Sarajevo (AFP) – Italy sealed their ticket to next year's Nations League finals on Wednesday with a confident 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. Andrea Belotti volleyed in a Lorenzo Insigne cross after 22 minutes with Domenico Berardi adding a second on 68 minutes to ensure the Azzurri finished top of League A group […]

Netanya (Israel) (AFP) – Scotland wasted the chance to add Nations League promotion to qualifying for their first major tournament since 1998 after falling to a 1-0 defeat in Israel. Manor Solomon scored the only goal as a second consecutive defeat for Scotland saw Czech Republic take top spot in Group B2 thanks to a […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – US international Lindsey Horan was ruled out of the world champions' upcoming friendly with the Netherlands on Wednesday after testing positive for Covid-19, US Soccer said in a statement. The 26-year-old midfielder, a member of the US squad that won back-to-back World Cups in France last year, returned a positive test […]

London (AFP) – Phil Foden and Declan Rice scored their first England goals as the hosts rounded off their disappointing Nations League campaign with a 4-0 demolition of 10-man Iceland on Wednesday. Gareth Southgate's side were already out of contention to reach the Nations League finals after Sunday's defeat against Belgium. But Southgate had insisted […]

Leuven (Belgium) (AFP) – Belgium cruised past Denmark 4-2 in Leuven on Wednesday to book a place at next year's Nations League finals, with Romelu Lukaku scoring twice, while Italy beat Bosnia and Herzegovina to also qualify. Roberto Martinez's world-number-one-ranked Belgians only had to avoid defeat to qualify from Group A2 but secured a finals […]

Rennes (France) (AFP) – French rising star Eduardo Camavinga said on Wednesday that he is more worried about his parents letting him have his own car than he is about a big-money transfer away from Rennes. The midfielder, who turned 18 and got his driver's licence last week, has already made three international appearances for […]

Cairo (AFP) – Liverpool and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah has returned a second positive test for coronavirus while on international duty, the Egyptian Football Association said Wednesday. Salah had "a new swab to detect the Covid-19 virus, its result was positive”. Arsenal player Mohamed Elneny was also re-tested and his result was also positive, the […]

Doha (AFP) – Shanghai Shenhua banished their pre-tournament fears with an enterprising 2-1 win over Perth Glory in their opening Group F clash in the Asian Champions League on Wednesday. Peng Xinli put the Chinese giants ahead in the seventh minute and Yu Hanchao consolidated in the 38th before Jonathan Aspropotamitis pulled one back for […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – The sight of Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and his Gabon teammates sleeping on an airport floor marred an otherwise successful two rounds of Africa Cup of Nations qualifying. Gambian authorities would not allow the visiting Gabonese to leave the terminal because they said the delegation had not complied with conditions aimed at […]

London (AFP) – England's 1966 World Cup hat-trick hero Geoff Hurst says children should be banned from heading the ball due to so many of his generation suffering from dementia. Several of Hurst's 1966 team-mates have been diagnosed with dementia, the most recent Bobby Charlton. Another sufferer, Nobby Stiles, died last month. Charlton's brother Jack, […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany coach Joachim Loew faces the biggest crisis of his 14-year reign after their historic drubbing by Spain with pundits and the media questioning Wednesday whether he should lead the team into next year's European championship finals. The 6-0 drubbing in Seville on Tuesday was Germany's heaviest defeat for 89 years as […]

London (AFP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has revealed his childhood love of French cartoon Asterix with its "magic potion and eating whole boars" as he backed football star Marcus Rashford's literacy campaign. "Well done, Marcus, on your fantastic initiative," Johnson said in comments to the Sun newspaper published Wednesday. "I read everything but […]

Montevideo (AFP) – First-half goals from Arthur and Richarlison helped Brazil to a 2-0 win over Uruguay, who had Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani sent off in their 2022 World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. Five-time world champions Brazil were fortunate to be two goals up at half time in Montevideo after Uruguay had hit the […]

Paris (AFP) – Ferran Torres grabbed a hat-trick as Spain condemned Germany to their worst defeat in 89 years on Tuesday, winning 6-0 in Seville to qualify for the UEFA Nations League finals and join France, who came from behind to beat Sweden 4-2. Manchester City forward Torres was the star for Spain, who were […]

Seville (Spain) (AFP) – Joachim Loew admitted it was a "black day" for Germany after their 6-0 drubbing against Spain in the Nations League piled pressure on the team's coach. Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick as Spain ran riot in Seville, leaving Loew to pick through the wreckage of Germany's worst defeat for 89 years. […]