List of All Articles with Tag 'port'

Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart will miss three to five weeks with a sprained left foot, adding to Memphis’ already lengthy injury list

Gareth Southgate said England’s players fell short of the standards they “need to be at” against Malta but had no concerns about their attitude and aptitude ahead of next summer’s European Championship. Nobody at Wembley expected anything other than a victory from the side ranked fourth in the world against the one nestled between Fiji and Bermuda in 171st. But already-qualified England made hard work of a straightforward Group C qualifying assignment on Friday, with Enrico Pepe’s own goal giving the hosts a lead in a first half in which they failed to muster a single shot on target. Harry Kane added another after a rare moment of quality interplay in the second half as Southgate’s side limped to a 2-0 victory that all but assures their place among the top seeds at next month’s Euro 2024 draw. “We didn’t start the game well,” the England boss said. “I’ve been in football for 35 years and if you don’t start well, it’s really difficult to pick it up. “We needed, of course, to show better quality with the ball but also we were a bit stretched without it and a little bit disjointed in our pressing at times. “We were not the level we would want to be at. We were not the level that we need to be at. “But, equally, this group of players have been exceptional and I’m not going to start getting into their ribs too much about a performance like tonight. “We made a few changes, we didn’t hit the levels we would have liked to have but they managed to win the game. “Not in the style we’d have liked for the supporters but, in the end, we’ve won comfortably, as we should.” England now head onto Skopje to complete their Euro 2024 qualification campaign against North Macedonia as preparations continue for next summer. Glory in Germany is the sole focus and Southgate dismissed the suggestion that his players taking their foot off the gas at home to Malta was a worrying sign. “No, it’s not a worry because I think sometimes when players have so many matches they almost self-regulate,” Southgate said. “I’ve been a player. You know that there’s a certain level you need to hit to beat Italy here and you know that you don’t have to hit that level to win today’s game. “Although you would think that everybody would be at the same level all the time, that’s not the reality of football. “I’ve played in those matches myself and there are nights where subconsciously you just do enough to win and I think that’s a little bit where we were tonight.” England were below par for the most part on Friday, but Southgate still saw things he liked in their final home match of an unbeaten year. “We scored a lovely second goal and I think there were some individual performances that were very positive,” he added. “I thought Trent (Alexander-Arnold) was very, very good (in midfield). Him and Phil (Foden) in the first half were the two that looked like opening things up. “I thought Marc Guehi had a very mature performance again. He’s really growing as an international footballer. “It was lovely to get Cole Palmer on and give him a feel of things and I thought he looked really very comfortable in the environment.” The result meant Malta ended qualification bottom of Group C with defeats in all eight of their games, but they showed signs of promise against the Euro 2020 runners-up. Teddy Teuma went close to a famous opener just 28 seconds into the match at Wembley, where head coach Michele Marcolini praised his players’ efforts. “I’m very proud of my players,” the Malta boss said. “I think they came here in Wembley without fear, always brave. We tried to be as offensive as possible. “They reacted very, very well to falling behind. I think during these European qualifiers, we grew a lot and in these last matches against Ukraine and England played very well. “For everything, to grow, we need time. I am very happy with our performance and the regret is we didn’t score. It would have been amazing. “Apart from that, we wanted to make the fans proud and I think today the players put on the pitch the last drop of sweat I asked them to do yesterday.” Read More Stephen Kenny insists ‘no pressure’ on Evan Ferguson against Netherlands England continue unbeaten Euro 2024 qualifying run with victory over Malta Wembley celebrates life of Sir Bobby Charlton ahead of England’s Malta qualifier Alan Browne says Republic upsetting Netherlands ‘would mean an awful lot’ Stephen Kenny’s last dance? 5 talking points as the Republic face Netherlands Golden Boy award recognises Jude Bellingham’s irrepressible rise at Real Madrid

Kareem Jackson has returned to the Denver Broncos after a two-game suspension for illegal hits

Duke will look for a second straight win over Virginia when it visits Scott Stadium on Saturday

Joe Burrow out for the season with a wrist injury

Kirk Cousins is in recovery mode from a torn right Achilles tendon

Lauren Betts scored a career-high 22 points and No. 3 UCLA pulled away in the fourth quarter to hold off Princeton 77-74 and avoid the upset bug rampant among the top 10 teams in the AP poll

UConn coach Dan Hurley says freshman Stephon Castle will miss several games with a knee injury

Alison Lee shouldn't have any doubts about her game now

Denmark and Albania advanced to soccer's European Championship on Friday

Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny has told Evan Ferguson to play without pressure as he attempts to enhance his blossoming reputation on the international stage. The 19-year-old striker has shaken off a back injury to make himself available for Saturday evening’s final Euro 2024 qualifier against the Netherlands in Amsterdam and the chance to add to his tally of three goals in eight senior appearances for his country. Ferguson’s presence at the Johan Cruyff Arena, where he played in Brighton’s 2-0 Europa League win over Ajax last week, will excite the travelling support, although Kenny is keen not to place too much weight on his young shoulders. He said: “It’s important not to expect too much. We’ve to be cognisant of his age. He’s made the breakthrough and played international football at 18. “He’s just turned 19. He’s got an all-round game and a few goals already for Ireland. “He was in this stadium last week, of course. He’s been very positive this week, very positive. “He could easily have pulled out of the squad or opted to pull out having not been available for his club last week. “He’s here, determined to well and deserves a lot of credit for that. We’re looking forward to it. “There’ll be no pressure on him tomorrow. We want him to enjoy his football and show his quality.” Ferguson missed September’s 2-1 home defeat by the Dutch – who would clinch their place at the finals along with leaders France with a win – due to a knee injury and was a frustrated bystander as Cody Gakpo’s penalty and a second goal from substitute Wout Weghorst overhauled Adam Idah’s opener. That has been the story for much of a disappointing Group B campaign in which Ireland have beaten Gibraltar home and away, but have otherwise failed to pick up a single point. Asked how much that had affected morale, Preston midfielder Alan Browne said: “Not as much as you might think. “Given the circumstances, the opposition that we faced, it doesn’t hurt as much. When you try to go toe-to-toe with those teams and you’re not far off, you can take bit of credit, a bit of confidence from that. “We try to stay as positive as we can. I’m not saying we’re happy to lose games – we’re obviously disappointed after every game we lose, even draws to a certain extent. When you see it back and see all the positives and the moments that have cost you, you kind of think there’s not an awful lot in it Republic of Ireland midfielder Alan Browne “We reflect on those games, we analyse them. When you see it back and see all the positives and the moments that have cost you, you kind of think there’s not an awful lot in it. “Hopefully – it’s not going to be this campaign, but going into the next and the ones after it – if we can benefit from those performances and change those losses or draws into wins or into draws and keep accumulating as many point as we can, we can find ourselves in a better position.” Read More England continue unbeaten Euro 2024 qualifying run with victory over Malta Wembley celebrates life of Sir Bobby Charlton ahead of England’s Malta qualifier Alan Browne says Republic upsetting Netherlands ‘would mean an awful lot’ Stephen Kenny’s last dance? 5 talking points as the Republic face Netherlands Golden Boy award recognises Jude Bellingham’s irrepressible rise at Real Madrid Fine finish hands Nicolai Hojgaard two-shot lead at halfway stage in Dubai

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams after not practicing all week because of a hamstring injury