Brazil’s women desperate to taste Maracana magic Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Already buoyed by the pursuit of landing a first gold medal in the sport for football-mad Brazil, the hosts’ women will be inspired by the rare chance to play at the iconic Maracana in their Olympics semi-final with Sweden on Tuesday. Having lived for so long in the shadow of their male counterparts, the Canarinha are loving … [Read more...]

Rio heroics offer lesser-known footballers big-money shop window Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Honduras goalkeeper Luis Lopez faces the biggest challenge of his career when he confronts the might of Brazil’s Neymar in a David and Goliath Olympic semi-final match-up at Rio’s Maracana on Wednesday. Having dumped Argentina out of the group stages, another monumental shock would make Lopez and his … [Read more...]

Mourinho expects Ibrahimovic to make his mark Bournemouth (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho believes Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s influence on his Manchester United team-mates will be just as crucial as his inspirational contribution on the pitch. Ibrahimovic marked his Premier League debut for United in memorable fashion as the flamboyant Swedish striker hammered a 25-yard strike past Bournemouth … [Read more...]

Petr Cech smashes car after Arsenal defeat London (AFP) – Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech’s day went from bad to worse as he conceded four goals in a 4-3 defeat by Liverpool on Sunday before crashing his car into a pillar. The former Czech Republic international, 34, was beaten four times at the Emirates Stadium as Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool came from behind to condemn Arsenal to defeat in their … [Read more...]

Klopp takes rap for Liverpool scare London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said his over-exuberant celebrations were to blame for his team almost throwing away victory in their pulsating 4-3 Premier League win at Arsenal on Sunday. After Theo Walcott put Arsenal ahead at the Emirates Stadium, Philippe Coutinho scored twice and Adam Lallana and Sadio Mane also found the net as the visitors … [Read more...]

Where to watch Bundesliga and DFB Pokal on US TV for 2016-17 season The German SuperCup will mark the opening of the Bundesliga/DFB Pokal 2016-17 season this Sunday. US TV and streaming rights for all Bundesliga matches, as well as the Super Cup, belong to FOX Sports while the German Cup competition – DFB Pokal – is exclusive to ESPN. Unlike many domestic cup competitions, all top division teams … [Read more...]

French manager Puel frustrated as Southampton held by Watford Southampton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Southampton’s French manager Claude Puel made a valiant attempt to communicate with the media in English after his first Premier League match ended in a 1-1 draw with Watford. But Puel would have got his message across more quickly if he had known the good old-fashioned English footballing … [Read more...]

Neymar comes alive as Brazil edge Colombia at Rio Olympics Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Neymar led Brazil into the semi-finals of the Olympics with his first goal of the competition to edge the third of a trilogy of grudge matches with Colombia in three years 2-0. The Barcelona star curled home an inch-perfect free-kick after just 12 minutes of Saturday’s game, but was lucky to escape with a yellow … [Read more...]

Where to find Arsenal vs. Liverpool on US TV and streaming If you’re trying to find out how you can watch Arsenal vs. Liverpool, you’ve come to the right place. Both Arsenal and Liverpool kick off their 2016/17 campaigns in a match live from Emirates Stadium in north London. When the two teams played in January, the match ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw, so expectations will be high that we can … [Read more...]

Conte hopes to banish sleepless nights with Chelsea London (AFP) – Antonio Conte hopes his first taste of the Premier League doesn’t end in another sleepless night as Chelsea’s new manager starts a new era at Stamford Bridge on Monday. Conte is eagerly awaiting his introduction to the English game after spells as Juventus and Italy coach, but the renowned perfectionist knows he is in for a long … [Read more...]