London (AFP) – Frank Lampard admitted Chelsea were given a "reality check" by Bayern Munich as the Germans pushed his team to the brink of Champions League elimination with a 3-0 victory in the last 16 first leg on Tuesday. Serge Gnabry scored twice in three minutes early in the second half and Robert Lewandowski […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Frank Lampard admitted a 3-0 thrashing at home to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie was a reality check for how far behind the European elite the Blues now find themselves. Lampard captained the Chelsea side that beat Bayern on home soil in […]

Naples (Italy) (AFP) – Antoine Griezmann rescued a 1-1 draw for Barcelona at Napoli in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday. Frenchman Griezmann struck just before the hour mark for Barca in Naples after Dries Mertens had put the hosts ahead in the 30th minute with his 121st Napoli goal, […]

London (AFP) – Bayern Munich swept Chelsea aside with ease as two quickfire goals from Serge Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski's long-awaited strike in the knockout stages of the Champions League gave the Germans a commanding 3-0 last 16, first leg win on the road. The manner of the defeat was a rude awakening for Chelsea […]

London (AFP) – Serge Gnabry fired Bayern Munich to the brink of the Champions League quarter-finals as the German's double inspired a superb 3-0 rout of Chelsea in the last-16 first leg at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. Gnabry had tormented Tottenham with four goals in Bayern's 7-2 victory in north London earlier this season and […]

Lyon (AFP) – Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri rejected suggestions that supporters of his side should not be allowed to attend Wednesday's Champions League clash with Lyon in France due to the coronavirus outbreak in Italy. The virus had claimed 11 lives in Italy by Tuesday evening, with 322 confirmed infections, and authorities have said upcoming […]

Madrid (AFP) – Pep Guardiola said Zinedine Zidane's feat of winning three consecutive Champions Leagues will never be repeated as his Manchester City side prepare to face the Frenchman's Real Madrid in the last 16 on Wednesday. City take on Madrid in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Guardiola and Zidane go up […]

Naples (Italy) (AFP) – Arturo Vidal will spearhead the Barcelona attack alongside Lionel Messi and Antoine Greizmann in Tuesday's Champions League last 16, first leg at Napoli. The clash at the Stadio San Paolo will be the first between the two teams and also a Champions League debut for Barcelona coach Quique Setien and Napoli's […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Frank Lampard kept faith with Olivier Giroud as his lone striker for Tuesday's Champions League last first leg clash with Bayern Munich at Stamford Bridge. Giroud, out of favour for much of the campaign, marked his first start since November with a goal in Chelsea's 2-1 win against Tottenham in […]

Naples (Italy) (AFP) – Barcelona fans insisted they were not worried by rivals Napoli or the spread of coronavirus in Italy as they arrived for their team's Champions League match on Tuesday. "We bought the ticket over a month ago and we checked the latest news before leaving," one fan, Susi, told AFP at the […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus fans have been given the all clear to travel to France for a midweek Champions League clash against Lyon despite the spread of Coronavirus in Italy, the Italian club confirmed. Upcoming matches in Serie A and the Europa League will be played behind closed doors to combat the highly-contagious virus which […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Tokyo Olympics organisers said preparations were "continuing as planned" on Tuesday as Japan's football league became the latest sporting victim of the coronavirus, just five months before the Games. The J-League added to jitters around the Olympics as it called off domestic football until mid-March, starting with seven cup games scheduled for […]

Athens (AFP) – The Greek government on Tuesday signed an accord with UEFA to clean up Greek football, seeking ways to tackle the threat posed by corruption, match-fixing and other problems. "We've taken a political decision to clean up Greek football for good and we are very much looking to your assistance in proceeding down […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is adamant the club are heading in the right direction as the latest financial results underlined their need for a return to Champions League football next season. Back-to-back Premier League wins have propelled Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side up to fifth in the table, which could be […]

London (AFP) – Marcelo Bielsa says recent wins have restored confidence at Leeds after a run of poor results threatened to derail their Premier League push for the second consecutive season. Back-to-back 1-0 home victories against Bristol City and Reading have seen the club open up a five-point gap over third-placed Fulham. Bielsa's side had […]