5:25 PM ET Alex KirklandESPN FC MADRID — Marco Asensio and Vinicius Junior scored two goals in two minutes in the second half as Real Madrid beat Valencia 2-0 in LaLiga on Thursday. Asensio had an early shot saved and another blocked, before Madrid defender Eder Militao was forced off injured and Antonio Rudiger had
Month: February 2023
9:40 AM ET Former Netherlands international John Heitinga will remain Ajax coach for the remainder of the season, the club said on Thursday. The former Atletico Madrid and Everton defender was moved from Jong Ajax, the club’s reserve team who play in the Dutch second division, to take over the first team last weekend as
10:06 AM ET Chelsea manager Graham Potter said there will be some awkward conversations as he attempts to piece together a costly jigsaw puzzle and turn the club’s massive spending spree into success. Potter’s Chelsea host Fulham on Friday with nearly £300 million ($369m) worth of January signings at his disposal. – Stream on ESPN+:
9:28 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Mason Greenwood leaves court in November after a preliminary hearing. LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images Criminal proceedings against Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood have been “discontinued.” The 21-year-old footballer was due to face trial in November over allegations of attempted rape, assault and controlling and coercive behaviour. However, a statement issued
10:07 AM ET Kylian Mbappe is key to PSG’s chances of Champions League progression. Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed that Kylian Mbappe will be out for around three weeks because of the injury he suffered against Montpellier on Wednesday, making him a doubt for the Champions League round-of-16 first-leg game against Bayern
8:00 AM ET The time has come to scrap the transfer window. What was introduced as an attempt to bring standardisation and clarity for clubs throughout the football pyramid has degenerated into a month-long showcase of bad planning and chaotic business that now only serves the social media rumour mill and drives managers, players and
7:15 AM ET Raphael Varane won the 2018 World Cup with France. Photo by ANP via Getty Images Raphael Varane has announced his retirement from international football after France‘s failure to retain the World Cup in Qatar. Varane was part of the side that won the tournament in 2018 but was unable to help Les Bleus
7:34 AM ET Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has been chairman at Leicester since 2018. Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images Leicester City chairman has paid the outstanding debt of the Premier League club to its parent King Power International (KPI) by converting more than £194 million ($239.03m) in loans into equity, the club said on Wednesday. The club’s chairman Aiyawatt
5:05 PM ET Barcelona extended their LaLiga lead to eight points after Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski scored to earn them a hard-fought 2-1 win at Real Betis on Wednesday. Barca are top on 50 points, eight points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who have a game in hand and will host struggling Valencia on Thursday.
7:08 PM ET It will be a clash of styles when Seattle Sounders FC make their Club World Cup debut against Egyptian side Al Ahly in Tangier on Saturday, the Major League Soccer team’s goalkeeper Stefan Frei said. The Sounders, who are the first team from the United States to compete in club soccer’s global
6:29 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Erik ten Hag has told Jadon Sancho to keep smiling after the Manchester United forward made his return to football for the first time in three months. Sancho came on as a second-half substitute during the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Wednesday, his first appearance since
7:43 PM ET Kylian Mbappe is a doubt to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League this month after the Paris Saint-Germain striker came off injured against Montpellier on Wednesday. Mbappe, who earlier missed a twice-taken penalty, picked up a knee and thigh injury after a tackle by Montpellier midfielder Leo Leroy and had to
4:50 PM ET Manchester United cruised into the final of the Carabao Cup after completing a 5-0 aggregate win over Nottingham Forest with a 2-0 victory in Wednesday’s semifinal second leg at Old Trafford. Substitute Anthony Martial and midfielder Fred scored quick-fire second-half goals to put the seal on a tie that was effectively decided
5:18 PM ET The dust has settled, and the numbers are in. Since June 10, when the summer transfer window opened, Chelsea has spent more than €600 million on new signings ($650m): 14 permanent signings and two on loan. In that time frame, covering the past two transfer windows, they released players to other clubs
4:12 PM ET Hussein El Shahat, Mohamed Sherif and Percy Tau all scored as Egyptian side Al Ahly cruised to a 3-0 victory over Auckland City at the Club World Cup in Morocco on Wednesday to set up a second round tie against Seattle Sounders FC. Ahly, who have finished third in the previous two
3:21 PM ET Cesar Hernandez Cristian Arango scored 32 goals in 54 MLS appearances with LAFC, across regular season and playoffs. Omar Vega/Getty Images Colombian forward Cristian “Chicho” Arango has joined Liga MX title-holders Pachuca from MLS Cup champions LAFC, the two clubs announced on Wednesday. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) After joining
6:11 AM ET LaLiga has hit out at the Premier League for “cheating” and “doping” after an analysis from Deloitte’s Sports Business Group said clubs spent a record £815 million ($1 billion) in the January transfer window. The biggest spenders were Chelsea, responsible for 37% of the total — equivalent to more than the combined
12:56 PM ET San Diego Wave forward Alex Morgan, OL Reign forward Megan Rapinoe and Portland Thorns defender Becky Sauerbrunn highlight the 23-player U.S. women’s national team roster for the SheBelieves Cup. The competition includes Brazil, Japan, and Olympic champions Canada in the four-team competition. All three teams qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World
5:25 AM ET Antonio Conte will miss Tottenham’s clash with Manchester City on Sunday. Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images Tottenham manager Antonio Conte will undergo surgery on Wednesday to remove his gallbladder, the club have announced. Conte fell ill this week and the diagnosis came back with cholecystitis requiring surgery. He will spend time away
8:33 AM ET Associated Press Women’s World Cup co-hosts Australia and New Zealand urged FIFA on Wednesday not to sign a sponsor deal with the tourism authority of Saudi Arabia where “rights of women remain severely restricted.” Leaders of the two national football federations warned in a letter to FIFA, including president Gianni Infantino, that