Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona coach Luis Enrique revelled in turning the tables on bitter rivals Real Madrid as Lionel Messi struck deep into stoppage time to edge a thrilling El Clasico 3-2 on Sunday. Messi's second goal of the night was his 500th for Barcelona and took the Catalans to the top of La Liga. […]

London (AFP) – Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City will be a far more formidable force next season after their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal left the Spaniard empty-handed for the first season in his glittering career. Guardiola's side wasted their chance to reach the final as poor finishing and sloppy defending allowed Arsenal to […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Brendan Rodgers spoke of his pride in his players as he moved to within touching distance of becoming only the third Celtic manager to claim a domestic treble for the Scottish giants. With the League Cup and Scottish Premiership title already wrapped up, Celtic face Aberdeen on May 27 in the Scottish […]

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger admitted Arsenal's spirited FA Cup semi-final victory against Manchester City was a huge relief because it proved his players can thrive under intense pressure. Wenger's side were on the brink of yet another painful defeat in a turbulent season after being out-played by City and falling behind to Sergio Aguero's […]

London (AFP) – Veteran Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said talk of his career being over was far from the truth, declaring on his Instagram account on Sunday he had already played on one leg before. The 35-year-old — whose 28 goals have largely helped Manchester United compete for a Champions League spot next season as […]

Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi struck his 500th Barcelona goal deep into stoppage time to earn the Catalans a 3-2 win over Real Madrid in El Clasico on Sunday. Here, AFP sports looks at five things we learned from the five-goal thriller. Title race back on Victory for Madrid would have all but sealed their […]

London (AFP) – N'Golo Kante's dynamic performances for double chasing Chelsea received the ultimate accolade from his peers on Sunday, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Player of the Year award. The 26-year-old French midfielder saw off the likes of Tottenham striker Harry Kane and Everton's marksman Romelu Lukaku for the prestigious award. It may well […]

Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi struck his 500th Barcelona goal with almost the last kick of the game to blow the La Liga title race wide open with a thrilling 3-2 win at Real Madrid on Sunday. Messi had broken a three-year goalless drought against Madrid to cancel out Casemiro's opener for Madrid in the […]

Paris (AFP) – Teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe produced another stylish winning goal as Monaco climbed back to the top of Ligue 1 with a 2-1 victory at Lyon on Sunday. A seventh straight league win leaves Monaco level with Paris Saint Germain on 80 points but with a game in hand on the champions and […]

Milan (AFP) – Premier League target Leonardo Bonucci hit an impressive fourth on the night as Juventus moved 11 points clear at the top of Serie A with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Genoa on Sunday. Bonucci, a former target for Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, has been linked in recent days with a big-money move […]

Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi struck his 500th Barcelona goal with the last kick of the game to blow the La Liga title race wide open with a thrilling 3-2 win at Real Madrid on Sunday. A double from Messi and Ivan Rakitic's stunning strike takes Barca top of the table, although Madrid still have […]

Milan (AFP) – Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik has made an impassioned plea for more playing time amid speculation the Serie A giants could cash in by selling highly-fancied Belgium midfielder Dries Mertens in the summer. Milik, sidelined for nearly six months with an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered last October, ended a seven-month wait for […]

London (AFP) – Five things we learned from the English Premier League this weekend: Liverpool's Achilles heel exposed again Jurgen Klopp has failed to cure the Liverpool conundrum — they go walkabout when playing the teams from the lower reaches. Looking in control of Crystal Palace they allowed their lead to slip and woeful defending […]

Berlin (AFP) – RB Leipzig wasted their chance to slash Bayern Munich's runaway lead at the top of the Bundesliga on Sunday when they were held to a 1-1 draw at Schalke. Carlo Ancelotti's Bayern are eight points clear despite having been held to a 2-2 draw at home to Mainz after Timo Werner's first-half […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool old-boy Christian Benteke stunned his former club with both Crystal Palace goals in a 2-1 win at Anfield on Sunday denting the home side’s top-four Premier League ambitions. Benteke handed a massive boost to Palace's survival hopes with a goal in each half to cancel out Philippe Coutinho's brilliant opener for […]