Russia exit from the Confederations Cup after a 2-1 loss to Mexico.

                                                                                    Unfortunately for the hosts they were edged out each time. Cristiano Ronaldo’s header on Wednesday was enough to see Portugal past Russia at Spartak Moscow’s brand new stadium and Mexico had too much for them here in Kazan. Out they go.Mexico came from behind to beat 10-man Russia 2-1 to book a place in the Confederations Cup semi-finals and send the hosts crashing out.

Stanislav Cherchesov's side needed to win to qualify for the knockout rounds from Group A but despite scoring the opening goal Russia self-destructed by conceding two terrible goals that gifted Mexico victory.

Portugal cruised into the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup as Group A winners of a 4-0 victory over New Zealand on Saturday.

                                                                                             Ronaldo was the one to break the deadlock, dispatching an emphatic penalty beyond Stefan Marinovic to score on the 30th birthday of nemesis Lionel Messi.Cristiano Ronaldo .

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Alexis Sanchez are among the glut of footballers who have been accused of tax offences in Spain

                                                                                                 Both son and father, Jorge, were sentenced to 21 months in prison for defrauding £3.59m euros from 2007 to 2009. Using companies in Belize and Uruguay to avoid paying image rights income in Spain.When Ronaldo signs an image rights deal with a company based in the US should he declare any of the income from it in Spain? 

There is also disparity between what proportion of income one country allows a player to declare as image rights and what another one allows.

                                                                                                

8 Incredible UEFA Champions League Facts That You Musn’t Ignore

D-Day is finally come and gone the  gladiators have done battle with defending champions Real Madrid holding onto to their title for the twelfth time and challengers Juventus the gallant losers. Juventus, the Old Lady of Turin were no pushovers and Real Madrid kept their record of never losing a final yet there are some UEFA Champions League facts that you should pay attention to.

1 Believe it or not UEFA Champions League is the most watched annual football event in the world.

2 The final of the 2012-2013 played between Bayern Munich and Chelsea played at Bayern which Chelsea eventually won was the most viewed final with an incredible 360 million viewers

3 Real Madrid remains the highest winners of the UEFA Champions League, they have won it 12 times 1955, 1956, 1957,1958,1959,1965, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014,2016 and 2017

4 Clarence Seedorf is the most decorated player of the UEFA Champions League winning 4 different titles with 3 different clubs, Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan

Chelsea have agreed a fee of £35.2million for Monaco's Tiemoue Bakayoko

                                                                                               Conte’s squad needs boosting in terms of numbers but the Italian manager has made it clear any new signings have to be capable of performing among Europe’s elite.He was there as Monaco brushed past Tottenham in the group and again when Leonardo Jardim’s exciting young side crushed Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund on their way to the semi-finals. Conte, having played in the same role for Juventus and Italy, understands what is required at the top level and recognises the signs when a midfielder is out of his depth.

The more he watched the 22-year-old France international, he liked him.

                                                                                   

8 Incredible Facts You Didn’t Know About Hat-Trick

The term hat-trick in sports is when a positive feat is achieved three times in a row either in the game of rugby, football or cricket. There are some facts you need to know about the term hat-trick

1 The first time hat-trick came up was in 1858 in cricket when H.H Stephenson made three wickets in three consecutive deliveries

2 The fastest recorded time for scoring a hat trick was 70 seconds set by Alex Torr in a Sunday league game in the year 2013

3 The first hat trick scored in an international game was scored by John McDougall, a Scottish player in a game against England on the 2nd of March 1878.

4 American player, Bert Patenuade scored the first hat trick in a FIFA World Cup against Paraguay in Uruguay 1930

Cameroon's 1-1 draw with Australia at the Confederations Cup.

                                                                                     Referee Milorad Mazic initially awarded a penalty and the VAR backed up his assessment despite replays indicating Ernest Mabouka did not foul Alex Gersbach and had instead won the ball.Cameroon started the better of the two sides and went close early on as Aboubakar hit a half-volley wide after being teed up by Benjamin Moukandjo.

Alexis Sanchez broke Chile's scoring record against Germany..1-1 draw.

                                                                                        Alexis Sanchez became Chile's all-time leading scorer when he grabbed an early goal in their 1-1 draw against Germany at the Confederations Cup on Thursday.

Eduardo Vargas hit the crossbar for Juan Antonio Pizzi's men, but Stindl struck for the second consecutive game before half-time.

