Ecuador s Edison Mendez believes their FIFA World Cup opener against Switzerland is crucial to their hopes of progression from Group H.
The nations meet in Brasilia on Sunday before group rivals France and Honduras face off later in the day.
As Mendez seeks to help guide Ecuador to the knockout stages in their third World Cup, he feels an opening-game victory is vital to their chances.
The first match will be important not to lose. Against Switzerland it is for is six points, not three, he told EFE.
They are a direct rival and we have to get the points. (A win) gives us the ability to fight against France and against Honduras.
Mendez has 111 caps for his country and was part of the side that made it to the last 16 of the World Cup in 2006.
After Ec…
Benfica are keeping close tabs on Manchester United striker Bebe, Portuguese newspaper .
The Eagles are on the lookout for a new centre forward as Oscar Cardozo is widely tipped to leave and boss Jorge Jesus seems to be considering a move for the Red Devils starlet.
The 23-year-old is likely to be offloaded this summer as he has another year left on his contract with his agent Jorge Mendes a personal friend of Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira.
Bebe joined Manchester United in a shock switch from Vitoria Guimaraes in the summer of 2010, but has since made just two Premier League appearances for the Red Devils.
Following unsuccessful loan spells with Besiktas and Rio Ave, the talented forward managed to impress at Pacos de Ferreira last term, scoring 1…
Ryan Giggs will pursue a career in management after ending his 29-year association with Manchester United, and says he has served the best apprenticeship .
The former Wales international, who won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns as part of a bumper haul of silverware at Old Trafford, confirmed his departure from the club on Saturday.
Giggs was on David Moyes coaching staff and served as assistant manager to Louis van Gaal following the departure of Alex Ferguson in 2013, but will not work alongside new United boss Jose Mourinho.
And the 42-year-old, who also had a brief spell in charge following Moyes exit, will now shift his full focus to forging a career as a manager.
The time feels right and, although I have no immediate plans …
Cristian Zapata is set for surgery on an ankle injury he suffered during the Copa America.
The AC Milan defender played in all five of Colombia s games at the Copa America Centenario last month as they reached the semi-finals before being knocked out by Chile.
In a statement, the Serie A side said: AC Milan announces that, in the course of the Copa America, Cristian Zapata suffered a lesion to the capsular ligament in his left ankle.
After a consultation with professor Niek van Dijk in Amsterdam, the player will have to undergo surgery in the coming days.
Zapata signed for Milan on a permanent basis in 2013 after initially joining on a season-long loan from Villarreal.
The centre-back made 21 appearances last season, scoring one goal.
…
According to a report from Sky Sports News, Tottenham Hotspur are looking into the possibility of signing Youri Tielemans. The Monaco midfielder has been with the club since 2017 when he joined from Belgian side Anderlecht, and has also made over a dozen appearances for the Belgium national team since debuting in 2016. Some reports are suggesting that talks have already begun, although Tottenham have denied any interest in the 21 year old.
Alas, even though Spurs are interested, it’s Leicester City that are said to be at the forefront of the race for his signature. This potential move would see Adrien Silva go in the opposite direction, following a somewhat disappointing spell at the King Power Stadium for the summer signing.
Monaco are now said to want £20 million …
Sean Dyche has called on Premier League referees to improve their decision making after Burnley salvaged a 1-1 draw against Southampton.
Ashley Barnes converted Burnley s first top-flight penalty since April 2017 to resuce a share of the spoils at Turf Moor, cancelling out Nathan Redmond s opener.
Burnley should have had a penalty in the first half, when Alex McCarthy bundled into Barnes, who instead received a booking after displaying his frustration.
Refere Anthony Taylor showed little hesitation in pointing to the spot in stoppage time when Jack Stephens handled from Peter Crouch s header, but Dyche was unimpressed by the official s decision in the first half.
We have had two games with big decisions go against us, Dyche told reporters.
At la…
Liverpool have signed two players this summer so far, two midfielders. Alexis Mac Allister has arrived from Brighton and Hove Albion, and Dominik Szoboszlai has come from RB Leipzig.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has bee thriving lately in a role different to the one he played in previous years, is keen to team up with the newcomers.
“Top players, exciting for the club, exciting for the team. It’s always exciting when we sign new players.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold says he CANNOT wait to play with new signings Alexis and Dominik .
— Football Daily (@footballdaily)
…
Barcelona attacker Ansu Fati became the youngest goalscorer in a Clasico in the 21st century after he netted against Real Madrid at Camp Nou.
The Spain international tapped in from close range in the eighth minute after latching onto Jordi Alba s cutback.
His strike cancelled out Federico Valverde s opener, which had come three minutes earlier during a frantic start.
At the age of 17 years and 359 days, Fati is the youngest player to score in a meeting between Barca and Madrid in the 21st century.
1 Con 17 años y 359 días, Ansu Fati del se ha convertido en el jugador más joven en marcar en en el siglo XXI en todas las competiciones, superando el anterior récord de Vinícius Júnior con el Real Madrid (19 años y 233 días). Precoz.
�…
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola described his players as a credit to the game after Sunday night s 5-1 demolition of Valencia in La Liga.
The Catalans, who have won 13 titles since Guardiola took charge in 2008, fell behind to an early goal from Pablo Piatti at Camp Nou but came storming back to win courtesy of four goals from Lionel Messi and one from Xavi.
Guardiola insisted after the game that this current Barca squad, who travelled to Japan in December to claim the Club World Cup, had again underlined why some pundits believe them to be the best side ever assembled.
He also argued that his side do not deserve to be 10 points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid at this point in the season.
We played very well this evening, the former Spain international…
Tottenham’s Premier League home game with Nottingham Forest will take place as planned on Sunday evening despite police opening a murder investigation following a stabbing near their stadium.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to Northumberland Park in Haringey shortly before 6am on Sunday morning after a man was found unresponsive with multiple stab wounds. Despite attempts by paramedics to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The club initially said the match would proceed with its 6pm kick-off “as things stand” but quickly updated their guidance to confirm the fixture remained on.
“Following an incident in which an individual has lost their life, we are doing everything to accommodate the ongoing police investigation, wh…