List of All Articles with Tag 'per'

Australia's dramatic two-wicket in the first Test at Edgbaston on Tuesday ensured a hugely-anticipated Ashes series got off to a thrilling start as skipper Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon's unbroken stand...

Scotland took another step towards next summer’s European Championship with a 2-0 win over Georgia in their rain-interrupted qualifier at Hampden Park. A heavy rainstorm in the lead-up to the Group A fixture had rendered the match farcical in the opening stages, before midfielder Callum McGregor scored in the sixth minute with a drive through the puddles. Hungarian referee Istvan Vad immediately halted the game, with an announcement confirming an initial 20-minute delay for the pitch to be cleared of water before an inspection. Supporters kicked their heels in the stands until the pitch was declared playable, with the players warming up again before restarting at the 10th minute mark – over 90 minutes after it had been halted. On resumption, midfielder Scott McTominay added a second goal two minutes after the restart – his fifth in four qualifiers – before Georgia star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia missed a VAR-awarded penalty in added time. Scotland cemented top spot in the group having now taken 12 points from their opening four fixtures ahead of September’s trip to Cyprus. Steve Clarke’s side are eight points clear of Georgia, unbeaten in eight competitive games and are on course for an appearance in the finals in Germany, although on this occasion the weather almost beat them on their own patch. A long and rather bizarre night had begun amid a mood of Scottish optimism. After a late 2-1 comeback win against Norway in Oslo on Saturday night – which followed victories over Cyprus and top seeds Spain – the Tartan Army’s spirits could hardly have been higher. However, Hampden Park was sodden by the time Scotland kicked off and the state of the pitch drew gasps from supporters as passes stopped in puddles, with players leaving the ball behind as they tried to drive forward. Scotland’s opening goal came when John McGinn’s corner from the right was partially cleared to McGregor and the Celtic captain’s drive from 12 yards was parried into the net by Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. Referee Vad did not restart the game, instead stepping off the pitch to speak to an official before returning to inform the players that the game was to be stopped while groundsmen – and then some of the ball boys – brushed water from the pitch. Fans had booed the initial announcement of a 20-minute delay and that of a pitch inspection 10 minutes later and there was relief when the game eventually got under way again just after 9.30pm following a few more delays. The pitch was still far from perfect but the Scots adapted slightly better, albeit the delay appeared to have dampened the enthusiasm of the home support. Five minutes from the break McGinn came close with a header from a Kieran Tierney cross before completely missing the ball eight yards from goal. Then McTominay’s angled-drive was tipped around a post by Mamardashvili but the visitors held out. The second half had barely begun when McTominay pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the box and fired a low drive past Mamardashvili to re-energise the flailing Tartan Army. Georgia’s Otar Kiteishvili thundered a shot from distance just over the crossbar on the hour but there was no real sign of a comeback. Scotland defender Ryan Porteous headed a Gilmour cross over from close range in the 72nd minute, before Georges Mikautadze hit the side-netting with an effort at the other end. In the second minute of four added on, referee Vad consulted the pitchside monitor before declaring the ball had hit the arm of Aaron Hickey, but Napoli’s Kvaratskhelia hammered the spot-kick over the bar. Ultimately, Scotland will be glad that a match that looked more than in doubt at one point was completed as qualification for a second successive Euros draws ever closer.

Ben Stokes said he felt "devastated" by England's dramatic two-wicket defeat in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston but insisted his aggressive approach could yet secure...

Aaron Judge appears to be responding to a second platelet rich plasma injection to his right big toe yet has not resumed baseball activities

Cristiano Ronaldo marked his 200th international appearance with the winner as Portugal beat Iceland 1-0 in Euro 2024 qualifying on Tuesday, while Erling...

Here's everything you need to know ahead of Wednesday night's clash between LAFC and Seattle Sounders.

Bob Huggins has resigned from West Virginia after his DUI arrest, so who could replace him as the next head coach of Mountaineers basketball?Bob Huggins was already on notice at West Virginia after using a homophobic slur during a radio appearance earlier this offseason. Now he's out in Mor...

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated becoming the first male player to reach 200 international appearances with a last-minute winner for Portugal against Iceland. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star was honoured ahead of his country’s European Championship Group J qualifier in Reykjavik with a Guinness World Records certificate. And Ronaldo, 38, who broke Kuwait forward Bader Al-Mutawa’s 196-cap record in March, scored the only goal of the game in the closing stages with his 123rd for Portugal. Iceland were reduced to 10 men after 80 minutes when Willum Willumsson was sent off. After four matches played, Portugal sit two points clear of Slovakia, who won 1-0 at Liechtenstein thanks to Denis Vavro’s first-half strike. In the group’s other fixture, Luxembourg secured a 2-0 win at Bosnia. Manchester City’s Erling Haaland continued his incredible scoring run with a double in Norway’s 3-1 victory against Cyprus. After Ola Solbakken netted Norway’s opener in the Group A clash, Haaland scored two goals – one from the penalty spot – in four second-half minutes to end the season with a remarkable 56 strikes for club and country, and contribute to Norway’s first win of their qualifying campaign. Romelu Lukaku put his Champions League final disappointment behind him with a brace in Belgium’s 3-0 win at Estonia. Lukaku, who made a second-half appearance for Inter Milan in their defeat against City earlier this month, scored twice in the first half to put the visitors in control. Johan Bakayoko completed a comfortable Group F win for the Red Devils with a third in the closing minutes. Belgium remain three points adrift of Austria, who stay top of the group following a late victory against Sweden. The fixture looked to be heading for a goalless draw before Christoph Baumgartner netted a brace for the home side. Austria have played one game more than Belgium. In Group G, Hungary took top spot after winning 2-0 against Lithuania, while Serbia secured a 1-1 draw in Bulgaria following Darko Lazovic’s stoppage-time equaliser. Meanwhile, in Group E, Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski scored for Poland but could not stop his side from slipping to a 3-2 defeat in Moldova as Albania claimed a 3-1 win in the Faroe Islands. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Isaac Price targets improvements after Northern Ireland suffer Kazakhstan defeat Tommy Doyle inspired by Man City treble ahead of England Under-21s’ Euros bid Pat Cummins elated to lead Australia over the line in Ashes thriller

Sadio Mane scored two goals as African champions Senegal came from behind to defeat Brazil 4-2 in an international friendly...

Second-half goals from Luis Diaz and Juan Cuadrado took Colombia to a 2-0 friendly win over Germany on Tuesday, deepening home coach Hansi Flick's woes...

Romelu Lukaku scored twice in the space of three minutes to lead Belgium to a 3-0 win over Estonia in European Championship qualifying

Juan Cuadrado scored one goal and set up another for Colombia to beat Germany 2-0 in a friendly and deepen the sense of crisis around the German team one year before the country hosts Euro 2024