SPORTS

Melbourne, Australia | AFP | World number one Simona Halep Saturday admitted losing the 2018 Australian Open final was a painful moment, but it taught her how to better handle pressure situations which she has since put to good use. The Romanian was targeting a first ever Grand Slam title …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Pep Guardiola insisted on Friday he will be happy if Manchester City have no time for a mid-season break, because it will mean they are still competing for every trophy. City’s rivals Manchester United took the opportunity this week for a warm-weather training trip …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Marcus Rashford has the potential to be as good a centre-forward as England teammate Harry Kane as the pair prepare to face off in the Premier League this weekend. Rashford is expected to line up as the …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Mauricio Pochettino says his focus is solely on defeating Manchester United on Sunday to further Tottenham’s Premier League title chances rather than his own prospects of taking over at Old Trafford next season. The Argentine is the bookies’ favourite to take over as United’s …

Monaco, Principality of Monaco | AFP | Cesc Fabregas completed his move from Chelsea to Ligue 1 strugglers Monaco on Friday to reunite with his old Arsenal teammate Thierry Henry. Fabregas put pen to paper on a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Stade Louis II after passing a medical earlier in …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp denied on Friday that his Premier League leaders will have the upper hand over Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in the title race despite a lighter schedule after crashing out of both domestic cup competitions. City trail Klopp’s men by four points, with Tottenham two …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester City star Raheem Sterling sent a letter to a 13-year-old goalkeeper after hearing he had been racially abused advising him to “stand tall and be proud of who you are”. Sterling himself was the subject of alleged racist abuse from Chelsea fans in a Premier League match in …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | Bayern Munich said Friday they will appeal the two-match Champions League suspension handed to Thomas Mueller which means the Germany international will miss both legs of their last-16 tie against Liverpool. European football’s governing body UEFA handed Mueller a two-match ban on Friday following his sending-off in the 3-3 draw …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Las Vegas police have asked football star Cristiano Ronaldo to submit a DNA sample as part of their investigation into rape allegations made against him. The five-time world player of the year — who plays for Italian league champions Juventus — has vehemently denied the accusations, and his …

Doha, Qatar | AFP | Born in an African refugee camp, a Canadian international at 16 and now a Bayern Munich player aged just 18, Alphonso Davies’ life already reads like a movie script. “It’s like something out of a film,” admits Bob Lenarduzzi, president of the Vancouver Whitecaps, referring …