Paris (AFP) – Marseille's Ligue 1 title hopes suffered another blow on Wednesday as Andre Villas-Boas' men slipped to a third consecutive league defeat, 1-0 at home to Lens. The hosts, who followed a goalless draw with Dijon by losing to leaders Paris Saint-Germain and then to Nimes, came unstuck again as Simon Banza netted […]

London (AFP) – Paul Pogba produced a moment of magic as Manchester United came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 and reclaim the Premier League lead on Wednesday, ending Manchester City's short stay at the top. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's in-form team started the match third in the table after 24 hours of chopping and changing […]

Reggio Emilia (Italy) (AFP) – Andrea Pirlo won his first trophy as a coach on Wednesday as Juventus beat Napoli 2-0 in the Italian Super Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo blasted in the first goal from a corner on 64 minutes in Reggio Emilia, before Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne missed a penalty and Alvaro Morata added a […]

Yaoundé (AFP) – Cameroonian Salomon Banga set a trend of defenders scoring Wednesday as his country and Mali moved closer to the African Nations Championship (CHAN) quarter-finals, Burkina Faso remained in contention and Zimbabwe were eliminated. In a dramatic start to the top-of-the-table Group A clash in Yaounde centre-back Banga put hosts Cameroon ahead and […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich stayed four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga helped by a late penalty miss from Alfred Finnbogason in a 1-0 victory at Augsburg on Wednesday. Robert Lewandowski's 22nd league goal of the season, a 13th-minute spot-kick, was enough for a win which kept the reigning champions clear of […]

Berlin (AFP) – Schalke remained rooted to the foot of the Bundesliga table after slipping to a 2-1 home loss to fellow strugglers Cologne on Wednesday, despite a fifth goal in three games for American teenager Matthew Hoppe. Cologne defender Rafael Czichos gave the visitors a first-half lead, but Hoppe equalised before the hour mark. […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Bernardo Silva fired Manchester City to the top of the Premier League for the first time since August 2019 as his late strike inspired a 2-0 win against Aston Villa on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola's side found it hard work to pierce Villa's stubborn defence at the rain-lashed Etihad Stadium. Silva […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Moenchengladbach say Breel Embolo will face Dortmund in the Bundesliga on Friday amid police allegations he attended a party last weekend despite the coronavirus lockdown in Germany. "Breel will be there against Dortmund," said Gladbach coach Marco Rose with his team just a point behind Dortmund in the league table. "Hopefully, […]

Madrid (AFP) – Ronald Koeman hopes Lionel Messi's two-match ban will be reduced after he was sent off for the first time ever playing for Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final defeat by Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Koeman also responded on Wednesday to Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo claiming Messi was on their wish […]

Milan (AFP) – Atalanta missed the chance to go third in Serie A on Wednesday settling for a 1-1 draw at Udinese, days before taking on league leaders AC Milan. The match in Udine had been pushed back from December 6 after heavy rain made the pitch unplayable. Gian Piero Gasperini's side also dropped points […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp called for some perspective after a four-game winless run that dropped English champions to fourth in the Premier League. The Reds trail surprise leaders Leicester by four points, but play their game in hand when Burnley visit Anfield on Thursday. Concern over Liverpool's ability to retain the title […]

London (AFP) – The Premier League agreed on Wednesday to introduce a trial for permanent concussion substitutes, allowing up to two extra changes per team in a match. The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the guardian of the laws of the game, approved such experiments in December. No date has yet been set for the […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal announced on Wednesday they had reached an agreement with defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos to cancel the final six months of his contract at the Emirates. Sokratis, 32, last played for the Gunners in March and had not been included in Mikel Arteta's Premier League squad this season. "Working closely with Sokratis and […]

London (AFP) – Frank Lampard knows what happens to managers at Chelsea that fail to get results better than most having played for nine different coaches during his decorated playing career at Stamford Bridge. Now Lampard is the man in the firing line after a limp 2-0 defeat to Leicester capped a run of two […]

Madrid (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino played his cards close to his chest when tackled on Spanish radio over a potential move for Lionel Messi. Pochettino's fellow Argentine is out of contract with Barcelona at the end of the season, prompting speculation of being reunited with former Barca teammate Neymar at PSG. "Everyone […]