Barcelona (AFP) – Quique Setien insisted Barcelona have not lost their confidence, despite needing a dubious late penalty, converted by Lionel Messi, to scrape past Real Sociedad 1-0 on Saturday inside a frustrated Camp Nou. Messi's 24th goal of the season, and fifth in four games, was enough to save Barca, despite a drab display […]

Asuncion (AFP) – Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho was behind bars on Saturday after being arrested for entering Paraguay on a fake passport, a judge in Asuncion confirmed Saturday. The two-time world player of the year and his brother Roberto, who was detained with him, had spent the night in the headquarters of the Specialized Police […]

Berlin (AFP) – An inspired performance by Thorgan Hazard against his former club helped Borussia Dortmund claim a crucial three points in the title race with a 2-1 win away at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday. The match was tense throughout and featured a Bundesliga season-high 10 yellow cards, with players from both teams needing to […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona needed a dubious late penalty given by VAR and converted by Lionel Messi to scrape past Real Sociedad 1-0 on Saturday and avoid another slip-up in La Liga's title race. Messi's 24th goal of the season, and fifth in four games, was enough to save Barca, despite a drab display that […]

Burnley (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Dele Alli rescued a point for faltering Tottenham at Burnley on Saturday, scoring a penalty to earn a 1-1 draw and keep Jose Mourinho's team in the hunt for a top-four finish. Sean Dyche's men, who were in relegation trouble as recently as January, are now unbeaten in seven league […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Leigh Griffiths made his case for inclusion in Scotland's quest to qualify for Euro 2020 later this month with a first hat-trick in four years as Celtic thrashed St Mirren 5-0 on Saturday. Griffiths led the way as the Scottish champions opened up a commanding 16-point lead over Rangers, who have two […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Atletico Madrid will hope for a tighter contest against Liverpool in the Champions League after playing out a frantic 2-2 draw against Sevilla on Saturday. Joao Felix looked as sharp at the Wanda Metropolitano as he has done all season and completed a four-minute comeback for Atletico after Alvaro Morata's penalty cancelled […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool moved to within nine points of claiming the Premier League title by coming from behind to beat Bournemouth 2-1 as Arsenal boosted their charge towards the Champions League places with a 1-0 win over West Ham. Jurgen Klopp's men had suffered three defeats in four games in all competitions, including their […]

Berlin (AFP) – RB Leipzig dropped more points in the Bundesliga title race after labouring to a 0-0 draw at Wolfsburg on Saturday. Leipzig missed the goal threat of Timo Werner, who started the game on the bench after overcoming a muscular problem during the week. Despite being subbed on in the 60th minute, Werner […]

London (AFP) – Alexandre Lacazette came off the bench to keep Arsenal in the hunt for a Champions League place as his late strike survived a VAR review to seal a vital 1-0 win against West Ham on Saturday. Mikel Arteta's side struggled to find any momentum for long periods at the Emirates Stadium and […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp insisted he will never compare himself to legendary former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly after the Reds bounced back to beat Bournemouth 2-1 and move within three wins of ending a 30-year wait for the Premier League title. A 22nd consecutive home league win broke the English top flight record set […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool recovered from back-to-back defeats and conceding the opening goal on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth to move to within three wins of ending a 30-year wait for the Premier League title. Callum Wilson's controversial early opener sent shockwaves around Anfield after a run of three defeats in four games […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Tunisian club Esperance this weekend became the latest victims of a jinx that has prevented any club winning the CAF Champions League three consecutive times. Zamalek of Egypt defeated the 2018 and 2019 trophy-holders 3-2 on aggregate in a quarter-final after losing the second leg 1-0 in Tunis Friday. Esperance joined Al […]

Asuncion (AFP) – Former Brazilian football star Ronaldinho and his brother were arrested Friday in Asuncion, Paraguay's public ministry said, after entering the country on fake passports. "The Attorney General's office issued a warrant for their arrest, charged the player Ronaldinho with using a public document with false content and requested preventative detention," the ministry […]

London (AFP) – Billy Gilmour has set his sights on becoming a mainstay of the Chelsea midfield after the diminutive teenager proved he can stand up to the Premier League's bully boys. Gilmour delivered a coming-of-age performance as his smooth passing and tenacious tackling inspired Chelsea's FA Cup fifth-round win over Liverpool on Tuesday. The […]