Page 23 - Football

Premier League 2024-25 points table, standings, top 5 highest goal-scorers

Check Premier League 2024-25 team rankings and key goal stats in Matchweek 6 here

Serhou Guirassy scores twice in Dortmund's 4-2 comeback win over Bochum

Serhou Guirassy scored twice and won a penalty as Borussia Dortmund overturned a two-goal deficit to beat local rival Bochum 4-2 in the Bundesliga ahead of facing Celtic in the Champions League next week. Dortmund had been demolished 5-1 by Stuttgart last week and the pressure on new coach Nuri Sahin seemed to be mounting when his team conceded two early goals against Bochum. In the space of five minutes, Matus Bero scored off a smartly executed one-two through the center, then Dani de Wit made it 2-0 after teammate Myron Boadu had snatched the ball off Dortmund's goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. On the sideline, Sahin spread his arms wide in a gesture of indignation. Dortmund clawed its way back into the game, first with a Guirassy header just before halftime to cut the deficit to 2-1, then a penalty from Emre Can leveled the score after a clumsy foul on Guirassy. It was Dortmund's turn to slice through Bochum on the counter after that, Karim Adeyemi playing a perfect through-ball for ...

Barcola scores twice as PSG extend unbeaten run with 3-1 win over Rennes

Bradley Barcola scored one goal in each half and Lee Kang-in added a third as Paris Saint-Germain beat Rennes 3-1 to extend its unbeaten run in the French league. Barcola took a pass from Ousmane Dembl after half an hour on Friday and steered a right-foot shot inside the far post. Lee got his third goal of the season to double the home side's advantage 12 minutes into the second half and Barcola added his second with a simple tap in after 68 minutes. Arnaud Kalimuendo scored a consolation goal for Rennes from the penalty spot. Rennes had a second goal chalked off by VAR with two minutes to end any hopes of a comeback. Barcola's fifth and sixth goals of the season take him to the top of the Ligue 1 scoring charts, one clear of Marseille's Mason Greenwood. PSG has 16 points from its first six games. Marseille is also unbeaten and has 13 points from five games. The south coast club plays at Strasbourg on Sunday. Rennes is in eighth place with seven points from six games. Auxerre be

FIFA suspends Argentina goalkeeper for 2 matches in World Cup qualifiers

Argentina's soccer association (AFA) said that FIFA suspended goalkeeper Emiliano Martnez for two matches of South American World Cup qualifying in October. The decision rules out the 32-year-old from official games in the round-robin competition against Venezuela and Bolivia on Oct. 10 and 15. AFA said in a statement that FIFA's disciplinary commission sanctioned Martnez due to incidents in two World Cup qualifying matches against Chile and Colombia earlier this month. The soccer body did not describe which incidents led to the punishment. Martnez made an obscene gesture after his team's 3-0 win against Chile by holding the Copa America trophy close to his genitals, as he did after the South American team lifted the World Cup title in Qatar in the end of 2022. Later, he slapped a local cameraman after Argentina's 2-1 defeat against Colombia in Barranquilla. Argentina's soccer body said it absolutely disagrees with FIFA's decision. Argentina leads South American World Cup qualif

ISL 2024: Borja Herrera's hat-trick powers FC Goa to season's first win

Led by Borja Herrera's sensational hat-trick, FC Goa secured their first win of their Indian Super League 2024-25 campaign as they edged past hosts East Bengal 3-2 here on Friday. The visitors started the game brightly as they made some impactful moves into the final third. The likes of Dejan Drazic, Borja Herrera and Boris Singh made openings early on in the game. Their persistent attacks were soon rewarded when Drazic's cross from the left was parried away by East Bengal goalkeeper Debjit Majumder. However, the stray ball fell to Borja in space and the Spaniard slotted it into the net in the 13th minute. The Gaurs kept troubling the East Bengal FC backline with their darting counter-attacks. In such an instance, Boris Singh won possession from Hijazi Maher on the right flank in a dangerous area. The youngster came up with a perfectly weighted cut-back to find Borja in the box, who slammed it home again in the 20th minute to double the lead for the visitors. However, the Carles .

Genoa's match vs Juventus to be played without fans after crowd trouble

Genoa's Serie A home match against Juventus will be played behind closed doors on Saturday, three days after crowd trouble before and after the Italian Cup derby. Friday's decision came after violent clashes between Genoa and Sampdoria fans that saw more than 50 people injured, including 41 police officers who were attempting to control the fiery crowds. Most of the trouble happened after the match, which Serie B side Sampdoria won on penalties. As punishment, no fans will be allowed into Genoa's stadium on Saturday. Sampdoria is expected to face a similar punishment for its next home match, against Juve Stabia on Oct. 4.

