Riyadh (AFP) – Real Madrid will be chasing their first trophy in Carlo Ancelotti's second spell as coach when they face Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday, but criticism continues to surround the Spanish federation's decision to stage the tournament in Saudi Arabia. Madrid scraped past Barcelona 3-2 after extra-time in […]

Bafoussam (Cameroon) (AFP) – Cameroon may be a football-mad country but most matches at the Africa Cup of Nations so far have been played out in front of largely empty stadiums, with fans preferring to gather elsewhere to enjoy the action. In Bafoussam in the West region, banners welcome visitors and Cameroonian flags adorn the […]

Brighton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Brighton came back from the disappointment of a missed penalty and a disallowed goal to gain a point in a a 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace on Friday thanks to a late own goal from Joachim Andersen. The Seagulls seem destined for an unfortunate defeat after Conor Gallagher's […]

Yaoundé (AFP) – Ghana captain Andre Ayew dismissed Gabon as a "small team" as a controversial late equaliser saw Friday's Africa Cup of Nations clash between the sides finish 1-1 after title contenders Morocco secured their place in the last 16. Ayew's fine early strike had the four-time champions on course to claim their first […]

Berlin (AFP) – Erling Haaland netted twice Friday as second-placed Borussia Dortmund trimmed Bayern Munich's lead at the top of the Bundesliga to three points with a 5-1 romp at home to Freiburg. Bayern are away to Cologne on Saturday and Dortmund took the chance to make up ground in the table as the Bavarians […]

Yaoundé (AFP) – Ghana captain Andre Ayew dismissed Gabon as a "small team" after Jim Allevinah's late goal saw Friday's Africa Cup of Nations clash between the teams in Yaounde finish in a 1-1 draw. Ayew's fine early strike had the four-time champions on course to claim their first win in Group C only for […]

Yaoundé (AFP) – Ghana's hopes of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations last 16 remained in the balance after they conceded a late equaliser to draw 1-1 with Gabon in Yaounde on Friday. Andre Ayew gave the Black Stars the lead at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo but Jim Allevinah's superb 88th-minute strike earned Gabon […]

Yaoundé (AFP) – Morocco eased into the knockout phase of the Africa Cup of Nations on Friday but fellow title contenders Senegal again laboured in front of goal as they were held by Guinea. Only Senegal sit above Morocco among African teams in the FIFA world ranking and the Atlas Lions made it two wins […]

Dakar (AFP) – Pape Gueye, part of Senegal's squad at the Africa Cup of Nations, has been suspended by FIFA because of a transfer dispute, his coach Aliou Cisse said on Friday. "There were problems between Watford and Marseille on a transfer. FIFA has suspended him," said Cisse. Midfielder Gueye started his career at Le […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal said on Friday they had asked the Premier League to postpone their north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur this weekend due to a combination of coronavirus cases, injuries and players at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Martin Odegaard missed Thursday's goalless League Cup semi-final first-leg draw at Liverpool due to […]

Bafoussam (Cameroon) (AFP) – Frank Mhango scored twice as Malawi came from behind to defeat Zimbabwe 2-1 on Friday in the Africa Cup of Nations and keep alive their hopes of reaching the second round for the first time. The forward from South African club Orlando Pirates netted in each half after Ishmael Wadi had […]

Yaoundé (AFP) – Morocco secured a place in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations on Friday after goals by Selim Amallah and Zakaria Aboukhlal gave them a 2-0 win over the Comoros in Yaounde. The Atlas Lions might have won by a greater margin without some heroics from Comoros goalkeeper Salim Ben […]

London (AFP) – Antonio Conte said Tottenham Hotspur must rebuild if they are to compete for silverware after several years of decline as his team prepared to host Arsenal on Sunday. Spurs, who lost 3-0 to Chelsea over two legs in the League Cup semi-final, are sixth in the Premier League, two points behind their […]

Sao Paulo (AFP) – Portugal and Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo said in an interview broadcast late on Thursday there are "difficult battles" ahead if his country are to qualify for the World Cup for the sixth successive time. Portugal, the 2016 European champions, face Turkey in a play-off semi-final in March before a potential […]

London (AFP) – Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard says he will be patient with playmaker Philippe Coutinho and only unleash him at the right time as he prepares his side for the visit of Manchester United. Barcelona loanee Coutinho has initially moved to Villa Park until the end of the season and is likely to […]