List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Scotland suffered their first Euro 2024 qualifying defeat with a 2-0 loss in Spain but qualification hopes remain alive. The Scots had won their first five Group A qualifiers including a 2-0 win over the Spanish at Hampden Park in March and needed to take something from the return game in Seville or Norway fail to beat Cyprus, to qualify on the night. In a stifling warm evening, the Scots survived some heavy first-half pressure to go in at the break goalless before Scott McTominay, who scored both goals against Spain in Glasgow, fired in a wonderful free-kick in the 59thminute only to see it ruled out after a VAR check for a Jack Hendry infringement. Alvaro Morata headed in after 73 minutes and substitute Oihan Sancet and Scotland defender Ryan Porteous clashed together for the second in the 86th minute and with Norway beating Cyprus, Steve Clarke’s men move on to the second October fixture. Scotland face France in a friendly in Lille next Tuesday but Spain face Norway two days earlier and if the Norwegians drop points, Scotland’s place in Germany will be secured while the Scots also have Georgia away and Norway at home in November. That it was the annual National Day of Spain added to the sense of occasion although the Scots had work to do. In the absence of injured Kieran Tierney, Clarke stuck with a back-three with Scott McKenna taking over and Lyndon Dykes was asked to lead the line, supported mostly by Ryan Christie. Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who had criticised Scotland’s tactics and talent after the defeat in March, Gavi and Morata were some of the stars starting for this summer’s Nations League winners. Feran Torres missed a great chance in the second minute, beating Scotland keeper Angus Gunn with a close-range shot after taking a Morata pass but failing to hit the target. Torres’s corner moments later sped through the Scotland six-yard box but Morata’s header at the far post was at a stretch and caused no danger.It was looking like a long night for the visitors. La Roja kept their corner count ticking over amid their control of the game – Rodri was jeered by the Scotland fans – but the Scots stuck to their task with only the occasional foray forward. In the 34th minute, after Scotland defender Aaron Hickey brilliantly blocked a shot from Mikel Oyarzabal, Mikel Merino cracked the post with a left-footed drive and the ball spun away for a goal kick. Morata had the ball in the net soon afterwards but was well offside but some bad luck followed. Just before the break skipper Andy Robertson collided with Spain keeper Unai Simon and appeared to hurt his shoulder, with Nathan Patterson taking over and Hickey moving to left-back. Granada attacker, Bryan Zaragoza, who scored twice against Barcelona at the weekend, came on to make his debut for Spain at the start of the second half, along with Fran Garcia. Spain continued their dominance but in a rare Scotland attack, Christie could not quite control a John McGinn pass inside the box and the chance was lost. Christie did well to win a free-kick against Dani Carvajal near the byline on the left and the Tartan Army were in raptures when McTominay fired it high past Simon but after Dutch referee Serdar Gozubuyuk was sent to check his pitchside monitor, he ruled a Hendry foul on the keeper. Scotland were soon on the back foot again as Spain brought on Jesus Navas and Sancet and when Navas crossed from the right Morata skimmed a header past Gunn. It was another blow for Scotland who came right out their shell, substitute Che Adams, on for Dykes, stabbing a close-range shot at Simonwhile at the other end Porteous blocked a goal-bound shot from substitute Joselu before a mistake by Hickey allowed Joselu to square the ball andSancet and Porteous challenged with the ball ending in the net. It was a tough night for Scotland but in qualification terms, Germany is still very much on the cards. Read More FA would face criticism one way or another for conflict response – Southgate Southgate says experimental England must have right mindset against Australia Graham Arnold urging Australia to claim England scalp for ‘kids and nation’ England ready for challenge of knocking India ‘off their perch’ – Chris Woakes Ciaran McGuckin header hands 10-man Northern Ireland under-21s victory Ashes revenge or a famous Socceroos win? – England v Australia talking points

The Carolina Panthers are in for a tough test when they try to get their first win of the season against the Miami Dolphins

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-2 and in first place in the AFC North heading into their bye thanks in large part to outside linebackers T

Orioles general manager Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde met with reporters two days after Baltimore was eliminated by Texas in the AL Division Series

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love entered this season as a mystery because he had started only one game while backing up Aaron Rodgers the last three years

