football

Spain left-back will complete transfer after World Cup Cucurella had spoken out against Chelsea hierarchy Real Madrid have reached a verbal agreement to sign Marc Cucurella from Chelsea in a package worth up to €60m (£52m). The Spain left-back, who is preparing to face Cape Verde in the World Cup, threw his future into doubt when he criticised the Chelsea hierarchy during the March international …

Qatar’s Boualem Khoukhi stunned Switzerland with a late equaliser as the sides played out a 1-1 draw in their opening match at the World Cup on Saturday. A Breel Embolo penalty had broken the deadlock for Switzerland early in the first half in the San Francisco Bay Area, before the wasteful favourites were made to pay as Qatar earned their first ever point at a World Cup. Continue reading...

Pulisic scores and assists in first half to break rotten run Sergiño Dest opens scoring just seven minutes in US final tune-up comes v Germany on 6 June in Chicago The dry spell is over. Christian Pulisic broke a nearly six-month period without a goal on Sunday, assisting on the US opener and scoring a lovely goal himself not long afterward to lead the US to a 3-2 victory against Senegal in Charl…

The US probably won’t start their A-team for both friendlies against Senegal and Germany, but the games are still opportunities to build momentum Sign up for the World Behind The Cup newsletter The 26-man squad has been confirmed. The disappointing emails and uplifting WhatsApp videos have been sent. And so, the US men’s national team’s World Cup campaign begins in earnest. Much about the co-host…

Bruno Fernandes, Elliot Anderson and Igor Thiago join a number of Arsenal and Manchester City players in the XI By WhoScored Raya kept 19 clean sheets and won his third straight Golden Glove, just one shy of Petr Cech and Joe Hart’s record, but he makes this team thanks to his game-defining interventions in high-pressure moments in the title race. The Spaniard was there when his side needed him m…

In an exclusive interview the Brazil coach talks about being in charge of ‘the most important national team’, how to get the best out of Vinícius Júnior and what he learned at Madrid Is Carlo Ancelotti an ambitious man? The Italian leans back and smiles. “Me? I’m not ambitious. Why? Why are you asking that?” The reason for the question is simple: the 66-year-old is one of the most successful mana…

Former Chelsea forward is thriving on the south coast and targeting victory over Liverpool in the Women’s FA Cup Fran Kirby knows what she brings. She always has. The Brighton forward is not young for a footballer but, at 32, she’s not old either and, injury free, is reminding people she still has it. “I know I am not the same player that I was when I was 25, I’m not naive,” she says. “That’s not…

Something of an obsessive with tidiness, the interim coach has beaten all the club’s closest rivals in his short time in charge We’ll get on to the more pressing business of whether Michael Carrick deserves the full-time Manchester United job in a moment. There’s plenty to discuss: tactics and philosophy, character and comportment, the squad he inherited from Ruben Amorim and how United might str…

OL Lyonnes ended Arsenal’s Champions League hopes while Rebecca Knaak puts Man City on the brink of WSL title glory Who is the best player in the world right now? Melchie Dumornay continues to make a strong claim for that accolade after her starring role in OL Lyonnes’ comeback to beat Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals. The fearless Haiti international won a first-half penalty and provi…

Jean-Jacques Ngambo Ndala given final first leg by Caf He was in charge when Senegal left pitch in Morocco The referee who oversaw of January’s chaotic Africa Cup of Nations final during which Senegal walked off has been listed to take charge of this month’s African Champions League final. Jean-Jacques Ngambo Ndala, who is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is due to referee the first leg…

Former Lionesses forward will depart this summer England, 31, has seven WSL goals this season Bethany England, the Tottenham captain, is to leave at the end of this season, the striker has confirmed in a tearful video message published by the club. It is understood it was the club’s decision not to renew the 31-year-old’s contract as they seek to evolve their squad with younger players and multip…

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! When Scott Parker led Burnley out of the Championship and into the Premier League last season, he did so with a side showcasing the kind of defensive resilience more readily associated with a medieval fortress, although with more expensive haircuts and less reliance on cauldrons of boiling oil. His team lost just two of their 46 matches, were un…

Champions League semi-final first leg was described as ‘pure madness’ and ‘football in its finest essence’ French media were in thrall to a victory hailed as a milestone performance, calling Paris Saint-Germain’s 100th win in the Champions League as “one of the finest” in the club’s history. Bayern Munich will be hoping for a repeat of their goal bonanza when they host the holders in the semi-fin…

England forward has recovered from achilles injury Calafiori also fit as Arteta targets ‘two big competitions’ Mikel Arteta is hoping the return of Bukayo Saka after a month out can provide Arsenal with “a different energy” as they attempt to beat Manchester City to the Premier League title. The England forward has not played since the defeat by City in the Carabao Cup final owing to an achilles …

Spanish manager has led Edinburgh side to top of Scottish Premier League and a showdown with Rangers looms Hearts have an opportunity to move one step closer to making history when they face Rangers on Friday. Hearts have never won the Scottish Women’s Premier League but they sit top of the table, one point above their opponents and two ahead of the country’s most successful women’s team, Glasgow…

Champions to leave Kingsmeadow at end of campaign ‘It’s for every player to have worn shirt,’ says open letter Chelsea Women have announced that Stamford Bridge will host all their Women’s Super League games from next season. They will become the fourth top-flight club to move their women’s team to their main stadium as they look to increase visibility and the supporter base. The decision came af…

‘That was unacceptable in every aspect of the game’ Brighton overtake Chelsea in sixth with 3-0 victory Liam Rosenior bemoaned the “most difficult night” in offering no defence of his Chelsea players after they slumped to a 3-0 defeat by Brighton . “By far,” Rosenior replied when asked if this was the toughest day of his short Chelsea tenure. Questions of whether he survives in his position as he…

Erling Haaland scored a winner and refused to take a dive but could not resist a little dig at the fading Gunners Man of the weekend in the Premier League? It is not in doubt. Erling Haaland deserves the acclaim and not only because he scored the winner for Manchester City in the top-of-the-table showdown against Arsenal – his 23rd goal of the season in the competition and 34th for City overall. …

He has to convince a team that has not won in 14 matches that they have what it takes to stay in the Premier League By WhoScored Spurs won a European trophy 10 months ago, are the ninth richest club in the world and play in a billion-pound stadium. They are also in relegation scrap with six games to play in the Premier League season. Tottenham are 18th in the league, having picked up just 30 poin…

England have a long way to go yet before booking flights to Brazil, but Esme Morgan, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Lucia Kendall impressed against Spain Everybody keep calm. England sit top of their qualifying group with a 100% record after beating Spain , but there remains a very long way to go before anyone can start booking flights to South America for 2027 … Let us cast aside that sensible advice, tho…