Burnley (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Maxwel Cornet scored five minutes from time as Burnley beat Premier League relegation rivals Everton 3-2 in a see-saw clash at Turf Moor on Wednesday. Victory saw Burnley remain in the relegation zone but move to within a point of Everton. Burnley took an early lead through Nathan Collins' first […]

London (AFP) – Karim Benzema's hat-trick fired Real Madrid to a stunning 3-1 win against Chelsea that put the Champions League holders on the brink of elimination after a dramatic quarter-final first leg on Wednesday. Benzema produced a masterclass at Stamford Bridge as the France striker netted twice in the first half with two perfectly-taken […]

Madrid (AFP) – Ferran Torres joked on Wednesday he would kidnap Ousmane Dembele to make the winger stay at Barcelona. Dembele is expected to leave for free at the end of the season after he decided against renewing his contract in January. But the Frenchman has been revitalised by Xavi Hernandez and his agent reportedly […]

London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel made four changes for Chelsea's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid as he looked for a response following last weekend's shock thrashing by Brentford. After Brentford romped to a 4-1 victory in the Premier League on Saturday, Tuchel dropped Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Marcos Alonso and Ruben Loftus-Cheek […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has warned against viewing Sunday's match with Manchester City as a decider for the Premier League title. Victory at the Etihad Stadium would give Liverpool an 11th successive league win and leave them two points ahead of City at the top of the table with seven games left […]

New York (AFP) – The jersey worn by Diego Maradona when he scored twice against England in the 1986 World Cup, including the infamous "hand of God" goal, is to be auctioned off later this month, Sotheby's announced Wednesday. The blue number 10 shirt has been owned since the end of the controversial World Cup […]

The Hague (AFP) – Former Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman will take over as Netherlands boss from Louis van Gaal after this year's World Cup, the Dutch football federation said on Wednesday. Van Gaal announced at the weekend that he had been receiving treatment for prostate cancer for the last two years but that he still […]

Paris (AFP) – West Ham United host Lyon in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday with the Hammers' run in continental competition bringing back memories of the club's halcyon days. They have not seen a European quarter-final in the east end of London since 1981, when second-division West Ham lost to […]

Madrid (AFP) – "A gift from heaven," was how Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez described the arrival Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the striker, discarded by Arsenal, has certainly delivered. It is hard to think of a more significant January acquisition than Aubameyang, given his impact on Barca's immediate and long-term future. By the end of the season, […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Kevin De Bruyne broke Atletico Madrid's stubborn resistence as the Manchester City midfielder's second-half strike clinched a 1-0 win in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg. Pep Guardiola's side spent much of the night banging their heads against the red and white brick wall assembled by Atletico's massed defence at […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Liverpool took charge of their Champions League quarter-final against Benfica on Tuesday as Sadio Mane, Ibrahima Konate and Luis Diaz gave them a 3-1 lead after the first leg in Lisbon. Konate nodded in his first Liverpool goal from a corner before Mane tapped home to put Liverpool in command at the […]

World Soccer Talk® is pleased to announce that the What the World Cup Means to Me eBook is now available as a free download. Soccer fans can get it by signing up through our website at worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/worldcupbook. The eBook is beautifully designed with a custom look-and-feel throughout the 29 pages. Each of the essays in […]

Lausanne (AFP) – The Russian football federation has dropped an appeal against FIFA's World Cup ban, imposed after the invasion of Ukraine, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Tuesday. Russia was drawn to face Poland in a World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final, but the Poles received a bye and then reached the […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea face Real Madrid on Wednesday reeling from their heaviest defeat of the season, but Thomas Tuchel's battle-hardened ability to keep his players focused should ensure the Champions League holders are ready for the latest test of their resilience. While Saturday's shock 4-1 home defeat against Brentford was hardly ideal preparation for […]

Berlin (AFP) – He only turned 19 in February, but Jamal Musiala is proving to be the versatile teenage jewel in Bayern Munich's midfield who turned down Chelsea in favour of a return to his native Germany. When Bayern face Villarreal away in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie Wednesday, Musiala could […]