List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Rob Page accepts that Wales’ Euro 2024 destiny might lie in the play-offs following their damaging draw with Armenia. Wales needed a Nair Tiknizyan own goal on the stroke of half-time to give them a 1-1 draw in Yerevan, when Armenia were the most dangerous side for large parts of a low-quality contest. Croatia are now favourites to take the second automatic qualifying spot behind Turkey, who travel to Cardiff for Wales’ last group fixture on Tuesday safe in the knowledge they will be playing in the finals in Germany next summer. Having dropped points to remove automatic qualification from their own hands, manager Page said: “There’s a disappointed group in there, but we’ve got to pick ourselves up and finish on a high on Tuesday. “Unfortunately it’s now out of our control. With a win, we’d all have been buzzing and looking forward to the game on Tuesday, and a win would have seen us qualify. “It’s not materialised as we’d like, but that’s life and we have to get on with it. “It’s about building momentum and, if it’s a play-off in March, it’s a play-off in March. “If results go for us, we’ve still got an opportunity to qualify (automatically). “We can only control what we can do, get the players in the right frame of mind, mentally and physically ready for Tuesday.” Wales were beaten 4-2 by Armenia – ranked 95 in the world and 67 places below them – at the Cardiff City Stadium in June, and Page’s side were shaken again within five minutes of the Yerevan return. Lucas Zelarayan, who scored twice in Cardiff, worked space on the edge of the area after Wales failed to clear a corner and slotted the ball into the corner of Danny Ward’s net. Page said: “We got off to the worst possible start, we knew they were going to come out the traps fast. I’m disappointed with that. “I thought we grew in the first half and scored at the perfect time. “But the break came at a bad time for us because I thought we were growing in momentum. “We got into some OK positions. Whether it was the final pass or the final ball, that final detail wasn’t quite right for whatever reason. “We threw everything at it and both teams were going for the win. “You could see by the changes we made. We took a wing back-off and put a winger on to try and get as many forward players on the pitch as we could.” Wales had beaten World Cup semi-finalists Croatia last month to put them in control of the race for a top-two place. But on a poor pitch that neither team were able to master, Wales did not remotely come close hitting the heights of that performance. Reflecting on the contrasting two displays, Page said: “It’s not to say there were a lot of players who had off-days, but you do have that in transitions, you have inconsistencies. “I’m not going to fault the players for their effort. Their effort, to a man, was commendable. They gave everything, like they always do. “The pitch was heavy, like nothing we’ve seen back home, but it was the same for both sides. “We’ll get them recovered, have a recovery session on Sunday and go through with the medical team who we’ve got available for Tuesday. “We need to finish the campaign on a high. It’s important to have some momentum if there is a play-off in March.” Read More James McAtee scores twice as England Under-21s win comfortably in Serbia A look at the data behind Virat Kohli’s record 50 ODI centuries Steve Clarke wants return to winning ways – Scotland v Norway talking points Steve Clarke not concerned over which pot Scotland are in for Euro 2024 draw Liam Broady replaces injured Andy Murray in Great Britain’s Davis Cup team Matt Wallace produces stunning back nine display to shoot 60 and lead in Dubai

