Football

Italy’s PM Draghi supports national and European soccer authorities’ defence of national competitions

ROME, April 19 (Reuters) - Italy's government supports national and European soccer authorities in their defence of national competitions and sports values, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said, after 12 leading…

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Macron opposes breakaway European Super League

PARIS, April 18 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that he supported the position of European soccer's governing body UEFA in opposing the prospect of a breakaway…

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Nketiah’s stoppage-time strike denies Fulham first win at Arsenal

LONDON (Reuters) -Arsenal substitute Eddie Nketiah struck deep into stoppage time to cancel out Josh Maja's second-half penalty in a 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Fulham in the Premier League on…

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Five English clubs sign up to breakaway league – report

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Five English clubs have signed up to a breakaway European Super League, The Times newspaper reported on Sunday. The paper said Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea…

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What future for the Champions League?

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Europe's leading clubs were meeting on Friday to thrash out their position on reforms and the financial structure of UEFA's Champions League as fan groups criticised…

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Italian FA head says good chance of stadiums reopening before Euro 2020

ZURICH, April 15 (Reuters) - Denmark is examining options for sharing AstraZeneca's vaccines with poorer nations after it halted use of the shots over concerns about rare blood clots, the…

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Roma survive Ajax onslaught to progress

AS Roma advanced to the Europa League semi-finals with a 3-2 aggregate win over Ajax Amsterdam after Edin Dzeko’s late equaliser secured a 1-1 home draw on Thursday. The Italian side will…

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Cavani strikes as Man United ease into Europa League semis

Manchester United reached the Europa League semi-finals after Edinson Cavani's early strike and a Jesus Vallejo own goal secured a 2-0 home win over Granada on Thursday and completed a 4-0 aggregate…

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Race for Champions League spots hots up in Serie A

ROME: With the Serie A title race all but over after Inter Milan pulled 11 points clear at the top last weekend, the chasing pack targeting Champions League spots promise…

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Real Madrid hold on at Anfield to make it to last four

Real Madrid moved into the semi-finals of the Champions League after their makeshift defence held on for 0-0 second-leg draw with Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday to complete a 3-1 aggregate win.…

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PSG knock holders Bayern out of Champions League to reach semis

Paris St Germain reached the Champions League semi-finals despite a 1-0 home defeat by holders Bayern Munich on Tuesday (April 13) as they progressed on away goals after a 3-3 aggregate result…

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No truth in reports on Man Utd takeover claims

Australian club Central Coast Mariners on Tuesday dismissed a local media report that they had been in "lengthy discussions" with Manchester United about a potential takeover by the English Premier…

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Serie A Talking Points

ROME (Reuters) - Talking points from the weekend's Serie A matches. RONALDO RAGES DESPITE JUVE WIN Smiles were back on Juventus players' faces on Sunday as Andrea Pirlo's side beat…

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La Liga Talking Points

MADRID (Reuters) - Talking points from the weekend in Spanish football. REAL BACK TO THEIR RUTHLESS BEST Saturday's 'Clasico' certainly lived up to its billing as Real Madrid edged Barcelona…

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Premier League Talking Points

Reuters) - Talking Points from the Premier League weekend: RIVALS BEEN HERE BEFORE, BUT COMEBACK UNLIKELY THIS TIME Back in 2011-12, Manchester United held an eight-point advantage over second-placed Manchester…

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Flamengo beat Palmeiras to win Brazilian Supercup

REUTERS - BRASILIA: Flamengo won the Brazilian Supercup on Sunday (Apr 11), beating Palmeiras 6-5 in a gripping penalty shoot-out after the two sides drew 2-2 over 90 minutes. Both…

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Games in Serbia under match-fixing scrutiny, says FA

BELGRADE (Reuters) - UEFA has asked the Serbian Football Association (FSS) to investigate games in March where match-fixing might have taken place, the Balkan nation's soccer governing body said on…

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Real Madrid pull off thrilling Clasico win over Barcelona

Barcelona (dpa) - Real Madrid held on to earn a narrow 2-1 El Clasico win over rivals Barcelona and go top of La Liga on Saturday. Karim Benzema broke the deadlock in the…

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Ten-man Leeds snatch last-gasp win at Man City

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - A dramatic last-gasp winner from Stuart Dallas earned 10-man Leeds United a shock 2-1 victory against runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium…

