Valencia (Spain) (AFP) – Hakim Ziyech's brilliant goal sent Ajax on their way to an impressive 3-0 victory at Valencia on Wednesday as last season's semi-finalists took control of Champions League Group H. Ziyech's stunning strike gave Ajax an eighth-minute lead, before Daniel Parejo missed a penalty for the hosts and Quincy Promes made it […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – South Africa international Themba Zwane scored to set up Mamelodi Sundowns for a 2-1 victory at Black Leopards Wednesday, and third place in the South African Premiership. Zwane prodded a cross from Venezuelan Jose Ali Meza past Guinea-Bissau goalkeeper Jose Mendes on 25 minutes at a packed Thohoyandou stadium in the northeast […]

Paris (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund laid down a marker for Barcelona and Inter Milan on Wednesday after an Achraf Hakimi brace put the Bundesliga outfit top of Group F with a 2-0 Champions League win at Slavia Prague. Barca host Inter later with Lionel Messi starting just his second match of the season as both […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Nigeria and South Africa were placed in the same group when the draw for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games qualifying tournament was made Wednesday in Egyptian city Alexandria. Nigeria and South Africa are in Group B for the November 8-22 championship with the Ivory Coast and Zambia, while Group A comprises hosts […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool were fined £200,000 ($246,000) by the English Football League on Wednesday after fielding an ineligible player in their League Cup win at Milton Keynes Dons. Spanish midfielder Pedro Chirivella featured as a substitute for Liverpool after coming on for the last 28 minutes of the 2-0 third-round win last week. Chirivella, […]

Washington (AFP) – Ajax teenager Sergino Dest is not ready to commit to playing internationally for the United States but the Americans will welcome back DeAndre Yedlin for upcoming matches against Cuba and Canada. US coach Gregg Berhalter named a 26-player roster on Wednesday ahead of the opening matches in the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Boca Juniors coach Gustavo Alfaro and forward Ramon Abila accused River Plate players of diving following a 2-0 Copa Libertadores semi-final, first leg loss. Colombian Rafael Borre opened the scoring on seven minutes from the penalty spot after he was fouled in the area by Emmanuel Mas. Ignacio Fernandez clinched the […]

Saitama (Japan) (AFP) – A screaming first-half strike from Fabricio and a near-carbon copy rocket from Takahino Sekine 15 minutes from time gave Urawa Red Diamonds a deserved 2-0 win over Guangzhou Evergrande in their AFC Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday. The battle of the Asian giants was sparked into life by the […]

London (AFP) – The Premier League has appointed David Pemsel as its new chief executive, announcing on Wednesday that he would take up the role "no later than April 2020". Last November, the league selected Susanna Dinnage for the post but, after accepting, she changed her mind and decided she no longer wanted the job. […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid's late rally against Club Brugge might save them from an embarrassing group-stage exit in the Champions League but the fear factor at the Santiago Bernabeu has been lost and will take longer to recover. Brugge exploded out of the blocks on Tuesday night with two goals in the first 39 […]

London (AFP) – Jan Vertonghen said Tottenham's players felt "ashamed" after crashing to a humiliating 7-2 Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich. Spurs were torn apart by the German champions at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday, with former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry scoring four goals. Robert Lewandowski grabbed a brace and Joshua Kimmich also […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino has urged Tottenham to face their problems "like a man" but he has a huge job on his hands to mend shattered morale after their 7-2 Champions League mauling by Bayern Munich. The team are at a crossroads just four months after they appeared in the final of the competition […]

London (AFP) – Cardiff said on Wednesday they would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIFA's decision to make them pay Nantes the first instalment of the transfer fee for Emiliano Sala. The world governing body this week ordered Cardiff to pay French club Nantes an initial six million euros ($6.5 million) […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City's Bernardo Silva has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association over a controversial social media post comparing teammate Benjamin Mendy with a black cartoon character. The Portuguese midfielder last month tweeted an image of a young Mendy alongside an image of the character representing the Spanish chocolate peanut brand […]

Berlin (AFP) – After his four-goal haul, Serge Gnabry says Bayern Munich's 7-2 gala romp at Tottenham Hotspur sent a "big message" to their Champions League rivals. Gnabry dazzled at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday as Bayern handed their hosts the highest-ever home defeat suffered by an English team in European competition. The former Arsenal […]