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De Ketelaere has Atalanta dreaming with late goal as Gasperini's team returns to top of Serie A
The Associated Press | Updated Dec. 22 - 12:49 p.m. | Save Story
Charles De Ketelaere scored late and Atalanta returned to the top of Serie A with a 3-2 win over Empoli in the club's record-extending 11th consecutive league victory. De Ketelaere scored two goals and African player of the year Ademola Lookman grabbed the other as Atalanta went two points clear of Napoli. Paulo Dybala scored twice and set up another goal to get Roma back on track with a comfortable 5-0 win over Parma. Faltering Juventus visited Monza later Sunday.
Liverpool routs Spurs 6-3 to take 4-point lead into Christmas in Premier League. Man United humbled
Steve Douglas, Associated Press | Updated Dec. 22 - 12:28 p.m. | Save Story
Liverpool heads into Christmas with a four-point lead, a game in hand and as the overwhelming title favorite in the Premier League on the back of a wild 6-3 win at Tottenham. Manchester United and its new manager Ruben Amorim stumble into the festive period in 13th place and with a familiar sinking feeling after losing 3-0 to Bournemouth on Sunday for a second straight season. Liverpool benefited from second-place Chelsea's 0-0 draw at Everton and is unbeaten in 21 games in all competitions. Mohamed Salah netted two of Liverpool's goals and moved above Manchester City's Erling Haaland to the top of the scoring charts.
Salah sets another goal record by inspiring Liverpool to victory over Tottenham
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 22 - 12:00 p.m. | Save Story
If this is to be Mohamed Salah's final season at Liverpool, he is going out with a bang. The Egypt forward scored two goals and set up two more in Liverpool's wild 6-3 win at Tottenham to become the first player to reach double figures for both goals and assists before Christmas in a Premier League season according to stats supplier Opta. Salah says "I didn't think about it before the game, to be fair. But it's something that makes me happy and proud." Salah moved onto 15 goals for the campaign and that's more than anyone else. Manchester City's Erling Haaland is the closest rival on 13.
Dortmund holds on with 10 men for 1st away win in Bundesliga
CiarÁn Fahey, Associated Press | Posted Dec. 22 - 11:54 a.m. | Save Story
Borussia Dortmund has held on after Pascal Groß' sending off to beat Wolfsburg 3-1 for its first Bundesliga away win of the season. Donyell Malen got the visitors off the mark with a volley to a corner in the 25th, three minutes before Julian Brandt played in Maximilian Beier to score Dortmund's second goal. Beier returned the favor for Brandt to score Dortmund's third two minutes after that. Denis Vavro pulled one back in the 58th, four minutes before Groß was sent off for a foul on Lukas Nmecha when the Wolfsburg forward was through on goal. Dortmund climbed to sixth ahead of the league's winter break. Bottom club Bochum defeated relegation rival Heidenheim 2-0 for its first win of the season in the league.
Mbappé scores again as Real Madrid ends 2024 in 2nd place in Spanish league
Tales Azzoni, Associated Press | Posted Dec. 22 - 11:06 a.m. | Save Story
Kylian Mbappé has added to his scoring streak with a beautiful goal 10 minutes into the match as Real Madrid defeated Sevilla 4-2 to finish the year one point behind Spanish league leader Atletico Madrid. Mbappé opened the scoring with a superb strike from the top of the area, hitting a right-footed shot into the upper corner for his fourth goal in as many matches with Madrid in all competitions. It was Mbappé's sixth goal in his last eight games with the Spanish club. Federico Valverde, Rodrygo and Brahim Díaz also scored in the comfortable home victory that left Madrid one point behind Atletico, which on Saturday rallied to defeat Barcelona 2-1.
Rashford left out of Man United squad for third straight match
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 22 - 6:37 a.m. | Save Story
Marcus Rashford has been left out of the Manchester United squad for a third straight match ahead of Bournemouth's visit in the Premier League. Rashford was absent for the 2-1 win at Manchester City in the league last weekend as well as the 4-3 loss at Tottenham in the English League Cup in midweek. United manager Ruben Amorim cited "selection" reasons for Rashford's absence in both cases. The 27-year-old Rashford on Tuesday discussed the possibility of leaving United in an interview with journalist Henry Winter that was published in a post on X. He was quoted as saying: "For me, personally, I think I'm ready for a new challenge and the next steps."
