Football

COVID-19 chaos looms over World Cup qualifiers

Next week's World Cup qualifying games in Europe and beyond are set to be heavily affected by clubs refusing to release players for international duty, COVID-19 quarantines and travel restrictions.…

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Inter-Sassuolo postponed after 4 Inter players test positive

ANSA - Serie A leaders Inter MIlan's match against eighth-placed Sassuolo Saturday has been postponed after four members of the Nerazzurri squad tested positive for COVID-19, sources said Thursday. Slovenia…

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Cup win not necessarily good indication of Man United progress, says Solskjaer

MANCHESTER, England: Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Wednesday (Mar 17) that winning a trophy is not necessarily a good indication of progress ahead of his side's Europa…

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England’s FA guilty of delays in implementing child protection measures

Reuters) - England's Football Association (FA) has been found guilty of significant institutional failings in delaying the implementation of child protection measures between October 1995 and May 2000, an independent…

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Belgian clubs vote to support joint league with Netherlands

Belgian clubs have voted to support the possibility of a joint league with their neighbours in the Netherlands, reviving an idea first floated two years ago but put on ice…

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Manchester City stroll past Moenchengladbach into Champions League quarters

BUDAPEST: Manchester City marched into the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the fourth straight season after a 2-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Tuesday (Mar 16) to complete a…

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Lewandowski closes in on Mueller’s impossible record

Berlin (dpa) - Robert Lewandowski was denied by the woodwork three times in Bremen on Saturday but the Bayern Munich forward remains on course to match - or even better - Gerd Mueller's…

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Ronaldo hails Pele after eclipsing the Brazilian’s goal-scoring haul

(Reuters) - Cristiano Ronaldo hailed Pele after he surpassed the Brazilian great's goal-scoring haul in official matches by netting a hat-trick in Juventus' 3-1 Serie A win over Cagliari on…

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Milan’s Serie A title hopes fade after defeat against Napoli

MILAN, March 15 — AC Milan suffered a major blow to their Serie A title hopes as Matteo Politano’s second-half strike earned Napoli a 1-0 win yesterday to leave the…

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AS Roma say Napoli favoured by fixture postponement, demand explanation

ROME (Reuters) - AS Roma have written to the governing body of Serie A claiming that Napoli have been favoured by their league match against Juventus being postponed less than…

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Vlahovic hat-trick fires Fiorentina to win, Udinese earn Genoa draw

(Reuters) - Dusan Vlahovic scored a first half hat-trick as Fiorentina recorded their biggest win of the season by beating Benevento 4-1 on Saturday to boost their Serie A survival…

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Atletico title bid dented with Getafe draw

MADRID (Reuters) - La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid drew 0-0 away to struggling Getafe on Saturday, despite playing the latter stages of the game with an extra man, offering renewed…

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Salah and Mane fire Liverpool past Leipzig into quarters

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Second-half goals from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane eased Liverpool into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 2-0 second-leg win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday,…

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Man Utd’s Rashford out for Milan tie, Cavani doubtful says Solskjaer

(Reuters) - Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has been ruled out of their Europa League last-16 first leg match against AC Milan with an ankle injury while striker Edinson Cavani…

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German coach Loew to resign after Euros

Germany coach Joachim Loew has confirmed his intention to step down from his post after this summer's Euro tournament, the German Football Federation (DFB) has said. The DFB said in…

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Inter edge gritty Atalanta 1-0 to keep chasers at bay

A second-half goal from defender Milan Skriniar was enough to earn Inter Milan a 1-0 win over Atalanta on Monday, with the victory sending Antonio Conte's side six points clear at the…

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Chelsea march on under Tuchel with 2-0 win over Everton

Chelsea extended their turnaround under new coach Thomas Tuchel with a 2-0 home win over Everton on Monday as Kai Havertz played a key role in both goals on his return to the…

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Premier League talking points

