Los Angeles (AFP) – Anthony Hudson, who stepped down as New Zealand coach after the All Whites' failure to reach the World Cup, has been hired to coach Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids. Hudson led the All Whites to an intercontinental playoff for a World Cup berth, but fell 2-0 to Peru over the two-legged […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Brazilian side Gremio won their third Copa Libertadores crown on Wednesday with a 2-1 triumph over Argentina's Lanus in La Fortaleza stadium. Gremio arrived in Argentina off a 1-0 win in the first leg of the final in Porto Alegre, and bolstered their advantage with first-half goals from Fernandinho and Luan. […]

Barcelona (AFP) – China must start developing its own players instead of splashing out on foreign talent if it wants to become a football superpower, according to the head of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's sports arm. "The biggest problem is that we have not established a youth training system, so Chinese athletes have not been […]

London (AFP) – Antonio Conte has apologised after the Chelsea manager was sent to the stands for a furious touchline rant during his side's 1-0 win over Swansea. Conte was incensed with Swansea's time-wasting throughout the first half at Stamford Bridge and his frustration boiled over when referee Neil Swarbrick failed to award Chelsea a […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Sam Allardyce saw Wayne Rooney cap his first Premier League hat-trick in six years with a wonder strike as Everton beat fellow strugglers West Ham United 4-0 on Wednesday after the Merseysiders announced he was finalising terms to become their new manager. Allardyce's imminent appointment will end Everton's long hunt for a […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised the "heart" of his players after Raheem Sterling's 96th-minute goal saw the Premier League leaders snatch a 2-1 win at home to Southampton on Wednesday. It had seemed as if what became City's 12th successive league victory would end in a draw after Oriol […]

Madrid (AFP) – Holders Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla eased into the last 16 of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, but Basque duo Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad were eliminated in stunning fashion by third-tier opposition in Formentera and Lleida respectively. Already leading 3-0 from the first leg, Barca boss Ernesto Valverde made 10 […]

Paris (AFP) – Neymar conjured up a moment of magic as French league leaders Paris Saint-Germain beat Troyes 2-0 on Wednesday to pull 10 points clear of Marseille at the summit. PSG thrashed Troyes 9-0 the last time the sides met in March 2016, but Edinson Cavani saw his first-half penalty saved by Mamadou Samassa […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Raheem Sterling's latest late goal kept Manchester City well in front at the top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win at home to Southampton on Wednesday. It had looked as if what became City's 12th successive league victory would end in a draw after Southampton's Oriol Romeu cancelled […]

Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Substitute Mohamed Salah struck twice as Liverpool brushed off a first-half scare to win 3-0 at Stoke City on Wednesday and climb to fifth place in the Premier League. The Egyptian forward grabbed his 16th and 17th goals in 21 games in all competitions this season in a deadly six-minute […]

London (AFP) – Raheem Sterling scored a stunning 96th-minute winner as Manchester City dramatically edged Southampton 2-1 on Wednesday to preserve their eight-point lead at the Premier League summit. Pep Guardiola's side looked set to drop points after Oriol Romeu cancelled out Kevin De Bruyne's opener, only for Sterling to give City a 19th straight […]

London (AFP) – Mesut Ozil produced a major second-half contribution as substitute Olivier Giroud scored twice in Arsenal's 5-0 Premier League victory at home to Huddersfield Town on Wednesday. It was the Gunners' seventh win out of seven at the Emirates Stadium in the league this season and Ozil was influential with two assists and […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea kept alive their Premier League title hopes with a 1-0 win over Swansea as Blues boss Antonio Conte was sent to the stands for a furious touchline rant. Conte lost his cool late in the first half at Stamford Bridge, earning his marching orders after blasting fourth official Lee Mason following […]

Madrid (AFP) – Holders Barcelona eased into the last 16 of the Copa del Rey by thrashing Real Murcia 5-0 at the Camp Nou on Wednesday to complete an 8-0 aggregate victory. Already leading 3-0 from the first leg, Barca boss Ernesto Valverde made 10 changes from Sunday's top-of-the-table clash at Valencia with Lionel Messi […]

Patras (Greece) (AFP) – Goalkeeper Kostas Chalkias, the last remaining active player from Greece's improbable Euro 2004 championship team, returned to action on Wednesday after a five-plus year absence from the pitch. The 43-year-old Chalkias plays for second-division club Panachaiki and started their 1-1 draw against Panathinaikos in the Greek Cup. He came out of […]