Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Douglas 'The Flash' Costa owes his nickname not only to his thunderbolt haircut but also to his lightning speed and dribbling skills which are driving Juventus's treble bid. The 27-year-old ex-Bayern Munich winger is coming into his own at his new club as the six-time Italian champions look to keep their […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to overturn a 3-1 deficit when they host Real Madrid in their heavyweight Champions League last-16 second leg on Tuesday (1945 GMT), but do so without the injured Neymar. The world's most expensive player is recovering from a foot operation in Brazil, yet the French club remain hopeful […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Sergio Aguero's next goal will his 200th for Manchester City, but it is the Argentine's willingness to do much more than just score that has won the confidence of his manager Pep Guardiola. The Catalan embraced Aguero in a bear hug as he left the pitch having run himself into […]

Rome (AFP) – Italian football will close its transfer window before the start of next season and is introducing two more rounds of matches between Christmas and New Year, Italian football chief Giovanni Malago said on Monday. The close season transfer window will close on the eve of the 2018-2019 opening round of matches which […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho admitted Manchester United rode their luck as Nemanja Matic's late thunderbolt capped a dramatic 3-2 win at Crystal Palace on Monday. Mourinho's side trailed to Andros Townsend's early opener and Patrick van Aanholt's second half effort at Selhurst Park. But Chris Smalling got one back for United and Romelu Lukaku […]

London (AFP) – Nemanja Matic capped Manchester United's stirring fightback from two goals down as the Serbia midfielder's stunning strike snatched a dramatic 3-2 win at Crystal Palace on Monday. Jose Mourinho's side trailed to Andros Townsend's early opener and Patrick van Aanholt's second half effort at Selhurst Park. But Chris Smalling got one back […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted a charge from the Football Association for wearing a political symbol, the English governing body announced on Monday. Guardiola has said he wears a yellow ribbon to support imprisoned pro-independence politicians in his native Catalonia. The FA ruled it breached their rules on kit and advertising […]

Doha (AFP) – An injury-time equaliser denied Al Ahli an AFC Champions League victory in Doha Monday as the Saudi side became the first from a boycotting nation to play in Qatar since the beginning of the Gulf crisis. On a politically charged night in the Qatari capital, the Saudis were only able to draw […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spain's La Liga on Monday played down concerns about possible low bidding prices in the upcoming auction of broadcasting rights for domestic league matches between 2019 and 2022. "There is still a lot of time until the auction. If no-one bids, it won't matter," La Liga president Javier Tebas told a roundtable […]

Doha (AFP) – Former champions Al Sadd of Qatar were upset by Uzbekistan's Nasaf while the UAE's Al Wasl suffered their third straight defeat in the AFC Champions League which resumed after a two-week break on Monday. Al Sadd, who won the continental tournament in 2011, fell 1-0 away at the Markaziy Stadium in the […]

Athens (AFP) – PAOK Thessaloniki were deducted three points by the Greek Super League on Monday after last month's clash with Olympiakos was postponed when visiting coach Oscar Garcia was hit by an object thrown from the stands. The February 25 match was awarded 3-0 in favour of Olympiakos while PAOK were fined 30,000 euros […]

Moscow (AFP) – Jose Mourinho is coming to Russia for the World Cup to provide analysis for a Kremlin-funded news channel branded a "foreign agent" in the United States. RT television announced the signing on Monday without disclosing the payment Mourinho will receive for appearing on a broadcaster that pushes Russia's take on news to […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has stepped up his recovery from a long-term knee injury by returning to training with the Premier League leaders. City released photographs of the France left-back participating in a session with his team-mates on Monday. Mendy, 23, who has been out of action since suffering knee ligament […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain remain optimistic that they can record what would be the biggest victory since the Qatari takeover of the club, even with Neymar out injured, when they face Real Madrid on Tuesday. A late collapse saw PSG lose 3-1 in Madrid last month in the first leg of their Champions League […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp ruled out making wholesale changes when Porto visit Anfield on Tuesday despite holding a massive 5-0 lead from the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie. Klopp's men travel to Manchester United on Saturday in a clash not only laced with huge ramifications due to the […]