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Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga bottom side Greuther Fuerth celebrated their first ever home top-flight win on Sunday as a second-half goal from Norwegian striker Havard Nielsen gave them victory over Union Berlin 1-0.  Fuerth, who were promoted to the Bundesliga for only the second time in their history earlier this year, were playing their 23rd top-flight home game.  Yet Nielsen’s poacher’s finish and a spirited defensive performance saw them finally break their duck against a wasteful Union side.  With games in Bavaria being played behind closed doors due to Covid-19, Fuerth were denied the chance to celebrate with their fans.  They remain 12 points adrift of safety at the bottom of the table, while high-flying Union missed the chance to leapfrog Freiburg into fifth. Dickson Abiama had an early chance to give the hosts the lead but fired the ball straight at Union keeper Andreas Luthe from close range. At the other end, Luthe’s opposite number Sascha Burchert frustrated Union sever

Paris (AFP) – Kasper Dolberg scored one goal and set up another as Nice won 2-1 away at Rennes on Sunday in a clash between two Ligue 1 clubs with Champions League ambitions. Rennes, who are owned by one of France’s richest men, Francois Pinault, are looking to return to the Champions League after appearing in the group stage for the first time last season. They came into the weekend in second place, four points clear of Nice, themselves owned by Ineos, the petrochemicals group chaired by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe. Nice, managed by Christophe Galtier, the man who led Lille to last season’s title, started the campaign strongly before stumbling in recent weeks but they went ahead in Brittany when Dolberg converted a 19th-minute penalty awarded for a foul on Dante. Danish international striker Dolberg then teed up Youcef Atal to score the second in the 51st minute with a superb effort from a tight angle. Benjamin Bourigeaud soon pulled one back for Rennes but Nice held on to

Verona (Italy) (AFP) – Atalanta closed in on Serie A leaders AC Milan after coming from behind to win 2-1 at Verona on Sunday and move to within two points of top spot. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side sit third in Italy’s top flight thanks to goals in either half from Aleksey Miranchuk and Teun Koopmeiners which ensured they took advantage of Milan drawing at Udinese on Saturday. They are level on 37 points with second-placed Inter Milan, who will finish the weekend in first place if they beat Cagliari in Sunday’s late match, after moving above Napoli ahead of their home clash with Empoli in the early evening. Defeat for Verona was their first at home since Igor Tudor took charge in mid-September and leaves them 11th on 23 points, one ahead of Torino who beat Bologna 2-1 in Sunday’s early match. Giovanni Simeone gave the hosts a 22nd-minute lead with his 13th goal of a superb season for the Argentine, forcing a shot past Juan Musso from a narrow angle. However with eight minutes unti

London (AFP) – Leicester left Newcastle still rooted in the Premier League relegation zone with a 4-0 thrashing of the Magpies on Sunday, while West Ham’s Champions League ambitions were dented by a 0-0 draw at Burnley. Despite being hit by a coronavirus outbreak that left Brendan Rodgers without seven players, the Foxes gave Eddie Howe another reminder of the task he faces to keep Newcastle in the top flight as Youri Tielemans struck twice at the King Power. Howe will be able to call on the resources of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund in the January transfer window and results elsewhere this weekend mean they remain just three points adrift of safety. But Newcastle face Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United in their next three games and, on this form, will be lucky to escape that run without another severe hit to their goal difference. Leicester had won just two of their previous nine games in all competitions and were dumped out of the Europa League by Napoli on Thurs

Glasgow (AFP) – Alfredo Morelos and Joe Aribo fired Rangers to a 2-0 win at Hearts on Sunday as the Scottish Premiership leaders extended their strong start under new boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Van Bronckhorst has won four successive league games since replacing Steven Gerrard after his predecessor’s move to Aston Villa. Morelos and Aribo scored in the early stages at Tynecastle, giving Rangers six consecutive league victories encompassing the end of Gerrard’s reign. Hearts had Josh Ginnelly sent off late on as they squandered a chance to close the gap on the champions. Rangers are 12 points clear of third placed Hearts and seven ahead of second placed Celtic, who host Motherwell later on Sunday. Van Bronckhorst made six changes to the Rangers side that began Thursday’s 1-1 draw at Lyon in the Europa League. Liam Boyce had a great chance to open the scoring for Hearts in the third minute when he ran on to John Souttar’s clipped ball over the top, but the Northern Ireland stri

