Montevideo (AFP) – Minnows Ecuador's coach Gustavo Alfaro told his team to "stay strong" as they travel to Peru on Tuesday knowing victory would book their ticket to the World Cup for just the fourth time in their history. A controversial and eventful 1-1 draw at home to Brazil on Thursday has left Ecuador in […]

Paris (AFP) – Fourth-tier Bergerac Perigord shocked Ligue 1 strugglers Saint-Etienne 1-0 to book a spot in the French Cup quarter-finals on Sunday and Monaco eliminated top-flight rivals Lens 4-2 in another last-16 clash. Late substitute Romain Escarpit scored a 76th minute winner for the side from Dordogne in south-western France who also claimed the […]

Hamilton (Canada) (AFP) – Canada took a giant step towards their first World Cup qualification in 36 years on Sunday after scoring an upset 2-0 victory over arch-rivals the United States in CONCACAF qualifiers. A Cyle Larin goal after just seven minutes and an injury time effort from Sam Adekugbe secured all three points for […]

Yaoundé (AFP) – Mohamed Salah starred as Egypt reached the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals on Sunday and were joined in the last four by Senegal, while the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde where eight people died in a crush a week ago was given the green light to host the final. The Confederation of African […]

Yaoundé (AFP) – Sadio Mane's Senegal marched on to the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations after seeing off a spirited Equatorial Guinea side with a 3-1 victory in Yaounde on Sunday. Mane set up the opener for Famara Diedhiou in the last-eight encounter but Equatorial Guinea fought back to equalise through Jannick Buyla […]

London (AFP) – Derby County manager Wayne Rooney has urged Middlesbrough and Wycombe Wanderers, as well as the English Football League, to be "sensible" in their treatment of his struggling side after the cash-strapped club's last-ditch 2-2 Championship draw at home to Birmingham on Sunday. Both Middlesbrough, who also play in English football's second-tier, and […]

London (AFP) – Manchester police said they had arrested a man on suspicion of rape and assault on Sunday after Manchester United suspended Mason Greenwood following allegations on social media. "Greater Manchester Police was made aware earlier today (Sunday 30 January) of online social media images and videos posted by a woman reporting incidents of […]

Yaoundé (AFP) – Mohamed Salah inspired Egypt to a place in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals on Sunday as the record seven-time champions came from behind to defeat Morocco 2-1 in extra time in Yaounde. Sofiane Boufal's early penalty put Morocco in front in the last-eight tie but skipper Salah equalised for Egypt early […]

Yaoundé (AFP) – The final of the Africa Cup of Nations will go ahead at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Sunday lifted its suspension of the venue where eight people died in a crush on January 24. CAF's announcement means that the second semi-final scheduled for February […]

London (AFP) – Newcastle on Sunday announced the signing of Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon on a four-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee reported to be around £40 million ($54 million). Guimaraes, 24, is head coach Eddie Howe's third signing of the transfer window, following the arrivals of England international Kieran Trippier and New […]

London (AFP) – Newcastle on Sunday announced the signing of Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon on a four-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee. Guimaraes, 24, is head coach Eddie Howe's third signing of the transfer window, following the arrivals of England international Kieran Trippier and New Zealand international Chris Wood. "Bruno is a hugely […]

London (AFP) – Mason Greenwood will not play or train with Manchester United "until further notice", the English Premier League giants said Sunday. United issued a statement after police confirmed they were making enquiries following an accusation that the 20-year-old England forward had been violent towards a woman. Earlier on Sunday, video, photos and an […]

London (AFP) – Colombian international winger Luis Diaz signed for Premier League side Liverpool on Sunday from Portuguese side FC Porto, which will place further doubt on the future of their Egyptian star Mohamed Salah. The 25-year-old Diaz signed a contract till 2027 for a reported fee of £37.5 million ($50 million), with a further […]

Paris (AFP) – Fourth-tier outfit Versailles reached the French Cup quarter-finals on Saturday with a shock 1-0 win at Ligue 2 leaders Toulouse. It is the fourth straight season a team from the fourth division have made the last eight and Versailles will be hoping to emulate Rumilly-Vallieres' effort from last term by reaching the […]

Douala (AFP) – Cameroon and Burkina Faso qualified for the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday with Karl Toko-Ekambi's double leading the hosts to a 2-0 win over Gambia before the Stallions edged Tunisia 1-0 in the late game. French-born Lyon striker Toko-Ekambi scored twice in the space of eight minutes at […]