Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe admitted he was "affected" by public comments perceived as criticism from fellow forward Olivier Giroud following a friendly against Bulgaria, but insisted he did not want it to become a distraction for France at Euro 2020. Tensions surfaced between the two players after Chelsea striker Giroud complained about not receiving […]

Madrid (AFP) – Luis Enrique has said there will be "no excuses" for Spain at Euro 2020, despite positive Covid-19 tests derailing their preparations for Monday's Group E opener against Sweden. Spain captain Sergio Busquets is still self-isolating at home while defender Diego Llorente was only allowed to rejoin the group on Saturday after giving […]

Bucharest (AFP) – Substitutes Michael Gregoritsch and Marko Arnautovic scored late goals as Austria sealed a 3-1 victory over major tournament debutants North Macedonia in their Group C opener at Euro 2020 on Sunday. Stefan Lainer put the Austrians ahead early on in Bucharest, but 37-year-old captain Goran Pandev levelled before the half-hour mark to […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Scotland captain Andy Robertson wants his side to inspire a nation in their first major international tournament for 23 years at Euro 2020. The Scots begin their campaign on home soil in front of 12,000 fans at Hampden against the Czech Republic on Monday and will also have home advantage against Croatia […]

London (AFP) – England launched their bid for Euro 2020 glory with a 1-0 win over Croatia on Sunday as Denmark's team doctor confirmed Christian Eriksen had suffered a cardiac arrest and was "gone" before being resuscitated. Raheem Sterling scored at a sun-baked Wembley as England won their opening game of a European Championship finals […]

Seville (Spain) (AFP) – Alexander Isak will be looking to carry his blistering La Liga form into Euro 2020 on Monday as Sweden hope the talented 21-year-old can help fill the Zlatan-sized void against Spain. With Ibrahimovic out injured and Dejan Kulusevski self-isolating at home after testing positive for Covid, Sweden will turn to Isak, […]

Brasília (AFP) – The Copa America that almost never was, opens Sunday in Brazil, overshadowed by the desperate race to find a host, the withdrawal of sponsors and Covid-19 — including outbreaks on two teams. After more than a year of bad news that culminated in the last-minute scrapping of original co-hosts Argentina and Colombia, […]

Copenhagen (AFP) – Denmark's team doctor said Sunday there was still "no explanation" for why midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed during his country's opening Euro 2020 game against Finland, but confirmed he had suffered a cardiac arrest. "He was gone, and we did cardiac resuscitation," team doctor Morten Boesen told a press conference. "How close were we? […]

London (AFP) – Raheem Sterling said he knew he would break his duck for England in major tournaments when given the chance at Wembley after netting the winner in a 1-0 victory over Croatia on Sunday. Sterling grew up in the shadow of Wembley and justified Gareth Southgate's decision to keep faith with him by […]

London (AFP) – England got their Euro 2020 campaign off to a perfect start on Sunday, beating Croatia 1-0 to exact revenge for their painful defeat in the 2018 World Cup semi-final in Russia. The home side started brightly in the hot Wembley sunshine before losing momentum as the first half wore on, but Raheem Sterling […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Czech Republic coach Jaroslav Silhavy is anticipating a close-run Euro 2020 opener against Scotland after missing two games against them last year due to a Covid-19 outbreak. "I only saw the previous games on TV," said the former defender who took over as Czech manager in September 2018. In the Nations League […]

Rome (AFP) – Italy midfielder Jorginho said on Sunday that he sees the same hunger in his national side's Euro 2020 squad as his Chelsea team that recently lifted the Champions League trophy. Italy are top of Group A after a 3-0 win over Turkey and next play Switzerland on Wednesday followed by Wales on […]

London (AFP) – Raheem Sterling ignited England's Euro 2020 campaign as the Manchester City forward's clinical finish sealed a 1-0 win against Croatia in their Group D opener on Sunday. Gareth Southgate's side were struggling to break down Croatia until Sterling struck in the second half at sun-baked Wembley. The 26-year-old's first goal at a […]

Rome (AFP) – Italy midfielder Marco Verratti is close to regaining fitness after missing his country's opening Euro 2020 match with a knee problem, the team's medical chief said on Sunday. Paris Saint-Germain's Verratti sat out Italy's 3-0 win on Friday against Turkey, but has returned to training this weekend. The team are now hopeful […]

London (AFP) – England open their Euro 2020 campaign on a revenge mission against Croatia on Sunday, while Denmark's team doctor said there was still "no explanation" for Christian Eriksen's collapse that left the midfielder needing emergency treatment on the pitch. The Netherlands are back at a major tournament for the first time since 2014 […]