NAIROBI: Sudan entered the African Nations Championships (CHAN) as rank outsiders — its home league is almost nonexistent in a country ripped apart by civil war, and the squad had only a few days training together. Yet the Falcons of Jediane have defied the odds to reach the semi-finals of CHAN in which teams can…
NEWCASTLE: Liverpool needed a 100th minute winner from 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha to beat Newcastle 3-2, after blowing a two-goal lead against 10 men, in a Premier League thriller on Monday. Ryan Gravenberch and long-time Newcastle target Hugo Ekitike struck for the English champions, either side of Anthony Gordon’s red card for a wild lunge on…
MARSEILLE: Even though he is about to turn 39, Olivier Giroud promised “this is only the beginning” after striking in added time on Sunday to give Lille a 1-0 Ligue 1 win over visiting Monaco. Giroud, the French national team’s all-time leading scorer, was brought in by Lille in part to replace Jonathan David, who…
WASHINGTON: Los Angeles FC’s South Korean superstar Son Heung-min grabbed his first Major League Soccer goal on Saturday, burying a first-half free kick in a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas. Son, the former Tottenham captain who signed with LAFC this month for a reported MLS record $26 million transfer fee, made his third appearance, and…
LONDON: Â A new-look Manchester City showed familiar frailties as Tottenham strolled to a 2-0 win at the Etihad on Saturday, while Viktor Gyokeres scored his first Arsenal goals in a 5-0 hammering of Leeds. Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha struck for the Europa League winners just before half-time as Spurs continued a perfect start for…
ITALY: Kevin De Bruyne scored on his Napoli debut on Saturday as the Serie A champions kicked off their title defence with a straightforward 2-0 win at promoted Sassuolo, while Luka Modric and AC Milan fell to a shock 2-1 home defeat to Cremonese. The headline signing of the summer transfer window in Italy, De…
MANCHESTER: Harry Maguire believes it would be “silly” to leave Manchester United right now after revealing manager Ruben Amorim has stalled any summer transfer window moves for the defender. The 32-year-old centre-back arrived at Old Trafford from Leicester in an £80 million ($108 million) deal in 2019, signing a six-year contract with an option for…
MILAN: The 2025/26 Serie A season gets underway on Saturday when Napoli begin their league title defence at promoted Sassuolo. AFP Sport looks at some of the new faces to watch for ahead of the campaign as teams jostle to dethrone the champions: The headline transfer of the summer, Kevin De Bruyne joins Belgium teammate…
LONDON: Newcastle great Alan Shearer has accused wantaway striker Alexander Isak of pouring “flames on the fire” of his row with the Magpies by accusing the club of breaking promises. The Sweden international, who was the second-highest goalscorer in the Premier League last season, has not featured for Newcastle in pre-season or their opening game…
MADRID: Kylian Mbappe struck from the penalty spot as Real Madrid beat a dogged Osasuna 1-0 on Tuesday to make a winning start in La Liga under new coach Xabi Alonso. The France striker, last season’s European Golden Shoe winner, scored early in the second half after he was fouled in the area by Osasuna…
