Lisbon (AFP) – Serge Gnabry celebrated with his NBA-inspired 'stir the pot' gesture after scoring two goals in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final against Lyon to keep Bayern Munich on course to repeat their 2013 treble after a 3-0 victory. Robert Lewandowski added the third for his 55th goal of the season as Bayern go on […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Serge Gnabry struck a first-half brace and Robert Lewandowski also scored as a ruthless Bayern Munich taught Lyon a harsh lesson in their Champions League semi-final in Lisbon on Wednesday, winning 3-0 to set up a tantalising final against Paris Saint-Germain. Lyon squandered two golden opportunities to go ahead early on at […]

Pretoria (AFP) – Mid-table Bloemfontein Celtic stunned South African Premiership leaders Kaizer Chiefs 3-1 Wednesday to score only their second victory in the past 25 matches against the Soweto giants. Lesotho international Sera Motebang netted just before and after half-time to turn the tide at the University of Pretoria after Eric Mathoho had put Chiefs […]

Marseille (AFP) – Marseille coach Andre Villas-Boas on Wednesday urged support for the club's players infected by coronavirus after three new cases took the number of infected at the Ligue 1 club to four. Tuesday's positive tests saw the French league forced into postponing the opening match of the 2020/21 season, which had been scheduled […]

Washington (AFP) – The United States learned Wednesday the path it must take in continental qualifying to return to the FIFA World Cup after missing out on a 2018 trip to Russia. A 14-match round-robin qualifying slate for the Qatar 2022 World Cup was unveiled by the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football […]

Paris (AFP) – Norway star and former Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg was named in Lyon's squad for the Women's Champions League 'Final Eight' in Spain despite being sidelined since January by a knee injury. Hegerberg, the competition's all-time leading scorer with 53 goals, scored a hat-trick in last year's final as Lyon won a […]

Madrid (AFP) – Ronald Koeman said he will "fight to put Barcelona back on top" after he was officially appointed Wednesday as the Spanish club's new coach on a two-year deal. "It's a happy day. Everyone knows that Barca was for me. It's my home. It's a challenge and it won't be easy, it will […]

Aix-en-Provence (France) (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane said Wednesday that leading Real Madrid to the La Liga title in a stop-start season at the mercy of coronavirus was "the best day of my professional life". The 48-year-old French football icon insisted it will remain a memorable day even in a career which includes winning the 1998 […]

London (AFP) – Future England women's coach Sarina Wiegman is "steely and a winner" who can deliver results, said Sue Campbell the Football Association's director of women's football on Wednesday. The 50-year-old Dutchwoman, who in 2001 became the first footballer from her country to be capped 100 times, signed a four year contract and will […]

Lausanne (AFP) – FIFA's ethics committee on Wednesday decided to close its case against president Gianni Infantino, who is facing a criminal probe in Switzerland over suspected collusion with the country's top prosecutor. "After examining the relevant documentation and evidence, the chairperson of the investigatory chamber has decided to file the complaint and close the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Reaching the Champions League semi-finals means RB Leipzig have achieved their ambition to become a top European club, yet pockets of resistance still remain in Germany to the Red Bull-backed club. "Those who are anti-Leipzig can breathe easy," Berlin daily Tagesspiegel insisted Wednesday. "The defeat of RB Leipzig is a victory for […]

Madrid (AFP) – Crisis-hit Barcelona hailed the "return of a legend" as the Spanish giants on Wednesday officially named Ronald Koeman as their new coach through until 2022. "FC Barcelona and Ronald Koeman have reached an agreement for the Dutchman to take over as first team coach until 30 June 2022," the club said in […]

Paris (AFP) – French police said Wednesday they had arrested 36 people overnight after clashes, notably on the Champs-Elysees, following Paris Saint-Germain's victory in the Champions League semi-final. Police were deployed in big numbers both on the Champs-Elysees, the iconic Parisian avenue that connects the Arc de Triomphe with the Place de la Concorde, and around […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Guangzhou Evergrande coach Fabio Cannavaro says his Chinese Super League champions have a major problem in defence — and even his mother can't help. The Italian World Cup-winning captain was in a jovial mood ahead of Thursday's tough clash with Jiangsu Suning in the coronavirus-delayed CSL. Addressing how to solve a dilemma […]

Lisbon (AFP) – An inspired Neymar helped Paris Saint-Germain reach the Champions League final on Tuesday, but the fact that the Brazilian was not their best player against RB Leipzig says everything about the frightening strength of Thomas Tuchel's team and shows why they can be confident of lifting the trophy for the first time. […]