London (AFP) – Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool's ability to stay calm under pressure is the key to their astonishing Premier League title charge after they came from behind to beat West Ham 3-2. Jurgen Klopp's side are 22 points ahead of second-placed Manchester City and need just four more wins to guarantee winning their […]

Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane said on Tuesday he cannot be sure that Eden Hazard will play again this season after the Belgian suffered another foot injury last weekend. Hazard came off during Madrid's defeat by Levante on Saturday after making only his second start following almost three months out with a fracture in the […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Japan suspended its football league on Tuesday, making it the latest sporting victim of the deadly coronavirus with just five months to go before the Tokyo Olympics. All J-League and cup games were postponed until mid-March as Japan joined China and South Korea in putting domestic football on hold in a bid […]

Seoul (AFP) – Two AFC Champions League matches in South Korea next week will take place behind closed doors because of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, the clubs announced Tuesday. No fans will be allowed when FC Seoul play Thailand's Chiangrai United next Tuesday or the following day as Ulsan face Australia's Perth Glory in Asia's […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Japan's J-League postponed its cup competition on Tuesday over the deadly coronavirus, which has affected dozens of sports events across the globe. The football league postponed seven cup games scheduled for Wednesday, and said it will discuss suspending all matches until March 15. "J-League will provide its maximum cooperation for the prevention […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City may be set to go to war with UEFA, but time is of the essence for the English champions to satisfy their quest to win the Champions League. City head to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, knowing failure to beat 13-time winners Real Madrid over two legs could be their […]

Lyon (AFP) – Anthony Lopes describes Cristiano Ronaldo as "extraordinary", and the Lyon goalkeeper knows how big a job he faces keeping his Portuguese international colleague quiet when the French side face Juventus in the Champions League this week. "I have been lucky enough to play alongside him. He is the captain and an extraordinary […]

Madrid (AFP) – Manchester City will be up against both Real Madrid and their reputation on Wednesday as the Champions League's biggest winners play one of its biggest underachievers at the Santiago Bernabeu. After City's win over Leicester on Saturday, Pep Guardiola said: "We will try to be ourselves. We can win and we can […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp admitted he never expected Liverpool to make such a "special" charge towards the Premier League title after a record-equalling 3-2 victory against West Ham left the runaway leaders four wins from the clinching the trophy. Klopp's side were in danger of dropping Premier League points for the first time since […]

Rome (AFP) – Upcoming matches in Italian Serie A and the Europa League will be played behind closed doors to combat the spread of coronavirus, the Italian sports minister announced on Monday evening. "Following the demands of the sports world and knowing that the ban on sporting events open to the public remains in force […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool earned a record-equalling 18th consecutive Premier League win as the runaway leaders came from behind to beat West Ham 3-2 thanks to Sadio Mane's late strike on Monday. Jurgen Klopp's side were in danger of dropping Premier League points for the first time since their draw at Manchester United on October 20 […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has faith the Blues can again shock Bayern Munich in the Champions League despite their faltering form of late in the Premier League. A 2-1 victory over Tottenham on Saturday was Chelsea's first win five games in the league to remain in control of the race for the […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Portuguese hacker Rui Pinto, the originator of Football Leaks and Luanda Leaks, has filed a complaint with the EU against Portugal, accusing it of non-compliance with European rules on extradition, his lawyers told AFP on Monday. "There were several irregularities in the extradition of Rui Pinto under European law," said Me Luisa […]

Naples (Italy) (AFP) – Lionel Messi is the "greatest" footballer of all time, ahead of even Diego Maradona, Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso said on Monday ahead of his side's Champions League clash with Barcelona. The 32-year-old Messi scored four goals at the weekend in Barcelona's 5-0 win over Eibar and has now been involved in […]

Milan (AFP) – Sport in Italy is being heavily disrupted by a surge in the number of new coronavirus cases but Napoli's Champions League match against Barcelona in the south of the country on Tuesday is not at risk. Italy reported its fifth death from the virus on Monday and it has the most confirmed […]