MLS Review: Rapids, Galaxy secure playoff berths

Borussia Dortmund interim head coach Edin Terzic hailed Erling Haaland but insisted the Bundesliga club cannot always rely on the star forward following his brace.

Haaland scored twice – including a 90th-minute equaliser – as Dortmund salvaged a 2-2 draw away to lowly Cologne on Saturday.

Linked with Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, Haaland opened the scoring in the third minute.

However, two unanswered goals put Cologne ahead before Haaland rescued a point for Dortmund with a last-gasp leveller on the road.

14 () has scored 14 away goals in the this season – more than Bremen (13), Hertha (13), Mainz (11), Bielefeld (10) and Schalke (8) have scored at home in 2020-21.…

Thomas Lemar struck in the 99th minute to complete a dramatic late comeback as Atletico Madrid edged past Espanyol 2-1 at RCDE Stadium on Antoine Griezmann s second debut for the club.

Espanyol had failed to score in their opening three games since returning to the top flight – and a joint-LaLiga record eight matches stretching back into their last campaign at this level – but they took the lead through Raul de Tomas 40th-minute header.

That was a deserved opener for the hosts in a half they dominated and Diego Simeone responded by making a triple substitution at half-time and changing system.

Simeone s alternations ultimately paid off in an incredible conclusion to Sunday s contest as Lemar – one of those brought on – found a winner deep into added time …

(GSM) Portsmouth s appeal to lift their transfer embargo and be given £7m in television money, is being considered by the Premier League.

If the Premier League rules against Portsmouth, it could redirect the club s latest slice of TV money to repay their football creditors.

The decision, whether favorable to the troubled club or not, is expected to be announced on Wednesday after the club representatives met officials in central London on Tuesday, giving further information on their current finances.

Along with Ligue 1 clubs, Lens and Rennes, Chelsea and Tottenham are understood to be owed money by Pompey.

A Premier League spokesman told BBC Sport: Portsmouth have provided the Premier League with new information regarding their outstanding debts to othe…

that Schalke are among clubs keeping close tabs on Slask Wroclaw winger Waldemar Sobota.

The Miners have been looking to sign a left winger ever since Michel Bastos loan deal came to an end, but they have had no success so far.

Having previously shown interest in Basel s Valentin Stocker, Schalke are also considering a move for Polish midfielder Waldemar Sobota.

The 26-year-old is also followed by Club Brugge, but there is every chance a move to German Bundesliga would be more appealing to the talented footballer.

Sobota is essentially a right winger, but can successfully operate on the left hand side, and the best thing here is he has a €1 million release clause in his contract.

The midfielder, who has 5 Poland caps to his name, joined Slask …

Luis Enrique has averaged a win every eight days as head coach of Barcelona. In that time he has won LaLiga and the Copa del Rey twice, a Champions League, the Club World Cup, the Supercopa de Espana, and the UEFA Super Cup.

Victory over Sporting Gijon on Wednesday took the Catalans back to the top of the league, so why would Luis Enrique pick this moment to announce his departure from the club?

Why would he countenance giving up such a gilded role at all?

From the outside, managing Barcelona is the dream job that nobody could give up, but both Luis Enrique and Pep Guardiola have done just that within five years of each other.

The endless haul of trophies and accolades, adulation from a global fanbase, the massaged ego that comes with the biggest job in t…

Claudio Ranieri s Leicester City regime was poorly organised and could have fallen apart much sooner had it not been for Craig Shakespeare and the players discipline, according to Kevin Phillips.

Former Leicester coach Phillips claimed the Italian – who was controversially sacked last month – lacked organisation and his methods left the players to police themselves .

Ex-assistant boss Shakespeare has been confirmed as Ranieri s replacement as manager until the end of the season ahead of the Premier League winners Champions League last-16 second leg against Sevilla on Tuesday.

Phillips was with Shakespeare on the coaching staff at Leicester under former manager Nigel Pearson and initially stayed on after Ranieri s arrival before leaving to join Derby County in…

Rob Edwards called for Luton not to get carried away as they chase promotion in Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship play-off final against Coventry at Wembley.

Luton eye promotion to the Premier League for the first time and a win over Coventry would round off their fourth promotion in 10 seasons.

Manager Edwards refused to romanticise the club’s journey and highlighted the importance of a grounded mentality ahead of Saturday’s all-or-nothing showdown.

LUTON TOWN ARE GOING TO WEMBLEY! |

— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown)

“I try and keep a clear head but I know the magnitude of the game and we all do, there’s no point in not talking about it, there’s nothing wrong with dreaming and aiming for (promotion), Edwards said.

“We are ther…

Rodrygo’s 89th-minute goal saw Real Madrid return to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over mid-table Rayo Vallecano at the Bernabeu.

Vinicius Junior was absent with a knee problem but his team-mates put on a united show of support for the winger after he was racially abused at Valencia on Sunday, all emerging wearing his shirt and holding up a “racists, out of football” banner.

Karim Benzema put the hosts ahead in the 31st minute but Rayo thought they had snatched a draw when Raul de Tomas equalised six minutes from time, only for Rodrygo to come inside on his right foot and stroke a shot past Stole Dimitrievski from the edge of the area.

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)

Victory moved them back into second place in LaLiga as city rival…

Newcastle United s Cheick Tiote has been hit with a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to possession of a fake driving licence.

The 27-year-old midfielder admitted to acquiring a fake licence from Belgium at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday. Tony Hawks, prosecuting, said Tiote had attempted to use the document to apply for a driving licence in the United Kingdom.

Tiote was subsequently handed a seven-month jail term suspended for 18 months, as well as being sentenced to 180 hours of unpaid work.

Speaking at Tiote s sentence, Judge James Goss QC said: I give you credit for your plea of guilty, which has saved you an immediate sentence of imprisonment.

In that way you will be punished and I have no doubt that, using your considerable talent, you will b…

France s World Cup and European Championship winning defender Laurent Blanc was officially named national team coach on Friday, announced outgoing French Football Federation (FFF) president Jean-Pierre Escalettes.

The 44-year-old, who cut his teeth for the job in coaching Bordeaux to the 2009 league title, replaces Raymond Domenech, who stepped down after France s catastrophic World Cup finals campaign, though, he had already said he would not stay on in the post in any case.

It is the good news of the morning, said 75-year-old Escalettes, who fell on his sword in the fallout from the chaotic events surrounding France s first round exit in South Africa.

The France team will continue under the leadership of Laurent Blanc, who will have an extremely pugnacious s…