Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Neymar struck the winning penalty as Brazil claimed a first ever Olympic football gold medal with victory over Germany on penalties at Rio's Maracana. The 5-4 shoot-out win exacted revenge for a humiliating 7-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Germany two years ago. Olympic gold was the only major title […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hit out at criticism of his club's transfer policy after he once again came under pressure from supporters to spend money on new players. Wenger has made only one major close-season signing, recruiting Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka from Borussia Moenchengladbach for a reported fee of 35 […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino believes Tottenham Hotspur can now start looking forward after a first victory of the campaign helped draw a line under the disappointment of missing out on the Premier League title last season. The north London club's challenge fell away last term with Pochettino's side eventually finishing third after pushing champions […]

Watford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Chelsea manager Antonio Conte praised the commitment and focus of his players after their 2-1 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road. Late goals by Michy Batshuayi, his first for the club, and Diego Costa gave Chelsea three points that seemed unlikely when Etienne Capoue put Watford ahead early in the […]

Burnley (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp admitted he was baffled by Liverpool's surprise defeat at Burnley in which they enjoyed over 80 percent of possession, but still lost 2-0 to the newly-promoted club. Reds boss Klopp confessed he thought his team had actually seen more like 90 per cent of the ball at Turf […]

Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola admits he is surprised how well Manchester City have started under his management after a 4-1 victory at Stoke City extended their winning start to the season on Saturday. Guardiola's team have won two Premier League games, either side of a 5-0 victory at Steaua Bucharest in the […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazil's quest for a first ever football Olympic gold medal will be decided on penalties after a 1-1 draw with world champions Germany. Barcelona star Neymar's stunning first-half free-kick had the hosts headed for gold. However, Germany captain Max Meyer equalised on 59 minutes and, despite Brazil's dominance, they couldn't […]

Rome (AFP) – Gonzalo Higuain repaid a first chunk of his 90-million-euro ($102m) transfer fee by firing Juventus to a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina in their Serie A opener on Saturday. It was the perfect start to the champions' bid for a record sixth consecutive Italian title against opponents who finished fifth last season and […]

Rome (AFP) – Gonzalo Higuain needed less than nine minutes to start paying off his 90-million-euro ($102m) transfer fee as Juventus began their Serie A title defence with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina on Saturday. The Argentina striker came off the bench to seal the three points with a typical poacher's strike a quarter of […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Neymar gave Brazil a 1-0 lead over Germany at half-time in their Olympic Games men's football gold medal match on Saturday. The Barcelona star curled in a 27th-minute free-kick at the Maracana and celebrated by performing Usain Bolt's trademark 'Lightning Bolt' pose, in honour of the star sprinter who was […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona have confirmed Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo will join Manchester City as soon as the Spanish champions sign a replacement for him. "We have an agreement in principle with Manchester City for Claudio Bravo. We are waiting for events this week. We will open the door for Claudio when we sign another […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Starting line-ups for the Rio 2016 men's football final between Brazil and Germany at the Maracana stadium in Rio on Saturday (2030 GMT kick-off): Brazil (4-2-3-1) Weverton; Zeca, Marquinhos, Rodrigo Caio, Douglas Santos; Walace, Renato Augusto; Gabriel Barbosa, Luan, Gabriel Jesus; Neymar (capt) Germany (4-2-3-1) Timo Horn; Jeremy Toljan, Matthias […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri refused to criticise referee Mark Clattenburg after the Premier League champions were denied two penalties in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Arsenal. Leicester, beaten 2-1 at promoted Hull City in their opening game, had a penalty appeal turned down late in each half at the King […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Premier League champions Leicester City and last season's runners-up Arsenal remain without a win this season after a slow-burning 0-0 draw at the King Power Stadium on Saturday. Beaten 2-1 at promoted Hull City last weekend, Leicester avoided the ignominy of becoming the first English champions to lose their first […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Lionel Messi and hat-trick hero Luis Suarez were in sensational form as they helped Barcelona start their title defence with a crushing 6-2 win over Real Betis at the Camp Nou on Saturday. Messi scored twice and set up another goal, dominating proceedings, while Suarez added three of his own after Arda […]