Paris (AFP) – Mario Balotelli was sent off on his return to the Nice team but Lucien Favre's side held on for a 1-0 win at Lorient on Saturday which sees them close the gap on Ligue 1 leaders Monaco. Wylan Cyprien scored the only goal of the game in Brittany, collecting Arnaud Souquet's pass […]

Wolverhampton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Second-half goals from Pedro and Diego Costa earned Premier League leaders Chelsea a 2-0 win in a difficult FA Cup fifth-round tie at second-tier Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. Pedro headed in after 65 minutes following an intricate build-up involving Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Willian. Costa sealed a place in the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Gareth Bale hopes three tough months on the sidelines will have their recompense by helping Real Madrid's bid for La Liga and Champions League glory and Wales' hopes of reaching the World Cup. Bale made an instant impact on his first taste of action for 88 days after damaging ankle ligaments as […]

Berlin (AFP) – Hertha Berlin coach Pal Dardai slammed the six minutes of added time as "Bayern's bonus" after Robert Lewandowski scored a last-minute goal to secure a 1-1 draw for Bayern Munich on Saturday. "I think this is a Bayern bonus", the Hungarian fumed to Sky as Lewandowski's 96th-minute winner at Berlin's Olympic Stadium […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Moussa Dembele was on target again as his 27th goal of the season helped runaway Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic to a 2-0 win over Motherwell on Saturday. The 20-year-old Frenchman — tipped for a call-up to Didier Deschamps' France squad for the matches against Luxembourg and Spain next month — expertly despatched a […]

Paris (AFP) – Marseille overcame the absence of injured leading scorer Bafetimbi Gomis to beat Rennes 2-0 in Ligue 1 on Saturday and boost their hopes of European qualification. Clinton Njie and Florian Thauvin, the latter with a superb strike, both netted in the second half for the hosts as Marseille moved to within a […]

Madrid (AFP) – Gareth Bale made an instant impact on his return from injury as Real Madrid extended their lead at the top of La Liga to four points with a 2-0 win over Espanyol on Saturday. Bale had been sidelined three months and on his return took just 13 minutes to score as he […]

Huddersfield (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City face an unwanted replay in the last 16 of the FA Cup after labouring to a 0-0 draw at second tier Championship side Huddersfield on Saturday. Pep Guardiola's side struggled to find any tempo against Huddersfield and must now try again at the Etihad Stadium to book their […]

Berlin (AFP) – Robert Lewandowski hit a 96th-minute equaliser to salvage Bayern Munich's 1-1 draw at Hertha Berlin on Saturday and extended their lead in the Bundesliga table to eight points. Bayern were seconds away from what would have been their second league defeat this season when Lewandowski fired home his 24th goal in all […]

London (AFP) – Non-league Lincoln City and third-tier Millwall struck late, late winners as Burnley and Premier League champions Leicester City were humbled on a historic day in the FA Cup on Saturday. Sean Raggett scored an 89th-minute header as Lincoln, who reside in the fifth-tier National League, stunned Burnley 1-0 in the fifth round […]

London (AFP) – Third-tier Millwall's FA Cup fairytale continued on Saturday as they stunned struggling Premier League champions Leicester City 1-0 in a major fifth-round upset. Having previously eliminated Bournemouth and Watford, the League One side added a third top-flight scalp by toppling Leicester thanks to a last-minute goal by defender Shaun Cummings. Leicester manager […]

Madrid (AFP) – Substitute Kevin Gameiro hit the second fastest hat-trick in La Liga history in five minutes as Atletico Madrid maintained their grip on fourth in La Liga with a 4-1 win at Sporting Gijon. Gameiro was only introduced 28 minutes from time but struck in the 80th, 81st and 85th minutes to move […]

London (AFP) – Sean Raggett scored an 89th-minute winner as non-league Lincoln City stunned Burnley 1-0 on Saturday to claim one of the biggest upsets in the history of the FA Cup. Eighty-one places below Burnley in the English football pyramid, fifth-tier Lincoln prevailed when centre-back Raggett squeezed a header over the line following a […]

Blackburn (United Kingdom) (AFP) – A significant run of cup ties has Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho worried about fixture congestion, but his chances of ending his first season at the club with a major trophy are looking healthy. Mourinho’s side have won three successive matches without conceding a goal, and are in good spirits […]

Paris (AFP) – French Ligue 1 leaders Monaco had to come from behind to draw 1-1 away to Bastia on Friday in an unconvincing performance ahead of their impending Champions League showdown with Manchester City. Sadio Diallo had given the struggling Corsicans the lead in the first half before Bernardo Silva headed Monaco level early […]