football
SportAustralian Associated PressMatildas to keep up the pace in Asian Cup
Matildas midfielder Clare Wheeler says Australia's 18-0 Women's Asian Cup demolition of Indonesia has set the template heading into a clash with former coach Alen Stajcic's Philippines.Wheeler made her first start for the national team in Friday's group stage opener against the world No.
SportAustralian Associated PressRoar coach Moon knows Reds import well
Brisbane coach Warren Moon has revealed he considered signing Hiroshi Ibusuki a couple of years ago as the Japanese striker prepares to face the Roar with Adelaide United on Sunday.Ibusuki made an instant impact with the Reds after his move to South Australia, scoring the equaliser in his A-League Men debut as a second-half substitute in last Saturday's 2-2 draw with Melbourne City.
SportAustralian Associated PressGlory ALW road trip perfect fit for Khamis
Perth Glory's COVID-19 enforced stay on the eastern states has resulted in a mutual benefit situation for the club and ex-Matildas forward Leena Khamis.The 35-year-old Khamis has revived her A-League Women career, signing a short-term deal as an injury replacement while the Glory are based in her home state of NSW.
SportAustralian Associated PressCity's depth faces ALM stress test
Melbourne City coach Patrick Kisnorbo may opt to blood former Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson in Sunday's A-League Men clash with the Central Coast Mariners due to a mounting list of unavailabilities.Jenkinson only arrived in Australia on Thursday to start a six-month loan deal and hasn't played a full 90 minutes since Nottingham Forest's FA Cup loss to Swansea a year to the day on Sunday.
SportAustralian Associated PressLyon derby win keeps European hopes alive
Lyon have maintained their hopes of snatching a European spot for next season when Moussa Dembele's early goal earned them a 1-0 home win over Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1.Dembele scored with a penalty to lift Lyon up to 10th on 31 points from 21 games, four points behind Racing Strasbourg who occupy the Europa League place.
SportAustralian Associated PressRanieri ready for scrap after Norwich loss
Claudio Ranieri insists he was not going anywhere after Watford suffered a heavy 3-0 home defeat to Norwich in the Premier League, maintaining that he "never gives up".Josh Sargent struck twice to lift Norwich out of the relegation zone as Watford finished the game with 10 men, piling more pressure on Ranieri.
SportAustralian Associated PressKerr begins Indian adventure with record
Sam Kerr's first trip to India was always going to be special for the Matildas captain and it's already become unforgettable.The superstar striker bagged five goals in Australia's remarkable 18-0 victory over Indonesia in Mumbai to begin their Women's Asian Cup campaign on Friday.
SportAustralian Associated PressRogic's Celtic form a boost for Roos coach
Happy and healthy, Tom Rogic's imperious recent form for Celtic is set to be a welcome boost for the Socceroos ahead of vital World Cup qualifiers against Vietnam and Oman.The attacking midfielder has been back to his influential best under Ange Postecoglou in recent weeks, scoring twice and setting up five more goals since the start of December in all competitions for the Scottish giants including an assist in the League Cup final win over Hibernian.
SportAustralian Associated PressJapan open Asian Cup defence with 5-0 win
Two-time defending champions Japan have brushed aside Myanmar 5-0 in their opening game at the Women's Asian Cup in Pune.West Ham United midfielder Yui Hasegawa struck twice for Futoshi Ikeda's side as Japan made light work of Myanmar in their opening Group C match on Friday.
SportAustralian Associated PressKerr makes history in Matildas thrashing
Matildas captain Sam Kerr has become Australian football's greatest international goalscorer as Australia began their Women's Asian Cup campaign with a record-breaking 18-0 win over Indonesia.Kerr scored five goals including a hat-trick inside the opening 27 minutes in Mumbai on Friday as Australia put the lowest-ranked nation in the tournament to the sword.
SportAustralian Associated PressSandoval scores as Phoenix snap ALM streak
Wellington Phoenix have ignited their A-League Men campaign with a 2-1 defeat of 10-man Western United on Friday night.Mexican import Gael Sandoval netted on debut and English star Gary Hooper joined him on the scoresheet in the first half, helping the Nix snap a four-match losing streak to leap off the foot of the ladder.
SportAustralian Associated PressAdelaide grind out ALW win over Wellington
Adelaide United have ground out a hard fought 1-0 A-League Women victory over Wellington Phoenix at Coopers Stadium on Friday night.Both sides were forced to battle it out in sweltering conditions with the temperature hovering around 32 degrees for much of the contest.
