Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Gonzalo Higuain hit a slick, second-half winner and Daniele Rugani added a late second as dominant Juventus laboured to a 2-0 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb that secured top spot in Group H on Wednesday. With qualification for the last 16 already secure, Juventus welcomed the Croats looking for a […]

Madrid (AFP) – Marco Reus's dramatic equaliser two minutes from time ensured Borussia Dortmund beat holders Real Madrid to top spot in Champions League Group F with a pulsating 2-2 draw on Wednesday. With both sides already qualified, a double from Karim Benzema looked to have Real well set to leapfrog Dortmund and secure a […]

Lyon (AFP) – Sevilla are through to the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in seven years after soaking up the pressure to draw 0-0 away to Lyon on Wednesday. Lyon — who lost 1-0 in Seville in September and trailed the Spaniards by three points — needed to win by […]

Leverkusen (Germany) (AFP) – Bayer Leverkusen earned a first Champions League win over Monaco at the sixth attempt on Wednesday, sealing a 3-0 victory with both sides already through to the knock-out stages. A first-half strike from Vladlen Yurchenko, a well-worked goal by Germany winger Julian Brandt and a late own goal by Monaco goalkeeper […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham rounded off a frustrating Champions League campaign with a 3-1 victory over CSKA Moscow that secured the dubious consolation of a place in the Europa League. Mauricio Pochettino's side were already eliminated from the Champions League before Wednesday's final Group E fixture, but they finished on a high note with their […]

Odessa (Ukraine) (AFP) – Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho blasted the "rock" hard surface at Chernomorets Stadium ahead of Thursday's Europa League clash with Ukraine's Zorya Luhansk, insisting it may take a "miracle" for the game to go-ahead. United need just a point to reach the knockout stages but with temperatures expected to plunge to […]

Lyon (AFP) – Goalkeeper Anthony Lopes was included in Lyon's starting line-up for Wednesday's crucial Champions League clash with Sevilla after recovering from being struck by a firecracker at the weekend. The Portugal international, 26, suffered "traumatic hearing loss" after Metz fans threw firecrackers onto the pitch during Saturday's French Ligue 1 fixture, which was […]

Lausanne (AFP) – FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants to expand the World Cup finals to 48 teams featuring 16 groups of three starting with the 2026 tournament, a source within world football's governing body told AFP on Wednesday. Infantino, who had until now proposed a 48-team event but with a traditional 32 countries advancing to […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – The fierce Buenos Aires derby between River Plate and Boca Juniors is back on Sunday after Argentine referees scrapped a plan to strike over demands for protection from violence. The referees union (SADRA) had called the strike after a referee was attacked by players and supporters following a pitch invasion during […]

The second leg of the 2016 Liga MX Apertura Final between Club America and Tigres UANL will be played on Christmas Day, December 25, to determine who will be the Liguilla champions. The first leg of the final will be played on Thursday, December 22. The match will be televised live from Azteca Stadium to […]

Hanoi (AFP) – Vietnam and Indonesia drew 2-2 after extra time at the second leg of the Suzuki Cup semi-finals Wednesday, ensuring the Garuda a spot in the final after a hard-fought battle against the Golden Stars. Indonesia's top striker Stefano Lilipaly drew first blood in the 54th minute after a first half that saw […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spanish prosecutors have brought tax fraud charges against three former Real Madrid players, Xabi Alonso, Ricardo Carvalho and Angel di Maria and opened investigations into two other players, a prosecution source confirmed on Wednesday. None of the cases are related to the "Football Leaks" scandal, which has accused a host of Madrid […]

Milan (AFP) – The sale of Italian giants AC Milan has been pushed back three months to March after a request by the Chinese consortium which is taking over the seven-time European champions. Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi and Sino-Europe Sports (SES) had agreed a date of December 13 for the conclusion of a deal that […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expressed admiration for Patrick Roberts after the loanee scored against his parent club for Celtic in a 1-1 Champions League draw. City signed Roberts, 19, from Fulham in 2015 for a reported fee of 12 million pounds ($15.2 million, 14.2 million euros), but he played […]

Leipzig (Germany) (AFP) – Neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo would be considered fresh enough at youthful Bundesliga leaders RB Leipzig, says sports director Ralf Rangnick. Founded in 2009, Leipzig are bankrolled by energy drinks giants Red Bull and are currently top of the Bundesliga after four promotions in seven years. Impressively, they have done […]