Unthinkable as it now seems, Luka Modric had every reason to spend most of his career hating the World Cup.
As a 20-year-old, he got off the bench twice in 2006 as Croatia went out of the group stage by finishing behind Australia. His country did not qualify in 2010. Four years later, he arrived in Brazil as a Champions League winner, one of the best midfielders in the world, surely destined for better fortunes. A 3-1 loss to Mexico in game three sent them packing.
My memories from Brazil are not nice, he recalled two years on. I didn t play well. Maybe I was too tired after a long season. When I look back at the competitions I played in for Croatia, that was my worst performance.
The World Cup, it is often said, boasts a capacity to bring about change unlik…
The United States and Mexico closed in on World Cup berths, while Trinidad and Tobago were eliminated and Costa Rica suffered a costly defeat in the North and Central America and Caribbean zone.
In Port of Spain, Ricardo Clark s 62nd-minute goal lifted the United States to a 1-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago, putting the USA atop the six-nation final-round group with 16 points with two matches remaining.
The defeat spelled the end of Trinidad and Tobago s hopes, as they remained mired at the bottom of the table with five points.
The Americans gained three needed points thanks to a powerful blast from Clark, which eluded the outstretched hands of Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Clayton Ince.
For us it was a very important three points, USA coach Bob Br…
Gareth Southgate could spring a surprise by starting Jadon Sancho instead of Bukayo Saka for England in the Euro 2020 final against Italy.
That is the view of former England defender Gary Neville, who believes the spot on the right wing that was filled by Saka in the semi-final win over Denmark is the only position up for grabs.
Neville would have been tempted to play Marcus Rashford if the Manchester United forward had been in better form.
Instead he believes another soon-to-be United player Sancho, who started the quarter-final against Ukraine in Saka s absence, could be the man who gets the nod if 19-year-old is indeed left out.
Saka has had an impressive tournament for England and Neville acknowledges it could be an unpopular decision.
He feel…
Cristiano Ronaldo was named as one of five Real Madrid players as the Spanish and European champions dominated the FIFA FIFPro XI of 2017.
Defenders Sergio Ramos and Marcelo and midfield duo Luka Modric and Toni Kroos were also selected in the dream team, who were honoured at the FIFA Best Football Awards in London.
Juventus, who were beaten 4-1 by Madrid in June s Champions League final were represented by veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who also scooped the FIFA Best Goalkeeper prize.
Leonardo Bonucci and Dani Alves – both of whom lined up for Serie A champions Juve against Madrid in Cardiff but subsequently moved on to AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain respectively – completed the defensive unit in the combined team, while Barcelona great Andres Iniest…
Barcelona have just announced that they will face Manchester United, Chivas De Guadalajara and Club America on their North American tour, which takes place from 30th July to 6th August.
After their pre-season tour across the United States served as an introduction into the historic treble in season 2009/2010, Barcelona chiefs have decided to repeat the scenario with the Catalans set to take on some world-class sides during their eight-day tour.
It is interesting that the opening fixture will be the re-run of the Champions League final, with Manchester United vs FC Barcelona game set to be played at Fedex Field, Maryland. are still available for sale.
FC Barcelona vs Chivas De Guadalajara match is scheduled for 3rd August and takes place at Sun Life Stadium, Flo…
Fikayo Tomori says being among the celebrations when Italy beat England in the Euro 2020 final is motivating him to play his part as the Three Lions looks to go one better at the World Cup.
Tomori has been called up to England s upcoming Nations League matches, which will include a home clash with Italy – the country in which the defender has impressed since joining Milan last year.
Having starred on loan with the Rossoneri during the second half of the 2020-21 season, Tomori completed a permanent move to San Siro last June, before making 31 Serie A appearances as Milan won their first Scudetto since in 11 years.
Tomori was left out of England s squad for Euro 2020, meaning he was in Milan when Gareth Southgate s team suffered penalty shoot-out heartbreak agai…
It may not be the most eagerly anticipated game of the weekend but this clash between Matt Ryan and Daniel Jones’ teams will give one of them a chance to get the first win under their belt.
If you’re betting on football in Week 3 then don’t miss our NFL picks and predictions for the Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Giants on Sunday, September 26.
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The Divisional Round is here and we’ve hit the books hard this week, looking into every market in search of value and great numbers — so you don’t have to!
The Cincinnati Bengals travel to the rested Tennessee Titans as 3.5-point underdogs Saturday afternoon. The Bengals’ D-line is getting healthier, which is good news, as Derrick Henry is set to make his return after an 11-week hiatus and a successful recovery from foot surgery.
Will Henry see a full workload in his first game since Week 8? Can Joe Burrow carve up this Titans’ pass defense that ranks fifth in dropback success rate since Week 10? Find out in our Bengals vs. Titans free props and predictions.
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The Minnesota Vikings host the New York Giants in NFL Wild Card action on Sunday. These teams also clashed three weeks ago in Minny, with the Vikes winning 27-24.
While both teams will make adjustments, I do expect history to repeat itself in a few areas. That’s why I’m backing Richie James and T.J. Hockenson to duplicate their success, while Dalvin Cook should benefit from the possible return of a key teammate. Our Giants vs. Vikings picks and predictions expect Hock to find the end zone while I’m looking elsewhere in a great matchup for the tight end.
Here are my best free NFL prop picks for the Giants vs. Vikings on January 15.
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Week 6 NFL odds are out and I’m back for more betting action as new trends are beginning to develop, while ones from past seasons are starting to whittle away.
If you’ve been consuming this article each week, you’ll notice I got back to the well with recommendations for certain team’s games, for the simple reason that they continue to hit – hello Saints’ Unders!
As the season progresses, I’ll likely share more trends that are specific to this season, as those numbers are more of a reflection of a team’s current roster and coaching staff. As a result, some of these trends could have a smaller sample size, which isn’t as sexy, but trends need to start somewhere.
Taking a look at some stand-…