Clubs

(Adds Schick quote) Dec 21 (Reuters) – Bayer Leverkusen‘s Patrik Schick scored four times and Florian Wirtz added another to hand the Bundesliga side a commanding 5-1 home win over Freiburg on Saturday as the defending champions picked up their fifth straight league victory. The win puts second-placed Leverkusen on 32 points, four off Bayern

Associated Press Dec 21, 2024, 06:09 PM ET Four River Plate women’s players were arrested by Sao Paulo police and accused of making a racial slur, Sao Paulo’s public security secretariat told The Associated Press on Saturday. On Friday, a Brazil Ladies Cup semifinal between Argentina’s River Plate and Brazilian team Grêmio was stopped in

Arsenal‘s Gabriel Jesus proved a thorn in Crystal Palace‘s side once again as the Brazilian forward scored twice in a 5-1 win at Selhurst Park which put his side three points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool on Saturday. Jesus netted a hat trick as Arsenal beat Palace 3-2 in the League Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday

Aston Villa inflicted more misery on Manchester City on Saturday, defeating them 2-1 in the Premier League with goals from Jhon Duran and former City forward Morgan Rogers. Villa leap-frogged City into fifth place in the Premier League table, while Pep Guardiola’s shell-shocked holders dropped provisionally to sixth — and could drop as low as

Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Dec 21, 2024, 07:33 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Carlo Ancelotti said Kylian Mbappé‘s “period of adaptation has finished” ahead of Real Madrid‘s last game of 2024, hosting Sevilla at the Bernabéu on Sunday. Editor’s Picks 2 Related Mbappé scored the opening goal in Madrid’s 3-0 win over Pachuca in Qatar

Two leagues will be rewarded with an extra place in next season’s UEFA Champions League (UCL) based on performance in Europe this season. Last season, Borussia Dortmund of the German Bundesliga and Bologna from Italian Serie A were the lucky recipients, with clubs in Germany and Italy outperforming those from England, France and Spain. With

Lizzy Becherano Dec 20, 2024, 11:45 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup opener between Inter Miami and Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium has had slow ticket sales in the 24 hours since sales started, with 31 sections still showing more than 100 available tickets in the online portal. FIFA

Dec 20, 2024, 01:08 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Everton manager Sean Dyche has said he has “nothing but support” from The Friedkin Group following the U.S firm’s takeover of the club. The American ownership group takes over British-Iranian billionaire Farhad Moshiri’s 94.1% majority share of the club, which will move next season from its

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentDec 20, 2024, 08:30 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Ruben Amorim has revealed Mason Mount is set for another long spell on the sidelines following his latest injury picked up in the 2-1 win against Manchester City. The midfielder was forced off after 14 minutes at the Etihad Stadium in what was just

Open Extended Reactions Dele Alli failed to create an impact for Everton during his time on Merseyside. Getty Dele Alli has confirmed his future lies away from Everton despite having continued training at the club since his contract expired in the summer. Alli joined Everton from Tottenham in January 2022 but went on to make just

Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Dec 20, 2024, 08:31 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Barcelona coach Hansi Flick says Atlético Madrid are the best team in Spain at the moment as LaLiga’s top two prepare to meet at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday (stream LIVE at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the U.S.). Barça were

Dec 20, 2024, 07:59 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Pep Guardiola has reaffirmed his belief in Manchester City‘s turnaround despite confirming a fresh injury blow, with defender Rúben Dias out for up to a month. Editor’s Picks 1 Related Last Sunday’s dramatic 2-1 defeat to Manchester United compounded City’s crisis, with the Premier League champions

Dec 19, 2024, 09:53 PM ET Open Extended Reactions FIFA president Gianni Infantino has offered “heartfelt gratitude” to Iranian authorities for allowing tens of thousands of women and girls to attend a top-flight soccer match between Sepahan and Persepolis on Monday. After calls for Iran to be banned from the 2022 World Cup because of

Associated Press Dec 19, 2024, 07:40 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The LA Galaxy traded MLS Cup Final MVP Gastón Brugman to Nashville SC on Thursday, just 12 days after the Uruguayan midfielder led the club to its record sixth league championship. The Galaxy acquired midfielder Sean Davis from Nashville, which will retain a portion

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentDec 19, 2024, 06:25 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Ruben Amorim insisted he was right to drop Marcus Rashford from the Manchester United squad despite going out of the Carabao Cup at the quarterfinal stage following a 4-3 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Rashford was left out of Amorim’s squad for the second game

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentDec 19, 2024, 02:13 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Marcus Rashford has been left out of the Manchester United squad for the second game in a row. Rashford was axed from the squad ahead of the 2-1 win over Manchester City on Sunday. Now, after suggesting he wants to leave the club in

Dec 19, 2024, 01:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Conor Gallagher is enjoying life under Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone. PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images Conor Gallagher has said Atlético Madrid and manager Diego Simeone are a perfect fit for him as they target winning the LaLiga title this season. Gallagher joined Atlético from

Associated Press Dec 19, 2024, 08:55 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Lionel Messi posted a picture with his World Cup trophy on Wednesday, the second anniversary of Argentina’s win. @SC_ESPN Argentina have finished 2024 as the No. 1 men’s team in the world for the second straight year according to FIFA rankings. There were only limited

Dec 19, 2024, 06:38 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Bukayo Saka has insisted Arsenal are “not scared” of the pressure that comes with attempting to win the club’s first Premier League title in 20 years. Arsenal have fallen just short in the last two seasons, finishing second to Manchester City on both occasions. Editor’s Picks

Field Level Media Dec 18, 2024, 12:59 PM ET Open Extended Reactions The New York Red Bulls signed veteran forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to a two-year contract as a designated player. The deal announced on Wednesday with the 35-year-old Cameroon international includes an option for 2027. Choupo-Moting spent the past four seasons at Bayern Munich,