Doha (AFP) – Despite playing Qatar's Duhail a stone's throw from their own ground, Egyptian giants Al-Ahly clearly felt they had the home advantage at the first day of the Club World Cup. Doha is home to tens of thousands of Egyptian expats, working in every corner of the Qatari economy, and turned out in […]

The Hague (AFP) – Dutch champions Ajax admitted Thursday that they had made a "huge" mistake in failing to register record signing Sebastien Haller for the remainder of their Europa League campaign. The Franco-Ivorian striker joined the club from West Ham in early January for a club record 22.5 million euros ($26.9 million) and ought […]

Al-Rayyan (Qatar) (AFP) – Former France striker Andre-Pierre Gignac scored twice as Mexico's Tigres defeated Asian champions Ulsan Hyundai 2-1 on Thursday to qualify for the semi-finals of the Club World Cup in Qatar. Tigres, the CONCACAF Champions League winners, will face Copa Libertadores champions Palmeiras of Brazil on Sunday for a spot in next […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich striker Thomas Mueller is hoping to spoil fellow World Cup winner Sami Khedira's homecoming Friday when the Bundesliga leaders take on Hertha Berlin before departing for the Club World Cup in Qatar. "I am really happy that Sami is back. He's a child of the Bundesliga," Mueller told the Bayern […]

Milan (AFP) – Antonio Conte's Inter Milan head for Fiorentina on Friday hoping to bounce back from their Italian Cup setback against Juventus and keep pace with title rivals AC Milan. Inter, two points behind leaders Milan, can provisionally pull ahead of their city rivals who host lowly Crotone on Sunday. Behind the Milan teams […]

Madrid (AFP) – Antoine Griezmann led Barcelona back from the brink on Wednesday as the Catalans beat Granada 5-3 after extra-time to win a riveting cup tie and reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals. Barca looked set to crash out at Los Carmenes when Granada led 2-0 with two minutes of normal time remaining but […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Brighton condemned Liverpool to their second straight Premier League home defeat on Wednesday, winning 1-0 to leave the champions with a mountain to climb if they are going to retain their title. Jurgen Klopp's men appeared to have turned the corner with impressive victories at Tottenham and West Ham after a five-match […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has piled pressure on new Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel by insisting it is easy to win trophies at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho won three Premier League titles and enjoyed FA Cup and League Cup success in two spells in charge at Chelsea. Although the Portuguese coach was sacked by […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said the Premier League champions are "not in the title race" after a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Brighton on Wednesday. Jurgen Klopp's men struggled to break down the visitors and Steven Alzate scored the only goal of the game in the 56th minute. It was Liverpool's […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Rangers moved a step closer to winning the Scottish Premiership title as Wednesday's 1-0 win against St Johnstone gave Steven Gerrard his 100th victory as Ibrox boss. Ianis Hagi's second-half strike lifted Rangers 23 points ahead of second-placed Celtic. Thanks to the Romania midfielder, former Liverpool star Gerrard has reached a century […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain shrugged off the absence of a suspended Neymar to beat basement side Nimes 3-0 in Ligue 1 on Wednesday, while crisis-hit rivals Marseille let slip a two-goal lead against Lens. Angel di Maria pounced on a misplaced pass to steer PSG ahead on 17 minutes at the Parc des Princes, with […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool's Premier League title defence suffered a damaging blow as Brighton earned a shock 1-0 win at Anfield, while Manchester City moved three points clear at the top with a 2-0 victory against Burnley on Wednesday. Jurgen Klopp's side paid the price for a sloppy display as Steven Alzate's second half strike […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Brighton condemned Liverpool to their second straight Premier League home defeat on Wednesday, winning 1-0 to leave the champions with a mountain to climb if they are going to retain their title. Jurgen Klopp's men appeared to have turned the corner with impressive victories against Tottenham and West Ham after a five-match […]

Milan (AFP) – Holders Napoli and Atalanta battled out a goalless draw on Wednesday in their Italian Cup semi-final, first leg clash with all to play for on the return trip to Bergamo next week. Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina proved decisive on the night pulling off key saves as Atalanta came closest to breaking the […]

Douala (AFP) – African Nations Championship leading scorer Soufiane Rahimi struck twice Wednesday as title-holders Morocco hammered hosts Cameroon 4-0 in Limbe to set up a final showdown with Mali. The defending champions could hardly have imagined winning the semi-final so comfortably in the southwestern resort town, with Soufiane Bouftini and Mohammed Ali Bemammer […]