Paris (AFP) – The elimination of both Barcelona and Juventus from the Champions League means neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo will feature in the quarter-finals of Europe's elite club competition, which this week marked a year since matches were last played in full stadiums. The end of the Messi-Ronaldo era has been approaching for […]

Paris (AFP) – The French Champions Trophy, the traditional curtain-raiser to the football season in the country, will be played this year in Israel, it was announced on Thursday. The one-off match between the Ligue 1 champions and the winners of the French Cup will take place at the Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv on […]

Milan (AFP) – Inter Milan's Chilean international midfielder Arturo Vidal is set to undergo surgery for a left knee problem, the Serie A leaders announced on Thursday. "Arturo Vidal will undergo surgery tomorrow (Friday) for meniscal pain in his left knee," Inter Milan said in a brief statement. The 33-year-old former Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich and […]

Madrid (AFP) – The Champions League quarter-finals will be without them for the first time in 14 years yet Barcelona's exit in the last 16 at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday was greeted with optimism. "With honour!", read the headlines of both Mundo Deportivo and Diario Sport on Thursday morning, the same Catalan […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool made light of their Premier League woes to ease into the quarter-finals of the Champions League by beating RB Leipzig 2-0 in Budapest for the second time in three weeks. After a wretched run of a record six consecutive defeats at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp's men might have welcomed a return to […]

Milan (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus dust themselves down and head for lowly Cagliari on Sunday, focussed on salvaging their bid for a 10th consecutive league title with their Champions League ambitions buried for another season. Juventus crashed out in the last 16 for the second consecutive year, losing on away goals to FC Porto […]

Berlin (AFP) – After a year of games behind closed doors, Bundesliga clubs are contemplating losses of a "billion euros" as players and coaches wonder when Germany's football grounds will be full again in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis. "They feel like training games at times," Freiburg striker Nils Petersen has said of matches […]

Budapest (AFP) – Liverpool eased past RB Leipzig into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-0 win in Budapest Wednesday that coach Jurgen Klopp said helps his side put their Premier League woes to one side. Repeating their rapid-fire double act from the first leg, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane again struck within four […]

Paris (AFP) – Antoine Griezmann admitted Barcelona were "gutted" after going out of the Champions League in the last 16 on Wednesday, as a 1-1 draw away to Paris Saint-Germain saw the Catalans lose 5-2 on aggregate. "We put on a good showing, it was a great performance, we had a lot of chances in […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Victor Mbaoma enhanced his reputation as a penalty area predator by scoring the winner as Enyimba of Nigeria edged Al Ahly Benghazi of Libya 2-1 Wednesday on CAF Confederation Cup matchday 1. Entente Setif of Algeria and Orlando Pirates of South Africa battled to a 0-0 draw in another high-profile match in […]

Paris (AFP) – Lionel Messi scored one stunning goal but then had a penalty saved as Barcelona failed in their attempt to produce a second Champions League comeback for the ages against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, a 1-1 draw taking the French side through to the quarter-finals 5-2 on aggregate. Kylian Mbappe had netted a […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola praised his players' powers of recovery to beat Southampton 5-2 despite being denied a blatant penalty when the game was delicately poised at 1-1. City are now 14 points clear at the top of the Premier League as they close in on a third title […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – A goal from Zimbabwean Knox Mutizwa helped Golden Arrows win 2-1 at TTM on Wednesday and climb to second in the South African Premiership, one point behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns. Mutizwa scored midway through the first half in northern city Polokwane to give the Durban-based visitors a half-time lead that was cancelled […]

Madrid (AFP) – Luis Suarez's penalty sent Atletico Madrid six points clear at the top of La Liga on Wednesday as the leaders survived a scare to beat a resurgent Athletic Bilbao 2-1. Atletico conceded late to draw with Real Madrid on Sunday, a result that kept their opponents in the title race and allowed […]

Marseille (AFP) – Jorge Sampaoli made a dream start to life as Marseille coach on Wednesday with a 1-0 win over Rennes, secured by substitute Michael Cuisance's late header. Former Argentina and Chile boss Sampaoli took over a team languishing outside the European places in Ligue 1, on a run of just two wins in […]