Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund hope to set up a mouth-watering clash against holders Bayern Munich by ending the run of third-division minnows Sportfreunde Lotte in Tuesday's rescheduled German Cup quarter-final. The tie has been moved to Osnabruck's Bremer Bruecke stadium after the original fixture at Lotte's tiny ground had to be postponed because a […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino says Son Heung-Min has proved he can replace the injured Harry Kane after the Tottenham forward's hat-trick silenced Millwall's racist taunts. Son found himself thrust into the spotlight at White Hart Lane on Sunday as he scored his first goals since January in Tottenham's 6-0 FA Cup quarter-final thrashing of […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he is happy for his team to win "ugly" during the remainder of the Premier League season if it brings results such as the fortunate 2-1 victory over Burnley at Anfield on Sunday. Klopp's team improved their chances of finishing in the top four, and qualifying for […]

Milan (AFP) – A "tormenting" decision to ditch his bride-to-be may still haunt Massimiliano Allegri, but as the Champions League quarter-finals loom the Juventus coach should be more than ready for his next life-changing decision. A talented midfielder who ultimately failed to reach the heights in Serie A, Allegri is set to steer the Turin […]

London (AFP) – A relative unknown on the global football scene just weeks ago, Craig Shakespeare now stands poised to steer Leicester City into the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The jocular coach was promoted from his role as assistant manager following Claudio Ranieri's shock dismissal last month, which he said left him feeling like […]

New York (AFP) – David Villa scored twice as New York City FC bounced back from their opening weekend defeat with a 4-0 rout of DC United in Major League Soccer on Sunday. Former Spain and Barcelona star Villa scored once and created another in a dominant first-half display as New York responded to last […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos struck another late winner as the European champions usurped Barcelona at the top of La Liga with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Real Betis on Sunday. Earlier, Barca boss Luis Enrique accepted his side had struggled to shrug off the euphoria of a remarkable Champions League comeback […]

London (AFP) – Former England manager Steve McClaren was sacked Sunday by Derby County for the second time with the English second-tier side saying the club had lacked "focus, passion and commitment". Friday's 3-0 defeat by Championship high-flyers Brighton left Derby 10 points adrift of the top six in the division and with little realistic […]

Moscow (AFP) – Spartak Moscow went eight points clear in the Russian Premier League on Sunday as Alexander Samedov netted the winning goal in their hard-fought 1-0 win against Anzhi Makhachkala. Reigning champions CSKA Moscow, who trounced bottom-placed Tomsk 4-0 on Saturday, are second equal on points with Zenit St Petersburg, who suffered a 1-0 […]

Berlin (AFP) – US international Bobby Wood scored Hamburg's winner on Sunday as their revival continued with a 2-1 comeback victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach. Hamburg, the Bundesliga's only ever-present side since its inception in 1963-64, have picked up 13 points in their last six games under Markus Gisdol. However, they remain 16th — in the […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Emre Can's superb shot guided Liverpool to a 2-1 home win over Burnley on Sunday and maintained their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Ashley Barnes, with his club’s first goal at Anfield since 1975, had given Burnley a deserved early lead only for Georginio Wijnaldum to equalise in first-half […]

Paris (AFP) – Memphis Depay scored from near the halfway line as Lyon rode their luck early before crushing Toulouse 4-0 on Sunday to remain in pole position for next season's Europa League. Toulouse struck the woodwork twice through Andy Delort and Corentin Jean in the first half before defender Christophe Jallet hammered Lyon into the […]

Lyon (AFP) – The United States's women's star striker Alex Morgan scored a hat-trick for Lyon on Sunday, her first goals since moving to France on a six-month deal. Morgan's treble inspired Lyon to a 6-0 win over Rodez in the French Cup quarter-finals. The 27-year-old joined the team in December in a deal which […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona suffered a hangover from their remarkable Champions League comeback against Paris Saint-Germain as Alex Bergantinos's winner 16 minutes from time handed Deportivo la Coruna a famous 2-1 win on Sunday. Joselu had fired Deportivo into a first-half lead before Luis Suarez levelled in the first minute of the second period. However, Bergantinos rose highest […]

London (AFP) – Craig Shakespeare has been confirmed as manager of Leicester City until the end of the season after winning his first two games in charge as caretaker boss of the faltering Premier League champions, the club said Sunday. Shakespeare, previously a Leicester coach, took over after Claudio Ranieri was sacked last month — […]