Soccer

Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal scored second-half goals to give Barcelona an 2-0 win over Osasuna in a dour Spanish Supercopa semifinal in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. Barca setup a dream showpiece clash on Sunday with Real Madrid, who had beaten city rivals Atletico Madrid in a breathtaking 5-3 derby earlier in the week. –

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJan 11, 2024, 04:14 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Aside from Pep Guardiola pulling the ball down with a deft touch that provided a brief glimpse of his illustrious past as a silky Barcelona midfielder, the biggest cheers at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday were reserved for Kevin De Bruyne. It happened first

Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Jan 10, 2024, 02:56 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Antoine Griezmann became Atletico Madrid‘s all-time leading goalscorer on Wednesday, scoring with a brilliant finish for his team’s second goal against Real Madrid to overtake club legend Luis Aragones. Atletico and Real were playing in the semifinals of the Spanish Supercopa at

Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Jan 10, 2024, 06:34 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Toni Kroos was whistled continuously by fans during Real Madrid‘s 5-3 Spanish Supercopa semifinal win over Atletico Madrid in Riyadh on Wednesday, after the Germany international previously criticising the growing trend of top players moving to Saudi Arabia. The midfielder was introduced

Jon Molyneux-Carter, Senior EditorJan 10, 2024, 04:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Once again, men’s soccer clubs around Europe spent an incredible amount of money to sign players in the summer transfer window, breaking multiple records. According to Deloitte, Premier League clubs’ gross spend of £2.36 billion was almost £440 million higher than the previous

Open Extended Reactions Ajax are interested in signing Jordan Henderson from Al Ettifaq, sources have told ESPN, but face competition from the Premier League and the Bundesliga for the England midfielder’s signature. Former Liverpool captain Henderson, who left Anfield last summer, is reportedly keen to return to the Premier League only months after moving to

Chelsea suffered a surprise 1-0 loss at second-tier Middlesbrough in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final on Tuesday with Hayden Hackney’s goal giving Mauricio Pochettino’s wasteful side plenty to do in the return. The 21-year-old Hackney’s silky finish from an Isaiah Jones pass stunned the visitors in the 37th minute at the Riverside

Open Extended Reactions Liverpool’s Premier League title bid has suffered a new injury blow with Trent Alexander-Arnold set to be sidelined until mid-February with a knee ligament tear. The 25-year-old has undergone a scan to assess the full extent of the damage sustained while playing in Sunday’s FA Cup third round win against Arsenal at

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJan 8, 2024, 06:27 PM ET Open Extended Reactions WIGAN, England — In the debate about the importance of the FA Cup, Erik ten Hag can leave the chat. Floundering in the Premier League and out of Europe before Christmas, the Manchester United manager needs a trophy to underline to new minority owner

Jan 8, 2024, 03:57 PM ET Open Extended Reactions FA Cup holders Manchester City face a tricky trip to Tottenham Hotspur, while in-form Aston Villa have been drawn to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the fourth round. Third-placed champions City are a point above Spurs with a game in hand in the Premier League

Open Extended Reactions What next for Paris Saint-Germain‘s Kylian Mbappé? It is the question that will dominate the transfer market in 2024, with one of the best players in the world due to become a free agent when his contract expires at the end of this season. Real Madrid are the long-term front-runners to sign

Open Extended Reactions LONDON — Rarely in elite sport is problem-solving as simple as this, but the case for Arsenal signing a striker to realise their ambitions grows stronger by the day. The Gunners exited the FA Cup on Sunday with a 2-0 third-round defeat to Liverpool that owed more to their own profligacy than

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJan 7, 2024, 05:30 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Erik ten Hag has suggested some players can’t handle the pressure of representing Manchester United but insists signing for the club is still “the best challenge” for any footballer. Ten Hag has sanctioned Donny van Beek’s loan move to Eintracht Frankfurt in the January

Third-placed AC Milan secured a comfortable 3-0 win at Empoli thanks to goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Olivier Giroud and Chaka Traorè in Serie A on Sunday. Milan seized the lead after 11 minutes when Rafael Leão surged past his marker on the wing, delivering a precise pass to Loftus-Cheek inside the box, who sidefooted the

Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Jan 6, 2024, 06:48 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Carlo Ancelotti praised Arda Güler after the playmaker finally made his Real Madrid debut in their 3-1 Copa del Rey win at Arandina, saying the 18-year-old “has everything you need to play for Real Madrid.” Güler signed for Madrid from Fenerbahce in

Tom Chambers Jan 6, 2024, 05:00 PM ET Open Extended Reactions LONDON — Mauricio Pochettino famously dismissed the domestic cup competitions during his time in charge of Tottenham as little more than a distraction, but they are providing a soothing balm for what has been a painful Premier League campaign for his Chelsea team. For

Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterJan 6, 2024, 09:15 AM ET Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Open Extended Reactions Timo Werner previously played in the Premier League with Chelsea. Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Associated Press Jan 5, 2024, 11:54 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Mario Zagallo, who reached the World Cup final a record five times, winning four, as a player and then a coach with Brazil, has died. He was 92. The first person to win the World Cup both as a player and a manager, Zagallo