England well equipped to beat Italy now, says Hodgson June 9, 2014 ENGLAND manager Roy Hodgson is adamant his team is vastly better equipped to beat Italy in Saturday’s World Cup opener than they were when dumped out of Euro 2012 in the quarter-final. Just weeks after succeeding Fabio Capello in the England hot-seat, Hodgson saw his team put to the sword in Kiev on penalties, following [...]
World Cup in brief June 9, 2014 Cameroon arrive after bonus row A DAY later than scheduled Cameroon’s World Cup squad finally landed in Brazil, after a row over bonus payments was resolved. The players, including Chelsea’s Samuel Eto’o and Tottenham’s Benoit Assou-Ekotto, had refused to leave their hotel to board a Brazil-bound flight on Sunday complaining that the £61,000 fee for [...]
Froome fends off Contador to keep Dauphine lead June 9, 2014 TOUR de France champion Chris Froome has refuted the notion he has a hold over Spain’s Alberto Contador after finishing ahead of his main rival for a second successive stage at the Criterium du Dauphine. In a neck-and-neck mountain-top finish at Col du Beal, Froome was first over the line to retain the yellow jersey [...]
Injured Evans battles on at Queen’s June 9, 2014 BRITISH No2 Dan Evans has revealed he is battling through the pain barrier in his desperation to play in home tournaments this summer after he stunned former world No8 Jurgen Melzer in the first round of the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club. Evans is suffering with a long-standing knee injury and intends to take time [...]
Sarries to take on Blue Bulls June 9, 2014 PREMIERSHIP runners-up Saracens will take on South African side the Blue Bulls in a mid-season friendly at Allianz Park on 31 January 2015. The two-time Super 14 champions are set to field a full strength team in a fixture that follows last season’s visit of Durban club Natal Sharks. Sarries director of rugby Mark McCall [...]
Golf Comment: Rose and McIlroy my tips for US Open glory June 9, 2014 LIKE most of the Majors, the US Open is set up to be very fair, and that means accurate driving is a must for would-be winners. There is no rough at Pinehurst, which stages the tournament this year, so if you miss the fairway, it’ll be nigh-on impossible to get on the green. Leading contenders [...]
Massa and Perez sling mud over 180mph smash June 9, 2014 FORMULA One stars Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez traded barbs yesterday as a bitter row erupted over the pair’s high-speed crash in Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix. Williams driver Massa blamed Force India’s Perez for causing the 180mph shunt with “dangerous” driving, saying: “It’s not the first time he turned into somebody under braking.” The Mexican [...]
Black Cats curse Colback switch June 9, 2014 FOOTBALL: Sunderland last night said midfielder Jack Colback’s free transfer to rivals Newcastle “has left a bitter taste” claiming they were not given the opportunity to negotiate a new contract for a player nurtured since the age of eight. Meanwhile, midfielder Steve Sidwell has joined Stoke from Fulham and Joe Cole is set to leave [...]
England advance at World Cup June 9, 2014 HOCKEY: England’s men reached the World Cup semi-final last night with a dramatic last-minute goal from Iain Lewers sealing a 3-2 victory over Belgium. England look set to meet Holland in the last four on Friday.
Rafael Nadal’s French Open win: How does the King of Clay rate among the greats? June 9, 2014 It may have come a few days after one Spanish monarch announced his abdication, but Rafael Nadal was in no mood to relinquish his crown as the King of Clay yesterday. The world number one came back from a set down to beat Novak Djokovic in four sets to claim his fifth consecutive French Open [...]