ISL 2024: Bengaluru FC, Mohun Bagan SG face off in bumper weekend clash

Unbeaten so far in the league, Bengaluru FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant will lock horns in a blockbuster ISL clash here on Saturday, with the two heavyweights of Indian club football looking to consolidate their positions in the pecking order. Bengaluru FC won both their games against East Bengal and Hyderabad FC while Mohun Bagan Super Giant, after sharing the spoils with Mumbai City FC in their opener, returned to winning ways in their last outing against NorthEast United. BFC are placed second in the standings currently, while Mohun Bagan are holding the fourth position. The Blues have lost only once in their nine home games under the tutelage of Gerard Zaragoza, the only defeat coming in the form of a 0-4 reverse to Mohun Bagan SG last season. The Mariners have scored 43 goals from open play since the start of the previous season, which is the highest in the league and 25 more than Bengaluru FC (18) in that period. Zaragoza's side have won both the games so far in ISL 2024-25.

Newcastle United CEO to step down after being diagnosed with cancer

The chief executive of English Premier League club Newcastle is stepping down after being diagnosed with cancer. Darren Eales has been in the position since August 2022, 10 months after the club was bought by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Eales has a chronic form of blood cancer, Newcastle said on Friday. He will continue in his role until a successor is found. Being CEO of Newcastle United is an extraordinary privilege and I am incredibly proud to be part of the club's exciting journey, Eales said. However, it has become apparent to me that now is the right time to make this decision so that I can prioritize my health and my family. Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan said Eales helped to build a strong foundation" for the club. We fully understand the difficult decision he has made, Al-Rumayyan said.

Premier League: Chelsea vs Brighton live match timings and streaming

With just one point separating the two sides right now, a win for either side will take them above the other and possibly among the top 5 in the table by the end of the day.

Premier League: Newcastle United vs Man City live match timings, streaming

Newcastle will be looking to level with the Cityzens on the day, whereas the visitors will hope for another routine win away from home to extend their lead at the top by three points.

One-year suspended sentence, ban for fan who racially abused Vincius

A Spanish court handed a one-year suspended sentence to a soccer fan for racially abusing Vincius Jnior and Villarreal's Samuel Chukwueze, Real Madrid said on Thursday. The incidents occurred at Mallorca's stadium in two games in early 2023 when the defendant insulted the Black players from the stands. The club said the court in Mallorca also ruled that the abuser is banned from attending any games organized by the Spanish league or Spanish Football Federation for three years. The one-year prison sentence was suspended after the defendant showed remorse, apologized to Vincius in a letter, and completed an anti-discrimination program, the club said. The press office for the courts of the Balearic Islands was unable to immediately share the court's decision when requested by The Associated Press. Vincius, a Brazil forward, has been subjected to multiple acts of racial abuse in and outside soccer stadiums in Spain. He recently said Spain should not be allowed to host the 2030 World C

Football-related arrests rise in England, Wales; West Ham with most cases

Soccer-related arrests are on the rise in England and Wales, the UK government said on Thursday. The most cases were recorded at West Ham United matches for the third year in a row. There were 2,584 football-related arrests in the 2023-24 season a 14% increase on the previous year, figures released by the Home Office showed. The government said the rise was driven by arrests relating to the possession of class-A drugs and this year's European Championship in Germany. The rate of arrests over the season was 5.5 per 1,00,000 fans attending matches in the top six levels of men's English soccer, the Welsh league and the top two levels of women's soccer. Statistics also covered matches involving the England and Wales national teams, the Champions League final staged at Wembley Stadium, and age group matches. It is important that these figures are put into context. Last season around 47 million people attended men's domestic and international matches, the highest number we have on reco

ISL 2024: East Bengal hosts FC Goa, hopes to claim season's maiden win

Smarting from back-to-back losses, East Bengal FC will look to get back to winning ways when they host FC Goa in their opening home game of the Indian Super League season here on Friday. The Red & Gold Brigade lost 0-1 to Bengaluru FC and then suffered a 1-2 loss against Kerala Blasters in their last two matches, while FC Goa is coming off a 1-1 draw against Mohammedan SC here. However, East Bengal will bank on home success to return to winning ways as the club had emerged triumphant by 2-1 against Bengaluru FC when they last played an ISL game here in April this year. Goa has scored in each of its eight ISL fixtures versus East Bengal FC. They have been dominant in collecting the three points in the previous four clashes between the two. East Bengal, on the other hand, has scored just once in the last two encounters, with its lone goal-scorer being PV Vishnu. Although East Bengal registered four shots on target versus Kerala Blasters, the efficiency was missing. We have been ...

