A-League

Reno Piscopo's second-half strike proved the difference against the Wanderers, with the win giving Wellington an unassailable lead over Sydney FC on the ...

They played on the counter-attack. "We took a lot of lessons from last season. We got shots on goal and had the ball.

Wellington Phoenix are looking at their return to the A-League finals with a "great sense of pride" goalkeeper Oli Sail says, after sealing their spot in ...

The five-time A-League Men champions are outside the top six after Wellington defeated Western Sydney 2-1.

They played on the counter-attack. We got shots on goal and had the ball. After being so dominant for so long, the five-time ALM champions will miss the finals for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

It's quite a weekend for Melbourne's clubs in the national A-League men's competition. Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory and Western United fill the top ...

“Let’s not beat around the bush, the pressure is on City and Victory because they expect to win. “For us, we’re on a journey. We want to win. “We don’t have to win. Thus, the season’s final round will end with a rescheduled game between Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC on Tuesday. Aside from bragging rights, a top-two finish offers a double chance during the finals, which kick off next weekend.

Pep Guardiola said he has questioned whether he is "good enough" to lead Manchester City to a Champions League title.

"We didn't speak [with the players]. No words can help for what all of us feel. "For us, it is an honour to be there as much as possible in all competitions. "How can they forget it?"

Pep Guardiola has said 'maybe I'm not good enough' to lead Manchester City to Champions League glory but the manager is clear the team will keep trying to ...

Tomorrow [Saturday] will be the first day we are together and we are going to talk about who we are as a team, what we have done in the semi-final, how good we have been not just in these two games but all season and try to do it over the last weeks. It is probably one of the moments since I am manager I am most proud to be in this club and organisation, and until the last day we are here we give everything together.” “No,” he said. “Before Madrid I didn’t know [too]. Sometimes you ask me questions but I don’t have the answer to all of your questions. We were close – they know it, we know it – but what is important is we are going to try again next season, and then again.” Guardiola was asked whether his squad was capable of winning the Champions League. “I don’t know.

A Champions League semifinal collapse for the ages could have a domino effect on the title race in England if Man City isn't careful.

That suggests it is the best team in the league. The defeats to Chelsea and Lyon were the last of their respective seasons, but the defeat to Spurs in 2019 was followed by six straight wins that yielded the double. But there is perhaps also a sense that the way he plays, his demand for order, makes his side oddly ill-equipped to deal with chaos when it occurs. That is seen in microcosm in his reluctance to deploy an orthodox striker—although the potential arrival of Erling Haaland in the summer could change that. It wasn’t so much that it generated only one genuine chance in the added half hour, it was the sense of desolation. Now we need to process that and come back, with our people at home and in the last four games we have.

Join our writers for news and buildup going in to a crucial weekend of football action.

I came on with those players who have a good experience of the league and it allowed me to bring in young players and find balance to maximise potential. I still feel lively enough to do something but I wouldn’t go as far as to say I would be looking for another job at the top level of management,” Hodgson said. You have to know this otherwise you cannot reduce this gap and hope always for a miracle. He built this kind of stability, the kind you need to be a Premier League team. It’s a great experience for our players and hopefully he doesn’t have such a good day at the Amex on Saturday.” “And this was the reason – with only three subs I had to take a decision between Edinson Cavani and Jesse Lingard, or the young Alejandro Garnacho - who I would have loved to have brought on and given a chance to play for the last 15 minutes at 3-0 up. But in the end, we have shown, and this is the key part, we have played like a top-10 team. This is the goal to be more consistent to lift the bad times we have so that we don’t get too far away from what we can definitely play. There’s enough space in each squad in the world for a world-class player – that’s what Luis is, that’s why we were so desperate to get him and that’s why we were so happy that we could get him. It falls to Guardiola to lift his players off the floor ahead of what could be a tricxky encounter. “We have an opportunity to build on more than 125 years of rich history and take this club to the next level. We prefer to have it in a clear and forward-thinking situation.

Roma boss Jose Mourinho says the Europa Conference like is their Champions League after they beat Leicester in the semi-finals.

We can regroup in the summer, feelings of tonight will provide a great motivation and when you have more coaching time it gives you a chance to push on." It's a tough one when you lose but it's important to learn from it. This for us, is our Champions League."

Jose Mourinho said the "sense of family" between his AS Roma club and their supporters was the key to reaching the Europa Conference League final.

"This is a giant club without the trophy room in relation to the social dimension of the club," Mourinho said. But it's been a growth process," Roma defender Gianluca Mancini said. Abraham, the 24-year-old forward whom Mourinho convinced Roma to spend €40 million ($44 million) on in August, has been decisive all season. "But in terms of the way we've created a family atmosphere here, it makes me feel special. "Over the years I've become less egocentric and more like a father," Mourinho said. That is our greatest achievement, this empathy and sense of family we have created with the fans."

At CommBank Stadium, Parramatta: Wellington Phoenix 2 (Sam Sutton 3, Reno Piscopo 65') Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Tomer Hemed 29'). HT: 1-1.

Ball played on an injured toe and still got an assist, Sail made two crucial saves at the death and Piscopo’s goal was world-class, but Sutton was the standout individual. The moment to pounce came when Antonis gave the ball away near halfway and Piscopo punished them for it. Like elite athletes at their peak, our sports journalists are highly trained in the art of news. So we're asking you to support us with more than your attention. The Phoenix needed a win to guarantee a place in the playoffs and they made to a perfect start with Sam Sutton hitting a volley under the arms of an outstretched Daniel Margush inside the first three minutes. The fleet-footed winger cut inside Tomislav Mrcela and unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area to seal the win and a return to the playoffs with a stunning goal befitting the occasion.

There is a Champions League revenge final on the cards after Real Madrid sent Manchester City packing in a thumping comeback win on Wednesday night; ...

The Egyptian was then replaced by Adam Lallana, Madrid introduced the super-sub Gareth Bale, and the rest is history, as they would say. These two sides are way different from what they looked like when the pair met in 2018. The game was meant to be a tight affair. As early as the 30th minute Ramos, Real Madrid’s captain at the time, brought Salah down in an untidy challenge that looked like both men would walk away from. The Premier League’s leading scorer was asked about who he’d rather face in the final in Paris and he replied quite sternly, “Real Madrid”. It was the second European final that Jurgen Klopp led his Liverpool team to.