Frankfurt am Main (AFP) – Japanese midfielder Daichi Kamada hit a 40-minute hat-trick on Thursday to propel Eintracht Frankfurt to a 4-1 home victory over Salzburg in a Europa League last 32 first-leg tie. The 23-year-old Kamada hit the first after 12 minutes. Two minutes before the break he broke from the half-way line to […]

Bruges (Belgium) (AFP) – Anthony Martial struck a crucial away goal as Manchester United ground out a 1-1 draw against Club Brugge in Belgium on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League last 32 tie. Nigerian forward Emmanuel Dennis lobbed a stranded Sergio Romero from 30 yards to give Belgian league leaders Brugge […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick has told the Bundesliga leaders to focus on bottom side Paderborn on Friday – not next week's Champions League opponents Chelsea. Bayern host struggling Paderborn in their final tune-up before facing Chelsea next Tuesday in the Champions League last 16, first leg, tie at Stamford Bridge. "If […]

London (AFP) – Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers believes Manchester City will use their shock European ban to inspire them to a successful end to the season. Pep Guardiola's side were hit with a two-year suspension from the Champions League and Europa League and fined 30 million euros by UEFA on Friday for alleged breaches of […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Danish forward Martin Braithwaite from Leganes after capitalising on a curious La Liga rule to ease their shortage of options up front. Barca have taken advantage of the regulation that enables Spanish clubs in the top two divisions to buy from another La Liga club outside […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hopes David Silva will be fit for next week's Champions League clash against Real Madrid after the midfielder was injured during the 2-0 win against West Ham. Silva limped off in the closing moments at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday after being caught by a crunching tackle […]

Paris (AFP) – Massimiliano Allegri is yet to decide where he will make his coaching comeback as he plots a return to the game next season, the Italian revealed in an interview with AFP on Thursday, amid rumours of serious interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United. Allegri is possibly the hottest free agent in […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho had his excuses ready made for a 1-0 home defeat to RB Leipzig that leaves Tottenham needing to recreate their escape acts of last season to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals. Already without Harry Kane due to a long-term hamstring injury, the news that Son Heung-min could miss the […]

Geneva (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi and FIFA's disgraced former secretary general Jerome Valcke have been indicted in Switzerland for alleged corruption in the attribution of football broadcasting rights. The Swiss attorney general's office (OAG) said in a statement on Thursday that the two had been charged "in connection with the award of […]

Milan (AFP) – Antonio Conte warned Inter Milan need to bounce back from recent setbacks against Sampdoria on Saturday to keep pace with leading duo Juventus and Lazio, before their clash with the Serie A champions in Turin next week. Inter dropped from first to third, three points behind champions Juventus, after losing 2-1 to […]

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho fears his side's season is running out of gas after an injury-hit Spurs slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home to RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie. Spurs could be without the talismanic duo of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min for the rest […]

Milan (AFP) – Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini hailed a performance his club will "remember forever" after the Italian side crushed Valencia 4-1 on Wednesday to take a giant step closer to reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time. Dutch wing-back Hans Hateboer scored twice on 16 and 62 minutes, sandwiching goals from […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola went to war with his former club Barcelona on Wednesday as Manchester City's manager defended his current employers in the wake of their European ban. Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu has "thanked" UEFA for banning City from the Champions League and Europa League for two years, a shock […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola insisted on Wednesday that he will stay with Manchester City and vowed that the "truth will prevail" over their shock two-year ban from European competitions. City were banned from the Champions League and Europa League for the next two seasons and fined 30 million euros (£24.9 million) on […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham need another Champions League escape act to reach the quarter-finals after Timo Werner's penalty earned RB Leipzig a deserved 1-0 last 16, first leg win in London. Spurs captain Hugo Lloris kept his side in the tie with a string of important saves, but last season's finalists face a huge task […]