Sports

Things aren t always as they seem.

A tired old cliche it may be, but for Marcos Llorente such a notion is one that ultimately he believes literally changed my life .

The date was March 11, 2020, back at a time when the world was changing, or about to change, for everyone due to the coronavirus pandemic. For Llorente things changed because of a Diego Simeone masterstroke.

Atletico Madrid were losing 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League last-16 second leg, which left the teams locked at 1-1 on aggregate.

With 56 minutes gone, Llorente entered the fray for Diego Costa. To most observers this was Simeone trying to close the door, put on a defensive-minded midfielder, head to extra time, maybe sneak a goal on the counter or win on penalties.

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Former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty of raping a young woman and the attempted rape of another.

The 28-year-old broke down in tears as the not-guilty verdicts were given by the jury foreman following a three-week trial at Chester Crown Court.

He had stood for the verdicts but sank to his seat, his head on his knees, wiping away tears with a white tissue.

Mendy, whose contract with the Premier League champions ended on July 1, was cleared of attempting to rape a woman, aged 29 at the time, at his £4million mansion in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire in October 2018.

He was also found not guilty of the rape of a second woman, aged 24, two years later also at his home address.

The 10-cap France international is alleged…

Lille have appointed Jocelyn Gourvennec as their new head coach to succeed Christoph Galtier, who guided the club to Ligue 1 glory in 2020-21.

Galtier guided Lille to a shock Ligue 1 title after dethroning Paris Saint-Germain for their first league crown since 2010-11, however, he left and eventually joined rivals Nice.

Lille have now surprisingly turned to Gourvennec, with the 49-year-old having not coached since parting ways with Guingamp in May 2019.

Gourvennec also previously led Bordeaux from 2016 to 2018.

A list of big names were linked with the vacant Lille post, including Claudio Ranieri, Thiago Motta, Laurent Blanc, Patrick Vieira – who is now manager of Crystal Palace, and Lucien Favre. 

Lille said in a club statement that Gourvennec …

Market: Luzern win

Odds: 1/2 @

Looking to make an immediate return to winning ways on Tuesday night, Luzern will welcome Lausanne Ouchy to the Swissporarena.

Starting with the hosts, simply looking to sign off the 2023/24 campaign with a flurry on home soil, Luzern have continued to struggle with their consistency this year. Missing out on what they had billed as a potential opportunity over the weekend as they slumped to a 3-1 loss away at Yverdon, Mario Frick’s side have come under increasing scrutiny this season. Left disappointed as they were forced to settle for a bottom-half finish among Switzerland’s elite, the former Vaduz boss has seen his squad muster just a single victory from any of their previous seven Super League appearances. However, looking …

Antonio Conte said he was pleased with Inter s  intensity and attitude and believes the Serie A side are heading in the right direction despite a disappointing 0-0 Champions League draw with Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday. 

Inter thrashed Shakhtar 5-0 in a Europa League semi-final in August but Conte s men were frustrated at the Kiev Olympic Stadium.

Inter remain winless in Group B following last week s 2-2 draw at home to Borussia Monchengladbach and now face a double-header against stuttering LaLiga champions Real Madrid.

Nerazzurri head coach Conte was upbeat post-game, insisting he saw plenty from Inter to suggest they are on the right track. 

I m feeling positive because the team played with the right intensity and displayed the right attitude,…

Georginio Wijnaldum explained he joined Paris Saint-Germain as they were faster and more decisive after talks with Barcelona stalled.

Wijnaldum s Liverpool contract expires at the end of the month and his next move to PSG has been confirmed.

But the Netherlands captain, who led his team with eight goals in Euro 2020 qualifying, was expected to link up with former Oranje coach Ronald Koeman at Barca.

Following weeks of speculation, though, there was no deal, allowing PSG to make their move.

Wijnaldum said on Saturday: I negotiated with Barcelona for four weeks and unfortunately we didn t [agree].

Paris Saint-Germain were faster and more decisive. And the project they have there appeals to me very much.

It was a tough choice. I have to say…

Erik ten Hag does not believe Manchester United should be judged too harshly despite their tough start to the season, after snatching a last-gasp draw with Porto.

Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund gave the Red Devils a quickfire lead in Portugal, before Pepe and a double from Samu Omorodion looked to have sealed a turnaround.

Bruno Fernandes was then sent off for the second game in a row, but Harry Maguire came off the bench to ensure United left with a point in the Europa League after a 3-3 draw.

It was their second consecutive draw in the competition, having given up a lead in both, leaving them 21st in the league table.

In fact, United are winless in their last five matches in European competitions (D3 L2) despite leading by 2+ goals in three of them.…

Chelsea’s owners BlueCo have agreed to buy a stake in Ligue 1 club Strasbourg to take a significant step forwards in their plans for multi-club ownership.

The consortium, which purchased the Premier League club in May last year, are become new shareholders “subject to a consultation process with the relevant employee representative bodies”.

A statement said: “The shareholders of Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace today announced an agreement with BlueCo, the consortium which purchased Chelsea FC in May 2022.

Lire le communiqué officiel

— Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace (@RCSA)

“The agreement would mark a new chapter in Racing’s history as the ownership consortium commits to accelerate sustainable investment in the club’s growth, …

Best Odds: 21/10

Bookmaker:

Looking to extend on their 100% start on Saturday afternoon, Real Madrid will welcome local rivals Getafe to the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid

Starting with the hosts, while Real Madrid might have come under a huge amount of scrutiny last season as they eventually finished 10 points adrift of defending their domestic crown, Los Blancos have come flying out of the traps this time around. With it looking like the mood around the Bernabeu is at a red-hot high, Carlo Ancelotti’s side will certainly be smelling the chance to make another statement this weekend. Last seen snatching a 1-0 victory away at Celta Vigo, the one-time AC Milan boss has seen his superstar squad win each of their opening three La Liga appearances. Opening the 2023/24 cam…

Mauricio Pochettino was left to lament costly defensive errors after Paris Saint-Germain squandered a 2-0 lead in their frustrating 2-2 Ligue 1 draw with Troyes on Sunday.

Ligue 1 champions PSG found themselves 2-0 up inside 25 minutes at the Parc des Princes after Marquinhos and Neymar found the net, but Nuno Mendes dire pass allowed Ike Ugbo to halve the arrears before Florian Tardieu scored a second-half penalty to ensure the points were shared.

The disappointing draw marked the first time PSG had led by two goals in a home Ligue 1 match and failed to win since February 2015 in a 2-2 draw against Caen, after Presnel Kimpembe s clumsy foul allowed Tardieu to beat Keylor Navas with an audacious Panenka. 

The Parisian giants were again booed by their own suppo…