London (AFP) – Rebekah Vardy says she has received death threats even aimed at her unborn child since Wayne Rooney's wife Coleen accused her of leaking stories. Seven-months pregnant Vardy, a reality TV star married to former England striker Jamie Vardy, told Friday's Daily Mail she has received abuse via social media since Rooney went […]

Milan (AFP) – The rivalry between Italy's top two goalkeepers Gianluigi Donnarumma and Salvatore Sirigu is heating up as Roberto Mancini's side stand on the brink of Euro 2020 ahead of Saturday's qualifier against Greece. Sirigu, 32, had long been in the shadow of Italian goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon, who retired after the four-time world […]

Madrid (AFP) – Sergio Ramos is set to overtake Iker Casillas and become his country's most capped player with his 168th international appearance on Saturday as Spain take on Denmark hoping to secure a place at Euro 2020. The 33-year-old first took the field for Spain as a callow teen against China in 2005, a 3-0 win […]

Guangzhou (AFP) – Veteran striker Yang Xu scored four goals in 25 minutes during China's 7-0 blitz of Guam while Australia easily defeated a struggling Nepal in Thursday's World Cup Asian zone qualifiers. China led 6-0 at half-time but struggled to keep up the pressure and would have gone scoreless in the second half without […]

Paris (AFP) – Belgium became the first team to qualify for the 2020 European Championship finals as Romelu Lukaku scored twice in a 9-0 thrashing of San Marino in Brussels on Thursday, while the Netherlands needed a late comeback to beat Northern Ireland. Lukaku took his record Belgium international tally past 50 goals as Roberto […]

Trnava (Slovakia) (AFP) – Former lifeguard Kieffer Moore scored on his international debut as Wales drew 1-1 with Slovakia on Thursday as Ryan Giggs' side stayed afloat in Euro 2020 qualifying. Moore headed home in the 25th minute in Trnava before Slovakia deservedly levelled early in the second period through Juraj Kucka. The result left […]

Rotterdam (Netherlands) (AFP) – Luuk de Jong and Memphis Depay inspired the Netherlands' thrilling fightback as they scored three times in the last 10 minutes to seal a dramatic 3-1 win over Northern Ireland in Thursday's Euro 2020 qualifier. Ronald Koeman's side were in danger of a shock defeat when Josh Magennis put the visitors […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russia closed in on Euro 2020 on Thursday after Artem Dzyuba's brace helped see off poor Scotland 4-0 and put his side to within a point of qualification for next summer's tournament. Captain Dzyuba opened the scoring 12 minutes after the break in Moscow when he crashed home a close range volley […]

Brussels (AFP) – Belgium became the first team to qualify for the 2020 European Championship finals as Romelu Lukaku scored twice in a 9-0 thrashing of San Marino in Brussels on Thursday. Lukaku took his record Belgium international tally past 50 goals as Roberto Martinez's Group I leaders opened up an unassailable 11-point lead over […]

Prague (AFP) – England will follow UEFA protocols if any of their players experience racist chanting during upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers, according to manager Gareth Southgate. Southgate's side take on the Czech Republic in Prague on Friday before facing Bulgaria in Sofia on Monday. Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham said earlier this week that England could […]

Reykjavik (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe has been ruled out of France's Euro 2020 qualifiers against Iceland and Turkey and "needs more time" to recover from a thigh injury, coach Didier Deschamps said on Thursday. The 20-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward has not started a game since August. France, who sit second in Group H, visit third-placed […]

Madrid (AFP) – The fraud case against former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso drew to a close in Madrid Thursday, with prosecutors halving their initial demand for him to face five years in jail, a court spokesman said The two-day hearing began on Wednesday, with the 37-year-old quizzed over allegations he used a company based on […]

Guangzhou (AFP) – Veteran striker Yang Xu made four goals in 25 minutes during China's 7-0 blitz of Guam while Australia easily bested a struggling Nepal in Thursday's World Cup qualifiers. China struggled to keep up the pressure and would have gone scoreless in the second half without a sudden strike by Brazil-born Elkeson, who […]

Singapore (AFP) – Neymar became the youngest player to make 100 appearances for Brazil on Thursday but the Paris Saint-Germain forward had to settle for a 1-1 draw as he failed to score in a friendly with Senegal in Singapore. Roberto Firmino opened the scoring for the Copa America champions with a stunning lob after […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona defender Gerard Pique attempted to buy Notts County last summer, according to reports in the English press. Pique's Kosmos Global Holding Group, the company he co-founded in 2017, reportedly held talks with County, who are the world's oldest professional football club. The approach was unsuccessful as County's financial problems forced them […]