SPORTS

Lisbon, Portugal | AFP | Cristiano Ronaldo told Portuguese television on Tuesday that “2018 was the most difficult year on a personal level.” Ronaldo had to deal with rape allegations last year after former model Kathryn Mayorga filed a complaint in September alleging she was sexually assaulted by the footballer in 2009 in a Las …

Milan, Italy | AFP |  As the sole survivor of a coaching shuffle among the leading challengers, Carlo Ancelotti could have the best chance to end Napoli’s 30-year wait for the Serie A title. Yet Antonio Conte’s arrival at Inter Milan has also raised expectations of an end to Juventus’s long …

Paris, France | AFP | Ajax finished with 10 men on Tuesday but moved closer to the Champions League group stage with a 0-0 draw away to APOEL in Nicosia in a playoff round first-leg match. The game was goalless but packed with incident. Ajax, a four-time winner of the competition …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | England women’s manager Phil Neville believes football players should boycott social media in the wake of Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba becoming the latest high-profile figure to suffer racist abuse online. Pogba was targeted after his penalty was saved in United’s 1-1 draw at Wolves …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Andy Carroll has admitted his football IQ was so low he had to use Google to find out who Luis Suarez was when he joined Liverpool in 2011. Carroll moved to Merseyside for a record fee for a British player of £35 million ($42 million) …

Yokohama, Japan | AFP | When 70,000 fans cram into Japan’s Yokohama stadium for the Rugby World Cup final, few will be aware of the area’s rich rugby history which stretches back more than 150 years and includes one of the world’s oldest clubs. It all started in the early 1860s …

Milan, Italy | AFP | Juventus begin their Serie A campaign this weekend under new coach Maurizio cas the multiple Italian champions gamble on the veteran delivering another style of Serie A title. The Turin giants start their quest for a ninth consecutive title in Parma on Saturday but could be …

Wolverhampton, United Kingdom | AFP |  Ole Gunnar Solskjaer refused to blame Paul Pogba after the Manchester United star missed a penalty in Monday’s 1-1 draw at Wolves after taking spot-kick duties from Marcus Rashford. Pogba wasted a chance to give United their second successive Premier League win when his …

Lausanne, Switzerland | AFP |  Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are the star names on the 10-player short-list announced on Monday by FIFA for its Puskas award for goal of the year. They are joined by three women and five men, with goals scored between July 16, 2018 and July …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho has joined Bayern Munich on a one-year loan worth 8.5 million euros ($9.5 million) with an option to buy, the Spanish club confirmed Monday. “The agreement provides for an option for Bayern to buy at a 120-million-euro fee,” Barcelona said. The 27-year-old Brazilian joined Barcelona from Liverpool …