Paris (AFP) – French champions Monaco were held to a 1-1 draw at newly-promoted Amiens on Friday despite an equaliser from Stevan Jovetic to drop two points in the Ligue 1 title race. Christophe Pelissier's home side took a shock 31st-minute lead through Serge Gakpe, but Jovetic came off the bench in the second half […]

Paris (AFP) – Lille beat Saint-Etienne 3-1 on Friday to ease the pressure on under-fire Argentinian coach Marcelo Bielsa and move out of the Ligue 1 relegation zone. The second straight win dragged Lille out of the bottom two, having ended a nine-match winless streak with a 3-0 victory over Metz before the international break. […]

Paris (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo said on Friday that he was "confident as always" of winning the upcoming Ballon D'Or for best player in the world. Ronaldo is the overwhelming favourite to collect the award on December 7, after a year in which he led Real Madrid to titles in Spain and Europe. "Last season […]

Berlin (AFP) – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang said that he did not understand why his club, Borussia Dortmund, had suspended him for turning up late for training. Dortmund dropped their star striker from the squad for Friday's Bundesliga match against Stuttgart. Last year, the club suspended Aubameyang for a Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon after he […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Antonio Conte believes his side must win every game they play if they are to stand any chance of reeling in runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City. Champions Chelsea are nine points behind Pep Guardiola's City ahead of Saturday's trip to West Bromwich Albion, where Conte's men secured the title […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde warned against complacency when the La Liga leaders travel to Leganes on Saturday ahead of a testing week with trips to Juventus and Valencia also to come. Barca could move seven points clear of Valencia at the top of the table and open up an 11-point lead over […]

Marseille (AFP) – Marseille coach Rudi Garcia said on Friday that he hopes Patrice Evra will not finish his "fantastic career" on "this note", referring to the left-back's attack on a fan. Evra is without a club after kicking a supporter in the head before Marseille's Europa League game with Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal on November […]

Madrid (AFP) – Accustomed to a place at the top table in recent seasons, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid resume an old rivalry at a new home on Saturday with little room for error. Early season struggles have left both sides eight points adrift of La Liga leaders Barcelona and four points below revitalised Valencia. […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is considering calling on captain Vincent Kompany to solve his centre-back problems at Leicester City on Saturday. The Belgium international, 31, has not played since picking up a calf injury during his country's 9-0 win over Gibraltar in August. Since then, John Stones and Nicolas […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp feels "really good" despite having been admitted to hospital after feeling unwell earlier this week, he said on Friday. Klopp underwent checks before being discharged on Wednesday and returning to work on Thursday. He is set to be in the dug-out when Liverpool host Southampton on Saturday It […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane shrugged off reports of a dressing room rift between captain Sergio Ramos and World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of vital derby clash at Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Both sides from the capital already trail La Liga leaders Barcelona by eight points with Ronaldo complaining […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Paul Pogba and long-term injury victim Zlatan Ibrahimovic will make their Manchester United returns against Newcastle United on Saturday, manager Jose Mourinho announced on Friday. France midfielder Pogba has been out since September with a hamstring injury, while former Sweden striker Ibrahimovic has not played since damaging knee ligaments against […]

Riyadh (AFP) – Saudi giants Al Hilal will attempt to end years of dominance by East Asian clubs when they take on Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds in the two-legged AFC Champions League final from Saturday. Al Hilal missed out on the trophy in an ill-tempered final in 2014, but they are hopeful of redressing the […]

Shanghai (AFP) – A one-legged footballer has captured the hearts of millions of Chinese fans after a widely circulated video showed him holding his own against able-bodied opponents and scoring a rasping right-footed drive. The exploits of 21-year-old He Yiyi, who lost his leg to childhood cancer and uses crutches to support himself when playing, […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – At a trial for youngsters at Rio de Janeiro's Vasco de Gama football club, Vanessa Dias pushed through the bushes to glimpse her 12-year-old son Caua, nervously hoping that he'd just taken his first step to the big time. About 200 other children aged nine to 17 were taking part […]