Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund said Sunday they would stand by England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who faces potential sanctions and even legal consequences after he made explosive comments about the referee after his side's 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich on Saturday. "The boy is 18 years old and was speaking after a heated and emotional […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham risks being punished by the German Football Federation after claiming costly decisions by the referee in Saturday's 3-2 defeat by Bayern Munich were to be expected given he was implicated in the worst match-fixing scandal in German history. The 18-year-old England international was furious the referee Felix […]

Berlin (AFP) – RB Leipzig said Sunday that coach Jesse Marsch is leaving his job with immediate effect, amid a disappointing season for the ambitious Bundesliga side. The 48-year-old American had come under increasing pressure due to a series of poor results, with Friday's 2-1 loss to Union Berlin — their third successive Bundesliga defeat […]

Liverpool (AFP) – If any Everton manager could ill afford the club's worst home defeat to Liverpool for 39 years, it was Rafael Benitez. The Spaniard was not accepted by many Toffees supporters from the minute he was appointed in June due to his previous role as a Champions League-winning manager with Liverpool. A bright […]

Paris (AFP) – Georginio Wijnaldum's injury-time equaliser allowed Paris Saint-Germain to snatch a 1-1 draw away to Lens in Ligue 1 on Saturday in a match which confirmed Lionel Messi's difficulties adapting to the physical nature of French football. Messi was floored by a strong tackle and some PSG players stopped playing in the build-up […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid stretched their lead at the top of La Liga to eight points on Saturday with a slick 2-0 win over Real Sociedad but the victory was tarnished by an injury to Karim Benzema. Madrid's eighth consecutive win proved even more valuable after both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona lost, with Atletico […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona suffered their first defeat under Xavi Hernandez on Saturday as they were beaten by Real Betis before Atletico Madrid lost at home to Mallorca in a day of shocks in La Liga. Barca's 1-0 loss to Betis inflicted another blow on their hopes of catching La Liga's top four. And Atletico's […]

Berlin (AFP) – Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Bayern Munich opened up a four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga with a 3-2 win at second-placed Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Julian Brandt and Erling Haaland scored Dortmund's goals at Signal Iduna Park, but Lewandowski netted and converted the winning penalty, either side of a […]

New York (AFP) – The Philadelphia Union will field a depleted lineup for this weekend's Major League Soccer semi-finals after 11 players were listed on Saturday as out due to Covid-19 protocols. Philadelphia will play host to New York City FC on Sunday in the Eastern Conference final for a berth in next Saturday's MLS […]

Watford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Bernardo Silva scored twice as Manchester City cruised to the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 win at Watford on Saturday. Silva was described by manager Pep Guardiola as the best player in the English top flight this week and showed why with two sumptuous finishes to back […]

Milan (AFP) – A much-changed AC Milan saw off bottom side Salernitana 2-0 on Saturday to take top spot in Serie A ahead of previous leaders Napoli's match against Atalanta, while Inter Milan cruised to victory at Roma. Milan coach Stefano Pioli made six changes to his starting XI from the midweek victory at Genoa, […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Giovanni van Bronckhorst enjoyed a comfortable home league debut as Rangers manager with a routine 3-0 win over Dundee on Saturday to open up a seven-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership. Joe Aribo's deflected strike opened the floodgates and only sterling work by Dens Park goalkeeper Adam Legzdins kept […]

Paris (AFP) – Marseille missed the chance to cement their grip on second place in the Ligue 1 table on Saturday as Jorge Sampaoli's side threw away the lead to lose 2-1 at home to a Brest team on a record winning run. Brazilian international Gerson gave Marseille a first-half lead at the Velodrome with […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona suffered their first defeat under Xavi Hernandez on Saturday as a 1-0 loss at home to Real Betis inflicted another blow on their hopes of catching La Liga's top four. A surprise defeat at Camp Nou damages Barca's bid to qualify for next season's Champions League, four days before they attempt […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Scottish Premiership results on Saturday: Aberdeen 4 (Watkins 7, 43, Ramirez 9, 71) St Mirren 1 (Tanser 42) Hibernian 1 (Nisbet 33) Motherwell 1 (Watt 60) Rangers 3 (Aribo 36, Sweeny 55-og, Morelos 70) Dundee 0 St Johnstone v Ross County – postponed (weather) Playing Sunday Dundee United v Celtic (1200 GMT), Livingston v […]