Stale Solbakken admits it was a “big blow” to lose Erling Haaland for Sunday’s dead-rubber Euro 2024 qualifier against Scotland at Hampden – but the Norway manager is confident the Manchester City striker’s injury is not a serious one. The free-scoring forward withdrew from the squad on Saturday morning after damaging his ankle in the second-half of Thursday’s 2-0 friendly win over Faroe Islands. “It’s a big blow for any team but we have played without him before, sometimes with success, sometimes without,” said Solbakken, speaking at Hampden on Saturday evening. “We started the qualification when he was not ready for the first two games, but after that he has played every single game so it was unfortunate for us that he got the small knock on Thursday. “It’s the movement in his foot that is the problem but it’s not a serious injury. Had it been a final, I don’t know (if he would have been fit to play). “All parties agree it is probably a little too early (for him to play) but it is not a career-threatening injury.” When asked why Haaland – a talisman for club and country – was risked in such a low-key match, Solbakken said: “It was his choice. He wanted to play 45 minutes to keep the momentum in a week where we were maybe not training as much. It was his decision. “There were three players who have played many games and we had conversations with all three of them and Erling’s much preferred choice was to play 45 minutes.” Many anticipated Sunday’s match being a qualification decider but Scotland’s 2-1 win in Oslo in June, when they scored two goals in the closing minutes to overturn Haaland’s penalty, has proved pivotal. It's the movement in his foot that is the problem but it's not a serious injury Stale Solbakken The Scots are already assured of a place in the finals in Germany and are six points ahead of third-placed Norway, who have only a slim chance of landing a play-off if results elsewhere go their way. “It was probably the sorest defeat you will ever feel,” said Solbakken, recalling Scotland’s late turnaround in the summer. “I still wake up at night thinking about those last five minutes but that is life. “If you look back now, those five minutes were very, very damaging. Otherwise the game tomorrow would have been a final. That speaks volumes. “But we must congratulate Scotland on a great campaign. They have done really, really well, not only in this campaign but also in the years before that. “They’ve played at a very high level and have also been good at bringing the margins on their side in tight games, which is very important in national football when there are so few games.” Unless they manage to salvage a Euro 2024 place via a play-off, Norway’s run without major tournament football will extend to 26 years. The Scots ended a 23-year wait when they qualified for the Euros in 2021 and Solbakken feels his nation can draw inspiration from Steve Clarke’s resurgent side. “Of course we can,” he said. “I think we are quite even. We always play very tight games against each other but they have been better than us with the small margins lately. We need to see if we can find that way too.” Read More Rob Page admits Wales’ best chance of making Euro 2024 likely to be in play-offs James McAtee scores twice as England Under-21s win comfortably in Serbia A look at the data behind Virat Kohli’s record 50 ODI centuries Steve Clarke wants return to winning ways – Scotland v Norway talking points Steve Clarke not concerned over which pot Scotland are in for Euro 2024 draw Liam Broady replaces injured Andy Murray in Great Britain’s Davis Cup team

Tiger Woods is making yet another return to competition

James McAtee’s brace inspired dominant England Under-21s to a routine 3-0 win in Serbia. The Manchester City midfielder, on loan at Sheffield United, scored his first goals for the Young Lions. Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott added a third early in the second half as England saw out their Euro 2025 qualifier on Saturday with minimum fuss, shrugging off last month’s rare defeat to Ukraine. Lee Carsley’s side remain second, three points behind leaders Ukraine in Group F after their 4-0 win over Luxembourg on Friday. England thumped Serbia 9-1 at the City Ground last month and were dominant from the start in Backa Topola. It took just five minutes for the Young Lions to open the scoring when McAtee collected the ball on the edge of the area and his strike deflected off Mihajlo Ilic to loop over Veljko Ilic in goal. Four minutes later Liam Delap came close to doubling the lead when he glanced Noni Madueke’s cross just wide. But it was 2-0 after 19 minutes when McAtee received Hayden Hackney’s pass 20 yards out and drilled in, although Ilic should have done better. England dominated the rest of the half without adding to their advantage but took just nine minutes of the second half to make it 3-0. Elliott scored twice in the rout in Nottingham and got in on the act when he drilled into the bottom corner from 25 yards. Striker Jay Stansfield, making his debut after a late call this week, hit the woodwork after a neat turn and strike with 13 minutes left and also went close late on. Stansfield, on loan at Birmingham from Fulham, was denied a debut goal with three minutes remaining when he latched onto Madueke’s pass but saw his shot blocked. Read More A look at the data behind Virat Kohli’s record 50 ODI centuries Steve Clarke wants return to winning ways – Scotland v Norway talking points Steve Clarke not concerned over which pot Scotland are in for Euro 2024 draw

Even before Joe Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury was announced, the Cincinnati Bengals already were facing a challenging road in trying to get back to the playoffs for a third straight season

Midfielder Weston McKennie will miss the United States’ Copa América qualifier at Trinidad and Tobago on Monday because of a knee injury

The English hockey team that Adam Johnson played for is holding a memorial game in his honor

The Boston Bruins say Milan Lucic is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team after an incident Friday night

Jannik Sinner’s impressive run at the ATP Finals has continued after he beat Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-1 to reach the final in Turin much to the home crowd’s delight

