When Callum O’Hare stepped up his rehabilitation from a serious knee injury last August, Coventry’s physios recognised the need to temper his enthusiasm. After eight monotonous months, he was inevitably excited to tie the laces on his boots and hit the grass. He felt “fresh out of the jailhouse” after countless days spent watching teammates train from an exercise bike in the gym, but was told to expect a fine if he began kicking balls too soon upon his return.
“The staff know how much I love football,” he says. “If there’s a ball in front of me, I’ll always play with it, no matter what it is: a tennis ball, a little floater – anything. Or I’ll make socks into a ball. They were like: ‘You’re not quite at the stage to…
FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Friday said he was confident that South Africa would be able to meet its commitments associated with staging the 2010 World Cup.
Be confident in Africa and in Africans I know they are capable of doing that which they are called to do, Blatter said on a visit to Belgrade.
Things are on schedule, four stadiums are currently under construction and everything will be ready for the Confederations Cup which will be held next year in South Africa, Blatter said in comments reported by the Beta news agency as he closed a two-day visit to Serbia, the first by a head of world football s governing body.
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Alvaro Morata went from hero to zero at Wembley after rescuing extra time for Spain before missing a penalty in the shoot-out as Italy booked their place in the Euro 2020 final.
The Juventus loanee was left out of Spain s starting line-up for the first time this tournament but made an impact from the bench by cancelling out Federico Chiesa s superb curled opener 10 minutes from time as the game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes.
Neither side could find a way through in the additional period in what was a repeat of the 2012 final, which Spain won 4-0 for their third European title, though it was Italy who prevailed in Tuesday s enthralling clash.
Morata s penalty was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, paving the way for Jorginho to convert the winning spot-kick in a 4-2 s…
Italy defeated England 4-2 on penalties to book a semi-final against Germany at Euro 2012 following a 0-0 draw after extra-time on Sunday.
The last quarter-final of the tournament ended in stalemate at the Olympic Stadium, Kiev, despite Italy dominating throughout.
England led the shootout 2-1 when Riccardo Montolivo missed his spot-kick, but Ashley Young and Ashley Cole then both failed to score, with Alessandro Diamanti netting the winner for Italy.
More to follow
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Vancouver, the western Canada city which will play host to next year s Winter Olympics, will be home to a Major League Soccer expansion team starting in 2011, the US-based league said on Wednesday.
The city was among four candidates for two new clubs set to open in two years for which MLS had been seeking 40 million dollars. St. Louis, Portland and Canadian capital Ottawa still chasing the other expansion club.
Vancouver s approval as the 17th MLS club, the second in Canada after the 2007 debut of Toronto FC, comes on the eve of the debut of the 2009 season and the league s 15th club, the Seattle Sounders.
A 16th MLS team, Philadelphia, is set to begin play next year.
Vancouver will play at BC Place Stadium, which is set to undergo about 365 million doll…
Leonardo Bonucci has continued to rub salt into the wounds of England after Italy s success in the Euro 2020 final, saying Declan Rice played a part in motivating the tournament winners.
West Ham midfielder Rice said ahead of the final in July that England would be 10 times more ready than their opponents for the Wembley showpiece.
Those words, and the repetitive playing of England s Three Lions song after the country s semi-final win over Denmark, fuelled Bonucci and his team-mates, who ultimately won the competition on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
We didn t pay much attention to it [the Three Lions song] until the Spain game, Bonucci, who ridiculed England s It s Coming Home catchphrase on the pitch after Italy s win, said in an interview with The Athletic.…
Former England and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard announced his retirement from international football on this day in 2014.
Gerrard was one of the best midfielders of his generation, making 114 appearances for England, which places him fourth on the men’s all-time list.
But while he regularly tops fan polls as Liverpool’s greatest player, Gerrard rarely hit the same heights for England during his 14-year international career.
His decision came after England’s dismal showing in the 2014 World Cup, where Roy Hodgson’s side crashed out at the group stage after defeats to Italy and Uruguay and a 0-0 draw against Costa Rica.
Gerrard was handed his debut by Kevin Keegan aged 20 in a 2-0 win over Ukraine at Wembley in 2000 and was named in the squad fo…
The touchdown market has become one of the most popular and potentially profitable props in the NFL betting world. Each week, we’re going to throw down four to five units as we try to uncover some of the best weekly NFL TD props and dig into the matchups that surround them.
We’re coming off our sixth profitable TD week with a +2.95 unit Week 7. That pushes our season record to +11.27 units and our Week 8 TD picks are a great mix of higher probability TDs and some high-return ones. Onto the (hopeful) plane-breakers.
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If Zach Wilson’s game can be as mature as his taste in women, the New York Jets have a bright future.
The learning curve gets mighty steep for the second-year quarterback and the rest of Gang Green, who are rich in promise coming off 4-13 SU record (6-11 ATS) in an injury-plagued 2021. Head coach Robert Saleh is depending on his young guys to grow up fast, entering Year 2 under his 4-3 defense and Mike LaFleur’s offensive playbook.
The Jets’ NFL odds aren’t asking much, with one of the lowest win totals on the board and the lookahead lines not painting a pretty picture. Can potential and plenty of points add up against the spread?
Hide your mothers. Here’s the New York Jets 2022 NFL betting preview.
The Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings will kick off their second preseason game of 2023 on Saturday night at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The Titans tried to get some more clarity on their backup quarterback situation last week and didn’t exactly succeed in doing so. Meanwhile, the Vikings got off to a hot start last week before getting dominated in the second half by Seattle.
I break it all down and give my best NFL picks and predictions for the Titans vs. Vikings below.
Titans vs Vikings odds
Titans vs Vikings predictions
Last week, the Tennessee Titans were looking to get equal playing time for both Malik Willis and Will Levis. The two quarterbacks rotated every third series, but neithe…
The Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings will kick off their second preseason game of 2023 on Saturday night at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The Titans tried to get some more clarity on their backup quarterback situation last week and didn’t exactly succeed in doing so. Meanwhile, the Vikings got off to a hot start last week before getting dominated in the second half by Seattle.
I break it all down and give my best NFL picks and predictions for the Titans vs. Vikings below.
Titans vs Vikings odds
Titans vs Vikings predictions
Last week, the Tennessee Titans were looking to get equal playing time for both Malik Willis and Will Levis. The two quarterbacks rotated every third series, but neithe…