Alexandria (Egypt) (AFP) – Madagascar coach Nicolas Dupuis hailed his team's shock 2-0 Africa Cup of Nations victory over continental giants Nigeria that secured a place in the knockout rounds as a "dream" for the nation. Goals from Lalaina Nomenjanahary and Charles Andriamatsinoro in Alexandria earned the Indian Ocean islanders a famous victory and saw […]

Milan (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot arrived in Turin on Sunday ahead of his move to Juventus, the Italian champions have confirmed. "Adrien Rabiot has arrived in Turin ahead of a proposed move to Juventus," the Serie A club posted on Twitter along with a video and photos of the French player arriving […]

Alexandria (Egypt) (AFP) – Africa Cup of Nations newcomers Madagascar pulled off a stunning upset of Nigeria on Sunday with a 2-0 win over the three-time former champions to clinch a place in the last 16. Lalaina Nomenjanahary gave Madagascar a shock 12th-minute lead in Alexandria after pouncing on ponderous defending, jolting a side ranked […]

Lyon (AFP) – Phil Neville said on Sunday that England will have backing from the unlikely source of France as they prepare for face the all-conquering United States in the women's World Cup semi-finals. England are gunning for their first ever final in the competition after making the last four for the third time in […]

Cairo (AFP) – After getting kicked off the national squad, Egyptian footballer Amr Warda, accused of rampant sexual harassment, has been reinstated for the African Cup of Nations amid a heated debate about women's rights. In a scandal that emerged online last week, social media became the vehicle for driving the vexing issue which has […]

Belo Horizonte (Brazil) (AFP) – Brazil center-back Thiago Silva says the hosts are concentrating on positive thoughts ahead of their Copa America semi-final against Argentina, at the scene of one of their most disastrous experiences on a football field. The Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte, where the two South American giants will face off on […]

Lyon (AFP) – Alex Morgan says she would be happy to forgo the Golden Boot for top scorer at the women's World Cup if it meant the United States retained their title in France, as she prepares for Tuesday's semi-final showdown with England. Striker Morgan is the tournament's joint leading scorer alongside in-form teammate Megan […]

Cairo (AFP) – Coach Aliou Cisse believes Senegal will back up their status as the continent's top-ranked side after a stuttering start to their bid for a first Africa Cup of Nations title. Senegal began their campaign in Egypt with an easy 2-0 win over Tanzania but were far from their best in a 1-0 […]

Geneva (AFP) – A player on Switzerland's national women's football team, Florijana Ismaili, has been declared missing after a swimming accident on Lake Como in northern Italy, her professional club announced Sunday. The BSC Young Boys club said in a statement that they had "been informed that our player Florijana Ismaili has been missing since […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa saved a sudden death penalty as Mexico edged Costa Rica 5-4 on penalties to reach the CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-finals in Houston, Texas on Saturday. Ochoa stopped Costa Rica's Keysher Fuller after the teams played to a 1-1 draw following extra time in front of 70,788 fans at […]

Belo Horizonte (Brazil) (AFP) – For the last dozen years, Argentina has been waiting for global superstar Lionel Messi to lead their football team to a major international trophy. But when the the country needed the five-time Ballon d'Or winner most, Messi failed to emulate the feats of Diego Maradona in 1986 — when for […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Haiti advanced to their first CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-final, coming from behind with three second-half goals to stun former champions Canada 3-2 on Saturday. Wilde-Donald Guerrier scored the game winner with a spectacular individual effort in the 76th minute for Haiti, who were already one of the biggest surprises of […]

Cairo (AFP) – Morocco coach Herve Renard is anticipating a "tough game" against South Africa Monday at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt despite the contrasting fortunes of the teams. While Morocco were deserved 1-0 winners over the Ivory Coast in Group D — considered the hardest of the six — South Africa were […]

Salvador (Brazil) (AFP) – Peru coach Ricardo Gareca praised his team's character on Saturday after they beat highly-fancied Uruguay on penalties to reach the Copa America semi-finals. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese made the crucial spot-kick save to deny Luis Suarez before Edison Flores netted the decisive penalty following a 0-0 draw in which Uruguay had three […]

Paris (AFP) – Stina Blackstenius scored the winner as Sweden came from behind to stun old rivals Germany on Saturday and set up a women's World Cup semi-final against the Netherlands, who reached the last four for the first time. Sweden had not beaten Germany at a major women's tournament since the 1995 World Cup, […]