SportAustralian Associated PressCOVID-19 forces further ALW postponements
COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc with the A-League Women's season with two more matches postponed after positive cases at two clubs.Sunday's game between Brisbane Roar and Newcastle Jets at Moreton Daily Stadium has been called off after cases in the Roar squad were discovered via routine testing.
SportAustralian Associated PressArnie crossing fingers for Socceroos
The fear of players testing positive for COVID-19 as they travel to Australia will be keeping Socceroos coach Graham Arnold awake over the weekend as his squad assembles in Melbourne ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers.Arnold has named a 25-man squad for next week's clash with Vietnam at AAMI Park and an away date with Oman in Muscat on February 1.
SportAustralian Associated PressPerth fitness will take time: Sturridge
Perth forward Daniel Sturridge says he's no different to the rest of his Glory teammates, claiming they will all take time to get back to full fitness after ending a six-week hiatus from the A-League Men.After being forced to quarantine in Queensland and Western Australia over the last month, Glory returned to the field in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Brisbane Roar.
SportAustralian Associated PressRoma through to Italian Cup quarter-finals
Roma have recovered from an early deficit to beat second-division Lecce 3-1 and reach the Italian Cup quarter-finals.Jose Mourinho's side will face his former team Inter Milan - who he led to the treble of Serie A, the Italian Cup and the Champions League in 2010.
SportAustralian Associated PressJota double sends Liverpool to Cup final
Diogo Jota's double has earned Liverpool a comfortable 2-0 win at Arsenal in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final, setting up a Wembley final showdown against Chelsea.Arsenal chiselled out a 0-0 draw at Anfield last week despite playing most of the first lead with 10 men after Granit Xhaka's early red card, but all that sweat and toil ultimately counted for nothing.
SportAustralian Associated PressCity to test ALW leaders Sydney's streak
Melbourne City coach Rado Vidosic has hinted that the form of A-League Women leaders Sydney FC has been helped by generous scheduling as the two sides face off in a table-topping clash on Saturday.After playing fellow finals hopefuls Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United twice in their opening six games, second-placed City travel to Kogarah Oval aiming to cut the the Sky Blues' four-point lead at the top of the ladder.
SportAustralian Associated PressFIFA boss meets with players in England
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has assured players during talks that a reshaped international calendar will tackle their workload and congested seasons, while backing away from heavily pushing biennial World Cups.The meeting in northern England with Infantino and FIFA's chief of global football development, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, was convened by the English players' union, including Manchester United players Paul Pogba and Juan Mata, and Manchester City duo Steph Houghton and Luc
SportAustralian Associated PressCopa exit Barcelona's latest setback
Barcelona's list of disappointments this season has grown with a loss to Athletic Bilbao in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey.Barcelona lost 3-2 in extra time to add to recent failures in the Spanish Super Cup and the Champions League.
SportAustralian Associated PressSocceroo Boyle completes Saudi switch
Socceroo Martin Boyle has joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Faisaly in what has been described as a life-changing move for the winger.Shortly after he was named in Graham Arnold's 25-man squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Vietnam and Oman, Hibernian FC confirmed Boyle's exit for a "significant" undisclosed seven-figure fee.
CelebrityAustralian Associated PressPele out of hospital, had cancer treatment
Brazilian soccer great Pele has been discharged from hospital after undergoing two days of treatment for cancer, the Sao Paulo clinic that treated him says.Pele, who had a colon tumor removed last year, has been undergoing chemotherapy in the months since.
SportAustralian Associated PressAlgeria exits African Cup, Comoros through
Defending champions Algeria have been dumped out of the African Cup of Nations in the group stage with a 3-1 loss to an Ivory Coast team that announced itself as a contender for the title.Ivory Coast's one-sided victory meant Algeria, who were one of the favourites, exited without a win after two shock results earlier in the tournament left them bottom of Group E.
SportAustralian Associated PressChina power to Women's Asian Cup victory
Wang Shuang has scored twice as eight-time champions China kicked off their Women's Asian Cup campaign with a 4-0 thrashing of Taiwan at the Mumbai Football Arena.Yet hosts India lacked the cutting edge in front of goal as they opened their account on Thursday with a 0-0 draw against debutants Iran.
SportAustralian Associated PressMatildas bid to learn from past errors
Tony Gustavsson hopes a deep dive into the Matildas' past failings will drive Australia to Asian Cup glory as they prepare to face Indonesia in their first group game on Friday (AEDT)The Matildas haven't won the tournament since 2010 and are widely expected to advance to the final where Japan shape as their most likely competition for the trophy.But the Swede said his team would be taking things one game at a time with a view to hitting top gear by the time the finals roll around.
