Milan (AFP) – Roberto Mancini will try out an experimental side in Tuesday's friendly against the United States in Genk as the Italian coach searches for a solution to Italy's goalscoring problem after missing out on the Nations League knockout stages. Saturday's goalless draw with Portugal at the San Siro was enough for the European […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Southgate has challenged his vibrant young England side to build on a year to remember after they clinched a place in the Nations League semi-finals in dramatic style. Just over a year ago, England's qualification for the World Cup was greeted with yawns and a barrage of paper aeroplanes from fans […]

Milan (AFP) – Former Juventus chief executive Giuseppe Marotta has travelled to China to seal a deal with Inter Milan's Chinese owners Suning for a move to the Serie A club, according to reports in Italy on Sunday. Marotta left Juventus earlier this month after eight highly successful years in Turin, and his arrival would […]

Las Palmas (Spain) (AFP) – Spain responded to their Nations League disappointment by beating Bosnia 1-0 on Sunday but an unconvincing victory will have done little to lift the mood. Luis Enrique's side needed 21-year-old debutant Brais Mendez to score the only goal of a scrappy game at Estadio Gran Canaria, in which neither side […]

Paris (AFP) – Haris Seferovic starred with a hat-trick as Switzerland staged a sensational comeback to thrash Belgium 5-2 in Lucerne on Sunday and qualify for the Nations League finals in dramatic fashion. Thorgan Hazard's early double left Switzerland needing to win by two goals to qualify from Group A2 but the hosts quickly fought […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez scored twice as Algeria trounced Togo 4-1 in Lome on Sunday to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon. Mahrez netted either side of a Youcef Attal goal to give the 1990 champions a three-goal advantage within 30 minutes in the west African […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Southgate hailed England's maturity and resilience as Harry Kane fired his side into the Nations League semi-finals with a dramatic 2-1 win over Croatia on Sunday. England were on the brink of relegation to the second tier of the competition after Andrej Kramaric gave Croatia the lead against the run of […]

London (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate praised his side's resilience after they scored two goals in the final 12 minutes to beat World Cup semi-final conquerors Croatia 2-1 at Wembley on Sunday and book their place in the last four of the Nations League. England were facing the prospect of relegation to the second-tier […]

Wembley (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Harry Kane fired England into the Nations League semi-finals as Gareth Southgate's side scored twice in the last 12 minutes to seal a dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia on Sunday. England were on the brink of relegation to the second tier of the competition after Andrej Kramaric gave Croatia the […]

Paris (AFP) – After eight months of licking their wounds, French rugby finally had a victory to savour on Saturday when they beat Argentina 28-13 in Lille. The result — just their third victory in 10 games in 2018 and their first since beating England in the Six Nations in March — produced a palpable […]

Gelsenkirchen (Germany) (AFP) – Germany want to end their 'slap in the face' year by beating the Netherlands in Gelsenkirchen on Monday and preventing the Dutch reaching the Nations League knock-out phase. The Netherlands need just one point to qualify for the semi-finals after their 2-0 win over France on Friday, which confirmed Germany's relegation […]

Milan (AFP) – Portugal coach Fernando Santos insisted Saturday that superstar Cristiano Ronaldo remains a key part of his national team despite being left out of his Nations League squad, after the European champions became the first team to advance to the semi-finals of the competition. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner spent much of last […]

Milan (AFP) – European champions Portugal became the first team to qualify for the Nations League semi-finals on Saturday after holding Italy to a 0-0 draw at the San Siro. The Portuguese — despite the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo — progressed with one match to play, and are sure to finish top of Group A3, […]

Paris (AFP) – Kosovo took a big step towards reaching the qualifying play-offs for Euro 2020 with a 5-0 thrashing of Malta in the Nations League on Saturday. Bernard Challandes' side, who were only given UEFA membership in 2016, sit top in Group D3 and will secure promotion and a play-off place if they can […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Nigeria, Uganda, Mali and Morocco qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday while Libya scored eight goals to keep alive their hopes of also featuring at the finals. Nigeria drew 1-1 with South Africa in Soweto, Uganda edged Cape Verde 1-0 in Kampala, Mali beat Gabon in Libreville and […]