Football

462 Articles

Eintracht, Rangers fans put on show for the ages…

Eintracht Frankfurt ended their 42-year barren run in Europe on Wednesday, beating Rangers 5-4 on penalties to lift the Europa League title in a final that will be remembered for the show put on by both sets of fans in a packed Sanchez Pizjuan stadium. The German team fought back from being a goal down to bring the game to a 1-1 draw before a tense 30 minutes of extra time ended without further scoring. They were roared on by Eintracht fans that

Liverpool take title race down to the wire with…

Joel Matip's stooping header gave Liverpool a 2-1 win at Southampton on Tuesday tokeep the Premier League title race alive until the final day of the season. The result leaves Liverpool a point behind leaders Manchester City ahead of Sunday's final round of games when City are at home to Aston Villa and Liverpool host Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield. City have 90 points with Liverpool on 89, meaning that victory for Pep Guardiola's side against Villa, managed by former Reds captain Steven Gerrard,

Liverpool interested in Mbappe but will not get drawn…

Liverpool are not blind to the qualities of Kylian Mbappe but will not be drawn into a bidding war for the Paris St Germain striker, manager Juergen Klopp said. The France forward stayed at PSG this season despite interest from Real Madrid and has hit top form with 36 goals from 45 matches in all competitions. The 23-year-old World Cup winner's contract expires in June and speculation about his future has ramped up in recent weeks, though Klopp was tight-lipped about any contact

Milan close in on first Serie A title in…

AC Milan closed in on their first Serie A title in 11 years on Sunday after goals from Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez earned them a 2-0 win over Atalanta, a victory that kept them two points clear at the top of the standings. With second-placed Inter Milan not in action until later on Sunday against Cagliari, league leaders Milan knew they could pile the pressure on their rivals with victory over Atalanta. But Stefano Pioli's team looked nervy and devoid of ideas

Quadruple still possible as Liverpool edge Chelsea in FA…

Juergen Klopp's relentless Liverpool beat Chelsea 6-5 on penalties in a fluctuating English FA Cup final on Saturday to stay on course for an unprecedented quadruple of trophies. An absorbing Wembley showpiece had somehow ended 0-0 after extra time despite a raft of chances and near misses for both sides with fine performances from the two goalkeepers. Substitute Kostas Tsimikas slotted the winning penalty after Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta's had hit the post and Alisson had saved Mason Mount's effort. Chelsea keeper Edouard

Messi tops Forbes’ highest-paid athletes list

Lionel Messi was the world's highest-paid athlete over the last year, according to the annual Forbes list released on Wednesday that had the Paris Saint-Germain forward ahead of the NBA's LeBron James and Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi earned $130 million, a figure which includes $55 million of endorsements, during the 12-month period ended May 1, 2022, to sit atop the list of the 10 highest-paid athletes a year after finishing second to Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor. Los Angeles Lakers forward James

Ukraine return to action with friendly win against Gladbach

Oleksandr Pikhalionok scored the winner as Ukraine beat Bundesliga side Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1 in a friendly on Wednesday in the national team's first game since the country was invaded by Russia. The match at Borussia-Park was attended by over 20,000 spectators, with all proceeds going towards relief efforts in Ukraine. Players from both teams held up a "Stop War" banner before kick-off. It also doubled up as a warm-up match for Ukraine before their World Cup playoff semi-final against Scotland on June 1,

Liverpool stay in title hunt with Villa win

Sadio Mane headed the winner as Liverpool came from a goal down to edge Aston Villa 2-1 on Tuesday and keep alive their hopes of reclaiming the Premier League title from leaders Manchester City. The win moved Liverpool level with City on 86 points in the standings, but the champions have a game in hand which takes place on Wednesday when they travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Any hope of Villa coach Steven Gerrard giving his former club an easy ride was quickly dispelled

Beckham hopes Ronaldo stays on at Man Utd

Manchester United are set to undergo major changes after another disappointing season but former midfielder David Beckham hopes Cristiano Ronaldo sticks around for at least another year. United's 4-0 hammering at Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend means they cannot finish higher than sixth. The Old Trafford side have appointed Ajax Amsterdam manager Erik ten Hag to replace interim boss Ralf Rangnick from the end of the current campaign, with the Dutchman expected to revamp the squad during the close season. Ronaldo

Coady snatches stoppage-time equaliser for Wolves at Chelsea

Conor Coady struck deep into time added on to snatch a 2-2 draw for Wolverhampton Wanderers away at Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday, as the Londoners' prospective new owners looked on from the Stamford Bridge stands. Coady headed home a cross from substitute Chiquinho in the 97th minute -- almost the last action of the game --after Francisco Trincao had pulled a goal back following Romelu Lukaku's double strike for Chelsea. Todd Boehly, the man heading the consortium that has agreed

