Seoul (AFP) – FC Seoul took a grip of their AFC Champions League quarter-final after overcoming Shandong Luneng 3-1 in the first leg in the Korean capital on Wednesday. Goals from Park Chu-Young, Dejan Damjanovic and Brazilian top scorer Adriano gave them a deserved two-goal cushion to take to China for the second leg on […]

Hensol (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Injured Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey was not included in the squad announced by Wales manager Chris Coleman on Wednesday for next month's opening World Cup qualifier against Moldova. Ramsey, 25, is nursing a hamstring injury and will miss the Euro 2016 semi-finalists' opening Group D fixture against Moldova in Cardiff […]

London (AFP) – German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger said on Wednesday that Manchester United would be his "last club in Europe" and vowed to fight for his place in the team. Schweinsteiger, 32, has been frozen out by new United manager Jose Mourinho and is yet to make a competitive appearance this season. But with the […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Benfica Lisbon have loaned out Dutch striker Ola John to English side Wolverhampton on a one year deal and have also loaned Brazilian Talisca to Besiktas, the Portuguese champions announced. "Ola John has extended his contract for another season," said Benfica, adding that the loan deal had gone through. The 24-year-old has […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke claims they beat Bayern Munich to sign French starlet Ousmane Dembele, but admits it will be harder to halt the Bavarians bid for a fifth straight German league title. The new German league season starts on Friday with Bayern, under new head coach Carlo Ancelotti, hosting Werder […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich will chase a fifth straight Bundesliga title when the new season starts on Friday, with new coach Carlo Ancelotti attempting to continue the dominance forged by predecessors Pep Guardiola and Jupp Heynckes. The Bayern hierarchy are expecting the 57-year-old Ancelotti to keep the Bavarian giants, who kick off the new […]

Geneva (AFP) – Sepp Blatter will mount his final challenge against his six-year FIFA ban on Thursday, following more than a year of scandal that saw him thrown out of football in disgrace. The former FIFA boss has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) seeking to overturn a suspension imposed by world […]

The year 2016 has been a monumental year for Ireland and Irish everywhere. It was the centennial of the Easter Rebellion and the birth of the nation. This year also marked 100 years on from the Battle of the Somme, which ensured the division of Ulster and Ireland. It was the advance, however, of the […]

Paris (AFP) – Scottish champions Celtic withstood a furious fightback from Hapoel Beer-Sheva to reach the Champions League group stage on Tuesday despite a 2-0 defeat in Israel, while Porto beat nine-man Roma 3-0 to advance. Leading 5-2 from last week's first play-off leg in Glasgow, Celtic were made to sweat in the Israeli desert […]

London (AFP) – Daniel Sturridge scored twice as Liverpool strolled into the League Cup third round with a 5-0 win at Burton Albion on Tuesday, while Chelsea edged third-tier Bristol Rovers 3-2. Divock Origi, Roberto Firmino and Sturridge all scored as Liverpool, last season's beaten finalists, crushed Championship side Burton, who are managed by ex-Liverpool […]

Santiago (AFP) – Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi named a familiar squad on Tuesday for the reigning South American champions' upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Chile, who beat Argentina on penalties in the Copa America final two months ago to successfully defend their title, currently hold the fourth and final automatic South American qualification spot […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – New Argentina head coach Edgardo Bauza said on Tuesday that he wants to see his side rely less on Lionel Messi, after the Barcelona forward's brief retirement from international football. Messi said that he was going to quit playing for his country in the aftermath of their second successive Copa America […]

London (AFP) – Ragnar Sigurdsson, one of the stars of Iceland's Euro 2016 campaign, has signed for Fulham from Russian side Krasnodar, the English second-tier club announced on Tuesday. Sigurdsson played a starring role in Iceland's stunning 2-1 win over England in the last 16 at Euro 2016, scoring his side's opening goal and being […]

Piraeus (Greece) (AFP) – Olympiakos have signed German midfielder Marko Marin from Chelsea for an undisclosed fee, the Greek champions announced on Tuesday. While the club did not announce the duration of the contract, Greek media reported it was a three-year deal. Marin, 27, had been with Chelsea since 2012, but only made six Premier […]

NBC's Match of the Day makes it season debut this Saturday after missing the first two weeks due to the Olympics. The Premier League highlights show, which also includes analysis from the NBC Sports team, will air at midnight ET on Sunday night on NBCSN. In addition to the one hour Match of the Day […]