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Lee Kang-in hits post as Atletico Madrid wins seventh straight to go top
South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in started and played 67 minutes as Atletico Madrid extended its winning streak to seven matches and moved into first place in La Liga. Lee started on the right side of a 4-4-2 formation in Atletico’s 2-0 road win over Levante at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia on Saturday. The victory gave Atletico 28 points from nine wins, one draw and one loss, moving the club past Barcelona and into the top spot. Lee has appeared in 13 of Atletico’s 14 matches in all competitions
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Kim Min-jae plays full match as Bayern draws Dortmund 2-2
South Korea defender Kim Min-jae played the full match as Bayern Munich drew Borussia Dortmund 2-2 in the Bundesliga's "Der Klassiker." Bayern was held at Allianz Arena in Munich on Saturday in the eighth round of the 2026-27 season. Bayern remained unbeaten through eight matches at 5-3-0 with 18 points and stayed top of the table on goal difference over Dortmund, which has the same record. Kim returned to action for the first time in three competitive matches after recovering from groin and kne
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Carragher apologizes after Aston Villa threatens legal action over comments
LONDON (AP) -- Soccer pundit Jamie Carragher has apologized to Aston Villa for comments he made on a podcast that prompted the English club to say it would take legal action against the former Liverpool defender. Carragher used an expletive toward Villa fans who had criticized him for suggesting manager Unai Emery should consider taking over at Manchester United if under-pressure Michael Carrick was fired. Speaking on the "Stick to Football" podcast broadcast Thursday, Carragher said "there is a
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Lee Young-jun scores sixth goal of season in Grasshopper draw
South Korean striker Lee Young-jun scored a late equalizer to help Grasshopper Club Zurich salvage a 2-2 draw in the Swiss Super League. Lee scored in the 87th minute Saturday at Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, with Grasshopper trailing Vaduz 2-1 in the 12th round of the 2026-27 season. Samuel Krasniqi's free kick struck the post, and Lee reacted quickly to score from the rebound. It was Lee's third league goal of the season and sixth in all competitions, including three in the Swiss Cup. The goal
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Eom Ji-sung records third assist of season in Swansea's 4-0 win
South Korean winger Eom Ji-sung recorded his third assist of the season with a clever no-look pass as Swansea City beat Blackburn Rovers 4-0 in the English Championship. Eom started and played the full match Saturday at Swansea.com Stadium in the 13th round of the 2026-27 season. With Swansea leading 3-0 in the 59th minute, defender Josh Tymon played the ball forward from the left side. Eom let it run with a deft touch, allowing Ross Stewart to break into the left side of the penalty area and fi
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Pressure mounts on Carrick as Man United loses again
Michael Carrick's position as Manchester United manager came under further pressure after a 2-0 loss at Chelsea in the Premier League, with Lisandro Martinez's reckless sending-off adding to the club's problems Saturday. It was also a bad day for Manchester City, which lost 1-0 at home to Brighton for a second straight league defeat after opening the season with seven consecutive wins. Carrick was already under heavy pressure and seemingly operating on a match-by-match basis heading into the gam
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Temporary men's football coach stresses need to focus on controllables amid controversy
With the men's national football team under intense scrutiny due to a controversy surrounding apparent discord among key players, Robert Moreno, the squad's temporary head coach, insisted on the need to focus on the controllables Thursday. Moreno announced a 26-man squad for friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Qatar scheduled for November. Rather than those upcoming matches, his press conference at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, some 80 kilometers south of Seoul, was instead dominated by questi
Oct. 29, 2026 -
Bayern routs Magdeburg 6-1 to reach German Cup round of 16
