Seoul (AFP) – England have shrugged off a dire record in the Under-20 World Cup to stand on the verge of ending a 51-year wait for a global title dating back to their World Cup win in 1966. When England landed in South Korea, they were looking to reverse 20 years of failure in the […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund star Christian Pulisic scored twice as the United States grabbed a vital 2-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago in their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign on Thursday. Bundesliga-based Pulisic slid home a close-range finish from DeAndre Yedlin's low cross in the 52nd minute to give the Americans the lead […]

Adelaide (Australia) (AFP) – Coach Ange Postecoglou says Tom Rogic owed Australia some magic after his spectacular winner kept alive the Socceroos' automatic qualifying hopes for next year's Russia World Cup finals. The Celtic midfielder hit a thunderous strike to give the Australians a 3-2 win over Saudi Arabia in Adelaide on Thursday to join […]

Sydney (AFP) – Saudi Arabia football chiefs apologised Friday after the national team was accused of "a disgraceful lack of respect" for failing to observe a minute's silence in Australia in honour of victims of the London terror attack. When the stadium announcer in Adelaide called for silence before their World Cup qualifier against the […]

London (AFP) – Harry Kane believes the years have done nothing to dull the rivalry between England and Scotland ahead of Saturday's World Cup qualifier between the old foes in Glasgow. Beginning with their first encounter in November 1872, the neighbours faced off almost every year until 1984, when the British Home Championship was abolished. […]

Sydney (AFP) – The Saudi Arabia football team was accused of "a disgraceful lack of respect" Friday for failing to observe a minute's silence in honour of victims of the London terror attack ahead of a game in Australia. When the stadium announcer in Adelaide called for a pause before the World Cup qualifier kicked […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – The seeds of Chelsea's Premier League title triumph were sown at the end of their dismal 2015-16 campaign, former assistant coach Steve Holland has revealed. Incoming manager Antonio Conte's mid-game switch to a 3-4-3 system during Chelsea's 3-0 loss at Arsenal last September was widely identified as the pivotal moment […]

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – He has established himself as the most lethal finisher in the Premier League and now Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has set his sights on winning the Ballon d'Or. Kane, 23, has won the Premier League Golden Boot for the past two seasons and is the first Spurs player since […]

Bouaké (Ivory Coast) (AFP) – The Ivory Coast must beat Guinea on Saturday to "honour the memory of Cheick Tiote", the former international who died in China this week, according to Elephants coach Marc Wilmots. "We must do it, we have no choice, I hope to win it for him," Wilmots said ahead of the […]

Caracas (AFP) – They are suffering hunger and violence, but baseball-mad Venezuelans found unexpected solace in football as their under-20 team won through to Sunday's World Cup final against England. The "claret reds" or "chamos" ("lads") squeaked through on penalties in Thursday's semi-final in South Korea, after holding Uruguay to 1-1 at the end of […]

Milan (AFP) – AC Milan on Thursday announced the signing of Swiss left-back Ricardo Rodriguez, the third player captured by the resurgent seven-time European champions, on a four-year deal expiring in 2021. Rodriguez, a 24-year-old who has 45 caps for Switzerland, joins the Serie A giants from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, where he has played since […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Football superstar Lionel Messi is to marry his long term partner and mother of his two children, Antonella Roccuzzo, in their hometown of Rosario on June 30, the Argentina striker revealed on Thursday. "The wedding will be held in Rosario, Argentina, on June 30," Messi's personal communications agency 6Pointer said. The ceremony […]

London (AFP) – Craig Shakespeare has signed a three-year contract as manager of Leicester City, the former Premier League champions announced on Thursday. Shakespeare, 53, was promoted from his role as assistant coach on an interim basis following the shock dismissal of Claudio Ranieri in February. His appointment sparked a striking upturn in form that […]

Jeonju (South Korea) (AFP) – Dominic Solanke struck twice as England beat Italy 3-1 to reach the Under-20 World Cup final for the first time in their history on Thursday. Liverpool-bound Solanke cancelled out Riccardo Orsolini's early opener when he scored in the 66th minute, before Everton's Ademola Lookman put England 2-1 up 11 minutes […]

Adelaide (Australia) (AFP) – A spectacular long-range strike from Tom Rogic delivered Australia a crucial 3-2 win over Saudi Arabia on Thursday to stay on track for next year's World Cup finals in Russia. The stylish midfielder reprised his match-winning exploits for Celtic in last month's Scottish Cup final when he scored the Socceroos' winner […]