(Reuters) - Talking points from the Premier League weekend: WHAT IS WRONG WITH COUNTER-ATTACKING? You'll struggle to find a pundit or analyst who has a bad word to say about…

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AC Milan closes gap on Inter with comfortable win at Verona

VERONA, Italy (Reuters) - Spectacular goals either side of half time earned AC Milan an important 2-0 victory at Hellas Verona on Sunday, as Stefano Pioli's side closed the gap…

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Liverpool suffer sixth straight Anfield loss as Fulham win 1-0

LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) - Liverpool slumped to a sixth consecutive home Premier League defeat as they lost 1-0 to relegation-threatened Fulham after a first-half goal by Mario Lemina at Anfield…

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Steven Gerard’s Rangers win Scottish Premier League

Steven Gerrard's Rangers have won the Scottish Premiership, after Celtic failed to defeat Dundee United on Sunday. After Rangers' 3-0 win over St Mirren on Saturday - complete with fans outside, plus Gerrard…

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CONMEBOL cancels March World Cup Qualifiers

South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) has announced its Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches this month have been suspended, with European clubs refusing to release players due to the…

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Missing top four would not lead to mass exodus, says Liverpool’s Klopp

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp does not expect to see players lining up to leave the Premier League champions if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League. Liverpool waltzed…

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Sassuolo earn thrilling Napoli draw with final kick of the game

(Reuters) - Sassuolo earned a 3-3 draw against Napoli with the final kick of the game on Wednesday as Francesco Caputo’s penalty rescued a point for the hosts five minutes…

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Buffon confirms he will retire by 2023

(Reuters) - Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has revealed that he plans to retire by June 2023 at the latest but won't rule out hanging up his boots sooner. The 43-year-old's…

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St. Petersburg hopes for half-full stadium at Euro 2020

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - The Russian city of St. Petersburg is aiming to fill its stadium hosting European Championship soccer matches to half capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic,…

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England to bid for 2030 World Cup

England is expected to prepare a bid for the 2030 World Cup and the Football Association has expressed its support, together with the other home nations and the Republic of…

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Premier League top-four finish would be a dream for Everton, says Ancelotti

REUTERS: Securing a top-four finish in the Premier League this season would be a dream for Everton, the Merseyside club's manager Carlo Ancelotti said. Everton are seventh on the table…

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Former Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu arrested after club offices raided

Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu was arrested on Monday after Catalan police officers searched the La Liga club's offices. A regional police spokeswoman confirmed several arrests had been made following an…

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Arsenal rekindle European hopes with 3-1 win at Leicester

LEICESTER, England (Reuters) - Arsenal revived their hopes of playing in European competition next season after goals from David Luiz, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe helped them to a 3-1…

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Malta: Dr Grech says PN will support MFA’s strategy

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech this morning visited the Malta Football Association (MFA). He said that the PN not only supports the strategy of the MFA for football up to…

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6,500 migrants have died in Qatar working on World Cup Projects

The fast-paced infrastructural process towards the World Cup in Qatar has already claimed the lives of more than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka during…

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Bundesliga talking points

BERLIN (Reuters) - Talking points from the Bundesliga weekend: SCHALKE RELEGATION Schalke 04 are gradually coming to terms with the prospect of what looks to be a likely relegation and…

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Premier League talking points

(Reuters) - Talking points from the Premier League weekend: GUARDIOLA DELIGHTS IN A 1-0 WIN So much has been written about the flair with which Pep Guardiola's sides play football…

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La Liga talking points

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Talking points from the weekend in Spanish football. ARE THE WHEELS COMING OFF ATLETICO'S TITLE TRAIN? After a few warning signs that La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid…

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Chelsea, West Ham leapfrog Liverpool to reach top five

Chelsea and West Ham United both leapfrogged Liverpool with comfortable home victories over Sheffield United and Newcastle United respectively. The Londoners continued their resurgence since sacking Frank Lampard and appointing…

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‘Don’t worry about me’ – Klopp dismisses fears about his future

dpa - Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp dismissed suggestions that he has had enough of the job, insisting he is embracing the challenge of his first sticky patch since he took…

