Germany took a stranglehold on Group A of Euro 2012 qualifying with a 2-1 win over Austria on Friday, as Belgium drew 1-1 with Turkey.
A brace from Bayern Munich forward Mario Gomez the second of which was an 89th-minute winner secured the points for Joachim Loew s side at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna on Friday.
Hosts Austria had pulled level through an Arne Friedrich own-goal four minutes into the second half, but they were rendered helpless by Gomez s late header.
The win sends Germany seven points clear at the top of Group A, with a game in hand over second-placed Belgium.
Defeat puts a further dent in Austria s already slim hopes of qualifying, but Turkey will take heart from their draw in Brussels.
Home side Belgium took an early lead …
To say fortune favoured the brave in Lyon on Thursday would be doing a disservice to Michael O Neill and his Northern Ireland players, who conclusively disproved the disparaging route-one label applied to them before the game by Ukraine s Ruslan Rotan.
Making five changes to the line-up that lost 1-0 to Poland, including axing talismanic striker Kyle Lafferty, was a brave decision from the coach, but it was not such decisiveness alone that sealed a memorable 2-0 win.
The men in green, white and blue still had to go out there and take control of the game against a tough Ukraine bristling, in theory at least, with the twin threat of Yevhen Konoplyanka and Andriy Yarmolenko.
As it was, the star wingers were surprisingly subdued under the attention of Jonny Evans an…
Germany recorded a 3-1 victory over Belgium on Tuesday to finish top of Group A of the Euro 2012 qualifiers with 10 wins from 10 games.
Mesut Oezil and Andre Schuerrle hit the Belgians with a three-minute double salvo midway through the first half to give Germany a two-goal cushion at half-time.
Shortly after the restart Mario Gomez put the cherry on the cake as he added a third goal with a fine strike, which left Simon Mignolet with no chance.
Marouane Fellaini scored a consolation for Belgium just before the final whistle as his team missed out on the play-off spot in the group.
Belgium started the game very well as they tried to pressure Germany s back four right from the beginning.
The hosts, however, defended valiantly as they managed to …
Roberto Martinez is counting on his knowledge of English football as he attempts to mastermind a Belgium victory over the Three Lions in the group stages of the World Cup.
Belgium boss Martinez spent 21 years in Britain as a player and manager, last coaching Everton for a three-year spell between 2013 and 2016.
The football fates drew up an intriguing sub-plot for the 44-year-old in Friday s draw in Moscow, with Belgium drawn in Group G alongside England, Panama and Tunisia.
And Martinez reflected on a special draw .
As they say, football is a way of living and I lived almost 21 years in the British game and in England, he told BBC Sport.
It s a very special draw. It s the World Cup and it s about preparation now with a challenging draw.
England have started to plan for life after Gareth Southgate but Football Association executive Mark Bullingham insists no approach has been made for the manager, nor has his future been decided.
The Three Lions boss raised questions over his future after German media outlet BILD published an interview this week from Southgate, who suggested Euro 2024 this month is his last chance with England.
Manchester United were reportedly interested in the 53-year-old as well before reaffirming their commitment to under-fire manager Erik ten Hag.
As the European Championship awaits in Germany, Bullingham sought to ease any fears over the future of Southgate, though reiterated the FA has already thought through a succession plan.
Gareth has been really, really clear…
Paul Pogba has warned France they need to remain humble to avoid Euro 2020 disappointment, adamant they will just be seen as a PlayStation team if they are not successful.
Les Bleus head into the Euros well fancied for more glory, having won the 2018 World Cup and seeing their already-remarkable pool of talent improve even further.
France are one of two European nations – with Belgium – to have reached at least the quarter-finals of the past three major tournaments, while their squad accumulated the second-most minutes (522,421) across the top five European Leagues this season among those to qualify for the Euros – they certainly are not short of experience.
As many as 14 of their 26-man squad were in Russia three years ago, while they are now able to add …
With the group stage well and truly underway, there s been a lot of great football to watch already, but we re only about halfway through and there s a lot more to watch.
We re sure you have a favourite team, but when they aren t playing if you need any help choosing who to watch, this article will cover six of the most entertaining players to watch across the League, these superstars are sure to sway the in favour of their teams and are an absolute blast to watch on the field. Without any more mucking about, here s the list.
Fabian Schär
This Swiss centre-back is currently playing for Newcastle United and was able to secure his first Champions League win with a final nail-in-the-coffin goal against Paris Saint-Germain on October 4th. The goal in …
Alex Morgan bade an emotional farewell to her professional career on Sunday.
The United States star, who announced her retirement last week, brought the curtain down on her playing days as she featured for the San Diego Wave in the NWSL.
It was not the finale she would have wished for, though, as the Wave went down 4-1 to the North Carolina Courage, with Morgan missing an early penalty.
Addressing the crowd after full-time, the 35-year-old, who is pregnant with her second child, said: What a ride it s been.
I want to thank my team-mates who have constantly challenged me every day and made me better.
There have been so many incredible moments in my career but this last moment I share on the field with you I will cherish forever.
So from …
Manchester United open their 2019-20 Premier League campaign with a home game against Chelsea, who are expected to be under new leadership with Maurizio Sarri linked with Juventus.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces a rebuilding project at Old Trafford after his side missed out on qualification for the Champions League last term.
United will hope for better results in this season s Manchester derby clashes with rivals Manchester City, who won both games in 2018-19 as they defended their title, becoming the first team to do so since the Red Devils a decade ago.
The first Manchester derby of the new season is set for December 7 at the Etihad Stadium, with the return match held at Old Trafford on March 7.
Manchester United s 2019-20 Premier League fixtures in full (all…
The 2024-25 Women s Super League will have fans excited at the prospect of new managers right across the league.
Four of the 12 clubs involved will have new bosses in the dugout when the campaign begins in mid-September.
The most hotly anticipated of those newcomers is Sonia Bompastor, who will be following on from the Emma Hayes dynasty and trying to create her own era of success at Chelsea.
In the last decade, Chelsea found the winning formula that brought silverware galore. Hayes won 15 trophies during her 12 years as manager, cementing the club’s complete dominance of the domestic competitions in England.
That haul included a last-gasp push for the WSL title last season, as the Blues pipped Manchester City to the post.
Opta s supercomputer …