Four-time NCAA champion sprinter Divine Oduduru received a six-year ban for his role in a case first pursued by U.S. authorities under a law designed to combat widespread doping schemes across the globe

No. 14 Louisville will try to improve to 7-0 for the first time since 2012 when it travels to Pittsburgh

UCLA coach Chip Kelly has built a team this season that has his trademark speed but has also emerged as a defensive juggernaut

Gareth Southgate wants England’s players to be mentally “spot on” and grab their opportunity to impress as he experiments against old sporting rivals Australia. The Euro 2020 runners-up can seal their place at next summer’s edition in Germany when they host holders Italy at Wembley in Tuesday’s Group C encounter. But first comes just England’s second friendly since March 2022 after a run of 16 consecutive competitive matches came to an end with last month’s 3-1 victory at Scotland. Southgate avoided over-experimenting in Glasgow but still managed to try new things, just as he will in Friday’s sold-out encounter under the arch against the Socceroos. “It’s one of the great sporting rivalries and if Australia have any sniff that we’re not taking the game seriously, then we will be in trouble,” the England boss said. “Our mindset has got to be spot on. Equally, we’ve still got a bit of work to do to qualify for a European Championship, but we are potentially six games away from that. “We have good players and we need to give people opportunities to show what they can do. “That is part of our bond as a team, making sure people get chances to play and feel part of the group and important within that, so we have to get that right balance. “Most importantly, we have got good players and we need to have them in positions on the field where they can do their best work and feel comfortable, positions they play with their clubs, so that the transfer is as smooth as possible.” Jarrod Bowen will be hoping to make a dream Wembley debut after the West Ham star returned to the England set-up for the first time since September 2022. Chelsea defender Levi Colwill could make his debut, while uncapped Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah and in-form Aston Villa frontman Ollie Watkins will hope to prove a worthy back-up to skipper Harry Kane. Southgate would not confirm who will captain England on Friday, but it appears unlikely that Bayern Munich sharpshooter Kane will be leading the line from the start. Asked if the Australia game is a chance for players to make their mark, the England boss said: “Yeah, I mean, I think one of the things we always want to do is to make playing for England enjoyable. “It’s to take the tension out of playing for England, we want the lads to express themselves. “Equally, when you play for England there is a pressure and you know that you’re not going to get 10 opportunities unless you play well. “Every player that comes into the squad experiences that, has always done. “So, you can’t relieve that. No matter what I say to a player, he’s going to know that, so players coming in they are opportunities and you have to grasp them. “But they’ve had to do that at every stage of their career as well, when they first got into a club as a young player or when they first got in the first team at the club. “They are used to that and all of them are more than capable of going and playing incredibly well, and they’ll also be very excited about a full house at Wembley and the opportunity to play there.” Friday will only be England’s second match at Wembley this year and one that Harry Maguire would love to be involved in having found playing time hard to come by at Manchester United. The under-fire defender was hounded by Scotland fans at Hampden Park on his last England appearance, which he this week revealed led former skipper David Beckham to get in contact with him. “I was not aware (of the call from Beckham), but I can see from Harry’s comments how much it meant to him,” the England boss said. “David has played at United, he has played for England, so he knows the world Harry is living in and it will have meant the world to him to get that support. “(Maguire) is a very strong character, but nonetheless he is a human being and I am sure a call like that would have meant a huge amount to him.” Read More Graham Arnold urging Australia to claim England scalp for ‘kids and nation’ England ready for challenge of knocking India ‘off their perch’ – Chris Woakes Ciaran McGuckin header hands 10-man Northern Ireland under-21s victory Ashes revenge or a famous Socceroos win? – England v Australia talking points FA criticised for ‘weak response’ to Israel and Palestine conflict Sebastian Korda defeats Ben Shelton to book first ATP 1000 semi-final in Shanghai

Dominant through five games, the San Francisco 49ers will try to keep their perfect start going on the road against the Cleveland Browns, who are expected to be without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson

Defending Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams expects a hard-nosed tussle Saturday when No. 10 Southern California renews its rivalry against No. 21 Notre Dame

Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions visit Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a matchup of one-loss division leaders led by No. 1 overall picks in the NFL draft