Suzhou (China) (AFP) – China's women sealed a last-ditch spot at the Tokyo Olympics football Tuesday by squeezing past South Korea 4-3 on aggregate, a thrilling conclusion to a qualifying campaign dogged by coronavirus delays. Former Paris Saint-Germain forward Wang Shuang scored the winner in extra time in front of 13,000 jubilant fans in Suzhou, […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos, who was already out of this week's Champions League meeting with Liverpool because of a calf injury, has tested positive for Covid-19, the club announced on Tuesday. "Our player Sergio Ramos tested positive in the last Covid-19 test he performed," Real Madrid said in a statement. Ramos […]

Berlin (AFP) – Austrian Adi Huetter will quit as Eintracht Frankfurt head coach at the end of the season to take charge of Bundesliga rivals Borussia Moenchengladbach, both clubs confirmed Tuesday. After weeks of speculation, Huetter, 51, will sign a three-year contract as head coach of Gladbach, replacing Marco Rose, 44, who is leaving to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Florentino Perez has been re-elected unopposed as president of Real Madrid for a sixth term, the Spanish champions announced on Tuesday. The 74-year-old was the only name in the running since the window for potential candidates to apply opened at the start of the month. A club statement said: "A single candidate […]

Berlin (AFP) – Marco Reus is set to rekindle his blossoming partnership with Erling Braut Haaland on Wednesday as Borussia Dortmund bid to hand Manchester City another Champions League quarter-final exit. Dortmund captain Reus, 31, is back to his best after struggling with poor form and injury this season, revelling alongside the 20-year-old Haaland. Reus […]

London (AFP) – "Win everything," said Kevin De Bruyne when asked of his ambitions for Manchester City after signing a new four-year contract to reportedly become the Premier League's highest paid player last week. With less than two months of the season to play, City are still on course for a historic quadruple of Champions […]

Madrid (AFP) – When Toni Kroos arrived for his first training session with Real Madrid in 2014, he went the wrong way. Walking out onto the pitch at the club's sprawling Valdebebas training ground, Kroos saw two circles of players kicking the ball between them and jogged over to the one on the left. In […]

London (AFP) – West Bromwich Albion improved their slender hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier League as they survived VAR controversy to beat Southampton 3-0, while Everton's fading top four bid was damaged by a 0-0 draw at Brighton on Monday. Albion saw Mbaye Diagne's goal questionably ruled out by VAR early in the […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Leaders Mamelodi Sundowns created a South African Premiership record on Monday by extending an unbeaten record since the start of the season to 20 matches with a 2-1 win at Chippa United. The run bettered the Kaizer Chiefs' 19-match streak in the 2014-2015 en route to becoming champions. Victory near East […]

London (AFP) – West Bromwich Albion improved their slender hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier League as they survived VAR controversy to beat Southampton 3-0 on Monday. Sam Allardyce's side saw Mbaye Diagne's goal questionably ruled out by VAR early in the first half at the Hawthorns. But they recovered from that blow to […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – The United States women's football team vowed to press on with an appeal in their equal pay lawsuit on Monday after a federal judge in Los Angeles formally approved a deal with the US Soccer Federation over working conditions. US District Judge Gary Klausner inked a settlement reached in December that […]

Paris (AFP) – Valencia's Mouctar Diakhaby said on Monday he will persist with his claim of being racially abused despite La Liga insisting there was no evidence. The French player said he hoped the Spanish football federation, which has the final say, would prove him right over the incident that has received widespread coverage in […]

London (AFP) – Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Pedro Neto will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury that could also rule him out of Euro 2020 as well, his club said on Monday. The Portugal attacker, 21, is set to have surgery later after leaving the field in the first half of Friday's […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain go into Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg at home to Bayern Munich without captain Marquinhos while midfielder Marco Verratti faces a late fitness test, the club confirmed on Monday. Coach Mauricio Pochettino appeared to claim earlier that Marquinhos faced a fitness test, but later the club cleared up any […]

Paris (AFP) – Mohamed Salah raised his goal tally to 28 in all competitions this season by equalising for Liverpool in a 2-1 Premier League comeback win over Aston Villa at the weekend. When the Egypt predator struck on 57 minutes at Anfield, it was the first open-play goal scored by the Reds since December […]