The Spain international is being chased by the Premier League runners-up but Los Blancos are leading the race, and the attacking midfielder tried not to give much away More »Manchester City target Isco coy on Madrid move
LONDON (Reuters) - Wolfsburg completed a surprise victory in the women's Champions League final on Thursday, beating twice defending champions Olympique Lyon 1-0 thanks to a second-half penalty from Martina Mueller. The German side became the first team to defeat the French champions in normal time in 120 games. Favourites Lyon, who were appearing in their fourth straight final, dominated for large parts of the match but were unable to find a breakthrough at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium. ... More »Wolfsburg shock Lyon to win women's Champions League final
ROTTERDAM (Reuters) - Utrecht took a step towards qualifying for the Europa League with goals from Cedric van der Gun and Edouard Duplan in a 2-0 win at Twente Enschede in the first leg of the Dutch playoff final on Thursday. Utrecht, who finished fifth in the standings, grabbed an early lead when Van der Gun was left unmarked in front of goal to score after nine minutes. Twente, who were comfortable league leaders earlier in the season but fell away to finish sixth, began to dominate but lacked creativity against a well-organised Utrecht side. ... More »Utrecht beat Twente 2-0 to close in on Europa League spot
LISBON (Reuters) - Portuguese champions Porto are negotiating the possible sale of midfield duo Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez to Monaco, club president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa said on Thursday. Costa said negotiations over Portuguese international Moutinho and Colombia's Rodriguez started after Porto clinched their third consecutive league title on Sunday. "I only got the news that there was interest on Sunday. We are negotiating," he said in an interview with Portuguese television RTP. He did not confirm media reports that a deal could be worth up to 70 million euros (59. ... More »Porto negotiating possible sale of midfield duo to Monaco
(Reuters) - American Ryan Palmer took advantage of ideal scoring conditions and local knowledge with a birdie fest as he charged into an early two-shot lead in Thursday's opening round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas. The 36-year-old Texan piled up eight birdies on the way to a flawless eight-under-par 62 on a relatively calm morning at iconic Colonial Country Club, matching the lowest first round ever recorded at the long established PGA Tour event. ... More »Palmer takes early control with birdie fest at Colonial
The England international played a key part in securing the Baggies' best-ever Premier League performance, and insists the club will look to push on again next season More »Foster pleased by West Brom's top-eight finish
By Janeman Latul JAKARTA (Reuters) - As monsoon rains swept the stadium, the chanting grew louder. "Indonesia! Indonesia!" More than 60,000 people packed into Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on a recent Saturday night to see the national soccer team play. Another 100 million tuned in to television to watch the match, underlining the appeal of soccer in Indonesia where attendance rivals the top English and German soccer leagues. Among the fans are two of Indonesia's most powerful people - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and politically ambitious businessman Aburizal Bakrie. ... More »Feature: In Indonesia, soccer is kicked around by political parties
China's eighth seed Peng Shuai upset the rankings to defeat fourth-seeded American Sloane Stephens, 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday to reach the Brussels Open quarter-finals. More »Peng stuns Stephens in Brussels
Results at the British Open on Thursday (x denotes seeding): More »Squash: British Open results - 2nd update
By Larry Fine (Reuters) - The star-studded U.S. national basketball team cannot afford to get complacent about being the sport's superpower given the pace of emerging talent around the globe, head coach Mike Krzyzewski said on Thursday. According to Krzyzewski, having the privilege of coaching teams that have boasted NBA All-Stars LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul does not come with a guarantee of beating competition. ... More »U.S. basketball team driven by international talent
German club Wolfsburg ended Lyon's two-year reign as women's Champions League holders with a shock 1-0 win over the French side in Thursday's final at Stamford Bridge. More »Wolfsburg stun holders Lyon
South Africa's James Kingston posted a six-under par 66 to lead the first round of the European PGA Championship on Thursday on a day of frustration for Rory McIlroy. More »Kingston leads, McIlroy in Wentworth woe
The Frenchman says he is delighted he decided to join a challenging league, and is driven by the challenge of improving a Magpies side that finished 16th this season More »Debuchy has no regrets about joining Newcastle
The Greek midfielder is set to leave Craven Cottage this summer but has been quick to hail the supporters who have helped him settle from the start of his spell at the club More »Karagounis praises 'strong relationship' with Fulham fans
The Toffees' left-back believes the club will move on despite losing their long-serving manager to Manchester United but admits the next man in charge faces a tough task More »Baines: Everton can cope without Moyes
The Bhoys manager was found guilty of entering the 'playing zone' in the recent league defeat to Motherwell but the one-match ban has been suspended until the end of next season More »Lennon cleared to lead out Celtic in cup final
The AC Milan CEO was rumoured to have had his differences recently with the Rossoneri president but he has moved to qualm such reports More »Galliani denies fall out with Berlusconi
The FA Cup-winning boss is hot property despite his side being relegated to the Championship, but instead of wanting to quit, has given some ideas to push the club forward More »Whelan confident Martinez will stay at Wigan
Safety recommendations made by America's Cup regatta director Iain Murray in the wake of British yachtsman Andrew Simpson's death will be made rules of the event, officials said on Thursday. More »Safety ideas will become rules for America's Cup
After speaking to his team mates, the 29-year-old has revealed that he too wants to have 'good memories' of playing under the Portuguese manager, and wishes it would happen More »I wish Mourinho would join Chelsea, says Torres
After finishing in 16th position in the Premier League, some fans had demanded change at St James' Park, but with an eight year plan in place, the board are looking for stability More »Newcastle managing director Llambias backs Pardew
By Simon Evans MIAMI (Reuters) - Midfielder Stuart Holden will return to the United States national team next week, ending over two years of injury nightmares and with the World Cup finals in Brazil as his goal. Holden, who plays in England for Bolton Wanderers, was seen as a central part of the rebuilding of the U.S. team after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa before a serious knee injury forced him out of the game. Talking by phone after working out in Houston this week, Holden told Reuters he is determined to make the most of the chance given to him by U.S. ... More »Holden thrilled at U.S. return after injury woes
By Tony Jimenez VIRGINIA WATER (Reuters) - European Tour chief executive George O'Grady was forced to issue an apology on Thursday after re-opening the Tiger Woods-Sergio Garcia racism row by making an unfortunate comment about "coloured athletes". Just when it seemed the fuss was starting to die down following this week's spectacular fallout between two of the world's best-known golfers, O'Grady entered the debate by giving an interview to Sky Sports television. "I deeply regret using an inappropriate word in a live interview... ... More »Euro Tour chief sorry for 'coloured athletes' gaffe
By Tony Jimenez VIRGINIA WATER (Reuters) - European Tour chief executive George O'Grady was forced to issue an apology on Thursday after re-opening the Tiger Woods-Sergio Garcia racism row by making an unfortunate comment about "colored athletes". Just when it seemed the fuss was starting to die down following this week's spectacular fallout between two of the world's best-known golfers, O'Grady entered the debate by giving an interview to Sky Sports television. "I deeply regret using an inappropriate word in a live interview... ... More »Euro Tour chief sorry for 'colored athletes' gaffe
By Alasdair Fotheringham POLSA, Italy (Reuters) May 23 - Two major climbs have been axed from Friday's key stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia because of snow and ice on their descent although the main stage finish at Val Martello remains in place, race organizers said on Thursday. The Gavia and Stelvio climbs, with summits at 2,618 and 2,758 meters above sea level, have been cut from the course. ... More »Two major climbs cut from Giro stage 19 due to weather