Tokyo (AFP) – Andres Iniesta's Japanese team Vissel Kobe have fired manager Atsuhiro Miura after a seven-game winless start to the new J-League season. Vissel announced Sunday that Miura, who had been in charge since September 2020 and was previously the club's director of sport, would step down with the team third from bottom of […]

Madrid (AFP) – Xavi Hernandez said Barcelona's 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid could be transformative for the club after their Clasico demolition at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday. Barcelona blew Madrid away as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice either side of goals from Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres. The match was billed as a test of […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona stunned Real Madrid with a 4-0 victory on Sunday as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice in a Clasico demolition at the Santiago Bernabeu. The match was billed as a test of Barca's progress under Xavi Hernandez and they passed with flying colours, a humiliation of their fiercest rivals suggesting they are primed […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Full-back Ntsikelelo Nyauza scored with a powerful header as South African club Orlando Pirates reached the CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals on Sunday with a 2-0 win over JS Saoura in Algeria. Nyauza struck on 48 minutes and Kabelo Dlamini doubled the lead just three minutes later with a clinical side-footed finish at […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund were held to a 1-1 draw at Cologne on Sunday as Erling Haaland drew a blank, leaving Bayern Munich to finish the weekend six points clear in the Bundesliga. After Robert Lewandowski scored twice in Bayern's 4-0 thrashing of Union Berlin on Saturday, second-placed Dortmund lost ground in the title […]

Rome (AFP) – Juventus put their Champions League woes behind them to consolidate fourth place in Serie A on Sunday with a 2-0 win over basement club Salernitana, while Roma stunned city rivals Lazio 3-0 with three first-half goals. Days after their 3-0 European humiliation by Villarreal, Juventus kept their push to recapture the Serie […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – A Royal AM team coached by former Malawi star John Maduka moved closer to a fairy tale top-two finish in the South African Premiership on Sunday and qualification for the CAF Champions League. The Durban-based outfit led twice in a 2-2 away draw with Stellenbosch in the western Cape winelands that moved […]

Monaco (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain were beaten 3-0 at Monaco on Sunday after a Wissam Ben Yedder double strike, as Neymar and Kylian Mbappe were both booked in a feisty Ligue 1 encounter. PSG remain 13 points clear of Rennes at the top of Ligue 1 after the fourth league defeat of the season for […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City finally got the better of Southampton at the third attempt this season with a 4-1 win to move into the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday. Crystal Palace also hit four to thrash struggling Everton 4-0 to make the last four. City's bid to retain their Premier League title has been […]

London (AFP) – Crystal Palace stormed into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in six years with a 4-0 thrashing of struggling Everton on Sunday. Marc Guehi, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Wilfried Zaha and Will Hughes got the goals as the Eagles continued their impressive first season under Patrick Vieira. Everton's focus now turns to […]

Copenhagen (AFP) – Christian Eriksen's return to the Denmark team, nine months after suffering a cardiac arrest playing for his country, will be slightly delayed because he has Covid, the federation announced Sunday. "Unfortunately, Christian Eriksen has tested positive for coronavirus and will therefore not be with the men's team on Monday," the DBU said […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Giorgos Giakoumakis scored his second hat-trick in five games as Celtic moved six points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a 4-0 thrashing of 10-man Ross County on Saturday. The Hoops had the points wrapped up within 26 minutes as Giakoumakis headed home Jota's cross at the far post, thrashed […]

Berlin (AFP) – Hertha Berlin earned their first win of 2022 on Saturday to climb out of the Bundesliga bottom two with a 3-0 home victory over Hoffenheim despite new coach Felix Magath being sidelined by Covid. At the top of the table, leaders Bayern Munich will later look to bounce back from consecutive draws […]

Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Arsenal took another big step towards ending a five-year exile from the Champions League as Bukayo Saka's strike beat Aston Villa 1-0 to open up a four-point lead in fourth in the Premier League. The Gunners could even increase that gap with a game in hand over fifth-placed Manchester United […]

Doha (AFP) – When Al Sadd wrapped up a second straight Qatar title by stretching their unbeaten league run to 49 games, they were inevitably dubbed the 'Invincibles' after another team that reached the same number. While the 12-team Qatar League is not as formidable as the 2003-4 English Premier league, unlike Arsenal, Al Sadd […]