Najmul ton guides Bangladesh to 235-2 against Afghanistan
Najmul Hossain struck an unbeaten century to guide free-flowing Bangladesh to 235-2 at tea on Wednesday's opening day of their...
2023-06-14 17:20
Messi doesn't want 'pressure' of a Barca return: Xavi
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said Thursday he understood Lionel Messi's desire to avoid the "pressure" of a return to the...
2023-06-08 19:20
Liverpool’s Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez sink Brazil and Argentina on night of South American shocks
Luis Diaz scored twice as Colombia stunned Brazil 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier, days after his father was released by kidnappers. The Liverpool striker netted twice in four minutes late in the second half, watched by his father Luiz Manuel Diaz who was held for 12 days before his release last week. Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli had put Brazil in front after just four minutes. Colombia’s first win over Brazil for eight years lifts them into third in the South American qualifying table with Brazil, who suffered a second successive defeat in the competition, down to fifth. On a night of surprises, goals from Ronald Araujo and Darwin Nunez saw Uruguay beat Argentina 2-0. Lionel Messi struggled to impose himself, hitting the crossbar in the second half as Argentina’s 100 per cent record since lifting the World Cup was ended. Uruguay’s win lifts them to second in the table, two points behind Argentina. Venezuela are in fourth after a goalless draw with Ecuador, Chile and Paraguay also drawing a blank while Bolivia won the battle of the bottom two with a 2-0 win over Peru. PA Read More Moment Liverpool star Luis Diaz reunites with father after 12-day hostage ordeal Luis Diaz reunited with kidnapped parents after returning to Colombia Father of Luis Diaz reveals details of kidnapping ordeal
2023-11-17 16:19
Springboks' kick squad, not bomb squad, to face most scrutiny after Ireland loss at Rugby World Cup
South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber had backed new flyhalf Manie Libbok before the Rugby World Cup to create more tries than he missed kicks at goal
2023-09-24 07:46
'Sadness and disappointment' as Sweden bow out again in World Cup semis
Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson will try and lift his team for Saturday's third-place play-off after the "huge disappointment" of yet another...
2023-08-15 21:29
No. 9 Louisville tops Miami 38-31, clinches spot in ACC championship game
Jack Plummer threw three touchdown passes, the last of them a 58-yarder to Kevin Coleman with 4:17 remaining, and No. 9 Louisville clinched a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game by beating Miami 38-31
2023-11-19 05:20
Two teenagers arrested for ‘misogynistic chanting’ towards referee Rebecca Welch
Two football fans were arrested during Birmingham’s home match with Sheffield Wednesday for alleged misogynistic chanting towards referee Rebecca Welch. Birmingham won the Sky Bet Championship fixture 2-1, which earned new manager Wayne Rooney his maiden victory in charge of the club. It was overshadowed by news of two 17-year-olds being arrested for alleged chants towards Welch, who made history in January when she became the first woman to officiate a Championship match after she took charge of Birmingham’s clash with Preston. “We have arrested two boys for misogynistic chanting at the female referee during Birmingham City’s home game at St Andrew’s today,” a statement from West Midlands Police read. “Our officers heard the chants being directed at the official and acted quickly to arrest the two, who are both 17. “They are currently in custody on suspicion of a public order offence as we carry out enquiries. We don’t tolerate any form of hate and it is important hate crime is reported to us. “Today is White Ribbon Day which is the start of a 16-day long campaign. It focuses on everyone, especially men and boys on what they can do to change the behaviour and culture that leads to abuse and violence against women and girls.” The PA news agency has contacted Birmingham for comment. The club did warn supporters on Friday about their behaviour towards match officials. We have arrested two boys for misogynistic chanting at the female referee during Birmingham City’s home game at St Andrew’s today West Midlands Police A statement ahead of the Sheffield Wednesday fixture highlighted how Welch faced “sexist and misogynistic” chants during her previous match at St Andrew’s against Preston. “The Sky Bet Championship match on Saturday 25 November, kick-off 3pm, will be officiated by Rebecca Welch. Unfortunately, when she last refereed at St Andrew’s, the club received several reports of sexist and misogynistic abuse aimed at the official,” a Birmingham statement on Friday. “This will not be tolerated and any individual reported for such behaviour will be asked to leave their seat by stewards. “Furthermore, in accordance with the club’s behaviour matrix, foul and abusive language carries a potential ban of up to four matches, with discriminatory and hate speech being punishable with a maximum ban of five years.” Read More Mikel Arteta hails Aaron Ramsdale despite errors in Arsenal’s win over Brentford Novak Djokovic left to rue ‘bitter’ end to season as Serbia beaten in Davis Cup We have to be better – Brendan Rodgers says Celtic’s penalty record must improve Mauricio Pochettino angry as ‘soft’ Chelsea fall apart at Newcastle Brighton boss explains ‘big, big celebration’ and says no disrespect was meant Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola full of praise for two-goal Marcus Tavernier
2023-11-26 04:58
Chelsea agree deal for New England Revolution goalkeeper
Chelsea have agreed a deal with New England Revolution for goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic. The Blues have agreed to pay $21m (£16.5m) for the 23-year-old and he is expected to serve as understudy to Robert Sanchez.
