Ecuador qualified for the 2022 World Cup on Thursday despite a 3-1 defeat to Paraguay, benefiting from a victory for Uruguay that also sent the two-time champions to Qatar.
La Tri, who failed to make Russia 2018, knew they needed only a point to be sure of a top-four finish with a game to spare.
However, already-eliminated Paraguay were clinical in Ciudad del Este, three up before the hour mark through Robert Morales, a Piero Hincapie own goal and Miguel Almiron.
Ecuador threatened a dramatic fightback as Jordy Caicedo scored a late penalty and Blas Riveros was sent off, but ultimately their fate was decided in Montevideo.
Back on the global stage
After missing out in 2018, Ecuador return to the party |
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCu…
Having won the title with Chelsea in 2016-17, Antonio Conte has returned to the Premier League, this time to take charge at Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola believes the Italian s record speaks for itself.
Welcome back to the Premier League, his career speaks perfectly for himself.
Pep Guardiola welcomes Antonio Conte back to the Premier League and calls him an outstanding manager
— Football Daily (@footballdaily)
…
Barcelona s Gerard Deulofeu, currently on loan at Watford, has revealed he has no intention of going back to Camp Nou this summer.
Sky Sports report the winger told Spanish radio station that Barcelona gave him up , and that he is considering his future at the moment.
Having grown up as a product of the Catalan club s youth academy, Deulofeu made his first-team debut in 2011/12, but he appeared only twice on the pitch that season in all competitions. Between 2013 and 2015 he spent a year on loan at Everton and Sevilla each, before signing for Everton on a permanent basis. After a year and a half at Goodison, he was loaned out to AC Milan for the second part of 2016/17, and then Barcelona activated their buy-back clause.
However, he still failed to nail down a…
Lyon trio Ada Hegerberg, Lucy Bronze and Amandine Henry have been nominated for the UEFA Women s Player of the Year award.
Hegerberg won the inaugural Ballon d Or Feminin last year and will look to add the UEFA prize to her collection, having finished as runner-up in 2017-18 to Denmark and Wolfsburg striker Pernille Harder.
The 24-year-old dazzled as Lyon won their 13th consecutive French title last season, scoring 20 goals in as many top-flight appearances along with seven in nine Champions League outings – crowning a magnificent campaign with a hat-trick in the 4-1 final victory over Barcelona in Budapest.
However, Hegerberg did not participate in the World Cup, having not represented Norway since the 2017 European Championship due to frustrations over the s…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp knows he is under pressure to deliver silverware after the club s lavish spending in the transfer market.
Klopp s Liverpool reached the Champions League final and finished fourth in the Premier League last season, and the Reds have invested heavily ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.
Alisson became the most expensive goalkeeper in history after joining from Roma, while Liverpool also spent significant sums to lure Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri to Anfield.
Liverpool s last title came via the 2011-12 EFL Cup, with league honours proving elusive since 1990.
Asked if Liverpool – in the United States for the International Champions Cup – need to win a trophy this season, Klopp said: You are right and people will say th…
Summer of big decisions for Wales hero / Image via walesonline.co.uk
Welsh international Hal Robson-Kanu has never been a heavyweight name in European football.
Not until Euro 2016 at least when he used his empowering performances to grab headlines and divert plenty of attention to his football qualities and abilities.
At 27 years of age, the Wales forward is standing at the crossroad of his career with his contract with Reading expired and plenty of clubs lined up to acquire his services.
Robson-Kanu is displaying great composure and patience once again off the football pitch as he is bidding time before making the final decision on his future.
Humble Beginnings
Hal Robson-Kanu started his football career at Arsenal where he was released at the…
Ryan Giggs says Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is unfortunate to be managing in the same era as Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, but he wants Manchester United to give his former team-mate time to turn the club s fortunes around.
United will go in search of their first away win in eight Premier League matches when they travel to Newcastle United on Sunday, and Solskjaer is under pressure to deliver an improvement following a string of drab performances.
The game comes at the end of a week in which Solskjaer s side looked flat as they drew 1-1 at home with Arsenal and 0-0 away at AZ Alkmaar, failing to muster a shot on target in the second match.
Speaking at the Cardiff Breakfast Club, Giggs came out in support of the man with whom he shared 11 glorious years as a player at …
Aston Villa s Mile Jedinak has retired from international football with Australia, after making 79 appearances for his country. The 34 year old first burst onto the scene in English football back in 2011 when he signed for Crystal Palace, before making the switch to Villa Park in 2016. Jedinak s decision is based on the fact that he wants to continue playing club football for as long as possible, and one of the major things that ll help with that is the rest and recovery he ll receive courtesy of not playing during the international breaks.
Jedinak has always been viewed as something of a fan favourite wherever he s gone, and while he may be winding down his days as a professional footballer, that doesn t mean he can t still pop up with a few good performances here and there be…
Pele was said to be stable in a Sao Paulo hospital on Saturday amid international concern about the health of the three-time World Cup winner.
It was reported, though not officially confirmed, that the 82-year-old had been moved to palliative care as he was no longer responding to chemotherapy treatment.
He was hospitalised on Tuesday, though his daughter said a day later there was no surprise or emergency , with Pele also saying it was a monthly visit .
However, a report from newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo said Pele was now receiving pain-relieving measures in an end-of-life care ward.
Pele underwent surgery to remove a tumour from his colon last year, and has been in and out of hospital since.
The Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein issued a short …
Shakhtar Donetsk captain Darijo Srna says he will not play again until he clears his name after reportedly failing a doping test.
The 35-year-old former Croatia captain revealed he had been informed by Ukraine s anti-doping body that he reportedly failed an out-of-competition test on March 22 this year.
Srna insists he has never knowingly taken a banned substance and is cooperating fully with authorities in a bid to clear up the matter.
In a statement released via Shakhtar s official website on Friday, he said: On September 18 2017, I was notified by the National Anti-Doping Centre of Ukraine (NADCU) that a prohibited substance was reportedly found in an out-of-competition sample I had provided on March 22 2017.
Firstly and most importantly, I would like…