LONDON (AP) — Through the pens and pencils of children, England is fighting back against racism.
After Marcus Rashford and two other Black players missed penalty kicks in the final moments of the national soccer team's European Championship loss to Italy, bigots defaced a mural of the Manchester United star and hurled racist abuse at the three on social media.
LONDON (AP) — Italy’s national soccer team started things off on June 11 in Rome, and then finished things off exactly one month later in London.
The Italians won their second European Championship on Sunday at Wembley Stadium by beating England in a penalty shootout in the final, and The Associated Press photographers were there the whole way.
LONDON (AP) — Energized at Wembley by Lionel Messi's assists, Argentina's players threw their superstar teammate in the air after he inspired them to a second title in a year.
National team success is finally coming for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, late in his trophy-filled club career.
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Chelsea got 5.1 million euros ($5.55 million) from European Championship revenues for releasing players to their national teams, UEFA said Friday.
UEFA had a fund of 200 million euros ($217.5 million) to pay clubs a daily rate per player involved in the Euro 2020 tournament and qualifying, plus Nations League games since 2018.
MILAN (AP) — When Italy missed out on the last World Cup, it was a disaster for soccer in the country.
Missing another? There are really no words to accurately describe it.
“NOOOOOOOOO!” screamed the headline on Friday in the Tuttosport newspaper, with all nine of those Os stretching all the way across the front page.
PORTO, Portugal (AP) — The Portugal fans at the Estádio do Dragão looked stunned when the referee returned from the video review booth and pointed to the penalty spot.
Where they about to witness another late collapse at home that could jeopardize the national team’s hopes of making it to the World Cup?
PALERMO, Sicily (AP) — European champion Italy will miss the World Cup. Again.
The unthinkable happened in Palermo on Thursday as the Azzurri were beaten 1-0 by North Macedonia following a last-gasp goal by Aleksandar Trajkovski in their playoff semifinal.
LONDON (AP) — Aggression by England fans at the European Championship final exposed an “embarrassing" part of the national culture that endangered lives and should lead to fans being barred from stadiums if they are chanting abuse and under the influence of drugs or alcohol, an investigation into the disorder has concluded.
ZURICH (AP) — Patrick Schick’s 45-meter (50-yard) shot for the Czech Republic and Erik Lamela’s rabona flick for Tottenham in a north London derby are among Puskas Award candidates announced by FIFA Monday.
GENEVA (AP) — The World Cup in Qatar is sure to be without either Italy or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Italy and Portugal, the current and previous European champions, were drawn into the same qualifying playoff bracket Friday, meaning at least one will fail to qualify for next year's tournament.
LONDON (AP) — England's most successful manager for more than half a century, Gareth Southgate has agreed to stay in the job until 2024.
The 51-year-old Southgate isn't ready for a return to club coaching just yet, especially when there's a chance to improve on reaching the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup and the final of this year's European Championship.
Italy is facing another detour to get to a World Cup final.
The playoffs beckon for the Azzurri — just like four years ago — after stumbling to 0-0 at Northern Ireland on Monday, plunging the recently crowned European champion to a second-place finish behind Switzerland in their qualifying group.
Four years on from Italy’s darkest moment, it could be about to happen again for the Azzurri.
Italy was held to 0-0 at Northern Ireland in its final World Cup qualifier on Monday, while Switzerland beat Bulgaria 4-0 to clinch top spot in Group C and a place in next year’s tournament in Qatar.
SEVILLE, Spain (AP) — Spain didn't falter with a World Cup spot on the line and will make its 12th straight appearance at the tournament next year.
Substitute Álvaro Morata scored late as “La Roja” beat Sweden 1-0 Sunday to win Group B and earn the automatic spot for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, leaving Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s team facing the playoffs.
ROME (AP) — Another missed penalty from Ballon d'Or candidate Jorginho means European champion Italy still has some work to do in order to qualify for the World Cup.
A 1-1 draw with visiting Switzerland on Friday kept Italy atop Group C entering the final round of qualifiers — but only on goal difference.
LONDON (AP) — England captain Harry Kane has been finding it tough to get over a “whirlwind” year in which he lost in the European Championship final on home soil and then failed to secure a move away from Tottenham.
European nations play their last group games in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup over the next week, with some of the continent's biggest teams still not assured of going to the tournament in Qatar.
FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — Italy forward Ciro Immobile became the latest player to withdraw from the Azzurri squad on Tuesday, and there were further injury concerns with other players ahead of Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Switzerland in Rome.
FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — Italy lost another two midfielders ahead of the key World Cup qualifier against Switzerland in Rome on Friday, as the Swiss injury list also lengthened.
Coach Roberto Mancini, already without regular starter Marco Verratti through injury, said on Monday that Nicolò Zaniolo and Lorenzo Pellegrini would return to their club Roma.
ZURICH (AP) — France's Nations League title moved the country's national team up to No. 3 in Thursday's FIFA rankings.
France, which won the World Cup in 2018, still trails both top-ranked Belgium and No.
