Johannesburg (AFP) – Victor Osimhen scored a hat-trick as Nigeria swept aside Libya in the second half to win 4-0 Monday and reach the third qualifying round of the 2020 Olympic Games football tournament. The Belgium-based striker was drafted into the team after a shock 2-0 first leg loss last Wednesday and demonstrated his worth […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Captain Cristiano Ronaldo left the field with a thigh injury in Portugal's Euro 2020 qualifier against Serbia after half an hour of play on Monday. Ronaldo's Juventus play the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Ajax on April 10. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, making his international return after a […]

Houston (AFP) – United States coach Gregg Berhalter will be looking to make it four victories out of four on Tuesday as his team takes on South American champions Chile in a friendly international in Houston. Berhalter has enjoyed a perfect start since taking over as the full-time US coach in December last year, notching […]

London (AFP) – Scotland captain Andy Robertson says his team are at "rock bottom" after their first two Euro 2020 qualifiers, which included an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Kazakhstan. Liverpool left-back Robertson missed the humiliating defeat in the former Soviet republic last week due to a mouth abscess, but returned to lead his country in […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Neymar's agent and father poured cold water over speculation the world's most expensive footballer was mulling a transfer and instead suggested a new deal with Paris Saint-Germain was more likely. In an interview with Brazilian website UOL Esporte the 27-year-old's dad laughed off the idea of a switch to Real […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Stand-in forward Cristhian Stuani scored his third goal in two games as Uruguay taught Thailand a footballing lesson to win the China Cup with a 4-0 victory on Monday. The 2018 World Cup quarter-finalists hardly missed the injured star striking duo of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani as they made it seven […]

Brussels (AFP) – The EU's powerful competition authority Monday imposed a 12.5 million euro ($14 million) fine on US sports apparel giant Nike for restricting cross-border sales in Europe of jerseys and scarves of top football teams. According to the European Commission, Nike imposed illegal licensing deals on merchandise from clubs such as FC Barcelona, […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Fabio Cannavaro's short reign as China coach could already be over after the hosts were beaten for the second time in five days on Monday and again failed to score. The World Cup winner was put in charge 10 days ago, but local media had speculated that the China Cup amounted to […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has dismissed rumours that 19-year-old rising star Jadon Sancho is set for a move back to Manchester. English youngster Sancho has flourished since joining Dortmund from Manchester City two years ago, and recently signed a contract extension which keeps him at the German club until 2022. […]

London (AFP) – Cardiff are set to tell FIFA that the £15 million ($19.8m, 23m euros) deal they agreed to pay Nantes for Emiliano Sala became "null and void" after he died in a plane crash, a report said on Monday. The 28-year-old Argentine forward was killed when the small plane carrying him came down […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany coach Joachim Loew was lavished with praise on Monday morning after his team snatched a late win over the Netherlands in their opening Euro 2020 qualifier on Sunday. Loew has been under enormous pressure since Germany crashed out of the World Cup and suffered relegation in the Nations League last year. […]

Paris (AFP) – Germany's Nico Schulz sealed a thrilling 3-2 win over the Netherlands in a see-saw Euro 2020 qualifier as Joachim Loew's new-look line-up survived a severe test on Sunday. Elsewhere, World Cup finalists Croatia stumbled to a 2-1 defeat in Hungary, and Eden Hazard celebrated a century of caps with the opening goal […]

Amsterdam (AFP) – Nico Schulz's 90th minute winner fired Germany to a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in their opening Euro 2020 qualifier on Sunday, lifting the pressure off coach Joachim Loew. It was Germany's first win in a competitive game since last year's World Cup, and came after a game in which […]

Budapest (AFP) – World Cup finalists Croatia slipped to a 2-1 defeat to Hungary in a Euro 2020 Group E qualifier on Sunday when Mate Patkai notched a 76th minute winner in Budapest. Croatia had struggled against Azerbaijan in their opening qualifier last Thursday before escaping with a 2-1 win, but they made the perfect […]

Rome (AFP) – Italy's football federation (FIGC) on Sunday signed an agreement with the Chinese government to develop footballing ties between the two countries. The wide-ranging memorandum penned at FIGC headquarters in Rome concerns the development of the game in China, as well as the spread of Italian football in the Asian superpower. "It's an […]