Month: October 2024

Italy held world and European champions Spain to a 1-1 draw on Sunday to kick off the action in Group C of Euro 2012.

Antonio Di Natale drew first blood for Italy on 60 minutes, coming off the bench to put his side ahead.

But only four minutes later Cesc Fabregas equalised to ensure Spain ended up with a share of the spoils in Gdansk.

The headline news which preceded the match was the inclusion of Fabregas, nominally a midfielder, as the man charged with leading the line, ahead of recognised strikers Fernando Torres and Fernando Llorente.

Meanwhile, Italy coach Cesare Prandelli handed a debut to Juventus defender Emanuele Giaccherini.

After Daniele de Rossi deflected the ball into the path of Andres Iniesta, the first chance of the game fell to S…

David Silva scored a brace as Manchester City defeated Fulham 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium

There were some big results for teams at both ends of the Premier League table yesterday.

One of the biggest results came at St James Park, where Reading defeated fellow strugglers Newcastle 2-1. It was the home side that struck first though after 35 minutes.

French midfielder Yohan Cabaye curled home a superb free-kick into the top corner of the Reading net.

Reading keeper Adam Federici was outstanding in the first half and produced a host of saves to keep his side in the game.

Reading produced a far better display in the second half and got reward for the improvement by equalising in the 71st minute. Jimmy Kebe’s cross was bundled home by substitute Adam L…

After a drab 2-0 win over Malta on Friday, Rice is keen for England to put in a better showing to bring the curtain down on a strong calendar year.

“I think especially the other night after Malta there is just a bit of pride in ourselves that we need to raise our level,” the Arsenal midfielder said.

“We need to put out a statement and it would be a good way to end the year. We are currently unbeaten since the World Cup so it is down to us to go out tomorrow night, put on a performance.

“You need to be mentally prepared, have the right mentality and be ready for a hostile environment and make sure we go out of this year with a bang. We will be ready for whatever they throw at us.”

Rice will collect his 48th cap in Monday’s game and the former W…

Luke Shaw says England are extra motivated heading into their World Cup clash with Wales after their opponents wildly celebrated the Three Lions exit from Euro 2016.

An infamous video circulated following England s embarrassing last-16 defeat to Iceland six and a half years ago showing Wales players lapping up their fierce rivals demise.

Wales surpassed expectations by making it to the semi-finals of that competition, despite losing to England in the group stage, but they have had less success at Qatar 2022.

The Dragons require a victory against England at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium if they are to avoid a group-stage exit and must hope the United States and Iran play out a draw elsewhere.

A four-goal win for Wales against their neighbours on Tuesday would also…

We have an exciting quarterback battle on deck for Thursday Night Football, as the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers pay a visit to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The GOAT, Tom Brady, will be picking the Eagles apart from the pocket as he meets a dynamic sophomore in Jalen Hurts, in what is quite a contrast of styles.

Tampa Bay is giving nearly a touchdown as NFL betting favorites after bouncing back from a sloppy game in New England to destroy the Dolphins last week, while Philly was able to stop a three-game losing streak against the Panthers.

Is the second-year QB Hurts good enough to help the Eagles cover as home underdogs? Find out with our free NFL picks and predictions for Bu…

The Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts face off on Saturday in the second week of NFL preseason action. These teams have been holding joint practices with each other this week, which gives us plenty of matchups to look forward to with players fighting for roster spots. 

Here are our best free NFL picks and predictions for Lions vs. Colts in Week 2 of the preseason.

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Spring is in the air, the grass is growing, the leaves are budding, and the birds and bees are getting busy. A perfect time to start thinking about fall football.

The NFL dropped the 2023 regular season schedule Thursday with the hype and excitement of a Taylor Swift-Beyonce combo album, and with it came the rollout of 2023 NFL odds.

There used to be a time when a select handful of sportsbooks would open NFL spreads for every game on the schedule, but now, just about every mainstream operator is posting lines from Week 1 to Week 18 (which is madness).

Even with Opening Night still 100+ days away, I can’t help but look ahead to the Week 1 odds as well as the first three weeks …

The Dallas Cowboys come into Sunday rested and ready for the visiting Los Angeles Rams, and it shows in the NFL odds.

Dallas, fresh off a bye week, is flirting with a touchdown in Week 8 odds.

The Cowboys were last seen squeaking out an unimpressive win over the L.A. Chargers on Monday Night Football two weeks ago and hope the time off can help tighten the screws on this underperforming offense.

As for the Rams, they hit the road after a frustrating loss to Pittsburgh in Week 7. Los Angeles started 2023 with some unexpected fight, but that level of play has been hard to sustain.

Sunday’s trip to Arlington is also L.A.’s first road game since October 1, when they held on for an overtime win at Indianapolis after blowing a 23-0 lead.