Houston (AFP) – Kevin De Bruyne's double strike was enough to help Manchester City see off Club America 2-1 in Houston on Wednesday as Pep Guardiola made Erling Haaland wait for his debut. The Belgian international's superbly taken brace settled a feisty clash at NRG Stadium but City's new $61 million striker could only look […]

Washington (AFP) – New signings Sadio Mane and Matthijs De Ligt scored debut goals as Bayern Munich thumped Major League Soccer's D.C United 6-2 in a friendly on Wednesday. Senegalese international Mane, who joined Bayern last month in a transfer worth a reported $42 million after a six-year stint with English giants Liverpool, opened his […]

Fort Lauderdale (United States) (AFP) – Robert Lewandowski was officially unveiled as a Barcelona player on Wednesday and insisted he still has the hunger to continue his incredible goalscoring exploits. The Polish striker, signed from Bayern Munich for around 50 million euros, was formally introduced as a Barca player alongside club president Joan Laporta. The […]

Stockport (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Netherlands manager Mark Parsons is determined to leave a mark on the pitch at Euro 2022 to match the impact of the Dutch fans who have turned stadiums in England orange. Thousands of supporters have helped break the record attendance for a group-stage game at a women's Euros not involving […]

The Hague (AFP) – The Netherlands' star striker Vivianne Miedema is back with the Oranje's Euro 2022 squad after her positive Covid-19 test in time for their quarter-final against France, the champions announced Wednesday. Miedema, 26, was ruled out of her country's second match against Portugal last week. The Arsenal player is her country's all-time […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Lionel Messi scored but Paris Saint-Germain were made to work hard for a 2-1 win over Kawasaki Frontale on Wednesday in the first match of their pre-season Japanese tour. Star forwards Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe all started for PSG in front of a crowd of 65,000 at Tokyo's National Stadium. Messi […]

Rome (AFP) – AC Milan midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko said Wednesday that Italian police who pulled him from his car at gunpoint this month after mistaking him for a shooting suspect "clearly put our lives in danger". A video of the July 3 police stop that went viral earlier this month showed the French midfielder with […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Lionel Messi scored but Paris Saint-Germain were made to work hard for a 2-1 win over Kawasaki Frontale on Wednesday in the first match of their pre-season Japanese tour. Star forwards Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe all started in new PSG manager Christophe Galtier's first game in charge of his full squad […]

Rome (AFP) – Roma on Wednesday announced the signing of Paulo Dybala on a three-year contract after the Argentina forward's deal with Juventus expired. "I arrive at a team that is growing, with a club that continues to lay an increasingly solid foundation for the future and a coach, Jose Mourinho, with whom it is […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Another chapter in the personal rivalry between former Liverpool teammates Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah will play out in Rabat on Thursday when the annual African award winners are announced.   Mane was a key figure in the Senegal team that defeated Salah-captained Egypt in the 2021/2022 Africa Cup of Nations final […]

Miami (AFP) – Raphinha marked his Barcelona debut with a goal and two assists as the Spanish giants kicked off their four match US tour with a comprehensive thrashing of David Beckham's Inter Miami on Tuesday. The Brazilian, signed from Premier League Leeds United earlier this month for around $60 million, capped a promising first […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich announced the signing of Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt on a five-year deal on Tuesday. "Matthijs de Ligt was a top target for us. With signings like this, the big aims that we have are achievable. The future face of our team is increasingly taking shape," said Bayern president Herbert […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller on Tuesday vowed to 'come back stronger' as he thanked fans for their support following his diagnosis for a testicular tumour. Ivory Coast's Haller joined the German club earlier this month as a replacement for Erling Haaland, who has signed for Manchester City. But the 28-year-old left […]

London (AFP) – England manager Sarina Wiegman is "very hopeful" she will be able to lead her team in Wednesday's Euro 2022 quarter-final against Spain after contracting coronavirus. Wiegman missed Friday's 5-0 group-stage victory over Northern Ireland following her positive test. Her assistant Arjan Veurink has been taking training since then, with Wiegman watching from […]

Melbourne (AFP) – Anthony Martial scored his third goal in three games as a slick Manchester United beat Crystal Palace 3-1 in Melbourne to ensure new coach Erik ten Hag's unbeaten streak remained intact Tuesday. In front of 76,500 fans at Melbourne Cricket Ground, French forward Martial struck in the first half while Marcus Rashford […]