Spain, Switzerland draw 1-1 in World Cup warm-up
Madrid, June 4 (IANS) Spain were held to a 1-1 draw by Switzerland in the first of their two warm-up games for the World Cup. The Spanish, who thrashed Argentina 6-1 in March, had threatened…
Football
Neymar leads Brazil to 2-0 friendly win over Croatia
Liverpool, June 4 (IANS) Neymar on Sunday put a smile on the faces of Brazilian fans by leading the Selecao to a 2-0 friendly win over Croatia, in preparation for the upcoming FIFA World Cup…
Chhetri eyes landmark as India face Kenya
Mumbai, June 3 (IANS) The Indian players will aim to gift their skipper Sunil Chhetri a memorable 100th international match when they face Kenya in an Intercontinental Cup tie here on Monday. India sit pretty…
FIFA World Cup trophy arrives in Moscow
Moscow, June 3 (IANS) The FIFA World Cup trophy arrived in Moscow on Sunday carried by Germany’s Lothar Mathaus, following its biggest global tour in the tournament’s history, with less than two weeks to go…
S. Korea depart for Austria for pre-World Cup camp
Incheon, June 3 (IANS) The South Korean men’s football squad departed for Austria on Sunday to set up its pre-World Cup camp, 15 days before their first group stage match in Russia. Head coach Shin…
Captain Guerrero will inspire Peru at World Cup: Trezeguet
Bogota, June 3 (IANS) Striker Paolo Guerrero will give the Peruvian football team a “shot of motivation” at the World Cup in Russia, French great David Trezeguet said. “It’s important that he be at the…
Austria shock Germany in pre-World Cup friendly
Klagenfurt (Austria), June 3 (IANS) World Cup holders Germany got a wake-up call as they lost 1-2 to Austria in their first warm-up tie before football’s quadrennial extravaganza kicks off in Russia from June 14….
Argentina team trains in Barcelona in attack, defence
Barcelona, June 3 (IANS) The Argentine national team held a training session on Sunday at the FC Barcelona facilities led by coach Jorge Sampaoli, with special attention to defence and attack situations. The team has…
Mexico defeat Scotland 1-0 in pre-World Cup friendly
Mexico City, June 3 (IANS) Mexico gave a good demonstration but missed numerous scoring opportunities despite beating Scotland 1-0 on Saturday in a friendly at the Azteca stadium before travelling to the FIFA World Cup…
Croatia look to emulate heroes of 1998
Beijing, June 3 (IANS) Croatia’s football history will forever be synonymous with France ’98, when the recently-formed nation defied expectations to defeat Germany on the way to finishing their debut World Cup in third place….
Uruguay: Crossing group stage is the bare minimum
Montevideo, June 3 (IANS) In the past 10 years, under coach Oscar Tabarez’s leadership, the Uruguayan national football team have entered a stable and prosperous period. Uruguay will face hosts Russia, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia…
Ramirez left out of Uruguay World Cup squad
Montevideo, June 3 (IANS) Sampdoria midfielder Gaston Ramirez was among the three players cut from Uruguay’s final 23-man FIFA World Cup squad. Seattle Sounders playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro and Deportivo La Coruna teenager Federico Valverde were…
Sweden, Denmark in bland goalless draw
Stockholm, June 3 (IANS) Sweden and Denmark battled to a bland 0-0 stalemate in an international friendly football match here. Saturday evening’s match was part of the preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup to…
Vasco da Gama coach Ze Ricardo quits
Rio de Janeiro, June 3 (IANS) Vasco da Gama have announced the resignation of coach Ze Ricardo after the club’s 1-2 loss to Botafogo in Brazil’s Serie A football championship. The result at Vasco’s Sao…
Belgium, Portugal in goalless draw
Brussels, June 3 (IANS) Belgium and Portugal played out a goalless draw here in a friendly match in preparation for the imminent FIFA World Cup in Russia. The European champions could not count on Cristiano…
Nigeria not among favourites at World Cup, says coach
Abuja, June 3 (IANS) Nigeria’s head coach Gernot Rohr has downplayed his team’s chances at the forthcoming FIFA World Cup in Russia. Rohr told the official news agency of Nigeria that the current rankings by…
England beat Nigeria at World Cup warm-up match
London, June 3 (IANS) England has defeated Nigeria 2-1 in a World Cup warm-up match at Wembley. Chelsea center back Gary Cahill opened the scoring for the Three Lions by heading home Kieran Trippier’s corner…
Colombian footballer killed in gun attack
Bogota, June 2 (IANS) Colombian footballer Alejandro Penaranda was killed in a gun attack on Saturday in which his teammate Heissen Izquierdo was injured, reports said. Penaranda, who plied his trade for second division Deportivo…
Spain prepare for first World Cup warm up match
Villarreal, June 2 (IANS) The Spanish football team will play the first of two preparatory matches for the forthcoming World Cup as they take on Switzerland at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday night….
Inter Milan Academy launched in Jiangsu
Nanjing, June 2 (IANS) Italian football powerhouse Inter Milan launched the Inter Academy Jiangsu here on Saturday, a project that involves all 13 cities in the southeast Chinese province. Established by Chinese retail giant Suning…