Europe

Captain Kylian Mbappé scores brace as France topples Netherlands with 4-0 win

PARIS — New France captain Kylian Mbappé lived up to expectations with two goals in a 4-0 statement home win against the Netherlands as Les Bleus got their Euro 2024 Group B qualifying campaign started in ruthless fashion on Friday.

Mbappé, named skipper after goalkeeper Hugo Lloris ended his international career in January, set up Antoine Griezmann for the opener before scoring the third, after Dayot Upamecano had doubled the tally in a first half blitz, before wrapping the scoring up late in front of an ecstatic crowd.

Bayern Munich fire manager Julian Nagelsmann who had only lost three of 37 games this season

MUNICH — Bayern Munich parted ways with coach Julian Nagelsmann on Friday and appointed former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel as his successor, with the German champions in second place in the Bundesliga.

Nagelsmann, 35, had taken over in 2021 and led the Bavarians to their 10th straight German league crown but failed to win any other silverware last season.

Bayern crashed out in the German Cup second round after a demolition by Borussia Moenchengladbach and were then eliminated from the Champions League in a quarter-final defeat to Spanish underdogs Villarreal last term.

Harry Kane surpasses Wayne Rooney as England’s top scorer during 2-1 win vs. Italy

NAPLES — Harry Kane became England's record international goalscorer as his side began their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign by beating reigning champions Italy 2-1 in Group C on Thursday.

England's skipper struck a penalty past Italy keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma shortly before halftime to make it 2-0 after Declan Rice opened the scoring after 13 minutes.

Cristiano Ronaldo becomes most capped men’s player in history then scores perfect free kick goal

Cristiano Ronaldo made history on Thursday when he made his 197th appearance for Portugal’s national team in a Euro qualifier vs. Liechtenstein. CR7 passes Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa to take the honor of most capped player in men’s international soccer history. 

Cristiano Ronaldo celebra récord de partidos internacionales con un tiro libre que sacó llamas

Con un doblete ante Liechtenstein, Cristiano Ronaldo celebró un nuevo récord: convertirse en el futbolista masculino con más apariciones en la historia de una selección nacional: 197.

Jugador con más partidos en selección

Después de las penas y frustraciones que dejó el paso de Portugal en el Mundial de Catar, el futuro internacional de Cristiano Ronaldo estuvo en el aire.

Former Watford and England goalkeeper Ben Foster joins Wrexham

Wrexham's Hollywood owners have secured the A-list signing of former Manchester United and England goalkeeper Ben Foster until the end of the season, the fifth-tier club said on Thursday.

Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur are reported to have tried unsuccessfully to lure the 39-year-old Foster out of retirement following an injury to first-choice Hugo Lloris.

But Wrexham have pulled off a significant signing as they aim to secure their place back in the English Football League.

We rate the incredible new adidas away kits for the 2023 Women’s World Cup

The hype for the 2023 Women’s World Cup continues to build as the tournament is only four months away. New adidas Women’s World Cup kits released on Thursday added to the excitement as the sportswear giant unveiled some works of art.

Six away Women’s World Cup kits for Germany, Spain, Japan, Sweden, Argentina and Colombia were shown off. All the tops draw inspiration from the beauty and geography of each country. The result is six truly remarkable kits.

We took it upon ourselves to rate each of the six kits.

Rumors of Folarin Balogun joining the USMNT are at an all-time high — here’s why

Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun is having a remarkable season in Ligue 1 with Reims. He’s scored 17 goals in 27 games (only two behind league leaders Jonathan David and Kylian Mbappé) and is firing on all cylinders.

The 21-year-old talent has a big decision to make in his career and that is who he will represent on the international stage. Balogun was born in New York City to Nigerian parents and raised in England. He’s eligible to represent the USMNT, England and Nigeria.

Mesut Özil announces his retirement at 34 years old

Germany's World Cup-winning midfielder Mesut Özil announced his retirement from football at the age of 34 on Wednesday.

The former Real Madrid and Arsenal player was a key member of Germany's World Cup-winning side in Brazil in 2014.

He retired from the squad in 2018 amid a political debate in Germany about an influx of migrants and after backlash over a photograph taken with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, saying he faced "racism and disrespect" over his Turkish ancestry.

FIFA should create an award for the best save of the year and hand it to this Danish goalkeeper

We all love goals. We love them so much that FIFA created an award – The Puskás – to celebrate and crown the best of all, season after season. 

But, hey! Breaking news: scoring goals is not the only thing you need to beat an opponent. There are other elements of the game that are crucial, can be even beautiful and surely can be award-worthy, too. 

Like a sublime goalkeeper save.

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