Al-Ahly defeated Urawa Red Diamonds 4-2 in an entertaining Club World Cup third-place playoff on Friday to secure a top three finish in the tournament for the fourth time, despite losing a two-goal lead and missing a penalty.

The Fiji national football side has climbed up two spots in the latest world rankings, released by FIFA.

Major clubs and leagues across Europe rejected the Super League in favour of the status quo following EU court verdict which said UEFA and FIFA contravened EU law by preventing the formation of a Super League.

Ajax Amsterdam’s poor season went from bad to worse after they suffered one of the biggest shocks in their history with a 3-2 loss to fourth-tier amateur side USV Hercules in the last 32 of the Dutch Cup.

Argentina centreback German Pezzella’s strike from a rebound late in the second half helped Real Betis hold surprise LaLiga leaders Girona to a 1-1 draw.

Steve Corica has been confirmed as the first coach of the new Auckland-based A-League team six weeks after being sacked by five-times champions Sydney FC.

A bus crash killed two members of Algerian Ligue 1 side Mouloudia El Bayadh in the late hours of Wednesday, prompting the national football federation to postpone all games scheduled for this week across all divisions.

Nine-time champions Liverpool will play Fulham in their League Cup semi-final in January, while Championship side Middlesbrough will take on Chelsea.

Two second-half goals from Sergi Roberto rescued a 3-2 home win for champions Barcelona against bottom side Almeria in LaLiga on Wednesday, putting an end to their three-game winless run in all competitions as they head into the Christmas break.

The Russian Football Union (RFU) has voted against switching its football federation membership to Asia from Europe, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday, opting to stay in the European fold as Moscow eyes progress in relations with UEFA.

The Bournemouth versus Luton Town Premier League match that was abandoned on Saturday after the on-field collapse of Luton captain Tom Lockyer will be replayed again in full, the league announced Wednesday.

Brazil forward Neymar will not recover from knee surgery in time to play at next year’s Copa America, national team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said on Tuesday.