Atleti don´t need to sell Griezmann or anyone else, says Cerezo

Fernando Torres struck twice as Chelsea saw off Sunderland 3-1 at the Stadium of Light for their first Premier League win in eight games.

The forward followed up on his midweek double in the Champions League by finishing smartly from a swift counterattack before bagging his second from the spot after Sebastian Larsson fouled Ramires.

Juan Mata added a third on the rebound after Torres hit the woodwork, while Adam Johnson s fine second-half strike gave Chelsea pause before holding out.

After Steven Fletcher failed a late fitness test, Martin O Neill handed Connor Wickham his first start up front since December 2011 while Rafa Benitez opted for the same XI who beat Nordsjaelland.

Chelsea threatened immediately, Mata and Eden Hazard twice combining well, be…

Frank Lampard s continued presence at Chelsea this season will be one of the top tasks of Luiz Felipe Scolari when the new Stamford Bridge boss officially starts work at the club on Tuesday.

The 2002 World Cup winning coach with Brazil will also have the task of trying to hang on to defender Ricardo Carvalho, as well as England international Lampard.

Scolari has a week to settle in before the players return from their summer break from the club scene and he has been known to be on the lookout for a number of purchases, including Real Madrid striker Robinho.

Lampard has one year remaining on his current contract and the holidaying midfielder has refused to rule out a move to Inter Milan when quizzed over his future.

The Blues insist they have received…

Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez will not feature for Mexico at this year s Olympic Games, the club confirmed on Thursday.

The 23-year-old represented his country at the 2010 World Cup prior to his first season at Old Trafford while, last summer, he shone for his country in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, ending as the tournament s top goalscorer.

Hernandez, who was called up as one of Mexico s three players over the age of 23, had also been linked with carrying the nation s flag at the opening ceremony.

But United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes the forward has shown fatigue in his second campaign and has insisted that a full rest this summer will be beneficial.

His form last season was fantastic. He s found the second year more difficult, but a lo…

Argentina left Juan Foyth and Lucas Ocampos out of their Copa America squad as Lionel Scaloni finalised his plans for the tournament in Brazil.

Scaloni made a last-minute adjustment as Bayer Leverkusen forward Lucas Alario was ruled out by injury and River Plate rising star Julian Alvarez took his place, .

The omissions of Foyth, who on Friday sealed a move from Tottenham to Villarreal, and Sevilla winger Ocampos, may be held up to scrutiny later.

However, Scaloni chose a 28-man squad packed with pedigree as Argentina attempt to conquer the Copa America for the first time since 1993, with Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Lautaro Martinez giving the Albiceleste a formidable forward line.

Argentina face Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia in Group B of the…

Former Leicester City striker Alan Smith says Claudio Ranieri s champions can become an established Premier League force .

Leicester were crowned champions after nearest rivals Tottenham drew 2-2 at Chelsea on Monday, sparking wild celebrations among the title-winning players, who had congregated at top scorer Jamie Vardy s house.

The Foxes were a well-publicised 5000/1 shot to win the league before the season, having salvaged a top-flight place with a late surge in 2014-15.

Smith made more than 200 appearances for Leicester at the start of his career before going on to win the First Division with Arsenal, and he believes the likes of Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N Golo Kante could be champions once more if they build on the foundations laid in this memorable season…

Alvaro Arbeloa has vowed that Real Madrid will believe until the last moment that they can snatch the Liga title away from Barcelona.

Madrid will go into next weekend s final round of fixtures one point adrift of Barca and as the only team who can prevent their great rivals from retaining the trophy after a dramatic day on Sunday.

Atletico Madrid were beaten 2-1 at already-relegated Levante, meaning they drop out of the title race, while Madrid edged Valencia 3-2 and Barca thrashed Espanyol 5-0.

Madrid end their league season at Deportivo La Coruna next week, while Barca travel to Granada.

Full-back Arbeloa told Movistar Plus: We lost two league titles in Tenerife [so it is possible for Barca to drop points]. We will believe until the last moment, just li…

Fiorentina defender Alessandro Gamberini has signed a new contract with the Serie A side.

The 27 year old impressed for the Viola last season, as the club managed to secure the important fourth place.

“We would like to announce that Gamberini s contract has been extended until 2013,” a Viola statement reads.

“The player will meet journalists at the Stadio Artemio Franchi this afternoon at 3.30pm.”

Gamberini has been linked with German side Bayern Munich in recent weeks.

Gamberini, who joined Fiorentina from Bologna in 2005, also was a part of the Italian squad for Euro 2008.

The defender made his debut for Italy in a 2-0 win against South Africa in 2007.

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England captain John Terry has said that England are full of confidence before their crucial World Cup qualifier against Croatia in Zagreb on Wednesday.

The Chelsea stalwart also said that the disappointments of Euro 2008 should be enough to spur his team on.

England lost twice to Croatia in their qualification campaign.

Terry added that the three points that will go a long way in seeing them qualify for South Africa in 2010 are a distinct possibility.

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Leonardo has resigned from AC Milan after just a single season as sporting director, the Serie A club confirmed on Tuesday.

The Brazilian joins Gennaro Gattuso in choosing to stand down after Milan narrowly missed out on securing Champions League qualification.

It marks the fourth time Leonardo has left the Rossoneri, having spent two separate stints at San Siro as a player and one as head coach.

He returned as sporting director in July 2018 and was responsible for overseeing the club s transfer market activity.

Leonardo joined AC Milan in its hour of need a few short weeks before the closing of the summer transfer window, Milan CEO Ivan Gazidis said.

Under very difficult circumstances he put his heart and soul into addressing a highly complica…

Learning of Ryan Mason s premature retirement on Tuesday due to a head injury suffered in January 2017 was heart-breaking for Chelsea defender Gary Cahill.

Mason clashed heads with Cahill in a match at Stamford Bridge early last year and fractured his skull in the incident.

The midfielder was initially expected to return to football, but recent scans showed the injury to be even more significant than originally feared.

As a result, Mason announced his retirement on Tuesday at the age of 26 to an outpouring of tributes and well wishes from across English football.

Chelsea coach Antonio Conte said in his pre-match news conference ahead of Friday s match with Mason s former club Hull City that Cahill should not be blamed, but the centre-back cannot help feel…