Tag: Football

Spurs stunned by Palace as FA Cup holders Chelsea ease past Wednesday

by Julian GUYER Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Tottenham Hotspur suffered their second defeat in English knockout football in a matter of days as they lost 2-0 to Crystal Palace in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday. Connor Wickham gave the unfancied Eagles, 29 points adrift of Spurs in the Premier League, a ninth-minute lead before a penalty by former Tottenham winger Andros Townsend made it 2-0. Spurs’ Kieran Trippier […]

Real Madrid take top spot from Man Utd in ‘money league’

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Real Madrid have knocked Manchester United off the top of Deloitte’s Football Money League, but the Premier League still flexed its financial muscle, with all of England’s ‘Big Six’ featuring in the top 10 for the first time. The Deloitte list ranked clubs on how much money they earn from broadcasting, commercial deals and match-day revenues during the 2017-18 season. United had spent the last two years in first place […]

Search resumes for missing plane of Cardiff striker Sala

ST. PETER PORT, United Kingdom (AFP) — Police on the British island of Guernsey resumed the search Wednesday for a missing plane carrying Premier League player Emiliano Sala, who is presumed dead after debris was found in the water. The light aircraft carrying the Argentine striker, who signed for Cardiff City at the weekend, disappeared from radar around 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Guernsey on Monday night. “We have resumed searching,” the police said. […]

Spurs extend Alderweireld contract

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Tottenham Hotspur have triggered an extension clause in veteran Belgian international Toby Alderweireld’s contract which ties him to the Premier League high-flyers until the summer of 2020. The 29-year-old central defender — capped 88 times and an integral part of Belgium’s best ever performance at the World Cup last year where they finished third — has a £25-million ($31.7m) release clause should a suitor come in for him. “The club […]

Spurs extend Vertonghen deal until 2020

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Tottenham have activated an option to extend defender Jan Vertonghen’s contract at the Premier League club until 2020. The Belgium defender, who is currently sidelined until January with a thigh injury, was due to see his deal expire at the end of the season. But Spurs have moved to tie the 31-year-old down for an additional year and are believed to be keen to agree a new long-term deal. A […]

Lionel Messi claims record 5th Golden Boot

BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — Lionel Messi collected a record fifth Golden Boot award on Tuesday for finishing last season as the top goal scorer in Europe. The striker scored 34 goals in 68 games for Barcelona, putting him ahead of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Tottenham’s Harry Kane. https://youtu.be/JRY5cuimRa8

Messi hat-trick restores Barcelona’s La Liga lead

BARCELONA, Spain (APF) — Lionel Messi continued his sublime form by netting his 31st La Liga hat-trick as Barcelona thrashed Levante 5-0 on Sunday to regain their three-point lead at the top of the table. The 31-year-old Argentinian arrived in Valencia having scored two free-kicks in last weekend’s derby thumping of Espanyol. He took his goals tally for the season to 20 after a virtuoso display, while also teeing up Luis Suarez’s 35th-minute opener and […]

Morocco will not host 2019 Africa Cup of Nations: minister

RABAT, Morocco (AFP) — Morocco will not be a candidate to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations after Cameroon was stripped of the tournament, the country’s sports minister Rachid Talbi Alami said on Wednesday, while Egypt expressed an interest in hosting the finals. “Morocco does not intend to run for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and will not do so,” he told AFP. Morocco and South Africa had been seen as the front-line […]

Spurs face make-or-break Barcelona clash

by John WEAVER Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Tottenham are sitting pretty in the Premier League but face a potentially season-defining match against Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday. Mauricio Pochettino’s men have amassed 36 points from 16 Premier League matches, with 12 wins, leaving them in third place behind Liverpool and Manchester City. That they have managed that despite playing in their temporary home of Wembley and after a World Cup […]

Ronaldo gets back to business for Juventus

by Emmeline MOORE Agence France Presse ROME, Italy (AFP) — Cristiano Ronaldo gets back to business for Italian champions Juventus against SPAL on Saturday after missing Portugal’s qualification for the Nations League semi-finals amid reports he has been snubbed for the final three in the Ballon d’Or award. The 33-year-old Ronaldo has won the prestigious Ballon d’Or five times but could be excluded from the top three, with the winner to be revealed in Paris […]

Eriksson off to winning start as Philippines boss

BACOLOD, Philippines (AFP) — Sven-Goran Eriksson began his Philippines reign with a win as his Azkals beat Singapore 1-0 in a Suzuki Cup group match at home Tuesday. Winger Patrick Reichelt scored the only goal in the 78th minute. He beat three defenders after captain Phil Younghusband, playing in his 100th cap, instinctively flicked on a header from his center-forward brother James Younghusband, a second-half substitute. Until then the Singaporeans played a compact, counter-attacking game […]

Spurs still alive in Champions League, insists Kane

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Harry Kane believes Tottenham can still make the last 16 of the Champions League after coming to his side’s rescue once more in a late turnaround to beat PSV Eindhoven 2-1 on Tuesday. Mauricio Pochettino’s side were only 12 minutes away from being eliminated as they struggled to recover from Luuk de Jong’s opener for PSV after 61 seconds at Wembley. But England captain Kane came to the rescue with […]