London (AFP) – Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea said Victor Lindelof’s breathing scare during the 1-0 win over Norwich provoked unsettling memories of incidents involving Christian Eriksen and Sergio Aguero. Lindelof had to be replaced in the second half at Carrow Road on Saturday after the United defender received treatment on the pitch when he suddenly clutched his chest. United interim manager Ralf Rangnick revealed the Swedish international centre-back was fine after the match, but De Gea conceded seeing his team-mate having difficulties reminded him of Eriksen’s shocking cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark in the European championships in June. Like Eriksen, Barcelona striker Aguero is also currently sidelined after collapsing with heart issues in October. “As soon as it was like difficult breathing and feeling strange, the game doesn’t matter or football. First of all is life,” De Gea told Sky Sports. “We saw some players who are feeling a bit, I don’t know wh

London (AFP) – English Championship table after Saturday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Fulham 22 13 6 3 51 18 45  Bournemouth 22 12 7 3 37 19 43  West Brom 22 11 7 4 30 17 40  Blackburn 22 11 6 5 37 27 39  QPR 21 10 5 6 33 27 35  Stoke 22 10 5 7 26 21 35  Coventry 22 9 7 6 29 26 34  Nottm Forest 22 8 7 7 30 24 31 Middlesbrough 22 8 6 8 24 23 30 Huddersfield 22 8 6 8 25 25 30  Millwall 22 7 9 6 24 24 30  Luton 22 7 8 7 31 27 29  Sheff Utd 21 8 5 8 28 28 29  Preston 22 7 7 8 24 28 28  Birmingham 22 7 6 9 22 26 27  Swansea 22 7 6 9 26 31 27  Blackpool 22 7 6 9 20 26 27  Bristol City 22 7 6 9 24 32 27  Hull 22 6 5 11 19 26 23 Cardiff 22 6 4 12 25 39 22  Reading 22 8 3 11 27 34 21  Peterborough 22 5 4 13 19 41 19 Barnsley 22 2 7 13 15 34 13  Derby 22 5 10 7 18 21 4  Note: Reading deducted 6 points for breaching financial rules  Derby deducted 12 points for entering administration and deducted 9 points for breaching financia

Berlin (AFP) – German Bundesliga table after Saturday’s 1430GMT matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Bayern Munich              15 12 1  2 47 16 37 Borussia Dortmund          15 10 1  4 36 23 31 Bayer Leverkusen           14  8 3  3 35 19 27 Hoffenheim                 15  8 2  5 32 23 26 Freiburg                   15  7 4  4 26 15 25 Union Berlin               14  6 5  3 22 20 23 RB Leipzig                 15  6 3  6 29 19 21 Mainz 05                   15  6 3  6 21 16 21 VfL Wolfsburg              14  6 2  6 15 20 20 VfL Bochum                 15  6 2  7 16 23 20 Cologne                    15  4 7  4 23 25 19 Eintracht Frankfurt        14  4 6  4 18 20 18 Bor. Moenchengladbach      15  5 3  7 19 28 18 Hertha Berlin              15  5 3  7 17 29 18 Augsburg                   15  4 4  7 16 25 16 VfB Stuttgart              14  3 5  6 20 25 14 Arminia Bielefeld          15  1 7  7 10 22 10 Greuther Fuerth            14  0 1 13 12 46  1

Berlin (AFP) – Defending champions Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to six points on Saturday after coming from behind to seal a 2-1 home win against Mainz. Second-half goals by Kingsley Coman and 18-year-old Jamal Musiala sealed the victory behind closed doors at Munich’s Allianz Arena after Mainz had taken a shock lead. Bayern remain firmly on course to win the German league for the tenth straight season after stretching their lead at the top of the table as second-placed Dortmund were held 1-1 at Bochum.  from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/3lVLPNa

Milan (AFP) – Dusan Vlahovic added two more goals to his rapidly growing tally for Fiorentina in Saturday’s 4-0 Serie A win over Salernitana which continues a encouraging season for the Tuscans. Serbia forward Vlahovic lashed home the Viola’s second five minutes after half-time and tapped home Riccardo Sottil’s low cross six minutes from the end to make it 15 league goals for the season and move top of the goalscoring charts in Italy. Giacomo Bonaventura opened with a well-struck volley in the 31st minute while Youssef Maleh netted following a saved Vlahovic shot in the final minute as Fiorentina move up to fifth on 30 points, three ahead of sixth-placed Juventus who are at Venezia in Saturday’s early evening match. Vincenzo Italiano’s side are also four points from Atalanta in the final Champions League spot ahead of their trip to Verona on Sunday. Vlahovic, 21, has now scored 32 Serie A goals in 2021 and is leading Fiorentina to what looks to be their best season in years. With

