Paris (AFP) – The Netherlands warmed up for a vital 2018 World Cup qualifier next week with an emphatic 5-0 friendly win against Ivory Coast on Sunday. The Dutch are struggling to make it to Russia next year, placed only fourth in Group A on seven points behind leaders France (13) Sweden (10) and Bulgaria […]

Madrid (AFP) – Thousands of delirious Real Madrid fans poured onto the streets of the Spanish capital to catch a glimpse of Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates on Sunday as they paraded the Champions League trophy for a record 12th time. Ronaldo sported a newly cropped haircut and he and captain Sergio Ramos led the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid were labelled "insatiable" and "masters of the universe" by an adoring Spanish press on Sunday after writing more Champions League history by thrashing Juventus 4-1 to win the trophy for the 12th time. Led by two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Madrid became the first side in the Champions League era […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – More than 1,500 people were injured, three seriously, after a bomb scare triggered a stampede among Juventus fans watching the Champions League final in Turin, local authorities said Sunday. In an update on Saturday's dramatic events in a square packed with supporters watching the Cardiff match on a giant screen, the […]

Paris (AFP) – Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann intends to stay at the Spanish club next season amid ongoing speculation about his future, the striker told French television station TF1 on Sunday. Griezmann has been heavily linked with a move away from Atletico, all the more so since the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – At least 1,000 people were injured, seven seriously, after a bomb scare triggered a stampede among Juventus fans assembled to watch the Champions League final in Turin, police said Sunday. AFP reporters at the scene said chaotic scenes ensued in a packed square 10 minutes before the end of the match […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Feted as one of the finest talents of his generation, Zinedine Zidane has made the transition to management so smoothly that he has already eclipsed some of the game's most hallowed names just 17 months into his spell as Real Madrid boss. When Zidane's majestic strike flashed into the net […]

Madrid (AFP) – Cristiano Ronaldo was once again hailed as Real Madrid's hero as fans crammed into the club's Santiago Bernabeu stadium and streets across the Spanish capital to wildly celebrate a record 12th European Cup win on Saturday. Whilst Ronaldo's double sentenced Juventus to a comprehensive 4-1 defeat at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, nearly 2,000 […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane hailed Real Madrid's unquenchable thirst for success after his side crushed Juventus 4-1 on Saturday to win the Champions League for the third time in four years. Thanks to Madrid's majestic demolition of the Italian champions at the Principality Stadium, Zidane is the first manager to win successive […]

June is an extremely critical month for the USMNT. Bruce Arena has come in for his second stint as manager and settled things down after a disastrous start to World Cup Qualifying that resulted in the firing of Jurgen Klinsmann. Arena got a win and a draw in the January Camp and managed to grab […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane believes Cristiano Ronaldo's inspirational leadership will be the decisive factor when Real Madrid bid for Champions League final history against Juventus on Saturday. Ronaldo is firmly in the spotlight as Zidane's side try to become the first club to win consecutive European Cup finals since AC Milan 27 […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Sergio Ramos says Real Madrid are ready for their appointment with history as the Spanish club aim to become the first team for 27 years to win consecutive Champions League titles. Not since AC Milan in 1989 and 1990 has a side conquered Europe two years in a row, but […]

Cardiff (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Veteran Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon says Saturday's Champions League final against Real Madrid will have "special" personal significance as he approaches the end of his storied career. A world champion with Italy in 2006 and eight-time Serie A winner with Juventus, Buffon finished on the losing side in his two previous […]

Berlin (AFP) – The messy sacking of Thomas Tuchel just three days after winning the German Cup has left Borussia Dortmund scrambling around for a new coach, with main target Lucien Favre set to stay at Nice. Dortmund denied that Tuchel's departure was sparked by a public spat with CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke but that painfully-strained […]

Since the turn of the year, the European football season always feels as though it’s building towards UEFA Champions League final. With Real Madrid and Juventus facing off in Saturday’s spectacle in Cardiff, the hype is warranted. Because while finals involving teams from the same country can be special—Real have faced Atletico Madrid in two […]