Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga strugglers Hertha Berlin on Sunday sacked both coach Bruno Labbadia and general manager Michael Preetz in a shake up following their 4-1 thrashing at home by Werder Bremen. Saturday's heavy defeat leaves Hertha two points from the relegation places in the league table, which the club's CEO Carsten Schmidt described as […]

Paris (AFP) – Andre Villas-Boas said he was confident Marseille will emerge from their turbulent run after his team slid to a third successive Ligue 1 defeat following Saturday's 3-1 loss at Monaco. "There is no crisis. The mindset was good, the players were concentrated and focused. I think we'll come through this because the […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted his side's recent poor form could spark a reaction from his players that fuels a revival of their season when they face Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday. Klopp's men travel to Old Trafford on the back of a shock defeat by Burnley that […]

Limbe (Cameroon) (AFP) – Three female referees created history Saturday as Guinea and Zambia moved closer to the African Nations Championship (CHAN) quarter-finals, Tanzania clawed back into contention and Namibia were eliminated. Ethiopian referee Lidya Tafesse and her assistants, Malawian Bernadettar Kwimbira and Nigerian Mimisen Iyorhe, became the first women to control a match at […]

Paris (AFP) – Marseille slumped to a third successive Ligue 1 defeat as Monaco came from behind to win 3-1 on Saturday and plunge Andre Villas-Boas' struggling side deeper into crisis. Nemanja Radonjic skipped clear of the home defence to give Marseille the lead on 12 minutes, but Monaco equalised at the start of the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Eden Hazard scored one goal and set up another as Real Madrid thrashed Alaves 4-1 on Saturday to ease the pressure on their coach Zinedine Zidane, who was absent after testing positive for Covid-19. Zidane's position has come under scrutiny again after Wednesday's defeat by third-tier side Alcoyano in the Copa del […]

London (AFP) – Aston Villa made light of manager Dean Smith's touchline ban with a 2-0 win at home to Newcastle on Saturday that added to the pressure on the Premier League strugglers. Ollie Watkins' early goal put Villa ahead, with Bertrand Traore doubling their lead shortly before half-time. Victory at Villa Park saw the […]

Milan (AFP) – AC Milan held top spot in Serie A on Saturday despite falling 3-0 at home against Atalanta after nearest rivals Inter were held to a goalless draw at Udinese. Stefano Pioli's Milan saw their lead on second-placed Inter cut to two points but hold pole position at the half-way stage of the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Youssef En-Nesyri scored his second hat-trick in four games on Saturday as Sevilla dispatched Cadiz 3-0 to move up to third in La Liga. En-Nesyri hit Cadiz twice in four minutes towards the end of the first half before making it three shortly after the hour to send Sevilla above Barcelona, who […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City were given a huge FA Cup scare by fourth-tier Cheltenham before a late blitz gave them a 3-1 win on Saturday after Southampton dumped holders Arsenal out of the competition. Six-time winners City were less than 10 minutes away from going out at the fourth-round stage before goals from Phil […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Rangers celebrated Steven Gerrard's 150th match as manager by extending their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table to 23 points with a 5-0 thrashing of Ross County at Ibrox on Saturday. The Gers were 3-0 up before half-time after early headers from Ryan Kent and Filip Helander were followed […]

Milan (AFP) – Lorenzo Pellegrini scored a last-gasp winner as Roma bounced back from their Italian Cup defeat by Spezia with a 4-3 win over the promoted side to move third in Serie A on Saturday. Pellegrini blasted home in injury time, minutes after Daniele Verde had pulled Spezia level, with relieved Roma coach Paulo […]

London (AFP) – Southampton dumped holders Arsenal out of the FA Cup on Saturday as West Ham cruised into the fifth round with a comfortable 4-0 win against third-tier Doncaster. The Gunners, who have won the competition a record 14 times, went down 1-0 on England's south coast courtesy of a Gabriel own goal. Brighton […]

Berlin (AFP) – US international Tyler Adams scored his first Bundesliga goal Saturday but RB Leipzig suffered a blow to their title hopes with a shock 3-2 defeat away to crisis club Mainz. Adams, 21, opened his German league account with a tap-in, pouncing on the rebound after Marcel Sabitzer hit the bar to put […]

London (AFP) – Wolves announced on Saturday they had completed the loan signing of Brazilian striker Willian Jose from Real Sociedad with a view to a permanent transfer. The deal, which is subject to a work permit and international clearance, takes the 29-year-old to Molineux until the end of the season. Wolves then have the […]