Paris (AFP) – Manchester United went down to defeat in their opening Europa League group game on Thursday, while Premier League rivals Southampton won and Irish champions Dundalk claimed an impressive draw in the Netherlands. AFP Sports picks out the best of the action on matchday one: Feyenoord sink United Jose Mourinho's reluctant return to […]

Rotterdam (Netherlands) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho's reluctant return to the Europa League ended in embarrassment as Tonny Vilhena fired Feyenoord to a 1-0 win over Manchester United in their Group A opener on Thursday. For a man with a keen eye for his position in the football hierarchy, competing in the Europa League for the […]

London (AFP) – Former player Roy Keane has insisted Celtic need to do a "lot better" in Europe following their 7-0 loss away to Spanish giants Barcelona in the Champions League. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers tried to insist the defeat at the Camp Nou was not an embarrassment. But as far as one-time Celtic midfielder […]

London (AFP) – Rangers manager Mark Warburton has hit out at the "negative" reaction to his side's 5-1 defeat by arch Glasgow rivals Celtic last weekend. The first Old Firm League meeting between the clubs for four years, following Rangers' return to the top flight after working their way back up following a demotion to […]

You can tell a lot about a manager’s body language. In the case of Arsene Wenger, he seemed to be beaming inside after his team came back from a goal down to Paris Saint-Germain to draw 1-1 in the opening game of the UEFA Champions League Group Stage on Tuesday night. It was an important […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has confirmed David Luiz will make his second debut for the club against Liverpool in the Premier League on Friday. Luiz, who returned to the west London club from Paris Saint-Germain in a surprise £32 million ($42.7 million, 38 million euros) move on transfer deadline day, will replace […]

Athens (AFP) – The 2018 Champions League final will be held in Kiev despite Ukraine's conflict with Russian-backed separatist rebels, UEFA's executive committee decided Thursday, officials said. The final will be held only a few weeks before rival Russia stages the World Cup. Ukraine, which was co-host of the 2012 Euros with Poland, submitted its […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola warned supporters the club cannot achieve success in the Champions League unless they start fully embracing the competition. Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick as City opened their Group C campaign with a classy 4-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday in a game that had […]

London (AFP) – The touchline action could be as explosive as what happens on the pitch at Stamford Bridge on Friday when Jurgen Klopp takes his Liverpool side to tackle Antonio Conte's Chelsea. Both managers are renowned for the remarkable intensity of their touchline antics and the fourth official is likely to have a job on […]

Bruges (Belgium) (AFP) – While their fans celebrated a perfect Champions League debut, Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri called for nobody to get carried away after Wednesday's 3-0 romp away to Club Brugge in Belgium. The Premier League champions might have gone behind inside three minutes at the Jan Breydelstadion, but instead Jose Izquierdo missed […]

Madrid (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo warned Real Madrid will be punished if they don't improve on their performance in an edgy 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon to start their Champions League defence. Alvaro Morata headed home the winner four minutes into stoppage time at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday after an 89th minute Ronaldo free-kick […]

Milan (AFP) – Coach Massimiliano Allegri launched an explosive outburst to serve a reminder that a star-studded Juventus could struggle to end their 20-year wait to win the Champions League this season. The Italian champions dominated their Group H opener at home to stubborn Sevilla on Wednesday, but were held to a scoreless draw by […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino accused his Tottenham flops of lacking passion after Monaco ruined their record-breaking night at Wembley with a 2-1 win in the Champions League. Pochettino was hoping his side would mark their return to the Champions League after a five-year absence with a dominant display in front of an English club […]

Bruges (Belgium) (AFP) – Riyad Mahrez scored in each half as Leicester City enjoyed a dream debut in the Champions League on Wednesday, cruising to a 3-0 win over Club Brugge in Belgium. Voted England's player of the year for his role in Leicester's remarkable Premier League title triumph last season, it was appropriate that […]

Milan (AFP) – Gonzalo Higuain and Sami Khedira fired blanks as Sevilla held dominant but wasteful Juventus to a scoreless draw in their Champions League opener in Turin on Wednesday. Juventus welcomed the Europa League champions looking to stretch their 17-match unbeaten run at home in Europe with a win that would get the tournament […]