Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi returned without a beard and with a goal and two assists as Barcelona resumed their La Liga title challenge on Saturday with a thumping 4-0 victory over Real Mallorca. After three months away because of the coronavirus pandemic, Barca exploded into the lead with just 64 seconds played when Arturo […]

Madrid (AFP) – La Liga is back after a three-month coronavirus shutdown with games behind closed doors, and with Lionel Messi looking different but playing like he always does. AFP Sport picks out some of the standout images of the return of top-flight football in Spain: – Messi back with new look – More than […]

Rome (AFP) – Dries Mertens fired Napoli to the Italian Cup final on Saturday after netting the goal which gave his side a 2-1 aggregate semi-final win over Inter Milan and made him the club's all-time top scorer. Napoli will face Juventus in Wednesday's final in Rome thanks to Belgium forward Mertens, who slotted home […]

Berlin (AFP) – Leon Goretzka said he was 'overjoyed' after his late winner in Bayern Munich's 2-1 home victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday moved his side to within just one win of an eighth straight Bundesliga title. Teenage striker Joshua Zirkee put Bayern ahead, but Benjamin Pavard's own goal levelled for Gladbach, before Goretzka […]

Rome (AFP) – Dries Mertens became Napoli's all-time top scorer on Saturday after netting an equaliser during the second leg of his side's Italian Cup semi-final with Inter Milan. Belgium forward Mertens slotted home his 122nd goal for Napoli four minutes before half-time to level the scores at 1-1 at the Stadio San Paolo and […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich moved to within just one win of an eighth straight Bundesliga title as a late Leon Goretzka goal sealed a 2-1 victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach at the Allianz Arena on Saturday. Teenage striker Joshua Zirkzee put Bayern ahead before Benjamin Pavard's own goal levelled for Gladbach, but Goretzka netted his […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has confirmed that veteran duo Thiago Silva and Edinson Cavani will not stay with the French champions with their contracts due to expire at the end of this month. "Yes, we are coming to the end," Leonardo said in an interview with newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche. […]

Madrid (AFP) – Chinese striker Wu Lei, who tested positive for coronavirus in March, scored on his first game back on Saturday as Espanyol sealed a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Alaves in La Liga. Espanyol looked doomed to relegation as they restarted six points adrift of safety after three months away but Wu's excellent performance […]

Berlin (AFP) – Erling Braut Haaland came off the bench to score a spectacular 95th-minute winner for Borussia Dortmund in their 1-0 victory at Fortuna Duesseldorf on Saturday that kept Bayern Munich waiting for an eighth straight Bundesliga title. Dortmund were heading towards a frustrating draw at relegation-threatened Fortuna when Haaland headed home Manuel Akanji's […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho believes his Tottenham Hotspur side must adapt quickly to the "new reality" of playing matches without any fans when they resume their Premier League campaign against Manchester United on June 19. Spurs faced Norwich City in a friendly with no spectators at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday of this […]

London (AFP) – Callum Hudson-Odoi will not face any further action regarding a rape allegation, the Chelsea winger said on Saturday. Hudson-Odoi was arrested on May 17 and released on bail. But the England international has now said the police will not be pursuing the matter. "At a time where there are bigger things happening […]

Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane wants Real Madrid to treat their remaining 11 games in La Liga like a World Cup as they aim to overhaul Barcelona to win their second league title in eight years. Real sit two points behind Barca and return after three months away against Eibar on Sunday, when they will […]

Rome (AFP) – The return of Italian football was a hit with television viewers in the country as more than eight million tuned in to watch the cup semi-final second leg between Juventus and AC Milan on Friday. The match was the first to be played in Italy since the coronavirus pandemic halted the season […]

London (AFP) – From cardboard cut-outs in the stands to Zoom watch parties, the return of the Premier League will be a bizarre experience for locked-out supporters. The English top-flight resumes behind closed doors on Wednesday, with fans forced to adapt to an unsettling new normal due to the coronavirus. Anyone watching the Bundesliga since […]

Paris (AFP) – Brazil's 1970 World Cup triumph in Mexico is seen as Pele's crowning glory. He was the star of what is often considered the best side the world has ever seen, but while Pele's superstardom endures to this day as he approaches his 80th birthday, others faded from view despite their huge impact […]