Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo had mixed feelings despite seeing his penalty shoot-out heroics send his side into the EFL Cup quarter-finals.
Bravo made saves from Alfred N Diaye and Conor Coady to lead City to a 4-1 shoot-out victory over Wolves after a 0-0 draw on Tuesday.
The Chile shot-stopper said it had been a tough outing for City, who have been dominant this season but were unable to find a breakthrough against Championship opposition.
I have mixed feelings because it s been a really difficult game for us. It s not what we re used to, Bravo told Sky Sports through a translator.
They created a lot of chances, they could ve scored some goals along the way but luckily we managed to sort it out in the end with the penalty shoot-out.
…
Stewart Downing has rejoined boyhood club Middlesbrough on a four-year-deal after the Championship side agreed an undisclosed fee with West Ham.
Versatile midfielder Downing came through the youth ranks at Middlesbrough, and left for Aston Villa in a reported £12million deal in 2009.
The 30-year-old later joined Liverpool, but endured a difficult spell on Merseyside and moved to Upton Park in August 2013.
It s great to be back home I always said I wanted to come back to this club and I m delighted the chance has now come, Downing told Boro s official website.
I didn t put a time limit on it but now the circumstances are right.
There was a shout about me coming back here on loan when I was at Liverpool, but for one reason or another it d…
European champions Spain will step up their preparations for Euro 2016 with an international friendly against Belgium in November.
Spain will travel to Belgium on November 17, four days after hosting England in Alicante.
Spain and Belgium have qualified for next year s European Championships in France after topping their respective groups.
Next month s fixture will be the first meeting between Spain and Belgium since 2009.
David Silva and David Villa scored braces as Spain routed Belgium 5-0 in a World Cup qualifier.
Belgium have not beaten Spain since their quarter-final penalty shoot-out win at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
…
Jules Kounde will set himself no limits at Barcelona following his transfer from Sevilla, while revealing his famed goal celebration is a tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
The France international sealed a switch to Camp Nou on Thursday, having held out on a lengthy courtship from Chelsea, to become the latest big-name capture amid Xavi s squad revival.
Kounde joins the litany of players to arrive at the Catalan outfit this close season, following the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie through the door.
But despite the rarefied company the centre-back finds himself in, he intends to not allow himself to be limited in comparison and is determined to compete alongside the best to prove his place.
I’m…
It promised to be an emotional night for Sweden and for Zlatan Ibrahimovic in particular.
The 34-year-old revealed in the build-up to Wednesday s final Group E game against Belgium that he would retire from international football after Euro 2016. Only a win at the Stade de Nice would extend the iconic attacker s Sweden career. It was not meant to be.
Sweden lost the game. Sweden lost Ibrahimovic. Sweden lost a legend.
There was a moment of brilliance halfway through the first half when the former Paris Saint-Germain striker lifted the ball off the ground with a subtle touch, before seeing his volley blocked by a Belgian defender, while he again came close minutes later when he aimed just wide from 20 yards out. He even had a goal disallowed after the break.
…
Erik ten Hag praised Manchester United’s collective efforts defensively after David de Gea collected the Golden Glove award for the goalkeeper with the most Premier League clean sheets.
United’s 1-0 win at Bournemouth brought De Gea his 17th shut-out of the campaign, taking him clear of Liverpool’s Alisson Becker, as well as helping the team to within a point of Champions League qualification.
De Gea has been at fault several times this season, most recently in gifting West Ham a goal in a 1-0 defeat at the London Stadium and as the team crashed out of the Europa League against Sevilla.
Yet against Bournemouth he gave a reminder that his shot-stopping ability and reflexes remain undiminished, making three excellent saves from Dominic Solanke, David Brooks a…