British qualifier Marcus Willis vows to make grand slams the norm after life-changing showdown with Federer June 29, 2016 British wildcard Marcus Willis has vowed not to be a one-hit wonder after his life-changing stint at Wimbledon was brought to an abrupt end by seven-time champion Roger Federer amid a near-carnival atmosphere on Centre Court. World No772 Willis, who came through six rounds of qualifying before producing a gigantic first-round shock by beating Ricardas [...]
Football betting: Hazard could give Wales a moule-ing on way to Golden Boot June 29, 2016 Chelsea fans must be wondering which version of Eden Hazard will return to their club for the next Premier League campaign. He had a forgettable season but, going into Friday's Euro 2016 quarter-final against Wales, he’s finally showing the form that won him PFA Player of the Season for the 2014/15 campaign. It’s bad timing for [...]
Football betting: Portugal to win with Ronaldo and Lewandowski poles apart June 29, 2016 Euro 2016’s first quarter-final takes place in Marseille on Thursday as Poland take on Portugal. Both sides have flattered to deceive so far in France, but one of them will be lining up as semi-finalists in a few days’ time. Portugal, spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo, are yet to actually win a game in normal time at the [...]
“Golfers dream of Green Jackets and Claret Jugs – not Olympics”: Rory McIlroy defends Rio withdrawals June 29, 2016 World No4 Rory McIlroy has conceded that the insufficient allure of a gold medal played a part in his decision to withdraw from contention for this summer’s crisis-hit Olympics in Rio. McIlroy cited concerns over the Zika virus when he announced last week that he would not, as previously indicated, be representing Ireland at the Games [...]
“Why would anybody want it?”: Chairman Greg Dyke admits FA faces battle to attract top managers June 29, 2016 Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has admitted the organisation faces a battle to convince top managers to take the England job. The FA has begun the search for a replacement for Roy Hodgson, whose underwhelming four-year tenure was brought to an abrupt end by Monday’s humiliating Euro 2016 elimination by Iceland. England Under-21 boss Gareth [...]
We beat you before and we’re even better now, Gareth Bale tells Wales’s Euro 2016 opponents Belgium June 29, 2016 Talisman Gareth Bale has warned Belgium that Wales have evolved into an even better team than the one that beat the feted Red Devils during qualifying for Euro 2016. The teams meet in Friday’s quarter-final in Lille, a rematch of last June’s fixture at Cardiff City Stadium, in which Bale’s 25th-minute goal sank Belgium and [...]
Arsene Wenger is a genius but is not the man England need to end decades of underachievement June 29, 2016 It's tempting to believe that Arsene Wenger – one of the most sophisticated minds to shape the English game over the last two decades and a man on the Football Association's shortlist to succeed Roy Hodgson – could be the right man to rescue the national team. After all, the Frenchman is synonymous with the attacking flair that England [...]
Britain’s Andy Murray urges world No772 to relish Centre Court showdown with Roger Federer June 28, 2016 Former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has urged British wildcard and world No772 Marcus Willis to relish his showdown with seven-time tournament winner Roger Federer on Centre Court on Wednesday. Willis shot to prominence on the opening day of the championships when he stunned world No54 Ricardas Berankis, beating the Lithuanian in straight sets, having already navigated [...]
Euro 2016: Wales forced to defend leaked video of celebrations as England crash out of tournament June 28, 2016 Full-back Chris Gunter insists the Wales camp harbour no regrets over footage which captured members of their squad exuberantly celebrating as England were dumped out of Euro 2016. A video of Wales players and staff cheering and hugging after England slumped to a 2-1 defeat against European minnows Iceland in Nice on Monday was leaked [...]
I’m sorry, I haven’t a clue: Roy Hodgson baffled by need to explain England’s Euro 2016 fiasco as FA chief Martin Glenn admits: “I’m no football expert” June 28, 2016 England's Euro 2016 humiliation took another farcical turn on Tuesday when departing manager Roy Hodgson insisted he did not need to explain the team’s failure and the man tasked with hiring his replacement admitted: “I am not a football expert.” Less than 24 hours after tendering his resignation in the wake of a 2-1 defeat to [...]