Atletico Madrid stuns Barcelona in stoppage time to snatch La Liga lead
The Associated Press | Updated Dec. 21 - 3:42 p.m. | Save Story
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone ran down the touchline in joy and the Barcelona players sunk to the turf in dismay. Super sub Alexander Sørloth struck again deep in stoppage time to hand Atletico a 2-1 comeback win at Barcelona and ensure Atletico will spend the Spanish league's short winter break top of the table. It was Atletico's 12th straight win in all competitions and lifted it three points above Barcelona. Barcelona now has only two wins in its last nine games overall and could find itself third on Sunday if Real Madrid beats Sevilla. Fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao came from behind to beat Osasuna 2-1.
Women's players arrested over racist incident in Brazil soccer semifinal
Gabriela SÁ Pessoa, Associated Press | Updated Dec. 21 - 3:32 p.m. | Save Story
Sao Paulo's public security secretariat has told The Associated Press that four River Plate women's players have been arrested and accused of making a racial slur. The Brazil Ladies Cup has banned Argentina's River Plate from the soccer tournament for two years following the alleged racist incident during a semifinal on Friday. The game against Brazilian team Grêmio was stopped in the first half after River Plate's Candela Díaz was accused of making monkey gestures to a ball boy, according to broadcast footage. The Grêmio players walked off. The referee showed red cards to six River Plate players following an on-field fight. Four were arrested on Saturday. The referee awarded the semifinal to Grêmio, which will play in the final on Sunday.
Balotelli almost scores first goal for Genoa but Napoli holds on to lead Serie A again
Daniella Matar, Associated Press | Posted Dec. 21 - 3:03 p.m. | Save Story
Mario Balotelli has almost scored his first goal back in Serie A and Napoli has returned to the top after withstanding a late siege from Genoa to hold on for a 2-1 win. It is Genoa's first defeat since hiring coach Patrick Vieira last month. Napoli moved a point above Atalanta, which hosts Empoli on Sunday. Lazio rebounded from a dismal 6-0 home thrashing from Inter Milan by winning at lowly Lecce 2-1. But it was far from convincing for Lazio despite Lecce playing the entire second half with 10 men. Bologna had a penalty saved but went on to win at Torino 2-0.
Wirtz, Schick star for Leverkusen in rout of Freiburg and keep pressure on Bayern
CiarÁn Fahey, Associated Press | Updated Dec. 21 - 12:54 p.m. | Save Story
Florian Wirtz has starred and Patrik Schick has scored four goals as Bayer Leverkusen routed Freiburg 5-1 to keep the pressure on Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich over the winter break. Brazilian goalkeeper Kauã Santos endured a game to forget as his Eintracht Frankfurt was shocked by 10-man Mainz 3-1 on Saturday. Santos was at fault for two of the visitor's goals. Johannes Eggestein fired promoted St. Pauli to a 1-0 win at Stuttgart. Union Berlin slumped to a 4-1 defeat at Werder Bremen. Holstein Kiel ended its five-game losing run by routing Augsburg 5-1. Borussia Mönchengladbach won at Hoffenheim 2-1.
Man City crisis deepens after another loss and Arsenal closes gap on Liverpool
James Robson, Associated Press | Updated Dec. 21 - 12:53 p.m. | Save Story
Manchester City's stunning slump has deepened after losing at Aston Villa 2-1 in the Premier League. Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers at Villa Park consigned the four-time defending champion to nine defeats and just one win in 12 games on Saturday. Third-place Arsenal has closed the gap on league leader Liverpool to three points with a 5-1 win at Crystal Palace, but has played two games more. City dropped to sixth in the standings, nine points below Liverpool. Villa has climbed to fifth. While City looks unlikely to win a fifth straight title, a place in the top four and Champions League qualification could also be in jeopardy.
Ivan Juric hired as Southampton manager
The Associated Press | Updated Dec. 21 - 10:31 a.m. | Save Story
Ivan Juric has been hired as the manager of Southampton. He's been quickly challenged with the task of preserving Southampton's place in the Premier League. Juric replaces Russell Martin, who was fired last week. The Saints are on the bottom of the table. Southampton says in a statement, "We remain focused on fighting for survival and believe this appointment will provide us with the grit and determination needed to improve results on the pitch." The 49-year-old Juric has an 18-month contract. Most recently, he had a two-month spell in charge of Italian giant Roma.
