Cairo (AFP) – Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah converted a stoppage-time penalty to give Egypt a dramatic 2-1 win over Congo Brazzaville Sunday and a place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Salah put Egypt ahead during the second half in Alexandria only for Arnold Bouka Moutou to equalise two minutes from the end of […]

Paris (AFP) – Robert Lewandowski scored a European qualifying record 16th goal as Poland defeated Montenegro 4-2 on Sunday to reach next year's World Cup, but Scotland missed out on the play-offs after a 2-2 draw in Slovenia. Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski struck his 16th goal of the qualifying campaign as Poland recovered from throwing […]

Ljubljana (AFP) – Scotland blew their last chance to remain in contention for a World Cup place as Slovenia hit back for a 2-2 draw that eliminated Gordon Strachan's side on Sunday. Needing a victory to guarantee second place in Group F and a spot in the play-offs for the remaining World Cup berths, Scotland […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill says injured right-back Seamus Coleman will be at the forefront of his players' minds in Monday's World Cup qualification shootout with Wales. Everton defender Coleman remains sidelined after suffering a horrendous double leg break following a tackle by Neil Taylor during Ireland's 0-0 draw […]

Jerusalem (AFP) – Spain coach Julen Lopetegui sought Sunday to downplay the potential impact of the Catalan independence bid on his team, ahead of the final game of their successful World Cup qualification campaign. Lopetegui spoke in Jerusalem ahead of Spain's match against Israel on Monday, while in Barcelona hundreds of thousands of demonstrators rallied […]

Sydney (AFP) – Sydney FC struck an early blow in the defence of their A-League title on the opening weekend of the season with a hard-fought win over the team they beat in last year's grand final. Graham Arnold's side enjoyed a record-breaking season last year, finishing with 66 points from 20 wins and just […]

Kabul (AFP) – Shiba Rahimi, a demure pale pink hijab covering her hair, sits forward in her seat and does a shrill two-finger whistle at the male footballers darting around the all-weather field in Kabul. The university student is one of dozens of football-mad women sitting in the female section of the Afghan capital's main […]

Abuja (AFP) – Alex Iwobi's goal saw Nigeria become the first African team to qualify for next year's World Cup in Russia, while Ghana were eliminated in the qualifiers. A 73rd-minute strike by Arsenal forward Iwobi handed the Super Eagles a 1-0 success over Zambia in Uyo, ensuring top spot in Group B with a […]

Paris (AFP) – Blaise Matuidi's early goal saw off Bulgaria 1-0 on Saturday and kept France top of European World Cup qualifying Group A, while the Netherlands' hopes are hanging by a thread despite a 3-1 win in Belarus. France took the lead in only the third minute as midfielder Matuidi curled home a fantastic […]

Sofia (AFP) – France kept their noses in front in the European Group A race to qualify for the 2018 World Cup as Blaise Matuidi's early strike earned a 1-0 win in Bulgaria on Saturday. Following Sweden's crushing 8-0 thrashing of Luxembourg, this win was enough to keep Didier Deschamps's team a point ahead of […]

Abuja (AFP) – Arsenal forward Alex Iwobi sent Nigeria to the 2018 World Cup finals with the winning goal in a 1-0 African qualifying victory over Zambia on Saturday. The Super Eagles became the first African team to advance to Russia after taking an unassailable lead atop Group B. It will be their sixth World […]

Solna (Sweden) (AFP) – Sweden laid down the gauntlet to France in European World Cup qualifying as Marcus Berg scored four goals in an 8-0 thrashing of Luxembourg on Saturday. The Swedes now lead France, who face Bulgaria later on Saturday, by two points in the race for top spot in Group A. Al Ain […]

Moscow (AFP) – Kim Joo-Young scored two own goals in two minutes as Russia beat South Korea 4-2 in Moscow on Saturday in their first game since the Confederations Cup. Krasnodar forward Fedor Smolov and Lokomotiv Moscow midfielder Alexei Miranchuk also scored for the 2018 World Cup hosts, who put in a much-improved display after […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said Saturday he could now be sidelined until March because he is taking longer than expected to recover from a foot operation. Neuer was initially expecting to return in January, but he told the club's TV station: "The wound in the foot is healing and […]

London (AFP) – Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland will replace Joe Hart for England's final World Cup qualifier against Lithuania on Sunday. Hart has been England's first-choice goalkeeper under Gareth Southgate, but with England now qualified for the World Cup, Butland has been handed the shirt for the last match of the campaign. England beat Slovenia […]