Austria will double mark Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo when the teams clash at Euro 2016 on Saturday, but fear that it could create space for his teammates to wreak havoc, Austria's captain Christian Fuchs said. The two nations had been considered the strongest teams in Group F, but the pressure on both has intensified after disappointing opening games. Portugal could only draw 1-1 with tournament debutants Iceland, while Austria lost 2-0 to unfancied Hungary. The prospect of stopping the three-times world player of the year has added to Austria's worries.
Manchester United completed the signing of Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon on a 5-1/2 year contract, with an option to extend for a further year, the Premier League club said on Thursday. Fernandes recorded 63 goals and 52 assists in 137 appearances for Sporting, and had been linked with a move to Old Trafford over the last six months.
Benfica's Primeira Liga match at Belenenses on Saturday was abandoned amid extraordinary scenes after their COVID-19-hit opponents were forced to name a team of nine players - including two goalkeepers.
France earned a rollercoaster 4-2 home win over Croatia in an entertaining top-tier Nations League Group 3 match, while England were held to a 0-0 draw by Denmark in an uninspiring game.
With the teams having played their second matches in the league stage in Euro 2020, at the conclusion of the Spain-Poland match in Group E on Saturday, here's a look at the best goals from those matches.
More than one billion television viewers watched last year's World Cup soccer final between Germany and Argentina in Brazil although audience figures for the tournament were slightly down because of adverse kickoff times, according to a FIFA report.
France may have ousted rivals Germany for the first time in 58 years but it will mean nothing if they lose Sunday's Euro 2016 final against a Portugal team that have had more recovery time, said Didier Deschamps.
Having spent so long depending on the outrageous individual talent of striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Swedes have often wondered what the future holds after his retirement. Their UEFA Under-21 championship-winning side may just have provided the answer.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
An important factor in India's stupendous success in 2021 was the way the government opened its coffers to support athletes.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Maradona was a uniquely gifted player who rose from the tough streets of Buenos Aires to reach the pinnacle of his sport.
Among other transfer news globally, defender Rahul Bheke joins Mumbai City FC while Locatelli completes Juventus move.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Louis van Gaal has said he would consider joining Tottenham Hotspur once his contract with the Dutch national team finishes after this year's World Cup in Brazil.
Lionel Messi reclaimed the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for the world player of the year on Monday from his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo who had walked off with the award for the previous two years.
France substitute Kylian Mbappe engineered two late goals to rescue a 2-2 draw against Iceland and spare the blushes of the world champions in their friendly.
Gareth Bale says Wales' Euro 2016 semi-final against Portugal on Wednesday will not be decided by his personal duel with Real Madrid team mate Cristiano Ronaldo.
Chhetri is currently the highest goal-scoring active Asian player with 64 strikes from 101 matches and third in the world after superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Fernando Hierro now in charge of the team, Spain's next game is against Group B leaders Iran on Wednesday.
The fate of Sunday's intriguing European Championship final between France and Portugal weighs largely on two men wearing the number seven shirt, one already at the top of the game and the other one getting there fast.
While that may not differ too much from the scenario in many group stage matches pairing the big beasts of the game against those nations who occupy lower rungs of the FIFA rankings, the X-factor in Kazan could be Carlos Queiroz.
India's football captain says Bob Houghton is the best coach he's played under.
Zoo director Vladimir Gerasimov believes Cleopatra might have a little better understanding of soccer than other animals.
Ukraine advanced to the Euro 2020 finals after an impressive first half helped them to a 2-1 home win over Portugal, whose talismanic captain Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 700th career goal.
Real Madrid duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale are in the running with Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann for the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.
FIFA World Cup set pulses racing and ended with a young, exciting France team clinching the title.
Morocco and Iran's hopes of making a mark at the World Cup before a ball has been kicked, and they head into their opening match in St Petersburg on Friday knowing defeat could likely mean an early exit.
Thirty-two countries, ranging from Finland and Sweden to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Macedonia and Kazakhstan, have declared interest in hosting matches at Euro 2020 which will be staged across the continent.
But if the five-times World Player of the Year is feeling frustrated by his mini-drought -- and his reactions on the pitch suggest he is -- his worries pale in comparison to Dybala's unhappy start to the season.
The stability and pragmatism of Carlos Queiroz's seven-year reign has firmly established Iran's as Asia's number one team, but the nation will go to the World Cup hoping to advance for the first time to the knockout phase.
Verma wins compound individual gold, opens tally for India.
The World Cup lost its headline acts on Saturday as the game's two biggest stars, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, readied to leave Russia after their teams were eliminated in the round of 16. Messi's Argentina lost 4-3 to France and hours later Ronaldo's Portugal went down 2-1 to Uruguay, leaving the tournament without its two best known and most loved players.
Germany's Bundesliga is set to be given the green light for a restart, probably from May 15, as part of measures to further ease the country's coronavirus regulations, two people familiar with the preparations told Reuters. The Bundesliga would be the first of the five major European domestic soccer leagues to resume play after a stoppage which has seen almost all football put on hold around the world since mid-March.
the countries assured of places in the 32-team field for next year's World Cup finals in Russia after Tuesday's qualifiers.
IMAGES from the 2020 Euro Qualifiers played on Monday
The 19-year-old Ajax captain said earlier this month that he was asked about a move to Juventus by Cristiano Ronaldo at the end of the Nations League final.
Atletico should have plenty of money available after talismanic striker Antoine Griezmann said last month he is to leave the club.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will resume their perennial battle to be crowned the world's best footballer after they headed the shortlist of 30 players for the 2016 Ballon d'Or announced on Monday.
No one expects Nigeria to win, but by now everyone knows that shirt...
