BRISBANE Nigeria advanced to the Women's World Cup knockout stages for just the third time in their history

Japan survived a ferocious fightback by 14-man Samoa to win 28-22 in Toulouse on Thursday, tightening their grip on second place in World Cup Pool D and ensuring...

BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 30 points and 12 rebounds in less than three quarters and the Boston Celtics used a blistering start to pull away from the Indiana Pacers, winning 155-104 on Wednesday night to remain unbeaten.

England coach Sarina Wiegman said Sunday she hopes there will be more woman coaches in the game in future after she became the last one...

Beth Mead has been left out of the England squad for this year's Women's World Cup, but Bethany England returns for the tournament...

Lewis Hamilton denied he has been offered a contract by Ferrari and expects to sign a new Mercedes deal “in the coming weeks”. Hamilton’s future in the sport is under the spotlight with just six months to run on his current £40million-a-year deal. It was reported the build-up to this week’s Monaco Grand Prix that Ferrari are preparing a bid to land Hamilton in a blockbuster transfer. But when asked on Thursday if the Italian giants had been in touch, Hamilton replied: “No. When you are in contract negotiations there is always going to be speculation, and unless you hear it from me that is all it is. “My team is working closely behind the scenes with [Mercedes team principal] Toto [Wolff], and we are almost at the end of having a contract ready. “This is the first time that I have not been negotiating myself. I have a great team in the background that does the work and I focus on the job on hand. “I say what I want and that is what we are working towards so hopefully in the coming weeks [it will be decided].” Hamilton, 38, will get his first taste of a major Mercedes upgrade in practice on Friday which the seven-time world champion hopes will haul him up the grid. Hamilton qualified 13th at the last race in Miami before driving well to finish sixth, but he is already 63 points behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the championship standings. However, Hamilton insisted Mercedes’ dethroning as kings of the Formula One road will not impact his decision to re-sign with the Brackley side. “We are still a championship-winning team,” added the British driver. “We have just had the wrong car, and there have been decisions that have been made over the past two years that have not been ideal. We are working our way through that. “We have a new upgrade this weekend. The team have worked incredibly hard to bring this upgrade to this race after we decided that was the direction we wanted to take. “Although this is not the best track to see it come to fruition, we will hopefully get a better experience of that at the next race.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Bernie Ecclestone would be surprised if Lewis Hamilton wanted to leave Mercedes Lewis Hamilton insists right decision is made as Emilia Romagna GP cancelled Emilia Romagna Grand Prix cancelled amid persistent rain in northern Italy

England’s qualification path to Euro 2024 continues on Tuesday night when they host Italy at Wembley. A win against the Azzurri will ensure Gareth Southgate’s side qualify for next year’s tournament in Germany. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some memorable encounters between both sides at Wembley. European Championship final – 2021 The last meeting between both sides under the arch came in 2021 when England’s dreams for a major trophy ended after being beaten in a penalty shootout. Southgate’s side got off to a flying start through Luke Shaw’s early strike, but Leonardo Bonucci levelled for Italy as the match went into extra time before ending with spot-kicks. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saved penalties from Andrea Belotti and Jorginho, but Marcus Rashford hit a post before Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma as Italy earned a 3-2 shootout victory and lifted the European Championship. World Cup qualifiers – 1997 Aiming to qualify for their first World Cup since Italia 1990, England were drawn in a group alongside Italy as they aimed to secure a spot in the 1998 edition in France. Cesare Maldini oversaw the Italian side playing at Wembley in 1997 and Gianfranco Zola’s 19th-minute strike was enough for the visitors to pick up three points. England eventually went on to win the qualifying group with an historic draw against the Azzurri in Rome later in the year. World Cup qualifying disappointment – 1977 Similarly to the 1998 tournament, England’s qualification for the 1978 World Cup saw them drawn in a group with Italy. After losing their first fixture 2-0 in Rome, England welcomed the Azzurri to Wembley 12 months later in November 1977. Playing under manager Ron Greenwood, Kevin Keegan opened the scoring for the hosts before Trevor Brooking doubled the lead to seal a 2-0 victory. Despite their win, England did not qualify for the 1978 tournament in Argentina as Italy earned a 3-0 win against Luxembourg to top the qualifying group on goal difference. Bobby Moore’s final outing – 1973 England’s World Cup-winning captain made his final international appearance against Italy in 1973. It rounded off a stellar England career for Moore, who led his side to World Cup glory in 1966 and captained the team on 90 occasions. However, his 108th and final England cap ended in defeat in the friendly clash against the Azzurri, who won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Fabio Capello – a future England manager between 2007 and 2012. Get the latest football odds and tips here. Read More How have England defied expectations to reach Rugby World Cup semi-finals? Jack Conan: Not giving Johnny Sexton the send-off he deserves is hard to take South Africa brimming with confidence for England ‘challenge’ after epic win Max Johnston handed first Scotland call-up Scotland’s record at major tournaments as Steve Clarke’s men seal Euro 2024 spot Mohamed Elneny daring to dream about leading his new club to the Premier League

Max Verstappen saw off Fernando Alonso to take pole position in a scintillating qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix. Alonso’s Aston Martin mechanics celebrated wildly after it appeared as though the 41-year-old Spaniard had taken his first pole in 11 years. F1 grid: Starting positions for Monaco Grand Prix But Verstappen delivered a mesmerising final sector in Monte Carlo to take top spot with his final throw of the dice, beating Alonso by just 0.084 seconds. Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari but received a three-place grid drop for impeding Lando Norris, so starts sixth with Esteban Ocon in third and Carlos Sainz fourth. Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth for Mercedes, two places ahead of team-mate George Russell, but starts in fifth due to Leclerc’s penalty - with Sergio Perez set to start Sunday’s 78-lap race from last place after he crashed out. Follow updates from the Monaco Grand Prix with The Independent - the race starts at 2pm (BST). Read More F1 grid: Starting positions for Monaco Grand Prix Max Verstappen fends off Fernando Alonso to take stunning pole in Monaco Lewis Hamilton makes joyous revelation despite Monaco qualifying result

Sean Payton returns to the sideline Sunday when the Denver Broncos host the Las Vegas Raiders

No. 4 Ohio State welcomes unranked Maryland into The Horseshoe on Saturday. A win for the Terps would be a win for the ages. When was the last time Maryland beat Ohio State in football?

The Sacramento Kings used the 2023 NBA Draft to dump salary and clear the books. This could be the beginning of a big offseason.The Kings had a very interesting draft, beginning the night with the No. 24 pick. Rather than selecting a player, they opted to move their draft pick to dump Richaun Ho...

Harry Maguire has taken action over the summer to try and win back his place at Manchester United.