Berlin (AFP) – Philippe Coutinho scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich signalled their return to form with a 6-1 thrashing of Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday. The Barcelona loanee was everywhere for Munich at the Allianz Arena, chalking up two assists in addition to his three goals as Bayern pulled to within four […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat against struggling Bournemouth on Saturday as Dan Gosling's late goal extended the Blues' recent poor run in the Premier League. Frank Lampard's side have lost four of their last five league games following Gosling's clever strike six minutes from full-time at Stamford Bridge. Gosling's flick […]

Milan (AFP) – Former AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi said Saturday he hoped Zlatan Ibrahimovic would sign for his modest, third division club Monza amid reports the Swedish star is set to return to Italy. "Ibrahimovic for Milan? I hope he comes to Monza," the 83-year-old Italian media magnate told journalists on the sidelines of […]

Milan (AFP) – French midfielder Franck Ribery will be sidelined for 10 weeks after undergoing surgery on his right ankle, his club Fiorentina confirmed on Saturday. Ribery, 36, had to be helped off the pitch after a clash with Lecce midfielder Panagiotis Tachtsidis on November 30. The veteran underwent joint stabilisation surgical treatment in Germany […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hailed his side's resilience to keep winning during a draining December schedule as Mohamed Salah's double beat bottom-of-the-table Watford 2-0 at Anfield to open up an 11-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Hornets remain six points adrift of safety, but will wonder how they […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hailed his side's resilience to keep winning during a draining December schedule as Mohamed Salah's double beat bottom-of-the-table Watford 2-0 at Anfield to open up an 11-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Hornets remain six points adrift of safety, but will wonder how they […]

Milan (AFP) – Inter Milan on Saturday cancelled coach Antonio Conte's press conference ahead of their league game against Fiorentina because of "an offensive letter" published in a leading Italian sports daily. "Yesterday (Friday), the Corriere dello Sport published an offensive letter towards our coach, justifying its aggression in the comment," the Italian team said […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool moved 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League thanks to Mohamed Salah's double, but had some wasteful finishing from bottom-of-the-table Watford to thank for a 2-0 victory at Anfield. The Hornets remain six points adrift of safety, but will wonder how they headed home empty handed after enjoying […]

Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane has brushed off suggestions Real Madrid could be distracted by the upcoming Clasico when they play in-form Valencia in La Liga on Sunday. Madrid face a difficult game at Mestalla, just three days before taking on Barcelona at Camp Nou in a match that could decide who goes top of […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Some 3,000 police officers and private security agents will be deployed for the rescheduled 'Clasico' between Barcelona and Real Madrid next week, local officials said Friday, amid renewed fears of unrest around the fixture. Protestors from the Catalan separatist movement Democratic Tsunami have called for a "massive" protest outside Camp Nou, where […]

Berlin (AFP) – RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed Friday holding talks with Salzburg's teen striker Erling Haaland, who Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund are also reportedly chasing. "I tried to explain my idea of football to him in good English," said Nagelsmann, whose side are second in the Bundesliga, a point behind leaders Borussia Moenchengladbach. […]

Paris (AFP) – Argentine international forward Ezequiel Lavezzi confirmed on Friday that he was retiring from playing at the age of 34, ending "the most amazing phase life has given me." Lavezzi played 51 times for Argentina and was in the starting lineup when they lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany. He played […]

London (AFP) – Wayne Rooney has admitted his frustration at being forced to wait until January to play for Championship side Derby. The former Manchester United and England captain is unable to make his debut for the Rams until January, after signing an 18-month contract following his departure from Major League Soccer side DC United. […]

London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp said Friday he signed a contract extension keeping him at Liverpool until 2024 to project an image of security and stability for future potential transfer targets. Klopp, who became Liverpool manager in 2015, guided them to Champions League glory in June and they are currently eight points clear at the […]

Gelsenkirchen (Germany) (AFP) – Sat in the Schalke dressing room, Welsh forward Rabbi Matondo and English defender Jonjoe Kenny are clearly enjoying life outside their comfort zones, fighting for the Bundesliga title. Matondo and Kenny are the latest UK exports to Germany's top flight, following the successful path of Jadon Sancho, who made the England […]