The Guardian

Spain 4-0 England Guijarro 19, Putellas 37 55, Pina 78 Only a minor miracle will save European champions England from having to come through World Cup qualifying playoffs after they suffered an utterly humiliating 4-0 defeat by World Cup holders Spain in Mallorca. A loss by only a one-goal deficit would have been enough to keep England’s hopes of topping their qualifying group alive after an imma…

Head coach says Bayern Munich striker is in ‘top shape’ England face New Zealand in warm-up on Saturday Thomas Tuchel has said that Harry Kane is in top shape and ready to lead England to glory at the World Cup. The Bayern Munich striker has been short of fitness at previous major tournaments but he has enjoyed a brilliant season in Germany and has looked in peak physical condition in training th…

Driver died four years after founding McLaren but his legacy lives through his inspirational tenacity and team’s roll call of champions As the streets of Monaco echo to the roar of engines, history too will resonate long and loud in Monte Carlo this weekend. Allegiance be damned, it would take a heart of stone not to recognise McLaren’s achievement and contribution to the sport when the team that…

For football fans in Canada, the initial prospect of the World Cup coming to town was thrilling – but hundreds of tickets remain unsold As far back as he can remember, football has long been a part of Lawrence Yee’s life. Growing up in a Canadian town where hockey was the dominant sport, he found community and passion in the game. The sport – and the full, at times devastating, spectrum of emotio…

First Test, D2: England 140 & 226; New Zealand 113 & 36-3 Tourists toiling in pursuit of 254 victory target Sixteen wickets on the first day were followed by 17 more on the second, though like the bounce on this mischievous wicket nothing about it felt at all predictable. The day ended in glorious evening sunshine, shadows stretching as England’s lead was slowly, awkwardly reduced. But still the …

Test debutant opener enjoyed a few breaks but showed he could handle himself when the odds are against him to offer hope for a longer stay in role Emilio Gay lived three lives on Friday. The first ended in the 14th over, when he was on 20 and he leaned forward towards a ball from Matt Henry that zipped off the pitch, caught the edge of his bat and spat through the gap between first and second sli…

Brilliant defensive skills and craft have propelled world No 114 from qualifying into Roland Garros final but Mirra Andreeva has the game to match The summer of 2022 took Maja Chwalinska to the familiar surroundings of the Bank of England Sports Club in Roehampton. A world away from the real thing, the then world No 170 worked her way through three gruelling Wimbledon qualifying matches against p…

Second seed wins semi-final 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 Cobolli through after Arnaldi withdraws due to virus Alexander Zverev moved to within one match of a long-awaited first grand slam title as he defeated Jakub Mensik, the Czech 26th seed, 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the French Open final for the second time. Zverev, the second seed and world No 3, will contest his fourth grand slam final on Sunday. Th…

O’Neill agrees one-year deal after successful return Keane had a managerial spell with Maccabi Tel Aviv Celtic are expected to confirm the appointment of Martin O’Neill as the club’s permanent manager after the 74-year-old agreed a one-year contract to remain in Glasgow. O’Neill led Celtic to the domestic double during the second of two interim spells he undertook this season. Robbie Keane had be…

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Pochettino ‘not happy’ with Palace’s injury assessment Richards missed Conference League final Predict your World Cup bracket | Complete player guide Chris Richards will not take part in the United States’ final World Cup tune-up friendly against Germany, head coach Mauricio Pochettino said in Friday’s pre-match press conference. While Pochettino awaits further assessments, the defender’s status …

Social media protection service offered by Fifa English FA yet to confirm whether it will use service Fifa will expand the use of AI at the World Cup to reduce the amount of abusive messages that teams and players are exposed to on social media. World football’s governing body introduced a social media protection service after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has offered its moderation element for…

Farrell to remain as Ireland’s head coach until 2031 Feyi-Waboso faces fitness race for England summer tour Andy Farrell has signed a new deal to remain as Ireland’s head coach until 2031, removing any chance of England luring him back to Twickenham after next year’s Rugby World Cup. Instead, Farrell has opted to stay put in Dublin and will now preside over their next two World Cup campaigns. Far…

Ancient Egypt finally carries owner’s hopes at Epsom three years after huge spending spree at the Sales Many great gambles have been landed in the Derby down the years, from John Bowes’ bet on his horse, West Australian, in 1853 that won the equivalent of more than £5m today, to Raymond Guest’s £500 each-way on Sir Ivor at 100-1, a few months before his victory in June 1968 as the 4-5 favourite. …

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