Page 3 - Football

Nations League SFs: GER vs POR, ESP vs FRA ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup

The tournament kicks off in Munich on Thursday (India time) with hosts Germany facing Portugal, followed by title holders Spain meeting France in Stuttgart on Friday (India time)

Ajax hire Liverpool's John Heitinga as new manager in major reshuffle move

Ajax hired John Heitinga as head coach on Saturday to replace Francesco Farioli nearly two weeks after the Italian resigned following the team's late-season collapse. Heitinga, who had a spell as Ajax's interim manager in 2023, spent the past season as an assistant coach to Arne Slot at Liverpool, which won the Premier League title. The 41-year-old former Ajax center-back came through the Dutch club's youth program and made more than 150 appearances for the team. He also played 4 1/2 seasons at Everton. The former Dutch international takes over a team that finished second to PSV Eindhoven after squandering a nine-point lead in the Eredivisie title race. I am incredibly excited to start, said Heitinga, who was an assistant at West Ham two seasons ago. The last years in England have done me a lot of good. I've been able to develop further alongside David Moyes and Arne Slot, while also getting a behind-the-scenes look at two major clubs.

AFC U23 Qualifiers: India drawn with Qatar, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam

The India U-23 men's national team was on Thursday drawn in Group H of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers and will play against hosts Qatar, Bahrain, and Brunei Darussalam. The draw was conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur. Qatar, the highest-seeded team among the four, will host Group H, with the matches slated to be played between September 1 to 9. A total of 44 teams were divided into 11 groups of four each. The group winners and the four best runners-up, alongside hosts Saudi Arabia, will complete the cast of 16 teams for the seventh edition of the AFC U23 Asian Cup, which will take place in January 2026. The seedings for the draw were based on a points system derived from the teams' final rankings across the previous three editions of the tournament. India were placed in Pot 3. India had earlier appointed Naushad Moosa as the head coach of their U-23 national team. Moosa takes charge from June 1, when the Blue Colts assemble in Kolkata for a training camp, before flying

Chelsea thrash Real Betis 4-1 to lift maiden UEFA Conference League title

The Conference League triumph completes Chelsea's collection of UEFA titles, adding to previous successes in the Champions League, Europa League and the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup

Conference League 2025 Final: Real Betis vs Chelsea live time, streaming

Live streaming of the UEFA Conference League final between Real Betis and Chelsea will be available on the SonyLIV app and website.

Nations League 2025: Burkardt in, Stiller out of Germany's final squad

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has called up Mainz forward Jonathan Burkardt to his squad for upcoming Nations League games after Stuttgart's Angelo Stiller dropped out with an injury. Burkardt will join the team at its training base in Herzogenaurach on Friday, the German soccer federation said Tuesday, in preparation for the Nations League semifinal against Portugal in Munich on Wednesday, and the final or third-place playoff against either Spain or France four days later. The 24-year-old Burkardt has played three games for Germany. He was the Bundesliga's top-scoring German player with 18 goals for Mainz this season. Stiller, who starred for Stuttgart as the team won the German Cup on Saturday, dropped out with a recurrence of the ankle ligament injury that had kept him out for two weeks previously. The DFB said Stiller has not completely healed. Stiller was involved in three of Stuttgart's four goals as it defeated Arminia Bielefeld 4-2 in the cup final.

Diego Maradona trial judge quits after documentary sparks outrage

One of the three judges overseeing the trial of seven health professionals accused of negligence in the death of Diego Maradona stepped down from the proceedings amid controversy over her participation in the making of a documentary about the case. Julieta Makintach withdrew from the case after the prosecutor showed footage of the documentary that spans the first moments after the soccer star's death in 2020 to the start of the trial more than two months ago, in which the judge appears as one of its lead characters. Following Makintach's resignation, the other two judges will have to decide how the case will proceed. The trial was suspended for a week after prosecutor Patricio Ferrari asked the San Isidro court to review Makintach's role in allegedly allowing the documentary to be filmed during the trial. Leopoldo Luque, Maradona's primary physician at the time of the star's death and one of the main defendants, had requested Makintach's removal from the trial. Luque's lawyer, Jul

Messi vs Yamal set as UEFA, CONMEBOL confirm ARG vs ESP Finalissima in 2026

As Argentina prepares for the 2026 edition of this prestigious fixture, all eyes will be on Lionel Messi, who is likely to feature in one of his final outings in the famous Albiceleste shirt

Which team won most Europa League titles? Full list of winners, runner-ups

With this Europa League title, Spurs have also booked a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League, adding a silver lining to a season filled with doubt

Bologna beat AC Milan 1-0 to win first Italian Cup title in 51 years

Bologna ended a 51-year wait for a major trophy when it beat AC Milan 1-0 to win the Italian Cup. Dan Ndoye returned from injury to score the only goal and help Bologna to its first Italian Cup since 1974. The club, which is owned by Canadian Joey Saputo, has only won two second-division titles in between. It was also coach Vincenzo Italiano's first win in a final, having lost back-to-back Europa Conference League title matches while in charge of Fiorentina and finishing runner-up in the 2023 Italian Cup. They were three hefty disappointments, Italiano told broadcaster Mediaset. I didn't think I could immediately come back and get my own back. But we succeeded and I'm happy. I add an important trophy to my mantlepiece and I truly dedicate it to the guys, who were extraordinary. Italiano had been flung in the air by his players in celebration immediately after the final whistle. Many of them were in tears of joy, much like some of the thousands of Bologna fans in the stands. And t

Who'll referee the UEFA Champions League final between PSG and Inter Milan?

