Bethany England included in England’s World Cup squad but Beth Mead misses out

Bethany England has been included in Sarina Wiegman’s England squad for this summer’s World Cup, while Beth Mead misses out.

Striker England, who has not been involved for her country since last September, is recalled after scoring 12 Women’s Super League goals for Tottenham since joining them from Chelsea in January.

But there is no return for Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner and player of the tournament Mead, having lost her battle against time after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in November.

Representing England this summer!

Rangers ´let a lot of people down´ with heavy Ajax loss, says Jack

Rangers players let a lot of people down with their performance in Wednesday s heavy Champions League defeat to Ajax, according to midfielder Ryan Jack.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst s side were on the end of a 4-0 loss in Amsterdam, four days on from going down to rivals Celtic by the same scoreline in the Scottish Premiership.

Ajax were three ahead inside 33 minutes thanks to goals from Edson Alvarez, Steven Berghuis and Mohammed Kudus, which Steven Bergwijn later added to.

That is the earliest Ajax have ever led by three goals in a Champions League game as they beat Rangers for a fifth time in five meetings in all competitions.

Jack was at fault for the fourth of the hosts goals, with a terrible pass being intercepted, and accepts his side were simply not …

Italy would rather have avoided Portugal World Cup play-off draw – Mancini

Roberto Mancini admitted Italy would rather not have to do battle with Portugal for a place in the 2022 World Cup if they get past North Macedonia.

The European champions were on Friday drawn to face North Macedonia in a semi-final next March after missing out on automatic qualification for the tournament in Qatar.

Italy will come up against either Portugal or Turkey in a decisive showdown if they avoid a semi-final upset.

Euro 2016 champions Portugal were consigned to a play-off spot in dramatic fashion as Aleksandar Mitrovic s last-gasp strike saw Serbia through as Group A winners.

Italy boss Mancini is confident his side will qualify, but gave an honest reaction to the prospect of trying to deny Cristiano Ronaldo what could be his last trip to…

Man Utd dressing room ´an absolute mess´, says Scholes after Lingard chat

Paul Scholes claimed Manchester United s dressing room is an absolute mess as the Red Devils poor form continued with a 3-1 loss at Arsenal on Saturday.

United s hopes of finishing in the top four of the Premier League were all but ended at Emirates Stadium as they fell to a third defeat in four top-flight outings.

Cristiano Ronaldo s 100th goal in the competition was not enough as Nuno Tavares  opener, a Bukayo Saka penalty and Granit Xhaka s 25-yard drive earned victory for Arsenal.

The Red Devils, who saw Bruno Fernandes miss a penalty, have now lost four straight away league games for the first time since a run of six between December 1980 and 1981.

Reflecting on United s latest setback, club legend Scholes claimed his former side are in disarray b…

Suarez: Neymar to make his own decision

Neymar’s old teammate Luis Suarez believes the Brazilian forward should be the one to make his own decision regarding his professional future and not anybody else.

Together with Lionel Messi Suarez and Neymar  formed a formidable trio while together at Barcelona from 2014 to 2017. Why the Brazilian decided so suddenly to leave the Catalan club remains a mystery in itself, probably even a bigger one than why he should like to return where he left in such an inexplicable manner.

The confusion and uncertainty about who has better chances to sign him, Barcelona or Real Madrid, is growing in the days prior to the closing of the transfer window. The situation is undeniably difficult for the 27-year-old, especially since coach Tuchel is staying true to his word and is not l…

Spalletti expects Modric to stay at Madrid despite ´great´ efforts by Inter

Luciano Spalletti feels Luka Modric s interest in joining Inter is a great sign for the Italian club but he still expects the midfielder to remain with Real Madrid.

Modric s future in the Spanish capital has been the subject of speculation, the Croatia international having been heavily linked with a move to Inter.

However, reports have also suggested the 32-year-old who has helped Madrid be crowned champions of Europe in four of the past five seasons could be set to sign a new contract with his employers.

Speaking after his side s 1-0 International Champions Cup win over Atletico Madrid, Spalletti praised Inter s hierarchy for their attempts to attract a player who won the Golden Ball at this year s World Cup.

While the Nerazzurri boss predicts Modric wil…

Champions League final ball to spread message of peace

The ball used for Saturday s Champions League final will carry a message of peace, and will be auctioned off following the match.

The final will be held in Paris, with 13-time champions Real Madrid taking on Liverpool in a repeat of the 2018 showdown.

That match four years ago was held in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, which has been under attack from Russia since the end of February.

Sport has united in its condemnation of Russia s actions, with football no different.

This year s Champions League showpiece was meant to be held in St Petersburg, but UEFA swiftly moved the match to Paris following Russia s invasion.

Russian clubs, meanwhile, will be unable to compete in UEFA competitions, while Russia s national team were removed from their World …

Barcelona willing to let Rakitic go in January

Barcelona are willing to part ways with Ivan Rakitic in the upcoming winter transfer window, according to AS.

Having played for Basel and Schalke 04 previously, Rakitic arrived to the Camp Nou in 2014 after four years with Sevilla, where he had proven that he possesses the quality to play at the highest level. Since then, he has gone on to play 274 times for the Blaugrana, scoring 35 goals from central midfield and helping them win four La Liga titles and as many Copa Del Rey trophies, as well as the 2015 Champions League.

However, he has recently lost his place in the starting XI under Ernesto Valverde, and he has been linked with departure for quite some time. Last year it was Paris Saint-Germain who were showing serious interest in his services, while this summer Bar…

Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 Plymouth Argyle: Rooney´s reign starts with miserable loss

Wayne Rooney s reign as Plymouth Argyle boss got off to a miserable start as they were thrashed 4-0 by Sheffield Wednesday in their first Championship game of the season.

Sunday s trip to Hillsborough represented Rooney s first match back in management since he was sacked by Birmingham City in January.

Any hopes of a flying start to his time on the south coast were quickly dashed as Danny Rohl s team dominated from the off, eventually racking up 4.85 expected goals (xG) from 30 shots at goal.

Jamal Lowe converted Svante Ingelsson s cross on the slide to hand the Owls a 35th-minute lead, then the new striker saw a header deflect in off the unfortunate Brendan Galloway for 2-0 shortly after the break.

Wednesday added further gloss to the scoreline late on, …

Mourinho: Juventus chasing 10 successive Serie A titles

Juventus president Andrea Agnelli will not be happy until he sees the Bianconeri secure 10 successive Serie A titles, according to Jose Mourinho.

AC Milan s success in 2010-11 was the last time a club other than Juve lifted the Scudetto, Massimiliano Allegri carrying on where Antonio Conte left off in the club s seven-year domination.

Napoli and Roma have been their biggest challengers but Juve have always had too much, and the story is similar this season with Allegri s side already six points clear after 10 games.

Mourinhom, whose United side lost 1-0 to Juve in the Champions League last week, expects them to secure that crown, but Agnelli will not be happy until they have completed a decade of supremacy.

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