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Antony goal helps keep Betis’ UCL ‘dreams’ alive

Real Betis scored three goals in a first-half blitz to beat Girona 3-1 in LaLiga on Monday and keep alive their hopes of European football next season. The win took sixth-placed Betis to within one point of Villarreal. The top five qualify for the Champions League, while the team in sixth will play in the Europa League. “We still have our Champions League dreams,” Isco, who scored his seventh goal…

Italian football pauses as Pope Francis dies aged 88

Monday’s Serie A fixtures have been postponed following the death of Pope Francis, the Italian league announced. Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church and a lifelong football fan has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday. He was 88. “Following the passing of His Holiness, Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A can confirm that today’s league games in Serie A and Primavera 1…

Saudi minister: WC worker’s death investigated

Saudi Arabia’s minister of sport, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, insisted workers’ safety was being taken “seriously” and that an investigation had been launched over the death of a migrant worker during construction of a stadium for the 2034 World Cup. Besix Group, a construction company overseeing the site of Aramco Stadium in Al Khobar, told media outlets last month that “a worker sadly lost their life” at the construction…

Transfer rumors, news: Chelsea’s Garnacho chase gets crowded

Napoli face competition for the signature of Alejandro Garnacho as news emerges over Jadon Sancho’s future at Chelsea. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors and gossip from around the globe. Transfers homepage | Done deals | Men’s January grades | Women’s January grades – Alexander-Arnold silent on Madrid links after ‘special’ winner – De Bruyne ‘open’ to staying in Premier League – Saudi minister: Salah suits us but…

Ex-Croatia midfielder dies in car crash aged 39

Former Croatia midfielder Nikola Pokrivac died in a car crash in Karlovac in central Croatia on Friday, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) said. He was 39. Local media reported that the collision, which involved four vehicles, also killed one other person from a different car. Pokrivac was in a vehicle with three teammates from fourth-tier club NK Vojnic, who are injured, two of them critically. Former Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Pokrivac…

Pep: Missing UCL could hurt City transfer plans

Pep Guardiola has warned that Manchester City could miss out on their top transfer targets if they fail to qualify for the Champions League. City are fifth in the table with six games to go ahead of their trip to Everton on Saturday. Fifth place will be good enough for a place in next season’s Champions League, but Chelsea and Aston Villa sit just a point further back. Guardiola is…

Sources: Man Utd eye Dibling if they win Europa

Manchester United will step up their interest in Southampton midfielder Tyler Dibling if Ruben Amorim’s team secure Champions League qualification by winning this season’s Europa League, sources have told ESPN. Dibling, 19, has emerged as one of the most sought-after youngsters in the Premier League this season, despite playing in a Saints team that is on course to eclipse Derby County’s record of 11 points to become the worst team…

Sailors in name, warriors by nature: Ranković lavishes praise on resilient stalwarts

With a combined age of a century, they are admittedly closer to the end of their careers rather than the beginning. But, on Wednesday, as they tackled, barged, pressed and dove with the vigour of sprightly teens half their ages, Bailey Wright, Izwan Mahbud and Hariss Harun all played their parts in Lion City Sailors’ claiming a historic berth in the AFC Champions League Two decider next month. Despite suffering…

FIFA’s amazing 2026 World Cup host city posters feature astronauts, cowboys, giant lobsters

FIFA has unveiled its official host city posters for the men’s 2026 World Cup — due to take place across the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer — and it’s an eye-catching collection which ranges from the astoundingly artistic to the sublimely surreal. The world game’s governing body has been commissioning individual venue artworks for the men’s and women’s World Cup since the 1998 men’s finals in France, when…