It’s six days before the Zifa elections, but the end of a battle between the disqualified aspiring office bearers Felton Kamambo and Gift Banda and the national association, led by […]
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MADRID — Atletico Madrid may be looking at its best chance to end an eight-year winless streak against Barcelona in the Spanish league. The teams meet on Saturday at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid with Barcelona facing one of its worst defensive struggles in decades. It has already conceded 18 goals in 12 matches, its […]
The post Atletico hosts Barcelona with chance to take lead in Spain appeared first on Inquirer Sports.
This Sunday is the fourth edition of the Wembley Cup and this year promises to be the best of the lot.
The games will be live at Wembley Stadium from 2pm.
Here are five reasons why you should definitely make the trip to the home of football this weekend.
SIGN UP – WIN £10k BY PLAYING DREAM TEAM WEEKENDER THIS WEEKENDThe stage is set for the tournamentPA:Empics Sport
1 – The Legends
Cafu is just one of the legends taking partPA:Press Association
We will see some seriously nostalgic heroes gracing the Wembley pitch this Sunday.
David Trezeguet, Cafu, Robert Pires and Michael Essien will represent one of the four teams each.
We never saw Trezeguet in the Premier League and this may be one of the last chances you get to see the silky Frenchman play live.
Cafu is a Brazilian hero, who – like Trezeguet – never played in England, so it is a pleasure to have him on board.
Arsenal and Chelsea fans need no added incentive to see their respective legends in action one last time.
2 – Your favourite Youtubers are playing
How will the F2 fare at Spurs’ and England’s ground?Times Newspapers Ltd
Yep, from the F2 Freestylers to Chris MD, the internet sensations will have to prove themselves once again on the big stage.
Others include FIFA Manny, Sean Garnier and Joe Weller.
While it is easy to upload videos of themselves making them out to be half-decent players, there will be no tampering or editing on Sunday and you can find out first hand if these guys have any game.
3 – Two members from Dream Team are playingA couple of the Dream Team lads are in there.
That’s right, for the past 18 months our very own James Robinson and Rory Harper have been members of the Rebel FC squad.
Naturally we’ll be getting behind Calfreezy’s boys for this reason, but Rebel are really ones to watch and are hitting the big time.
A year and a half ago Rebel didn’t exist – now they’ve got signed by Under Armour and have even got a deal with Utilita Energy.
The lads are doing bits.
18 months ago @Calfreezy launched Rebel FC, and now we’re ready to take it to the next level.
Introducing our new partners @UtilitaEnergy @UtilitaFootball – they’ll be #PoweringTheRebellion 
pic.twitter.com/L9hmaIYOab
— Rebel FC (@FCRebelTweets) November 22, 2018
The ref will have a hard time keeping upEPA
They have really thrown the rule book out this year.
There will be two semi-finals lasting 30 minutes followed by a final of the same length.
If the match ends as a draw, the game will go to extra-time with the teams involved losing a player every minute.
There will be sin bins instead of yellow cards so the referee will certainly have his hands full.
5 – It is for charity
A lot cheaper than a visit hereGetty - Contributor
Tickets are £15 or £10 for EE customers with £2 going to Sport Relief.
With tickets at the Emirates being sold in exccess of £75, why not check out the thrifty Wembley Cup and make a difference at the same time.
If you find yourself bored this Sunday, head down to Wembley for a great day of action all supporting a very important cause.
We’ll be covering all the action over on Instagram @DreamTeamFC.
WATCH: LOVE OF THE GAME – EPISODE 2
ANDY Rinomhota is determined to nail down a regular place in the Reading FC first-team after impressing on his full league debut in the English Championship football side’s 3-2 win […]
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Azkals salvaged a 1-1 draw with Thailand to stay on track for a place in the semifinals.
The post Azkals near semis berth appeared first on Inquirer Sports.
After 52 years of hurt, England fans can finally smile again.
