Nicosia (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema both scored twice as holders Real Madrid crushed APOEL 6-0 in Nicosia on Tuesday to seal a place in the Champions League last 16. Luka Modric volleyed Zinedine Zidane's team into the lead on 23 minutes before Real floored Cypriot champions APOEL with five goals in a […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola's Manchester City secured top spot in Champions League Group F after Raheem Sterling's late strike snatched a 1-0 win over Feyenoord on Tuesday. With City having already booked a place in the last 16, Guardiola made seven changes to his starting XI and he had to wait until […]

Dortmund (Germany) (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur won Champions League Group H after goals from Son Heung-min and Harry Kane brought Spurs back from a goal down to win 2-1 at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. Kane and Son struck in 49th and the 76th minutes to take already-qualified Tottenham to 13 points and the Group H […]

Sydney (AFP) – Coach Ange Postecoglou announced Wednesday that he will not take Australia to the World Cup next year, ending weeks of speculation about his future after a lengthy qualification campaign. "After a great deal of thought and soul-searching, I've decided that the journey for me ends as Socceroo coach," an emotional Postecoglou told […]

Naples (Italy) (AFP) – Italy reject Lorenzo Insigne's second-half wonder strike opened the floodgates as Napoli kept their Champions League hopes alive with a 3-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday. Napoli forward Insigne had also scored against AC Milan on Saturday, fresh from being left on the bench as Italy failed to qualify for […]

Seville (Spain) (AFP) – Sevilla produced a stunning fightback from a three-goal half-time deficit to earn a well-earned point with a thrilling 3-3 draw with Liverpool on Tuesday thanks to Guido Pizarro's stoppage-time equaliser. Roberto Firmino scored twice as Jurgen Klopp's side looked set to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time in […]

Paris (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as holders Real Madrid thrashed APOEL 6-0 in Cyprus to reach the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday, while Liverpool blew a three-goal lead in a thriller at Sevilla. Zinedine Zidane's Real bounced back from their 3-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur last time out by crushing APOEL, with […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola's Manchester City secured top spot in Champions League Group F after Raheem Sterling's late strike snatched a 1-0 win over Feyenoord on Tuesday. With City having already booked a place in the last 16, Guardiola shuffled his pack, making seven changes to his starting XI, and he had […]

Monaco (AFP) – Devastating RB Leipzig boosted their chances of qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday by taking Monaco apart 4-1 with a four-goal first-half demolition that saw them draw level on points with second-place Porto in Group G. Leipzig took full advantage of slack Monaco defending and Porto drawing […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde admitted on Tuesday that he watched last season's 3-0 defeat by Juventus "over and over" to prepare for their Champions League return to Turin on Wednesday. Juventus beat Barcelona in the last eight thanks to a three-goal hammering at the Allianz Stadium and a goalless draw at […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Barcelona's Croatian international Ivan Rakitic said Tuesday he would love to tell Italian goalkeeping great Gianlugi Buffon to take his place in the 2018 World Cup. Rakitic will meet Buffon in Wednesday's Champions League clash with Juventus in Turin, just a week after Buffon tearfully retired from international duty as Italy […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic expressed his confidence on Tuesday that Lionel Messi would sign a new contract to stay at the Camp Nou. Barcelona announced last summer a three-year extension of the Argentinian's contract until 2021 — agreed with his father and agent — but the 30-year-old has still not made […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone admitted star forward Antoine Griezmann's lean spell in front of goal has had a profound effect on the Spanish giants' stuttering start to the season. Twice finalists in the past four seasons, Atletico need to beat Roma on Wednesday and Chelsea away in two weeks' time to […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery insists he is not concerned about Neymar's lifestyle after the Brazilian superstar was photographed at a Paris nightclub in the early hours of Sunday. "Outside of his work, his football, he can enjoy himself with his friends," Emery said on Tuesday at a press conference ahead of […]

Moscow (AFP) – Spartak Moscow's hopes of earning a place in the Champions League last 16 suffered a damaging blow on Tuesday as they conceded a stoppage-time equaliser in a 1-1 home draw with Maribor. The result kept Russian champions Spartak third in Group E ahead of their final match, one point behind second-placed Sevilla, […]