Ernesto Valverde praised the amazing Lionel Messi after the star led Barcelona past Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Messi scored and provided two assists in his 700th game for Barcelona, who secured top spot in Group F thanks to a 3-1 victory at Camp Nou.

While Messi and Luis Suarez combined for the first two goals, the former then set up Antoine Griezmann in the second half.

Valverde praised Messi, who broke a Champions League record by scoring against a 34th different opponent, for his performance.

Luis and Leo understand each other perfectly because they have been together for a long time. At first it wasn t like that, the Barcelona coach said, via AS.

Messi is an extraordinary passer and Griezmann was unmarked as well…

UEFA is unlikely to change its stance in opposing the Premier League s reported plans to play some matches overseas.

The Premier League previously shelved plans for a 39th round of fixtures in 2008 to be played abroad as the Football Association, FIFA and UEFA all rejected the notion.

Reports surfaced this week that the plans were being discussed once again, but UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino would be surprised if European football s governing body changed their attitude towards the idea.

Whenever these kind of things are discussed, we have to act in a responsible way within the rules that we ve all agreed together, he said.

These kinds of ideas and proposals are on the table every now and then and have to be discussed every now and then.

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Ben White s own goal and a Bruno Guimaraes strike put Tottenham on the brink of Champions League qualification as Arsenal suffered a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United.

The Gunners needed a win to move back into fourth place with one Premier League game to play against Everton on Sunday, but Newcastle did Spurs a massive favour at St James Park.

White, making his return from a hamstring injury, turned a Joelinton cross into his own net in the second half and Guimaraes added a second late on as the Magpies dominated Mikel Arteta s side.

Spurs will head to Norwich City on the final day knowing a point will almost certainly put them in the Champions League next season due to their goal difference and Chelsea are guaranteed a top-four finish, while wounded Arsenal look t…

Alessandro Florenzi has undergone surgery on his left knee and Milan have not given a timeframe for his recovery.

Florenzi is on a season-long loan at Milan from Roma, with the Rossoneri having the option to make the deal permanent.

The 31-year-old full-back has played 27 times this season for the Serie A leaders, though only 13 of those have been starts.

Florenzi suffered the injury in Monday s goalless draw with Bologna at San Siro that saw Milan drop two points in the race for the Scudetto, though they remain a point ahead of second-placed Napoli.

Official Statement: Alessandro Florenzi

Comunicato Ufficiale: Alessandro Florenzi

— AC Milan (@acmilan)

A statement on the club website read: AC Milan can confirm that…

Bordeaux have completed the signing of midfielder Wahbi Khazri from Ligue 1 rivals Bastia.

Tunisia international Khazri joins on a four-year deal after a long association with Corsican club Bastia.

Khazri broke into the Bastia first-team in 2009 and has impressed with his dynamic performances in recent years.

The 23-year-old scored six goals in 32 appearances last season, yet has now opted to take the next step in his career by moving to the Stade Chaban Delmas.

The sports project makes me feel immediately envious, Khazri said at his unveiling.

This club has ambitions and play at the top of the table. It s good for me.

I have a lot of ambition. I hope I will live up to this new challenge.

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Copenhagen CEO Anders Horsholt believes a second-tier UEFA Champions League should be created for clubs from smaller European countries.

Horsholt has claimed the group stage of the Champions League is too difficult to reach for clubs from countries like Denmark, Belgium and Czech Republic, while he believes the UEFA Europa League does not provide enough commercial opportunities for those teams.

Copenhagen qualified for the play-off round of the 2014-15 Champions League on Wednesday, overcoming Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 2-0 in Denmark s capital after claiming a scoreless draw in Ukraine last week.

But in an interview with Norwegian newspaper Bergens Tidende, published before Copenhagen s win, the Danish CEO argued clubs from smaller European countries should not bothe…

Monaco stopper Nicolas Isimat-Mirin hopes to extends his stay with PSV Eindhoven beyond the current season, according to L Equipe.

The 23-year-old joined the Dutch giants on a season-long loan last summer as he was unable to prove his worth at Stade Louis II.

And even though there is no buy-out option included in the deal, chances are that Mirin will not be returning to Monaco.

While Ligue 1 high-flyers Saint Etienne are considering a summer bid for his services, the youngster would prefer to stay with PSV and play Champions League football, with the Dutch giants having just secured the first league trophy since 2008.

Isimat-Mirin made a total of 13 Eredivisie appearances since joining last summer, scoring a winner in a 2-1 triumph over Groningen.

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Senegal coach Aliou Cisse has praised Sadio Mane s humility and described the Liverpool forward as one of the best players in the world.

Cisse first encountered Mane when he was named coach of the 2012 Olympic team and says the 26-year-old s recent exploits – which included playing a major role in the Merseysiders run to the Champions League final – have not changed him.

Speaking in Moscow ahead of Senegal s World Cup opener against Poland on Tuesday, Cisse said: Sadio Mane is a unique player, he cannot be compared to any others, even if Senegal have had big names before.

Everything that has occurred to him in the past two or three years might have changed him but he s exactly the same, he s just as humble as when I met him seven years ago.

His b…

John Heitinga is to return to Ajax after joining the Eredivisie giants on a free transfer from Hertha Berlin.

The defender, who started his professional career with the Amsterdam club, has signed a one-year contract with the option for a further 12 months.

Heitinga spent 18 years with Ajax before departing for Atletico Madrid in 2008, subsequently joining Everton for a five-year stint the following season.

Brief spells at Fulham and Hertha Berlin followed, but Heitinga, now 31, has opted for a return to where it all started.

The Netherlands international won two league titles and three KNVB Cups during his first stint with Ajax.

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Simone Inzaghi has signed a contract extension with Inter, tying him to the club until June 2024. 

The 46-year-old took over from Antonio Conte in 2021 and impressed in his first season at the helm of the Nerazzurri, which followed the departures of key duo Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi.

And Inter confirmed on Tuesday that he had signed a new two-year deal.

Despite missing out on the Scudetto to local rivals Milan, Inzaghi did lead Inter to success in the Supercoppa Italiana and the Coppa Italia – requiring extra time to overcome Juventus on both occasions.

As Inter prepare for a bid to regain the Serie A title, the Nerazzurri have taken the decision to hand Inzaghi fresh terms.

Inter are hoping to build on Inzaghi s new deal by sealing a San…