Football: Leicester thump sorry Newcastle, West Ham held by Burnley
LONDON (AFP) – Leicester left Newcastle still rooted in the English Premier League relegation zone with a 4-0 thrashing on Sunday (Dec 12), while West Ham’s Champions League ambitions were dented by a 0-0 draw at Burnley. Despite being hit by a coronavirus outbreak that left Brendan Rodgers without seven players, the Foxes gave Eddie... » read more
Football: Danjuma double sends Villarreal into Champions League last 16
BERGAMO, ITALY (REUTERS) – Villarreal became the last team to reach the Champions League knockout stages as Netherlands international Arnaut Danjuma’s double helped them to a 3-2 win at Atalanta in their rearranged final Group F match on Thursday (Dec 9). The game was scheduled to take place on Wednesday but was postponed due to... » read more
Football: Juventus see off Malmo to top Champions League group
TURIN, ITALY (AFP) – Juventus completed their Champions League group phase with a largely uneventful 1-0 win over Malmo which allowed them to qualify for the last 16 as Group H winners. Massimiliano Allegri’s side leapfrogged Chelsea to claim top spot after Moise Kean headed the only goal of the game and Chelsea conceded a... » read more
Football: Chelsea blow bid for first place as Zenit snatch dramatic Champions League draw
ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA (AFP) – Chelsea blew their chance to finish top of Champions League Group H as Magomed Ozdoev’s stoppage-time equaliser forced the holders to settle for a dramatic 3-3 draw at Zenit Saint Petersburg on Wednesday (Dec 8). Thomas Tuchel’s side had already qualified for the last 16 and were hoping to take... » read more
Football: Mbappe and Messi on target as PSG beat Brugge 4-1 in Champions League
PARIS (REUTERS) – Already-qualified Paris St Germain finished the Champions League group stage in style as Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi bagged doubles in a 4-1 home win over Club Brugge on Tuesday (Dec 7). France forward Mbappe put the Ligue 1 side 2-0 up in the first seven minutes and Messi added a third... » read more
Football: Dzeko double downs Shakhtar to send Inter to brink of Last-16
MILAN (REUTERS) – Edin Dzeko scored twice in the space of six second-half minutes to earn Inter Milan a 2-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk at San Siro on Wednesday (Nov 24) and send the Italians to the brink of their first Champions League knockout stage appearance in a decade. The Bosnian swept home a finish... » read more
Football: City on a mission to return to Champions League final, says Gundogan
MANCHESTER (REUTERS) – Manchester City are determined to return to the Champions League final and will use their disappointment of losing last season’s showpiece as motivation, midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said on Tuesday (Nov 23). City reached their first ever Champions League final in May but lost 1-0 to Chelsea, with Gundogan collecting his second runners-up... » read more
Football: Ziyech strike sees Chelsea edge past Malmo in Champions League
MALMO, SWEDEN (AFP) – Chelsea moved to the brink of sealing their place in the Champions League last 16, but the defending champions were made to work hard for a 1-0 win over Malmo in Sweden on Tuesday (Nov 2). Hakim Ziyech broke the home side’s resistence 11 minutes into the second-half as the Moroccan... » read more
Football: Neymar in decline? Brazilian’s form a concern for PSG
PARIS (AFP) – While Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have dominated the headlines for Paris Saint-Germain this season, Neymar’s recent form has become a source of concern in the French capital. The Brazilian has scored just one goal in eight games since the campaign began, and that was a penalty in a 2-1 league win... » read more
Football: Barca edge past Dynamo to revive Champions League hopes at half-empty Camp Nou
BARCELONA (AFP) – Gerard Pique sparked Barcelona’s flailing Champions League campaign into life on Wednesday (Oct 20) by scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over Dynamo Kiev, a victory that was witnessed by a half-empty Camp Nou. The attendance was recorded at 45,968, with several blocks of seating filled by only a handful... » read more
Football: Liverpool beat Atletico 3-2 in Champions League as Griezmann sees red
MADRID (REUTERS) – Antoine Griezmann scored twice but was sent off for Atletico Madrid as they fell to a 3-2 Champions League Group B defeat to Liverpool whose in-form attacker Mohamed Salah netted a double, including the winner from the penalty spot. Salah opened the scoring with a deflected effort in the eighth minute and... » read more
Badminton: Japan to play S. Korea in Uber Cup semis after easy wins, no surprises in Thomas Cup too
AARHUS, DENMARK (XINHUA) – Defending Uber Cup champions Japan and South Korea both coasted to straight-forward 3-0 victories in Thursday’s (Oct 14) quarter-finals and will meet in Friday’s semi-finals. Japan, who won their first women’s badminton team title in 37 years in Thailand in 2018, took the first two singles and opening doubles matches without... » read more
Football: Not you again? Messi and Ronaldo in Ballon d’Or contention
PARIS (AFP) – Six-time winner Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time victor, were among the 30 names revealed on Friday (Oct 8) for the Ballon d’Or award. The serial favourites face competition that includes Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Karim Benzema, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante who are also considered as leading runners in the list unveiled... » read more
Football: Sheriff stun Real Madrid with shock away victory in Champions League
MADRID (REUTERS) – Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol pulled off a remarkable 2-1 win away to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday (Sept 28), snatching a shock victory thanks to a sensational 89th-minute strike from Sebastien Thill. Competition debutants Sheriff went ahead against the 13-times European champions in the 25th minute with a header... » read more