List of All Articles with Tag 'port'

Real Sociedad midfielder David Silva has injured his left knee

With three goals in four minutes in the middle of a lopsided first half, Spain shattered Costa Rica’s resistance and created the foundation of a resounding 3-0 win that sent a warning to rivals at the Women’s World Cup

Megan Rapinoe’s final run on the global stage begins Saturday when the United States opens its quest to win an unprecedented third consecutive Women’s World Cup title

The United States begins its journey to a record third consecutive Women’s World Cup title with the same confidence it had in winning the last two tournaments

England captain Millie Bright has been cleared to start the Lionesses’ Women’s World Cup opener against Haiti

England’s unlikely World Cup mascot will be watching the Lionesses from his forever home as Dave the cat settles into his new surroundings. While football might not have come home from Qatar, stray cat Dave did after the friendly feline became a firm favourite of the squad as he roamed freely around England’s Al Wakrah training base. Manchester City duo John Stones and Kyle Walker were pictured with Dave on most evenings and the latter said the team would adopt the cat if Gareth Southgate’s men won the World Cup. Despite their quarter-final exit at the hands of France, Dave was still given the chance to travel to the UK and was eventually rehomed by the Football Association’s media operations manager Anna Bush and her family. “There was a discussion around wanting Dave to end up with a family with young children, so I put my hand up and volunteered and my children are absolutely delighted,” she told the PA news agency. “They’ve never had a pet before and what a first pet to have! They (the players) are aware and delighted. He’s got a new home and a family to look after him.” He left Al Wakrah in December, just two hours after the squad had departed for home, and headed to a veterinary clinic where he had blood tests and vaccinations. After being in quarantine for months he was welcomed by his new family, instantly taking to his surroundings and showing he picked up a keen eye for football after his stint as England’s top cat. While Dave lived the life of a stray during the men’s World Cup, he can watch the women attempt to follow up their Euros success from last summer in the comfort of his new home. The Bush family even have a way of making sure Dave – who now has his own Instagram page – is part of any success Down Under as he offers up his match predictions, with a little incentive to back Sarina Wiegman and her team. “He has settled in so well,” added Bush. “He loves the surrounding area and loves it in the sun – he is finding his feet and absolutely loves watching my two boys play football in the garden. “One of them actually coloured in both of the crests ahead of the Champions League and wanted Manchester City to win so he put a few treats down (on the City crest) and so Dave predicted that Man City were going to win the Champions League final and they did! “Now we have to start doing that for the Women’s World Cup I suppose – bring on England on Saturday.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Natalie Grinczer hopes to take advantage after late switch to Lifeplus-Wahoo Early starters battle overcast conditions as Tommy Fleetwood shares Open lead Football rumours: Harry Kane will not sign new Tottenham deal

England boss Sarina Wiegman vowed the Lionesses would do “everything” they can to bring home a first World Cup when they begin their campaign against Haiti in Brisbane on Saturday. Wiegman also provided a welcome update on captain Millie Bright, who is fit to start tomorrow’s contest after concerns she was still recovering from the knee injury she sustained in March which required surgery. The World Cup trophy is one that has so far eluded both England and Wiegman, who led the Netherlands to the final four years ago in France but fell to defeat at the hands of the United States. Asked if England could lift the trophy this year, she said: “We’re here and we have a dream, and of course there’s always a chance to win the World Cup, and many more countries can win the World Cup I think, but of course we’re going to give our everything starting tomorrow.” FIFA world number four England are ranked 49 places above Saturday opponents Haiti, who beat Chile in the qualifying play-off to reach a maiden World Cup. The Lionesses are heavy favourites to top Group D, which also includes 13th-ranked Denmark and number 14 China. Wiegman, however, was quick to dismiss the idea that facing lower-ranked opposition puts England in a position of having more to lose, perhaps more so than when they kicked off their winning Euro 2022 campaign against Austria last summer. “The pressure is always something. Everyone expected England to win anyway. This is for tomorrow and also last year, and that was also for the Austria game for the European Championships,” she added. “So that’s not different. What we’re just trying to do is play our game and focus on what we have to do and how we can win, and that’s basically what we do all the time, so bring it back to what actions we need to take as a team.” Wiegman said she has “basically decided” on her starting XI for tomorrow but would not reveal whether or not the players had already been informed. The Lionesses begin their sixth World Cup still having not come to an agreement with the Football Association over issues surrounding performance-based bonus payments and commercial structures. On Tuesday, Bright posted a statement on Twitter on behalf of the team which said they were “disappointed that a resolution has still not been achieved” but would “pause discussions, with full intentions of revisiting them following the tournament”. The skipper, who will wear a FIFA-sanctioned ‘Unite for Inclusion’ armband in Saturday’s contest, reiterated that those discussions are now fully parked. “Obviously it’s not a situation everyone wants to be in, but I think as players we’re not just programmed to play football,” Bright said. “Sometimes we have to have these conversations. But we have a very professional group and football is always at the front of everything. So as players now our heads are in the game, they always have been on the game. “Everything is on hold with those sorts of questions. We’ll address the situation at a later date, but for now it’s all about the tournament.” Earlier, Haiti manager Nicolas Delepine took a lighthearted stab at the Lionesses, who have not scored in their last three matches including the behind-closed-doors training game with Canada on the Sunshine Coast a week ago which ended in a goalless draw not for official records. He told a press conference: “It’s going to be a difficult game, for sure. And if I have to talk about the strengths of England, I’ll be here all day. “In big competitions England are tough opponents. They played well in the European Championships. “We’re expecting a high intensity game. They are a difficult team to play against, they are attacking with threats everywhere but they maybe have a problem with finishing.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Natalie Grinczer hopes to take advantage after late switch to Lifeplus-Wahoo Early starters battle overcast conditions as Tommy Fleetwood shares Open lead Football rumours: Harry Kane will not sign new Tottenham deal

A diving one-handed save from 22-year-old goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie denied international soccer’s leading scorer Christine Sinclair and played a pivotal role in Nigeria holding Olympic champion Canada to a 0-0 draw at the Women’s World Cup

Goodbye, sun

Police said the two men who were killed at a New Zealand construction site were in their 40s and had worked alongside the gunman before he went on his rampage

Ramona Bachmann drilled the ball into the left side of the net on a penalty kick moments before halftime to help Switzerland to a 2-0 win over Philippines in the Women’s World Cup opener for both teams

Huynh Nhu started playing soccer with a coconut-like fruit for a ball