Karim Benzema came off the bench to give Real Madrid a 2-1 win over 10-man Sporting CP and keep their hopes of top spot in Champions League Group F alive.

Borussia Dortmund lead the way heading into the final matchweek, holding a two-point advantage following a scarcely believable 8-4 win over group whipping boys Legia Warsaw.

Madrid appeared condemned to second place when Adrien Silva s penalty cancelled out Raphael Varane s 29th-minute opener, despite Joao Pereira having already seen red for inexplicably punching Mateo Kovacic in the stomach.

Sporting managed to keep quiet returning hero Cristiano Ronaldo, who failed to score in a match against one of his former sides for the first time in the Champions League, but they could not prevent Benzema from expertl…

Manchester United have been knocked out of the Europa League after suffering a 3-0 defeat the second leg of their quarterfinal clash with Sevilla.

Though he admits his team lacked character at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, manager Erik ten Hag believes they have what it takes to bounce back once more.

Many times now after City, Liverpool, after Brentford, and everytime we bounce back.

Erik ten Hag says his Manchester United team do have character but it went missing last night against Sevilla

— Football Daily (@footballdaily)

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Riyad Mahrez s Wembley treble was the highlight of Manchester City s 3-0 FA Cup semi-final victory over Sheffield United, but he was more focused on avenging a different sort of hat-trick.

City had suffered defeat in the semi-finals of the competition for the past three years, part of a sequence that had seen them lose four out of five at Wembley – as many as they had in their first 18 at the ground since it reopened in 2007.

A cagey first half saw City head into the break just one goal ahead, with Mahrez on target, and he stole the spotlight in the second half to send the Championship promotion hopefuls packing.

His goals ensured he became the first player in history to score an FA Cup semi-final treble at Wembley and the first overall since Alex Dawson for Ma…

Accountants have voiced concern over the short-term viability of Liverpool s parent company as the club s American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, attempt to refinance 350 million pounds of debt.

Annual accounts for Kop Football (holdings) Ltd., which were published on Thursday, showed that the parent company made losses of 42.6 million pounds in the year to July 2008, largely due to interest payments on the debt that was incurred to enable Hicks and Gillett to buy the club.

The club s accountants, KPMG, issued their warning in a note attached to the accounts.

It said: The group has credit facilities amounting to 350 million pounds which expire on 24 July 2009. The directors have initiated negotiations to secure the replacement finance required by the grou…

After seeing Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski get snapped up by the likes of Germany, Poland s football association (PZPN) is now scouting the globe s vast Polish diaspora for talent.

Polish fans and the PZPN alike dream of reviving a long-lost golden age, with their sights set on glory on home turf at Euro 2012, after failing to make it to the 2010 World Cup.

Getting budding internationals to opt for Poland is part of the strategy.

The goal is to never again to have cases like Podolski or Klose, said Maciej Chorazyk, 35, the PZPN s diaspora pointman.

The duo were born in Poland and emigrated to Germany as youngsters. Called up by Germany, they turned Poles into nervous wrecks during the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008, when twists of fate drew Germany an…

Atletico Madrid full-back Juanfran has offered resounding support to coach Diego Simeone ahead of Sunday s derby against Real Madrid.

Simeone famously led Atletico to the Liga title in 2013-14 and enjoys an enviable record against Real – something emphatically demonstrated when his men stormed to a 4-0 victory at the Vicente Calderon in last season s corresponding fixture.

But Atleti head into the latest showdown on the back of consecutive defeats, to surprise Liga pacesetters Villarreal and Benfica in the Champions League, and with question marks remaining over Simeone s decision to depart from his trusted 4-4-2 formation in favour of 4-3-3 this term.

Speaking at a club foundation event, Juanfran said: We have the best coach in the world. We are fully confid…

Timothy Fosu-Mensah has signed a new contract at Manchester United that will keep him at the club until June 2020.

The 18-year-old defender, whose previous terms had been due to expire at the end of the season, has signed a deal that has an option for a further year.

I am delighted to have signed a new contract here at Manchester United, Fosu-Mensah told the club s official website.

I have enjoyed every minute since I joined this great club and I want to continue the progress that I feel I have made so far.

I am learning every day from the manager and the coaching staff. I appreciate the trust that the club has in me and I want to repay that with my performances on the pitch.

I am delighted to have signed a New contract here At Manchester Unit…

Juventus are interested in Noa Lang from Club Brugge in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that although Brugge do not want to sell the winger, they could cash in on him if they get an offer of €20 million.

Lang has made 21 starts and eight substitute appearances in the Jupiler Pro League so far this season, scoring eight goals and providing five assists in the process. The 23-year-old Netherlands international winger also played four times in the UEFA Champions League this campaign.

Juventus are second in the Serie A table at the moment with 63 points from 33 matches. Meanwhile, Club Brugge are currently fourth in the Belgian First Division A table at the moment with 59 points from 34 matches.

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Forest Green chairman Dale Vince believes football is finally waking up to the climate crisis ahead of clubs embracing the latest Green Football Weekend campaign.

Green Football Weekend has returned for a second consecutive year with supporters encouraged to try a vegetarian option instead of a meat dish at football grounds this week where a number of activities will take place.

Arsenal and Liverpool will host a veggie lunch for fans ahead of Sunday’s clash at the Emirates, while Crystal Palace ditched plastic cups for paper beer cups for Tuesday’s home fixture with Sheffield United and West Ham hosted a veggie bake-off.

The is here ​

We re joining the football community to tackle the issue and stand up for our planet ​

Are you joining in…

Juventus hope Claudio Marchisio will be fit in time to help them overturn a first-leg deficit in their Coppa Italia semi-final at Fiorentina on Tuesday.

Massimiliano Allegri s side suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat in the home tie last month, as Mohamed Salah scored either side of Fernando Llorente s strike.

Marchisio suffered a knee injury while on international duty and with Juve needing victory by two goals to progress to the final, Allegri hopes the midfielder will be able to play some part, with Andrea Pirlo (calf) and Paul Pogba (hamstring) still out.

Marchisio is doing well, Allegri said on Monday. He s returned to the squad, however he s been working separately.

Considering the number of games he s played from the start of the season to now, I thin…