Milan (AFP) – Cameroon forward Vincent Aboubakar hit a brace as Ricardo Quaresma-inspired Besiktas ended Napoli's dreams of making Champions League history with a 3-2 win at the San Paolo on Wednesday. Napoli welcomed the Turkish champions knowing a third consecutive win in Group B, along with a draw between Dinamo Kiev and Benfica, would […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic's Champion League hopes were in tatters on Wednesday as Borussia Monchengladbach produced a clinical performance to inflict a 2-0 home defeat on the Scottish champions. The Germans arrived in Glasgow with a horrendous injury list and struggling for form following defeats by Manchester City and Barcelona in their opening Group C […]

Paris (AFP) – Lionel Messi spoiled Pep Guardiola's homecoming by scoring a hat-trick in Barcelona's 4-0 win over 10-man Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, while Bayern Munich shook off their recent patchy form to defeat PSV Eindhoven 4-1. Messi pounced on a Fernandinho slip to nudge Barca in front on 17 minutes, […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Bayern Munich broke their three-game winless streak with an emphatic 4-1 win at home to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday in the Champions League with winger Arjen Robben outstanding. Thomas Mueller and Joshua Kimmich put Bayern ahead at the Allianz Arena before Luciano Narsingh netted for Eindhoven before the break, but Robert […]

Paris (AFP) – Angel Di Maria's first goal of the season set Paris Saint-Germain on their way to a 3-0 Champions League victory against an unlucky Basel side at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday. Di Maria grabbed the opener late in the first half and Lucas doubled PSG's lead just after the hour mark […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Manchester City's Claudio Bravo and Pep Guardiola endured a nightmare return to Barcelona as Lionel Messi's hat-trick spearheaded a 4-0 Champions League rout for the Spanish champions on Wednesday. Guardiola led Barca to 14 trophies in a glorious four-year reign between 2008 and 2012, but his homecoming was undone by a series […]

London (AFP) – Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez showed why their value to Arsenal is priceless as the peerless duo inspired a 6-0 thrashing of Bulgarian minnows Ludogorets in the Champions League on Wednesday. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has urged Ozil and Sanchez not to get greedy after reports they both plan to demand Arsenal […]

Libreville (AFP) – Wilfried Bony's Ivory Coast will start their defence of the Africa Cup of Nations against Togo in January, according to the draw made Wednesday. Ivory Coast are in Group C against Togo, Morocco and Democratic Republic of Congo. Hosts Gabon will stage the opening match in Libreville on January 14 against Guinea […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Pep Guardiola dropped top scorer Sergio Aguero to the Manchester City bench on his return to Barcelona for Wednesday's Champions League clash, whilst Lionel Messi will make his first start in a month for the Spanish giants at the Camp Nou. Guardiola oversaw a glorious four-year spell in charge of Barca between […]

Madrid (AFP) – Thirteen Polish supporters of Legia Warsaw were being held Wednesday following clashes with police before the football club's Champions League game against Real Madrid, police said. Among them is the leader of an ultra group, a police spokeswoman said, without giving further details. The clashes started as fans arrived at the Santiago […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho does not want Marcus Rashford to be selected for next year's European Under-21 Championships if the Manchester United striker is a regular in the senior England squad. The United manager was responding to stories that England's governing Football Association were keen to include Premier League stars, such as […]

Seoul (AFP) – Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors stormed into the AFC Champions League final with a 5-3 aggregate victory over FC Seoul despite losing the all-Korean semi-final's second leg 2-1 on Wednesday. After Jeonbuk had dominated the first leg 4-1, Brazilian marksman Adriano gave the home side hope when he slotted a record-equalling 13th goal of […]

London (AFP) – Peter and Kate Shippey's successful lobbying of Sunderland to install a room dedicated to largely autistic football fans could see more Premier League clubs follow suit. Alex White, Premier League Charitable Fund Executive, said the Shippeys had served as an example and funding has been made available to other clubs to set […]

Since his arrival to Arsenal a decade ago, Theo Walcott has been somewhat of a polarizing figure. While once thought as a possible successor to club legend Thierry Henry, the speedy England international hasn’t exactly filled the Frenchman’s shoes. The hype surrounding his £9.1 million move (a fee that was high at the time, trust […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric wants to play out the rest of his career with the Spanish giants after signing a new contract until 2020. Modric, 31, has become a fundamental part of the Real side, winning two Champions League titles, since his arrival from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012. "My wish is […]