BELGRADE – Red Star Belgrade came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Celtic in their Europa League opener on Thursday, extending the Scottish champions’ wait for an away win in European competition to nearly three years. Celtic had most of the possession in the first half but struggled to create clear chances, with Benjamin Nygren forcing…

BRAGA, Portugal – Fran Navarro came off the bench to score the decisive goal as Sporting Braga beat Feyenoord 1-0 on Thursday, ending a three-game winless run and making a strong start to their Europa League campaign. Feyenoord, who had lost only one of their previous 10 home matches in the competition, were on the back foot early as Braga forced…

SEVILLE – Real Betis winger Antony struck a late equaliser to hold Nottingham Forest to a 2-2 draw in the Europa League on Thursday, denying the English side victory on their long-awaited return to European competition. It was Forest’s first continental fixture since losing to Bayern Munich in the 1996 UEFA Cup quarter-finals, but Ange…

THESSALONIKI, Greece – PAOK were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw against Maccabi Tel Aviv in their opening UEFA Europa League group match on Thursday, as the Greek side failed to score for a second straight game for the first time since October 2024. Unbeaten in their first four Greek Super League fixtures this season, Răzvan Lucescu’s men started…

HERNING, Denmark – An own goal from SK Sturm Graz goalkeeper Oliver Christensen and a late strike by Ousmane Diao gave Midtjylland a 2-0 home victory on Thursday in their UEFA Europa League group opener, marking the Danish side’s first matchday one win in the competition for 10 years. The breakthrough came after just seven minutes at the MCH Arena…

NICE, France – French police detained more than 100 AS Roma supporters in the centre of Nice on Tuesday evening after intervening to prevent a mass brawl ahead of the Italian club’s Europa League match against Nice, local authorities said. A total of 102 individuals identified as Roma ultras were taken into custody after riot police and local…

BARCELONA – Barcelona have reached an agreement with Frenkie de Jong’s agent on a contract renewal that will keep the Dutch midfielder at the club for a further three seasons, local media reported on Thursday. The deal, first revealed by Mundo Deportivo, includes a reduction in De Jong’s salary, which had long been a sticking point in negotiations…

BARCELONA – Barcelona coach Hansi Flick says teenage winger Lamine Yamal will use his Ballon d’Or disappointment as fuel after finishing second to Ousmane Dembele in Paris this week. The 18-year-old lost out to the former Barca forward, now at Paris Saint-Germain, in the race to be named the world’s best player, but he did pick up the Kopa Trophy…

Pep Guardiola has defended Manchester City’s uncharacteristically conservative tactics in their 1-1 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, insisting his overall approach remains consistent despite a marked shift in possession statistics and defensive posture. City took the lead through Erling Haaland but then adopted a deep-lying,…

Barcelona midfielder Pablo Páez Gavira, known as Gavi, will be sidelined for up to five months following knee surgery to repair a medial meniscus injury in his right knee, the LaLiga club announced Tuesday. The 21-year-old Spain international underwent an arthroscopic procedure to suture and preserve the meniscus…