Rome (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer criticised football authorities for Manchester United's punishing schedule after his side advanced to the Europa League final on Thursday, calling it "physically impossible" for his team. United advanced to the May 26 showdown with Villarreal in Gdansk 8-5 on aggregate despite losing 3-2 to Roma in their semi-final second […]

Rome (AFP) – Manchester United advanced to the Europa League final 8-5 on aggregate on Thursday despite losing 3-2 to Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. The Premier League side will play Villarreal in the final on May 26 in Gdansk. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side had taken a 6-2 first-leg lead to Rome, and Edinson Cavani's […]

London (AFP) – Villarreal will face Manchester United in the Europa League final after the Spanish side held out for a 0-0 draw at Arsenal on Thursday to prevent a clean sweep of European finalists for Premier League sides. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang twice hit the post for Arsenal, but a 2-1 aggregate defeat means the Gunners […]

Madrid (AFP) – Eden Hazard apologised on Thursday after images appeared of him smiling in the aftermath of Real Madrid's Champions League exit at the hands of his former team Chelsea. Images were broadcast of Belgium forward Hazard cheerfully chatting with his old team-mates after Wednesday's 2-0 loss at Stamford Bridge, which consigned Madrid to […]

Berlin (AFP) – Hertha Berlin climbed out of the Bundesliga relegation places on Thursday with a 3-0 home win over Freiburg in their second match after coming out of a two-week quarantine. An outbreak of Covid-19 cases saw the Hertha squad quarantined in mid-April from which they only emerged last Friday when training resumed. After […]

London (AFP) – The jury in the Dalian Atkinson murder trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard a statement Thursday from the former footballer's father that his son was "not in his right mind" on the night he was tasered outside his family home. The statement was given to officers by the then 85-year-old Ernest Atkinson […]

London (AFP) – Four-time Grammy winner Ed Sheeran will be the shirt sponsor for his boyhood team Ipswich Town next season, the club announced on Thursday. The 30-year-old, who grew up in Suffolk, will see his logo appear on the men's and women's first-team shirts. Ipswich are set for a third season in the third […]

Paris (AFP) – For the second time in three years the UEFA Champions League final will be an all-English affair, with the financial might of the Premier League and the backing of mega-rich owners helping clear the path to Istanbul for Chelsea and Manchester City. They initially signed up for the breakaway Super League, along […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – FIFA confirmed on Thursday that the 2022 World Cup qualifiers scheduled for Africa during June have been postponed until September due to the coronavirus and stadiums not meeting internatonal standards. There will now be double matchdays in September, October and November with the 10 group winners advancing to the final round next […]

London (AFP) – Leeds United winger Helder Costa will miss the final four games of the Premier League season with a back problem, club manager Marcelo Bielsa said Thursday. The Portuguese star missed last week's 2-0 defeat at Brighton due to a back problem suffered during Leeds' recent draw against Manchester United. "He won't be […]

London (AFP) – Timo Werner admitted he was relieved to redeem himself with a goal against Real Madrid which helped put Chelsea into the Champions League final against Premier League rivals Manchester City. Having missed a sitter when the semi-final first leg finished in a 1-1 draw in Madrid, Werner made amends in the return […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid were not just beaten but outplayed, their defeat by Chelsea on Wednesday clear enough to spell the end of a team that has gone on and on but can no longer match the best in Europe. After a historic run that has seen Zinedine Zidane's grandees win three consecutive Champions […]

London (AFP) – Sacked by Paris Saint-Germain on Christmas Eve, Thomas Tuchel is going back to the Champions League final for a second consecutive season after his rejuvenated Chelsea cruised past Real Madrid in the last four. Tuchel said he felt like he had found "the best present still under the tree" when Chelsea came […]

London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel hailed the hunger of his "fantastic" Chelsea stars as they reached the Champions League final with a 2-0 win against Real Madrid on Wednesday. Goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount booked Chelsea's first Champions League final appearance since they won the competition for the only time in 2012. Tuchel's […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea beat Real Madrid 2-0 to clinch a 3-1 aggregate success in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg. Goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount booked an all-Premier League showdown with Manchester City in the final in Istanbul on May 29. AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from the Stamford […]