ISL 2024: Punjab FC get hattrick of wins, beat Hyderabad FC 2-0 at home

Goals from Ezequiel Vidal and Filip Mrzljak helped Punjab FC defeat Hyderabad FC 2-0 and make it three wins in a row for the side in the Indian Super League here on Wednesday. Following their emphatic win, Punjab FC, who scored once in each half, now sit at the top of the table. Punjab FC turned on the intensity following the initial 15 minutes of lethargy when Leander D'Cunha's mis-timed pass in the danger area saw Mrzljak come up with a superb interception. The Croatian was in a prime position to put the hosts ahead but rival goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh thwarted his effort. Buoyed by the opportunity, Punjab FC kept pushing for the opening goal, with Vidal at the centre of every action. He created a couple or more opportunities for Mrzljak and Ivan Novoselec but neither managed to find the back of the net. In the 27th minute, Vidal went for the jugular from distance and missed the target by a whisker. Minutes later, Vidal released Nihal Sudeesh on the left flank and the youngster

Lazio fans detained with weapons ahead of European game in Hamburg

A group of about 60 Lazio fans were stopped by German authorities after attempting to avoid a police escort ahead of a Europa League game against Dynamo Kyiv and were found to be carrying knives, clubs and other weapons, police said Wednesday. Fans were checked late Tuesday and detained until Wednesday. Lazio said in a statement that the fans held overnight were banned from attending Wednesday's game, but there were no arrests. Dynamo Kyiv is playing its home games in Hamburg because of the war in Ukraine. Lazio supporters have a long history of creating trouble and the club has been hit with numerous sanctions in Serie A and Europe. Before a Champions League game against Bayern Munich in March, an Italian among about 100 Lazio soccer supporters who sang fascist songs in the beer hall where Adolf Hitler founded the Nazi party was arrested and fined for giving a Hitler salute. A year earlier, a fan wearing a shirt with a reference to Hitler was banned for life from attending Lazio .

Bhaichung Bhutia launches football talent hunt across 50 Indian cities

Football icon Bhaichung Bhutia has unveiled India's largest-ever football trials aimed at discovering and nurturing young talent nationwide. Kicking off this month, the talent hunt will span 50 cities, including Jalandhar, Patiala, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Mysuru, Mangalore, Bangalore, and Belgaum. Organised by Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS) and powered by enJogo, the trials are expected to see over 6,000 players aged 9-18 showcasing their skills in front of AIFF/AFC certified coaches. Bhutia aims to tap into the potential of youth from diverse regions, offering them opportunities to develop their skills at the BBFS Residential Academy. "Football in India needs a strong foundation, and that starts with youth development," said Bhutia in a release. "Our mission is to create pathways for young footballers to rise through the ranks, whether they come from big cities or remote areas. Through these trials, we hope to find and develop India's next football stars." The

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe to miss games, ruled out with hamstring injury

Kylian Mbapp will be sidelined with a hamstring injury, Real Madrid said Wednesday. Following tests carried out today by Real Madrid's medical services on our player Kylian Mbapp, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg, Madrid said. His progress will be monitored. The club did not give a time frame for Mbapp's recovery, but he is set to miss at least Sunday's derby at Atletico Madrid in the Spanish league. He could also miss France's Nations League matches against Israel in Budapest on Oct. 10 and away to Belgium four days later. Madrid said the injury was diagnosed a day after the 3-2 win over Alaves in the Spanish league on Tuesday, when Mbappe scored his seventh goal since joining Madrid this season. Mbapp asked to be substituted in the 80th minute. Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti had said after the game that the injury did not appear to be serious. The France star has five goals in the Spanish league, one behind leading scorer Robert Lewandowsk

UEFA Europa League 2024 Highlights: Man Utd held at home by FC Twente

Christian Eriksen's 35th-minute goal had put the Red Devils ahead in the tie, but the Danish midfielder soon turned from hero to villain as he lost the ball in defense, leading to the equaliser.

Former France, Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane announces retirement

Former France and Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane announced his retirement on Wednesday, ending a career that included a World Cup title and a big haul of club trophies. The 31-year-old Varane signed with promoted Serie A club Como in July, but injured his knee during his only appearance with the club an Italian Cup match against Sampdoria last month. In my career, I have taken on many challenges, rose to occasion after occasion, almost all of it was supposed to be impossible, Varane wrote on Instagram. Reflecting on these moments, it is with immense pride and a feeling of fulfilment that I am announcing my retirement from the game that we all love. Varane was arguably the tournament's standout defender when France won the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He also helped Madrid to four Champions League titles and three La Liga trophies. He moved to Manchester United in 2021 but was restricted to 95 appearances in his three seasons in England mainly because of injuries. Varane beg

Cesc Fabregas' Como gets 1st Serie A victory in more than 21 years

Como got its first Serie A win in more than 21 years as Cesc Fabregas' team won 3-2 at Atalanta in a rescheduled match. Delightful second-half goals from Gabriel Strefezza and Alieu Fadera, as well as an own goal from Atalanta defender Sead Kolasinac saw newly promoted Como fight back for its first win in the Italian top flight since May 2003. It was a third defeat of the season for Atalanta, which drew 0-0 against Arsenal in the Champions League last week. The match which was a local derby was originally meant to take place on Monday night but had to be postponed by 24 hours due to heavy rains in Bergamo and a waterlogged pitch. Atalanta took the lead in the 18th minute when a corner was headed out but only as far as Davide Zappacosta, who volleyed into the bottom left corner from just outside the area. However, Como got more into the match and managed to level just 20 seconds into the second half with a well-worked move as Sergi Roberto backheeled a pass from Ignace Van der Br