Megan Rapinoe s hamstring strain prevented her from starting the United States semifinal against England, but Jill Ellis said she may have called on her if the game had gone to a penalty shootout.
There was a notable omission from USA s starting XI when it was revealed prior to kickoff, Rapinoe only among the substitutes despite scoring braces in back-to-back games to fire the defending champions to the last four.
Curiously, there was no explanation for the outspoken Rapinoe s absence, though the fact she only watched on during the prematch warm-up suggested something was amiss.
Ellis team did not miss their star forward too much, though, Rapinoe s replacement Christen Press scoring the first goal and Alex Morgan the winner as England, who had leveled through El…
Lazio striker Goran Pandev is a serious candidate to strengthen Inter Milan`s attack in January 2010.
The Macedonian international has agreed on terms with the Nerazzurri.
The next step is to make a formal approach to Lazio`s president Claudio Lotito. It is said Inter will open up dialogue by offering the Roman s â?¬10 million plus David Suazo.
Pandev`s contract with Lazio expires in June 2010. He already wanted to leave the club this summer but Lotito kept him in Rome. Since his transfer request, the 26-year-old hasn`t been part of the Lazio squad.
Due to Pandev`s expiring contract Lotito could consider accepting an early deal rather than risk losing the player on a free transfer in the summer.
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Italy were crowned European Championship winners for a second time after beating England 3-2 on penalties in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.
The Azzurri fell behind to Luke Shaw s record-breaking strike inside two minutes, but Leonardo Bonucci hit back and the contest finished 1-1 at the end of 120 minutes.
Roberto Mancini s men held their nerve in London to stretch their unbeaten run to 34 matches and end their 53-year wait to lift the Henri Delaunay trophy – the longest-ever gap between championships in the tournament by a single nation, surpassing Spain s 44-year wait from 1964 to 2008.
Only Germany (seven) have won more major titles among European sides than the six Italy have now managed, having also lifted the World Cup on four occasions.
On the…
England defender Tyrone Mings has revealed his mental health plummeted during Euro 2020 when he was labeled the side s weakest link .
The 28-year-old Aston Villa man was drafted into the England XI in Harry Maguire s absence for the side s opening two Euro 2020 games against Croatia and Scotland.
Mings revealed he spoke to a psychologist to cope with the pressure in the build-up as his mental health plummeted due to the public s doubts about his ability.
“I did have a tough time in the lead-up to the opening game against Croatia, Mings told The Sun. “I think I’m a lot more hardened to outside influences now, but my mental health did plummet.
And I have no shame in admitting that because there was so many unknowns about me going to that game.
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Borussia Dortmund winger Jakub Blaszczykowski declared 2012 was the best year of his career as it stands.
The 27-year-old swept to Bundesliga and DFB Pokal success on the domestic front under manager Jurgen Klopp, before enjoying a Euro 2012 outing with Poland.
2012 was truly the best year of my career so far, Blaszczykowski told Kicker.
But I will not spend too much time with that memory, as I want to enjoy another best year of my career again soon.
I used to score a lot of goals for Poland, but found it difficult with Dortmund. Now, Klopp often advises me to break into the box more often, and not to only remain on the wing.
I was afforded my chances to, and took them. After waiting a long time, I have reached the next stage of my developme…
The Dallas Cowboys hit the road for the second straight game, visiting SoFi Stadium and the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2.
The Chargers took down another NFC East opponent in Week 1, beating Washington 20-16 as 2.5-point road underdogs. The NFL betting odds have the Bolts installed as 3-point home favorites, facing a Cowboys team coming off a mini bye after losing 31-29 to Tampa Bay last Thursday.
Here are our free NFL picks and predictions for Cowboys at Chargers on September 19.
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One-third of the NFL season is in the rearview mirror, and bookies and bettors are getting a clearer picture of the football universe.
That also means the NFL Week 7 odds leave little wiggle room for your wagers. The power ratings that pump out point spreads and totals are humming with a month and a half of data, so not only do you have to sniff out the best bet but get the best of the number to back it up.
We run down the opening Week 7 odds and pinpoint which spread and Over/Under totals to bet now and which ones you should bet later.
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There’s no such thing as moral victories in the NFL, but even still, the Washington Commanders have to feel pretty good about themselves after taking the Philadelphia Eagles into overtime on Sunday. Sophomore QB Sam Howell threw for 290 yards and a touchdown in the narrow 34-31 loss as Washington came up just short against the defending NFC champs.
The Commanders should have a considerably easier time tonight against the toothless Chicago Bears, who haven’t won a game since October 24, 2022 and enter Thursday Night Football with a host of injuries to key players.
While there are a number of different subscription-based TV channels and streaming services available to watch this game… did you know that you can also live stream Bears vs. Commanders directly fr…
The Las Vegas Raiders welcome the Minnesota Vikings to Allegiant Stadium in Week 14 odds. Both teams are coming off a bye and are still in playoff contention despite a season-ending injury to Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins and Vegas benching QB Jimmy Garoppolo for fourth-round rookie Aidan O’Connell.
NFL odds opened with the Vikes as 2.5-point road favorites for this showdown before ticking up to the key number of -3.
Here are my best free NFL picks for Vikings vs. Raiders on December 10.
Vikings vs Raiders odds
Vikings vs Raiders predictions
The honeymoon might once again be over for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs.
Dobbs stepped in for Arizona when Kyler Murray was inj…
As long as Sean McVay is bringing sexy back to the sideline, the Los Angeles Rams have a chance.
The Rams head coach entered 2023 as a point spread favorite in only two games, according to last year’s look-ahead lines, and walked out with 10 wins, a playoff appearance, and an 11-6-1 ATS record.
The expectations are greater in 2024. Los Angeles has a win total of 8.5 with the Over juiced and is a fave in 11 of 17 games, though six of those spreads have L.A. laying a field goal or less.
San Francisco is still the big bad wolf in the NFC West but another postseason showing is in the cards, given the Rams’ place in the betting markets and the effectiveness of McVay’s offense.
We try to write the script in Tinsel Town with my 2024 Lo…