Former Real Madrid captain Fernando Hierro leapt to the defence of Zinedine Zidane, urging the club to be sensible as pressure builds on the under-fire head coach amid their struggles.

Madrid soared to new heights in 2016-17, winning LaLiga and becoming the first team to successfully defend their Champions League crown last season.

However, Madrid have been less than convincing this term despite winning the UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup and Supercopa de Espana – already 16 points behind runaway leaders and bitter rivals Barcelona in LaLiga.

Madrid also stumbled into the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey following a disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Numancia on Wednesday but Hierro has called for calm in the Spanish capital.

We have to be sensible, Hi…

Adelaide United coach John Kosmina has refused to be drawn on his future at the club, with talks set to begin next month on a new deal.

Following the departure of former coach Rini Coolen in December 2011, Kosmina has guided Adelaide to second on the A-League table this season despite a rocky start to his second stint in charge of the Reds.

Kosmina, who was installed as coach on a one-season deal following a handshake agreement with the club, is after a long-term deal.

Chairman Greg Griffin said contract talks would be put off until the board meets in February, although he loosely reassured Kosmina that the club was not chasing another coach to replace him.

I can guarantee you that we are not speaking to any other coach that should be of great comfort t…

Malaga have reached an agreement to sign PSG defender Diego Lugano on loan until the end of the season, .

The Uruguayan was keen to leave Parc des Princes in search of regular playing time and he has accepted an offer from the La Liga side.

AS understands that the deal does not include an option to purchase the player’s contract at the end of the season.

Lugano arrives at La Rosaleda to provide competition for starting centre-back pairing of Martin Demichelis and Weligton.

The 32-year-old will attempt to get his career back on track after what was a very disappointing spell at Parc des Princes.

Lugano joined the club from Fenerbahce in the summer of 2011, but has since made just 12 Ligue 1 appearances for the Saints.

He has been complet…

Christophe Galtier praised Paris Saint-Germain s desire  after they won the Trophee des Champions with a resounding 4-0 victory over Nantes on Sunday.

Lionel Messi opened the scoring at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, before Neymar doubled their advantage with a fine free-kick.

Sergio Ramos added a third, with Neymar grabbing his second from the penalty spot late on after an incident that saw Jean-Charles Castelletto dismissed.

PSG reclaimed the Trophee des Champions after their streak of eight consecutive wins was ended by Lille last season, and Galtier was delighted with his side s application in his first competitive game at the helm.

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English)

We played a very serious match and I like the fact th…

Is Erling Haaland s future close to being resolved?

Borussia Dortmund, up until now, have been unwilling to part with their top asset.

But Chelsea are reportedly making progress to bring Haaland to London.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA CLOSING IN ON HAALAND?

Chelsea have agreed personal terms with Erling Haaland and now just need to agree a fee with Borussia Dortmund, according to the Transfer Window Podcast.

Haaland is a player in demand, linked with Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Juventus.

But Chelsea have reportedly made a breakthrough in their pursuit to prise the Norway forward to Stamford Bridge.

• Barcelona move for Bernardo
• M…

A draw against Burkina Faso will be enough for Congo to progress from the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 1992.

Claude Le Roy will send his Congo side out to attack Burkina Faso in Sunday s crunch Africa Cup of Nations Group A clash at Nuevo Estadio de Ebebiyin.

Congo need just a point to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time since in 23 years, while only a victory will do for 2013 finalists Burkina Faso in the final group match.

Prince Oniangue scored the solitary goal against Gabon on Wednesday to send Congo top of the group and on the brink of progressing to the quarter-finals.

It has been 15 years since Congo the 1972 champions qualified for the AFCON and the experienced Le Roy is determined to…

Vicente del Bosque remained tight-lipped over his future as Spain head coach following the country s early FIFA World Cup exit.

The 63-year-old guided the side to World Cup glory in South Africa four years ago, as well as winning the UEFA European Championship in 2012.

However, Spain crashed out of this year s finals at the first hurdle after a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Netherlands was followed up by a 2-0 reverse to Chile at the Maracana on Wednesday.

That defeat left some observers to question whether this current crop of players have reached the end of an era, with speculation mounting over whether Del Bosque would stay on beyond the tournament.

In a press conference on Friday, Del Bosque gave little away regarding his future and was candid in his …

Stoke City goalkeeper Carlo Nash is still weighing up his options with a new contract on the table at the Britannia Stadium.

The 38-year-old was third choice last season behind Asmir Begovic and Thomas Sorensen, and said on Twitter that he was assessing his options for next term.

However, Stoke’s director of football John Rudge told the Stoke Sentinel: We have offered Carlo a contract.

He would like to be playing, but he is a good type who has done well for us while he has been here.

We hope he stays because he is an experienced player who gives us a good battle for places.

Nash has had a nomadic career in English football, with spells at Manchester City, Preston North End and Everton amongst others before arriving at the Britannia Stadium i…

Another international break gives us a chance to reflect on which teams in Europe have set the world alight so far and which teams may as well set their ground alight.

Here’s a look at five of the best performing teams and five of the worst:

Best five

1. Chelsea are top of the Premier League with seventeen points from seven games. They are unbeaten and at times, have looked unbeatable. Their performance in the win against the much fancied Aston Villa last weekend was clinical, efficient and entertaining.

Remember, that win was achieved without Carvalho, Essien, Deco and Drogba. They are going to take some stopping in the Premier League and in Europe.

Scolari has taken to the role as a Premier League manager like a duck to water.<…

Real Madrid have grabbed headlines all over the world on Tuesday morning. But this time, they’ve done it for the right reasons since Los Merengues have officially snapped one of the top strikers in Europe during the 2018/19 season.

Real Madrid have signed Luka Jovic to a six-year contract, which means the Serbian striker will be tied to Los Blancos until the end of the 2024-25 season. Jovic had an impressive with the German outfit while on loan with Benfica, since he finished with 17 goals and six assists in 32 Bundesliga appearances. The club confirmed the news on their official website.

However, was this the right move for Real Madrid? Or were they just so desperate to sign someone given their poor season last term? Let’s try to rationalize the move and decide whe…