Bayern Munich cruised into the round of 16 of the German Cup with a 6-1 win over second-division Magdeburg, while South Korea defender Kim Min-jae remained on the bench after returning from injury. The Bundesliga powerhouse beat Magdeburg at Allianz Arena in Munich on Wednesday in the round of 32 of the 2026-27 DFB-Pokal. Michael Olise opened the scoring in the 10th minute, but Magdeburg equalized five minutes later through Mateusz Zukowski. Bayern regained the lead in the 21st minute through Is
Oct. 29, 2026 -
Players at center of friction controversy called up for men's football friendlies
All principal figures caught in the controversy surrounding apparent friction on the men's national football team were selected for the upcoming friendly matches Thursday. Robert Moreno, temporary head coach for the Taegeuk Warriors, named his 26-man squad for matches against Saudi Arabia on Nov. 13 and Qatar on Nov. 17 -- both set to take place in Doha. The list included defender Kim Min-jae, midfielder Hwang In-beom and winger Hwang Hee-chan. This trio reportedly told their teammates they want
Oct. 29, 2026 -
Fan denies racist taunt at Son, explains he shouted 'mijo'
A spectator accused of directing a racist remark at South Korea captain Son Heung-min during an MLS match has denied the allegation, saying he shouted "mijo," not "ni hao." The fan posted a lengthy explanation Tuesday on LAFC Fans, an official online communication channel for Los Angeles FC supporters, insisting that claims he had used the Chinese greeting "ni hao" toward Son were false. The New York Post had earlier reported that video from LAFC's 2-2 draw with the LA Galaxy at BMO Stadium on S
Oct. 29, 2026 -
Neymar handed two-game ban for covering mouth during on-field argument
Brazilian soccer star Neymar of Santos has been handed an additional two-game suspension for violating the so-called "Vinicius rule." The Associated Press and Reuters reported Wednesday that Neymar was punished for covering his mouth while arguing with an opposing player during a Brazilian league match. Neymar, 34, was sent off during Santos' 1-1 home draw with Bahia on Saturday after getting into an argument with midfielder Rodrigo Nestor shortly before halftime, with Santos trailing 1-0. Durin
Oct. 29, 2026 -
Son, '96-line' players all named to South Korea squad for November friendlies
Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich, Hwang Hee-chan of Schalke and Hwang In-beom of Porto, who were involved in a recent retirement controversy, have all been named to South Korea's squad for the November friendlies along with captain Son Heung-min of LAFC. Head coach Robert Moreno announced a 26-man roster Wednesday at Korea Football Park in Cheonan for the national team's November friendlies in the Middle East. The squad includes key players Son, Kim, Hwang Hee-chan and Hwang In-beom, the latter thre
Oct. 29, 2026 -
FIFA politics around Infantino re-election push Japanese official to resign
GENEVA (AP) -- Two-time World Cup coach Takeshi Okada has resigned as vice president of Japan's soccer federation in protest over the politics surrounding FIFA during Gianni Infantino's campaign for re-election. Japan's soccer body on Wednesday published Okada's resignation statement, dated last Saturday, one day after the Asian Football Confederation reversed course and publicly backed Infantino, who is seeking a fourth and final term as FIFA president in an election in March. Infantino has fac
Oct. 29, 2026 -
Mbappe apologizes after China backlash over Mao meme remarks
Kylian Mbappe has apologized in French, Chinese and English after comments about a meme depicting him as Mao Zedong triggered criticism in China and prompted several companies and broadcasters to distance themselves from the Real Madrid forward. Chinese media reported Monday that Mbappe acknowledged his remarks were inappropriate and said he understood they had offended people in China and Chinese communities elsewhere. "I apologize to everyone who was hurt by my words," Mbappe said in the state
Oct. 28, 2026 -
FIFA to inspect candidate cities for 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco
FIFA will begin inspections of candidate host cities in Spain, Portugal and Morocco ahead of the 2030 World Cup. According to Reuters, FIFA will send inspection teams in November and December to visit candidate cities and stadiums in the three co-host nations and assess their suitability for World Cup matches. The inspections will cover 15 cities, including seven in Spain such as Madrid, Barcelona and Seville, six in Morocco including Casablanca and Rabat, and Lisbon and Porto in Portugal. FIFA
Oct. 28, 2026