Shanghai (AFP) – Roger Schmidt praised his side's thirst for victory after Beijing Guoan made it a record seventh win in a row since the start of the Chinese Super League season. No team in the Chinese top flight has begun a campaign so well and it makes the German coach's team early favourites to […]

London (AFP) – Christian Eriksen's present meets the Danish midfielder's past when his former side Ajax travel to Tottenham for the first leg of an unexpected Champions League semi-final for both sides on Tuesday. But where Eriksen's future lies will give a good indication of whether times have truly have changed at Spurs. Ajax arrive […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk was named as England's PFA Player of the Year for 2019 on Sunday. Van Dijk succeeded Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah in winning the award, voted for by his fellow players and saw off competition from Manchester City striker Raheem Sterling. But Sterling, 24, was named the Professional […]

Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane apologised and said he wished Real Madrid's miserable season would end now after they were beaten by 19th-placed Rayo Vallecano on Sunday. Madrid's response to Barcelona winning the title on Saturday night was to slip to a 1-0 defeat at Vallecas and fall 18 points behind La Liga's newly-crowned champions. […]

Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane apologised after Real Madrid were beaten by La Liga strugglers Rayo Vallecano on Sunday and admitted he would like the season to end now. Adri Embarba's penalty, given after consultation with VAR, was enough for a 1-0 victory for Rayo, who move to within six points of survival, with three […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – A CAF Confederation Cup final between Tunisian clubs remained possible Sunday after CS Sfaxien won 2-0 at home and Etoile Sahel lost only 1-0 away in semi-final first legs. Record three-time winners Sfaxien defeated Moroccan visitors Renaissance Berkane 2-0 in Mediterranean city Sfax through goals from Alaa Marzouki and captain Hamza Mathlouthi. […]

Rome (AFP) – Torino claimed a first Serie A victory over AC Milan in 18 years on Sunday as the race for Champions League places in Italy took a dramatic twist. Goals from Andrea Belotti and Alex Berenguer gave Torino the three points in a game which also saw Milan defender Alessio Romagnoli sent-off late […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid's response to Barcelona winning the title was to lose to 19th-placed Rayo Vallecano on Sunday and fall 18 points behind La Liga's newly-crowned champions. A deserved 1-0 defeat at Vallecas means Zinedine Zidane's second term now shows four wins from eight games and a worrying lack of improvement since he […]

Washington (AFP) – Angelo Rodriguez scored in the 82nd minute to lift host Minnesota United to a 1-0 win over Wayne Rooney-led DC United on Sunday in Major League Soccer. Colombian striker Rodriguez blasted a right-footed shot from close range into the corner for the winner after Madagascar defender Romain Metanire's cross. It was the […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted he had no regrets over his decision to keep faith with David de Gea after another costly error from the Spaniard helped Chelsea claim a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday. De Gea had been in the spotlight for his poor performances […]

Rome (AFP) – Lazio kept their hopes of Champions League football alive on Sunday after Felipe Caicedo's early brace saw them to a 2-1 win at Sampdoria, while Dries Mertens moved level with Diego Maradona in Napoli's all-time Serie A scoring list after bagging his 81st league strike in their 2-0 win at Frosinone. Simone […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona Women will play Lyon in their first ever Champions League final after beating Bayern Munich 1-0 on Sunday to secure a 2-0 aggregate victory. Lyon will be attempting to lift the cup for a fourth consecutive time, and sixth overall, when they play the final in Budapest on May 18. But […]

Berlin (AFP) – A late penalty miss from Tim Leibold spared Bayern Munich a humiliating defeat at Nuremberg on Sunday but Niko Kovac's Bundesliga leaders missed the chance to pull away in the title race with a dramatic 1-1 draw at the relegation strugglers. Bayern had the chance to go four points clear at the […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City moved back ahead of Liverpool to the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win at Burnley, while Chelsea consolidated their place in the top four thanks to another error from Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea in a 1-1 draw on Sunday. Arsenal's 3-0 defeat to […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Emma Hayes lamented Swedish referee Sara Persson's "horrendous" officiating after title-holders Lyon knocked the Blues out of the Women's Champions League at the semi-final stage on Sunday. South Korea's Ji So-yun scored with a fine free-kick for Chelsea but it was not enough to defeat European powerhouse Lyon who […]