London (AFP) – The Premier League began with a bang this weekend as Liverpool launched their title defence with a pulsating 4-3 win over new boys Leeds. Arsenal and Leicester both recorded impressive 3-0 victories but Jose Mourinho was left fuming after he tasted defeated on the opening day of a league campaign for the […]

Brighton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Chelsea kicked off their Premier League campaign with a 3-1 win at Brighton on Monday as Timo Werner made a confident debut following Frank Lampard's spending spree. Blues boss Lampard has spent around £200 million ($257 million) on a host of new signings and the early returns on his lavish […]

Berlin (AFP) – Seventeen-year-old Jude Bellingham scored on his debut for Borussia Dortmund in a 5-0 victory over third division Duisburg in the first round of the German Cup on Monday. Bellingham, who joined from Birmingham City in July, needed just 30 minutes to open his Dortmund account as he doubled the Bundesliga team's lead […]

Doha (AFP) – Former Germany and Chelsea midfielder Marko Marin struck the only goal of the match as Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli beat Iraq's Al Shorta to become the first team to qualify for the knockout phase of the Asian Champions League on Monday. The tournament, which resumed after almost seven months following the outbreak […]

Sheffield (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Wolves showed no signs of fatigue as they kicked off their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win against Sheffield United on Monday. Just 34 days after losing to Sevilla in their final game of the coronavirus-delayed 2019-20 season, Nuno Espirito Santo's side looked fresher than expected as they made […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain said Monday the club "strongly supports" Neymar after the Brazil forward insisted he was the victim of racist abuse following his red card in Sunday's defeat to Marseille. Neymar will discover his punishment on Wednesday for being one of five players sent off following a brawl at the end of […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – African club giants Esperance drew 0-0 at JS Kairouan this weekend to complete the Tunisian league season unbeaten after sealing a fourth straight title last month. The Blood and Gold won 18 matches and drew eight, scored 41 goals and conceded 12 in a championship recently ranked the third strongest in the […]

Paris (AFP) – Neymar's punishment for being one of five players sent off following a brawl at the end of Paris Saint-Germain's defeat to Marseille will be revealed on Wednesday, the French Football League (LFP) said Monday. The world's most expensive footballer was shown the red card in stoppage time of the 1-0 loss at […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea coach Frank Lampard says he is amused rather than annoyed by Jurgen Klopp's criticism of his summer spending, pointing out that Liverpool splashed the cash on the road to Premier League glory. Lampard has invested around £200 million ($257 million) on Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell, with […]

Bellinzona (Switzerland) (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and FIFA's former secretary general Jerome Valcke went on trial in Switzerland on Monday accused of corruption in the attribution of World Cup TV rights. Al-Khelaifi, who is also chairman of Qatar-owned broadcaster beIN Media, is charged with inciting Valcke to commit "aggravated criminal mismanagement." The […]

Paris (AFP) – Neymar insisted he had been the victim of racism as he was one of five players sent off in a mass brawl at the end of Marseille's 1-0 win over Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday. PSG's Brazilian star appeared to accuse Alvaro Gonzalez of calling him a "monkey" in a […]

Paris (AFP) – Neymar was sent off on his return from Covid-19 quarantine after reacting to an alleged racist slur as Marseille snapped their 20-match winless run against Paris Saint-Germain with a 1-0 victory over the reigning Ligue 1 champions on Sunday. Florian Thauvin's close-range volley on 31 minutes earned Marseille a first victory over […]

Paris (AFP) – Florian Thauvin snapped Marseille's 20-match winless run against Paris Saint-Germain as the Ligue 1 champions suffered another 1-0 defeat on Sunday and had Neymar sent off on his return from quarantine after contracting Covid-19. France winger Thauvin missed most of last season with an ankle injury but his close-range volley on 31 […]

Madrid (AFP) – Valencia twice came from behind to beat local rivals Levante 4-2 on Sunday, a welcome boost to morale following a turbulent summer for the club. Manu Vallejo scored the decisive late goals in a goal-fest at Mestalla after Jose Luis Morales's double for Levante had been cancelled out by Gabriel Paulista and […]

London (AFP) – Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has signed a new three-year contract with the Premier League club ahead of their season opener at Sheffield United on Monday. The Portuguese, who has overseen Wolves' promotion from the Championship and a pair of impressive seventh-place Premier League finishes since joining in 2017, had a […]