baltimore native is the most decorated Olympian in history, a winner of 22 medals (and counting, presumably). And yes, the 31-year-old will be watched in Rio de Janeiro next month like few other athletes.
But if this is indeed going to be Phelps’ “Last Goodbye” — as the artistic Under Armour commercial so vividly will serenade television viewers throughout the Rio Games — there is some unfinished business as well.
Outside of the pool, Phelps likes to think of himself as a new man now, determined to put some of the turmoil of his past behind him. He is sober, fit and lean like never before. A humiliating drinking-and-driving charge from 2014 is also in the rearview, while the focus is on his newborn son, Boomer and fiancé, Nicole.
In the pool, there is the regret of the London Olympics four years ago where Phelps admits with frustration that he essentially gave away medals in the 400-metre medley and 200-metre butterfly by not preparing properly.
For a guy who has struck Olympic gold 18 times, the mere idea of having more to prove seems ludicrous. But Phelps admits a brilliant career has been accomplished despite not going all out, all the time.
“It’s kind of a crappy way to go out and retire and kind of know that you still had more in there and that you could do better,” Phelps says. “That’s something I didn’t want. I deserve the results that I got in London. I didn’t put the work and the time in to deserve any better. I take the full blame. I never want to look back 20 years down the road and say what if I had done this, what if I had done that.”
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Although he declared his retirement after the London Games, something burned in Phelps. Those London results didn’t sit well for a number of reasons. There was friction with his long-time coach, Bob Bowman. There was the issue of motivation and the arrogant belief (though not without some truth) that he could beat the best in the world with minimal preparation.
It wasn’t until the aftermath of in evening in September 2014 that the comeback got serious, however.
After a solid night of drinking and gambling at Baltimore’s Horseshoe Casino, cops caught the decorated Olympian’s Ranger Rover weaving and speeding through the Fort McHenry Tunnel heading out of downtown. He was arrested on a DUI charge, pleaded guilty and was given probation. He spent time in a rehab facility in Arizona and emerged from the entire experience a new man.
Without preaching, Phelps talks of the alarm-clock effect of the arrest. He re-evaluated his personal life and re-focused his athletic pursuits and now. He has qualified for three individual events and could take part in three relays to add to his medal-laden legacy in his fifth Olympic appearance.
“I’m going because I want to,” Phelps says. “I want to go and swim again. I got hungry. I fell back in love with the sport again. I just want to look back and show I’ve got nothing else to prove — 100 per cent, first time ever.”
Phelps drops the “100 per cent” line several times during his media appearance at the Baltimore headquarters of Under Armour, one of his main sponsors. The genesis, he said, came from a friend who challenged him shortly after he decided to come back for one more Olympics.
“A buddy of mine from Michigan sat with me and dared me to give 100 per cent,” Phelps recalls. “I’ll never forget him saying that to me because nobody has ever said that to me in my life. He was daring me.
“It’s really weird to say this, but I don’t know really the last time I gave 100 per cent, the max.”
Indeed, since firmly committing to qualifying for Brazil, Phelps has been working like a man possessed. He is focused, more in tune with what he puts in his body, more attentive to Bowman and ultimately committed to peak one final time in his brilliant career.
“What he’s done this past year and a half is remarkable,” says Keenan Robinson, Phelps’ dry-land trainer. “He lived through the Beijing to London (Olympic quadrennial) where he did whatever he wanted. He had already set the standard so high.
“But it’s not like he just shows up, falls in the water and medals fall out of the sky. From my standpoint, he’s on track and he’s on pace. We won’t know for sure until Aug. 14 when the Games are done, but until then we’re going to make sure we check all the boxes possible.”

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Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will determine where Wayne Rooney plays for his country, says new England boss Sam Allardyce.

Rooney, 30, featured as a forward and in midfield under previous England manager Roy Hodgson during Euro 2016.
Allardyce said it was too soon to confirm whether Rooney, England's record scorer, would remain as captain.
"I still think Wayne Rooney still has a massive place to play in the England side," said the 61-year-old.
"If Jose says he is not going to play him in centre midfield and he is playing up front and scoring goals for Manchester United then it would be pointless me bringing him into England and playing him in centre midfield."
With Rooney likely to face competition for a starting spot at Old Trafford from forwards Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial, Allardyce said a player's club form will be important in him being selected.
"I don't know until that happens with anybody, let alone Wayne Rooney," he added. "I hope there are standout players all over the place when the Premier League starts.
"I hope it's a hugely difficult task for me to pick my first squad because everybody is on really good form and playing exceptionally well."

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Manchester United is delighted to announce the Swedish international striker Zlatan Ibrahimović.

Ibrahimović, 34, made 180 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 156 goals. He has won championships in four different leagues since beginning his professional career with Malmo in 1999. Zlatan represented his country 116 times, scoring 62 goals, before announcing his retirement from international football last month.

