Milan (AFP) – Jose Mourinho said he felt like a child when charging from his dugout to celebrate Stephan El Shaarawy's last-gasp winner in a thrilling 2-1 victory over Sassuolo, which put his side top of Serie A in his 1,000th match as a manager. Italy international El Shaarawy struck with a sublime curling strike […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid returned to the Santiago Bernabeu after 560 days away and Karim Benzema ensured it was a happy homecoming as his hat-trick inspired a thrilling 5-2 fightback against Celta Vigo on Sunday. Benzema twice had to pull Madrid level after Santi Mina and Franco Cervi each put Celta ahead, goals that […]

Milan (AFP) – Stephan El Shaarawy fired Roma top of Serie A on Sunday with a stunning stoppage-time strike which handed Jose Mourinho's team a 2-1 win over Sassuolo, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic marked his return to action after four months out with a goal as AC Milan beat Lazio 2-0. Italy international El Shaarawy struck […]

Paris (AFP) – Xherdan Shaqiri and Jerome Boateng made their Lyon debuts in Sunday's 3-1 victory over Strasbourg as Peter Bosz's side won for the second straight game after a poor start to the Ligue 1 season. Moussa Dembele's terrific volley gave Lyon the lead on seven minutes at Groupama Stadium, with former Liverpool winger […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Uganda goalkeeper Denis Onyango and Namibia forward Peter Shalulile played key roles as Mamelodi Sundowns beat Kaizer Chiefs 2-0 on Sunday to top the South African Premiership. Veteran Onyango, widely regarded as one of the best shot-stoppers in Africa, made several superb saves when the hosts were clinging to a one-goal lead […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Croatian Zdravko Logarusic on Sunday became the second coaching casualty of 2022 World Cup group-phase qualifying in Africa when he was fired by Zimbabwe. The 55-year-old paid the price for the Warriors' poor start in Group G this month with a 0-0 home draw against South Africa followed by a 1-0 away […]

Berlin (AFP) – RB Leipzig head coach Jesse Marsch said his side may not be ready to face Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday after being thrashed at home by Bayern Munich. Leipzig, last season's Bundesliga runners up, have lost three of their first four league games after Saturday's 4-1 home defeat to […]

Milan (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic marked his return to action after four months out with a goal as AC Milan moved top of Serie with a 2-0 win over Lazio after champions Inter Milan drew 2-2 at Sampdoria. Stefano Pioli's side are level on a perfect nine points with second-placed Napoli, who beat Juventus on […]

Berlin (AFP) – Hertha Berlin's new signing Suat Serdar scored the maiden brace of his career on Sunday as his club moved off the foot of the Bundesliga table with their first points this season after a 3-1 win at Bochum. The 24-year-old Germany midfielder, who was signed from relegated Schalke for around eight million […]

London (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United lived up to the hype as the five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored twice on his homecoming to Old Trafford in a 4-1 win over Newcastle. Tottenham's 3-0 thrashing by Crystal Palace saw the final 100 percent record start go. That allowed United to climb top of […]

Milan (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic marked his return to action after four months out with a goal as AC Milan moved top of Serie with a 2-0 win over Lazio after champions Inter Milan drew 2-2 at Sampdoria. Stefano Pioli's side are level on a perfect nine points with second-placed Napoli, who beat Juventus on […]

Berlin (AFP) – Eintracht Frankfurt's wantaway midfielder Filip Kostic came off the bench to score in Sunday's 1-1 Bundesliga draw at home to 10-man Stuttgart for the first time since boycotting training in an attempt to force a transfer to Italy. In an action-packed last 11 minutes, Kostic gave Frankfurt the lead before Egyptian striker […]

Madrid (AFP) – Thomas Lemar drove in a 99th-minute winner as Atletico Madrid came from behind to beat Espanyol 2-1 on Sunday and ensure Antoine Griezmann’s first game back with the club ended with a victory. The excellent Lemar struck in the ninth of 10 minutes of added time at the RCDE Stadium to sink […]

Genoa (Italy) (AFP) – Inter Milan's perfect start to the defence of their Serie A title ended on Sunday when they were held to a 1-1 draw at Sampdoria but still moved up to second place. The champions are two points behind league leaders Napoli after failing to beat a spirited Samp side in Genoa […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Japan's first professional women's football league kicked off in upbeat mood Sunday, despite Covid fan restrictions, looking to make "heroes" of its players and inspire a new generation. A decade after winning the 2011 Women's World Cup, Japan has fallen behind in the women's game which is becoming more popular and lucrative […]