Julen Lopetegui lost his first Premier League game in charge of West Ham, as Jhon Duran s strike secured a 2-1 victory for Aston Villa at the London Stadium.
West Ham have spent big in the transfer market to back their new coach, but the Hammers ultimately fell short in their opening match of 2024-25.
Lucas Paqueta s penalty cancelled out an early opener from Villa debutant Amadou Onana, while Leon Bailey had struck the woodwork for the visitors too.
Substitute Duran – who was reportedly a target for the Hammers – would have the final say though, neatly finishing off a team move to restore Villa s lead with 11 minutes of normal time remaining.
Villa s win takes them into the top four, while West Ham sit in 15th, albeit both teams will not be paying to…
After nine years, Spain are back in the semi-finals of a major tournament – and, boy, has it felt like hard work.
A group-stage slog, an extra-time thriller with Croatia and then this, a match against Switzerland that seemed under their control but still required 120 minutes of football and a penalty shoot-out to decide.
Yet here they are: exhausted, written off, but in with a shot of a third European Championship final out of the past four. The passing might not be as slick, the control not as imperious as it once was, but one thing Euro 2020 has given these players is belief. After this latest challenge posed by the Russian summer and the Swiss Sommer, it will only be stronger.
It seemed Spain had found the ideal antidote to any lingering fatigue from the l…
Former Germany defender Carsten Ramelow believes Spain will become the first team to defend their European title.
Germany cruised into the knockout rounds of Euro 2012 with three victories in the group stage, and were dealt a favourable draw against Greece.
However, should they overcome the Euro 2004 winners on Friday, the will face either Italy or England in the semi-finals, and Ramelow believes they will come undone against Cesare Prandelli s men.
Italy are always good for a surprise, and they are always the favourites, the former Bayer Leverkusen man told Goal.com.
I think it depends on the form on the day. Italy are the secret favourites, and therefore I d tip them to win.
Ramelow went on to say that he would back Spain to overcome Portug…
Sonia Bompastor was frustrated by the decision to postpone Chelsea s Women s Super League match against Manchester United due to their Champions League involvement.
Chelsea were set to face United at a sold-out Kingsmeadow on Sunday, but it was postponed with a week s notice after the European schedule was announced.
The Blues will meet Real Madrid in their Champions League group-stage opener on Tuesday, just two days after the WSL match was due to take place.
The decision prompted frustration among fans, and it was echoed by Bompaster, who believes the postponement hinders Chelsea s preparation.
We were disappointed as players and staff. I think everyone has to understand we were supposed to play, said Bompastor in her press conference on Monday.
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England captain Harry Kane has set a new record for Three Lions goals in a calendar year by netting his 13th of 2021 against San Marino.
George Hilsdon (in 1908) and Dixie Dean (in 1927) for a long time stood alone with a benchmark dozen in a single year before Kane also tallied 12 in England colours in 2019.
The Tottenham forward reached that mark again at home to Albania on Friday as he netted his fourth international hat-trick.
The 5-0 Wembley win meant England needed only a point at minnows San Marino to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, but Kane was keen to feature and add to his total.
[Kane] is quick to let me know that he hasn t played in those games [against Andorra and San Marino], manager Gareth Southgate said at the weekend.
In an other…
Former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech set a new Premier League record of 170 clean sheets on this day in 2015.
Cech moved ahead of David James’ previous best of 169 in the all-time list after Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium.
He said at the time: “It’s a great personal achievement and I felt really proud at the end of the game because if you look at the names in the clean-sheet numbers and you see all those fantastic goalkeepers who had been playing and are still playing in this league then obviously it is a great achievement to top the list.”
The former Czech Republic keeper went on to rack up 32 more clean sheets for the Gunners in the English top flight to extend his current record to 202.
Cech became th…
Two teams fully dependant on their offense will clash on Sunday in Nashville, as the 3-3 Kansas City Chiefs travel to face the 4-2 Tennessee Titans.
After briefly playing down to its opponent’s level, Kansas City scored three times in the final 20 minutes against Washington last week to win decisively, 31-13. Tennessee, meanwhile, had its statement win of the season so far in Week 6, holding off a 4th down attempt from the Buffalo Bills to win 34-31 in primetime.
How will these two teams, with such similarities, play out on October 24? Find out with our free NFL betting Chiefs vs. Titans picks and predictions.
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The NFL preseason ends for the Los Angeles Chargers and the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome on Friday night.
Each squad is looking for its first exhibition victory in this spot, so who will end their August schedule on a high? Find out in our free NFL picks and predictions for Chargers vs. Saints on Friday, August 26.
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With a ton of distractions in his first NFL camp as a head coach, Shane Steichen likely wants nothing more than to quiet the noise and establish a winning culture with the Indianapolis Colts and that begins Saturday afternoon at Highmark Stadium vs. the Buffalo Bills as decent 3.5-point favorites with a total of 38.
With the much better quarterback rotation, Anthony Richardson likely to see multiple series, and Buffalo resting its big stars, should bettors be laying more than a field goal with the visitors in the matinee?
Here are my free NFL preseason picks and predictions for Colts vs. Bills.
Colts vs Bills odds
Colts vs Bills predictions
Shane Steichen had his hands in the development…
Both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans will look to get back to .500 with a win in Week 9 when the two clubs meet in Texas on Sunday afternoon. The Bucs have dropped four of their last five and enter a pivotal road game as long as a 3-point dog.
With Tampa still struggling to run the ball and Rachaad White dominating the snaps and routes in the backfield, should bettors be expecting a third straight week of elite receiving numbers from the Tampa Bay running back?
I break down the NFL odds and offer my free NFL picks for Buccaneers at Texans on November 5.
Buccaneers vs Texans odds
Buccaneers vs Texans predictions
Entering the season, Todd Bowles wanted to turn the league’s worst rush…