Sammer signs Bayern extension

Jaime Penedo was the hero for Panama as they beat Trinidad and Tobago 6-5 on penalties in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-finals following a 1-1 draw at the end of extra time.

Penedo saved Lester Peltier s spot-kick in the ninth round of penalties at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday to book the 2013 finalists place in the semi-finals.

Some dreadful defending from Trinidad handed Panama the lead in the 36th minute as Luis Tejada found the net from close range.

But Panama could not hold onto their advantage, and Trinidad equalised eight minutes after half-time when Kenwyne Jones glanced home from a set-piece.

Extra time could not separate the pair and they remained deadlocked in the shoot-out, although Daneil Cyrus missed for Trinid…

Eden Hazard stressed the importance of winning trophies every season at Real Madrid as the star signing eyes silverware in 2019-20.

Hazard swapped Chelsea for Madrid in a big-money move during the off-season after the LaLiga club s difficult 2018-19 campaign.

Madrid finished third behind bitter rivals Barcelona in LaLiga, crashed out of the Champions League in the last 16 and lost in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

Hazard – who led Chelsea to Europa League glory last term – understands the importance of titles at the Santiago Bernabeu.

When you play for Real Madrid you need to win things every season. You need to win, win, win, Hazard told Jay Shetty via Madrid s official website.

If you don t win the Champions League the fans get down and t…

Things have not been so good for Jesus Vallejo in 2019 and he will definitely hope to have a better 2020. The reason for that is that he has been loaned last summer from Real Madrid, but by the end of the year it became obvious that his loan spell has not been a successful one. According to AS, Real Madrid are planning to recall Jesus Vallejo from his loan spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers this Janury.

The 22-year-old has only featured in two Premier League games since making a move from the capital of Spain to Molineux. The Blancos are, expectedly so, worried about the player s lack of playing time and they will be ready to make up the lost time.

Madrid are hoping to bring Vallejo back and then send him out on  a new loan, to another club when the market reopens, amid …

On Monday, Middlesbrough revealed they have contracted Gordon Strachan as their new manager. The former Coventry City and Southampton manager ended a hugely successful spell at Celtic in the summer. Strachan is Gareth Southgate s successor at the Riverside.

Southgate was surprisingly sacked following last Tuesday s 2-0 Championship victory over Derby County at The Riverside. Although that win meant Boro were just one point off the top of the Championship table chairman Steve Gibson fired Southgate.

52-year-old Strachan was immediately installed as favourite with Southgate revealing at the weekend the Scot was interviewed for the job weeks ago.

Strachan ended a hugely succesful period with Celtic this summer. He helped the Bhoys win three SPL-titles between 2005…

Jordan Henderson hinted at regrets over his move to Saudi Arabia as he was formally unveiled as an Ajax player on Friday.

The former Liverpool captain quit Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ettifaq this week less than six months into a lucrative three-year deal.

The 33-year-old has faced fierce criticism over his career choices since last summer and, for the first time, he came close to admitting an error as he was presented at a press conference in Amsterdam.

“In life if you want to call them regrets or mistakes, you can call them that,” Henderson said at a press conference in Amsterdam. “But, at the same time, they’re only mistakes if you don’t learn from them.

“Looking back, at the time, obviously it was a big decision. It was a decision I felt wa…

Bundesliga outfit Hannover are showing interest in Valencia full-back Joao Pereira, according to Cadena SER.

The 96ers are vying for European positions in Germany s top flight and they hope to improve their options at right-back in January.

Cadena SER has learned that Valencia defender Joao Pereira has emerged as their primary target, with Hannover officials already establishing the initial contact with the La Liga side.

The former Portugal international has found himself on the fringes at Valencia following the arrival of compatriot Nuno Espirito Santo and he has been told that he has no future at the club.

With his contract at Mestalla due to expire at the end of the season, Pereira should be available for a nominal fee in January.

The 30-year-…

Struggling Fulham will seek to arrest a five-game winless run in the Premier League when they welcome Stoke City on Saturday.

Martin Jol s side slipped into the bottom three with a last-gasp 2-1 defeat to Cardiff City last weekend and they have not won at Craven Cottage in their last seven league matches.

Fulham s home record against Stoke does offer some cause for optimism, however, with the London club having prevailed in seven of their last eight meetings.

Dimitar Berbatov s first-half strike proved the difference last season, but the Bulgarian striker is yet to score a league goal this term.

In fact, no Fulham player has managed more than one goal in the top flight so far in this campaign, although Berbatov and Darren Bent were both on target in the 2-1 Leagu…

Bastian Schweinsteiger is being heavily linked with a move to the MLS

According to MLS commissioner Don Garber, former-Germany international Bastian Schweinsteiger would be a welcome addition to the league he runs.

Talking about Schweinsteiger Garber told Kicker: Of course we follow Bastian s situation,

He s an old acquaintance in the United States, for example through the 2014 World Cup, when he played against the U.S. team. He also played against the MLS All-Stars with Bayern in 2014.

We would welcome Bastian with open arms. He would be a leader for our many young players.

Unlikely to play for United

Schweinsteiger is currently out-of-favour at Manchester United. The 32-year-old has struggled to make any impact at the Red Devils sin…

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery feels Antoine Griezmann needs to perform at the highest level over a longer period of time before he can be described as a world-class player.

Griezmann has developed into one of the game s brightest talents since joining Atletico Madrid in 2014 and is among the favourites to win the Ballon d Or following an impressive Euro 2016 campaign with France.

Nevertheless, Ribery feels his compatriot still has work to do before he can match the very best.

Griezmann did a great job last season, Ribery told Sport Bild.

But you have to consistently show performances like that if you want to be world class. People are so quick to say someone is a fantastic player and deserves to win the Ballon d Or after just one good year. I disag…

The Vancouver Whitecaps found another gear in the second half of Wednesday s home game against the Los Angeles Galaxy, finding the back of the net three times after the break in the 3-0 win.

It was all Galaxy in the first half, controlling 71 per cent of the possession while not allowing a single shot on target, but that all changed after what must have been an inspired half-time team talk in the Vancouver dressing room.

While Los Angeles still had the bulk of the possession in the second half (64 per cent), it was the Whitecaps generating the chances, with six shots on target to the Galaxy s two.

It took a corner to produce the opening goal, with an initial sharp header from close range being saved by Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond, before Ryan Gauld was able t…