Paris (AFP) – Yassine Benzia punished former side Lyon with his first goals of the season to hand Lille a 2-1 win at Parc OL in Ligue 1 on Saturday. Algeria international Benzia, who joined Lille from Lyon in 2015, scored for the first time in over a year with a deflected first-half strike before […]

Libreville (AFP) – A timely substitution and a stroke of luck helped Burkina Faso to a 2-0 triumph over Tunisia Saturday in the first Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final. Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte introduced giant striker Aristide Bance on 76 minutes as a tight, physical last-eight clash seemed destined for extra time. Within five minutes […]

London (AFP) – Premier League leaders Chelsea remained on course for a domestic double as they eased into the last 16 of the FA Cup with a comfortable 4-0 win at home to second-tier Brentford at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The Blues, eight points clear at the summit of English football, were rarely tested by […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid had goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya to thank for preventing Theo Hernandez inflicting defeat on his parent club as the Champions League finalists clung on for a 0-0 draw at Alaves on Saturday. Victor Languardia hit the bar in the first-half as Alaves dominated throughout. However, it was Hernandez, on loan […]

Libreville (AFP) – Burkina Faso scored twice in the closing stages to beat Tunisia 2-0 Saturday and become the first qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals. Substitute Aristide Bance scored on 81 minutes after a controversially awarded free-kick with big-screen replays suggesting the hand-ball decision was wrong. Prejuce Nakoulma doubled the lead […]

Libreville (AFP) – Burkina Faso scored twice in the closing stages to beat Tunisia 2-0 Saturday and become the first qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals. Substitute Aristide Bance scored on 81 minutes after a controversially awarded free-kick with big-screen replays suggesting the hand-ball decision was wrong. Prejuce Nakoulma doubled the lead three […]

London (AFP) – Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Yaya Toure scored as Manchester City secured their place in the FA Cup fifth round with a 3-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday. Gabriel Jesus, City's £27 million ($33.9 million, 31.7 million euros) signing from Palmeiras, marked his full debut by setting up Sterling for City's […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool were knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship club Wolves as Tottenham Hotspur survived a potential giant-killing of their own by twice coming from behind in a 4-3 win over fourth-tier Wycombe Wanderers at White Hart Lane. Seven-times FA Cup winners Liverpool lost 2-1 at home to second-tier Wolves as […]

Berlin (AFP) – Second-placed RB Leipzig ended 10-man Hoffenheim's unbeaten run this season with a 2-1 comeback win in Saturday's key Bundesliga clash to stay just three points behind leaders Bayern Munich. Hoffenheim were the last undefeated team left in Europe's top leagues but Marcel Sabitzer's 77th-minute winner dealt the visitors their first loss of […]

Monaco have the perfect opportunity to cement their status as favorites for the Ligue 1 title on Sunday, as they head to the capital to take on champions Paris Saint-Germain. The visitors, who sit top of the pile in France’s top flight, have evolved into the most exciting team in European football, netting 64 goals […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Second-tier Wolverhampton Wanderers ensured Liverpool's season went from bad to worse as they knocked the seven-times winners out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win at Anfield on Saturday. Defeat meant Liverpool, 10 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea, had been knocked out of two cup competitions in a matter of […]

Port-Gentil (Gabon) (AFP) – Morocco coach Herve Renard has called on his side to "seize the opportunity" at the Africa Cup of Nations after fulfilling their initial objective of reaching the quarter-finals. "It is already a privilege to be in the last eight but now we need to be much more ambitious than that," Renard […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane insisted there is still plenty for the European champions to be positive about on Saturday despite a run of just one win in five games. Madrid were dumped out of the Copa del Rey by Celta Vigo on Wednesday and have seen their lead at the top […]

Port-Gentil (Gabon) (AFP) – Sunday's Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final between Egypt and Morocco is set to be a classic battle of managerial minds, bringing together a two-time winner of the trophy in Herve Renard and wily Hector Cuper. While Frenchman Renard has become a fixture on the African scene, and a successful one at […]

Port-Gentil (Gabon) (AFP) – Herve Renard will be hoping to move a step closer to winning a third Africa Cup of Nations crown when he leads Morocco into a quarter-final against Egypt in Port-Gentil on Sunday evening. The dashing Frenchman eliminated the Ivory Coast, the side he led to the title in 2015, as Morocco […]