Paris (AFP) – Jose Mourinho's Manchester United face Zorya Luhansk on Thursday knowing that a draw in the frigid Ukraine will propel them into the knockout stages of the Europa League. The Premier League side however will want to go through in style with victory, even if Europe's second-tier competition does not feature at the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid launched a staunch defence of star forward Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday, demanding respect for the three-time World Player of the Year amid allegations he hid millions of euros earned from image rights in tax havens. "In light of the information published in recent days and the certificate released by the […]

Basel (Switzerland) (AFP) – Lucas Perez made the most of a rare start by scoring a hat-trick in Tuesday's 4-1 rout of Basel that sent Arsenal through to the Champions League last 16 as group winners. The Spaniard missed over a month with an ankle injury following his move from Deportivo la Coruna in August […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – A Robert Lewandowski free-kick sealed Bayern Munich's 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday in the Champions League with both teams already through to the knock-out stage. Despite the result at Munich's bitterly cold Allianz Arena, Atletico go into the draw for the last 16 as Group D winners with Bayern […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Arda Turan grabbed a hat-trick and Lionel Messi scores his 10th Champions League goal of the season as a much-changed Barcelona still cruised past Borussia Moenchengladbach 4-0 on Tuesday. Barca had already booked their place in the last 16 as Group C winners, but were looking for a morale boosting win after three […]

New York (AFP) – The fate of the New York Cosmos is hanging in the balance as the club seeks assurances about the future of the crisis-plagued North American Soccer League, sources confirmed to AFP on Tuesday. A club source with knowledge of the situation denied a report that the Cosmos had ceased operations and […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho made a successful start to his spell as Sergio Aguero's stand-in by earning his team a 1-1 Champions League draw with Celtic on Tuesday. Aguero's four-game ban for getting sent off in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Chelsea means Iheanacho can look forward to a run […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Argentine striker Paulo Dybala is set to make his long-awaited return for Juventus when the Italians host Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday looking to secure top spot in Champions League Group H. With Gonzalo Higuain only recently returning from a muscle problem and attacking midfielder Mark Pjaca still sidelined, Dybala's absence has […]

New York (AFP) – Former Spain striker David Villa was named as Major League Soccer's Most Valuable Player on Tuesday in recognition of a prolific season which helped transform New York City FC's fortunes. The Spanish World Cup winner's goals helped take New York, who finished 17th in their inaugural season, to the club's first […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Dinamo Zagreb striker Mario Situm described meeting Juventus as a "dream date", even if the Croatians risk another heavy defeat by the Italian champions on Wednesday. Giants in Croatia Dinamo are playing for pride in Europe, having lost all five games and failing to even score a single goal. The Serie […]

Moscow (AFP) – Leonid Slutsky has resigned as coach of CSKA Moscow after seven hugely successful years and will leave after Wednesday's Champions League match with Tottenham Hotspur, the Russian champions said. CSKA play the Premier League side at Wembley with both clubs already out of the Champions League but with a Europa League spot […]

beIN SPORTS' coverage of the first el Clasico of the 2016/17 season between Barcelona and Real Madrid was watched by an average of 1.433 million viewers across beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS en Español combined. An average of 913,000 people watched the game on beIN SPORTS en Español, while 520,000 tuned in to watch the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane insists the European champions aren't prepared to settle for second place behind Borussia Dortmund in Champions League Group F despite the potential for an easier last 16 tie. Madrid need to beat the German giants at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday to secure top spot and the […]

London (AFP) – Sammy Lee has left his role as England's assistant manager following Gareth Southgate's appointment as permanent manager, the Football Association announced on Tuesday. Former Liverpool midfielder Lee, 57, was brought in by Southgate's predecessor Sam Allardyce, whose tenure lasted just 67 days after he was brought down by a newspaper sting. Lee […]

Brasília (AFP) – A construction firm has admitted that a "cartel" of firms fixed bidding for contracts to do work on stadiums for the 2014 football World Cup, Brazilian authorities said Monday. State antitrust authorities said the probe was linked to the notorious Petrobras corruption scandal that has snared numerous Brazilian politicians. "There is evidence […]