Jubilant scenes were witnessed across the country as England lifted the prestigious UEFA Nations League Group A4 title.
The good news doesn’t stop there.
While our UEFA Nations League heroes go from strength to strength under Gareth Southgate, Aidy Boothroyd’s Under-21s have quietly embarked on a 22-match unbeaten run.
Job donePA:Press Association
A 5-1 win against Denmark extended the run, meaning the Under-21s will complete 2018 without defeat.
You have to go back to June 2017 to find the last time the Young Lions tasted defeat, although that came after a penalty shootout against Germany at the European Championships.
It was also the Germans who inflicted England’s last defeat over 90 minutes on 24 March 2017.
But results are only part of the reason why England’s Under-21s are such a joy to behold at the moment.
Different age-group, same handshakesPA:Press Association
There’s a clear identity in the way Boothroyd’s side go about their business with attacking intent and a will to play out from the back starting from the goalkeeper.
Competition for places meant Boothroyd was able to leave Ryan Sessegnon and Ademola Lookman on the bench against Denmark, with Reiss Nelson and Demarai Gray chosen to start out wide.
There’s also healthy competition between Dominic Solanke, Tammy Abraham and Dominic Calvert-Lewin to start as the lone striker.
Boothroyd went with Solanke against Denmark and was rewarded as the Liverpool forward scored his fourth goal in the last two games, one of which displayed supreme ingenuity.
"HOW ABOUT THAT!"
Dominic Solanke chips the keeper with a back-heel…
Simply glorious 
pic.twitter.com/s8B23f7jwF
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) November 20, 2018
Lewis Cook dominates play from a deep position where he can find Phil Foden lurking in the pockets of space he so expertly operates in.
Boothroyd’s group are clearly enjoying themselves, which hasn’t always been the case.
This is a natural by-product of winning, but it’s also a clear indication that growing up visiting St George’s Park during international breaks has fostered a collective attitude across various age-groups.
The Under-21s are proving to be a conveyor belt of talent for the senior squad.
Of the fourteen players who starred in England’s win against Croatia, only Jadon Sancho hadn’t represented the Under-21s.
His meteoric rise means he skipped straight from the Under-19s to the senior side, although that leaves out a large German-shaped part of his story.
Lewis Dunk is the only other member of Southgate’s latest England squad without Under-21 experience.
Never double dunkGetty Images - Getty
A defined path between the Under-21s and the seniors means Nelson and co have a point to prove every time they step out onto the pitch.
With a European Championships on the horizon, England have never been in ruder health at Under-21 level.
As if it couldn’t get any better, Boothroyd has added Sol Campbell to his coaching staff, meaning an endless supply of Instagram gold.
What a time to be alive.
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Portugal coach Fernando Santos insisted Saturday that superstar Cristiano Ronaldo remains a key part of his national team despite being left out of his Nations League squad, after the European champions became the first team to advance to the semi-finals of the competition. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner spent much of last month vehemently denying […]
The post Ronaldo still very much part of Portugal team, insists coach appeared first on Inquirer Sports.
You’re enjoying this break from Premier League football, aren’t you?
No, neither are we.
But while we’re taking a step back from the good stuff this week, we certainly don’t plan on neglecting our Dream Team, especially with the busy festive period coming up.
SIGN UP – WIN £10k BY PLAYING DREAM TEAM WEEKENDER NEXT WEEKEND 
Reuters How many of Pep Guardiola’s players have made your fantasy football team?[/caption]
As we reach the middle of November, table-toppers Man City have certainly proven to be the team to beat, which means many of their players have been firm Dream Team favourites this season.
Top goalscorer Sergio Aguero is the most-picked player on the game right now, while over 25% of you have opted for their reliable shot-stopper Ederson.
There’s also been a lot of love for Raheem Sterling, John Stones and Kyle Walker.
