Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – Atletico Madrid sprung a surprise in the Spanish Super Cup by staging a thrilling comeback to beat Barcelona 3-2 on Thursday and set up a final against Real Madrid. Barca looked on course for a Sunday showdown against Real when they led Atletico 2-1 with nine minutes left but instead […]

London (AFP) – Harry Kane will be sidelined until April after Tottenham revealed the England captain needs surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his left hamstring. Kane suffered the injury while taking a shot during Tottenham's Premier League defeat at Southampton on New Year's Day. "Following ongoing assessment by our medical staff over the […]

London (AFP) – Betting companies who held streaming rights for FA Cup matches on Thursday agreed to allow the games to be shown on free platforms. The Football Association was heavily criticised this week over a deal it had struck with sports media rights company IMG that allowed seven bookmakers to stream matches to customers […]

London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta has warned Arsenal supporters not to expect "big things" in the January transfer window, with the club unlikely to make permanent signings after a hefty outlay in the summer. Arsenal broke their club transfer record to recruit Nicolas Pepe as well as completing moves for David Luiz, Gabriel Martinelli, Kieran […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich will not make a fresh bid for Manchester City and Germany winger Leroy Sane in the January transfer window, sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said Thursday. Speaking to German media from Bayern's winter training camp in Doha, Salihamidzic said that Sane was "not a topic in winter". Bayern came close to […]

Paris (AFP) – French World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe brushed aside questions about his future at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday when he said "it's not the time to make waves" over contract talks. The 21-year-old striker, long linked with a move to Real Madrid, insisted his mind was only on helping PSG defend their Ligue […]

Madonna di Campiglio (Italy) (AFP) – Switzerland's Daniel Yule won the Madonna di Campiglio slalom for the second year in a row Wednesday, emulating Italian legend Alberto Tomba who also achieved the feat. Yule, 26, beat off the challenge of Henrik Kristoffersen and Clement Noel to claim victory. He topped the times after the opening […]

Paris (AFP) – Mauro Icardi scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain demolished a depleted Saint-Etienne 6-1 on Wednesday to power into the semi-finals of the French League Cup. Icardi struck the opening goal inside two minutes at the Parc des Princes before teenage Saint-Etienne defender Wesley Fofana was dismissed for a second booking on the […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Kelechi Iheanacho came off the bench to keep Leicester in contention for a place in the League Cup final as the Nigerian striker's late goal earned a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa on Wednesday. Brendan Rodgers' side fell behind to Frederic Guilbert's first half goal in the semi-final first leg […]

Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – Toni Kroos scored a wonder goal straight from a corner as Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-1 on Wednesday to reach the final of the controversial Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. Kroos caught Valencia goalkeeper Jaume Domenech napping with a brilliant, instinctive strike before Isco made it two and Luka […]

New York (AFP) – Retired NBA star Kobe Bryant, actor Colin Hanks and NFL receiver DeAndre Hopkins will be among those helping Major League Soccer celebrate its 25th season at events this year. The North American league, which kicks off its 25th campaign on February 29, announced several events Wednesday paying tribute to the milestone […]

London (AFP) – Leicester midfielder Wilfred Ndidi could be ruled out for several weeks after Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers revealed he may need surgery. Nigeria international Ndidi was missing from Leicester's squad for their League Cup semi-final first leg against Aston Villa on Wednesday. Rodgers said Ndidi suffered an injury in Tuesday's training session and […]

Paris (AFP) – Lyon eased into the semi-finals of the French League Cup on Wednesday with a 3-1 victory at home to Brest. Moussa Dembele scored the opening goal on 19 minutes and Houssem Aouar added a second shortly after half-time for Rudi Garcia's side. Samuel Grandsir gave Brest hope with a tidy finish five […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United defender Harry Maguire could be sidelined for several weeks with a hip injury, according to British media reports on Wednesday. Maguire missed United's 3-1 defeat against Manchester City in the League Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday as a result of the problem. It was originally thought Maguire's injury was […]

Dakar (AFP) – Liverpool star Sadio Mane's triumphant homecoming to Senegal after winning Africa's top football prize was scuppered Wednesday when problems with overflight permission in Tunisia grounded his jet. Senegal's capital Dakar had readied celebrations for the 27-year old, who was crowned Africa's 2019 Player of the Year in Egypt on Tuesday. The first […]