New Ligue 1 outfit Caen have begun preparations for the new season by extending the contracts of Mathieu Duhamel and Alexandre Raineau.

Patrice Garande s side sealed a return to the top flight by claiming third spot in Ligue 2 last season.

Duhamel was a key figure, finishing as the second tier s joint top-scorer with 24 goals in 35 games, while defender Raineau made 17 first-team appearances.

The pair have both signed new two-year deals at the Stade Michel d Ornano.

Forward Mathieu Duhamel and full-back Alexander Raineau extended their contract with Caen for two years, the club confirmed on their official website. They are now linked with the club until June 2016.

Duhamel arrived at Caen in 2012 and has gone on to score 37 goals in Ligue 2, while 27-year-o…

AC Milan midfielder Riccardo Montolivo believes his side are on the right track again after overcoming their early difficulties.

The 2011 Serie A champions initially struggled to find their best form this season and even found themselves close to the relegation zone at one point.

But they have returned to winning ways in recent months and have consequently climbed to fifth place in the standings.

We are moving in the right direction and we are becoming a team. We had some difficulties at the start but the results show we have overcome them, Montolivo told Milan Channel.

We are more consistent now than in recent months. We only managed to play well for a part of the match before. We are creating our own identity.

Montolivo has developed into a …

A decision to ban Eintracht Frankfurt supporters from attending the second leg of their Champions League tie against Napoli on Wednesday has been declared illegal by an Italian court.

Last month s first leg – a 2-0 win for Napoli – was marred by clashes between the two sets of supporters.

The Italian Ministry of the Interior subsequently issued an injunction to prevent the Serie A leaders from selling tickets to visiting supporters for Wednesday s meeting at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Eintracht vowed to fight against that measure and have now had it overturned, though the Italian authorities are expected to lodge an appeal of their own.

An Eintracht statement issued on Saturday read: The competent administrative court granted Eintracht Frankfu…

Montreal scored twice in the final two minutes to rally from behind to claim a 2-1 victory away to Columbus Crew in the MLS on Wednesday, in a game delayed by inclement weather.

Lucas Zelarayan had fired the Crew into a 14th-minute lead with a low shot but Montreal hit back late, to help them move into third in the Eastern Conference.

Kei Kamara nodded in Alistair lex Johnston s 89th-minute corner, before Joel Waterman got in behind the defence from Lassi Lappalainen s lofted pass to squeeze home the winner in the 94th minute.

90 4 HALLUCINANT

THIS GOAL BY JOEL OMG OMG OMG | 1-2 |

— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal)

Inter Miami breathed life into their season with a 1-0 road win over San Jose Earthquakes to move up to eighth in the Eastern …

Arsenal took another step towards the successful defence of their FA Cup crown with a fourth-round win over Brighton and Hove Albion.

Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil shrugged off their respective injury frustrations to score a goal apiece in Arsenal s 3-2 FA Cup fourth-round win over Brighton and Hove Albion.

England winger Walcott set the tone for a dominant first-half display from the holders with the opener in just the second minute, while Ozil  making his first start since October added the second before half-time.

Having offered precious little in terms of an attacking threat prior to the break, Brighton reduced the arrears early in a much-improved second-half showing when Chris O Grady capitalised on some poor Arsenal defending to score.

H…

Lionel Messi believes Argentina deserve to win a major title as the side prepare to contest the special-edition Copa America Centenario in the United States next month. 

Argentina lost last year s final to Chile on penalties, just 12 months after suffering heartbreak against Germany in the 2014 World Cup decider in Brazil. 

The South American nation have made three out of the last four Copa America finals but finished runners-up on each occasion, and have not won the tournament since 1993. 

However, Messi believes it is time Argentina finally tasted success after 23 years without a major trophy.

We will try our best to win the Copa, because for us it is very important, the Barcelona star told Sports Illustrated. 

More so, it has been a very …

Feyenoord coach Ronald Koeman believes Ruud Gullit is more than qualified to take charge of the Netherlands national team.

The Dutch are on the lookout for a new coach following Bert van Marwijk s resignation in the wake of the team s early exit at Euro 2012.

Koeman admitted his attraction to the post but expects to remain in Rotterdam next season, instead backing Gullit as a quality solution.

It is not a secret that I have the ambition to coach Netherlands, Koeman told voetbalzone.nl. But I have a contract with Feyenoord and there is a not a clause that will allow me to leave.

I will coach Feyenoord next season, that is for sure.

Ruud Gullit? He would be a good choice.

Former Liverpool attacker Dirk Kuyt, who will play for Fenerbahce…

Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack and Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski fired first-half goals to give Germany a 2-1 win over Russia in Saturday s World Cup qualifier here.

Germany remain a point clear at the top of Group Four on seven points with two wins and a draw after their win over Guus Hiddink s Russia team who are fourth in the table with three points from last month s 2-1 win over Wales.

Podolski and captain Ballack scored within the first half hour to give the home side a 2-0 lead at the break before Russian play-maker Andrei Arshavin put his side on the scoreboard early in the second-half.

Injuries meant striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, defender Denis Kolodin and midfielder Dmitry Torbinsky were all missing from Hiddink s selection.

The onl…

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty as Juventus were held to a 1-1 Serie A draw by Atalanta in Turin on Wednesday. 

Andrea Pirlo s side had looked well on their way to a fifth consecutive win in all competitions when Federico Chiesa scored his first league goal for the club since joining on loan from Fiorentina after 29 minutes. 

Remo Freuler pulled the visitors level with a sumptuous strike in the 57th minute, though, before Ronaldo s dismal spot-kick was kept out by the impressive Pierluigi Gollini four minutes later.

A point lifted the champions up to third, but they could finish the day six points behind leaders Milan should Stefano Pioli s men overcome Genoa. Atalanta, meanwhile, moved up to eighth ahead of Wednesday s late fixtures.

Juve start…

Pep Guardiola felt Manchester City forgot to attack in the second half against Basel as his side suffered a first home defeat since December 2016.

Despite losing 2-1 in Wednesday s Champions League last-16 second leg, City progressed to the quarter-finals for the second time in the club s history thanks to a 5-2 aggregate victory.

Guardiola s men set a new passing record in the competition, but having made nine changes from the first leg City lacked invention and penetration at the Etihad Stadium.

And the Catalan was critical of a flat performance that saw the Premier League leaders slip to their second Champions League loss of the season – they suffered a 2-1 defeat in a group stage dead rubber away to Shakhtar Donetsk.

From tomorrow we will be happy …