Madrid (AFP) – Karim Benzema scored an extra-time penalty as Real Madrid pulled off another astonishing comeback in the Champions League to stun Manchester City 3-1 on Wednesday and book a showdown with Liverpool in the final. City looked certain to go through when Riyad Mahrez put them 1-0 up and 5-3 ahead on aggregate […]

London (AFP) – British businessman Jim Ratcliffe remains interested in buying Chelsea despite having his late bid for the London club dismissed, according to a director of his petrochemicals company Ineos. Ratcliffe, reportedly Britain's richest man, revealed on Friday he was putting forward an offer for the Blues totalling £4.25 billion ($5.3 billion). Of those […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga side Freiburg announced on Wednesday the signing of 2014 World Cup winner Matthias Ginter, who will return to his former club from Borussia Moenchengladbach on a free transfer. The centre-back came up through the Freiburg academy but left in 2014 to join Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund before switching to Gladbach in […]

Berlin (AFP) – Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen will miss Germany's Nations League games against England, Italy and Hungary this June, the goalkeeper announced on Wednesday. The 30-year-old is an understudy to Germany captain Manuel Neuer and has opted to take a break this summer with one eye on the World Cup finals in Qatar, which […]

Doha (AFP) – Migrant labourers are working through the night near the World Cup clock that will start counting down 200 days to kick-off on Thursday, with hosts Qatar facing mounting questions over costs and conditions for fans. Eight shiny, air-conditioned stadiums are ready for the tournament's start on November 21, but every night the […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers says the club are attempting to write "another chapter" in their story as they prepare to face Roma with a place in the Europa Conference League final at stake. The Foxes, who shocked the football world by winning the Premier League in 2016 under Claudio Ranieri, […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Giovanni van Bronckhorst said Wednesday he trusted in the character of his Rangers players as they seek to overturn a Europa League semi-final deficit against RB Leipzig while mourning the death of their kitman. The death of the popular and long-serving Jimmy Bell at the age of 69 was announced by the […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Fifty-seven games into a gruelling season Liverpool could have crumbled when their 2-0 first-leg lead was wiped out before half-time by an inspired Villarreal playing to reach their first-ever Champions League final. Instead, the Reds will be in European club football's showpiece occasion for the third time in five seasons after they […]

London (AFP) – Nottingham Forest defender Steve Cook thanked paramedics for saving his father's life just before the crunch English Championship promotion showdown at his former club Bournemouth. The home side won 1-0 on Tuesday to secure a return to the Premier League with substitute Kieffer Moore scoring the only goal of the game in […]

Berlin (AFP) – Ansgar Knauff only joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan in January, but his goals against Barcelona and West Ham have helped put Eintracht Frankfurt on the verge of the Europa League final. Frankfurt need only a draw at home to West Ham in Thursday's semi-final second leg to reach their first European final […]

Paris (AFP) – West Ham United and Rangers must both overturn first-leg deficits against German opposition on Thursday if they are to reach the Europa League final, while Leicester City head to Italy aiming to deny Jose Mourinho's Roma a place in the first ever final of the Europa Conference League. Eintracht Frankfurt have the […]

Vila-real (Spain) (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp said reaching a third Champions League final in five years with Liverpool felt just as special as the first after his team saw off a spirited fightback from Villarreal on Tuesday to keep their quadruple hopes alive. Trailing 2-0 from the first leg of their semi-final, Villarreal sparked hopes […]

Vila-real (Spain) (AFP) – Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold admitted Villarreal made life "really difficult" as Jurgen Klopp's side battled through to a third Champions League final in five years on Tuesday. The Reds led 2-0 from last week's semi-final first leg at Anfield, but first-half goals in Spain from Boulaye Dia and Francis Coquelin levelled […]

Vila-real (Spain) (AFP) – Liverpool held off a stirring comeback from Villarreal to reach the Champions League final on Tuesday as second-half goals from Fabinho, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane secured a 5-2 aggregate victory. Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Villarreal sparked hopes of a remarkable turnaround in the return at the Estadio de […]

Dragan Skočić, the head coach of Iran, was born in Rijeka, a port city in Croatia near the Adriatic Sea. As a former player, his career as a midfielder spanned from 1987 to 2004. His most prominent stint came with Spanish side Las Palmas, then in the Spanish second division. He is the first Croatian […]