Cairo (AFP) – William Troost-Ekong's late winner sent Nigeria through to the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday after a tense 2-1 victory over South Africa in Cairo. Samuel Chukwueze fired the Super Eagles ahead in the first half in front of a healthy, largely pro-Nigerian crowd at the 75,000-capacity Cairo International […]

Cairo (AFP) – South Africa coach Stuart Baxter admitted it was tough to draw any positives from Wednesday's 2-1 loss to Nigeria in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations. Bafana Bafana stunned the hosts Egypt in the last 16 but were eliminated four days later in Cairo after William Troost-Ekong bundled in a late […]

Cairo (AFP) – William Troost-Ekong said his late goal that earned Nigeria a 2-1 victory over South Africa and a spot in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals was a "dream moment". The centre-back knocked home a corner in the 89th minute in Cairo as Nigeria advanced to the last four of the competition for […]

Sydney (AFP) – Football Federation of Australia chief executive David Gallop announced Thursday he will retire at the end of the year as the governing body restructures to give clubs more say in running the game. Gallop, who has held the top job in Australian football for seven years, linked his decision to the planned […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool have tied down Champions League hero Divock Origi to new long-term contract, the club announced on Wednesday. "Divock Origi has committed his future to Liverpool Football Club by signing a new long-term contract at Melwood today," Liverpool said in a statement without revealing details over the length of the deal. The […]

Cairo (AFP) – Senegal reached the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals for the first time since 2006 when Idrissa Gueye scored to deliver a 1-0 last-eight win over Benin in Cairo on Wednesday. Everton midfielder Gueye struck on 70 minutes, side-footing the ball into the net from close range after being set up by Liverpool […]

Miami (AFP) – New-look North American qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup in 2022 will retain a six-team hexagonal round-robin showdown in the final round while revamping the path for others, CONCACAF said Wednesday. A two-part system will take place during FIFA match windows in 2020 and 2021 with the region's six highest-ranked teams in […]

Miami (AFP) – Former England star David Beckham's Inter Miami expansion squad in Major League Soccer has received approval to redevelop a Fort Lauderdale site as its training facility and temporary home stadium. Inter managing owner Jorge Mas said Wednesday that city commissioners finalized Inter Miami's construction plan for the 64-acre Lockhart Stadium site by […]

New York (AFP) – Amid chants of "equal pay," "USA" and streams of confetti, the World Cup-winning US women's soccer team was feted by tens of thousands of adoring fans with a ticker tape victory parade in New York on Wednesday. Wearing identical black T-shirts emblazoned with the words "World Champions" in gold letters, members […]

The Hague (AFP) – Dutch authorities have ordered a primary school football field to close because children using it were too noisy, in a move that has sparked protests and questions in parliament on Wednesday. Residents in a newly-built block of luxury flats had complained about screaming and shouting by pupils of the De Buut […]

New York (AFP) – Amid chants of "equal pay," "USA" and streams of confetti, the World Cup-winning US women's soccer team was feted by tens of thousands of adoring fans with a ticker-tape parade in New York on Wednesday. Wearing identical black T-shirts emblazoned with the words "World Champions" in gold letters, members of the […]

Rome (AFP) – AC Milan and Inter Milan have launched their bid to knock down the iconic San Siro and build a new 60,000-capacity home on the same site, the Serie A giants announced on Wednesday. "Today, A.C. Milan S.p.A. (AC Milan) and F.C. Internazionale Milano S.p.A. (FC Internazionale) filed with the Municipality of Milan the 'Technical and Economic […]

Quito (AFP) – The referee accused by Argentina at the Copa America of having made "serious and gross" mistakes during their semi-final defeat to Brazil has hit back at his detractors accusing them of being bad losers. Argentina and their captain Lionel Messi were incensed that Ecuadoran handler Roddy Zambrano not only failed to award […]

Suez (Egypt) (AFP) – Of all the big name strikers who took their form and pedigree from Europe's top leagues into the Africa Cup of Nations, only one has truly lived up to his star billing: Algeria's Riyad Mahrez. Fallen by the wayside lie Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Hakim Ziyech of Ajax who both struggled […]

Cairo (AFP) – Africa Cup of Nations debutants Madagascar have defied the odds by reaching the quarter-finals of the 2019 tournament in Egypt, where they will play Tunisia Thursday. Twenty-seven of the other 41 newcomers bowed out after the first round, including Burundi and Mauritania last month with neither managing a win in their […]