A quieter second half did not produce a winning goal, meaning Chile and Germany stay level on four points at the top of Group B, three clear of Australia and Cameroon, who also drew 1-1 earlier on Thursday. But Germany equalised against the run of play four minutes before half-time when Stindl turned the ball home from close range after Emre Can's diagonal pass had sent Jonas Hector free on the left to fire a low cross into the middle.

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney was joined by Phil Jones, Luke Shaw and Danny Welbeck as they attended the wedding of Chris Smalling and Sam Cooke in Northern Italy this week.

                                                                                                 Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney was joined by Phil Jones, Luke Shaw and Danny Welbeck as they attended the wedding of Chris Smalling and Sam Cooke in Northern Italy this week.

The defender was married at an idyllic ceremony at sun-soaked Lake Como after getting engaged to the model in Bali last year.

Rooney, former United forward Welbeck, now with Arsenal, Shaw and Jones looked sharp in their suits and shades for the summer wedding having enjoyed drinks at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo. Rooney's wife Coleen was also in attendance along with Hall, as well as model Rhian Sugden, and looked in deep conversation as they made their way to the venue. 

After spending time in the sun at the hotel which overlooks Lake Como, guests were then transported to the Villa Balbianello venue via boat. The defender is the second player to marry in the last seven days after team-mate Jones married Kaya Hall in Cheshire on Friday. 

Smalling, 27, proposed to Cooke in Bali last year and enjoyed a stag party in Vegas as she and pals enjoyed a break in Barbados.

Nigeria Wonder Kid Victor Osimhen

                                                                                         The 18-year-old appeared twice for the Wolves last season after undergoing a knee surgery that sidelined him for over 12 weeks, and the former Golden Eaglets’ forward admits the injury took the shine off him at the club, he is determined to silence his doubters at Wolfsburg after an indifferent debut campaign at the Volkswagen Arena.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could leave Borussia Dortmund this summer

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Chelsea and Liverpool would be the leading Premier League clubs interested, although it is thought Jurgen Klopp and Aubameyang failed to see eye-to-eye during the Reds manager's time at Signal Iduna Park. The Gabon hitman netted 31 goals in just 32 games last season and looked set for a summer move to PSG.

Manchester United will rival Chelsea for Lewandowski should Bayern opt to sell

                                                                                         Lewandowski does not want to leave Bayern. There are no talks with other clubs and there won’t be any.

'If other clubs negotiate with long time contract players they risk a FIFA penalty.'

The 28-year-old is understood to be unhappy at Bayern with his agent Maik Barthel claiming that the management and team-mates didn't support him enough towards the end of the season when he wanted to finish as top scorer and played through the pain barrier with an injured shoulder.

Mexico came from behind to defeat New Zealand 2-1 in Sochi and move top of Confederations Cup Group A.

                                                                                    New Zealand were not to be denied, though, taking the lead three minutes before the break. A poor defensive clearance from Nestor Araujo led to Clayton Lewis slipping a slick pass through for Wood to finish with a first-time, right-footed strike past Talavera from 12 yards. There was then huge controversy as New Zealand squandered a brilliant opportunity. Wood fended off a challenge from Carlos Salcedo and was left unmarked 18 yards out, but was unable to beat Talavera, who got down to make an impressive save. After Juan Carlos Osorio made eight changes to Mexico's team, it looked like he would pay the price when Chris Wood gave New Zealand a shock first-half lead, the first time his country have scored in six Confederations Cup matches.

Portugal went top of Group A at the Confederations Cup following a 1-0 win over Russia

                                                                                              The Real Madrid star found the net after just eight minutes, beating goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev with a strong header from close range, and Stanislav Cherchesov's side were unable to find a response.

Nemanja Matic is interested in linking up with his former boss Jose Mourinho at Manchester United this summer. The 28-year-old midfielder, who was signed by Mourinho as Chelsea won the Premier League title last season.

                                                                                    Chelsea are hoping to tie Matic down to a new contract despite making a move for Monaco's Tiemoue Bakayoko, who plays a similar role.

Ronaldo, 32, has been linked with a return to Old Trafford

                                                                                     He has already completed a £30.7m move for Benfica defender Victor Lindelof. There is also a hope that moves for Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata and Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic will also be completed in time for the new season.

