Soccer

March 15, 2025 12:42 PM

Van Dijk eyes place among Liverpool’s great captains

Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk said winning a second League Cup trophy on Sunday against Newcastle United would give him a place among the captains who had achieved great things at the Premier League club. The Dutch defender scored the winner in the 118th minute against Chelsea at Wembley last year, securing his first trophy as skipper. The 33-year-old replaced Jordan Henderson as captain in 2023 under Jurgen Klopp and has retained the armband under new manager Arne Slot. "If you were to lift th...

December 23, 2024 11:03 AM

Soccer-Liverpool hit Tottenham for six to cement top spot, Chelsea held

Liverpool strengthened their hold on the Premier League top spot with an extraordinary 6-3 victory at battered Tottenham Hotspur after second-placed Chelsea were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw away to Everton on Sunday. Mohamed Salah scored twice, as did Luis Diaz, while Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were also on target at bamboozled Spurs for Dutchman Arne Slot's Liverpool side who head into Christmas four points clear. Chelsea could have gone into first place before Liverpool's ...

December 16, 2024 10:25 AM

Chelsea narrowly defeat Brentford 2-1 to move within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool

Buoyant Chelsea moved within two points of leaders Liverpool on Sunday as goals from Marc Cucurella and Nicolas Jackson earned them a 2-1 victory over neighbours Brentford, their fifth Premier League win in a row. Chelsea pushed Brentford back from the start, with 15 attempts on goal in the first half, but it was not until the 43rd minute that Cucurella raced into the area and dived athletically to head Noni Madueke's cross past goalkeeper Mark Flekken. It was the Spain fullback's first Premier...

December 16, 2024 9:54 AM

Russell Martin sacked after Southampton’s 5-0 home drubbing by Tottenham hotspur

Southampton sacked manager Russell Martin shortly after his side's 5-0 drubbing at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday left them rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table. The humiliating defeat, in which Spurs scored five times in the first half, left Southampton on five points from 16 matches. Martin was the second Premier League manager sacked on Sunday after second-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers parted company with Gary O'Neil. "The reality of our situation is clear. The board have...

December 12, 2024 11:38 AM

Soccer – Juventus stun Manchester city with 2-0 win, deal blow to Champions League hopes

Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie scored to lead Juventus to a 2-0 Champions League win over Manchester City on Wednesday, a major blow to the English champions' hopes of clinching a top-eight spot in the group stage of Europe's elite competition. City, who lifted the 2023 Champions League trophy, continued a poor run of form which has brought only one victory in their last 10 games across all competitions. "(Confidence) is a big part of it, obviously it's a mental issue as well. You can see ...

November 11, 2024 10:39 AM

Dutch police detain 50 protesters at pro-Palestinian rally after soccer unrest

Dutch police said they took away more than 300 pro-Palestinian protesters who ignored a ban on demonstrations in Amsterdam on Sunday and detained 50 more following clashes involving Israeli soccer fans last week. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the capital's Dam Square, chanting "Free Palestine" and "Amsterdam says no to genocide", in reference to the Gaza war. Israel denies allegations of genocide in its more than year-long offensive against Palestinian militant group Hamas. After a lo...

November 8, 2024 7:11 PM

Israel to fetch soccer fans from Amsterdam after apparent antisemitic attacks

Israel was sending commercial planes to the Netherlands on Friday to bring home Israeli soccer fans after overnight attacks in Amsterdam that officials described as antisemitic, although there was evidence of provocative chanting from Israeli fans. Videos on social media showed riot police intervening in clashes, with some attackers shouting anti-Israeli slurs. But some footage also showed Israeli supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans before Thursday evening's match. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Hals...

October 22, 2024 10:57 AM

Neymar back in thrilling Al-Hilal victory after long-term knee injury

Neymar returned to action for Al-Hilal's hard-fought 5-4 win over UAE Pro League side Al-Ain in the Asian Champions League on Monday. The 32-year-old Brazil forward came on for the injured Nasser Al-Dawsari in the 77th minute with his team leading 5-3 thanks to Salem Al-Dawsari's hat-trick and goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Renan Lodi. He then came close to scoring after a counter-attack late on, before Al-Ain pulled one back in stoppage time with a penalty from Soufiane Rahimi, who a...

September 20, 2024 10:45 AM

Soccer- Raya wonder save earns Arsenal a point at Atalanta

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya secured his side a hard-earned point with a sensational penalty save in a 0-0 draw away to Atalanta in their Champions League opener on Thursday. Spaniard Raya dived low to his right to beat out Mateo Retegui's spot kick in the 51st minute then sprang across his goal to claw away the forward's follow up header. It was a gritty display by Mikel Arteta's side who soaked up home pressure inside a raucous Stadio di Bergamo and occasionally looked dangerous at the othe...

September 20, 2024 10:41 AM

Soccer- Ten-man Barcelona lose 2-1 to Monaco in Champions League opener

Barcelona made a disappointing start to their Champions League campaign by losing 2-1 to AS Monaco on Thursday after suffering an early blow from defender Eric Garcia's dismissal. Barcelona had a dreadful start at the Stade Louis II stadium when Garcia was shown a straight red card 11 minutes in for a foul on Monaco's Takumi Minamino, who was clear in front of goal after a misplaced pass from goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. "We didn't understand each other in that moment, I feel bad for Eric...