Hadji hails Morocco´s ´exemplary state of mind´

Mikel Arteta has told Arsenal it is time to evolve as he looks ahead to what could be a crucial transfer window for the club.

A 2-1 aggregate defeat to Villarreal in the Europa League semi-finals means the Gunners season looks set to end in hugely disappointing fashion.

They are ninth in the Premier League with three games to go and could well fail to qualify for European competition for the first time since they were absent in 1995-96, with their domestic cup challenges having ended in December and January.

Pressure has been mounting on the manager given their apparent lack of progress, and Arteta accepts they must now build on the institutional changes at Emirates Stadium by creating a team capable of competing with the best again.

We have already had …

Stephanie Labbe was the penalty shoot-out hero as Canada took gold in their maiden Olympic final appearance following a 1-1 draw with Sweden.

Stina Blackstenius first-half opener had the Scandinavians ahead but Jessie Fleming restored parity with a spot-kick after half-time when VAR intervened for a foul on Christine Sinclair.

Kadeisha Buchanan proved Canada s last-ditch hero with a clearance off the line to take the game to extra-time before Labbe s two saves secured a 3-2 triumph in the shoot-out.

Kosovare Asllani did the initial work for Sweden s opener, dispossessing Canada midfielder Quinn before rolling to Blackstenius, whose first-time attempt benefited from a slight deflection to find the back of the net.

Sinclair, whose 187 goals for Canada make…

Following the end of the FIFA international break, now it s time for the European leagues to resume its action. And with that in mind, this Saturday we will witness a thrilling La Liga encounter between two of the biggest title candidates: FC Barcelona and Valencia. Neither side has started the campaign on top form, and this could be a great chance to earn a statement win considering both will play in the UEFA Champions League next week. Kick-off for this match is slated for Saturday at 20:oo UK time.

FC Barcelona

It s safe to say Los Blaugranas have not started the season as brightly as they would have liked. Following a 2-2 away draw at Osasuna the last time out, Ernesto Valverde s men only have four points following their first three league matches (W1, D1, L1). They should …

Group F of the European Championship, branded at the start as the group of death , provided plenty of excitement on its final evening. Those supporting Portugal, Germany and Hungary experienced a proper roller coaster ride over the 90+ minutes as Germany hosted Hungary in Munich and Portugal faced France in Budapest. Throughout the course of the game the group table changed many times, with each team except France hanging off the cliff at least once. In the end, both contests ended winnerless and Hungary, who entered the round from the bottom, returned there and have been eliminated.

Facing the defending European champions, as well as the World Cup winners of 2018 and 2014, Hungary held out for 84 minutes before falling apart against Portugal, and managed to avoid defeat agains…

Monaco have completed the signing of Kevin Volland from Bayer Leverkusen.

Germany forward Volland, 28, has signed a four-year contract in a move reported to be worth €15million.

He is expected to be followed out of the BayArena by Kai Havertz, who is said to be closing in on a €100m transfer to Premier League side Chelsea.

Volland said: I thank the leaders of Monaco for the trust shown. I am delighted to join this club with a great history and strong ambitions.

I followed the first results of the team [in the Ligue 1 season]. I cannot wait to join the group and get to work to bring my qualities.

Deutsche Qualität in Monaco

— AS Monaco (@AS_Monaco)

Volland accumulated 77 goals and 62 assists in 247 Bundesliga games since …

Arjen Robben belatedly returned from a calf injury for Bayern Munich on Saturday and consequently made his 700th professional appearance.

The veteran winger is set to leave Bayern at the end of the season and had not featured since scoring twice against Benfica in the Champions League in November due to a number of fitness issues.

But after being left on the bench at Nurnberg last week, Robben appeared for a late cameo in Bayern s 3-1 win over Hannover as they edged towards another Bundesliga title.

The Dutch star arrived in place of Kingsley Coman four minutes from the end to play for the 700th time in his career, with 306 of those outings coming for Bayern.

700 ( ) makes his 700th for club and country. Legend.

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz)

…

Dani Olmo departed Barcelona s youth setup in 2014, moving to Croatian giants in Dinamo Zagreb.

Now playing for RB Leipzig, the 23-year-old continues to catch the eye.

Olmo is reportedly eyeing another chance at Barca.

TOP STORY – OLMO WANTS BARCA COMEBACK

RB Leipzig star Dani Olmo is hoping to return to Barcelona, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Olmo came through Barca s famed La Masia before joining Dinamo Zagreb s youth team in 2014 and eventually Bundesliga outfit Leipzig in 2020.

The 23-year-old Spain international, however, wants a new chance at Barca and has reportedly set yes to a Camp Nou comeback without looking at contract terms.

ROUND-UP

 Everton are hopeful of launching a bid to sign …

Luis Suarez scored a set-piece double as Atletico Madrid saw off Cadiz 4-2 to move 10 points clear at the LaLiga summit.

Real Madrid s shock 2-1 loss to Levante on Saturday provided Atleti with a chance to extend their lead at the top and they did exactly that with victory at Estadio Ramon de Carranza.

Diego Simeone s men had trailed in their last two outings, though Suarez opened the scoring with a sublime free-kick in Sunday s clash before Alvaro Negredo equalised.

Saul Niguez s flicked finish and Suarez s penalty gave Atleti some breathing space and, while Negredo s second of the day did make things interesting, Koke finished smartly late on to make certain of an eighth league win in a row.

2 Goals in 1 game

Easy for ! |

— LaLiga E…

With everyone in Wembley Stadium as tense as you could get, Kepa Arrizabalaga addressed the ball.

Liverpool and Chelsea could not be separated on February 27, with 120 minutes of play not bringing any goals that had not been subsequently ruled out by VAR.

Yet in the penalty shoot-out, all 20 outfield players scored, as did Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

Arrizabalaga, only brought on by Thomas Tuchel for the shoot-out, blazed his spot-kick over the bar and into the jubilant Liverpool fans. Joy that they had won the first trophy of the season, the EFL Cup, coupled with a hint of extra relief that the remarkably close contest had finally been settled and everyone could get on with their lives.

Ultimately, it came down to which goalkeeper could ta…

Manchester City’s third-choice goalkeeper Scott Carson has signed a new 12-month contract, the Premier League champions have announced.

The 37-year-old former England international has made just two first-team appearances since joining City, initially on loan, in 2019 but has been an important part of manager Pep Guardiola’s squad.

“I’m excited to be staying at City,” Carson told the club’s website, www.mancity.com. “I love working with Pep, (coach) Xabi Mancisidor and our incredible players every day.

“Hopefully I can help all of our goalkeepers be at their best.”

Guardiola said: “We have him in the locker room and you cannot believe the impact.”

…