Lyon (AFP) – England's Lucy Bronze said the two years spent fine-tuning her talent at leading club side Lyon have helped her become one of the top stars in the women's game as she prepares for Tuesday's World Cup semi-final against the United States in her adopted home city. Bronze is one of the focal […]

London (AFP) – Marcus Rashford has committed his long-term future to Manchester United after agreeing a new four-year contract with the option for a further year on Monday. The 21-year-old's previous deal was due to expire in 2020 and the England striker had attracted interest from across Europe. However, United have reportedly committed to a […]

Madrid (AFP) – La Liga president Javier Tebas has said he would rather Neymar does not return to La Liga if he cannot improve his behaviour. Neymar left Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain for a world record fee of 222 million euros in August 2017, but could make a surprise move back to Camp Nou […]

Rome (AFP) – Veteran Uruguayan central defender Diego Godin, who announced his departure from Atletico Madrid in May, signed a three-year deal with Inter Milan on Monday. In a busy day of Serie A transfer activity, Luca Pellegrini became reigning champions Juventus' first summer signing after moving from Roma on a 22-million-euro ($25 million) four-year […]

London (AFP) – Derby County have excused manager Frank Lampard from the start to the Championship club's pre-season training programme with the former midfielder expected to complete a return to Chelsea this week. Lampard was last week given permission to speak to the Blues, with whom he won 13 trophies in 13 years as a […]

London (AFP) – Rafael Benitez has pinpointed Newcastle owner Mike Ashley's vision for the club as the reason his three-year reign in charge of the Magpies came to an end last week. The former Liverpool and Real Madrid manager was a hugely popular figure among the supporters on Tyneside after leading the club to promotion […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona midfielder Denis Suarez has agreed to move back to his boyhood club Celta Vigo on a four-year deal, the Spanish champions said. Celta Vigo, based in Spain's northwestern Galicia region, will pay the Catalan giants 12.9 million euros ($14.7 million) plus 3.1 million euros in variables, Barcelona said in a statement […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Weston McKennie scored in the first half as the USA dodged a bullet by edging upstart Curacao 1-0 Sunday to reach the semi-finals of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament. The unbeaten Americans recorded their fourth straight shutout victory but the tiny Caribbean island of Curacao gave them their biggest test […]

Belo Horizonte (Brazil) (AFP) – When Neymar was ruled out of the Copa America with an ankle injury just over a week before the big kick-off, there was reason for hosts Brazil to dispair. But one player more than any other has given rise to renewed optimism within the Selecao ranks, and that's Everton — […]

Belo Horizonte (Brazil) (AFP) – Argentina forwards Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero will have to sweat if they're going to break down Brazil's watertight defence in their Copa America semi-final, says Selecao striker Gabriel Jesus. Hosts Brazil have yet to concede a goal in four matches at the Copa while Argentina have improved defensively and […]

Lyon (AFP) – England are aiming to make history as they prepare to take on the USA with a first ever women's World Cup final squarely in their sights, as a landmark tournament moves towards a nail-biting climax. The World Cup in France has generated record TV audiences for the women's game and Phil Neville's […]

Cairo (AFP) – Cameroon coach and former Dutch star Clarence Seedorf hopes the Africa Cup of Nations trophy-holders can deliver a more crowd-pleasing performance against Benin in Egypt Tuesday. The Champions League winner as a player with Ajax Amsterdam, Real Madrid and AC Milan conceded that the 0-0 draw with Ghana at the weekend offered […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Jamaica moved a step closer to reaching their third straight CONCACAF Gold Cup final as they booked their spot in the semis on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jamaica next plays the winner of the day's other quarter-final between the mighty Americans and the tiny Caribbean […]

Udine (Italy) (AFP) – Spain beat holders Germany 2-1 to win the European under-21 championship title for a record-equalling fifth time in Udine on Sunday as Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo scored in either half. Fabian Ruiz rifled in the first after just seven minutes at the Stadio Friuli in northeastern Italy, with Olmo adding […]

Cairo (AFP) – Mohamed Salah scored from a free-kick as host nation Egypt defeated Uganda 2-0 in Cairo Sunday to win Group A at the Africa Cup of Nations with a perfect three-win record. Pre-tournament favourites Egypt will remain in Cairo for the round of 16 and play one of the best four third-place […]