Football

Gabon achieved an important victory in the African Cup of Nations by defeating Comoros 1-0 in the first round of Group C matches of the tournament. Aaron Boupendzas strike from a narrow angle sealed a win for Gabon over Africa Cup of Nations debutants Comoros Islands. Gabon, who were missing talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and influential midfielder Mario Lemina due to COVID-19 infections, never looked troubled and scored from one of only a few shots on target at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo. Boupendza rifled

Juventus scored three goals in seven second-half minutes to complete an astonishing comeback and beat AS Roma 4-3 on Sunday after goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny saved a late penalty to keep them in front at the Stadio Olimpico. Tammy Abraham put Jose Mourinho's side in front and Paulo Dybala made it 1-1 going into the break, but goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Lorenzo Pellegrini put Roma in charge early in the second half. Juve fought back as Manuel Locatelli and Dejan Kulusevski scored within

Arsenal became the highest-profile casualties of the FA Cup third round as the 14-time winners lost 1-0 at Nottingham Forest, but Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur avoided early exits after scares against lower-league sides on Sunday. Forest repeated their third-round win over Arsenal in 2018 thanks to substitute Lewis Grabban's 83rd-minute finish. Liverpool came from a goal down to win 4-1 against third-tier Shrewsbury Town, while Tottenham trailed until the 74th minute at home to third-tier Morecambe before winning 3-1. A lacklustre Arsenal failed

Al Duhail's Kenyan striker Michael Olunga remained on top of the scorers' chart after scoring the two winning goals for his team against Al Arabi in the end of week 13 of the QNB Stars League, and raised his score to 15 goals. Al Sadd striker Baghdad Bounedjah is in second place with 11 goals, followed by his team-mate Andre Ayew with nine goals. Umm Salal's Iraqi striker Ayman Hussein came in fourth place with eight goals. Source: QNA

Lionel Messi has tested negative for Covid-19 and is now back in France and will resume training "in the coming days", Paris Saint-Germain announced on Wednesday. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner tested positive for the virus while in his native Argentina last week but flew back to Paris on Wednesday. He missed PSG's 4-0 French Cup win against Vannes on Monday. The club did not say if Messi would be available for their first Ligue 1 match since the winter break, at Lyon

FIFA on Wednesday announced the final three nominees for the Best FIFA Mens Goalkeeper for 2021. The winner will be chosen by an international jury comprising a panel of FIFA Legends and registered fans across the world on FIFA's official website. The final three nominees for The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper are: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy / AC Milan / Paris Saint-Germain), Edouard Mendy (Senegal / Chelsea FC), Manuel Neuer (Germany / FC Bayern Munchen). The virtual awards ceremony will take place in Zurich

Liverpool has confirmed that an application has been submitted for the postponement of Thursday's Carabao Cup semi-final clash, first-leg tie with Arsenal due to an escalating number of suspected positive COVID-19 cases and player availability. Premier League club Liverpool has confirmed that an application has been submitted for the postponement of Thursday's Carabao Cup semi-final clash, first-leg tie with Arsenal due to an escalating number of suspected positive COVID-19 cases and player availability. "The Reds have formally requested to the EFL that the

Paris St Germain forward Lionel Messi and three other players have tested positive for COVID-19, the French Ligue 1 club said on Sunday. Argentina international Messi joined PSG from boyhood club Barcelona in August and the 34-year-old has scored six goals in 16 games in all competitions for the Parisian side. Defender Juan Bernat, back-up goalkeeper Sergio Rico and midfielder Nathan Bitumazala were the other players who returned positive tests. PSG said the four players were in isolation and subject to the appropriate

Chelsea and Liverpool played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in the Premier League Week 21. Sadio Mane put the Reds in front after nine minutes and Mohammed Salah added Liverpool's second in the 26th minute as the visitors took a 2-0 lead in the first half-hour. Mateo Kovacic handed Chelsea a lifeline with a spectacular long-range shot in the 42nd minute. Christian Pulisic leveled the game for the Blues just a few minutes before the break. Chelsea and

Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo said on Thursday he was assaulted during a robbery and posted a picture of himself on Instagram with a cut above his right eye. Cancelo did not mention where the incident took place but the club later said it happened at the 27-year-old's home. "Unfortunately today I was assaulted by four cowards who hurt me and tried to hurt my family," Cancelo said. "When you show resistance this is what happens. "They managed to take all the jewellery

