John Terry s late winner ensured England took another significant step towards next year s World Cup finals after a 2-1 win over Ukraine here on Wednesday.
Terry s 84th-minute goal ensured Fabio Capello s squad reached the half-way stage in their campaign to reach South Africa with five wins out of five in Group Six, and maintained their five-point lead over Croatia, 2-0 winners over Andorra earlier in the day.
England just about deserved the three points but the outcome hung in the balance after Andriy Shevchenko came off the bench to cancel out Peter Crouch s first-half strike with just over quarter of an hour left.
Capello admitted his side had been below par but said the win had been testimony to their character.
It was not a rich game, a little bit…
Three months on from a gripping and relentless title race reaching its conclusion, the Premier League is back.
Manchester City are aiming to become the first English team since Manchester United in 2008-09 to win three consecutive top-flight crowns, although Liverpool enter the campaign buoyed by their status as European champions.
Tottenham have finally bolstered Mauricio Pochettino s imperious management by making some big moves in the transfer market, while Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea find themselves in various stages of transition and possibly vulnerable to the top-six ambitions of Leicester City, Wolves and Everton.
Ahead of the big kick-off, nine Omnisport journalists considered the above and predicted their Premier League top six for 2019-20. He…
Arsenal came from a goal down to earn their 400th Premier League home win as they overcame a plucky Southampton 3-1 at Emirates Stadium.
Cameron Archer stunned the hosts in the 55th minute, firing a low effort into the bottom corner after being picked out by Mateus Fernandes’ raking pass.
But the Gunners responded three minutes later through Kai Havertz, who continued his scoring streak at the Emirates with a fierce strike beyond his former team-mate Aaron Ramsdale.
The comeback was complete 10 minutes later when Bukayo Saka’s teasing delivery to the back post found substitute Gabriel Martinelli.
Saka himself then sealed the triumph with a fine first-time finish, with Arsenal remaining third, behind Liverpool and Manchester City, while Southampton sit…
Group F contains the defending World Champions and buyers of Italy s outright index at 29-32pts (winner: 100pts; runner-up: 75pts; losing semi-finalist: 50pts, losing quarter-finalist: 25pts; last 16: 10pts; others: 0pts), will be aware of the team s excellent record in the finals.
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The Azzurri already have four World Cups to their name and have far more experience in big cup competitions that their group rivals. With that in mind the Sporting Index traders have installed the Italians are spread favourites on the Group F Index at 19-20.5 points (25pts to the winner, 10pts to runner-up and 5pts to third-place).
Buyers of their group index will know that the side rely on their defensive strengths, which includes the ever-impressive Gianluigi …
Conor Coady believes England can learn from last year s Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy, just as they did from experiences at the 2018 World Cup.
The Wolves captain only made his England debut in September 2020, but has become a regular face of Gareth Southgate s squads in recent times, and will likely be a part of the Three Lions setup at the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
Coady – who came through the ranks at youth level with Liverpool – now has nine senior England caps, and spoke to Sky Sports ahead of Tuesday s friendly with Ivory Coast at Wembley Stadium.
I think we can learn so much from that, he said when asked about losing on penalties to Italy in July. That s something this group of players, this squad, this team, have done ever so well at si…
The memory of Liverpool s collapse against Chelsea in the 2013-14 Premier League season continues to motivate Jordan Henderson as he prepares to face the Blues again.
The Merseysiders looked set to end a 24-year wait for a top-flight title when they faced Jose Mourinho s Chelsea five years ago, looking to stay clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.
But Steven Gerrard s slip let Demba Ba in for the opener and Willian netted a late second as Liverpool s title bid faltered and City capitalised.
Jurgen Klopp s men are in a similar situation this year, facing Chelsea with City hot on their heels, and Henderson a member of Brendan Rodgers team is determined to right that wrong.
Yeah, for me, it s just another thing I ve used to keep going, Hende…
The Los Angeles Chargers have had this Week 8 matchup with the New England Patriots circled on the calendar for a while, after absorbing a 45-0 blasting at the hands of the Pats last December.
The NFL betting odds have the revengeful Bolts set as 5.5-point home chalk, coming off a bye week that followed a one-sided road loss at Baltimore. New England, on the other hand, has won two of its last three, including a 54-13 trouncing of the Jets last Sunday.
Check out our NFL free picks and predictions for Patriots at Chargers on October 31.
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The two teams expected to fight for the NFC North crown in 2022 will begin their seasons against one another, as Green Bay makes the short trip to Minnesota in Week 1.
The Packers and back-to-back MVP Aaron Rodgers are looking to defend their divisional crown but with major turnover around the quarterback, while Minnesota looks to give Justin Jefferson a situation worthy of his all-time talent.
Rodgers’ pass catchers and Minnesota’s third-year phenom share the spotlight in our NFL player prop picks for the Packers vs. Vikings.
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It’s the final week of the NFL preseason, which means meaningful football is only a couple of weeks away. But for players trying to make the final 53 on Aug. 29, this is one of their few opportunities left to show something.
The big storyline as the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers take the field at Levi’s Stadium on Friday night will be about how former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance just hasn’t shown enough in his few opportunities.
After being demoted to third-string duties earlier this week, Lance is expected to play, paving the way for a North Dakota State quarterback duel between him and Chargers backup Easton Stick… neither of whom has been a world-beater this preseason.
Find out where my best bets lie in our N…
Joshua Dobbs has been one the best stories of the NFL season so far and looks to add another chapter to his football folklore when the Minnesota Vikings host the New Orleans Saints in Week 10 odds.
Dobbs, who parlayed his sudden success in Arizona into a trade to the Vikings before Week 9, had to step in for injured backup quarterback Jaren Hall and willed Minnesota to a 31-28 victory over Atlanta despite being with the team for only a few days.
Dobbs & Co. get a tougher test against this New Orleans defense, which ranks among the stingiest in the land. The Saints sit Top 10 in many advanced defensive ratings, including allowing the ninth-lowest points per play.
I’ll dissect the NFL odds and give my best NFL picks for Saints vs. Vikings on November …