Zlatan Ibrahimović said:

"I am absolutely delighted to be joining Manchester United and am looking forward to playing in the Premier League. It goes without saying that I cannot wait to work with Jose Mourinho once again. He is a fantastic manager and I am ready for this new and exciting challenge. I have thoroughly enjoyed my career so far and have some great memories. I am now ready to create more special memories in England."

Jose Mourinho said:

"Zlatan needs no introduction. The statistics speak for themselves. Ibra is one of the best strikers in the world and a player who always gives 100 per cent. He has won the most important league championships in the world of football, now he has the opportunity to play in the best league in the world and I know he will grasp this opportunity and will work hard to help the team win titles. I am certain that his talent will delight fans at Old Trafford next season and that his experience will be invaluable in helping to develop the younger players in the squad."

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Manchester City confirm signing of Nolito from Celta Vigo

Manchester City have beaten Barcelona to the signing of Nolito, with the forward choosing to work under Pep Guardiola again after previously doing so at the Catalan club.

Nolito, 29, was given his Barça debut by Guardiola in the 2010-11 season when the Spaniard was in charge at the Camp Nou. Barcelona were intent on taking him back to the club, whom he opted to leave to join Benfica in 2011, before moving to Celta Vigo in 2013. But in an indicator of Guardiola’s attraction it is understood that Nolito decided to join City from Celta instead, the club triggering his release clause of around £14m and the player agreeing a four-year contract.

Guardiola is also targeting the Ukrainian forward Oleksandr Zinchenko, who plays for Ufa in Russia. If the 19-year-old, who became Ukraine’s youngest ever scorer with a goal against Romania in May, is added to Guardiola’s squad he is likely to be loaned out.

Nolito becomes Guardiola’s second major signing as City coach, following Ilkay Gündogan. Nolito said: “I’m very fortunate that it was he who handed me my debut at Barcelona. I know him a little, I was with him for a short while whenever he got me to train with the first team or included me in the playing squad. I think that Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers in the world. He knows a lot about the game and he’s going to help me progress as a player and I’m sure he’ll get the best out of me.”

Txiki Begiristain, who was Barça’s director of football for most of his time at the club, will be another familiar face. Nolito said: “It was a really satisfying feeling when I heard of City’s and Pep’s interest in me, and also that of Txiki. It’s something I’m really excited about and so here we are.”

Nolito started all of Spain’s matches at Euro 2016 and scored against Turkey in the 3-0 group game win.

Of his ambitions at City, Nolito, who will wear the No9 shirt, said: “I hope to perform well when I get the chance to feature and to be amongst the goals of course. Let’s hope that I can score whenever I make my debut, but firstly that we win the game. That would then be the dream debut and the perfect start.”

He also pointed to the influence of his grandparents, who raised him. “I was brought up by my grandfather and grandmother, they helped to educate me and they provided everything they possibly could for me. For that I am really proud of them and grateful for all they have done and continue to do for me. My grandfather was like a father to me and it was he who bought me my first football.

“They really are a motivation to me, because when you think back to going through more difficult times, by comparison now life is a lot easier. I remember that my grandad was just like a father to me and that he always used to take me along to training and pay my subs as a kid to the local teams in my town when he had to. You never forget stuff like that.

“I’m from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a town in the south of Spain. From as far back as I can remember I’ve always loved playing football. It’s been the same right through until today.”

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Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the signing of Hatem Ben Arfa on a two-year deal.

Ben Arfa, 29, was out of contract at Nice and the French champions have beaten off competition from a number of European clubs to sign the player.

The France international, who scored 17 goals and provided six assists in Ligue 1 for Nice last season, is thrilled to have made the move to the French capital.

"Signing with Paris Saint-Germain is a very happy and a proud moment," Ben Arfa told PSG's official website. "Paris Saint-Germain has always been a very special team for me, so to wear this jersey at the Parc des Princes is a childhood dream.

"It is an honour that the club is giving me this opportunity, making this dream come true. I will do my utmost to represent my new team to the best of my abilities and to make our supporters proud.

"Finally, I would like to thank OGC Nice, who helped me get back to enjoying my football again and gave me another chance to show French fans what I am capable of on the pitch."

Hatem Ben Arfa impressed for Nice last season.

PSG chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi added: "I am happy to welcome such a talented player as Hatem Ben Arfa to our club. For numerous years now, Hatem has been a major player in French football and was one of the most brilliant players in Ligue 1 last season.

"Our fans have been anticipating the arrival of a player of his style and I know he will provide them with a lot of excitement on the field. With his support, Paris Saint-Germain reaffirms its commitment to develop a spectacular style of football."

Ben Arfa, who has also played for Lyon, Marseille, Newcastle and Hull, will be keen to impress new PSG boss Unai Emery after he succeeded Laurent Blanc last month.