Manchester United moved up to sixth in the Premier League thanks to a 3-1 over struggling Burnley at Old Trafford on Thursday to maintain their unbeaten start under interim manager Ralf Rangnick. With the win, United moved above Spurs into sixth, level on 31 points with fifth-placed West Ham United. Burnley remain in 18th place on 11 points. After the poor display in Monday's 1-1 draw at Newcastle, Rangnick made six changes to his side with Edinson Cavani starting in attack alongside Cristiano

Manchester City beat Brentford 1-0 on Wednesday to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to an ominous eight points as title rivals Chelsea conceded a last-gasp equaliser at home to Brighton. Manchester City beat Brentford 1-0 on Wednesday to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to an ominous eight points as title rivals Chelsea conceded a last-gasp equaliser at home to Brighton. Phil Foden's first-half goal was enough to give Pep Guardiola's champions a 10th

Tottenham dropped two precious points against 10-man Southampton on Tuesday as West Ham hammered Watford 4-1 to turn up the heat in the race for a coveted top-four spot. Tottenham dropped two precious points against 10-man Southampton on Tuesday as West Ham hammered Watford 4-1 to turn up the heat in the race for a coveted Premier League top-four spot. Elsewhere on a truncated day of action due to coronavirus postponements, Crystal Palace cruised past bottom side Norwich 3-0 while Liverpool prepared to

Wasteful Liverpool missed the chance to close the gap to leaders Manchester City after slipping to a 1-0 defeat to Leicester City in the Premier League on Tuesday. Liverpool had a host of chances, including a Mohamed Salah penalty, but failed to score in the Premier League for the first time in 29 games as Ademola Lookman's second-half goal was enough for Leicester to snatch victory. Tottenham Hotspur also endured a frustrating afternoon after they were held to a 1-1 draw at 10-man

Manchester City took the lead vs Leicester in only the fifth minute of the match as Kevin De Bruyne's moment of brilliance opened the floodgates. Manchester City fans at the Etihad Stadium witnessed a special brand of football as they received a post-Christmas gift from their team that cruised past Leicester City 6-3 in a Premier League fixture on Sunday. The win gave Man City a six-point cushion over second-placed Liverpool, who have played a game less. The tone of the game, however,

The Qatar Stars League announced the schedule for semifinals of 2021-2022 season Ooredoo Cup. Both matches will be played on Thursday, March,24 2022. Kick-off times and venue will be decided later. Al Wakrah, Al Rayyan (from Group A), Al Sailiya and Al Gharafa (from Group B) are the semifinalists. Al Wakrah topped Group A with 18 points, Al Rayyan team ranked second in the group's standings with 12 points while Al Sailiya topped Group B with 15 points, leaving the runners-up to the

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers believes his side will recover quickly from their agonising penalty shoot-out exit from the League Cup when they face Premier League leaders Manchester City on Sunday. Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers believes his side will recover quickly from their agonising penalty shoot-out exit from the League Cup when they face Premier League leaders Manchester City on Sunday. The Foxes twice conceded a two-goal lead in their midweek League Cup quarter-final against Liverpool -- including an equaliser deep into

Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Spanish forward Ferran Torres from Premier League champions Manchester City for a fee of around 55 million euros ($62 million), multiple British media outlets reported. Both Sky Sports and the BBC reported Barca would pay City a further 10 million euros in add-ons for the 21-year-old Spanish international. The deal comes despite severe financial difficulties at the club. They had to let club great Lionel Messi leave in the summer due to "financial and structural obstacles"

Al-Rayyan (Qatar) – Taher Mohamed and Akram Tawfik played key roles as Al Ahly of Egypt edged Raja Casablanca of Morocco 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw to win a CAF Super Cup thriller in Qatar on Wednesday. Mohamed levelled during the final minute of regular time in Al Rayyan, firing a low shot into the corner of the net after being set up by South African Percy Tau. Raja had led from the 13th minute when an Abdelilah Madkour shot deflected

Second-placed Sevilla were held to a 1-1 draw by Barcelona on Tuesday, a result that helped Real Madrid to open a five-point lead at the top of LaLiga. Playing under heavy rain, a much-improved Barcelona desperately tried to score a second goal after Ronald Araujo drew them level with a header in the 45th minute but they were thwarted by an equally determined Sevilla, who were reduced to 10 men after Jules Kounde was shown a straight red card in the 64th. Sevilla