Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Giorgio Chiellini's first-half goal was cancelled out by Aleksandar Trajkovski as Italy struggled to a 1-1 draw against Macedonia in Turin on Friday, condemning the four-time champions to the World Cup play-offs. Gian Piero Ventura's side were jeered off the pitch at the Stadio Olympico after failing to secure the three […]

London (AFP) – Harry Kane insists he isn't England's only hope of a successful run at next year's World Cup. Gareth Southgate's side booked their place at the finals in Russia with a lacklustre 1-0 win over Slovenia at Wembley on Thursday. England's wretched display somehow ended on an upbeat note when Kane stretched to […]

London (AFP) – Following England's laborious qualification for the World Cup, manager Gareth Southgate has acknowledged there is a lack of empathy between his team and the country's football fans. A sparse Wembley crowd groaned at England's poor football and amused themselves with paper aeroplanes during Thursday's 1-0 win over Slovenia, which secured a place […]

Paris (AFP) – Heavyweights Spain qualified for the 2018 World Cup with a routine 3-0 home win over Albania, but Serbia must wait to seal to their place following a 3-2 loss in Austria. Rodrigo, Isco and Thiago Alcantara all scored inside the first 30 minutes in Alicante as the 2010 world champions locked up […]

Alicante (Spain) (AFP) – Spain sealed their place in next year's World Cup by routing Albania 3-0 on Friday in a match laced with political tension amidst Catalonia's drive for independence and blighted by more jeers for Gerard Pique. Pique made his 92nd appearance at international level just days after voting in a referendum on […]

Alicante (Spain) (AFP) – In the midst of Catalonia's drive for independence, Gerard Pique was again centre of attention as he was met with a mixture of jeers and applause in Spain's politicised World Cup qualifier against Albania on Friday. Pique made his 92nd appearance at international level just days after voting in a referendum […]

Sao Paulo (AFP) – Brazil defender Thiago Silva will miss his country's final 2018 World Cup qualifier against Chile on Tuesday with a thigh muscle injury he suffered in Thursday's 0-0 draw against Bolivia. The 33-year-old Paris Saint-Germain centre-back hobbled off in the 27th minute of the match in La Paz. Brazil have already wrapped […]

Tbilisi (AFP) – Tom Lawrence scored his first international goal to earn Wales a vital 1-0 victory in Georgia on Friday and keep them in the hunt for a place at next year's World Cup. The Derby Counter midfielder rifled in the winner four minutes after half-time in Tbilisi as Chris Coleman's side pulled to […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Argentina awakened on Friday to the horrifying possibility of a World Cup without the "world's best player", Lionel Messi. The Albiceleste drew 0-0 at home to Peru on Thursday to fall not only out of the four automatic South American qualifying places for next year's finals in Russia, but also the […]

The Hague (AFP) – Netherlands captain Arjen Robben still has hope that the struggling Dutch can reach next year's World Cup, despite their perilous position in qualifying ahead of Saturday's trip to Belarus. Anything but a win in Barysaw would almost certainly see Dick Advocaat's side miss out on back-to-back major tournaments for the first […]

New Delhi (AFP) – India gave away 27,000 tickets for the opening games of the Under-17 World Cup in New Delhi on Friday in a bid to avoid the embarrassment of empty stands when Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends, an official said. Thousands of children filled the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium to boost India's first […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich confirmed Friday that veteran German coach Jupp Heynckes will take over as manager until the end of the season, replacing the sacked Carlos Ancelotti. Heynckes, 72, will come out of retirement to take take charge of the squad from Monday, the fourth time he has coached Bayern. "There […]

London (AFP) – England and Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton says the Munich air disaster that claimed the lives of so many of his young team-mates in 1958 changed his life. Charlton, a pivotal figure in England's 1966 World Cup triumph, lost several close friends in the crash, which killed 23 of the 44 passengers […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Shu Kurata smashed a late winner on Friday to give Japan a narrow 2-1 victory over New Zealand in their first international football friendly since they qualified for the World Cup. Following a scoreless first half, Cologne forward Yuya Osako netted a 50-minute penalty for Japan after a handball at Toyota Stadium. […]

New Delhi (AFP) – India gave away 27,000 tickets for the opening games of the Under-17 World Cup in New Delhi on Friday in a bid to avoid the embarrassment of empty stands when Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends, an official said. Thousands of children filled the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium to boost India's first […]