Yaoundé (AFP) – Samuel Eto’o said on Saturday his election as president of the Cameroon Football Federation, announced earlier in the day, was “one of the proudest moments” of his life.  The four-time African player of the year gained 43 votes to beat acting president Seidou Mbombo Njoya, who collected 31. “I’m deeply grateful to be elected as the new president,” the former star striker said on Twitter.  “Every vote represents the energy and ambition of our football family to take our beloved sport to a level we’ve never seen before,” Eto’o added. After the result was announced at Hotel Mont Febe in Yaounde, Eto’o’s supporters exulted The vote was held because the Court of Arbitration for Sport in January annulled Njoya’s victory in a 2018 election. When filing his candidacy on November 17, Eto’o, a four-time African footballer of the year, said: “I will be the next president of the federation despite all the cheating.” Eto’o had said Njoya, who he supported in 2018, had “faile

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Raheem Sterling scored his 100th Premier League goal as the Manchester City forward’s penalty fired the leaders to a 1-0 win against 10-man Wolves on Saturday. Sterling netted from the spot in the second half at the Etihad Stadium to clinch City’s sixth successive league victory. City’s cause was aided by a needless first half red card for Wolves striker Raul Jimenez, who was dismissed for failing to retreat the required 10 yards before a free-kick he had been booked for conceding seconds earlier. Sterling’s landmark goal ensured City capitalised on Jimenez’s blunder as they survived an average display to get back on track after the midweek Champions League defeat at Leipzig. After struggling to get into Guardiola’s starting line-up at times this season amid talk of a potential transfer, Sterling is finally showing signs of recapturing the scintillating form that made him such a dangerous force. Pep Guardiola’s side are four points clear of sec

London (AFP) – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has called for clarity over Covid-19 postponement rules after Premier League sides were told to return to emergency protocols to limit the spread of the virus. Tottenham’s Europa League Conference game with Rennes on Thursday was postponed after Spurs reported that eight players and five members of staff had tested positive. Sunday’s match between Brighton and Tottenham is also off as fears rise over the potential impact of the surging Omicron variant on the English top flight. Yet Arsenal’s Premier League match at Brentford on the opening weekend of the season, which they lost 2-0, went ahead despite four of Arteta’s squad testing positive.  Asked if he wanted league chiefs to set a threshold for the number of cases that would trigger a postponement, Arteta said on Friday: “I’m saying that would be really helpful, yes.” “I think it is because you don’t know when you have to play and when you don’t and we have some examples about that,”

The Premier League title race got that much closer last week. West Ham United, which themselves currently sit at fourth in the table, unseated the reigning Champions League winners, Chelsea. A dramatic 3-2 for the Irons dropped Chelsea from first in the table down to third. Chelsea is by no means out of the title race. After all, we are not even halfway through the season. Yet, every game counts. Getting things started this weekend, another Friday fixture welcomes the weekend’s action. A pair of newly promoted teams, Brentford and Watford, look to improve on each club’s bottom-half-of-the-table position. On Saturday, four of the top six sides on the table are in action, although none play each other. Ralf Rangnick looks for two EPL wins in two games as the interim-manager of Manchester United when the Red Devils travel to bottom-of-the-table Norwich. Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City are all at home this weekend. Manchester City has the toughest opponent of the three in the t

London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel says Chelsea midfielder Jorginho will ignore the pain of his back injury to play in Saturday’s Premier League clash against Leeds. Jorginho missed Chelsea’s Champions League draw at Zenit Saint Petersburg on Wednesday because of the ongoing back problem. But, with Chelsea ravaged by injuries in midfield, Blues boss Tuchel revealed the Italy star is willing to put his body on the line when Leeds visit Stamford Bridge. N’Golo Kante has been ruled out again with a knee injury and Mateo Kovacic is isolating after testing positive for the coronavirus, while Trevoh Chalobah is also sidelined. “Jorginho completed the last two training sessions. I think he will do again what he did in the last few games he has played — play through the pain and do what’s needed to be on the pitch,” Tuchel told reporters on Friday. Reece James, in superb form at right wing-back, deputised in central midfield against Zenit, while struggling Spanish midfielder Saul Niguez moved

Berlin (AFP) – A year before the World Cup finals, Germany head coach Hansi Flick has warned veteran centre-back Mats Hummels he is in danger of missing out on a place in the squad for Qatar 2022. Hummels has had “an excellent, very successful past in the national team”, Flick told broadcaster RTL, “but at the moment — he knows himself — he doesn’t have that level, that quality in his game.” Flick says Hummels has “one or two problems” to fix with the centre-back at the heart of a Dortmund defence which has struggled for consistency this season. As a key member of the team which won the 2014 World Cup, the 32-year-old Hummels last played for Germany in a 2-0 defeat to England in the last 16 of Euro 2020 in June. Hummels has made 76 international appearances and Flick has left the door open should the Dortmund defender prove his form.  “We are keeping the door open for all those who perform and have enormous quality,” said Flick. Flick replaced Joachim Loew as head coach of Germa

