Having helped his boyhood club to their first major trophy in 17 years by netting in a penalty shoot-out victory over Valencia in the Copa del Rey final, it is fair to say Real Betis captain Joaquin was in a celebratory mood.

Few neutrals would have denied the club, who have been relegated twice since their last Copa win in 2005, or Joaquin, a genuine Betis legend who has made the most appearances of any outfield player in LaLiga history (595), their moment of glory.

Unless, of course, they could have foreseen the way in which Joaquin chose to celebrate the triumph, in all his glory.

Having cemented his reputation as one of football s greatest practical jokers by posing stark naked with the Copa he won with former club Valencia in 2008, the 40-year-old decided…

David de Gea says Manchester United can have no excuses for their surprise defeat to Aston Villa, despite boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer arguing the visitors winning goal should have been ruled out.

Kortney Hause scored an 88th-minute goal at Old Trafford to inflict a second successive 1-0 home defeat on United, who missed a glorious chance to at least rescue a point when Bruno Fernandes missed a stoppage-time penalty.

The 28 shots United attempted was their most in a league game without scoring for five years, but Solskjaer felt his side were hard done by as an offside Ollie Watkins was standing close to David de Gea when Hause headed in.

Rather than blame the officials and VAR, though, De Gea accepted that United should have done more to pick up the three points th…

Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema were more deserving of winning the 2021 Ballon d Or award than Lionel Messi, according to Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos.

Messi won football s top individual accolade for a record-extending seventh time on Monday largely thanks to his success at international level with Argentina.

The 34-year-old played a key part in Argentina s Copa America success, contributing to nine of the 13 goals his side scored as he ended his long wait for an international trophy.

He has had a rather more mixed year at club level, having scored 28 goals in 29 games for Barcelona before completing a shock transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in August.

Messi has netted just four times in his first 11 games for PSG, but he did enough to finish ahea…

Bruno Fernandes produced a decisive double as Manchester United twice came from behind for a 4-2 win over Sheffield United at Old Trafford, easing the pressure on under-fire boss Erik ten Hag.

Ten Hag received fierce criticism after his team surrendered a 3-0 lead in Sunday s FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City, who they beat on penalties after a 3-3 draw.

His team trailed twice on Wednesday, with Jayden Bogle punishing Andre Onana s error to score and Ben Brereton Diaz prodding home the Blades second, either side of Harry Maguire equalising.

However, Fernandes equalised from the spot in the second half before teeing up Rasmus Hojliund s late finish after another great strike from the Red Devils captain sent his side 3-2 up.

The win takes Ten Hag s si…

Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw

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Malmo FF and PAOK FC will lock horns with each other in the UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round this week. The first leg of the tie between the Allsvenskan club and the Super League Greece team will be held at the Eleda Stadion in Malmo and is scheduled to kick off at 6 pm UK time on Tuesday.

Malmo FF

Malmo FF are one of the biggest, most successful and most well-known clubs in Sweden. Di blåe have won the Swedish championship a record 23 times and the national cup as many as 16 times. They are also used to playing in top European competitions.

Henrik Rydström’s side became the champions of Sweden last season. Malmo clinched the 2023 Allsvenskan title after picking up 64 p…

Antonio Conte insisted Champions League candidates Tottenham can stomach any sickness crisis as they bid to avoid a crisis comparable to 2006 s lasagne-gate on the final day of the season.

Gary Lineker raised concerns among Tottenham fans when he wrote on Twitter that he had heard of a food poisoning outbreak at the club ahead of Sunday s trip to Norwich City.

Former Spurs striker Lineker, now a respected television presenter, added: No, I am not joking.

It then emerged that Harry Kane had reported feeling unwell on Friday and pulled out of an event he was due to attend at a London museum.

The speculation sparked concerns there might be a repeat of the 2005-06 season-ending drama when food poisoning hit Tottenham hard on the final weekend. Then, a string…

Ezri Konsa had to scrap plans for a winter getaway after his late call-up but the Aston Villa defender always believed it was a case of when rather than if his England chance would come.

The talented 26-year-old has long been tipped for a senior call-up, only to once again miss out on a maiden call-up when the squad for the final Euro 2024 qualifiers was announced last Thursday.

But an injury to Lewis Dunk opened up a last-minute spot in Gareth Southgate’s set-up, leading to a surprise phone call after Villa’s 3-1 victory against Fulham at the weekend.

“I was literally driving home after my game on Sunday,” Konsa said. “Me and the missus were talking about having a little break, going away.

“Two minutes later I ended up getting the call. It wa…

Market: Over 2.5 goals

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Continuing to shine during qualifying, a high-flying Italy will make the trip Bosnia s Stadion Bilino Polje on Friday night.

Starting with the hosts, while Bosnia may have managed to pick up a 2-1 win over Greece last month, they still remain in an uphill battle to secure a shock spot at Euro 2020. Hunting down a five-point deficit with just two Group J matches left, Head Coach Robert Prosinečki will take some solace from his side s form on home soil. Yet to taste defeat at the Stadion Bilino Polje since way back in October 2017, the hosts have landed back-to-back victories in front of their own supporters and have found the net nine times in those two victories. It should also be noted that each of their previous four matches on …

Manchester United have confirmed that midfielder Facundo Pellistri has completed a permanent move to Panathinaikos.

Pellistri, who made 25 appearances for United following his move from Penarol in 2020, has signed a four-year deal with the Greek side for a reported £5.1m transfer fee.

The Red Devils have inserted a significant sell-on clause – thought to be 45% and have a buy back option that lasts for three years.

Pellistri spent the second half of the 2023-24 season on loan with LaLiga side Granada, notching four goal involvements, two of which came in a 3-3 draw against Barcelona back in February (one goal and one assist).

The 22-year-old also featured for Uruguay at this year s Copa America, turning out in all of La Celeste s fixtures as they f…

France marched to glory on home soil at the 1984 European Championship and 1998 World Cup, and a richly gifted squad means Didier Deschamps side appear well-placed to repeat the trick at Euro 2016.

Even allowing for the conspicuous absence of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema due to his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to blackmail international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena – another absentee – the depth of quality at Deschamps disposal is arguably the envy of the tournament.

Antoine Griezmann is coming off a career-best season with Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid, Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud s scoring record continues to confound doubts over his capabilities for club and country, while in Anthony Martial and Kingsley Coman, Deschamps can call upon two…