Italy coach Luciano Spalletti praised the never-say-die attitude of his players in rescuing a point with a 98th-minute equaliser against Croatia on Monday to book a European Championship round-of-16 place, but said there was much room for improvement. Substitute Mattia Zaccagni earned the 1-1 draw in Group B as holders Italy set up a clash with Switzerland in Berlin on Saturday but Spalletti seemed to take offence at several questions…
LEIPZIG, Germany — His expression when posing with the UEFA Man of the Match Award said it all. Part medieval oil painting — the suffering peasant who thought he’d escaped the Black Death only to find his village burned to the ground — part battle-weary warrior turned to stone by the Basilisk’s gaze, part “I’m chucking this stupid piece of metal out the window because it’s meaningless now that we’ve…
Palestinian soccer player Ahmad Abu al-Atta and his family were killed in their home by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said. Abu al-Atta who played as a defender for the Gaza Strip team Al-Ahly Gaza, died along with his wife Ruba Esmael Abu al-Atta, a medical professional, and their two children after the airstrike hit their home in Gaza City, the PFA said in a…
Prince William gave the England team a pep talk immediately after Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Denmark in Frankfurt. The Prince of Wales, who is also the president of the Football Association, visited the dressing room after the final whistle and told the players “it’s not the end of the world,” after the team was booed off by disgruntled England fans at Deutsche Bank Park. Harry Kane scored the opening goal…
DORTMUND, Germany — Cristiano Ronaldo is still the selfie king, even at 39 years old, 20 years after appearing at his first major tournament for Portugal. But it’s probably a sign of his waning influence on his national team that he registered more selfie attempts from picture-chasing fans than significant contributions for his country during Saturday’s 3-0 win against Turkey. Six supporters — four during the Group F match in…
FRANKFURT, Germany — Scotland’s recurring failure at major tournaments has become so etched into the nation’s psyche that songs have been written about it. They are arguably the unluckiest team in world football, so they lend themselves to ballads of broken dreams. When the Scots qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup — their last appearance at the competition — the Glasgow band Del Amitri penned the team’s official song…
Euro 2024 is underway! Our daily files give you the latest reporting from around the tournament as well as betting lines, what to watch for and best reads. Check in with ESPN throughout the tournament as we bring you the latest from Germany all the way up to the final on July 14. DÜSSELDORF, Germany — Ukraine played this match under incredible pressure. From a footballing perspective, defeat against Slovakia…
Copa América, South America’s continental competition, has kicked off in the United States for the second time after it hosted in 2016. There are plenty of storylines, from World Cup champions Lionel Messi and Argentina defending their title, the USMNT using this as a warmup for the 2026 World Cup which it will co-host, and Brazil looking to rediscover their form. As we prepare for the next few weeks of…
Poland are hoping striker Robert Lewandowski will be fit for their Euro 2024 Group D match against Austria on Friday but are waiting for the green light from the medical team later in the day, coach Michal Probierz said on Thursday. Lewandowski, Poland’s all-time top scorer, picked up a thigh injury in a warm-up friendly against Turkey last week, and though he was named on the bench against the Netherlands…
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has said that UEFA’s rules on multi-club ownership have prevented the club from signing a player from Ligue 1 side Nice. Ratcliffe’s company INEOS bought Nice in 2019 before completing a deal to purchase a minority stake in United earlier this year. While moving players between two clubs that share the same owners is not forbidden, Nice and United’s qualification for next season’s UEFA…