Man City defender John Stones injured in loss to Aston Villa
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 21 - 9:55 a.m. | Save Story
Center back John Stones has sustained a fresh injury setback in Manchester City's 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League. The England player was substituted at halftime on Saturday after his first start in a month due to a foot issue. That injury flared up again, City manager Pep Guardiola says. Guardiola has cited injuries as a factor in the four-time defending Premier League champion's alarming slump. City has lost nine of its last 12 games in all competitions.
George Eastham, England 1966 World Cup winning squad member who criticized apartheid, dies at 88
The Associated Press | Updated Dec. 21 - 6:24 a.m. | Save Story
Former England midfielder George Eastham, a member of the country's 1966 World Cup winning squad who was better known for his social activism, has died. He was 88. Soccer club Stoke City announced Eastham's death late Friday. It did not specify a cause of death. Eastham made 19 appearances for England though the last of those games was before the 1966 World Cup. He did not feature at the tournament itself. Eastman was better known for his role in ending the so-called "slavery rule," by which a club could refuse to allow a player's transfer even if his contract with the club had expired. Eastman finished his playing career in South Africa where he became a vocal critic of apartheid.
Soccer's top players have had enough, as FIFA's new super-sized tournament sparks a revolt
James Robson, Associated Press | Posted Dec. 21 - 4:01 a.m. | Save Story
Top soccer players have had enough. Legal challenges have been mounted and the possibility of strike action hangs over the most popular sport in the world. A newly-expanded Club World Cup, held in the United States next year, has proved the tipping point. Players say they are "at breaking point, that they are at the limit, that it's actually too much," Alexander Bielefeld, from global players' union FIFPRO, told The Associated Press. The Club World Cup has been increased from seven teams to 32, will be staged every four years and has been crammed into an already congested match calendar.
AC Milan back to winning ways with slender victory over struggling Verona
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 20 - 3:14 p.m. | Save Story
AC Milan has beaten Verona 1-0 to win for the first time in three Serie A games. The only goal came from Dutch striker Tijjani Reijnders after 56 minutes. The win is Milan's eighth consecutive league win against Verona and has lifted it into seventh place in Serie A. Verona sits a point above the relegation zone.
Girona piles on misery for lowly Valladolid with easy victory
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 20 - 3:11 p.m. | Save Story
Girona has beaten Valladolid 3-0 to snap an unhappy run of six games without a win in La Liga. David López and Abel Ruiz scored in the first half and Danjuma added a third 10 minutes from time on Friday. The result has lifted Girona into eighth place. Valladolid remains second from bottom with just three wins in 18 games.
Bundesliga sees quickfire scoring record as Bayern puts five past dismal Leipzig
The Associated Press | Posted Dec. 20 - 2:38 p.m. | Save Story
The Bundesliga has seen a new record as two teams scored inside the opening two minutes for the first time in league history. Jamal Musiala gave Bayern Munich the lead against Leipzig after 28 seconds on Friday. Benjamin Šeško equalized barely a minute later to set the new record for quickfire scoring. Konrad Laimer and Joshua Kimmich put Bayern ahead before halftime and Leroy Sané and Alphonso Davies added another couple in the last quarter of an hour to complete a 5-1 rout. Bayern extended its lead to seven points.
US forward Lynn Williams traded to the NWSL's Reign by Gotham
Anne M. Peterson, Associated Press | Posted Dec. 20 - 2:23 p.m. | Save Story
The Seattle Reign have acquired Olympic gold medalist Lynn Williams in a trade with Gotham FC. The Reign also received goalkeeper Cassie Miller in the trade announced Friday. Gotham received midfielder Jaelin Howell, an international roster spot and $70,000 in allocation money. Williams is the National Women's Soccer League's all-time leading scorer with 80 goals. She joined the league in 2015 as the sixth overall draft pick by the now-defunct Western New York Flash. She has also appeared in 75 games for the U.S. team, scoring 25 goals and 13 assists and playing on two Olympic teams.
