Football

Cristiano Ronaldo is being rested for Al-Nassr's AFC Champions League trip to Uzbekistan, a week after the club's previous game in the competition was postponed, and amid concern that the security situation in Saudi Arabia will continue to impact Asia's top soccer tournaments. Ronaldo, who scored a hat trick in a Saudi Pro League game last week to reach 985 career goals, was left off the roster by coach Ange Postecoglou for Monday's match against Pakhtakor in Tashkent. Postecoglou, a former head coach of Tottenham Hotspur and of Australia, told a news conference in Uzbekistan he'd rested Ronaldo, Kingsley Coman and Mohamed Simakan "given the pressure of matches and the amount of travel involved." Al-Nassr, aiming for a first ever Asian title, has made a slow start and is ninth in the western zone group, the lowest-ranked of the Saudi league's five representatives in the 32-team tournament. The continental championship is split into two groups of 16 -- east and west - with the top ..

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany has been discharged from the hospital, his assistant Aaron Danks confirmed, five days after collapsing during a training session. The 40-year-old Kompany was observing a practice session for the club's reserve team when the incident occurred last Friday. Speaking after Bayern's 6-1 win over Magdeburg in the German Cup, Danks said there was "no timeline" on when Kompany might be back at work. "It's obviously a really positive step in his road to recovery," Danks said of Kompany leaving the hospital. "He gets to settle back at home now, be closer to his family, be closer to his home comforts but it's still really important that he takes his rest and he recovers. "So there's no timescale on it - nothing that I've been told. Our doctors will continue to work closely with Vince and at the right moment, he will be back with us once he is fit and healthy to do that. And we look forward to that day." Danks said he hadn't spoken to Kompany for a couple o

Riquelme Fillipi tallied his first Major League Soccer goal in the 90th minute to cap a late-game barrage of scores, and Lionel Messi and Inter Miami escaped with a 2-2 tie against FC Cincinnati. Luis Suarez scored in the 61st minute to give Inter Miami a 1-0 lead, and then the reigning MLS Cup champions needed some late-game heroics to salvage a point. They still fell to third in the Eastern Conference, after New England beat Red Bull New York 3-2 on Wednesday. That gave New England 58 points, two ahead of Miami with two matches left - including one between those clubs in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Sunday. Evander had a brilliant chance to win it for Cincinnati with a shot from around the penalty spot on what became the last real chance of the match in stoppage time - but Inter Miami defender Ian Fray got his body in front of the ball to deflect it away. Cincinnati's ensuing corner kick was harmless and time expired. Kenji Mboma Dem scored in the 80th minute and Samuel Gidi go

The series was held alongside celebrations marking 100 years of unity through sport between India and New Zealand

Alexia Putellas became the second player to win three Women's Ballon d'Or awards, matching Spain teammate Aitana Bonmati after reclaiming the honour in 2026

Spain star Alexia Putellas won her third women's Ballon d'Or after helping Barcelona secure multiple trophies last season, including the UEFA Women's Champions League

The live streaming of the Ballon d'Or 2026 ceremony will be available on the DAZN app and website in India

The crisis at Manchester United deepened Sunday with a 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth in the Premier League, with under-pressure manager Michael Carrick's bold call to drop captain Bruno Fernandes failing to pay off. Also, Brighton - the league's surprise package this season - was beaten 2-0 at Liverpool for its first defeat since August. United's winless run extended to eight games in all competitions after its latest setback, coming four days after a humiliating 4-1 loss at Como in the Champions League that was followed by critical comments to the media by Fernandes about Carrick's tactics. The Portugal star was left out of the team against Bournemouth in what Carrick described as a "pure football" decision and never made it onto the field, with the visitors taking advantage of woeful defending to score goals through Rayan, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson. With United tumbling to 16th place in the 20-team Premier League, Carrick's job is under huge threat - barely five months after

Nielsen's Fan Insights data showed that US soccer fandom grew 27 per cent between 2022 and 2026, adding 16 million fans over five years

The plan also includes $99 million for each of FIFA's six continental confederations over the same period

Manchester City spent £1.388bn on players over nine years, with funding allegedly disguised as sponsorship income helping build a star-studded squad

The Confederation of African Football is reappraising its decision to hold the Africa Cup of Nations every four years, CAF president Patrice Motsepe declared on Friday when he added his organization did not take orders from FIFA or UEFA. Motsepe, who last December announced the biennial Africa Cup would switch to a four-year cycle from 2028, said on Friday that it was "nonsense, absolute rubbish" that CAF was being dictated to by either the world or European governing body. The decision at the time, bringing the competition to a schedule that aligned with FIFA's international calendar, rankled many at the Africa Cup in Morocco, with some saying it was made with European wishes at heart to the detriment of African interests. Motsepe, a South African billionaire who is also a vice-president of FIFA, appeared stung by the criticism. "My No. 1 job, my No. 1 duty is to protect, promote, and advance the interests of Africa," he said. "And there are times when I have to stand firm and say

