Barcelona suffer Champions League shock as Lionel Messi goal drought continues April 13, 2016 Holders Barcelona suffered a shock European exit after an Antoine Griezmann double and 2-0 victory fired Atletico Madrid into the Champions League semi-finals. Barca led 2-1 from last week’s first leg at Camp Nou only for Atletico to level the aggregate score before half-time as unmarked France forward Griezmann headed home a Saul cross. The [...]
England batsman James Taylor proved that guts not size is key to success – although his retirement means Test places are up for grabs April 13, 2016 I was still at Hampshire when I first played against James Taylor, who was with Leicestershire at the time, and I remember thinking to myself when he walked out to bat: ‘My God, this guy is tiny’. At 5ft 6in he is one of the smallest cricketers I ever came up against and he was [...]
Manchester City 1, Paris Saint-Germain 0 (Agg: 3-2): Pellegrini revels in City showing “big club” mentality as £55m man Kevin de Bruyne fires club to first ever Champions League semi-final April 13, 2016 Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini expressed his pride after the club reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in their history by edging past a subdued Paris Saint-Germain last night. A composed finish from £55m record signing Kevin de Bruyne spared the potential blushes of the usually dependable Sergio Aguero, who [...]
Real Madrid 3, VfL Wolfsburg 0 (Agg: 3-2): Zidane revels in best night of managerial career as Ronaldo treble stokes Champions League comeback April 13, 2016 Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane shrugged off speculation about his job security and instead chose to revel in his side’s stunning second-leg comeback after a Cristiano Ronaldo treble broke the resistance of Wolfsburg. Former Manchester United forward Ronaldo wiped out the German outfit’s advantage with two strikes in the space of 86 first-half seconds before [...]
McLaren’s Alonso remains doubtful for Chinese Grand Prix as Spaniard awaits medical green light April 12, 2016 Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso admits he remains unsure whether he will be given the all-clear to make his comeback and compete at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix. McLaren driver Alonso was ruled out of the Bahrain race earlier this month after fracturing ribs during a horror crash at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in [...]
Tributes paid as heart condition forces England batsman James Taylor to retire April 12, 2016 England batsman James Taylor has been stripped of the finest years of his international career after being forced to retire due to a serious heart condition, according to former national team skipper Nasser Hussain. The 26-year-old is set to undergo surgery later this week having been diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy, a similar condition [...]
Zidane urges Real Madrid to summon El Clasico spirit in bid to overhaul Champions League deficit April 11, 2016 Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has urged his side to be inspired by their El Clasico comeback when they bid to overturn a first-leg deficit and reach the Champions League semi-final against Wolfsburg on Tuesday. The Spanish side were heavy favourites to progress to the last four of the competition but came unstuck in Germany [...]
England Grand Slam star Anthony Watson set to learn Australia tour fate after double citing April 11, 2016 Bath full-back Anthony Watson could face the prospect of being ruled out of England’s summer tour of Australia should Tuesday night's Rugby Football Union disciplinary tribunal hand out a hefty ban for an alleged high tackle on Saracens full-back Alex Goode. The 22-year-old was sent off, and later cited, for tackling Goode in the air during [...]
Jade Dernbach interview: I’m more mature now, have a different outlook and ready to regain my England spot April 11, 2016 He may have been a lightning rod for criticism and a byword for promising bowlers tossed on the international scrapheap, but Surrey seamer Jade Dernbach is desperate to defy what some might consider lengthy odds and resurrect his England career. It has been a rocky road over recent years for the Johannesburg-born quick, who has [...]
England’s Danny Willett claims Masters glory as defending champion Jordan Spieth fades April 11, 2016 Unruffled Englishman Danny Willett donned the Green Jacket after claiming his first victory at a Major as defending champion Jordan Spieth wilted on the back nine in an enthralling final round of the Masters at Augusta last night. Willett, who pockets $1.8m in prize money, finished three shots clear of Spieth, who carded a one-over-par [...]
