French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet has credited Patrice Evra s half-time speech for inspiring them against Belarus.

France trailed 1-0 at half-time in Gomel, Belarus, on Tuesday but, after a heated speech from Evra, the visitors took control in the second half of the World Cup qualifier to triumph 4-2 on the back of a Franck Ribery brace.

Evra was stripped of the captain s armband in 2010 following his involvement in a players revolt against then-coach Raymond Domenech at the World Cup in South Africa.

But despite his demotion and the fact he was only on the bench in Gomel, the 32-year-old left-back delivered what team-mate Ribery labelled a man s speech at half-time, which earned praise from Le Graet.

I was not there, however I heard that E…

Everton manager Marco Silva criticised star signing Richarlison for a  naive  retaliation that earned him a red card in the 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.

The Brazilian winger, scorer of three goals in his first two Premier League appearances after joining from Watford, was dismissed shortly before half-time for making minor contact in a headbutt on Adam Smith.

Richarlison s reaction appeared to be sparked by comments from Smith that led to a heated exchange but Silva dismissed provocation as a possible excuse for the 21-year-old s actions.

It is naive, it is something Richarlison cannot do, the Toffees boss said.

It is something for the boy to learn fast, but it is something we can see many, many times in a football match.

Both players to put…

Artem Dzyuba struck twice and Magomed Ozdoev scored a stunner as Russia wrapped up a deserved 4-0 win over Scotland in Group I of Euro 2020 qualifying.

All four goals came in the second half as the hosts threw off the shackles of a frustrating opening 45 minutes, Dzyuba opening the scoring with a volley just before the hour. 

Ozdoev rifled home the pick of the bunch three minutes later and Dzyuba took his tally for the campaign to eight before Aleksandr Golovin compounded Scotland s misery in Moscow.

The result puts Russia on the brink of qualification, while Steve Clarke s Scotland have the significant consolation of knowing they are already assured of a play-off spot courtesy of their Nations League exploits. 

Clarke made six changes from the 4-0 …

Germany coach Joachim Loew hailed his team s stunning World Cup 4-0 quarter-final demolition of Argentina on Saturday as a performance worthy of champions.

My team showed great resolve, a great willingness to win and it wasn t just a high-level victory, but a true champions performance, said Loew.

The team s achievement in reaching the semi-finals is remarkable given that Loew s four-year contract with the German Football Federation (DFB) expired last Wednesday.

The 50-year-old has insisted he will not discuss a new deal until after the World Cup, but if captain Philipp Lahm lifts the trophy at Soccer City in Johannesburg on July 11, the coach will be able to name his own price.

Loew s men in black tore apart Diego Maradona s Argentina on Saturday with …

Chelsea secured their fourth consecutive Women’s Super League title by beating Reading on the last day of the season.

The Blues completed a double after winning the FA Cup earlier this month and did so despite the absence of players such as Millie Bright and Fran Kirby for the run-in.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the key players in Chelsea’s title-winning campaign.

Guro Reiten

Still in awe of this assist against Leicester earlier this season.

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW)

An influential winger in the Chelsea set-up, Reiten has had a sterling year for the club.

The Norwegian tops the charts in terms of assists in the league this season, providing 11 in total and linking up well with striker Sam Kerr.

<…

Granada could face a Barcelona backlash on Saturday as the defending La Liga champions aim to recover from their UEFA Champions League exit.

Barca were eliminated from Europe s premier club competition by title rivals and league leaders Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, succumbing to a 2-1 aggregate defeat to Diego Simeone s men after losing the second leg 1-0.

That defeat ended the Catalan club s hopes of a quadruple, and Gerardo Martino s men will now need to refocus their efforts on retaining the league crown they won in dominant fashion last term.

Martino s men are one point behind Atletico and two ahead of fierce rivals Real Madrid with six games remaining in an enthralling title race that promises to go to the wire.

Any slip up could be extremely damaging to Ba…

Hull City owner Assem Allam has threatened to put the club up for sale immediately amid ongoing protests from hooligan fans.

Allam has attracted fierce criticism from some supporters after going public with his desire to rebrand the club as Hull Tigers following their promotion to the Premier League in May.

The Egyptian-born businessman who took over at the KC Stadium in December 2010 claims doing so would help maximise the club s commercial potential, but groups of fans have responded to this proposal by unfurling banners reading City Till We Die and We Are Hull City at home games.

Allam has slammed this campaign, saying those responsible are undermining manager Steve Bruce s efforts to keep the side in the top flight while insisting he would have no hesitation in sel…

World Cup winner Kevin Grosskreutz has left Stuttgart by mutual consent following a city-centre altercation that left him hospitalised.

Wide man Grosskreutz part of Germany s victorious squad in Brazil in 2014 was admitted to hospital with a laceration to his head following an incident in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The 28-year-old has since been discharged but will not play for 2. Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart again after both parties agreed to go their separate ways.

I made a mistake, which I am very sorry about, he said in a statement.  I accept the consequences and regret that my time at VfB is over. 

I would like to thank the team, the staff and especially the fans, who have supported me well in the last few days.

Grosskreutz wa…

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been handed La Liga s Player of the Month award for the first time in the two-and-a-half-season history of the prize.

Messi crowned the best player in the world for the fifth time at the Ballon d Or ceremony in January has ended his wait for the individual La Liga award following an impressive month.

Despite suffering a hamstring problem midway through January, the Argentina star scored six goals in as many matches to maintain Barca s place atop La Liga.

The 28-year-old follows Neymar in winning the award the Brazilian recognised for the first time in November with the pair the only Barca players to win the prize since its conception prior to the 2013-14 season.

While it may be almost impossible to believe, Messi has final…

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has demanded LaLiga president Javier Tebas resigns for putting clubs at risk of serious sporting and/or economic sanctions after a judge shelved the league s plan to host a match in Miami.

LaLiga had intended for Villarreal s home match against Atletico Madrid on December 6 to be played in Florida, United States, but Madrid s Mercantile Court ruled on Friday that the league is not permitted to act of its own accord and its actions must be agreed and coordinated with the institution that directs football in Spain .

A final decision is expected in February to determine whether the RFEF can prevent LaLiga hosting matches in the United States.

But in the meantime, the RFEF is calling for the dismissal – or resignation �…