His career looked to have plummeted before his arrival at Nice, with his time in England ending with a failed loan spell to Hull after a falling out with then-Newcastle manager Alan Pardew, who left the Frenchman to train with the club's reserves.

Ben Arfa could soon be joined by Grzegorz Krychowiak at the Parc des Princes, with the Poland international expecting to soon have news about whether his proposed move from Sevilla will be completed

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Poland 1-1 Portugal (3-5 on pens): Quaresma sends Seleccao into semi-final

Ricardo Quaresma was Portugal's hero for the second game running as he capitalised on Jakub Blaszczykowski's missed spot-kick to seal a 5-3 penalty shootout win over Poland in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals.

Substitute Quaresma scored the only goal as Portugal, who have reached the semi-finals without winning a game in 90 minutes, defeated Croatia in the last 16.

And the winger rifled his spot-kick high into the goal after Rui Patricio had got down low to his left to push aside Blaszczykowski's effort at the Stade Velodrome after the match had finished 1-1 after extra time in Marseille.

It could easily have been a different story for Poland - who had beaten Switzerland on penalties in the last round - as Robert Lewandowski, much maligned for a series of poor performances throughout the tournament, netted the second-quickest goal in Euros history to end a 645-minute wait for a European Championship goal.

Portugal levelled just after the half-hour, though, as Renato Sanches - man of the match off the bench versus Croatia - marked his first international start by becoming the youngest scorer in a Euros knockout match.

And Portugal were left celebrating after the shootout, the miss particularly harsh on Blaszczykowski, who scored twice earlier in the competition and has been so influential in Poland's best showing at a European Championship.

Wales or Belgium now await Portugal in the last four. 

Both teams played 120 minutes in their last-16 ties, but Poland showed no signs of weariness early on and stormed ahead after 140 seconds.

Cedric misjudged a looping pass and Kamil Grosicki raced down the left before centring for Lewandowski, who clinically side-footed into the left corner from 10 yards.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani were largely isolated by Poland's stern defence early on, but the momentum slowly shifted Portugal's way, the former flashing a shot at Lukasz Fabianski from the edge of the box before seeing penalty claims waved away after being bundled to the ground by Michal Pazdan.

And the leveller came in the 33rd minute. Nani's clever flick set up Sanches and his 25-yard left-foot effort took a slight deflection before nestling in the right of the goal past a despairing Fabianski.

There was little to split the teams at the start of the second half, but Ronaldo will feel he should have done better after being slipped in on the left of the area and shooting straight into the side-netting.

Ronaldo then fluffed his lines from eight yards with an air shot after finding space to meet Nani's low ball, before Cedric flashed a 25-yard effort past the left-hand post.

Portugal almost got lucky when Artur Jedrzejczyk's attempted clearance came close to finding Fabianski's bottom left corner, while the luckless Ronaldo failed to make contact with Joao Moutinho's sublime ball over the top.

Neither team was able to make the breakthrough in regulation time, though, and there were few talking points in a drab extra time - the match pausing briefly due to an ill-advised pitch invader.

That meant penalties were required to settle the affair with Ronaldo and Lewandowski setting the tone for a fine shootout with excellent penalties.

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Zlatan deal could be end of Rooney

The message was short and simple from Zlatan Ibrahimovic as he announced his imminent arrival at Old Trafford, but the details and consequences are still to be discovered. The 34-year-old becomes a United player late in his career but no less perfect for the role Jose Mourinho needs to fill in the season ahead.

Under Louis van Gaal last term, United was largely toothless in attack. Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford all had various spells of success as the main striker but none of it was ever sustained enough to suggest that any of the trio could play 40 games and score 25 or more goals in a Mourinho line-up.

Zlatan’s arrival speaks to the need for a winner, it speaks to the desire Mourinho has for making a real statement, and it also says much about Rooney’s slipping crown.

In 2015-16, it was Rooney who was the focal point. Van Gaal spoke regularly about the elevated position the England captain had in his squad.

"I have not bought a striker because of Rooney and Martial, because they could play in the striker position, and because Rooney is the captain he shall always play," the Dutchman told reporters in one of his many addresses on the subject. In every one, he made it clear that Rooney was as close as possible to undroppable.

But that will not be the case under Mourinho, and definitely not now Zlatan is on the way. Rooney has spent the last two months since his return from a knee injury playing as a midfielder for both club and country. While he has shone at times, his failures in the role have been stark.

The latest of those came in England’s ignominious Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Iceland on Monday night. The symbolism involved in United snapping up a figurehead striker such as Ibrahimovic within three days of its skipper’s latest low says much about the potential for a quick decline in Rooney’s force between now and the end of his career.