Welsh hopes of qualifying automatically for Euro 2024 were dented by a 1-1 draw in Armenia. Lucas Zelarayan came back to haunt Wales again with a fifth-minute opener before a Nair Tiknizyan own goal in first-half stoppage time restored parity. The draw helps neither side as far as joining already-qualified Turkey in the top two is concerned. Even beating Turkey in Cardiff on Tuesday would not be enough for Wales should Croatia win their final two fixtures. If Croatia win those games, then Wales will be involved in the March play-offs. Armenia’s chances of a top-two place are almost certainly over, barring a Croatia collapse. Wales had a score to settle with Armenia after their humiliating 4-2 defeat in Cardiff five months ago, a result which left them playing catch-up in the race for next summer’s tournament in Germany. Rob Page’s side also had to turn the tide of history as Wales had never beaten Armenia in three previous meetings. Wales were unchanged from the side that produced last month’s stunning 2-1 win over World Cup semi-finalists Croatia. Brennan Johnson missed that game through injury and the Tottenham forward, fresh from his first Spurs goal, had to make do with a place on the bench. Armenia – ranked 95 in the world and 67 places below Wales – showed nine survivors from the team who had won in Cardiff in June, including Grant-Leon Ranos and Zelarayan who both scored twice then. Wales were behind inside five minutes after failing to deal with a corner. Danny Ward hesitated before Joe Rodon’s poor header looped towards Zelarayan, who shifted the ball onto his right foot and found the bottom corner with unerring accuracy. David Brooks fired over in reply and Neco Williams saw his effort deflected wide after Kieffer Moore had pounced on a home mistake. Moore headed wide but Wales were generally unable to sustain attacks, with Armenia dangerous on the counter. Vahan Bichakhchyan drove inches wide from one such raid, and Wales suffered another blow as Chris Mepham’s challenge on Zelarayan earned him a yellow card to rule him out of the Turkey game. Wales went close after 37 minutes when Williams pulled the ball back into Harry Wilson’s path and goalkeeper Ognjen Cancarevic was at full stretch to save. Then, just seconds from the interval, Connor Roberts sent over a long throw and Tiknizyan, under pressure from Rodon, headed into his own net. Johnson replaced Brooks within three minutes of the restart and the contest was developing a spicy edge, with Varazdat Haroyan cautioned for chopping down Wilson and Ethan Ampadu similarly punished for his reaction to the challenge. Armenia went mightily close as Bichakhchyan’s chip drifted over the head of Ward and onto the crossbar. The crowd held its breath as Zelarayan seemed certain to bury the rebound but instead, the game’s best player sliced it over. Armenia were slowly turning the screw, though Cancarevic was tested from outside the box by Jordan James and needed a second attempt to gather. Eduard Spertsyan had a clear sight of goal before being denied by one of an increasing number of last-gasp Welsh blocks. Moore’s header was held by Cancarevic and in a frantic finale, Ward produced a flying stop to deny substitute Edgar Sevikyan, who later shot wide with the goal at his mercy. Read More What do Wales need to qualify for Euro 2024? Armenia v Wales LIVE: Result and reaction from crucial Euro 2024 qualifier Injured Aaron Ramsey serving as Wales’s lucky mascot in Armenia Rob Page keen to focus on football after clearing air with FAW chief Noel Mooney Steve Clarke wants return to winning ways – Scotland v Norway talking points Khiara Keating surprised by her rise into Man City’s starting line-up this term

