Lyon (AFP) – Belgium coach Marc Wilmots says he expects counterpart Antonio Conte to have prepared a team of "warriors" when Italy launch their Euro 2016 campaign on Monday. Belgium come into the European Championship as the highest ranked team of the 24 in France and with lofty expectations after a 16-year absence from the […]

Paris (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Sunday warned Europe that "the legend can still deliver" as the Sweden captain prepares to make his mark on Euro 2016. The 34-year-old, who has left Paris Saint-Germain after a prolific four-year spell, is back in the French capital for Monday's European Championship Group E opener against the Republic […]

Paris (AFP) – Croatia's Luka Modric said he was so thrilled by his match-winning goal against Turkey in Euro 2016 on Sunday that he did not realise a supporter had gatecrashed his celebrations. The Real Madrid playmaker gave his side a 1-0 win in the Group D match at Parc des Princes with a sweetly […]

Paris (AFP) – Croatia coach Ante Cacic hailed Luka Modric's "magical" goal after the Real Madrid playmaker's strike secured a 1-0 win over Turkey in his side's Euro 2016 opener on Sunday. Modric was voted man of the match after settling the Group D opener in Paris with a sweetly struck 41st-minute volley from outside […]

Paris (AFP) – Sweden captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Sunday said Manchester United fans will have to wait a little longer before finding out if he will be at Old Trafford next season. "For me in Manchester, there is nothing to say. I feel happy for the moment — what future there will be you will […]

Even before John Brooks became a US Men’s National Team star, he was always regarded as one of the brightest prospects for the future. His brief and few appearances for US youth teams offered guarded optimism about the future of a position that had become quite unsettled after Carlos Bocanegra’s retirement and Oguchi Onyewu’s injury […]

Paris (AFP) – Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric scored a brilliant volley as Croatia defeated Turkey 1-0 in their Euro 2016 Group D on Sunday. Ante Cacic's Croatia dominated throughout, twice hitting the bar in the second half. But it only Modric's 41st-minute strike — his 11th international goal — that separated the teams at […]

Paris (AFP) – UEFA said Sunday that Russia and England could be thrown out of the European Championship finals if their fans are involved in more violence. The UEFA executive committee said in a statement it has warned both countries that on top of any sanctions over trouble in Marseille this weekend, "it will not […]

Paris (AFP) – UEFA on Sunday charged Russia over "totally unacceptable" fan clashes at a European Champion match with England but it also said there had been faults in security. With the tournament facing new high risk games, French authorities said three people remained in serious condition in hospital in Marseille after the clashes before […]

When American college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster Jim Valvano coined the term “survive and advance,” he certainly wasn't referring to a must-not-lose final game in the group stage of a major tournament. After the US survived going down to 10 men for the majority of the second half against Paraguay, the term feels apt. […]

Belfast (AFP) – Kyle Lafferty is not normally mentioned in the same breath as Northern Irish football legend George Best but on Sunday he replaced him for one day in the title of Belfast airport. The 28-year-old striker — who scored seven goals in Northern Ireland's Euro 2016 qualifying campaign — will lead the attack […]

Paris (AFP) – French police said a stepped-up force of more than 1,500 officers will patrol at Sunday's Turkey-Croatia Euro 2016 match in Paris which is considered at high risk of hooliganism. "Alert instructions have been reinforced," said Paris police spokeswoman Johanna Primevert, as authorities seek to avoid any repetition of the pitched battles between […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – The United States battled to a 1-0 victory over Paraguay to seal their place in the Copa America Centenario quarter-finals as group rivals Colombia crashed to a potentially costly 3-2 defeat to Costa Rica. A first-half strike by Clint Dempsey secured a precious win for the hosts which ultimately ensured Jurgen […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Argentina played down fears over Angel Di Maria's fitness after the Paris Saint-Germain star was hit by a new tournament injury scare. Di Maria, who limped out of Argentina's campaign at both the 2014 World Cup and last year's Copa America, was substituted during Friday's 5-0 win over Panama. Argentina's medical […]

Paris (AFP) – Accusations linking Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea to a sex scandal have thrown Spain's preparations into turmoil on the eve their Euro 2016 opener. De Gea is vying with 167-cap veteran and captain Iker Casillas, a hero of Spain's three consecutive major championship triumphs between 2008 and 2012, for a starting […]