List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Wales’ hopes of Euro 2024 qualification were seriously damaged by a humiliating 4-2 defeat to Armenia in Cardiff. Lucas Zelarayan and Grant-Leon Ranos both scored twice as Armenia – ranked 97 in the world and 71 places lower than Wales – secured one of the greatest victories in their football history. Daniel James had given Wales an early opener and Harry Wilson cut the deficit to 3-2 after Armenia had seized control, aided by some truly desperate home defending. But Armenia responded in style and Welsh misery was completed by the dismissal of Kieffer Moore, who was adjudged to have committed foul play by Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabadov after tangling with goalkeeper Ognjen Chancharevich. Moore will miss Monday’s trip to Turkey that now takes on extra significance for Wales after this setback. It was a sweet success for Armenia coach Olesksandr Petrakov, 12 months on after his Ukraine side were beaten in a World Cup play-off final in Cardiff. Wales had not lost in 12 home European Championship qualifiers – the last defeat being against England in March 2011 – but Armenia joined the likes of Belarus, Cyprus, Macedonia and Moldova in inflicting embarrassing defeats on them down the years. Vice-captain Ben Davies and Brennan Johnson were welcomed back after missing the two qualifiers in March when Wales had picked up four points. David Brooks was among the substitutes after rejoining the squad for the first time since being diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin lymphoma in October 2021. Wales applied early pressure with Connor Roberts’ long throws posing problems and Moore going close from one of them. Moore had just headed wide when Johnson’s delicious 10th-minute cross set James up for a simple sixth Wales goal. If the hosts thought that early breakthrough would deflate Armenia then they were in for a rude awakening. Captain Eduard Spertsyan headed inches wide and Danny Ward had to stretch every sinew to hold Nair Tiknizyan’s cross at the second attempt. But Ward had no chance when the rampaging Tiknizyan again centred from the left for Zelarayan to send a sweet volley past him. It got worse for Wales as Joe Rodon lost possession in his own half and Spertsyan’s perfect ball arced over Chris Mepham for the unmarked Ranos to head home. Tigran Barseghyan almost embarrassed Wales further, but – in a half when it appeared that a goal would arrive from every attack – the Armenia goal suddenly came under siege. Moore sidefooted the ball traight at Chancharevich after Wilson had sprung the offside trap and Rodon’s header drifted the wrong side of a post from a Welsh perspective. James drove wide after the restart, but Wales became increasingly stifled and frustrated by Armenia’s time-wasting tactics before Ranos supplied another unpleasant surprise with a wonderful finish. Wales were back in it 18 minutes from time when Moore headed down at the far post and Wilson stabbed home from close range. But Armenia responded again for Ranos to thump a post and be denied a hat-trick. Wales failed to make the most of their good fortune as substitute Joe Morrell lost possession to Ugochukwu Iwu and Zelarayan smashed home his second. Brooks came on for a late cameo to provide Wales with some cheer. But Moore’s red card – that appeared harsh on first glance – confirmed Armenia’s first win in 10 games on a crazy night at Cardiff City Stadium. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Trent Alexander-Arnold stars as England cruise to Malta win Matt Fitzpatrick makes ace at US Open as Rory McIlroy stays in contention Aston Villa appoint Monchi president of football operations

