Visit Lille 48 hours before or after matches and it s hard to know Euro 2016 is taking place. The city is still bustling, vibrant, from the old town s cobbled walkways to the nightclub district of Rue de Solferino, but football shirts and flags disappear from view.
Something is stirring this week, though. A handful of Lille OSC strips are dotted around the streets, stickers cropping up at metro stations. A hero is quietly coming home.
For Eden Hazard, this tournament has been building towards this moment. The Belgium captain showed jolts of his electric best in the 4-0 dispatch of Hungary in the last 16, knowing that a quarter-final back in the city where he began his professional career was on the horizon.
I was really motivated to go through, he said. It w…
England’s countdown towards the World Cup final against Spain continues with expectations rising at home as well as for Lionesses fans Down Under.
Elsewhere, Sweden and co-hosts Australia are getting set to battle it out for a third-place finish.
Here, the PA news agency looks at all the latest news heading into the final weekend of the showpiece tournament.
Russo at the ready
Off to the World Cup Final
— Alessia Russo (@alessiarusso7)
Alessia Russo cannot wait to kick off England’s World Cup final – after years spent rehearsing the winning strike in her childhood garden.
On Sunday night in Sydney, the Lionesses could become the first England team to bring football ‘home’ since Sir Alf Ramsey and his men lifted the Jules Rim…
England and Croatia face a crunch clash at Wembley Stadium as their first UEFA Nations League group stage comes to a close.
The victor in the capital will see them secure a semi-final berth, whilst both teams are still under threat of relegation.
England
Gareth Southgate s men come into the clash at Wembley in a buoyant mood having dispatched of the United States of America 3-0 at home last time out in Wayne Rooney s final appearance for the national team. Jesse Lingard gave the Three Lions the perfect start with a tremendous strike, before Trent Alexander-Arnold doubled the lead. Debutant Callum Wilson rounded off a perfect night with his first goal for the national team.
The victory ensured that England made it four games unbeaten having notched up three wins…
Coventry have been preparing for their Premier League assault as popular Sky Blues kitman Chris Marsh fights sepsis.
The former Walsall defender was admitted to University Hospital Coventry this week with the infection which stemmed from a problem in his neck.
He missed Monday’s final day 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough but will be in the dressing room for Sunday’s Championship play-off semi-final first leg against the same opponents at the CBS Arena on Sunday, although cannot work as he recovers.
The effervescent Marsh credits club doctor Ganeshan Ramsamy for acting quickly and knows there could have been a very different outcome.
He told the PA news agency: “I thought it was a wasp sting but I had a really bad night’s sleep so when I came into the tra…
Motherwell have confirmed the departure of full-back Jake Carroll after four years at Fir Park.
The 31-year-old joined the Steelmen from Cambridge in 2019 and went on to make 76 appearances for the club.
However, he leaves under freedom of contract at the end of a campaign in which he featured in only three matches before being sidelined by a serious knee injury sustained last August.
Carroll will be allowed use of Motherwell’s facilities until he returns to fitness.
Striker Jack Aitchison, 23, is also leaving after making 11 appearances – nine as a substitute – since arriving on deadline day in January.
Homegrown centre-back David Devine, who has struggled to make the breakthrough at Motherwell since his debut in 2019, has also been release…
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After more than four years of waiting, we ve finally arrived at the return of the FIFA World Cup. The greatest sporting spectacle on the planet will take place in Qatar and while there are so, so many reasons why that shouldn t be happening, common sense hasn t been able to prevail. Alas, we re still expecting to see some great football, especially when Mexico and Poland lock horns on Tuesday afternoon.
Mexico
Mexico fans will, above all else, want to focus on qualifying from Group C but they ll also have the dreaded gave five curse in the back of their mind. This is a nation that has been waiting for a real breakout moment over the course of the last few decades and although they have some talent within…
Zlatan Ibrahimovic s 2019 salary of $7.2million is a new MLS record, usurping the $7.1m paid to Sebastian Giovinco in 2017 and 2018.
The Swedish star, 37, joined LA Galaxy from Manchester United last year and has made a remarkable impact, scoring 33 MLS goals in 39 appearances.
His 2019 salary is a huge increase on the $1.5m he was paid during his first year and sees him move to the top of the pile in terms of wages in the division, according to the MLS Players Association s (MLSPA) salary guide.
Giovani dos Santos, a team-mate of Ibrahimovic s until his March release, is second on the list with a salary of $6.5m, narrowly beating Michael Bradley of Toronto.
Just another bicycle day
— Zlatan Ibrahimović (@Ibra_official)
Ibrahimovic s…