Naples (Italy) (AFP) – Dries Mertens bagged a brace to add to Marek Hamsik's early goal as Napoli moved closer to a place in the Champions League knock-out rounds on Wednesday with a dominant 3-1 win over Red Star Belgrade. Captain Hamsik got the hosts off the mark after 11 minutes in Naples with Mertens adding two […]

London (AFP) – Christian Eriksen said Tottenham "know what we have to play for" on a daunting mission to Barcelona after he kept their Champions League hopes alive with a late winner against Inter Milan on Wednesday. Mauricio Pochettino's side were 10 minutes away from being eliminated at the group stage as they laboured to […]

Dortmund (Germany) (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund eased into the last 16 of the Champions League with a goalless draw at home to Brugge on Wednesday, but Axel Witsel suffered a knee injury for the Bundesliga leaders. After leaders Atletico Madrid had earlier secured their last 16 passage from Group A with a 2-0 win against […]

Eindhoven (Netherlands) (AFP) – Barcelona overcame PSV Eindhoven 2-1 on Wednesday to finish top of their Champions League group with one round remaining thanks to a Lionel Messi goal and assist. Messi and Gerard Pique scored to claim the La Liga outfit's first win since November 3 across all competitions. Captain Luuk de Jong netted […]

London (AFP) – Christian Eriksen came off the bench to keep alive Tottenham's bid to qualify for the Champions League last 16 as the Denmark star's late strike sealed a tense 1-0 win over Inter Milan on Wednesday. Mauricio Pochettino's side were 10 minutes away from being eliminated at the group stage as they laboured […]

New York (AFP) – Former Spain striker David Villa confirmed his departure from New York City FC on Wednesday, drawing a line under a successful four-year spell with the Major League Soccer outfit. The 36-year-old forward, who scored 80 goals in 124 appearances for New York, confirmed his exit on the club's website. An announcement […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid moved one step closer to their dream Champions League final on home turf by beating Thierry Henry's Monaco 2-0 on Wednesday to secure their place in the last 16. Atletico could hardly have imagined a more straight-forward passage into the knock-out stages as a struggling Monaco side, ridden with injuries […]

Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe and Neymar have been named in Paris Saint-Germain's starting line-up for Wednesday's potentially decisive Champions League meeting with Liverpool after shaking off injuries. Both players were hurt on international duty last week and missed PSG's win over Toulouse in Ligue 1 on Saturday as a result. However, coach Thomas Tuchel […]

London (AFP) – Marouane Fellaini said the mood in the Manchester United camp is upbeat despite their recent struggles after he scored a late winner to secure qualification for the Champions League knockouts. Jose Mourinho's team toiled against Swiss side Young Boys on Tuesday and looked to be heading for a second successive 0-0 draw […]

Brive-la-Gaillarde (France) (AFP) – French authorities are seeking to ban a couple of apparently football-obsessed parents from naming their baby "Griezmann Mbappe" after two of the national team's heroes. The little boy was born in the central town of Brive this month and immediately bestowed with first names honouring Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe, regional […]

London (AFP) – Prince William and his wife Kate visited Leicester's King Power Stadium on Wednesday to pay tribute to late owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who was killed in a helicopter crash last month. After sharing a few minutes with the owner's family, including his son Aiyawatt, the duke and duchess of Cambridge left a bouquet […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – River Plate president Rodolfo D'Onofrio called on Boca Juniors counterpart Daniel Angelici to honor his "word" and play the postponed Copa Libertadores final second leg. The clash between the two historic Argentine rivals was due to take place in Buenos Aires on Saturday but was suspended after Boca players were injured […]

London (AFP) – Irish football club Ballybrack United's claim that one of their players had been killed in a traffic accident has been exposed as a lie. Fernando La Fuente is not dead but in Galway in the west of Ireland. Such extreme falsehoods may not be the norm in sports but as AFP Sports […]

London (AFP) – Watford manager Javi Gracia has signed a new four-and-a-half year deal, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday. The Spaniard took over at Vicarage Road in January following Marco Silva's dismissal and his side are currently ninth in the table. "I am very happy to extend my contract," said Gracia, who has […]

Athens (AFP) – UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings against both AEK Athens and Ajax on Wednesday after nine people were hospitalised during violent confrontations at Tuesday's Champions League game at the Olympic Stadium in Athens. Six Ajax fans as well as three police were taken to hospital, Greek authorities said on Wednesday. A statement said the […]