One of the biggest storylines in All Elite Wrestling at the moment and heading into Saturday's Full Gear pay per view is the identity of the person under the devil mask. For weeks 'the devil' has been stalking AEW world champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman, a with a small group of cohorts have been attacking both MJF's friends and enemies. MJF had previously used the devil mask himself during his entrances for big matches to emphasise the darker side of his character but the mask has seemingly been stolen by someone else as is now tormenting the world champ. The devil and his minions first attacked MJF's Full Gear opponent Jay White backstage on 27th September and then attacked MJF's new found friends The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn on 8th November. Whether we'll learn the devil's identity at Full Gear remains to be seen but here are some of the most likely candidates. MJF A theory amongst fans has suggested that the devil is actually just MJF fooling the audience and reminding everyone that despite turning face, he is a bad guy at heart. It would certainly be a unique swerve on the angle and would signify that MJF has had to go to a darker place to defeat Jay White, with the rivalry becoming personal in recent weeks. However, there are several holes in this theory as the devil has interrupted MJF several times on television, with the champion also insisting that the mask has been stolen from him. Using wrestling logic would help explain some of these inconsistencies if MJF was revealed to be the devil but we can't help but think it would be an overall disappointing conclusion. Adam Cole It's likely that Adam Cole was going to be the devil before suffering the knee injury that has put him of the shelf for several months. This small fact would suggest that Cole isn't the devil, unless AEW plan on dragging this out well into 2024. Cole though would be a safe pick at the most logical from a storyline perspective. Cole, who is one half of the Ring of Honor tag team champions with MJF, was unsuccessful in his attempt to win the world title at All In despite going to extreme lengths during the match. Cole was also insistent that they both win the ROH tag titles despite neither man actually needing the belts in order to further their careers. He hasn't shied away from his friendship with Roderick Strong and The Kingdom, who have claimed that they think MJF is the devil. The Panama City Playboy could use the likes of Strong and The Kingdom as his henchmen to do his dirtywork in the backstage attacks but Cole's injury and no scheduled return date would suggest to us that the possibility of this being Cole would work against the story as a whole. CM Punk This would seemingly be impossible but stranger things have happened in wrestling. CM Punk was abruptly fired from AEW in September following a fight with Jack Perry at Wembley Stadium during the All In show. Punk had voiced his displeasure with the management and other talent in AEW for sometime so it wasn't a surprise to see him given the shove despite being one of the company's biggest stars. You would think that would put the speculation to bed but several subtle references have been made about the Straight Edge Superstar on AEW television recently and that has only been further amplified by CM Punk making several devil references on his Instagram account. Punk also quoted the line 'the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convicing the world he didn't exist' during a famous promo from his time in Ring of Honor in the mid-2000s which some fans think he referenced on Instagram. It would certainly be a massive change in favours between Punk and AEW, especially as Fightful Select have ruled out the possibility of the devil being him with sources within AEW stating it would be a 'massive work' if it turned out to be the Second City Saint. Punk would certainly be the most exciting option but a lot of hoops would be needed to be jumped through for this scenario to transpire. Britt Baker D.M.D. Another person that Fightful's report ruled out as being the devil is former AEW Women's Champion Dr Britt Baker D.M.D. It's unlikely that Baker was ever considered to be the devil and would have possibly been an unpopular choice but speculation arose when Baker appeared to make devil horns during an appearance in the new Doja Cat video. Baker is also the IRL girlfriend of Cole. However, AEW sources have confirmed: "Dr. Britt Baker DMD hasn’t been under the mask, either, so her comments within interviews this past week were not a swerve, if people in the company are to be believed." Baker also confirmed this during an appearanace on KISSFM saying: "I'm not, but then I'm like, maybe I would be a good Devil. But it's not, it's not me. But If I could be, would I be? Maybe, cause then I'm like... who better to stir some shit up than me?" Samoa Joe This one wouldn't appear to make much sense as Joe is tough enough to handle himself and wouldn't need lackeys doing his dirty work but AEW have been laying it on thick in the past couple of days. In storyline Joe wants another shot at the AEW World Championship and MJF would have to give him one if he helped him defend the ROH tag titles against The Gunns at Full Gear. At the conclusion of this week's episode of Collison, MJF finally agreed to accept Joe offer to be his tag partner which led commentator Nigel McGuinness to say the "AEW world champion has made a deal with the devil." We personally think this is far too obvious of a distraction tool but it could work if given the right amount of explanation. Jack Perry A choice that would undoubtedly be very unpopular amongst the fanbase would be 'Jungle Boy' Jack Perry. The 26-year-old