Paris (AFP) – Sevilla qualified for the semi-finals of the Europa League on Tuesday after Lucas Ocampos' late header broke Wolverhampton Wanderers' hearts, while Shakhtar Donetsk thumped Basel 4-1 to join the Spaniards in the last four. Five-time competition winners Sevilla face Manchester United in Cologne on Sunday thanks to a brilliant header from Argentine […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said the city of Bergamo's terrible suffering during the coronavirus pandemic provides "extra motivation" to his side as the Italian underdogs go into Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon. "We know the level of expectation that there is around this match, and how much […]

Soweto (South Africa) (AFP) – Title holders Mamelodi Sundowns suffered a setback when held 0-0 by Orlando Pirates Tuesday as the South African Premiership restarted after a 152-day shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. The draw behind closed doors at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto left the defending champions three points adrift of leaders Kaizer Chiefs […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe looks set to feature for Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta in Lisbon on Wednesday having made a good recovery from an ankle injury, his coach Thomas Tuchel said on the eve of the game. "If he trains well on Tuesday evening and nothing extraordinary happens, he […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham signed Denmark midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton in a reported £15 million ($19 million) deal on Tuesday. Hojbjerg became Tottenham's first signing since the end of the Premier League season after agreeing a five-year contract with the north London club. "We are delighted to announce the signing of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from […]

Lisbon (AFP) – The Champions League 'Final Eight' will be played under stringent health measures in Lisbon as clubs complete a competition that has been heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Because of the health risks, spectators will be absent and players and officials must follow a strict protocol set down by UEFA to prevent […]

London (AFP) – Jack Leslie, who was chosen to play for England in 1925 but dropped when selectors discovered he was black, will have a statue erected in his honour outside Plymouth Argyle's stadium after an appeal raised the £100,000 ($131,000) required. The Plymouth player, who had an English mother and a Jamaican father, was called […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka said the German giants are working out how to curb the legendary talents of Barcelona star Lionel Messi ahead of Friday's Champions League quarter-final. "Thousands of people before me have tried to answer this question," Goretzka replied Tuesday in Lisbon when asked how to stop Messi. "It […]

Lisbon (AFP) – RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann wants to keep cool in Lisbon should sparks start to fly with "dynamite" Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone during Thursday's Champions League quarter-final. Both Nagelsmann, 32, and Atletico's Argentinian boss Simeone, 50, are notorious for passionately urging their team on from the sidelines. Nagelsmann wants to avoid […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Football supporters would usually flock in huge numbers to the city hosting the finale of the Champions League, but this time it is set to be a different experience for fans who have decided to come to Lisbon for the 'Final Eight' despite the coronavirus pandemic. For the first time, as an […]

Lisbon (AFP) – The UEFA Champions League quarter-finals get underway in Lisbon on Wednesday, four months later than scheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic and as one-off matches, all behind closed doors, rather than two-legged ties. AFP Sport looks at what to expect in each tie in the 'Final Eight' of this season's competition: – […]

Glasgow (AFP) – The Scottish Premiership matches of champions Celtic and Aberdeen will be postponed due to breaches of Scotland's strict coronavirus quarantine rules in a "yellow card" to the sport, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday. Sturgeon warned that clubs would put the new season in jeopardy if they failed to respect the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said Tuesday he is "cautiously optimistic" of keeping David Alaba but is braced to lose Liverpool target Thiago Alcantara once the Champions League finishes in Lisbon. Having routed Chelsea 7-1 on aggregate in the last 16 following Saturday's 4-1 win in Munich in the return leg, Bayern […]

Glasgow (AFP) – The Scottish government has threatened to call a halt to the new Premiership season due to another breach of the strict coronavirus quarantine rules. Celtic's Belgian defender Boli Bolingoli said he had not observed quarantine protocols after a trip to Spain. Anyone returning to Scotland from Spain must spend two weeks in […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Erica Hernandez calls herself the first woman physio in Chinese professional football — but the Spaniard is certain that she will not be the last. Together with husband Jordi Escura, a former Andorra defender, they head up medical services at Chinese Super League side Qingdao Huanghai. Chinese media call them "the miracle-working […]