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Ħamrun Spartans declared Malta’s football champions

Ħamrun Spartans were declared Malta's new champions. The Malta Football Association Executive Council has decided that given that Premier League teams have not been given permission to return to…

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Mbappe double stuns Bayern in Munich

Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe scored twice to steer the visitors to a 3-2 victory over holders Bayern Munich in a topsy-turvy Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday. On a snowy…

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Mount, Chilwell give Chelsea advantage over Porto

Superb individual goals from English pair Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell gave Chelsea a 2-0 win away to Porto in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday in Seville as the Londoners made…

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Lukaku, Martinez lead Inter to 10th win a row

MILAN (Reuters) - Inter Milan moved 11 points clear at the top of Serie A as Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez struck in a 2-1 win over Sassuolo on Wednesday,…

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FIFA suspends Pakistan, Chad football federations over interference

FIFA has suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) due to third-party interference, as well as the Chadian Football Association (FTFA) with immediate effect due to government interference, football's global governing body…

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Malta’s football, swimming and basketball associations join forces in calling for sport to resume

The Aquatic Sports Association of Malta, the Malta Basketball Association, and the Malta Football Association have today jointly renewed their appeal to the Government and the local health authorities to…

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Late Batshuayi leveller stunts Everton’s Euro push

Everton midfielder James Rodriguez scored on his return from a long lay-off on Saturday against Crystal Palace but it was not enough to earn his side victory as the Londoners snatched…

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Greenwood strikes as Man United recover to beat Brighton

Manchester United edged closer to a top-four finish in the Premier League after Mason Greenwood headed an opportunist late winner to secure a 2-1 home win over struggling Brighton &…

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Real Sociedad beat rivals Athletic to win 2020 Copa del Rey

Mikel Oyarzabal's penalty earned Real Sociedad their third Copa del Rey trophy after a 1-0 win over rivals Athletic Bilbao in the postponed derby final from last season on Saturday.…

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Napoli hold off Crotone fightback, Atalanta and Lazio win

Napoli survived a spirited fightback from bottom side Crotone to earn a 4-3 win and go fourth in Serie A on Saturday, as the fierce battle for Champions League qualification…

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PSG’s Verratti to miss Bayern clash after testing positive for COVID-19

Italy midfielder Marco Verratti is set to miss Paris St Germain's Champions League quarter-final first leg at Bayern Munich after the French champions said he tested positive for COVID-19 on…

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Bennacer credits Ibra for bringing winning mentality back to Milan

The youngest squad in Serie A has propelled AC Milan to a surprise title challenge this season but according to midfielder Ismael Bennacer, the Rossoneri’s oldest player Zlatan Ibrahimovic is…

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Atletico, Barca and Real set for tightest title battle in years

So often over the years Barcelona and Real Madrid have fought it out between themselves for the Liga title, cruising to 95-plus points while everyone else battles to be the…

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Italy make it three wins from three with ease in Lithuania

Goals from Stefano Sensi and Ciro Immobile earned Italy a 2-0 victory over Lithuania on Wednesday as Roberto Mancini's side got their third win from three games in 2022 World Cup qualification Group C.…

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Germany stunned by North Macedonia in rare World Cup qualifier home defeat

Germany suffered their first home defeat in a World Cup qualifier in 20 years when they were stunned 2-1 by unheralded North Macedonia in Group J on Wednesday. Armenia are the surprise group leaders…

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Spain cruise to top spot in qualfiers despite keeper howler

Spain secured a convincing 3-1 home win over Kosovo in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday, although goalkeeper Unai Simon made a huge blunder to cost his side a goal. Dani Olmo gave Spain a…

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Belgium hit eight, seven for Dutch, Portugal survive scare

Top-ranked Belgium slammed eight goals against Belarus and the Netherlands crashed seven past Gibraltar but Portugal suffered a scare before beating Luxembourg as the World Cup qualifying matches continued on…

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Croatia resorts to the big guns to beat resilient Malta

Croatia laboured to a 3-0 win at home to Malta with second-half substitutes Ivan Perisic, Luka Modric and Josip Brekalo scoring to put the 2018 World Cup runners-up top of…

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Italy’s Mancini wary of physical Lithuania and Vilnius pitch