hasn't been seen on AEW television since All In at the end of August following his backstage fight with CM Punk at Wembley. Perry was handed an indefinite suspension for his role in the fight and hasn't been mentioned by AEW since. This came amidst poorly received heel turn from Perry that hadn't ignited the young wrestler's career who was a popular babyface beforehand. Bringing Perry back as the devil wouldn't do him any favours as he's yet to display the types a tropes a top heel would need to succeed, especially against someone as skilled on the microphone as MJF. Shawn Spears A leftfield choice and one that would possibly be as poorly received as Perry would be Shawn Spears. The 42-year-old Canadian hasn't wrestled for AEW since September 3rd and has only had four matches for the company this year. He has mostly been wrestling for Austrailian company WSW in recent months where he had held their world title. Spears though did have a long standing alliance with MJF up until the summer of 2022 and no formal explanation has been given as to their seperation. The story could go that MJF used Spears to get at his enemies although it wouldn't explain why the devil attacked The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn. The logical gymnastics behind a Spears reveal and what would be guaranteed to be an underwhelming response would say to us that it won't be Spears. There is also the possibility that it is none of these people and the identity could be a complete surprise. The only thing we can do is wait and see. Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Scotland host Norway in their final Euro 2024 qualifier on Sunday night. Steve Clarke’s side have already booked their place in Germany next summer after winning five of their first seven Group A games. Here are some of the key talking points ahead of the game at Hampden. Scotland now inspiring their rivals For much of their 23-year absence from major tournaments between France 98 and the Euros in 2021, Scotland would look to other nations for inspiration. Now the shoe is on the other foot. Norway – whose last major tournament appearance was at Euro 2000 – find themselves in a similar predicament to the one the Scots freed themselves from a few years ago. As the Scots prepare for a second consecutive visit to the Euros and Norway’s barren run from major tournaments extends to a minimum of 26 years, a Norwegian journalist asked both Steve Clarke and Callum McGregor on Saturday what his nation could learn from Scotland. McGregor almost seemed embarrassed, saying: “I’m probably not the guy to tell Norway how to qualify for the next campaign.” Clarke, meanwhile, kept the advice simple: “Trust the process, trust the coach, trust the players. Continue to work on the path you’re on if you think that’s the right path.” The Scots are very much on the right path under Clarke. ‘Mixed feelings’ over Erling Haaland’s absence Scotland boss Clarke admitted to “mixed feelings” after it was confirmed on Saturday morning that Norway talisman Erling Haaland would miss out with an ankle injury. The absence of the free-scoring Manchester City forward – who has 20 goals to his name already this term – takes some of the remaining sheen away from the dead-rubber match as a spectacle but it undoubtedly makes the task of securing a victory slightly easier for the Scots. Connotations over Euro 2024 draw Sunday’s match will have a bearing on Scotland’s status for the Euro 2024 draw in Hamburg in a fortnight. If they beat Norway by two goals or more, they will almost certainly be in pot two, while a one-goal victory, a draw or a defeat will likely see them in pot three. The way things are shaping up, it does not look like there will be a major benefit to being in pot two as opposed to pot three. Indeed some Scotland supporters have mused that – with Albania, Turkey and Hungary among the sides currently on course to be in pot two – it may actually be in Scotland’s interests to settle for staying in pot three, from where they would arguably have a chance of an easier draw. Long wait for home win over Norway Scotland have won the last two meetings between the teams, although both of those matches were in Norway, earlier this year and in 2013. They have not beaten the Norwegians in their last three encounters at Hampden. The most recent of those was the World Cup qualifier in 2008 when Scotland striker Chris Iwelumo famously missed an open goal in a 0-0 draw. The Norwegians also kept a clean sheet on their previous match in Scotland when they won 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier in 2004 that saw James McFadden sent off, while they drew 1-1 in Glasgow on the night the Scots sealed qualification for Italia 90. Scotland’s last home win over Norway came in a European Championship qualifier in October 1978. Party time for Tartan Army Whatever the result on Sunday, it promises to be a joyous occasion for the Scotland support as they savour the end of a memorable and ultimately successful qualifying campaign. The Scots have won each of their three home qualifiers so far and – after a run of four consecutive matches without victory this autumn – they will be hoping to finish off on a high as they take the acclaim of the Tartan Army at a sold-out Hampden. Read More Steve Clarke not concerned over which pot Scotland are in for Euro 2024 draw Liam Broady replaces injured Andy Murray in Great Britain’s Davis Cup team Matt Wallace produces stunning back nine display to shoot 60 and lead in Dubai Rohit Sharma highlights the importance of India’s work ethic ahead of final Khiara Keating surprised by her rise into Man City’s starting line-up this term Injury rules Andy Murray out of Great Britain team for Davis Cup finals