SPORTS

Paris, France | AFP | Isco scored a hat-trick as Spain hammered an Argentina side without Lionel Messi 6-1 in a friendly on Tuesday, while Brazil defeated Germany 1-0 in their first meeting since the 2014 World Cup. Gareth Southgate’s England were denied victory over Italy at Wembley after the …

Buenos Aires, Argentina | AFP | Argentina captain Lionel Messi admitted Monday that his generation has a score to settle at the World Cup in Russia after a series of agonising near misses in major tournaments. “The debt we owe is to ourselves, not to the people. We always give …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Ronald Koeman claimed his first win in charge of the Netherlands national team as the Dutch cruised to a comfortable 3-0 friendly victory over an uninspired Portugal in Geneva on Monday. The three-time World Cup runners-up have failed to qualify for this year’s finals in …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Raheem Sterling has vowed to finally emulate his blistering Manchester City form in an England shirt as the electric winger eyes redemption at the World Cup. Sterling’s last taste of a major international tournament was a bitter one, but the forthcoming World Cup in …

Doha, Qatar | AFP | Former World Cup winner Xavi Hernandez was named as a global ambassador for the 2022 World Cup local organising committee in Qatar on Sunday. The 38-year-old, who is currently playing for Qatari side Al Sadd, will be an ambassador for the organisation “responsible for delivering the …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Chelsea winger Victor Moses won and converted a harshly awarded penalty to give Nigeria a surprise 1-0 win in Poland on Friday in a World Cup warm-up. Moses fell after the merest of touches before calmly stroking the ball into the corner of the net …

Amsterdam, Netherlands | AFP | Jesse Lingard scored his first England goal as a reshaped side beat the Netherlands 1-0 in an Amsterdam friendly on Friday. This was England’s last away match before they travel to Russia for this year’s World Cup finals and they were rewarded with a well-deserved win …

Zurich, Switzerland | AFP | Cristiano Ronaldo hit two goals in stoppage time as European champions Portugal defeated Egypt 2-1 in a friendly international on Friday, winning his personal duel with Mohamed Salah who had put the seven-time African champions ahead. Ronaldo, appearing in his 900th career match, made his mark …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Zlatan Ibrahimovic completed his move to Los Angeles Galaxy on Friday, aiming to conquer Major League Soccer in the final stop of his glittering career. The iconic 36-year-old striker announced his move in a typically enigmatic full-page advert in the Los Angeles Times, which …

Dortmund, Germany | AFP | Athletics legend Usain Bolt insists he is serious about realising his dream of becoming a top-class footballer after training with Borussia Dortmund. “I really want to try and make it professionally, to play at a high level,” the sprint superstar told reporters on Friday at …