London (AFP) – Phil Foden came off the bench to spare spluttering Manchester City's blushes as the England midfielder rescued a 1-1 draw against West Ham on Saturday. Pep Guardiola's side fell behind to Michail Antonio's superb overhead kick in the first half at the London Stadium. Foden came on at half-time and produced an […]

Milan (AFP) – Inter Milan defender Achraf Hakimi on Saturday said he was ready to return to action after two negative tests for coronavirus. "I'm back," Hakimi wrote on Twitter. The Moroccan international missed Inter Milan's Champions League 2-2 draw against Borussia Moenchengladbach in midweek after testing positive hours before kick-off. The 21-year-old, who was […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Pyramids FC of Egypt are called the 'Manchester City' of Africa because they share with the English Premier League club the benefits of huge investment from the Middle East. Formed in 2008 as Al Assiouty Sport, the club made no impact until Saudi Turki al Sheikh took over, changed the name […]

London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp fears this season will be the toughest of his career as Liverpool navigate the unique challenges of defending the Premier League title in the coronavirus age. Klopp's side have already seen Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara briefly sidelined by Covid-19 this season, while a host of injuries have also taken […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has once again come to the defence of Sergio Aguero, saying he "knew his intention" after Gary Neville urged the striker to apologise for putting his arm on the shoulder of female assistant referee Sian Massey-Ellis. City's 1-0 win at home to Arsenal last Saturday […]

Rennes (France) (AFP) – Rennes sent 5,000 fans racing home to beat a curfew on Friday ruing another wasted lead after their team lost 2-1 at home to Angers in Ligue 1. A spike in Covid-19 cases in the region brought the introduction of a curfew from midnight on Friday. That gave fans barely […]

London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta has backed Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to prove his recent goal drought was just a blip. Gabon star Aubameyang had gone four matches without scoring until hitting the winner in Thursday's 2-1 Europa League victory at Rapid Vienna. The 31-year-old has been Arsenal's most dangerous forward since his arrival from […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – An early Marwan Mohsen goal set Al Ahly of Egypt on their ay to a 3-1 home victory over Wydad Casablanca of Morocco on Friday and a place in the CAF Champions League final. Mohsen struck after five minutes. Hussein el Shahat added a second midway through the first half as Ahly […]

Rennes (France) (AFP) – Rennes sent 5,000 fans racing home to beat a curfew on Friday ruing another wasted lead after their team lost 2-1 at home to Angers in Ligue 1. A spike in Covid-19 cases in the region brought the introduction of a curfew from midnight on Friday. That gave fans barely […]

Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Patrick Bamford's hat-trick lifted Leeds to third in the Premier League as the striker inspired a 3-0 win over Aston Villa that shattered the home team's perfect start to the season. Marcelo Bielsa's side moved within three points of leaders Everton thanks to Bamford's 19-minute treble in the second half […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Striker Leroy Sane is back in the Bayern Munich squad for Saturday's match against Frankfurt after missing three games with a knee injury, coach Hansi Flick said on Friday. "Leroy is absolutely an alternative, because he made a good impression in training," the coach said in his pre-match press conference. Bayern are […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker and Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus were recalled by Brazil coach Tite on Friday as he named his squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay. Real Madrid pair Vinicius Junior and Eder Militao, and Juventus midfielder Arthur have also been brought back […]

London (AFP) – Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti says Jordan Pickford will not be taken out of the spotlight after a turbulent week following the challenge that left Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk with a serious knee injury. Everton keeper Pickford was widely criticised for his ugly lunge on Van Dijk in last weekend's Merseyside derby. He […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits he does not want to know how long he is going to be without Virgil van Dijk, who faces months out of action after injuring his knee. The Netherlands international suffered cruciate ligament damage after a tackle from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in last week's Merseyside derby […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola fears the "completely crazy" schedule facing teams playing in Europe will take a heavy toll on the fitness of players. City have had a number of injury problems already this campaign and Guardiola believes that is down to the demands being placed on his side. The season […]