Belgrade (AFP) – Portugal coach Fernando Santos said "it isn't possible" that a what he saw as a clear goal scored by Cristiano Ronaldo in Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Serbia could be ruled out. With the scores level at 2-2, Ronaldo thought he had won the game in the 93rd minute when he slotted […]

Dublin (AFP) – The Republic of Ireland fell to a shock 1-0 defeat by minnows Luxembourg in their 2022 World Cup qualifier in Dublin on Saturday. Dynamo Kiev midfielder Gerson Rodrigues condemned the Irish to their second defeat in as many Group A games with a superb long-range effort five minutes from the end. Ireland […]

Paris (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo was controversially denied an injury-time winner as Portugal blew a two-goal lead to be held by Serbia in World Cup qualifying on Saturday, while Romelu Lukaku's 59th international goal was only enough to salvage Belgium a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic. The Netherlands saw off Latvia 2-0 after their […]

Prague (AFP) – Romelu Lukaku's second-half equaliser handed Belgium a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic in a Group E World Cup qualifier in Prague on Saturday. The game played behind closed doors because of Covid-19 restrictions keeps the hosts top on goal differences. The Inter Milan striker scored on 61 minutes after fooling sweeper […]

Paris (AFP) – Romelu Lukaku's 59th international goal was only enough for Belgium to secure a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic in World Cup qualifying on Saturday, while Portugal blew a two-goal lead to be held by Serbia. The Netherlands saw off Latvia 2-0 after their opening Group G defeat by Turkey, who backed […]

Amsterdam (AFP) – The Netherlands earned their first win of the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Latvia in front of 5,000 fans, who saw Stephanie Frappart make history and another pre-match protest for human rights in Qatar. Frank de Boer's side bounced back from their opening round defeat […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Paul Onuachu headed a stoppage-time winner as Nigeria followed pre-kickoff qualification for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations by snatching a 1-0 matchday 5 victory in Benin Saturday. An earlier 0-0 draw in the other Group L match between Lesotho and Sierra Leone in Maseru meant the Super Eagles became the […]

Paris (AFP) – The Netherlands secured their first win in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup on Saturday by beating Latvia 2-0 in Amsterdam, but Turkey took control of Group G with an impressive victory over Norway. Turkey, who beat the Dutch 4-2 on Thursday, made it two wins from two games as they cruised […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Southgate said he never feared that England's World Cup qualifier in Albania would be called off and was preparing for a tougher test than San Marino provided. England cantered to a 5-0 victory over San Marino on Thursday and will be looking to maintain their winning start to Group I with […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Three-time champions Nigeria qualified for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Saturday after Lesotho and Sierra Leone drew 0-0 in Group L. The result in Maseru guaranteed the Super Eagles a top-two finish in the section ahead of their top-of-the-table clash away to Benin in Porto-Novo later Saturday. Nigeria have eight points, […]

Paris (AFP) – Former French national team striker Thierry Henry has said he is quitting all social media until platforms do more to tackle racism and harassment, becoming the latest celebrity to scale down their online presence over abuse. In a statement shared with his combined 14.8 million followers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, the […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur full-back Serge Aurier scored once and created the other two goals as the Ivory Coast swept aside Niger 3-0 Friday to secure 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. Morocco also booked a place at the tournament in Cameroon next January, raising to 16 the number of confirmed qualifiers for the […]

Rome (AFP) – The broadcast deal between the Italian league and streaming platform DAZN announced on Friday may represent a small revolution, but it also continues a trend of the value of TV rights stagnating or falling. AFP Sport rounds up the financial state of play in Europe's big five leagues, as even the English […]

London (AFP) – Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka have both been ruled out of England's World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Poland, the Football Association announced Friday. England launched their bid to play in the finals of Qatar 2022 with a comprehensive 5-0 thrashing of minnows San Marino at Wembley on Thursday. Rashford and Saka […]

Rome (AFP) – Streaming service DAZN on Friday hailed "an historic agreement" after winning the rights to broadcast Italy's Serie A football for the next three seasons in a deal worth 2.52 billion euros ($2.97 billion). "We are thrilled that Serie A has a new home on DAZN," Group co-CEO James Rushton said in a […]