London (AFP) – Antonio Conte will head to the beach next week as the frazzled Chelsea manager gets some well deserved rest after battling in vain to land his top transfer targets. Although Conte has hit the ground running with three successive wins to start his Chelsea reign, the Italian has endured a frustrating time […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Hot-shot Robert Lewandowski blasted a hat-trick in Bayern Munich's 6-0 win over Werder Bremen in Friday's opening game of the Bundesliga season — with a hole in his goal-scoring boot. "It didn't seem to affect me much," Lewandowski, the Bundesliga's top scorer last season with 30 goals in his 32 games, […]

Berlin (AFP) – Robert Lewandowski claimed a hat-trick as defending champions Bayern Munich brushed Werder Bremen aside with a 6-0 win in Friday's opening match of the new German league season. Lewandowski, the Bundesliga's top-scorer last season with 30 goals, could have finished with five as Bayern ran riot. "I'm just happy I scored and […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Striker Marcus Rashford is better off in the England Under 21 side than playing second or third fiddle to Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy for the England senior team, says his club manager Manchester United's Jose Mourinho. The 18-year-old — one of the rare successes under Mourinho's predecessor Louis van […]

Berlin (AFP) – Holders Bayern Munich will host Bavarian neighbours Augsburg in an all-Bundesliga clash in the second round of the German Cup, following Friday's draw. Defending German league champions Bayern completed the double last season by beating Borussia Dortmund in the Berlin final last May and will host Augsburg at Munich's Allianz Arena. Dortmund […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Rangers had to settle for a point against 10-men Kilmarnock as they came from behind to claim a 1-1 draw in their Scottish Premiership clash on Friday. Kris Boyd came back to haunt his former club as he fired Kilmarnock in to a 29th minute lead. Rangers grabbed an equaliser when James […]

London (AFP) – Norwegian international midfielder Stefan Johansen will miss out on Champions League football after he left Scottish champions Celtic for second-tier English side Fulham on Friday. The 25-year-old — who has scored 20 goals in 114 appearances for Celtic since joining from Stromsgodset in 2014 — agreed to the move after failing to […]

Marseille (AFP) – Marseille got their Ligue 1 campaign up and running as they beat Lorient 2-0 at the Stade Velodrome on Friday to pick up their first win of the season. Remy Cabella fired Franck Passi's hosts in front with a brilliant first-half free-kick, and Bafetimbi Gomis added a second in the 70th minute. […]

Rome (AFP) – Defensive midfielder Amadou Diawara has left Bologna to sign for Serie A rivals Napoli, the two clubs announced on Friday. The 19-year-old Guinean impressed last season as Bologna finished 14th in the Italian top flight, making 34 league appearances. He started his career playing for San Marino Calcio in the third division.

Serie A and La Liga both kicked off last weekend on the networks of beIN SPORTS. La Liga’s opening weekend viewership peaked Sunday afternoon when 294,000 watched Real Madrid face off against Real Sociedad on beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS en Español. Saturday’s match between Barcelona and Real Betis drew 238,000. The two Serie A matches […]

Berlin (AFP) – German side Stuttgart confirmed on Friday that they had signed Arsenal's Japanese forward Takuma Asano on a year-long loan. "Takuma completes our attacking players," said Stuttgart's sporting director Jan Schindelmeiser. "He is very dangerous in front of goal, is comfortable with both feet and is very mobile." Schindelmeiser said that fellow Japanese […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola warned goalkeeping outcast Joe Hart on Friday that he is not even guaranteed a place on the bench if he fails to leave the club. Hart, 29, is in limbo after losing his place as the club's first-choice goalkeeper following Guardiola's arrival and City are […]

Rome (AFP) – Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed that record signing Gonzalo Higuain will once again start from the bench when the defending champions go to Lazio on Saturday. "Higuain is doing really well and is very close to his top condition but in the last couple of days he's had to slow down […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany head coach Joachim Loew has called up three members of the team which lost the Olympic final in Rio for Manchester United reject Bastian Schweinsteiger's farewell international next Wednesday. Inexperienced trio Julian Brandt, Niklas Suele and Max Mayer have been included in the squad for the friendly against Finland in Moenchengladbach, […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho indicated to out-of-favour midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger on Friday that there will be no place for him at Old Trafford this season. The Germany international has two years to run on a reported £190,000-a-week ($251,000, 222,200 euros) contract, but has been frozen out by United's new […]