Tunisian side Esperance de Tunis have won the 2008-09 edition of the Arab Champions League. Wydad Casablanca were beaten 2-1 on aggregate in the final.
The first leg, played in Morocco, ended in a 0-1 victory to Esperance for whom the 1-1 draw in the return leg was enough to clinch the trophy.
Wydad almost forced extra time as Rafik Abdessamad netted from the penalty spot in the 66th minute but things went wrong when striker Mustapha Bidoudane was sent off, shortly followed by a penalty to the hosts.
Oussama Darragi converted that spot kick with four minutes to go, thereby securing the final victory.
For Wydad, it is their second consecutive defeat in an Arab Champions League final. Last year, the Moroccans lost 2-0 to the hands of Algerian side ES Setif…
Kaiserslautern have agreed a deal with Eintracht Frankfurt to take striker Olivier Occean on loan for the next two seasons.
The 31-year-old Canada striker joined his new team-mates on Monday after the clubs agreed a deal that includes the option for Kaiserslautern to sign the player for an additional year.
Occean s contract is valid both in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 and he will provide a wealth of experience for the second-tier outfit.
The striker led the attack during Greuther Furth s promotion campaign in 2011-2012, scoring 17 times in 33 games to attract the interest of Frankfurt.
He has racked up 29 caps for Canada, scoring six goals.
Kaiserslautern finished third in Bundesliga 2 last term, narrowly missing out on an immediate return to the German…
Following the two-week international break and then a double gameweek, the Premier League fixture schedule returns to normal this weekend with 10 fixtures across two days.
That is not to say there are not still some huge selection decisions to make when it comes to picking your fantasy side in what is now very much the business end of the campaign.
Some players are quite simply undroppable at this stage, while others look good value for those willing to take a gamble and make up some points.
Using Opta data, Stats Perform has picked out four players – one for each position – that look good value to help your side this weekend.
Here s how the table looks at the end of Matchweek 29
— Premier League (@premierleague)
Emi Martinez (As…
Real Madrid sold 15 Cristiano Ronaldo jerseys per minute at the club s shop at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in the two hours that followed the player s presentation on Monday, reports said Wednesday.
The shop sold 2,000 jerseys bearing the Portuguese striker s name and the number nine once sported by club legend Alfredo di Stefano during the period at 85 euros (118 dollars) each for a total revenue of 170,000 euros, sports dailies AS and Marca reported.
In the rush, 300 black and white Ronaldo jerseys were stolen. The Cristianomania continued on Tuesday as the adult size jerseys were sold out at the shop.
Ronaldo, 24, did much better than Real s other big name new recruit, Brazil s Kaka, who joined the Spanish giants from AC Milan in early June for 65 million e…
Former Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has joined Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s coaching staff on a full-time basis.
Fletcher came through United s academy as he spent two decades at Old Trafford during his playing career. He returned to the club in October 2020, taking up the chance to coach the Under-16s.
The 36-year-old who also had spells at West Brom and Stoke City, as well as winning 80 caps for Scotland has now accepted a full-time role working with the first team.
I am delighted to be returning to the club as a first-team coach, Fletcher told United s official website.
It s a very exciting time for this young team and I am looking forward to taking the next steps in my coaching career by working with Ole and his staff.
Solskjaer i…
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino insisted his players were not distracted by Lionel Messi rumours ahead of Saturday s hard-fought 2-1 win over Troyes.
PSG commenced their Ligue 1 campaign with the come-from-behind victory after goals from new signing Achraf Hakimi and Mauro Icardi.
The Parisians have been heavily linked with Lionel Messi in recent days after Barcelona confirmed his departure but Pochettino insisted that had no impact on his team s display.
No, I don t think so, the players and the team have been focused, Pochettino said at the post-game news conference. They are professionals.
His name is associated with different clubs, there are plenty of rumours, but the players have remained committed, they will be until the end of…
Market: Derby County win
Odds: 4/6 @
Two sides who find themselves battling it out at opposite ends of the League One table, Derby will travel to Highbury when they meet Fleetwood on Saturday lunchtime.
Starting with the hosts, while some in Fleetwood’s camp might have had their sights set on mounting a genuine top-half charge this season, new boss Charlie Adam has a real job on his hands in 2024. Last seen on New Year’s Day putting in another downbeat performance as they slumped to a routine 3-1 loss at the hands of Shrewsbury, the one-time Stoke midfielder finds his squad sat rock-bottom of the League One table and rightfully tipped as a landslide relegation scrapper here. Already five points adrift of third-tier safety, the Lancashire-based outfit have co…
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has issued a firm hands-off warning to Barcelona over David Luiz, insisting they will reject all offers.
The 26-year-old has been heavily-linked with a shock exit, with the La Liga champions reportedly keen on luring him to Camp Nou.
But Mourinho poured cold water on any hope of a move, declaring Luiz will not be sold for any price.
No chance he is going to leave. He is a player we want to keep, Mourinho told BT Sport.
He is a player with four years (on his) contract, he just signed a contract last year.
We like him. He is an important player for the club and the club is not ready to sell him for any price.
The Brazil international joined Chelsea in 2011 and is just one season into a five-year deal signed last September.…
League Two side Mansfield Town have appointed caretaker boss Adam Murray as their permanent manager.
Murray, who has served as both a player and assistant manager since 2012, became caretaker last month following the departure of Paul Cox by mutual consent.
In his spell as caretaker Murray led Mansfield to a 1-0 win over Plymouth Argyle and a victory by the same scoreline in an FA Cup first-round replay with Concord Rangers.
Mansfield were beaten 3-0 by Luton Town last Saturday but that has not stopped the club from making Murray the youngest manager in the Football League.
Murray told Mansfield s official website: After much thought and consideration, I feel the time is right for me to take this step into management.
I m excited about this …
Serbia midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has played down comparisons between his game and that of World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane, saying: I see myself as more of a Yaya Toure.
Milinkovic-Savic scored 12 goals in 35 appearances for Lazio as the Biancoceleste finished fifth in Serie A in 2017-18, and his performances drew comparisons to former France, Juventus and Real Madrid star Zidane.
The 23-year-old is now with the Serbia squad, preparing for their World Cup Group E opener against Costa Rica, and says he is relishing the pressure of stepping onto the game s biggest stage.
I think that I m in a really good place right now, he told FIFA.com.
Pressure? I love pressure, it gets the best out of me. That s when I feel the best and give maximum on the …