Togo into quarters, Tunisia head home
NELSPRUIT, South Africa ● Togo drew 1-1 with Tunisia on Wednesday to complete the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final cast list and send the Carthage Eagles heading back to Tunis. After Serge Gakpe’s opener for Togo was cancelled out by Khalid Mouelhi’s penalty the two countries finished level on points, with Togo owing their [...]
Napoli close gap on Juve as Torino hold Inter
Juventus had spurned the chance to secure an eight-point lead on Saturday when they were denied a last-gasp penalty in a 1-1 draw at home to Genoa. Juve coach Antonio Conte later called for referee Marco Guida’s resignation after he refused to point to the spot when the ball came off the forearm of Genoa [...]
Injury time winner Valencia
Valencia move into fifth and level on 33 points with city neighbours Levante, but both can be surpassed by Rayo Vallecano and Malaga, who are in action on Sunday. Deportivo stay rock bottom of La Liga, now four points from safety, and will have to improve if they are to avoid the drop. They began [...]
Late Gignac strike fires Marseille to victory
PARIS, France ● An injury-time strike from Andre-Pierre Gignac secured Marseille three crucial points in their Ligue 1 title pursuit as they beat Montpellier 3-2 on Saturday. Andre Ayew had given Marseille the lead on 14 minutes before Emanuel Herrera replied for the visitors. John Utaka’s 56th-minute goal put a resurgent Montpellier on course for [...]
Schalke beats Hannover in goal-fest
FRANKFURT, Germany ● Schalke edged Hannover 5-4 after a wild second half that saw eight goals Friday, giving new coach Jens Keller a winning start in the Bundesliga. The season looked set to resume on a boring note after the winter break, until Schalke’s Jefferson Farfan scored with one minute remaining in the first half. [...]
Sponsorship deal between Gaming Club and Premiership team in the offing?
LONDON, England ● Gambling and football often seem to go together very well, from the enthusiasm of many supporters for wagering on football results and issues at sports betting sites, to the relaxation and enjoyment that many players take from attending horse racing events and owning stables. The natural combination of these two entertainment [...]
From Lionel, with love
MOSCOW, Russia ● Lionel Messi scored his ninth double of the campaign as Barcelona won 3-0 at Spartak Moscow on Tuesday to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League for the ninth straight season. With 56 Champions League goals, Messi is now level in second place in the all-time list with Ruud [...]
First away win Sunderland against 10-man Fulham
LONDON, England ● Sunderland registered their first Premier League away win since February and ended a run of five games without victory by overcoming 10-man Fulham 3-1 on Sunday. Brede Hangeland was sent off for Fulham after half an hour, but although Steven Fletcher’s opener for the visitors was cancelled out by Mladen [...]
Another record Barca, Real keep track
MADRID, Spain ● Lionel Messi hit a brace as Barcelona beat Zaragoza 3-1 to make the best ever start to a Liga season but Real Madrid kept in touch with a 5-1 win over Athletic Bilbao. There were doubts that Tito Vilanova could take on the mantle left by Pep Guardiola this summer but he [...]
