Wonder goal robs Arsenal of vital win September 13, 2011 BORUSSIA DORTMUND (1) vs ARSENAL (1) ARSENAL assistant manager Pat Rice declared the Gunners satisfied with a point despite being denied the perfect start to their Champions League group campaign by a spectacular 89th-minute equaliser. Robin van Persie’s late first-half goal looked set to give the north Londoners a win they barely deserved, having been [...]
World Cup KO for injury jinxed prop Sheridan September 13, 2011 ENGLAND’S World Cup plans have been rocked by the news that experienced prop Andrew Sheridan has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a shoulder injury. The 31-year-old had only just recovered from reconstructive surgery on his shoulder but aggravated the problem during Saturday’s bruising encounter against Argentina in Dunedin. England are [...]
Torres off the hook as Luiz leads Chelsea Euro charge September 13, 2011 CHELSEA (2) vs BAYER LEVERKUSEN (0) CHELSEA manager Andre Villas-Boas revealed Fernando Torres has no case to answer despite the alleged controversial comments he made about his team-mates after the Spaniard played a leading role in his side’s Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen. The build-up to last night’s game was dominated by the former [...]
Djokovic greatness assured as records tumble at Serb’s feet September 13, 2011 WORLD No1 Novak Djokovic’s landmark season, which scaled new heights on Monday night when he added the US Open to his Wimbledon and Australian Open titles, has been hailed as the greatest ever in the history of the game. The Serb’s victory over closest rival Rafael Nadal in a captivating final at Flushing Meadows took [...]
England relieved at length of Lawes ban September 13, 2011 HOOKER Steve Thompson admits the England squad are feeling a sense of relief after learning that Courtney Lawes will be back for the crunch World Cup Pool B game against Scotland in a fortnight’s time. Northampton lock Lawes will miss the upcoming matches against Romania and Georgia as a result of the ban he received [...]
Rooney can be as good as Pele, says Ferguson September 13, 2011 BENFICA vs MANCHESTER UNITED MANCHESTER UNITED manager Sir Alex Ferguson claims Wayne Rooney can be England’s answer to Pele. Fresh from scoring back-to-back hat-tricks in the Premier League, Rooney will spearhead United’s attack in Lisbon tonight against Benfica, as last year’s runners-up begin their Champions League campaign. Benfica manager Jorge Jesus’ admitted in his pre-match press conference [...]
Mancini banks on experience September 13, 2011 MANCHESTER CITY vs NAPOLI MANCHESTER CITY manager Roberto Mancini believes his squad’s wealth of European experience will allow the club to cope with a first ever Champions League campaign. City are set to take their first steps in the prestigious competition tonight when they host fellow debutants Napoli at the Etihad Stadium. But Mancini insists [...]
Central contracts for England trio September 13, 2011 ENGLAND trio Chris Tremlett, Eoin Morgan and Tim Bresnan have been rewarded for their summer exploits with coveted central contracts for the first time. Surrey paceman Tremlett won the man of the series award against Sri Lanka in the early part of the summer, but missed three matches against India with back and hamstring strains. [...]
Van der Vaart riled by Spurs September 13, 2011 FOOTBALL: Tottenham’s Rafael van der Vaart has criticised the club for leaving him out of their Europa League squad. The Holland star, who has made a quicker than expected recovery from injury, wrote on his website: “Spurs could at least have consulted me. Anyway it’s up to the point of no return.”
Sion lose Euro fight with Celtic September 13, 2011 FOOTBALL: Celtic have retained their place in the Europa League after FC Sion lost an appeal against their expulsion. Sion beat the Hoops to reach the competition but were disqualified for fielding ineligible players. A civil court in their native Switzerland ruled they should be reinstated but European chiefs Uefa ignored it.