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MANCHESTER, England– How do you defeat the best team in Europe? Just ask Manchester City. The Women’s Super League team returned to continental football and enacted the perfect game plan to foil the reigning UEFA Women’s Champions League title holders Barcelona and claimed an emphatic 2-0 victory at the Joie Stadium, proving that even the best team in Europe is beatable. The 2-0 scoreline does not entirely reflect how well…

Lionel Messi has paid tribute to his former Barcelona teammate Andrés Iniesta after the World Cup-winner retired from professional football at the age of 40. Spain legend Iniesta announced his retirement at a special event in Barcelona on Tuesday, and Messi, another winner of football’s greatest prize, wrote a note to his teammate on Instagram. “One of the teammates with the most magic and with whom I enjoyed playing the…

Manchester City’s legal challenge against the Premier League over its Associated Party Transactions rules (APT) — regulations that govern commercial deals involving club owners — has reached a conclusion, and both sides are claiming victory following the verdict of an arbitration panel. The case, which is separate and unrelated to the ongoing independent hearing into City allegedly breaching 115 Premier League regulations that is set to conclude before the end…

AC Milan coach Paulo Fonseca expressed his confusion over Christian Pulisic not stepping up for his side’s penalties in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Fiorentina despite being the team’s designated penalty taker. The Rossoneri had two spot kicks awarded during the match in Florence. To Fonseca’s surprise, Pulisic’s teammates Theo Hernández and Tammy Abraham stepped up and took them. Both penalties were saved by new Fiorentina goalkeeper David de Gea. “Our…

Former Barcelona midfielder Andrés Iniesta has teased his retirement from football at the age of 40 in a video posted to his social media channels. The video, captioned with the phrase “the game will go on,” shows Iniesta emotionally discussing what football means to him, before tributes are paid by a number of prominent names including Pep Guardiola, Louis van Gaal and Luis Enrique. Iniesta was most recently playing for…

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick lauded the “unbelievable” attack of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal after the LaLiga leader’s 3-0 win at Alavés on Sunday. Lewandowski netted a first-half hat trick at Mendizorroza, with two of the goals set up by Raphinha, as Barça restored their three point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the table heading into the international break. No player has been involved in more…

Real Madrid needed a win to keep the pressure on Barcelona at the top of the LaLiga table. They delivered, beating Villarreal 2-0 on Saturday, but it cost them: Dani Carvajal was stretchered off with multiple tears in his right knee. The challenge of repeating as champions of Spain just got a whole lot more difficult. In the Premier League, Manchester United underdelivered once more, grinding out a 0-0 draw…

Pep Guardiola has called on Manchester City to improve defensively after Fulham failed to take a number of chances at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. City edged the game 3-2 despite Fulham creating an xG of 2.4 compared to 1.5 from Guardiola’s side. Adama Traoré was guilty of missing three golden chances and was denied twice by Éderson in one-on-one situations. “There are actions we can defend better but step…

LEVERKUSEN, Germany — Hosts Bayer Leverkusen paid the price for being complacent after squandering a two-goal lead and losing control of the game before drawing 2-2 against promoted Holstein Kiel in the German Bundesliga on Saturday. Champions Leverkusen scored twice in the opening eight minutes but wasted a two-goal advantage for the third time in six Bundesliga matches this season. “I am not satisfied with our performance. It was our…

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente is concerned by reports that the country could be stripped of its 2030 World Cup hosting rights because the Spain football federation (RFEF) has yet to elect a new president. FIFA is due to ratify Spain, Portugal, and Morocco as main hosts of the 2030 tournament at its Congress meeting on Dec. 11. However, FIFA met in Madrid this week with representatives of the…