Marin relishing Fiorentina loan

Ghana drew 1-1 against Rwanda to complete qualification for the African Cup of Nations with an unbeaten record.

The 2015 finalists had already secured top spot in Group H with a game remaining, but a weakened side, who led through Samuel Tetteh s first international goal, were pegged back late on by Muhadjiri Hakizimana s fine free-kick.

Avram Grant opted to rest key men Jordan Ayew and Christian Atsu, and his decision appeared to have paid off when full debutant Tetteh opened the scoring.

At the midway point of the first half, the Red Bull Salzburg winger cut inside from the left to squeeze a low shot into the far corner, celebrating by unveiling a t-shirt sending his wishes to injured captain Andre Ayew.

Though Ghana dominated for long spells, substitu…

Steve Bruce has slammed speculation linking him with Newcastle United as very disrespectful amid reports concerning Alan Pardew s future.

A section of Newcastle fans called for Pardew to be sacked during Saturday s 4-0 defeat at Southampton, a result that means the club have won just five Premier League games in 2014.

Pardew played a straight bat when quizzed on his position after the game at St Mary s Stadium, with Hull City boss Bruce one of the names being mentioned as a possible successor should Newcastle owner Mike Ashley decide that change is needed.

But former Sunderland manager Bruce who supported Newcastle as a child growing up in the region insists that such speculation is unwanted.

I find it very disrespectful that I am linked with somebody…

Rob Page will take charge of Port Vale for the League One clash with Barnsley on Saturday after former manager Micky Adams resignation.

Adams brought an end to his second spell in charge of Vale on Thursday after a dismal start to the season that has seen them slump to 23rd following five consecutive league losses.

The former Sheffield United boss helped guide the club back to the third tier in 2012-13 but called time on his tenure after discussions with chairman Norman Smurthwaite.

Assistant Page will now be tasked with stopping the rot, starting with the visit of Danny Wilson s Barnsley to Vale Park.

The former Wales international assumed control of Vale temporarily in September last year when Adams needed time off for surgery and the 40-year-old is ho…

Galatasaray have announced on their official website that they have completed the signing of striker Umut Bulut from Toulouse.

The Turkish giants have paid €2.7 million to make the player s loan move permanent, with the Turkey international signing a three-year contract with an option for another year.

Umut Bulut will be earning €1.8 million per campaign after impressing while on loan at the club last season.

The 30-year-old went on to score 12 league goals after joining from Toulouse, while adding another one in 10 Champions League appearances.

Bulut had joined le Tefece from Trabzonspor in the summer of 2011, but has found it hard to adapt to French Ligue 1.

After bagging just 5 goals in 31 appearances during his first season at the club, h…

Liverpool goalkeeper Brad Jones has signed a new long-term deal with Brendan Rodgers side.

The 30-year-old was brought to the Reds in 2010 by former boss Roy Hodgson from Middlesbrough for a free transfer.

Since then he has served as back-up to Pepe Reina and has played 14 games in total for the Merseysiders including 10 this season in all competitions after the Spaniard went down with an injury.

In those games he has kept three clean sheets including in the Europa League home game against Anzhi Makhachkala.

The Australian keeper, who has made three appearances for his national side since 2007, has committed his long-term future to the club after proving his worth to the team this campaign.

Jones joins a number of players including Luis Suarez…

Mohamed Salah believes Liverpool can win the Premier League after his inspirational display fired the Reds to a crucial yet hard-fought win over Newcastle.

Salah recovered from a first-half penalty miss to score twice and set up another as Jurgen Klopp’s side won a New Year’s Day thriller 4-2 at Anfield to move three points clear at the top.

It was his final game before joining up with Egypt ahead of the upcoming African Cup of Nations.

Outstanding.

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

Salah told Sky Sports: “It’s a great result for us. The game was very intense and we managed to pick up three points and now we are top of the table. We need to stay calm and win every game.”

Asked about his side’s title chances, he added: “We believe a l…

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson laughed off reports that he is interested in Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha.

Zaha has become one of the hottest commodities in world football since bursting onto the season with Palace during the 2010/11 season.

The Ivorian-born Englishman s form this season attracted plenty of admirers, with a January move to Old Trafford the likely scenario but Ferguson played down those rumours on Friday.

Nothing to report, I can tell you that, said Ferguson.

We re in this world and its January and I know you are all getting desperate for a story but there is no story absolutely no story to tell you.

While he was non-committal on potential signings, Ferguson ruled Wayne Rooney out of Sunday s mouth-watering sh…

Former Italy international Marco Materazzi says he would never entrust Rafael Benitez with his team if he were a club president.

Materazzi worked under Benitez at Inter Milan in the first half of the 2010/11 campaign before the Spaniard parted company with club, and the World Cup-winning centre-back was not impressed with the coach s methods.

He is not exactly my ideal coach. If I were in charge of a club, I would never entrust him with my team, Materazzi was quoted as saying by France Football.

What I did not like about him was the way he presented himself to the team. Great coaches like (Marcello) Lippi and (Jose) Mourinho use unwritten rules, but Benitez wanted to write 10 to 12 things down.

It was like we were back to school or had to follow traff…

Thomas Lemar is closing in on a transfer to Atletico Madrid after the Spanish club announced they have reached a preliminary agreement with Monaco for the France winger.

Lemar has regularly been linked with a move away from Stade Louis II since enjoying a sensational campaign in the club s title-winning 2016-17 season.

The 22-year-old was a key man for Leonardo Jardim s side, scoring nine times and setting up another 10 in Ligue 1.

He attracted the interest of Arsenal – among others – and appeared to be on the verge of a move to Emirates Stadium early last season, but the collapse of Alexis Sanchez s proposed switch to Manchester City reportedly saw Lemar s transfer fall apart.

But he finally appears to have secured his next challenge, with Atletico g…

This was everything Vladimir Putin could have dreamed of. 

If Putin required vindication and quite frankly he doesn t, not many question the Russian president  for spending more than £8bn on bringing the World Cup to a country still stricken by widespread poverty, he would point to the events at the Luzhniki Stadium on Thursday afternoon.

The revamped bowl on the banks of the River Moskva rocked, initially to the songs of a British pop star, and then to the cheers of the Russian public as their heroes swept aside the limp challenge of Saudi Arabia, cruising to a 5-0 win in the tournament opener.

Putin s decision to spend such vast amounts on the World Cup was dismissed by some as a vanity project but, for him, it represented a chance to showcase the  new …