Madrid (AFP) – If winning La Liga caused Atletico Madrid to soften their edge or lose their identity, a Champions League tie against Manchester United could be a chance for them to get it back. From the highs of winning their second league title in 25 years, have come the lows of humiliating defeats, unprecedented […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – David de Gea returns to the city of his birth and club where he grew up on Wednesday as Manchester United head to Atletico Madrid in a Champions League clash between two giants that have fallen on hard times. United sit fourth in the Premier League, 17 points behind local […]

Milan (AFP) – Napoli missed out on the chance to move top of Serie A on Monday after Victor Osimhen snatched a barely deserved 1-1 draw at rejuvenated Cagliari. Nigeria forward Osimhen saved a point for Napoli when he crashed in a powerful header with three minutes remaining but it was not enough for the […]

The Hague (AFP) – Ajax said on Monday they will pay 7.85 million euros ($8.91 million) to the family of former player Abdelhak Nouri, who suffered brain damage after a cardiac arrest during a friendly match more than four years ago. Ex-Netherlands youth team midfielder Nouri, now 24, collapsed during a pre-season fixture with Werder […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said on Monday that Romelu Lukaku should not be made fun of after the £98 million ($133 million) striker had just seven touches in the weekend's 1-0 win at Crystal Palace. Last Saturday's figure is the fewest number of touches registered by any player who completed the 90 […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Alvaro Morata said on Monday he stayed at Juventus in January after coach Max Allegri insisted the arrival of Dusan Vlahovic would help him. Allegri suggested in a press conference that Morata will start up front alongside Vlahovic on Tuesday, when Juve play away at Villarreal in the first leg of […]

Paris (AFP) – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a hat-trick for Barcelona against Valencia at the weekend — the first player this century to fire a treble in La Liga, the Premier League, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1. It was the first hat-trick claimed by a Barcelona player since Lionel Messi in February 2020, and helped Barca […]

Lille (France) (AFP) – A Lille side sitting in mid-table in Ligue 1 head to London to face Chelsea this week hoping to play the role of "party poopers" against the reigning European champions, their coach Jocelyn Gourvennec told AFP. Recent Club World Cup winners Chelsea are heavy favourites to beat Lille in their Champions […]

London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel admits Chelsea are fighting to "survive" as the spluttering Champions League holders prepare to face Lille in the last 16 first leg on Tuesday. Tuchel's side have won their last five games in all competitions, but there was little joy on the German's face when he reflected on Saturday's 1-0 […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus made a splash in the January transfer window when they snatched hot prospect Dusan Vlahovic and Switzerland midfielder Denis Zakaria, but their arrival has yet to provide the hoped-for boost ahead of Tuesday's Champions League visit to Villarreal. Massimiliano Allegri's side travel to Spain as the only Italian side with a […]

Beijing (AFP) – After staging both a Summer and now a Winter Olympics, there is one major international sports event left for China to host — the football World Cup. Football fan President Xi Jinping has said he wants China to stage and even win the men's World Cup one day, and the country has […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Three own goals by New Zealand defender Meikayla Moore helped deliver the reigning Women's World Cup champion United States a 5-0 victory Sunday over the Football Ferns in the She Believes Cup. Moore, who plays for Liverpool in the English Women's Championship, knocked US crosses in the fifth, sixth and 36th […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Libyan clubs Al Ittihad and Al Ahly Tripoli scored notable CAF Confederation Cup group victories on Sunday over African title winners Orlando Pirates of South Africa and CS Sfaxien of Tunisia. Ittihad edged Pirates 3-2 in a thrilling first match of a Benghazi double-header before Ahly survived a late scare to defeat […]

Paris (AFP) – Marseille slipped to a surprise 2-0 loss to struggling Clermont at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday to miss the chance to strengthen their grip on a top-three place. Jorge Sampaoli's second-placed side had won their last two games to move four points clear of third-placed Nice and five ahead of fourth-placed Strasbourg […]

Madrid (AFP) – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang said Valencia's Mestalla stadium feels like home after he scored a hat-trick in Barcelona's 4-1 victory on Sunday. He also put three past Valencia on his last visit to Mestalla in 2019, when Arsenal won 4-2 to reach the Europa League final. "The last time it was a hat-trick in […]