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA ordered England on Monday to play one men's national team game in an empty stadium as punishment for chaotic disorder around Wembley Stadium at the European Championship final in July.
For all the improvements made by England under Gareth Southgate — and reaching the World Cup semifinals and European Championship final suggests there are many — one major problem has been holding the team back.
LONDON (AP) — Crowd trouble marred World Cup qualifiers as Hungary fans clashed with police during a 1-1 draw against England at Wembley Stadium and Poland's players walked off in Albania after bottles were hurled in another Group I match on Tuesday.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark became the second European team to qualify for next year's World Cup by beating Austria 1-0 on Tuesday to maintain the team's perfect record in its group.
Joakim Maehle's 53rd-minute goal at Parken Stadium secured an eighth straight qualifying win for the Danes, who have yet to concede in Group F and have the only 100% record.
GENEVA (AP) — UEFA invited bidders on Tuesday to host a 24-team European Championship in 2028, though did not rule out changing the dates and format of the tournament.
The European soccer body has been looking at whether to expand the tournament again to include 32 of its 55 member nations, officials said in July during the successful Euro 2020.
TURIN, Italy (AP) — European champion Italy bounced back from its first loss in more than three years to beat Belgium 2-1 in the Nations League's third-place match on Sunday.
Nicolò Barella opened the scoring at the start of the second half and Domenico Berardi doubled Italy’s lead from the spot in the 65th minute.
MILAN (AP) — After a difficult few months, France will be hoping its Nations League victory over Belgium is the spark of a recovery heading into the final against Spain in Milan on Sunday.
An incredible comeback in Turin on Thursday saw France recover from two goals down to beat Belgium 3-2 thanks to a last-minute strike from Theo Hernández.
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — The 2024 European Championship qualifying groups will be drawn in Frankfurt in one year, UEFA said Thursday.
MILAN (AP) — Two of the European Championship’s biggest disappointments face each other Thursday in the Nations League semifinal in Turin.
Kylian Mbappé and the France team are looking for redemption in the Nations League, much like its opponent Belgium.
MILAN (AP) — Spain ended Italy's record unbeaten run of 37 matches by beating the European champion 2-1 Wednesday in the Nations League semifinals after Roberto Mancini's team was reduced to 10 men.
MILAN (AP) — Spain’s cunning plan on how to beat Italy this time appears to have a flaw.
They meet in the Nations League semifinals on Wednesday, three months after another semifinal matchup at the European Championship.
MADRID (AP) — Sergi Roberto and Bryan Gil have been added to Spain's squad ahead of the Nations League semifinal match against Italy, the Spanish soccer federation said Sunday.
FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — Moise Kean and Davide Calabria were called up to the Italy squad on Sunday for the Nations League semifinal match against Spain.
Kean, who plays for Juventus, replaces Ciro Immobile among the forwards while AC Milan defender Calabria comes in for Rafael Tolói.
MILAN (AP) — Italy coach Roberto Mancini recalled all the fit players from his European Championship-winning squad on Thursday for the Nations League semifinal against Spain next week.
Only four players are missing from the 26-man squad that beat England in the Euro 2020 final in July: Leonardo Spinazzola, Alessandro Florenzi, Gaetano Castrovilli and Andrea Belotti.
MADRID (AP) — The 17-year-old Barcelona midfielder Gavi Páez has been summoned for Spain's Nations League semifinal against Italy next week.
If Gavi plays, he will become Spain’s youngest debutant, breaking the record held by Ángel Zubieta of 17 years, 284 days set in 1936.
PARIS (AP) — France coach Didier Deschamps again left out veteran striker Olivier Giroud on Thursday for the Nations League semifinal match against Belgium next week.
Giroud turned 35 on Thursday and is second on France's all-time scoring list with 46 goals, close behind Thierry Henry's record of 51.
LONDON (AP) — Prize money will double for the Women's European Championship but will be less than 4% of the riches paid out for the most-recent men's tournament.
European governing body UEFA announced Thursday that the 16 women's teams at Euro 2022 in England will share 16 million euros ($19 million), while 4.5 million euros ($5 million) will go to clubs who release their players.
LONDON (AP) — Hungary was ordered by FIFA on Tuesday to play one game without a crowd for the racist abuse of England players, although European football's leading anti-discrimination group said it could be time to expel the team from World Cup qualifying for repeated discriminatory conduct by its supporters.
England's perfect record in World Cup qualifying vanished after conceding a stoppage-time equalizer in Poland, while Italy, Germany, Spain and Belgium all won on Wednesday to build big leads in their groups on the road to Qatar.
REGGIO EMILIA, Italy (AP) — Italy’s new-look attacking lineup fired the Azzurri to a 5-0 win over Lithuania in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday and a first victory since winning the European Championship.
GENEVA (AP) — Italy set an international record of 36 games unbeaten on Sunday as Germany and Spain returned to the top of their World Cup qualifying groups.
Though European champions Italy were held 0-0 at Switzerland, Germany and Spain were joined by England and Poland in routing low-ranked opponents.