London (AFP) – Norwich are waiting anxiously for Covid-19 results ahead of their clash with Manchester United after Premier League sides were told to return to emergency protocols to limit the spread of the virus. Tottenham’s Europa League Conference game with Rennes on Thursday was postponed after Spurs reported that eight players and five members of staff had tested positive. Sunday’s match between Brighton and Tottenham is also off as fears rise over the potential impact of the surging Omicron variant on the English top-flight. Spurs’ trip to Leicester on Thursday is also in doubt. Leicester were without seven players due to positive cases or other illnesses for Thursday’s 3-2 defeat at Napoli, which knocked the Foxes out of the Europa League. Norwich manager Dean Smith, whose side lost 3-0 to Tottenham last week, faces a nervous wait to find out if any of his players will be ruled out of the United match because of a positive test result. “We have got a couple of knocks and h

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann said Friday he expects Joshua Kimmich to make a full recovery from Covid-19, but the Germany midfielder has been warned the path to full fitness may be long. Kimmich is not expected to play again until January as he recovers from lung damage caused by covid after the 26-year-old, who is unvaccinated, tested positive last month. In a statement, Kimmich has said he “can’t wait” to play and train again, but his enforced spell on the sidelines must continue as he has “slight infiltrations in my lungs”. On Friday, Nagelsmann made it clear Kimmich will miss Bayern’s last three Bundesliga games of 2021 only as a precautionary measure. “I’m not at all worried because the infiltrations are not dramatic,” said Nagelsmann. “The break is a safety measure and no damage of consequence is to be expected.” Kimmich is set to be one of Germany’s leading players at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Like the defensive midfielder, his Bayern team-mate

London (AFP) – Anthony Martial wants to leave Manchester United in the January transfer window after struggling to get game time at Old Trafford this season, according to his agent. The 26-year-old France forward, who joined United from Monaco in 2015, has started only two Premier League games this season and has scored just once. Martial’s representative, Philippe Lamboley, executive director of USFA Management, told Sky Sports News: “Anthony wishes to leave the club in January. “He just needs to play. He doesn’t want to stay in January and I will speak to the club soon.” Martial still has at least three years left on his contract at Old Trafford, having signed a new deal in 2019 that includes an option to extend for a further year. He has fallen down the pecking order at United, who have an array of attacking talent to choose from, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood. While he did not mention Martial by name, United in

London (AFP) – Steven Gerrard admits he would be happy to give up his hero status at Liverpool in exchange for an Aston Villa win on Saturday as the Anfield legend prepares to return to his former club “with a smile on his face”. Gerrard, who enjoyed a stellar 17-year playing career with Liverpool, returns there just a month into his reign as Villa boss determined to shut out the “noise”. The 41-year-old, who left Rangers last month to move to the Premier League, has won three of his first games in charge, with the only setback being a defeat to champions Manchester City. “I’m going back to a club where I spent many years and it brings a smile to my face for a couple of reasons,” said Gerrard, who has long been touted as a potential successor to Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.  “One, I’ve got a good relationship with a lot of people at the club. I had a fantastic time there, a really good journey, I’m a local boy. It was the team I supported growing up and I will always support that

London (AFP) – Norwich are waiting anxiously for Covid-19 results ahead of their clash with Manchester United after Premier League sides were told to return to emergency protocols to limit the spread of the virus. Tottenham’s Europa League Conference game with Rennes on Thursday was postponed after Spurs reported that eight players and five members of staff had tested positive. Sunday’s match between Brighton and Tottenham is also off as fears rise over the potential impact of the surging Omicron variant on the English top-flight. Norwich manager Dean Smith, whose side lost 3-0 to Tottenham last week, faces a nervous wait to find out if any of his players will be ruled out of the United match because of a positive test result. “We have got a couple of knocks and have got a couple of Covid-related issues that we are waiting on results for this morning,” he told his pre-match press conference on Friday. “I can’t really let you in on any names, but there’s a couple of players whom w

