Leagues

Open Extended Reactions LAFC striker Olivier Giroud lost approximately $500,000 worth of jewelry when his Los Angeles home was burglarized earlier this month, a source told ESPN. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed on Tuesday they had responded Feb. 5 to a report of a window smash at a home in west L.A. The caller,

Open Extended Reactions MILAN, Italy — Who knows exactly what thoughts lurked inside the head of Theo Hernández, just beneath his shocking pink tufts of hair, when he made the most boneheaded of decisions five minutes into the second half of AC Milan‘s Champions League playoff second-leg clash against Feyenoord? Games don’t often turn on

Feb 18, 2025, 11:38 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Tuesday marks the first day of the knockout phase playoff second legs for the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League season. Europe’s premier club competition is now whittling down teams as the round of 16 awaits the winners. Enjoy the play-by-play from all of Tuesday’s games: Bayern Munich

Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Feb 18, 2025, 01:03 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Barcelona‘s financial situation continues to improve after LaLiga confirmed their annual spending cap is now over €463 million ($483.7m), an increase of nearly €40m from the beginning of the season. At this same time last year, Barça’s limit had been slashed to

Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Feb 18, 2025, 08:01 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Carlo Ancelotti said he prefers Champions League referees — saying there’s “less controversy and fewer VAR interventions” — as Real Madrid prepare to face Manchester City in their playoff second leg in the midst of a row over LaLiga officiating. Madrid won

Feb 18, 2025, 04:46 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Spain’s football federation (RFEF) said referees are sickened by the abuse Jose Munuera Montero has received since he showed Real Madrid‘s Jude Bellingham a red card and the situation reflects the “hatred and verbal violence” match officials have to endure. Montero believed the 21-year-old England midfielder

Feb 18, 2025, 04:13 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Arne Slot has talked up Marcus Rashford ahead of Liverpool’s clash against Aston Villa. Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images Liverpool boss Arne Slot has said he expects Marcus Rashford to thrive at Aston Villa following his loan move to the club last month. “The first time

Open Extended Reactions Barcelona coach Hansi Flick confirmed Jules Koundé was dropped for Monday’s 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano after arriving late for a pre-match meeting. It’s the second time this season Koundé’s tardiness has cost him his place in the side. He was also benched against Alavés in October for the same reason. Kounde

Feb 17, 2025, 03:03 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Real Valladolid have sacked manager Diego Cocca after just eight games in charge, the LaLiga club said on Monday, with the team bottom of the standings following a run of five consecutive defeats. Cocca was appointed on Dec. 14 with a contract until the end of

Lizzy Becherano Feb 17, 2025, 02:05 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Inter Miami‘s first-leg match of the Concacaf Champions Cup against Sporting Kansas City will now be played on Feb. 19, after the sporting organization decided to postpone the event by 24 hours due to the adverse weather conditions in Kansas City. According to multiple

Feb 17, 2025, 11:39 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Arsenal have been fined £65,000 ($82,000) after their players were deemed to have behaved in an “improper way” following Myles Lewis-Skelly‘s red card against Wolverhampton Wanderers last month. Lewis-Skelly was sent off in the 43rd minute — much to the annoyance of manager Mikel Arteta —

Adriana Garcia Feb 17, 2025, 07:46 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Argentina great Ángel Di María has said he continues to take medication to cope with the disappointment and pressure of losing three straight finals with his national team. While the Benfica winger won the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa América at the

Open Extended Reactions Liverpool could move 10 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League if they beat Aston Villa in midweek, but if they lose then Arne Slot’s team could travel to Manchester City on Sunday with their lead cut to four and the first signs of a title wobble developing.

Feb 17, 2025, 02:44 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Nabil Bentaleb suffered a heart attack in June. JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty Images Nabil Bentaleb could not have scripted his comeback any better after the Lille midfielder marked his return to the side following a heart attack last year with a goal in Sunday’s 2-0 win at

Open Extended Reactions On loan Manchester United winger Antony scored for the third consecutive game to continue his excellent start to life in Spain as Real Betis beat nine-man Real Sociedad 3-0 on Sunday. The 24-year-old followed up strikes against Celta Vigo and Gent with a brilliant volley from just inside the box to open

Feb 16, 2025, 04:17 PM ET Open Extended Reactions A title race is heating up in LaLiga. With Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid both dropping points on the weekend, can Barcelona take advantage to go top of the table in Spain? In the Premier League, Mikel Merino was the unexpected hero for an Arsenal side

Open Extended Reactions LONDON — There was a time when Manchester United chancing their luck on a rookie striker would create a moment of folklore. Most famously, think Federico Macheda against Aston Villa in 2009. Or Danny Welbeck against Stoke City two years earlier. And then there was Marcus Rashford‘s stunning full Premier League debut

Feb 16, 2025, 02:50 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has insisted he is not worried about the safety his job despite the team slumping to a 12th Premier League defeat of the season at Tottenham Hotspur and languishing in 15th. James Maddison‘s first-half rebound proved enough for Spurs to overcome

Liverpool extended their lead on top of the Premier League to seven points with a trickier-than-expected 2-1 win over lowly Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday courtesy of goals from Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah. The Reds looked to be cruising at 2-0 after Diaz bundled in on 15 minutes and won a penalty later in the

Feb 16, 2025, 06:47 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Ruben Amorim has said he and the first team “cannot ignore” job cuts at Manchester United and that it is their “responsibility” to improve results to help staff and prevent ticket price hikes. United made 250 employees redundant over the summer as part of cost-cutting measures