This season alone, Istvan Kovacs has been in charge of seven Champions League fixtures, notably overseeing the dramatic round-of-16 clash between PSG and Liverpool.

Ligue 1: Marseille, Monaco seal Champions League spots with impressive win

Marseille and Monaco sealed spots in next season's Champions League while Ligue 1 champion Paris Saint-Germain beat last-placed Montpellier 4-1 with a Goncalo Ramos hat trick. On the penultimate matchday of the season, Mason Greenwood's 19th league goal in the 85th minute put second-placed Marseille back in the lead at struggling Le Havre. Amine Gouiri scored twice and Marseille won away 3-1. Lagging one point behind Marseille, Monaco sealed its 18th win 2-0 over Lyon with goals from Takumi Minamino and Denis Zakaria and was also guaranteed to finish among the three best teams. The top three qualify for the group stage of the Champions League, and the fourth team grabs a spot in the qualifying rounds. Gouiri scored Marseille's opener after halftime and the match was stopped soon after because of crowd trouble. Pressing to remain in the top flight next season, Le Havre pushed hard for an equalizer and got it when Issa Soumar beat goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli from Josue Casimir's ...

India starts SAFF U19 Champions with an emphatic 8-0 win over Sri Lanka

Danny Meitei scored a hat-trick as India thrashed Sri Lanka 8-0 to kick off their SAFF U-19 Championship title defence in a spectacular fashion here on Friday. Danny scored in the 26th, 31st and 50th minutes while Prashan Jajo (17th, 62nd) bagged a brace in the comprehensive win. Md Arbash (40th), Omang Dodum (48th), and captain Singamayum Shami (81st) scored one each. India, cheered on by a raucous home crowd, showed their intent from the very first whistle. With slick passing, intelligent movement, and constant pressure, India dominated every inch of the pitch and left Sri Lanka chasing the shadows. India's midfield dictated the tempo with sharp distribution, while their forwards tore through Sri Lanka's disorganised backline. On the wings, Arbash and Rohen Singh were especially threatening, generating wave after wave of attacks. The breakthrough came in the 17th minute when Prashan Jajo burst down the left flank, beating his marker with pace and precision before smashing home f

Former Aussie boss Graham Arnold becomes manager of Iraq football team

Iraq hired former Australia boss Graham Arnold as head coach of its national team on Friday. Arnold quit as coach of Australia in September after six years in charge during which he took the Socceroos to the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup, where they lost to eventual winner Argentina. Iraq is third in Group B of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and Arnold will start with two crucial games against leader South Korea in Basra on June 5 and second-place Jordan in Amman five days later. Six points from these two matches would seal Iraq's place at the tournament for the first time since its 1986 debut.

All-English Europa League final set as Man United and Spurs seek redemption

Manchester United overcame a shaky first half to overpower Athletic Bilbao and storm into their third Europa League final in eight years

Lewandowski returns in Barcelona squad for Champions League semi vs Inter

The Polish forward, who has been out for around two weeks due to a left thigh injury, was named in the squad on Monday for the trip to Milan

Bayern becomes Bundesliga champion; Kane finally wins his 1st career title

The "curse" has been lifted. Harry Kane can finally celebrate his first career title after Bayern Munich became Bundesliga champion with a little help from Freiburg on Sunday. Freiburg drew with second-placed Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 to leave Bayern an unassailable eight points clear of the 2024 champion with two rounds of the German league remaining. The 31-year-old Kane had never won a title in a career of runner-up finishes and defeats in finals with Bayern, Tottenham and England, leading some to speak of a "curse" against a player considered one of the world's best forwards. Kane's arrival as Bayern's record signing in 2023 was followed by the club's first trophyless season since 2012. Kane was ready to celebrate Saturday when Bayern looked set to win 3-2 in Leipzig. But Yussuf Poulsen equalized with the last kick of the game for Leipzig to draw 3-3 and postpone Bayern's party. "Next week, Harry!" teammate Thomas Mller wrote on Instagram. He didn't have to wait that long. Lever

Mbappe scores twice and Madrid wins again to trail Barca by 4 points

Real Madrid survived a late scare but kept pace with leader Barcelona again on Sunday, ahead of their Spanish league "clasico" next weekend. Kylian Mbapp scored in each half as Madrid held on to beat Celta Vigo 3-2 and remain four points behind the Catalan rival going into next Sunday's match in Barcelona. "La Liga is in Barcelona's hands, but we'll have more chances if we're able to win," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "It's a great opportunity. We're going to prepare well for Sunday's game, which I'm not saying will be decisive, but almost." Arda Gler also scored for Madrid, which opened a 3-0 lead early in the second half but saw Celta get back into the game toward the end of the match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Celta had a couple of great chances to complete its comeback, including a shot by Pablo Durn that stopped just short of the goal line after a deflection by Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the 78th minute. Courtois had to make a couple of saves near the

Alaves vs Atletico Madrid La Liga live match time and streaming details

Atletico Madrid, with a current record of 19 wins, 9 draws, and 5 losses (66 points), are firmly positioned in third place.

Liverpool shook the earth during Premier League winning goal vs Tottenham

Researchers from the University of Liverpool found that the roar of the crowd during the historic title-clinching match generated real seismic activity