Milan (AFP) – Inter captain Mauro Icardi hit a brace and Ivorian Franck Kessie opened his AC Milan account as the northern giants matched Juventus's winning start to the Serie A season with respective 3-0 victories on Sunday. Left in the shade by Juventus for the past six seasons, both Inter and Milan are hoping […]

Paris (AFP) – Neymar starred from beginning to end on his home debut for Paris Saint-Germain, scoring twice in a 6-2 thumping of Toulouse in Ligue 1 on Sunday. The Brazilian superstar had a hand in everything else his new side did at the Parc des Princes as they recovered from the shock of falling […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona got their La Liga season off to a winning start on Sunday, beating Real Betis 2-0 at a emotional Camp Nou following a pair of terrorist attacks in Catalonia. Twin vehicle attacks on Thursday killed 14 people and wounded around 120 in Barcelona's bustling Las Ramblas thoroughfare and the nearby seaside resort […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Fans and players alike wore shirts blazoned with "Barcelona" on the back as they commemorated victims of the deadly Spain attacks as Barcelona kicked off their first game of the league season under tight security. Flags at the 99,000 capacity Camp Nou stadium flew at half mast in honour of the 14 […]

Milan (AFP) – Former Manchester City defender Aleksandar Kolarov capped his Roma debut with a clever first-half free-kick to secure a 1-0 win for last season's Serie A runners-up at Atalanta on Sunday. Roma, who finished only four points behind Juventus last term, started the new campaign desperate to give Eusebio Di Francesco his maiden […]

London (AFP) – Five things we learned from the English Premier League this weekend: Spurs need a Wembley win — Tottenham’s impressive display in their 2-1 home defeat by Chelsea gave the lie to suggestions they are unable to perform at Wembley, their home for the season while White Hart Lane is rebuilt, but the […]

Paris (AFP) – Marcelo Bielsa suffered a second straight loss as Lille coach on Sunday as his side crashed to a disappointing 2-0 home defeat against Caen. The Argentine's tenure began promisingly with an opening 3-0 win over Claudio Ranieri's Nantes, but Lille then slumped to a chaotic 3-0 loss away to newly-promoted Strasbourg as […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur made a losing start to life as Wembley's full-time tenants after Marcos Alonso's double earned Premier League champions Chelsea a 2-1 victory on Sunday. The Spaniard struck either side of a late Michy Batshuayi own goal to get Chelsea back to winning ways after their opening 3-2 loss at home […]

Berlin (AFP) – Ghana midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng made his first appearance for Eintracht Frankfurt at Freiburg on Sunday — back in the Bundesliga two years after being thrown out of the Schalke squad. The 30-year-old only signed a three-year deal with Frankfurt on Friday after a hasty exit from Spanish club Las Palmas, who the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke on Sunday accused Barcelona of manipulating Ousmane Dembele in a bid to force the German club to sell the want-away winger to the Spanish giants. Dortmund suspended Dembele indefinitely a week ago when the 20-year-old boycotted training after the German club rejected an initial bid from Barcelona. […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Manchester City's former French international midfielder Samir Nasri on Sunday arrived in Turkey to join big spending Turkish side Antalyaspor on a reported two-year deal. Nasri, who spent last season on loan at Sevilla and appeared unlikely to figure in Pep Guardiola's plans this season, was met at Antalya's airport by crowds […]

London (AFP) – Australian international Aaron Mooy's stunning second-half goal gave Huddersfield a 1-0 victory over Newcastle and maintained their 100 percent record in their maiden season in the Premier League on Sunday. Huddersfield signed Mooy full-time from Manchester City in the close season after he inspired them to promotion whilst on loan. And the […]

Doha (AFP) – Qatar's 2022 World Cup preparations have been inconvenienced but not delayed by the political and economic boycott by its neighbours, the country's most senior tournament organiser insisted Sunday. Hassan Al-Thawadi, Secretary General the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, said alternative suppliers outside those countries involved in the ongoing dispute have been […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany international Nicolai Mueller faces half a year on the sidelines after rupturing his cruciate knee ligament as he celebrated scoring in Hamburg's opening game of the season. The 29-year-old was left red-faced after scoring the winner in the 1-0 home Bundesliga victory against Augsburg eight minutes into Saturday's match. After netting, […]

Barcelona (AFP) – A huge security presence on Sunday will oversee Barcelona's first match since two terror attacks in Catalonia killed 14 people and left 120 more injured. Barca host Real Betis (1815GMT kick-off) at the club's 99,000 capacity Camp Nou to open their La Liga campaign with the country still reeling from the most […]