Cesc Fabregas posted a romantic snap of himself and his partner Danielle Semaan on social media earlier this week

                                                                                      The Spanish midfielder has taken to warmer climates to enjoy a hard-earned end of season break with his other half, and has been keeping his dedicated followers up to date on his summer activities.

Manchester United will face no action over their role in Paul Pogba move

                                                                                           United were originally asked for clarification about all aspects of their part in the transfer and were understood to be completely relaxed about the situation throughout the process.FIFA have now confirmed that they are no longer investigating Manchester United but are now looking into the agreement Raiola had with Juventus that allowed him to collect almost 50 per cent of the transfer fee.

The 34-year-old agreed to test himself and decode some on the city's more famous slang words, but all-too quickly discovered just how much had flown over his head since his arrival seven years ago.

                                                                                   He Making over 200 appearances in the Premier League and winning two titles in the process, his legacy at the Etihad is already secured and surely his efforts to embed himself in Mancunian culture will only serve the further seal his legacy at the club. The 34-year-old agreed to test himself and decode some on the city's more famous slang words, but all-too quickly discovered just how much had flown over his head since his arrival seven years ago.

Manchester United defender Matteo Darmian has been lined up as Juventus

Dani Alves wants to sign for Manchester City on a two-year contract once he has come to an agreement with Juve over the early termination of the two-year deal he signed with them in the summer of 2016.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             The Italy international has enjoyed a mixed spell so far at United, with Antonio Valencia, Marcos Rojo, Guillermo Varela, Ashley Young, Luke Shaw, Daley Blind and Tim Fosu-Mensah all being favoured at full-back at various stages during his two years with the club.Darmian spent much of his spell at Torino between 2011 and 2015 as a wing-back, and having excelled in the same position for the Italian national team he is seen as an ideal addition to a Juve side which has played primarily with a back three and wing-backs for the past six seasons.

Manchester United defender Matteo Darmian marries fiancee Francesca Cormanni in traditional ceremony

Manchester United defender Matteo Darmian marries fiancee Francesca Cormanni in traditional ceremony     Manchester United defender Matteo Darmian has married his long-term fiancee Francesca Cormanni in a lavish wedding ceremony in Italy. 

                                

The pair, who have been together since they were teenagers, tied the knot in front of family and friends at a church in Rescaldina, just minutes away from Darmian's home town of Legnano

Arsenal star Jack Wilshere ties the knot with long-term girlfriend Andriani Michael

     On Saturday I married the women of my dreams! Thank you to everyone who came and made the day so special, said Wilshere.                                                                                                                                                                             The happy couple tied the knot in Tuscany, with British artist Craig David, a favourite of Wilshere's, providing the entertainment at the reception.

'Jack wanted Craig's TS5 show as the entertainment,' a source reportedly told The Sun. 'It's a mash-up of huge dance and chart hits with Craig singing, MCing and getting the crowd going.

Germany beat Australia 3-2 in their Confederations Cup opener at Fisht Stadium in Sochi

                                                                                        Germany beat Australia 3-2 in their Confederations Cup opener at Fisht Stadium in Sochi courtesy of goals from Lars Stindl, Julian Draxler and Leon Goretzka.

Stindl opened the scoring early on with a tidy finish after some good work from Julian Brandt, but the Asian Cup holders somewhat surprisingly restored parity shortly before the break when some poor goalkeeping from Bernd Leno allowed Tom Rogic to net.

The world champions, however, were back in front just three minutes later as Draxler converted a penalty, with Goretzka adding a third early in the second half.

Tomi Juric ensured an exciting finish to the game when he pulled one back in the 56th minute - the goal awarded following the latest Video Assistant Referee (VAR) referral - but Australia lacked the individual quality to genuinely worry an experimental Germany.

Joachim Low's men now meet Chile on Thursday, while Australia take on Cameroon on matchday two.

Cristiano Ronaldo might be courted extensively by those in power at Old Trafford are obvious.

 Cristiano Ronaldo might be courted extensively by those in power at Old Trafford are obvious.                        Ronaldo  has four Ballons d’Or to his name, has netted 406 goals in his last 394 club games, led Portugal to the European Championship crown last summer and just a couple of weeks ago inspired Real Madrid to a unique second consecutive Champions League triumph.

