London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said Thursday he had gained "inspiration" from meeting with England rugby coach Eddie Jones and experiencing the Australian's "winning" mentality at first hand. The Italian clearly knows something about winning himself, having revived Chelsea's fortunes since his pre-season arrival at Stamford Bridge to the extent that the Blues […]

Saint-Étienne (France) (AFP) – Winning by a single goal away to Saint Etienne in the Europa League may not seem a significant milestone for a team of Manchester United's stature but manager Jose Mourinho knew otherwise. United are desperate to recapture the glory days of past when under Alex Ferguson they dominated the Premier League, […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla's recovery from ankle surgery could see the Spain international ruled out of the rest of the English season, British media reported Thursday. The 32-year-old has been sidelined since being forced off during the second half of Arsenal's 6-0 Champions League group win against Ludogorets on October 19. Cazorla […]

Milan (AFP) – A perfectly-orchestrated 2-0 win over depleted Porto has put Juventus on the cusp of the Champions League quarter-finals, and underlined Massimiliano Allegri's credentials amid rumours of an eventual move England's Premier League. Croatia starlet Marko Pjaca and Dani Alves came off the bench to strike late and ease the beaten 2015 finalists […]

London (AFP) – Wayne Rooney's agent Paul Stretford held talks in China on Thursday amid mounting speculation over the Manchester United captain's future, British media said. Rooney, 31, has been sidelined by manager Jose Mourinho heightening expectations he could leave United for the mega-rich Chinese Super League. Guangzhou Evergrande, Beijing Guoan, Jiangsu Suning and Tianjin […]

London (AFP) – Despite harbouring some reservations about his hairstyle, Lawrie McMenemy knows Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the man his old club Southampton must stop in Sunday's League Cup final against Manchester United. As Southampton manager, McMenemy led the south-coast club to their greatest success when they produced a huge upset to beat United 1-0 in […]

Seville (Spain) (AFP) – Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri believes his side can continue their "holiday" from the reality of a Premier League relegation battle in the Champions League after Jamie Vardy's away goal gave them a lifeline against Sevilla on Wednesday. Despite being thoroughly outplayed in southern Spain, Leicester emerged with just a 2-1 […]

Saint-Étienne (France) (AFP) – As Manchester United continue to battle on four fronts, wracking up too many air miles is proving a concern to manager Jose Mourinho. Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored the only goal of the game away to Saint Etienne on Wednesday after just 16 minutes, effectively killing off any suspense in the Europa League […]

Seville (Spain) (AFP) – Jamie Vardy's first Champions League goal gave Leicester City a lifeline in their last 16 tie despite going down 2-1 to Sevilla in Wednesday's first leg. Goals from Pablo Sarabia and Joaquin Correa had given Sevilla a deserved 2-0 lead, whilst Correa also saw a penalty saved by the inspired Kasper Schmeichel. […]

Last weekend's Súper Clásico between Chivas and Club America was the most-watched soccer game on any network in 2017, averaging 2.4 million total viewers. The 2.4 million number exceeded the 1.92 million number that watched the Super Clasico in September, 2017 The broadcast on Univision Deportes featured longtime rivals América and Chivas aired Saturday at 10:00 p.m. […]

Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – Croatian starlet Marko Pjaca and Dani Alves came off the bench to strike late as Juventus overcame 10-man Porto 2-0 in their Champions League last 16 first leg on Wednesday. Porto hosted Juventus, the beaten 2015 finalists, looking for their first win in four meetings between the sides — and confident […]

Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – Substitutes Marko Pjanic and Dani Alves scored as Juventus beat 10-man Porto 2-0 in their Champions League last 16 first leg tie on Wednesday Porto were down to 10-men after two rapid first half bookings picked up by Alex Telles. Juventus capitalised on his red card with second half goals from […]

Seville (Spain) (AFP) – Goals from Pablo Sarabia and Joaquin Correa helped Sevilla beat Leicester 2-1 in their Champions League last 16 first leg tie on Wednesday. Kasper Schmeichel saved Correa's early penalty but the Danish keeper was powerless to stop Sarabia's header in the 25th minute. Correa made up for his spot kick miss […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – Lionel Messi could not be happier than at Barcelona, and can crown his status as an all time great by winning the World Cup with Argentina, national coach Edgardo Bauza told AFP on Wednesday. "I can see just how happy he is at Barcelona with his family around him," said Bauza, […]

Saint-Étienne (France) (AFP) – No sooner had Saint Etienne crashed out of the Europa League to Manchester United on Wednesday than coach Christophe Galtier was plotting their return next season. With the European dream over after Henrikh Mkhitaryan's goal gave United a 1-0 win on the night and 4-0 aggregate success in the last 32 […]