London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel hailed his "special team" after Chelsea's reign as European champions came to an agonising end, with his task now to lift his players for a crucial FA Cup semi-final this weekend. The Blues had one foot in the Champions League semi-finals at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday after staging a […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid were given an almighty scare by Chelsea on Tuesday but the eternal brilliance of Luka Modric and Karim Benzema prevailed and now they are in sight of their 14th European Cup. With the Santiago Bernabeu just about empty, except for the Chelsea fans still singing up in the highest corner, […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – There were 70,000 at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday, but you could have heard a pin drop among home Bayern Munich fans when Villarreal equalised with two minutes left to dump the Germans out of the Champions League. When they were paired with Spanish side Villarreal in last month's quarter-finals draw, […]

Paris (AFP) – Barcelona have toiled at home in continental competition this season but they will need to find a way past Eintracht Frankfurt at the Camp Nou on Thursday if they are to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League. The Catalans needed a second-half Ferran Torres strike to come from behind and draw […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Villarreal forward Gerard Moreno said comments by Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann inspired the Spaniards to their shock 2-1 aggregate win over the German giants in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday. Leading 1-0 from the first leg, Villarreal snatched a 1-1 draw on the night and a semi-final place through […]

Madrid (AFP) – Luka Modric turned the tie and Karim Benzema settled it as Real Madrid held off a sensational fightback from Chelsea on Tuesday to win an enthralling Champions League quarter-final 5-4 on aggregate. Chelsea wiped out Madrid's 3-1 lead from the first leg in stunning fashion at the Santiago Bernabeu as Mason Mount, […]

Warsaw (AFP) – Dynamo Kyiv, Ukraine's most successful football club, began a tour of Europe to help raise funds for the war-torn country with a friendly against Legia Warsaw in Poland on Tuesday. The Ukrainian league did not resume after the winter break and has been put on hold indefinitely following the invasion by Russia […]

Madrid (AFP) – Luka Modric turned the tie and Karim Benzema settled it as Real Madrid held off a sensational fightback from Chelsea on Tuesday to win an enthralling Champions League quarter-final 5-4 on aggregate. Chelsea wiped out Madrid's 3-1 lead from the first leg in stunning fashion at the Santiago Bernabeu as Mason Mount, […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Villarreal dumped Bayern Munich out of the Champions League on Tuesday, Samuel Chukwueze's 88th-minute strike at the Allianz Arena giving the Spaniards a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their quarter-final tie that took them through 2-1 on aggregate. Robert Lewandowski had put Bayern ahead on the night to level […]

Leipzig (Germany) (AFP) – RB Leipzig on Tuesday revealed they have taken the unusual step of signing Belgian goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt from 2024 on a five-year contract. The 20-year-old will join the Bundesliga club in two years time and will rival Hungary goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, 31, whose Leipzig contract expires in 2025. "(This) allows us […]

Lausanne (AFP) – Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and former UEFA chief Michel Platini will appear before Swiss prosecutors on charges of fraud between 8-22 June, the criminal court concerned said Tuesday. This will be the final hearing in a long-running saga that began in 2011 and stems from a payment from FIFA to Platini […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted a looming FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City will have no impact on his team selection for Wednesday's Champions League tie at home to Benfica. Last weekend the Reds, still in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple of trophies in the one season, drew 2-2 with […]

Madrid (AFP) – Diego Simeone has called for critics of Atletico Madrid's style of play to show more respect ahead of the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City on Wednesday. Atletico were widely lambasted for their ultra-defensive performance at the Etihad Stadium last week, when Simeone's team failed to muster a […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United fans are planning a protest against the Glazer family, the owners of the English football giants, on Saturday. A supporters' group called 'The 1958' has organised a protest march that will end at United's Old Trafford ground before the start of the Premier League game with Norwich. The 1958, trying […]

Madrid (AFP) – "It’s not about advice, says Thomas Lemar. "It’s more when he talks, the way he talks, his honesty. That’s what makes you play out of your skin." Lemar knows better than anyone the power of Diego Simeone. After joining Atletico Madrid for 60 million euros from Monaco in 2018, Lemar struggled. He […]