Champions Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by Aston Villa, Liverpool lost 2-0 at Bolton Wanderers and Arsenal rallied to beat Charlton Athletic 2-1 in Saturday's Premier League matches.
Give us your take on Friday's games in the World Cup!
Dutch goalscorer Robin van Persie said his team was rewarded for hard work.
Ten-man Greece held Japan to a 0-0 draw that will suit neither side in a Group C match, which ended with boos ringing around the Dunas arena and sent Colombia into the last 16 of the World Cup on Thursday.
It is leant that Chelsea paid between 30 and 40 million euros (20 to 27 million pounds) for the Ivory Coast striker.\n\n
The Ivory Coast striker is set to become the third most expensive player bought by an English club.
Central defender Eric Bailly joined Manchester United from Spanish side Villarreal on a four-year contract with the option to extend for a further two years, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
The Cameroon striker won the award for the third year running, edging out Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba by two points.
Two superb goals from striker Didier Drogba knocked Newcastle United out of the UEFA Cup.
Striker Didier Drogba has pledged his future to Chelsea and would sign a new contract if the club offered him one, he was quoted as saying in the media. The 30-year-old Drogba also said he would be back in action for Chelsea within three weeks after a knee injury.
Real Mallorca's leading striker failed to appear at training this week because of a call-up by Cameroon for a pre-Olympic tournament.
I know what I'm worth as a footballer and it's clear that I'm not worth 38 million euros, said Michael Essien on his transfer to Chelsea
Anders Frisk who quit refereeing over death threats following incidents in the Champions League match at Barcelona last month.
The Cameroon captain's header gave his country a 2-1 win over Benin in their World Cup qualifying match.
Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya, the 3,000 metres steeplechase world champion in 2019, passed this season's world leader Sembo Almayew of Ethiopia with a lap remaining to win in 9:05.98.
Morocco change the mood for African football with exploits in Qatar
Ethiopia ended the hopes of 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa from making next year's finals in Brazil after a dramatic round of African group stage qualifying matches on Sunday.
Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure will not play for Manchester City again until the Premier League club receive an apology for comments made by his agent, manager Pep Guardiola said on Tuesday. "He must apologise. If he doesn't, he won't play," Guardiola told reporters. The 33-year-old player's agent Dimitri Seluk, who had said Toure felt "humiliated" after being left out of City's Champions League squad, hit back in similarly uncompromising fashion.
The Africa United campaign (http://www.weareafricaunited.org), unveiled ahead of the African Cup of Nations draw in Equatorial Guinea's capital Malabo on Wednesday, broadcasts information on the disease and how to stop it spreading in French, English, Krio and other local languages.
FC Goa have signed Sergio Lobera Rodriguez as the head coach on a two-year deal and he will take over the reins from the first week of July.
According to local media reports, Christopher was fatally shot and was hit in the abdomen by a suspect.
Nigeria became the first African country to qualify for next year's World Cup finals after a 2-0 home win over Ethiopia in their playoff in Calabar on Saturday.
Isco scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time as Spain launched an improbable fightback to snatch a 2-2 friendly draw against England with both their goals coming after the 89th minute at Wembley on Tuesday.
Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure met a top official with soccer's governing body on Sunday to discuss allegations that he was the victim of racial abuse from fans during a match in Russia in midweek.
Up against the 91st-ranked Bahrain, Stimac's side, which is currently placed at 104 in the FIFA rankings, found the going tough from the word go and, had it not been for a fine save by skipper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the Indians would have trailed by a bigger margin at half time.
Manchester City have bolstered their attacking arsenal with the signing of Ivory Coast forward Wilfried Bony from Swansea City, the English champions said on Wednesday.
Last week's surprise 2-1 win over Argentina means victory over Mexico on Wednesday would take Saudi Arabia into the next round in Qatar and the Green Falcons' improved performances have come as a result of increased professionalism domestically.
Jackson Martinez scored twice as Colombia beat Japan 4-1 to top World Cup Group C with maximum points on Tuesday. The victory earned them a second-round meeting with Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro and ended Japan's interest in the tournament.
"We had a crazy coach who gave us instructions and motivated us strongly during halftime," Saudi Arabia midfielder Abdel-Ilah al-Maliki told Al-Kass TV station after the win over Argentina.
World soccer body FIFA has revised kick-off times for seven group matches at next year's World Cup finals in Brazil, including four in the hottest venues.
Argentina moved top as South America dominated the monthly FIFA rankings on Thursday with five teams, half of the continent's total, in the top 10.
Manchester United manager David Moyes said he would consider loaning out Wilfried Zaha, although he has not had any offers for the 21-year-old.
The Round of 16 at the 2015 Women's World Cup is taking shape. The final three days and 12 games of group play will supply the remaining 14 teams.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances