FOOTBALL TRADER BEN CLEMINSON TAKES A LOOK AT TONIGHT’S CLASH BETWEEN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL June 28, 2010 EUROPEAN champions Spain take on Iberian rivals Portugal in Cape Town tonight with the winners confident of beating either Paraguay or Japan in the quarter-final. Whoever succeeds will feel very confident of progressing to the semi-finals. Portugal may have struggled in qualifying, but it isn’t always a negative to struggle in the build-up to a [...]
Torres predicts Spanish surge June 28, 2010 LIVERPOOL striker Fernando Torres insists there is still more to come from Spain as they prepare for tonight’s last-16 showdown with neighbours Portugal. “We’ve all seen the level that this team has and we know we haven’t reached that yet,” Torres said. “We’re ready for whatever comes. We are where we wanted to be, living [...]
Serena powers through June 28, 2010 DEFENDING champion Serena Williams overcame a brave performance from 2004 champion Maria Sharapova to blast into another Wimbledon quarter-final. The top seed recovered from a marathon tie-break in the first set to come through 7-6 (11-9), 6-4 against the popular Russian on Centre Court. Williams now plays China’s Na Li in the last eight after [...]
Hunt apologises for Hillsborough June 28, 2010 FOOTBALL: Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has apologised after suggesting that hooliganism played a part in the Hillsborough tragedy, which killed 96. Praising the behaviour of England fans at the World Cup, Hunt said “the terrible problems” of “Heysel and Hillsborough in the 1980s were behind us”. Apologising, he said: “I know that fan unrest played [...]
Sharks snap up James June 28, 2010 RUGBY UNION: Sale Sharks have strengthened their squad for the new Premiership campaign by completing the signing of utility back Matty James. The 23-year-old New Zealander makes the step up from National One side Cinderford after enjoying a spell with Welsh side Neath in 2009. Newcomers Exeter Chiefs, meanwhile, have signed Samoan international scrum-half Garrick [...]
Cavendish eyes fast start June 28, 2010 CYCLING: Mark Cavendish is looking to hit the ground running with a first stage victory when the Tour de France gets underway on Saturday. The British rider sprinted to six stage wins during last year’s Tour and believes the 225.5km opening stage through Holland to Brussels is right up his street. “It’s no secret I [...]
O’Brien dominates Coral-Eclipse June 28, 2010 RACING: Aidan O’Brien has six of the 13 six-day entries for the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday. The master of Ballydoyle has entered Beethoven, Bright Horizon, Encompassing, Fencing Master, Steinbeck and Viscount Nelson. Henry Cecil’s Twice Over is one of O’Brien’s main rivals, along with John Gosden’s Dar Re Mi.
Up in the air: England fly home with Fabio in limbo June 28, 2010 UNDER-FIRE England manager Fabio Capello faces a nervous fortnight after being told that the Football Association want time to weigh up whether to sack him. Capello held talks with Club England chairman Sir Dave Richards yesterday morning, just hours after a crushing 4-1 defeat to Germany ended the nation’s World Cup hopes. The Italian insists [...]
Clinical Brazil closing in on a sixth title June 28, 2010 BRAZIL (3) v/s CHILE (0) BRAZIL manager Dunga saw his side justify their favourites tag by strolling past Chile and into a last-eight meeting with Holland – and then told them to up their game further. Two goals in the space of four minutes from Juan and Luis Fabiano gave Brazil a stranglehold on the [...]
Our problems lie deeper than knee-jerk reactions June 28, 2010 THE Football Association has not always been correct in its decision-making in the past, but its response to the criticism of Fabio Capello after a dismal World Cup campaign is common sense prevailing. It would have easy to make a rash decision in the heat of the moment after England’s woeful display against the Germans, [...]