Trent Alexander-Arnold scored a stunner and sparkled in midfield as England continued their march to Euro 2024 with a comprehensive victory against minnows Malta. The talented full-back has rarely looked like the player that shines for Liverpool when donning a Three Lions shirt, with the immense competition at right-back also restricting his opportunities. Alexander-Arnold won just his 19th England cap on Friday night against Malta and impressed in a midfield role, helping to inspire Gareth Southgate’s side to a straightforward 4-0 victory. The 24-year-old made an impact from outset at the sold-out Ta’ Qali National Stadium, with this exceptional early pass putting Bukayo Saka behind to produce a cross that Ferdinando Apap turned into his own goal. Alexander-Arnold continued to star and produced a moment of magic in the 28th minute, taking aim from 23 yards as he curled home just his second England goal. The midfielder also had a hand in England’s third goal, winning the ball high up the pitch at the start of a move that ended with Harry Kane scoring a penalty. There was a far better mood in the away section than the last trip to Malta in 2017, when Southgate’s side were jeered off after a scoreless first half as many travelling fans made an early exit. Large numbers of England fans again departed at half-time this time around, but it was to toast a job well done rather than to grumble over beers like six years ago. In truth, they missed little aside from substitute Callum Wilson converting a late penalty as Southgate’s men continued their 100 per cent start in Group C. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The Cleveland Guardians traded utilityman Richie Palacios to the St. Louis Cardinals for $100,000

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An NCAA medical committee is recommending the removal of marijuana from its banned drug list and whether drug-testing should be limited to performance-enhancing substances

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Major League Baseball is pushing back the fences for this year's London Series after the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox staged a memorable slugfest there in 2019

England resume their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign on Friday night as they face Malta away from home with the plan of maintaining their winning start. Gareth Southgate’s side defeated both of their most likely rivals for a top-two finish, Ukraine and Italy, in their opening two matches in this qualifying campaign while Malta have lost to Italy as well as North Macedonia - who the Three Lions will face next week. This round of fixtures is quite forgiving for England, especially after such a long season, and Southgate will be expecting his side to take a big step closer to qualifying for the next summer’s finals in Germany. The England boss will need to make some key decisions in terms of personnel, especially when it comes to his Manchester City stars who only ended their season last week. Eberechi Eze is in mind to make his debut and many of the squad’s fringe or inexperienced players could get the nod in a game England should dominate. Follow all the action as Malta host England: Read More Gareth Southgate facing ‘complicated’ decision on Man City stars for Malta game England’s future is about to be defined – and it’s out of Gareth Southgate’s control Marcus Rashford reveals pain that is ‘relighting the flame’ inside him

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Scotland aim to build on their flying start to their European Championship qualifying group when they face Norway in Oslo on Saturday. Steve Clarke’s side made a perfect start in March against Cyprus and Spain with five goals and two clean sheets, while Norway only collected one point. Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the major talking points ahead of the encounter. How do you stop Haaland? With 21 goals in 23 internationals, Erling Haaland’s goalscoring rate for his country is similar to the records he has set at Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and now Manchester City. Steve Clarke has decisions to make over who goes up against a striker who netted 52 goals for treble winning City this season. The player who started in the heart of the back three in victory over Spain, Grant Hanley, is missing for Scotland through injury. The likes of Jack Hendry, John Souttar and Liam Cooper are vying for his place. Can Scotland’s forwards overshadow Haaland? The visitors have plenty of goal threats from midfield with Scott McTominay already on four goals in the campaign and John McGinn taking his international tally to 16 in the opening victory over Cyprus. With Che Adams injured, Lyndon Dykes is likely to lead the line with eight Scotland goals to his name. Lawrence Shankland and Kevin Nisbet are both off the mark for their country and go into the game in good form. A big chance for Scotland already An away win would put Scotland eight points clear of their opponents and put them in a strong position to seal a top-two position and automatic qualification for Germany. A draw would also keep Scotland on course provided they follow it up with a home win against Georgia. Norway have the chance to kick-start their campaign and ensure all three top seeds have beaten each other at home. Learning the lessons Scotland embarked on a training camp in Spain before their normal week’s preparation, after suffering defeats against Ukraine and Republic of Ireland last June on the back of varied workloads and season finishes for their players. Clarke hopes the extra preparation will lead to a stronger post-season performance this year. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Matt Fitzpatrick makes latest hole-in-one at US Open as Wyndham Clark takes lead Zane Tetevano reflects on ‘scary episode’ after suffering a stroke Cycling remembers ‘exceptional’ Gino Mader after death at the Tour de Suisse