Italy coach Roberto Mancini has said Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against a physical Lithuania side will not be easy and highlighted his concerns over the playing surface in Vilnius. Italy…

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Juve’s Buffon gets one-match ban for ‘blasphemous expression’

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has been handed a one-match ban for making a "blasphemous expression" and will miss Saturday's Turin derby at Torino, the Italian Federal Court of Appeal ruled…

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Manchester City great Sergio Aguero to leave club at end of season

Manchester City’s all-time top scorer Sergio Aguero will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season, the Premier League club announced on Monday. The 32-year-old joined the Etihad club…

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Spain coach relieved by late winner, braced for more nervy games

Spain coach Luis Enrique praised his side for snatching a 2-1 win away to Georgia on Sunday but predicted more nerve-shredding finishes in their remaining World Cup qualifiers unless they learn how to…

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Ronaldo fumes as Serbia snatch draw with Portugal, Belgium held

Cristiano Ronaldo stormed off the pitch before fulltime when he was denied a clear stoppage-time winner in a 2-2 draw in Serbia, while Belgium were held 1-1 by the Czech…

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Bundesliga clubs refuse to release four Czech players for match against Belgium

Bundesliga clubs have refused to release four Czech players for their country's World Cup qualifier against Belgium on Saturday night due to concerns the players would have to go into…

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Poland and Bologna keeper Skorupski tests positive for COVID-19

Poland have withdrawn Lukasz Skorupski from their squad ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and England after the goalkeeper tested positive for COVID-19, the country's football association said.…

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Lazio fined, president banned for COVID-19 protocol violations

Lazio president Claudio Lotito was banned for seven months and the Serie A club fined 150,000 euros ($176,925) by a national federal court on Friday, as punishment for COVID-19 protocol…

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England trash San Marino in World Cup qualifiers

England kicked off their World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign with a 5-0 thrashing of San Marino as Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored twice and Ollie Watkins marked his debut with a goal. On a night when…

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English Premier League 2021-22 season to kick off on Aug. 14

The 2021-22 Premier League season will begin on Aug. 14 and end on May 22 following an agreement with shareholders, the English top-flight said in a statement on Thursday. The…

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Van Basten calls for offside rule to be scrapped

Former Netherlands forward Marco van Basten has called on football's lawmakers to consider scrapping the offside rule, saying the sport would be better off without it. The game has seen…

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Mbong strike not enough for Malta as national team succumbs to Russia

Russia beat Malta 3-1 on Wednesday, ending a six-match winless streak, to kick off their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign. Captain Artyom Dzyuba opened the scoring in the 23rd minute of the Group…

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Belgium come from behind to outclass Wales

Belgium shrugged off an early scare to see off Wales 3-1 and make a winning start to their World Cup qualifying campaign on Wednesday. Harry Wilson gave Wales a surprise…

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European Qualifiers: France disappoint with home draw, Turkey stun Netherlands

Holders France got their World Cup qualifying campaign off to a disappointing start with a 1-1 draw at home to Ukraine on Wednesday while Turkey pulled off an impressive 4-2 win at home to…

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Mitrovic double gives Serbia 3-2 win over Ireland

Serbia got their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign off to a positive start as substitute Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a second-half brace to give them a comeback 3-2 home win over Ireland in their…

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Bale says he intends returning to Real Madrid next season

Gareth Bale intends to return to Real Madrid for the final 12 months of his contract next season, he said on Tuesday. Bale has been at Tottenham Hotspur on loan…

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Prandelli resigns from Fiorentina, for reasons which go beyond football

Cesare Prandelli has resigned as manager of Fiorentina after a disappointing second spell in charge, the Serie A club confirmed on Tuesday. The former Italy national team coach returned to…

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Football in Europe is being transformed by US private equity firms – here’s how

Football is changing, again. Many fans who have spent years watching their teams, either live in a stadium or on the television, have long had to face the fact that…

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Tottenham end dismal week with win at Villa

Tottenham Hotspur emerged from the gloom of the past week to claim a morale-boosting 2-0 victory at Aston Villa and climb to sixth place in the Premier League on Sunday.…

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Man Utd swap shirt sponsor Chevrolet for TeamViewer

Manchester United will sport German software firm TeamViewer's logo on their shirts from next season, drawing a line under a deal carmaker Chevrolet which has sponsored them for the past…

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