Lens ended Lyon's unbeaten start to Ligue 1 while Borussia Dortmund dropped Bundesliga points for the first time this season after Werder Bremen rescue a late dramatic 2-2 draw on Friday. In Spain, Malaga was still without a win after drawing with visiting Espanyol 1-1. Hein shows great bottle for Bremen ======================= Dortmund came into Friday's home match on top of the Bundesliga and the only club to win all four of its games so far. While losing Amos Pieper to injury in the first half, Dortmund struggled to find a way past Karl Hein, who was outstanding in the Bremen goal. But even he could not hold stop Dortmund forever and the home side eventually seized control with goals in the 80th and 85th minutes from Daniel Svensson and Nico Schlotterbeck. However, Bremen scored twice in the dying minutes to rescue an unlikely point. Ludovit Reis cut the deficit with a low drive two minutes from time and former Dortmund forward Niclas Fullkrug shocked his old side with a head

Erling Haaland called on everybody at Manchester City to "stick together" in the striker's first public comments since the club was found guilty of large-scale financial rule-breaking in the Premier League. City manager Enzo Maresca also spoke for the first time about English soccer's biggest modern-day scandal, expressing his "trust" in the club's ownership and saying his players "don't care too much about the noise." City will play Liverpool on Sunday in its first match since the publication of an investigatory panel's verdict that City artificially inflated its revenue by more than $1 billion from 2009-18 to circumvent financial fair-play rules that restricted rival clubs in that period. City was found guilty by the panel of all 80 of the serious financial charges brought by the Premier League and could be hit with severe sanctions - including being expelled from the top flight. City has lodged an appeal against the findings. In an interview with Sky Sports published Thursday, .

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has signed a new contract that is set to extend his stay at the English champions beyond a decade. Arteta penned a deal that keeps him at Arsenal until 2030, the club said Wednesday. The 44-year-old Spanish coach took charge in December 2019 and is now comfortably the longest-serving coach in the Premier League. He led Arsenal to the league title last season to end the club's 22-year wait to be the champions of England again. "We have already built a special bond and created memories that will last a lifetime," Arteta said in a club statement, "and what is so exciting is that this is only the beginning of what we can achieve together." Arteta also played for Arsenal, spending the last five years of his career there. "He has a deep understanding of Arsenal's values and carries them in his heart," Arsenal co-chairmen Stan and Josh Kroenke said. "He knows what this club means to everyone connected to it and is committed to building on everything we have

Former Manchester City and Spain midfielder David Silva has come out of retirement after three years to join Supreme Sha Tin, the Hong Kong club announced Wednesday. The 40-year-old Silva, a member of Spain's 2010 World Cup winning squad, ended his career in the summer of 2023 after sustaining a serious knee injury while in preseason training with Real Sociedad in Spain. "I am delighted to join Supreme Sha Tin," Silva, who made 125 appearances for Spain, said in a video posted on the club's social media channels. "I'm really looking forward to going to Hong Kong to enjoy the culture, the people, and the food in Sha Tin - and the football in Hong Kong, of course." Supreme Sha Tin was promoted to the Hong Kong Premier League last season and is currently 8th in the 11-team competition. "David Silva will be in Hong Kong soon to settle in, link up with squad training, and build up to peak match fitness before making his pitch debut," the club said. Silva joined Manchester City in 2010

Ronaldo, 41, apologised to his teammates and supporters for leaving the Portugal camp midway through the Nations League fixtures but provided a detailed account of the events that led to his decision

Son Heung-min became South Korea's all-time leading scorer when his 59th goal helped the team beat Uzbekistan 2-0 in a friendly on Tuesday. The sixth-minute free kick moved Son past Cha Bum-kun's record of 58. Cha retired from international soccer after the 1986 World Cup. Oh Se-hun added a second goal on the hour as South Korea won comfortably at Mireu Stadium in Yongin, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Seoul. Son also holds South Korea's appearance record with 151 caps. He made his international debut in 2010 and has played at four World Cups. The 34-year-old joined Los Angeles FC in 2025 after a decade with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. The win ended a mixed international break for South Korea and interim coach Robert Moreno. The team beat Ecuador 3-0, lost to Uruguay 4-1 and drew with Venezuela 0-0. South Korea and Uzbekistan are preparing for the 2027 Asian Cup which kicks off in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 7.

The 39-year-old, who earned his 208th cap, received a standing ovation from the crowd, his teammates and the coaching staff during an emotional evening in Buenos Aires

Punjab FC went down narrowly 3-4 on penalties to defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant to end their campaign at IFA Shield here on Sunday. The Shers stayed competitive throughout 120 minutes and came close to finding the breakthrough on several occasions before Mohun Bagan prevailed in the shootout. The defending champions will face the winner of the second semifinal between East Bengal FC and NorthEast United FC in the final. Punjab FC were tested by an intense Mohun Bagan press in the opening stages but remained compact and organised. The first chance came in the third minute when Lallianzuala Chhangte's effort took a slight deflection, but Arshdeep Singh kept his composure to collect. Mohun Bagan threatened again five minutes later when Asish Rai reached an aerial through ball and set up Lee Erwin with a first-time pass after Arshdeep rushed off his line. The Punjab FC defence recovered quickly to block Erwin's effort and clear the danger. Erwin then tested Arshdeep from a