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Milan’s Seria A leadership at risk following loss at Spezia

Rome (dpa) - Serie A leaders AC Milan crashed 2-0 at impressive newcomers Spezia on Saturday, offering crosstown Inter Milan a chance to go top of the ladder the following day.…

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Atletico make it 10 unbeaten with win, Barcelona score five

Barcelona (dpa) - Atletico Madrid extended their unbeaten La Liga run to 10 games with a 2-1 win away at Granada on Saturday. Diego Simeone's side are now eight points clear of second…

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Manchester City reach FA Cup quarters with record 15th straight win

London (dpa) - Favourites Manchester City cruised into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Wednesday with a 3-1 win at Championship side Swansea. Kyle Walker, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus scored the…

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UK government welcomes new policies to combat online abuse

Feb 10 (Reuters) - The UK government on Wednesday welcomed new measures introduced by Instagram to tackle online abuse in the wake of racist messages aimed at soccer players, but…

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Gladbach v Man City Champions League game to be played in Budapest

(Reuters) - Borussia Moenchengladbach will play Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie in Budapest due to COVID-19 travel restrictions in Germany that prevent the…

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Kane returns to help Tottenham back to winning ways

LONDON (REUTERS) - Harry Kane scored on his return from injury to help Tottenham Hotspur to a 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion on Sunday (Feb 7) and end a…

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Liverpool won’t be allowed into Germany for Champions League tie

B Leipzig will not be able to host Liverpool in the Champions League this month after authorities refused to issue a travel permit for the English club, German media reported on Thursday.…

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Manchester United put nine past Southampton; Sheff Utd boost hopes

London (dpa) - Manchester United equalled the Premier League record winning margin as they routed nine-man Southampton 9-0 at Old Trafford on Tuesday to go level on points with leaders Manchester City. Alexandre Jankewitz…

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Cristiano Ronaldo investigated on alleged Covid-breach

Juventus and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo is being investigated by Italian authorities for allegedly breaking Covid-19 rules by travelling between the regions of Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta. This incident happened…

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Serie A Talking Points

Reuters - Ciro Immobile scored his 13th league goal of the season to seal a 2-1 comeback win for Lazio against Sassuolo on Sunday and clinch a fourth consecutive Serie A win for the Roman…

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Fernandes free-kick earns Man United 3-2 FA Cup win over Liverpool

Bruno Fernandes’ superb 78th-minute free-kick knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup fourth round as Manchester United won Sunday's thriller 3-2 at Old Trafford. Mohamed Salah’s chipped finish gave Liverpool…

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AC Milan regain sole leadership as Ibra double sinks Cagliari

AC Milan took all three points from a tricky Monday night encounter in Sardinia against Cagliari with evergreen striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring a brace. The Swedish striker put the Rossoneri…

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England all-time top scorer Wayne Rooney retires from football

Former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney has called time on his playing career after being named as manager of Derby County, the Championship club said on Friday. The 35-year-old had…

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Liverpool register second loss of PL season at Southampton

A superb second-minute lob by Danny Ings gave Southampton a surprise 1-0 home win over Premier League leaders Liverpool, with the Reds' attack looking rudderless as they were held scoreless for…

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Man United close in on Liverpool with 2-1 Villa win

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Manchester United closed in on the Premier League’s pole position after a 2-1 home win over Aston Villa on Friday put them level on points and…

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Fulham’s game at Spurs latest to be postponed over COVID-19 cases

(Reuters) - Fulham’s Premier League match at Tottenham Hotspur that was scheduled to kick off at 1800 GMT on Wednesday has been postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak at the…

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Leicester City move up to second with Palace draw

Leicester City moved up to second in the Premier League after a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace when Harvey Barnes cancelled a Wilfried Zaha goal at Selhurst Park on Monday. Leicester remained second overnight with Everton, level on points with them, not playing later on…

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