Belo Horizonte (Brazil) (AFP) – Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said his team would learn from their Copa America heartbreak after missing out on a place in the quarter-finals following Monday's 1-1 draw with Ecuador. Shoya Nakajima gave the Blue Samurai a 15th minute lead in Belo Horizonte while substitute Daizen Maeda had a late chance […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Japan and Ecuador were left heartbroken as their 1-1 draw in Belo Horizonte on Monday saw them miss out on the Copa America quarter-finals, with Paraguay qualifying instead. Uruguay, meanwhile, topped Group C as Edinson Cavani's goal eight minutes from time gave them a 1-0 win over champions Chile, who […]

Cairo (AFP) – Superstar Mohamed Salah gets a second chance to score his first goal at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations when hosts Egypt face the Democratic Republic of Congo in Group A on Wednesday. The recent Champions League winner with Liverpool was unable to convert several chances against Zimbabwe last Friday as Egypt […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Paraguay became the final qualifiers for the Copa America quarter-finals without even playing on Monday as the two teams who could deny them, Japan and Ecuador, drew 1-1 in Belo Horizonte. Uruguay topped Group C as Edinson Cavani's goal eight minutes from time gave them a 1-0 win over champions […]

Porto Alegre (Brazil) (AFP) – Qatar may have fallen at the first hurdle in their South American adventure but the 2022 World Cup hosts showed enough in Brazil to suggest the future is bright for the Maroons. They arrived at the Copa America as an unknown quantity as far as the locals were concerned but […]

Porto Alegre (Brazil) (AFP) – Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho admitted on Monday he had a poor season with Barcelona over the last 10 months but insisted it would serve as a "lesson" for the future. Coutinho was widely criticized this season for his performances at the Camp Nou but it hasn't stopped him retaining the […]

Paris (AFP) – Megan Rapinoe scored a brace of penalties as holders the United States beat Spain on Monday to march on to a mouthwatering quarter-final against hosts France at the women's World Cup, with Sweden joining them in the last eight. On another day in the limelight for VAR, Sweden's goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl made […]

Suez (Egypt) (AFP) – Mali inflicted a harsh dose of reality on Africa Cup of Nations debutants Mauritania by routing the newcomers 4-1 on Monday in their first ever game at the tournament. After decades being among the weakest African football nations, the largely desert northwestern country have reached the expanded 24-team competition for the […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Major League Soccer announced the 26-man squad for July's All-Star exhibition game against Atletico Madrid with Atlanta's record goal-scorer Josef Martinez among those joining Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the roster. DC United's former England star Rooney and LA Galaxy's Ibrahimovic were among the Fan XI selections announced on Wednesday, […]

Milan (AFP) – A goalless draw was enough to send both France and Romania through to the semi-finals of the European Under-21 championships on Monday as both teams also qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. France finished as the best second-placed team to advance along with group winners Romania, Germany and Spain, sending hosts Italy […]

Paris (AFP) – Stina Blackstenius scored the only goal of a cagey match as Sweden beat Canada 1-0 in Paris on Monday to reach the women's World Cup quarter-finals. The victory sets up a rematch of the 2016 Olympic final as the Swedes play Germany on Saturday in Rennes. Three years ago Germany won the […]

Reims (France) (AFP) – Megan Rapinoe is already looking forward to the United States's mouth-watering quarter-final date with Women's World Cup hosts France after her two penalties squeezed her side past resilient Spain 2-1 on Monday. The reigning world champions will face the French in Paris on Friday in a match that could well decide […]

Suez (Egypt) (AFP) – Tunisia became the first 2019 Africa Cup of Nations top seeds not to win their opening match when Djalma Campos cancelled out a Youssef Msakni goal and earned Angola a 1-1 Group E draw on Monday. Hosts Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco and Senegal won their first matches of the 24-team tournament and […]

Cairo (AFP) – Cameroon forward Joel Tagueu has been forced to withdraw from the squad ahead of their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations due to an irregular heart condition. The Cameroon team doctor detected "an abnormality in the coronary artery" that could lead to "sudden death", the Cameroonian football association said in […]

Cairo (AFP) – South Africa coach Stuart Baxter said his team's display in a 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast on Monday showed they could provide a tough test for any opponent at the Africa Cup of Nations. Nicolas Pepe twice went close with free-kicks on another hot afternoon in Cairo but it was Jonathan Kodjia's […]