Cech penalty save crucial to victory – Wenger

Arsene Wenger says he feared for his fatigued  players when Arsenal conceded a penalty in Sunday s 3-0 Premier League win against Watford.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles brought down Roberto Pereyra with the hosts leading 2-0 at Emirates Stadium, but Troy Deeney s effort was superbly saved by Petr Cech before Henrikh Mkhitaryan added to earlier goals from Shkodran Mustafi and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang to wrap up the win.

Deeney had questioned Arsenal s cojones following their 2-1 defeat at Vicarage Road earlier in the season, making Cech s save – his first from a spot-kick since 2011 – all the sweeter for the home side, who snapped a three-game losing streak in the top flight. 

The result also brought up Wenger s 700th win as Gunners boss, but the Frenchman con…

Costa Rica v Serbia: Grujic and Co believing again in Russia

After years of pain and underachieving, Marko Grujic says belief is back among the Serbia team as they prepare to open their World Cup campaign against Costa Rica.

Back on the world stage for the first time since 2010, Serbia will meet Group E opponents Costa Rica in Samara on Sunday.

Talent has never been a problem for Serbia, with mentality and execution proving the Balkan nation s downfall having failed to progress beyond the group stage of the World Cup – though they did reach the round of 16 at the 1998 tournament as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

But with Serbia boasting the likes of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Nemanja Matic, Dusan Tadic and Grujic, Mladen Krstajic s side could be on the cusp of something great.

We haven t played well during th…

Gallagher, Toney & Guehi: The England internationals could still be set for a late summer move

While many of England’s big-name stars might still be dusting themselves down following their EURO 24 final defeat against on July 14th, they could be set for a hectic end to the summer transfer window.

Although it might appear almost certain that Everton ace will be staying put at Goodison Park this summer, there is plenty of speculation around many England internationals.

While many of England’s might still be working within some incredibly tight financial restrictions, the likes of Manchester United have already broken the bank.

With just over a month left until the summer transfer window slams shut, we have taken at some of the English poster boys that could be set for a late switch.

Conor Gallagher Chelsea

While might have been frequently in…

Japan v Poland: Hasebe wants win to seal last-16 spot in style

Japan captain Makoto Hasebe has urged his side to go for the win against Poland and move into the last 16 of the World Cup in style.

The Samurai Blue are somewhat surprise leaders of a balanced Group H after two matches, having followed up a 2-1 win over Colombia with a 2-2 draw against Senegal.

A point against Poland, who will be heading home after the group phase, will guarantee Japan s spot in the next round, where they will face either Belgium or England.

However, Hasebe is eager to claim all three against Adam Nawalka s side and build some momentum for the rest of their campaign.

I don t think we can enter the match looking for a draw and to get the results we want, he said.

Although we earned four points in two matches, we haven t accompl…

Government and PFA want review of pitch perimeter safety after serious injury

The Government and the Professional Footballers’ Association have called for a review of pitch perimeter safety after a non-league player suffered a serious injury last season.

A letter has been sent by Sports Minister Stuart Andrew and PFA chief executive Maheta Molango to the chief executives of the Premier League, the EFL, the National League and the Football Association in a bid to avoid a repeat of what happened to Alex Fletcher.

The 24-year-old required emergency brain surgery after he suffered a fractured skull colliding with an advertising board reinforced with concrete blocks in a match for Bath last November.

A message from Alex Fletcher.

— Bath City FC (@BathCity_FC)

The letter, seen by the PA news agency, calls on leagues and the…

Prediction: Lecce vs Fiorentina

Best Odds: 11/10

Bookmaker:

Two sides who find themselves battling it out at the foot of the Serie A table, Fiorentina will travel to the Stadio Via del mare on Monday night when they meet Lecce.

Lecce

Starting with the hosts, while Lecce might have marked their Serie A return over the summer, it appears that the Giallorossi are destined for a relegation scrap this time around. Although Marco Baroni s side might have been last seen on October 9th as they put in a gritty display at the Stadio Olimpico, the former Cremonese boss saw his side get hit with a 2-1 loss at the hands of Roma. Despite picking up what was a much-needed 2-1 victory away at Salernitana before heading into September s international break, that is the only win that Lecce have collected since…

The Rise and Fall of Chilean Football in International Competitions

Colo Colo lost against Botafogo in the pre-Libertadores round 24Horas

The Chilean Primera Division is not living their best moment right now.

Yes, the Chilean National Team has been pretty successful during the decade. But that success hasn t translated to the league yet. In fact, it only takes a minute to analyse the squads, and we can see they are not very strong. There are some decent players, sure. But Chile sits behind Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and even Uruguay when it comes to the overall strength of their domestic competition. That is not good, and the overall results at the international stage confirm it.

First, let s start analysing which teams have been successful over the years. And we can see we have Universidad de Chile on top. They won the 201…

How to win draw no bet football bets

Draw no bet (DNB) football market can be used to protect your stake and make a profit in the long run. Bettors use this selection compared to the double chance pick, looking to exploit a higher profit margin. In this article, I will show you how to win draw no bet football bets using statistics and pre-match analysis.

What is draw no bet

Draw no bet is a prevalent market used by punters who like to wager money on the full-time result. Let s use the match between Burnley and West Ham as an example.

Draw no bet gives you the option to pick the winner of a match having also a safety net of a full stake return in case the game ends in a draw. As you can see from the above screenshot we have different offering you good odds for your selection. You decided to plac…

Neville: Arsenal midfielder Xhaka must make peace with fan abuse

Manchester United great Gary Neville admits modern footballers are perceived differently to their predecessors but says Granit Xhaka must be willing to accept fan criticism.

Arsenal stripped Xhaka of the captaincy following his angry response to being jeered by his own supporters in the recent Premier League match against Crystal Palace.

The much-maligned Switzerland midfielder cupped his hear, removed his shirt and appeared to swear at a section of spectators as he was substituted in the second half of the 1-1 draw at Emirates Stadium.

Xhaka said he had reached boiling point after receiving abusive comments at matches and over social media, part of the growing anything goes culture Neville condemned. 

But the ex-England international insisted players mu…

Al-Khelaifi claims Madrid bettered PSG´s Mbappe offer, hits out at ´dead´ La Liga

Kylian Mbappe decided to stay at Paris Saint-Germain due to the club s project and rejected a more lucrative offer from Real Madrid, according to the Parisians president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Al-Khelaifi also hit out at suggestions Mbappe possesses undue influence in footballing decisions at the club in an explosive interview with Marca, as well as labelling La Liga dead and claiming to never have heard of the league s president Javier Tebas.

Mbappe was widely expected to join Madrid upon the expiry of his contract in Paris this month, but committed his future to PSG until 2025 in a shock decision in May.

That decision sparked fury in Spain, with Madrid president Florentino Perez claiming the striker must already be sorry for snubbing the European champions, and …