London (AFP) – Eden Hazard sparkled as Chelsea swept Newcastle aside on Saturday to cling on to the coattails of runaway leaders Manchester City but 10-man Tottenham slipped further off the pace with a costly draw at Watford. With Pep Guardiola's Premier League pacesetters not in action until Sunday, Liverpool also took full advantage, demolishing Brighton 5-1 […]

London (AFP) – Eden Hazard gave England followers a glimpse of what to expect at next summer’s World Cup with a glorious display as Chelsea beat Newcastle United 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. Less than 24 hours after the World Cup draw put Belgium and England in the same group, Belgian Hazard was in imperious form, […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Captain Yu Kobayashi scored a hat-trick as Kawasaki Frontale crushed Omiya Ardija 5-0 on Saturday to capture the J-League championship, their first major Japanese title. A lopsided home win over the 'Squirrels' saw Kawasaki pip Kashima Antlers on goal difference after the defending champions were held to a scoreless draw at Jubilo […]

Milan (AFP) – Massimiliano Allegri could not hide his delight as Juventus tripped up Serie A leaders Napoli to deliver a psychological blow to their title challengers at their San Paolo Stadium. In an key early clash in the battle for the Scudetto defending six-time champions Juventus move second just one point behind Napoli, who […]

Moscow (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate is not fazed at the prospect of having to travel thousands of kilometres across Russia during the group stage of next year's World Cup. His side came out in Group G in Friday's draw ceremony at the Kremlin State Palace in Moscow, along with Belgium, Tunisia and debutants […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola admits he is concerned about potential suspensions when leaders Manchester City face West Ham United looking to equal a Premier League record on Sunday. Victory over West Ham would mark a 13th consecutive league victory for Guardiola's team, equalling the record for the most straight wins in a […]

Milan (AFP) – Gonzalo Higuain shrugged off a broken hand to inflict a first Serie A defeat of the season on his former club Napoli Friday, as champions Juventus moved a point behind the leaders with a 1-0 win. Higuain had surgery on Monday, but insisted on starting in a key clash between league leaders […]

London (AFP) – Antonio Conte claims Chelsea have been the victims of a fixture conspiracy this season. Conte's side play Newcastle United in the 1230 GMT kick-off at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, having beaten Swansea City 1-0 on Wednesday. With Newcastle having played 24 hours earlier than Chelsea for their midweek draw at West Bromwich […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has hinted he believes Pep Guardiola received preferential treatment in avoiding being sent to the stands on Wednesday. Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, ran onto the pitch to celebrate Raheem Sterling's late winner as his team beat Southampton 2-1 to remain eight points clear of […]

Moscow (AFP) – Lionel Messi's quest to deliver World Cup glory for Argentina could pit the two-time champions against a handful of familiar faces in a potential quarter-final showdown with Spain. But neither 2010 World Cup winners Spain, who finished above Italy in qualifying, nor Argentina, indebted to a Messi hat-trick in the thin air […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russia breathed a collective sigh of relief on Friday after avoiding Spain and looking like favourites to make it out of their group in their first home World Cup. "The ideal group," the government-run R-Sport news agency shouted in a banner headline on its website after the State Kremlin Palace draw saw […]

Moscow (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal will come up against Spain in the standout fixture of the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, while England were handed an encounter with a dangerous Belgium side in Friday's draw. Spain, the 2010 World Cup winners, have been revitalised under Julen Lopetegui after underperforming in recent years […]

Madrid (AFP) – An explosive start to Russia's 2018 World Cup was guaranteed when the past two European champions Spain and Portugal were paired together in Friday's draw to clash on the second day of the tournament. World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo will go head-to-head with Real Madrid teammate and Spanish captain Sergio […]

Moscow (AFP) – The 2010 World Cup winners Spain were placed in the same group as Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, while England will face a talented Belgium side. Spain's clash with reigning European champions Portugal in Sochi on June 15 was an early highlight thrown up by the glitzy […]

Moscow (AFP) – France coach Didier Deschamps said his side "have to win their group", after Friday's World Cup draw in Moscow pitted the 1998 champions against Australia, Peru and Denmark in Group C. "I'm going to give a classic answer: It could have been worse," Deschamps, who captained France to World Cup glory 19 […]