Judging by his overall form in midfield so far, Mourinho will still need a great deal of convincing that Rooney has what it takes to pull his weight in the engine room for 40 to 50 games a season. And given that much of his redeployment came as a result of his inconsistencies in the forward line, there are further reasons for the England captain to worry about his place in the United side.

But as Mourinho usually looks to a 4-2-3-1 as his formation of choice, there is still a window of opportunity for the 30-year-old. If he can show that he can work with Ibrahimovic as a No.10, then there is reason for belief still. While Ibra’s quality as a No.9 cannot be doubted, and as such whatever hope Rooney harbored of being United’s star forward again has gone, there is still at least one spot he can fight for.

However, the leash is unlikely to be anywhere near as long as the one that Van Gaal held, with the Portuguese keen to bring immediate success to Old Trafford following United’s three lean years in the Premier League race. Whichever area of the pitch he decides to call home, Rooney needs to raise his game to earn a prolonged role in the United first team, and Zlatan is a very loud reminder of exactly that. Aside from a spell of seven goals in seven games at the beginning of the calendar year, Rooney’s impact last season was negligible.

He will not be allowed to get away with such ineffectiveness again under his new boss. And if he didn’t know that before Zlatan announced his arrival in Manchester, he certainly knows it now.

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic has confirmed he will sign for Manchester United

The 34-year-old was out of contract after four years at the French champions. He will link up again with his former Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford. "Time to let the world know. My next destination is Manchester United," he wrote on his Instagram account. United, who finished fifth in the Premier League last season and failed to qualify for the Champions League, have yet to confirm the move

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Lukaku 'Bale is better than Hazard'

Jordan lukaku, Romelu's little brother and left back in Belgium's Euro 2016
squad, has made some interesting remarks, stating that the thinks Gareth
Bale is better than his teammate Eden Hazard.

"Bale is for me perhaps slightly higher than Hazard. He's been playing longer at
that level,” he told the press.

"At key moments at club level Bale is the man and he stands there, while Hazard is
still not consistent."

"The staff will devise a plan to neutralise Bale and Aaron Ramsey because they are
the strongest players Wales have. So we will find a way to counter them but it will
not be one player, it will be the whole team."

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BAYERN TARGET VARANE

Carlo Ancelotti is ready in raid former club Real Madrid to bling Rafael
Varane in Bayern Munich, according to le Parisien

The centre-back is one of Ancelotti's key targets after taking over at the German
giants, considering him the most promising defender in the whole of Europe.

However, Zinedine Zidane has no desire to sell Varane and has already reportedly
dismissed enquires from the Premier League for the 23-year-old, with José
Mourinho also understood to be a long-term admirer.

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Grzegorz Krychowiak to PSG

Sevilla midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak is set to move to Paris St Germain for 40 million euros, according to media reports in Spain and Poland.

The deal, if confirmed, will make the 26-year-old the most expensive Polish player with Spanish newspaper Estadio Deportivo reporting that the main terms of the contract have been agreed.

The defender is familiar with Ligue 1, having played for Bordeaux, Reims and Nantes before joining Sevilla in 2014. He made 26 appearances for the Spanish club in the 2015-16 season.

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Roy Hodgson resigns as England boss after Euro 2016 exit

Roy Hodgson's statement as he resigns as England manager after a humiliating exit lose 2-1 by Iceland in the last 16 of Euro 2016 who will be hosts to face France in the quarter final.

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That’s it for our coverage of Italy 2 vs Spain 0

The Italians into the quarter-finals and, whisper it quietly, looking like potential dark horses for the title maybe?
Antonio Conte is winning hearts across Europe for his touchline antics while veterans Buffon and Chiellini continue to defy all the odds.
We’re done now but the live coverage continues with England’s last-16 clash against Iceland.

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OFFICIAL: Dani Alves completes Juventus move

The Brazil international left the Camp Nou outfit as a free agent after a glittering career in Catalunya and now becomes Massimiliano Allegri's second major summer signing Dani Alves has completed his move to Juventus from after signing a two-year contract with the Serie A champions. The veteran right-back, 33, leaves Camp Nou on a free transfer after giving the Catalan outfit eight years service following a €30 million move from Sevilla. It is a transfer that has been mooted for several weeks now, when Barcelona's technical secretary Robert Fernandez said the player "had decided" to depart.

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Messi has retired international duty

Lionel Messi has retired from international duty after missing in a penalty shootout as Argentina lost a fourth major final in nine years. "For me, the national team is over," he said after defeat by Chile in the Copa America final. "I've done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion." Messi, 29, has won eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues with Spanish side Barcelona. But his only major international honour is Olympic gold at the 2008 Games. As well as losing two Copa America finals on penalties to Chile, Messi was in the Argentina side beaten 1-0 by Germany in the 2014 World Cup final. The forward, who was been awarded the Ballon d'Or five times, was also on the losing side against Brazil in the 2007 Copa America final.

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