Rome (AFP) – Slovakian international Marek Hamsik and Belgian star Dries Martens both hit hat-tricks as Napoli routed Bologna 7-1 on Saturday to go second in Serie A and three points behind leaders Juventus. Napoli have now hit 55 goals in 23 league games this season although Maurizio Sarri's men are still outsiders to pip […]

Port-Gentil (Gabon) (AFP) – Alain Traore scored with one minute left to give Burkina Faso a 1-0 win over Ghana Saturday and third place in the Africa Cup of Nations. The Turkey-based attacker thumped an angled free-kick over goalkeeper Richard Ofori and into the net in Gabonese coastal city Port-Gentil. It was the second highest […]

Paris (AFP) – Radamel Falcao scored a second-half brace as Monaco defeated Nice 3-0 on Saturday to carve open a three-point lead ahead of their Cote d'Azur rivals at the top of Ligue 1. Valere Germain headed in the opening goal on 47 minutes at the Stade Louis II before Falcao turned in Monaco's second […]

Madrid (AFP) – La Liga leaders Real Madrid's visit to Celta Vigo scheduled for Sunday has been postponed after strong winds and heavy rain caused structural damage to Celta's Balaidos stadium, the Spanish league confirmed. Earlier on Saturday, the mayor of Vigo stated the stadium wasn't in a safe condition to host the game, but […]

Madrid (AFP) – Lionel Messi struck another trademark free-kick as Barcelona moved to within one point of La Liga leaders Real Madrid with a 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday. Madrid have two games in hand, the first of which was supposed to take place on Sunday at Celta Vigo. However, that match has […]

London (AFP) – Eden Hazard's brilliant goal in Chelsea's 3-1 victory over Arsenal further buried the title hopes of their Premier League rivals with even angry Arsene Wenger admitting that his London foes are a class act. Antonio Conte's side shattered Arsenal's hopes while Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool hit a new low in a 2-0 defeat […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona coach Luis Enrique hailed the contribution of his squad's bit-part players as a much-changed side saw off Athletic Bilbao 3-0 on Saturday to move to within a point of La Liga leaders Real Madrid. However, Barca's day was blighted by a groin strain suffered by key central defender Gerard Pique which […]

Libreville (AFP) – Stadiums built in Gabon for the Africa Cup of Nations are an "excellent legacy" for the country, the Confederation of African Football's general secretary Hicham El Amrani told AFP on Saturday. Speaking ahead of Sunday's final in Libreville between Egypt and Cameroon, El Amrani insisted the Cup of Nations had been a […]

London (AFP) – Harry Kane's penalty ended Middlesbrough's resistance as Tottenham's 1-0 win on Saturday kept their flickering Premier League title challenge alive. Spurs are nine points off runaway leaders Chelsea thanks to Kane's second half spot-kick — the players answering manager Mauricio Pocchetino's demand on Friday to maintain their hold on second place and […]

Berlin (AFP) – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted his 17th Bundesliga goal of the season Saturday as Borussia Dortmund's 1-0 win over flu-hit RB Leipzig left Bayern Munich four points clear at the top. Aubameyang remains two goals ahead of Bayern hot-shot Robert Lewandowski in the race to be the German league's top scorer thanks to his […]

Watford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – M'Baye Niang scored one and set up another goal in an eyecatching performance as Watford beat 10-man Burnley 2-1 on Saturday in their Premier League clash. Victory for the Hornets — for whom captain Troy Deeney scored their opener — eased their worries of being dragged into a relegation battle […]

London (AFP) – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain risked angering Arsene Wenger after the Arsenal midfielder 'liked' a tweet calling for the Gunners boss to be sacked following Saturday's 3-1 defeat against Chelsea. Wenger's side saw their title challenge suffer a huge setback as they were blown away by Premier League leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The third […]

London (AFP) – Jermain Defoe's double helped Sunderland to a 4-0 hammering of fellow Premier League relegation battlers Crystal Palace on Saturday and left their former manager and now Palace handler Sam Allardyce plenty to think about. David Moyes’ side fully deserved their triumph which moved them alongside Palace in the Premier League table — […]

Cairo (AFP) – The Africa Cup of Nations has proved a welcome relief to the ordinary and football-mad people of Egypt living through tough times of austerity and economic crisis. "People want some joy in their life again after such a long period of crisis. We really need to win" Sunday's final against Cameroon, said […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Pressure will mount on Rangers manager Mark Warburton after a 1-1 draw at home to Ross County saw them drop to third in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday. Alex Schalk fired County in front in the first-half before captain Lee Wallace came to the rescue with a late equaliser. It wasn't enough […]