Mexico City (AFP) – Diego Maradona's Dorados played a 1-1 draw Thursday in the first leg of the Mexican second-division finals, setting up a do-or-die last match of the season against rivals Atletico San Luis. The Argentine great will now have to coach the club to an away victory Sunday to win the league title […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac has said that veteran wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery will be on hand to help his side hold their nerve in the last weeks of a tense Bundesliga title race. League leaders Bayern, who host bottom club Hanover on Saturday, currently sit two points ahead of […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has likened star winger Themba Zwane to Spanish great Andres Iniesta and hopes he can help clinch a CAF Champions League final place this Saturday. The South African club trail frequent rivals Wydad Casablanca 2-1 going into the semi-final second leg near Pretoria and Zwane knows how […]

Madrid (AFP) – "Nobody wants the Champions League", ran the headlines after Sevilla, Valencia and Getafe all lost last weekend but there will be little margin for error when La Liga's race for fourth place resumes on Friday. Barcelona are champions, the big two Madrid clubs are certain to qualify, that leaves the last Spanish […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool must lift themselves after being floored by a Lionel Messi masterclass in Barcelona if they are to take the Premier League title race against a relentless Manchester City into the final weekend of the season. Jurgen Klopp's men face a tricky trip to Newcastle on Saturday, two days before Pep Guardiola's […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Unai Emery insisted his side's Europa League semi-final against Valencia is still "50-50" despite the Gunners taking a 3-1 first leg lead to Spain. Valencia's bright start at the Emirates on Thursday was rewarded with Mouctar Diakhaby's away goal. But Alexandre Lacazette quickly turned the game around with two goals […]

Frankfurt am Main (AFP) – Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri defended his decision to leave Eden Hazard on the bench and said his team "deserved a trophy" after they were held to a 1-1 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday. Pedro's first-half equaliser gave Chelsea a potentially […]

Frankfurt am Main (AFP) – A first-half strike from Pedro gave Chelsea a slender advantage in their Europa League semi-final tie as they were held to a 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday. Pedro's equaliser gave Chelsea a potentially crucial away goal after a hard-fought semi-final clash in a spine-tingling atmosphere at the Commerzbank […]

Boulogne-Billancourt (France) (AFP) – The established star names were all on the list when France coach Corinne Diacre unveiled her World Cup squad on Thursday, but there was no place for PSG starlet Marie-Antoinette Katoto. France hosts the June 7-July 7 and the squad was unveiled just after the prime time television news show on […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur insisted Thursday defender Jan Vertonghen did not suffer a concussion during their Champions League semi-final first-leg defeat by Ajax earlier this week. Vertonghen suffered a sickening clash of heads with team-mate Toby Alderweireld and, after briefly trying to return to action, retched on the side of the pitch. The 32-year-old […]

Paris (AFP) – Record-breaking Paris Saint Germain midfielder Formiga, 41, has signed a contract extension through until June 2020, the French club said on Thursday. Formiga has played at six Women's World Cups and six Olympic Games over 24 seasons with 160 appearances in the Brazilian national team. Since joining PSG in 2017, she has […]

London (AFP) – Leicester's Hamza Choudhury was Thursday charged by the Football Association with misconduct in relation to historical social media posts as manager Brendan Rodgers said the player was genuinely "remorseful". Choudhury, 21, responded after the Twitter messages from 2013 and 2014 were revealed last weekend. In June 2013, he wrote: "Why are black […]

New York (AFP) – Ten time La Liga champions Atletico Madrid will play against the best talent from Major League Soccer in this year's MLS All-Star Game, the North American league announced Thursday. The Spanish club will face the MLS squad on July 31 at Orlando City Stadium. The MLS All-Stars have an 8-4 with […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino said he was open to a change in football's concussion protocols as Tottenham wait for an update on the health of defender Jan Vertonghen, who suffered a head injury against Ajax. Vertonghen saw a neurologist on Thursday after a clash of heads with teammate Toby Alderweireld during Tottenham's Champions League […]

Berlin (AFP) – Former Bayern Munich captain Stefan Effenberg has said that Colombian star James Rodriguez should leave the club in order to pick up more game time. "James should recognise that the right path for him is to leave Bayern," wrote Effenberg in his column for the German news website T-online on Thursday. The […]