Piłka nożna

Chelsea held off League One leaders Cardiff City to secure their place in the EFL Cup semi-finals with a hard-fought and absorbing win in south Wales. Roared on by a fervent capacity crowd at Cardiff City Stadium, the home side impressed in and out of possession as they contained their Premier League opponents and showed flashes of their own attacking threat in a goalless first half.more

Pubs in England and Wales could stay open until 01:00 next summer if a home nation reaches the quarter-finals or further at the football World Cup. The government has launched a six-week public consultation on extending pub licensing hours to allow fans to come together and support the teams.more

After talking to Wojciech Szczesny and Marc-André ter Stegen, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick will decide which of them will defend in today's Spanish Cup round of 32 match against third-division Guadalajara. The coach assured that Robert Lewandowski will also be ready to play.more

Manchester United took the lead three times, but also trailed for over a quarter of an hour and ultimately drew 4–4 with AFC Bournemouth in front of their home crowd in the last match of the 16th round of the Premier League.more

Lens won 2–0 at home against Nice in the 16th round and returned to first place in the French top flight. Before the Christmas and New Year break, they are one point ahead of Paris Saint-Germain, who won 3–2 away against Metz on Saturday.more

Real Madrid defeated Alaves 2–1 away. After 16 rounds of the Spanish top flight, Los Blancos are in second place, four points behind leaders Barcelona.more

Inter Milan won 2-1 away at Genoa and took the lead in the Italian top flight for the first time this season, taking advantage of the slip-ups of local rivals AC Milan, who drew 2-2 with Sassuolo at San Siro, and Napoli, who lost 1-0 to Udinese.more

Manchester City, thanks largely to two goals from Erling Haaland, defeated Crystal Palace 3-0 in London in the 16th round of the English Premier League, leaving them two points behind leaders Arsenal. Aston Villa continued their winning streak, with Matty Cash's side defeating West Ham United 3-2 in the capital.more

Premier League leader Arsenal London won 2-1 at home against bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton after a dramatic finish. The Gunners extended their lead over second-placed Manchester City to five points.more

Barcelona, without any Polish players on the pitch, beat Osasuna Pamplona 2–0 in the 16th round of the Spanish top flight thanks to goals from Brazilian Raphinha. The Catalans strengthened their lead at the top of the table and increased their advantage over second-placed Real Madrid to seven points.more

In Europe's strongest football leagues, the vast majority of top teams will be playing significantly lower-ranked opponents this coming weekend, and any upsets will be a surprise. The most drastic matches, pitting the leader against the bottom team, will take place in England and Germany.more

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) faced widespread criticism following revelations about the high prices paid by national federations for tickets to next year's World Cup matches. The European Fans' Association (EFA) accused FIFA of "betraying its ideals."more

Four Polish teams will enter today's matches of the 5th round of the regular season of the Conference League in different situations. Jagiellonia Bialystok and Raków Częstochowa are close to extending their European adventure, Lech Poznań is in the middle of the table, and Legia Warsaw has to catch up.more

Arsenal London defeated Club Brugge 3-0 in Belgium, winning their sixth consecutive match in the Champions League and leading the table with a full 18 points. In a blockbuster match, Real Madrid, without Frenchman Kylian Mbappe, lost 1-2 to Manchester City in front of their home crowd.more

Two of Norway's matches during the World Cup will be played in the middle of the night European time. This means that fans gathered in pubs and restaurants across the country will have to do without alcohol, as serving it at that time is prohibited by law. The issue has already become political.more

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso is under immense pressure ahead of the match against Manchester City, which is considered the highlight of the sixth round of the Champions League. Los Blancos have won only two of their last seven matches in all competitions.more

Barcelona won 2–1 at home against Eintracht Frankfurt in the sixth round of the Champions League. Robert Lewandowski played for the home team until the 66th minute, but did not stand out. Meanwhile, Piotr Zieliński's Inter Milan lost 0–1 at home to Liverpool.more

Lionel Messi, who helped Inter Miami win the club's first ever MLS league title, has been named the best footballer of the past season. The experienced Argentine is the first player to receive this award in two consecutive years.more

Egyptian footballer Mohamed Salah was left out of Liverpool's squad for today's Champions League Matchday 6 match against Inter Milan. The club did not provide an explanation for his absence, but it is likely linked to critical comments made by the 33-year-old striker.more

AC Milan defeated Torino 3-2 away in their 14th round match of the Italian top flight, moving them to first place in the table. The visitors were 2-0 down after 17 minutes but more than fought back. This was their 13th consecutive Serie A match without defeat.more

Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of the Portuguese national football team, has announced that he has become a shareholder in Perplexity, an American high-tech company. The company is developing an artificial intelligence-based search engine.more

Real Madrid unexpectedly lost 0–2 to Celta Vigo in front of their home crowd in the 15th round of the Spanish top flight. The second-placed team has failed to win four of its last five matches in the competition. It is now four points behind leaders Barcelona.more

Napoli beat Juventus 2–1 at home in the top match of the 14th round of the Italian top flight. Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund scored both goals. These were his first goals for the club since 5 October.more

Donald Trump has been named the first winner of the newly created Fifa peace prize, claiming “the world is a safer place now” as he received the award at the draw for the 2026 World Cup in Washington DC.more

Matty Cash scored for Aston Villa as his team defeated table-toppers Arsenal 2-1 at home in Matchday 15 of the Premier League. It was the Polish international's third goal of the season, leaving the Birmingham side in third place.more