Getty - Contributor Kyle Walker and John Stones have proved to be a popular pair[/caption]
But for some reason, their midfield wizard David Silva remains a little overlooked and under-picked at the moment, with only 10% of managers selecting the Spaniard.
That’s all the more strange considering he’s been particularly brilliant recently, picking up 26 points in his last three outings alone.
PA:Press Association Silva was at his very best against United last time out[/caption]
Netting seven goals in all competitions this season – including the opener in their win over Man United last weekend – Silva has proven once again to be City’s creative hub.
In fact, his in-game influence has been all the more important this term as Kevin De Bruyne remains out of the side through injury.
With KDB on the sidelines, we figured Silva – who is valued at £5.7m right now – would be the obvious choice as his fantasy football replacement.
But instead, we’ve seen the likes of Paul Pogba (17.9%), Willian (16.2%) and Bernardo Silva (11.7%) chosen ahead of him, despite Silva’s haul of 91 points being better than all three – and the fourth-best on the game overall.
PA:Press Association
We really do think it’s time to start seriously considering Silva for your midfield.
After all, City have already ticked off some of their big fixtures this season, including the away trip to Liverpool in October and the always tricky Manchester derby.
That means their next few fixtures are relatively favourable, including their trip to West Ham next week.
And with City’s great form showing no signs of letting up, it’s definitely time for thousands of you without Silva in your team to transfer the City midfielder in – before his price begins to rise.
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Playing in his home pitch, Patrick Reichelt struck in the 78th minute as the Philippines subdued Singapore, 1-0, late Tuesday night to open its AFF Suzuki Cup on a winning note at Panaad Stadium here.
The post Azkals score home win appeared first on Inquirer Sports.
MILAN — Cristiano Ronaldo put a positive spin on his team’s first loss of the season. The Juventus forward, who has been playing and scoring regularly despite facing a rape allegation in the United States, gave his team the lead but they still lost to Manchester United 2-1 in the Champions League. Juventus had won […]
The post Ronaldo puts positive spin on Juventus’ 1st loss of season appeared first on Inquirer Sports.
PLZEN, Czech Republic—Santiago Solari’s chances of staying in charge of Real Madrid keep getting better. Solari’s resurgent Madrid routed Viktoria Plzen 5-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday, winning its third straight match in all competition since the interim coach took over to replace the fired Julen Lopetegui. Karim Benzema scored twice and Casemiro, Gareth […]
The post Madrid routs Plzen, keeps thriving under coach Solari appeared first on Inquirer Sports.
When the land upon which the Harare BMX Club track stood for 31 years was sold in 2016, the future of the sport in the city was clouded in uncertainty. […]
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It’s quite difficult for a defensive midfielder to make £25m look like a steal.
But that’s what Lucas Torreira is doing at Arsenal.
After slowly being introduced to the English game by Unai Emery, the diminutive Uruguayan is now a mainstay of the Gunners midfield.
Reuters Crunch[/caption]
And in the pulsating, breathless draw against Liverpool Torreira showed his importance to his new side in a brilliant 16-second cameo.
He barely put a foot wrong during the 90 minutes anyway but this was his personal highlight, taking on Mo Salah and Sadio Mane and bossing them both.
Wins the ball back from Salah. We lose possession, wins the ball back again from Mane. Lucas Torreira 
#AFC pic.twitter.com/JnNpY46est
— Gunners.com (@Gunnersc0m) November 4, 2018
The Egyptian was his first victim, producing a perfectly timed sliding tackle to dispossess him.
But when Arsenal squandered possession again straight away, Torreira was on hand again to save them.
Mane collected the loose ball but found the Arsenal midfielder in his way, who shrugged him off the ball to diffuse yet another Liverpool attack.
Getty - Contributor Bossing his opposite number[/caption]
Torreira and Granit Xhaka were exemplary throughout the contest, constantly winning the ball back and limiting the influence of Roberto Firmino.
Considering how much Fabinho struggled, Torreira really stood up to the challenge.
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