Berlin (AFP) – With the prolific Erling Haaland fit and firing again, Borussia Dortmund hope to round out the year in style and close the gap on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich. “We want to put pressure on Bayern, so the next three games are really important,” said captain Marco Reus ahead of Saturday’s derby at Bochum. Last weekend’s 3-2 home loss to Bayern left second-placed Dortmund four points adrift. Haaland has bagged four goals in his three games back after a hip injury, including two as a substitute in Tuesday’s 5-0 rout of Besiktas — Dortmund’s biggest home win in the Champions League. Marco Rose’s team look like a completely different side with Haaland, and Reus wants wins over Bochum, Greuther Fuerth and Hertha Berlin in the coming nine days. All three are in the bottom half of the table.   “Ideally, we need to let the results speak for themselves,” said Reus. He admitted Dortmund’s failure to reach the last 16 of the Champions League “still hurts”, but the goal is n

London (AFP) – Steven Gerrard will be determined to give Liverpool a bloody nose on an emotional return to Anfield with Aston Villa on Saturday as the coronavirus once more casts a shadow over the Premier League. Former Liverpool midfielder Gerrard has won three of his four league matches since taking over from Dean Smith at Villa Park but faces a tough task against Jurgen Klopp’s free-scoring team. Dethroned leaders Chelsea will be desperate to get back on track against Leeds this weekend, while Newcastle start a tough run of games that could make or break their season. AFP Sport takes a look at some of the talking points ahead of the action. Gerrard factor Steven Gerrard is widely expected to return to Liverpool as manager one day after a stellar playing career at Anfield, but he has been at pains to say he does not regard the Villa job as a mere stepping stone. The 41-year-old left Scottish champions Rangers last month to pit his wits as a manager in the Premier League and ha

Madrid (AFP) – Carlo Ancelotti was adamant Real Madrid have not sewn up the La Liga title already but beat Atletico Madrid on Sunday and they might not be far away.  Madrid are 10 points clear of Atletico heading into the derby at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the chance to extend the gap to 13 points, two weeks before Christmas.  Atletico will play a game in hand away at Granada on December 22, which could allow them to reduce the deficit, although a trip to Sevilla in between means the gap might also widen.  Sevilla and Real Betis are closer, with Sevilla eight points behind Madrid, also with a game in hand, to be played at home to Barcelona on December 21.  But most believe Atletico have the best chance of reeling Real Madrid in, the reigning champions who showed last season they have the resilience, particularly in the big games, that Sevilla have lacked. Sevilla still miss some cutting edge up front and they will also have the Europa League to negotiate in the second half of t

Paris (AFP) – With French football reeling this season due to repeated incidents of crowd violence, Lille’s achievement in reaching the Champions League last 16 comes as a much-needed bright spot. While an all-star Paris Saint-Germain dominate the headlines, Lille have followed up their remarkable Ligue 1 title triumph last season by making it through to the knockout stages of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2006/07. That they did it by winning their group, while PSG only came second behind Manchester City in their section, is all the more notable. A Champions League group also containing Red Bull Salzburg, Sevilla and Wolfsburg may not have been the toughest in the competition, but it was the most competitive. Lille did not win any of their first three games but bounced back to win all of their final three matches, including beating Wolfsburg 3-1 in Germany on Wednesday, to top their group. Now they will be seeded in Monday’s last-16 draw, ensuring they

Portland (AFP) – New York City boss Ronny Deila says his team are ready to rip up the form book once more when they take on the Portland Timbers in Oregon on Saturday looking to claim the club’s first Major League Soccer crown. After an Eastern Conference playoff run which included away victories over the top-seeded New England Revolution and second-seeded Philadelphia Union, Deila is plotting another upset on the road against a Timbers team targeting a second MLS Cup title. “What we have done so far has been just amazing,” said Deila. “But the biggest one is coming on Saturday and we’ll do everything to win there.” The 46-year-old Norwegian coach, who guided Celtic to back-to-back Scottish titles in 2015 and 2016, says City’s giant-killing playoff run is sign of his team’s increasing maturity. “We haven’t dealt with the pressure before, and now we’re starting to do that,” said Deila. “I think the learning for the whole club to win football games and how to deal with that and how

Leicester City winning the Premier League in 2016 is the most glaring instance of parity in soccer providing greatness. At 5000-1 odds, every soccer fan had a soft spot for the Foxes, with the exception of title-challengers Tottenham. The achievement rekindled the idea that any team can win any competition. After all, Leicester looked doom for relegation the season prior. The same persists regarding the debacle of the European Super League. The world of soccer rose up against 12 clubs putting themselves on an elitist pedestal, which would destroy the potential for the teams just on the cusp of continuous success. Despite these examples, soccer has a knack for domination from a handful of teams. England has a ‘big six’, Bayern Munich and Juventus won each of its domestic leagues from 2012/13 to 2019/20. The last LaLiga champion not called Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid of Barcelona was Valencia all the way back in the 2003/04 season. Despite the dominance, we still love the game. Per