City get tough group draw August 25, 2011 MANCHESTER CITY have been handed the toughest draw of all English sides on their Champions League debut, but Chelsea and Arsenal also face tricky groups. European giants Bayern Munich and the less glamorous but no less dangerous Villarreal and Napoli stand between City and a place in the knockout stage. Chelsea face Valencia, meaning new [...]
Morgan leads England to win August 25, 2011 CAPTAINCY debutant Eoin Morgan led by example with a half-century as England beat Ireland by the Duckworth-Lewis Method in a rain-affected one-day international. Opener Jonathan Trott top scored with 69 as England amassed 201-8 in Dublin and Ireland fell 11 runs short of their adjusted target of 129. Irish-born Morgan led an unfamiliar England line-up [...]
PLUCK OF THE IRISH August 25, 2011 IRISH minnows Shamrock Rovers created history by becoming the first part-time team to reach the Europa League group stages after they knocked out Partizan Belgrade. Stephen O’Donnell’s extra-time penalty earned a 2-1 win in Belgrade to take them through 3-2 on aggregate after last week’s draw in Dublin. The achievement was put into perspective by [...]
Wilkinson’s World Cup boost August 25, 2011 ENGLAND manager Martin Johnson has declared Jonny Wilkinson his first choice fly-half after selecting the veteran No10 for tomorrow’s final World Cup warm-up against Ireland. Johnson has opted for Wilkinson over Toby Flood, who disappointed in the defeat to Wales last time out, in a move that puts the 2003 World Cup winner in pole [...]
Riise injury sours Jol’s night August 25, 2011 DNIPRO (1) vs FULHAM (0) Fulham manager Martin Jol admitted John Arne Riise’s leg injury is “serious” after his team booked their place in the Europa League group stage last night. The Cottagers lost on the night in Ukraine but last week’s 3-0 success in the first leg enabled their European adventure to continue. However, [...]
City confident despite rude awakening to European big time August 25, 2011 MANCHESTER CITY believe they have nothing to fear from their Champions League debut, despite being drawn in the hardest group of all English sides. City must negotiate Bundesliga titans Bayern Munich, Spanish dark horses Villarreal and Napoli, who finished third in the Italian top flight last year, as they bid for a place in the [...]
Morgan leads from front in England trial August 25, 2011 ENGLAND captain Eoin Morgan praised an experimental one-day side after they beat Ireland on the Duckworth-Lewis method. Irish-born Morgan stood in for Alastair Cook and picked up the man-of-the-match award after guiding England home in Dublin. Fit-again Jonathan Trott top scored with 69 as England racked up 201-8, which was enough to see Morgan’s men [...]
Murray on course for Nadal semi August 25, 2011 TENNIS: Britain’s Andy Murray has been drawn in the same half of the draw as Rafael Nadal at the US Open, meaning they are on course to meet for the fourth grand slam in succession. First, however, Murray will have to see off Indian No64 Somdev Devvarman, his opponent in round one. Robin Soderling is [...]
Europa joy for Stoke and Blues August 25, 2011 FOOTBALL: Stoke and Birmingham both progressed to the Europa League group stages after winning their play-off ties in emphatic fashion. FA Cup runners-up Stoke defeated FC Thun 4-1 on the night and 5-1 on aggreagate with a brace from Kenwyne Jones and goals from Matthew Upson and Glenn Whelan. Carling Cup winners Birmingham, now in the Championship, [...]
Upbeat Credit Agricole says funding good August 25, 2011 FRENCH bank Credit Agricole struck a confident tone on its financial firepower in the face of market “irrationality” about funding fears, lifting its battered stock by 4.8 per cent. Bank stocks across Europe were buoyed by the comments from France’s number three bank by market value, which said dollar funding from the Middle East and [...]
