Bendtner hits hat-trick in Gunners romp March 9, 2010 ARSENAL (5) vs FC PORTO (0) Arsenal win 6-2 on agg MUCH-MALIGNED striker Nicklas Bendtner shot down his critics with a first career hat-trick as Arsenal overwhelmed Porto to reach the Champions League last eight – but even that was not enough to earn unqualified praise from his exacting manager, Arsene Wenger. Bendtner’s trio, a [...]
Beckham-mania leaves comeback king David excited by Old Trafford return March 9, 2010 MANCHESTER UTD vs AC MILAN DAVID BECKHAM insists he will have no nerves when he faces Manchester United at Old Trafford for the first time with AC Milan tonight. The England midfielder makes his first return to his former club since leaving for Real Madrid seven years ago, and was mobbed by fans as he [...]
Axed Moody’s reassured as Worsley gets nod for Scots March 9, 2010 ENGLAND coach Martin Johnson insists the door is not closed on Lewis Moody after the Leicester flanker was dropped for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland. Moody was withdrawn after just 55 minutes of Saturday’s defeat to Ireland, and has now been replaced in the starting line-up by Joe Worsley, who returns for the first [...]
Capello given World Cup reassurance after England hit by bugging scandal March 9, 2010 ENGLAND chiefs have been promised round-the-clock protection at this summer’s World Cup amid fresh security fears surrounding the squad. The Football Association has launched an investigation into how spies were able to plant a bug at the team’s Hertfordshire hotel. The bug is thought to have been used to illegally eavesdrop on meetings between manager [...]
Sunderland end winless streak in style as Bent smashes a treble March 9, 2010 SUNDERLAND striker Darren Bent plundered a hat-trick as the Black Cats ended a 15-match wait for a Premier League victory with a 4-0 rout of 10-man Bolton. Fraizer Campbell set the home side on their way after just 41 seconds, before forward partner Bent took his tally for the season to 19 with a second-half [...]
Portsmouth won’t rule out European campaign March 9, 2010 CRISIS club Portsmouth insist they will not be kicked out of the FA Cup, although they are not eligible for European competition should they win the trophy. Cup rules state a club in administration faces the threat of being expelled, but Pompey administrator Andrew Andronikou is adamant the semi-finalists are safe. “The FA are fully [...]
Pietersen flops again as hosts claim farcical draw March 9, 2010 KEVIN PIETERSEN failed with the bat once again as England were forced to settle for a draw in their three-day warm-up game with Bangladesh A in Chittagong. The Hampshire batsman had made just 49 runs in his six previous innings on tour and flopped again after being clean bowled attempting a sweep Mohammad Ashraful when [...]
Tigers won’t be taken lightly March 9, 2010 AT the end of a competitive one-day series and a tough warm-up match against a second string side, England will have come away with plenty to ponder ahead of the first Test match, which starts on Friday. The first thing that the selectors and captain Alastair Cook will have learned is that nothing should be [...]
Williams handed Wales captaincy March 9, 2010 RUGBY UNION: Martyn Williams will be rewarded for breaking Colin Charvis’s Welsh Test forward cap record against Ireland on Saturday by leading his side out as captain at Croke Park. The 34-year-old will win his 95th cap and wear the armband in the absence of No8 Ryan Jones, who has a calf injury. Coach Warren [...]
Khan lands New York showdown March 9, 2010 BOXING: Britain’s Amir Khan will make his debut in the United States when he defends his WBA light-welterweight title against Paulie Malignaggi on 15 May. Khan, who won the title last July, takes on the Italian-American in his hometown of New York, at Madison Square Garden. Khan was due to face Juan Manuel Marquez, but [...]
