Analysis, features, news plus more – on European football and sports galore!
Spanish reports claim Manchester City are ready to activate the €60m (£50.2m) release clause for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi in January, while Torino’s Samuele Ricci and Porto’s Alan Varela are among the alternatives being suggested as versatile centre-back John Stones has publicly insisted this past week he can fill in for the Euro 2024 champion after ACL and meniscus surgery.
Continue reading “City search for January addition, many linked after Rodri’s season-ending injury”
Rodri off injured at half-time while captain Álvaro Morata didn’t have his shooting boots on. Neither potential storyline mattered though in the end, as two Real Sociedad substitutes – Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Oyarzabal – played an instrumental role during Spain’s stunning 2-1 win over England to emerge victorious in the Euro 2024 final, securing a record fourth tournament triumph. Continue reading “Spain 2-1 England: Oyarzabal’s late winner clinches record fourth Euro title in Berlin”
Ollie Watkins’ 90th-minute winner, nine minutes after replacing captain Harry Kane, has sent an oft-criticised England side into consecutive European Championship finals as they again recovered from a goal behind to triumph – this time leaving Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands stunned – after riding the waves in an emotionally draining semi-final victory. Spain await on Sunday in Berlin. Continue reading “England 2-1 Netherlands: Watkins wins it late as Southgate’s subs set up Spain final”
France finally ended their open play goal drought but it wasn’t enough to stop Spain from overturning the slender deficit with a four-minute turnaround during an action-packed first-half, powered by teenage wonderkid Lamine Yamal four days before his 17th birthday as Luis de la Fuente’s side held firm in a frenzied second-half to seal a spot in Sunday’s European Championship final.
Continue reading “Spain 2-1 France: Yamal’s wonderstrike sends inspired La Roja into Euro final”
Alejandro Balde’s public comments this week, demanding patience for his teenage teammate at both club level and the international scene, are predictably well-intentioned by a fellow youngster who wants the best for a friend in Barcelona’s latest wonderkid forward Lamine Yamal. That sentiment doesn’t make it any less likely scrutiny doesn’t follow him around, though. Continue reading “Urging patience for Barca wonderkid Lamine Yamal is easier said than done”
Graham Potter was always going to find himself under intense scrutiny after succeeding Thomas Tuchel last September, and has barely lasted seven months in charge. The managerial merry-go-round has returned once more in west London, where club legend Frank Lampard will this week take interim charge while a host of free agent big names are linked for the summer months. Continue reading “Graham Potter was doomed at Chelsea from Day 1, but poisoned chalice moves on”
Rafael Nadal’s slow start to the 2023 season continued as home favourite Alex de Minaur became the latest to mount a stirring comeback against the reigning Australian Open champion in the United Cup, while Alexei Popyrin and Linda Noskova were just a few with surprise victories elsewhere as the main draw of other tournaments continued to unfold today. Continue reading “Popyrin powers past Auger-Aliassime, De Minaur stuns Nadal and more on another busy day of tennis”
Casper Ruud earned a solitary win for Norway while Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz finished with a flourish. Paula Badosa didn’t have it all her own way, spluttering a whopping 12 double-faults before suffering with cramp, yet eventually recovered from the brink to overpower Britain’s Harriet Dart in an exhausting three-hour encounter to keep Spain’s qualification hopes alive. Continue reading “United Cup: Ruud, Otte and Hurkacz win while Badosa outlasts Dart in three-hour tussle”
Grigor Dimitrov and Iga Swiatek were among the day’s winners for their respective nations in contrasting circumstances, before Cameron Norrie ended an eventful 2022 with a long-awaited scalp: recovering from a set down to beat Rafael Nadal for the first time in five attempts, helping Great Britain take an early lead in their United Cup group clash against Spain. Continue reading “United Cup: Dimitrov, Swiatek among winners before Norrie finally overcomes Nadal in three-set battle”
As the domestic campaign gets underway this weekend in France, projected 2023 top draft pick and teenage center Victor Wembanyama spoke with understandable caution about preferring team fit as well as a favourable environment rather than just being the No. 1 selection. Zion Williamson’s strength-and-conditioning coach provided an encouraging endorsement, Robert Williams III (knee) will miss the start of the season and more besides. Read the round-up here. Continue reading “NBA news round-up: Zion progressing, Williams’ knee surgery, Wembanyama’s draft caution and more”
World champions France recovered from another deficit, for the second time in four days, to be crowned the 2021 UEFA Nations League champions with a 2-1 win over Euro 2020 semi-finalists Spain. Just like their comeback win over Belgium, goals from Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe saw them storm ahead in a frenetic second-half packed with chances for both sides. Continue reading “Spain 1-2 France: Les Bleus seal Nations League title the hard way after nailbiting finish”
In a week where he addressed the Real Madrid rumours and mother Fayza provided an update on her son’s future, Kylian Mbappe produced his best display since May to help propel France into the UEFA Nations League Final, where they play Euro 2020 semi-finalists Spain on Sunday.
Continue reading “Belgium 2-3 France: Benzema, Mbappe key as Les Bleus earn second-half comeback win”
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