Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi marked his return from suspension with a goal in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday as Barcelona survived a scare against Rayo Vallecano to reach the quarter-finals. With Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid already out, another upset looked on the cards when Fran Garcia gave Rayo a surprise lead at […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Sheffield United put a huge dent in Manchester United's Premier League title ambitions on Wednesday, beating Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's off-key side 2-1 at Old Trafford. United knew they had to respond after Manchester City leapfrogged them at the summit with a 5-0 hammering of West Brom on Tuesday but they […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Jordan Pickford was punished for the latest in a long list of embarrassing errors as the blundering Everton goalkeeper allowed Youri Tielemans to rescue a 1-1 draw for Leicester on Wednesday. Pickford has been under scrutiny for the last year after some increasingly erratic displays. Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has largely kept […]

Douala (AFP) – A wonder goal from Baraka Majogoro was not enough to keep Tanzania in the African Nations Championship as Guinea and Zambia secured the last two quarter-finals places in Cameroon Wednesday. Tanzania were eight minutes away from topping Group D when Victor Kantabadouno levelled for Guinea in a thrilling 2-2 draw in Douala. […]

Rome (AFP) – Fiorentina on Wednesday announced the signing of Russian international striker Aleksandr Kokorin on a permanent deal from Spartak Moscow, just a year-and-a-half since he was released from prison. The 29-year-old was found guilty of assaulting a Russian government official in 2018, alongside then-Krasnodar midfielder Pavel Mamayev. "What I did in Russia was […]

Milan (AFP) – Aleksey Miranchuk scored the winner as 10-man Atalanta beat Lazio 3-2 in a thrilling Italian Cup quarter-final on Wednesday, while a much-changed Juventus eased past second-tier SPAL to also reach the last four. A dramatic match in Bergamo saw five different goalscorers, a red card and a missed penalty as Atalanta came […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea started their new era under Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday with a disappointing goalless draw against Wolves as Manchester United eyed top spot in the Premier League. The former Paris Saint-Germain boss took charge at Stamford Bridge against misfiring Wolves less than 24 hours after replacing the sacked Frank Lampard. Club owner […]

London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel was unable to spark an immediate improvement at troubled Chelsea as Wolves held on for a 0-0 draw in the German's first match in charge of the Blues on Wednesday. Tuchel's side delivered a laboured display that bore many of the hallmarks of the dismal defeats that prompted Frank Lampard's […]

London (AFP) – Paul Pogba is to hold talks with Manchester United over his future, saying he is "enjoying" life at Old Trafford despite many fractious periods since he rejoined the club in 2016. The 27-year-old France midfielder's contract expires at the end of next season, and his agent Mino Raiola recently indicated that he […]

Paris (AFP) – UEFA reiterated its plan Wednesday to stage the delayed European Championship in 12 cities all across the continent despite ongoing concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic, but said it recognised the need for flexibility over tournament arrangements. European football's governing body held a meeting to discuss logistics with representatives from each of the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayer Leverkusen confirmed Wednesday the signing of Dutch defender Jeremie Frimpong from Scottish giants Celtic in a transfer reportedly costing around 11 million euros ($13 million). The 20-year-old has signed with the Bundesliga club until June 2025. He is Leverkusen's second Dutch signing this month after defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah joined from Manchester […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga strugglers Cologne on Wednesday signed Max Meyer on a free transfer after the Germany midfielder fell out of favour at Crystal Palace. "The transfer was only possible because Max was extremely accommodating to us financially," said Cologne director Horst Heldt. "He can play in several midfield positions, is very confident on […]

Rome (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic spoke out against racism on Wednesday after a heated exchange with former Manchester United teammate Romelu Lukaku during the Italian Cup quarter-final in which he evoked voodooism. The AC Milan striker squared up to his Inter Milan counterpart in Tuesday's match, accusing the Belgian international of using voodoo, according to […]

Paris (AFP) – Clubs in France's Ligue 1 are set to suffer catastrophic combined losses of more than 1.3 billion euros ($1.57 billion) this season due to a combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and the collapse of a record domestic broadcast deal, a source close to the French league (LFP) said on Wednesday. Confirming earlier […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil flatly ruled out a comeback for Germany on Wednesday as he signed a three-and-a-half contract with his favourite Turkish side Fenerbahce. "I wish the German national team success, but I will never play for them again," the 32-year-old attacking midfielder told reporters in fluent Turkish at his official […]