London (AFP) – Substitute Anthony Pilkington snatched a stoppage-time equaliser for Cardiff in a 1-1 draw at Sheffield United on Monday as the Bluebirds maintained their push for automatic promotion to the English Premier League. Leon Clarke had given the hosts a 28th-minute lead at Bramall Lane only for the Blades to squander numerous chances […]

Doha (AFP) – Marcus Berg scored from the penalty spot twice as UAE’s Al Ain sent last year’s runners-up Al Hilal crashing out of the Asian Champions League on Monday. The 2-1 defeat saw Al Hilal fail to add to their two points after five matches in Group D, as the Saudi giants exited in […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Iconic Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas played the 1000th match of his career on Monday as Portuguese title contenders Porto suffered a damaging 2-0 defeat at Belenenses. Casillas was making his 108th appearance for Porto, having previously turned out 725 times with boyhood club Real Madrid while earning 167 caps for Spain. He […]

Piraeus (Greece) (AFP) – Olympiakos president Evangelos Marinakis fined the team 400,000 euros ($490,000) on Monday and ordered the club's under-performing players to go on holiday until the end of the season. Marinakis, who also owns English second-division side Nottingham Forest, was angry at Sunday's 1-1 draw at Levadiakos that left the defending Greek league […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said Monday he was amazed by the extraordinary ability of Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to change his style of play in his thirties. "I have to congratulate Ronaldo as a player at 33 years he's changing his playing style, it is something extraordinary," Allegri said ahead […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Several youth players have reported suffering sexual abuse at Argentine football giants River Plate, a judicial source and NGO revealed on Monday, in a growing scandal that comes after accusations of an illicit sex network at Independiente. "A medical surgeon knew there had been abuse of children who lived at the […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has warned that last year's final win over Juventus in Cardiff will count for little in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg against the Italians in Turin. Real Madrid lifted their 12th Champions League crown — and second under Zidane — with a 4-1 win last […]

London (AFP) – Britt Assombalonga's first goal in 14 matches rescued Middlesbrough a point as they maintained their push for a return to the lucrative English Premier League next season with a 1-1 draw against Burton on Monday. Marvin Sordell's goal, his first in 19 matches, looked as if had secured victory for second-tier basement […]

Seville (Spain) (AFP) – Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes has indicated the club will keep James Rodriguez for another year and then look to sign the forward on a permanent deal from Real Madrid. But Heynckes, speaking ahead of Bayern's Champions League quarter-final first leg in Seville, ruled out the prospect of Bayern striker Robert […]

Moscow (AFP) – Former Russia coach Leonid Slutsky has some blunt advice for the World Cup hosts: admit that you are not a "footballing nation" and move on. Slutsky's stark assessment came in the wake of two humbling home defeats to Brazil and France last month. Pundits and the media appeared ready to shrug off […]

London (AFP) – Jack Wilshere believes Arsenal have generated some much-needed momentum for their Europa League tie against CSKA Moscow after victory over Stoke took the Gunners' winning streak to four games. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice on Sunday before passing up the chance of a Premier League hat-trick by allowing substitute Alexandre Lacazette to mark […]

Marseille (AFP) – Marseille will be without Steve Mandanda and Adil Rami for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final with RB Leipzig on Thursday. Goalkeeper Mandanda will miss four to six weeks with a torn right thigh muscle while Rami, a central defender, will be out for 10-15 days with a calf injury, […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russia is looking for a few good men and women who can shoot a gun and speak a bit of English. Knowledge of French and Spanish or perhaps even Chinese would also be a plus for joining a new "tourist police" force, launched Monday by Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev. The impending deluge […]

London (AFP) – Alan Pardew paid the price for a club record eight successive Premier League defeats by leaving his managerial role at West Bromwich Albion by mutual consent on Monday. The 56-year-old had only been at the club for four months after replacing Tony Pulis but failed to revive their fortunes and he leaves […]

London (AFP) – Beating Manchester United to clinch the Premier League title next Saturday would be 'historic' says Manchester City's Belgian playmaker Kevin de Bruyne. The 26-year-old — the architect of City's surge towards the title — said it would be terrific for the fans if the side labelled 'the noisy neighbours' by former United […]