2023-08-22 17:17
North Carolina made unwanted history last year. The No. 19 Tar Heels have overhauled their roster
North Carolina coach Hubert Davis has overhauled his roster for his third year leading the 19th-ranked Tar Heels
2023-10-24 18:54
Rangers get up and running in Premiership with convincing win over Livingston
Sam Lammers, Danilo, Abdallah Sima and Kieran Dowell all scored their first competitive goals for Rangers as the Light Blues came on strong to beat Livingston 4-0 in the cinch Premiership at Ibrox. Attacking midfielder Lammers hammered in the opener after 10 minutes as the hosts dominated but it was late in the second half before Michael Beale’s new-look side secured the points. Brazilian attacker Danilo headed in a second in the 78th minute before Sima pounced from close range six minutes later with fellow second-half substitute Dowell thrashing in a fourth in the final minute of normal time. The Govan outfit lost their league opener at Kilmarnock last week before beating Servette 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier at Ibrox on Wednesday night. Boss Beale – who has signed nine new players this summer with the promise of more to come – will see this as a building block for his side but more will be required going forward, starting with the return game against Servette on Tuesday night. As Beale revealed on Friday, Jose Cifuentes, the 24-year-old Ecuador international midfielder signed last week from Los Angeles FC, made his starting debut. Centre-back Leon Balogun was back in again for the first time since returning to the club for a second spell, with Ryan Jack and Connor Goldson rested. It was a patient start by the home side and the opener came when influential midfielder Todd Cantwell’s shot from inside the box was blocked by the foot of Livi keeper Shamal George but Lammers slammed in the rebound from 16 yards. The goal forced Livi to come out their shell a little although a mix-up in defence allowed John Souttar a shot at goal only for the Gers defender to balloon the ball high over the bar, before George dived full length to tip a Cifuentes drive past the post. When captain James Tavernier’s delivery came over, Cifuentes volleyed into the net at the second attempt but after a VAR check, referee Don Robertson awarded a free-kick to Livingston for an initial hand ball by the midfielder. The tempo dropped towards the end of the first half which finished with Light Blues forward Cyriel Dessers heading a Tavernier cross over the bar. Lammers headed a Borna Barisic cross just wide of the target at the start of the second period and missed the target again from a Dessers cut-back, after George had made a fine save from a Danilo drive. In a rare Livingston attack, Gers keeper Jack Butland was tested twice in a minutes by Andrew Shinnie, twice making good saves before Livi defender Ayo Obileye threw himself to block a Dessers drive from 14 yards after he had been set up by Danilo, the corner coming to nothing. In a 68th minute counter-attack, Danilo flicked a Cifuentes cross over the bar from two yards out which cranked up frustration levels, however all was soon well in Govan. Rabbi Matondo and Sima came on for Lammers and Dessers and in the 77th minute Sima drove a shot from point-blank range against George but the second goal was on its way, coming when Barisic’s deep cross found Danilo at the back post and he rose to head past the Livi keeper for his first Gers goal and alleviate the building pressure. Dujon Sterling came on among more substitutions to make his Rangers debut before Danilo hit the post from close range. Sima then opened his account in a Light Blue jersey and there was time for Dowell, on for Cantwell, to fire in off the crossbar for number four to make his mark at Ibrox. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Everton pay price for missed chances as Fulham snatch win at Goodison Park Joao Pedro and Simon Adingra hit debut goals as Brighton stroll past Luton Tom Brady watches on as Birmingham beat Leeds with last-gasp penalty
2023-08-13 00:22
Jeremy Doku’s brilliance shows Man City’s edge and Chelsea’s key problem
