Stefano Pioli praised Milan s resilience as his side came from two goals down to beat Celtic 4-2 and qualify for the last 32 of the Europa League.  

Tomas Rogic and Odsonne Edouard put the Scottish team 2-0 up inside 14 minutes, but Milan stormed back through goals from Hakan Calhanoglu, Samu Castillejo, Jens Petter Hauge and Brahim Diaz.  

The result, combined with Lille s dramatic 2-1 win over Sparta Prague in Group H s other game, means Milan have sealed their spot in the knockout stages.  

Pioli – back in the dugout after missing three games with COVID-19 – lost experienced defender Simon Kjaer to injury in between Celtic s goals, and the Milan boss was pleased with how his young side overcame those early setbacks.  

The la…

Roberto Martinez has urged Everton to find consistency and rediscover their best form following a disappointing first half of the season.

Martinez s men sit 11th in the Premier League and head into the Boxing Day visit of Stoke City having lost 3-0 at Southampton last weekend. 

The Spaniard believes his side s showing was out of character in comparison to their other performances this season but is keen for Everton to hit their stride ahead of a busy period of fixtures.

We haven t been able to be consistent with our results in the league, Martinez said.  It was the first time in the aspect of our performance at Southampton that we let ourselves down.

We need to learn from it. We re focused on trying to get a bit of consistency on our results in the l…

Atletico Madrid eyeing Mangala

El Confidencial is reporting that Atletico Madrid are considering a summer move on FC Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala.

Los Colchoneros are likely to stay without centre-back Miranda, who is followed by some of Europe s top sides and they are on the lookout for a new central defender.

And El Confidencial has suggested that they have been offered a chance to sign Porto s Eliaquim Mangala through the player s representative.

FIFA agent Jorge Mendes has a very good relationship with Atletico Madrid officials and he believes Vicente Calderon outfit would be a great destination for his client.

Considering that los Colchoneros boss Diego Simeone also rates the player highly, there is a good chance the La Liga side will ste…

Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal s gritty Champions League victory over Steve McClaren s FC Twente proved his young guns are ready to take centre-stage.

Wenger s side are within touching distance of the lucrative Champions League group stages after snatching a 2-0 win in the third qualifying round first leg in the Netherlands.

With Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Kolo Toure sidelined through injury, Arsenal struggled to impose themselves for long periods as McClaren s fired-up players tried to impress their new manager.

But the Gunners refused to be overwhelmed and Wenger took heart from the way midfielders Denilson, 20, and Aaron Ramsey, 17, kept going even when the team was out of sorts.

The French coach is confident both youngsters are now capable of…

Alex McLeish believes Scotland’s stunning win over Spain has got teams “terrified” to face Steve Clarke’s side.

The Scots got off to a terrific start to their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign in March with a 3-0 home win over Cyprus and a more unlikely 2-0 victory over Group A’s top seeds, also at Hampden Park.

With six points from six, Clarke’s side will travel to Norway for their June 17 clash before hosting Georgia in Glasgow three days later.

Speaking at Hampden Park, where he was promoting Viaplay’s live and exclusive coverage of the Norway and Georgia matches, the former Scotland boss said: “Every game is a threat and we can’t go into any game with complacency.

“The fact that we have beaten Spain has probably got everybody terrified…

West Brom have cancelled the contract of Anders Lindegaard by mutual consent, with the Danish goalkeeper immediately signing a deal to join Preston North End.

Lindegaard arrived at The Hawthorns from Manchester United in August 2015 but found game time limited under Tony Pulis, making just one appearance for the club in a 3-0 League Cup defeat to Norwich City.

The return to fitness of Baggies first-choice Ben Foster saw Lindegaard fall yet further down the pecking order, joining Preston on loan in January.

And Lindegaard has now opted to make the move to Deepdale permanent.

It was a very easy decision, he said. I could have gone to several other clubs in England, but it was a no brainer, I wanted to stay here [at Preston].

I m really happy that …

Mahmoud Dahoud has made it clear that he is in no rush to leave Borussia Monchengladbach amid speculation Liverpool are interested in signing him.

The 20-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2015-16 and his good performances last term have not gone unnoticed elsewhere.

Nevertheless, the Germany Under-21 star is happy to stay at his current club for now.

I am fully focused on Monchengladbach at the moment, Dahoud told Kicker.

Who says I should leave Gladbach? I still have room for improvement. My finishing has to improve, I have to get stronger in the air and I can still improve physically to get stronger on the pitch.

Dahoud has a contract with Monchengladbach until June 2018 and the Bundesliga side are keen to hold on to the midfielder be…

England Under-21s manager Stuart Pearce says he will take the most experienced squad available to him to the European Championships.

The likes of Wilfried Zaha, Raheem Sterling and Jonjo Shelvey have all recently earned recognition at senior level but remain eligible for Under-21 duty.

And the 50-year-old believes the upcoming tournament in Israel would prove more beneficial to these players than friendlies England s senior team.

It s thin margins in tournament football and that s the beauty of taking any players to a tournament,” Pearce told reporters.

That s why I bark on about how you have to take these players to the tournament to give them that experience and hopefully they take that mentality with them when they step up into the senior ranks.