Throw in the fact that he retains a great love for Manchester United after winning nine trophies in six years with the club between 2003 and 2009, and the reasons Cristiano Ronaldo might be courted extensively by those in power at Old Trafford are obvious.                                                                                                                                                                       Ronaldo is considering leaving Madrid amid accusations by Spanish prosecutors of multi-million euro tax evasion could not be more welcoming for United fans. At a time when their club have plenty of spending power and have a four-year Premier League title drought to address, the availability of the world’s best player comes at almost the perfect time.

The Arsenal forward had sprained his ankle during training just days ago

Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez shows off badly-swollen ankle after cameo in Chile's Confederations Cup opener.                                                           The 28-year-old, who sprained his ankle in training just days ago, started on the bench during the Confederations Cup opener but was brought on in the 58th minute with the scores still level.

The Old Trafford club have already recruited centre-back Victor Lindelof from Benfica in a £30.5m deal

                                                                                            Jose Mourinho is determined to transform Manchester United from also-rans to title challengers next season and he is already being linked with a host of leading lights in the transfer window.

Chile recorded a 2-0 win over Cameroon in Sunday's Confederations Cup encounter courtesy of late Arturo Vidal and Eduardo Vargas goals.

Chile recorded a 2-0 win over Cameroon in Sunday's Confederations Cup encounter courtesy of late Arturo Vidal and Eduardo Vargas goals.                                                                                                                                                   Bayern Munich midfielder Vidal rose highest after Alexis Sanchez's cross and left goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa no chance with a strong header in the 81st minute before Vargas put the result beyond doubt well into stoppage time.
Vargas previously felt he was unfairly denied a goal late in the first half, with the 27-year-old already celebrating, only to then be deemed to be in an offside position after VAR referral, even if replays of the goal did not provide any clarity as to whether he indeed found himself in an illegal position. Arturo Vidal and Eduardo Vargas scored late on to help Chile to a 2-0 win over Cameroon in a Confederations Cup clash in Moscow that saw the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) at the centre of controversy.

Portugal to victory on their Confederations Cup debut as they drew 2-2 with Mexico on Sunday

Ronaldo had earlier teed up Ricardo Quaresma for the opener, with Javier Hernandez's equaliser leading to a tight second half before a hectic finish.

Mexico, the 1999 winners, struggled to match Fernando Santos' side as Portugal hit their stride halfway through the first half and Ronaldo provided Quaresma with a simple finish after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) had ruled out a goal for Nani.

But, just as sloppy defending had let Ronaldo in, Raphael Guerreiro's poor miscue led to an equaliser for Hernandez three minutes before half-time.

David Trezeguet feels Real Madrid target Kylian Mbappe should prove his quality at Monaco before seeking a transfer.

                                                                                         Mbappe has been linked with a big-money switch to one of Europe's heavyweights after firing Leonardo Jardim's men to the Ligue 1 title and the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Zinedine Zidane's La Liga and European title-holders are believed to be among the favourites to secure the services of the exciting young striker.

The Arsenal forward has been heavily linked with a big-money exit.

                                                                                        Alexis Sanchez is a player who is set to dominate headlines this summer. Wanted by numerous elite clubs, Alexis appeared set to leave the Emirates this summer.

CHEICK TIOTE...Born: June 21, 1986 Nationality: Ivorian Clubs: Anderlecht, Roda, Twente, Newcastle, Beijing Enterprises International caps: 52 (1 goal) Honours: Belgian First Division (2006, 2007); Belgian Super Cup (2006, 2007); Eredivisie (2010); Dutch Super Cup (2010); Africa Cup of Nations (2015)

                                                                                   

CHEICK TIOTE 

 Born: June 21, 1986

Nationality: Ivorian

Clubs: Anderlecht, Roda, Twente, Newcastle, Beijing Enterprises 

International caps: 52 (1 goal) 

Honours: Belgian First Division (2006, 2007); Belgian Super Cup (2006, 2007); Eredivisie (2010); Dutch Super Cup (2010); Africa Cup of Nations (2015)                                                                                                    Tiote left Newcastle in February after nearly seven years at St James' Park, during which time he made 156 appearances and scored one goal. After a memorial service was held in Beijing earlier this week his body was flown back to Ivory Coast ahead of Sunday's funeral. Ex-Newcastle team-mate Papiss Cisse, who plays for Shandong Luneng, paid tribute to Tiote during the memorial in China.

Manchester City are closing in on a deal for Juventus right-back Dani Alves

                                                                                           

 The Premier League club are also working on deals for first-choice targets Benjamin Mendy, the Monaco left-back, and Kyle Walker, the Tottenham right-back.