Over the past few months, as Chelsea’s hierarchy started to settle into the club, they became fixated on a specific idea relevant to this weekend’s game. They began to study what makes 100-point seasons and record-breaking sides. That might seem some way off, to an almost comic degree, but you’ve got to have goals. Manchester City are the obvious case study, since they are the only club to manage a centurion season and they still break records. As regards what made that possible, the usual explanation might be “one of the most lavishly expensive football projects in history” but Chelsea’s owners also have huge resources and are clearly willing to spend them. Their outlay on transfer fees so far, if not quite wages, has recalled the dizzy days of Roman Abramovich between 2003 and 2006 and the first few years of the Abu Dhabi ownership at City. And Chelsea might have a more specific reason to look at the European champions for inspiration. Chelsea’s own grand project, which is an unprecedented football experiment, is based on bringing in young players of a similar talent profile to Jeremy Doku. That raises the obvious question of whether Doku would have the same impact if he was at Chelsea? Or, would he be just another young signing showing potential but requiring shape and direction? Recent form suggests the latter. There are caveats, of course. It is early days and, as good as Doku has been, the real tests will come later. Clubs like Manchester United and Newcastle had also looked at him, but felt he wasn’t yet developed enough. There was a sense he was too erratic as a player. However, his impact under Pep Guardiola, especially when contrasted with Raheem Sterling’s influence on Chelsea, speaks volumes about the two clubs. One significant difference between Doku and so many similar young players at Chelsea is the roles they’ve been signed for. The London club have attempted to overhaul their entire squad, and players of talent have just been thrust into the fray. It has been up to Mauricio Pochettino to make sense of it. City, from the benefit of over a decade’s planning, can be much more forensic. Their succession plans are so well defined and far-thinking, with most signings settled on at least 18 months in advance - barring any unseen changes like the sudden impact of Saudi Pro League money, which delayed this summer’s business. Doku was supposed to be next in line in City’s attack but, as occasionally happens in teams that are so high-functioning, a player of his talent has been able to slot right in. It has even gone a little bit in the other direction, in how Doku’s livewire play actually gives City’s smoothness something different. It’s hard not to have some sympathy with Jack Grealish. When he was signed, Guardiola worked on him for weeks, seeking to change his thinking on the game and add much more control to it. Grealish was still talking about how he needed to evolve by the end of a season where he’d won his first title. Doku, by contrast, has just been put in the team and let loose to also leave Grealish on the bench. This isn’t to say the English playmaker should be overly worried about his medium-to-long-term role. As Sterling knows better than anybody, Guardiola goes on and off players all the time. It is partly his way of keeping them on their toes, partly tactical experimentation, partly man-management and partly what fits at any given time. Sterling ultimately felt he didn’t have that time, and sought to be a more influential player at another major club. There is something of an irony there, though. While Sterling is Chelsea’s senior attacker, who has a huge burden in leading the play, his best role is probably as someone who works off other stars and does real damage there. That is when his running on the ball and off it can be devastating. The farcical match against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday showed how much focus there can be on Sterling in this Chelsea team, although it had the effect of releasing Nicolas Jackson for so many chances that he eventually got a hat-trick by sheer force of numbers. While there will be an obvious comparison between that and Doku’s impact against Bournemouth, they were very different types of performances. They are very different types of roles. At Chelsea, attackers like Jackson and Cole Palmer already have a huge responsibility, which increases the burden on Sterling. At City, Doku is able to play off a series of stars who know precisely what their job is. It means he can figure out his own game, as defences try to figure him out. Read More The future of football: Why the U-17 World Cup highlights an evolving game One point: Is this the worst score of the Fantasy Premier League season? Are England’s Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham the best strike force in world football? Rumours: Man United could sell duo in January and Newcastle target midfield pair How can Man United qualify in Champions League? Champions League: What do Man United, Newcastle and Arsenal need to reach last 16?
2023-11-10 21:59
3 Steelers rookies who already look like starters in training camp
Mike Tomlin likes to rely on veterans, but these three rookies are going to play big roles for the Steelers this season if Pittsburgh is going to win big.The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to scrape out a winning record in 2022, but Mike Tomlin and the team's brain trust want more than nine wi...
2023-08-05 23:48
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