We will keep going, says Klopp, as odds on…

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said his Liverpool side would still chase an unprecedented quadruple despite seeing their Premier League title hopes suffer a huge blow on Saturday. Klopp's side have already won the League Cup and are in the FA Cup and Champions League finals and victory over Tottenham on Saturday would have cranked up the pressure on Manchester City in the title race. But they could only draw 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur -- ending a run of 12 successive home league wins

Real fight back from the brink to stun Man…

Real Madrid fought back from the brink of elimination to beat Manchester City 3-1 after extra time and 6-5 on aggregate in an enthralling and dramatic Champions League semi-final on Wednesday. City led 1-0 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate when Riyad Mahrez scored after 73 minutes but Real substitute Rodrygo equalised in the last minute of normal time and headed home one minute later to level the tie at 5-5. Five minutes into extra time Karim Benzema converted a penalty awarded

Liverpool fight back to reach Champions League final with…

Liverpool survived a first-half scare to reach the Champions League final with a 3-2 win at Villarreal on Tuesday, for a 5-2 aggregate victory, after the night had threatened to turn sour for Juergen Klopp's side. The visitors fell 2-0 down with an insipid first-half performance before fighting back with three goals in a 12-minute spell after the break to advance to their third European Cup final in five seasons. The Premier League side had won 2-0 in England but looked in danger

Man Utd back to winning ways with 3-0 victory…

Defender Raphael Varane scored his first Premier League goal as Manchester United returned to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Brentford on a night of potential farewells at Old Trafford. Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo, the latter with a penalty, also netted on Monday, which is the last home fixture of a difficult campaign for United. Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic were given starts by departing coach Ralf Rangnick in what is likely their final season with the club, while Edinson

Brilliant Benzema guides Real Madrid to league title

Real Madrid's triumphant 2021-22 LaLiga campaign will be remembered for the exploits of striker Karim Benzema. The marauding French international scored his 26th goal in 30 league games on Saturday, sealing Real's 4-0 home win over Espanyol that secured a record-extending 35th Spanish league title with four games to spare. It has been a stellar season that took some time to arrive for the 34-year-old French striker, who took his place as the undisputed leader and most influential player in a team that

Man City beat Real Madrid 4-3 in Champions League…

After one of the greatest of Champions League semi-final clashes, Manchester City will take a 4-3 lead into the second leg of their tie against Real Madrid following an extraordinary encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday. A breathtaking and relentlessly fast game, packed with chances, moments of individual brilliance and a smattering of defensive lapses, was a treat for the spectators but leaves City, who had the better of the game, with the slenderest of leads to defend at the Santiago Bernabeu

Leeds boss Marsch hoping for success second time around…

Leeds United coach Jesse Marsch is hoping for a better result when he comes up against Manchester City for a second time this season after his former side RB Leipzig lost a nine-goal Champions League thriller last year. Marsch was in charge of Leipzig when they were lost 6-3 to City in a group stage match in September before he parted ways with the Bundesliga club at the end of the year. Leeds, who drew 0-0 at Crystal Palace in the Premier League

Lampard ‘more positive’ of Everton’s Premier League survival despite…

Everton slipped into the relegation zone with Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool but manager Frank Lampard said the game had left him "more positive" about the club's chances of Premier League survival. Everton are now 18th and trail Burnley, who have played one game more, by two points. Despite the defeat, Lampard said he was delighted with the attitude of his players and that he was "more positive" about their chances of staying up. "I was pleased with the way we competed in

Bayern Munich win 10th straight league title after beating…

Bayern Munich eased past title rivals Borussia Dortmund 3-1 on Saturday to secure their 10th consecutive Bundesliga crown in front of a sold-out home crowd and with three games to spare. First-half goals from Serge Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski put the hosts 2-0 up before Emre Can cut the deficit with a 52nd-minute penalty. Jamal Musiala got Bayern's third goal seven minutes from the end Bayern, 12 points clear of second-placed Dortmund, have now won 31 Bundesliga titles since the introduction of the

PSG secure 10th French title but celebrations are muted

Paris St Germain secured a record-equalling 10th French top flight title after stuttering to a 1-1 draw against 10-man RC Lens but the celebrations were rather muted as frustrated fans headed for the Parc des Princes exit immediately after Saturday's final whistle. Lionel Messi's goal was cancelled out by Corentin Jean as PSG were left on 78 points, 16 ahead of second-placed Olympique de Marseille who will play their game in hand at Stade de Reims on Sunday. PSG have now won eight