Russia won the right to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup after a vote by the FIFA executive committe in Zurich on Thursday.
The announcement was made by FIFA President Sepp Blatter following a secret ballot by the 22 members of the organisation s executive committee in Zurich on Thursday.
It comes after weeks of last-minute lobbying and intense media speculation.
After firming as one of the favourites alongside England early in the process, Russia had slipped behind the joint-bid of Spain and Portugal after the South American Football Confederation threw its support behind the Iberian effort.
Further blows were struck with the release of an unfavourable technical report, which was critical of logistical and transport problems in a country the size of Russia.…
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In their last home game of what has been a very successful season, Serie A champions Inter Milan will host Lazio at San Siro on Sunday evening.
And while the match holds no competitive significance for the Nerazzurri and follows their thrashing of Frosinone, the Biancocelesti are still fighting for surety of a European spot for 2024/25 and come into it on the back of a home triumph over Empoli.
Inter Milan
After losing to lowly Sassuolo for the second time this season their only two defeats of the campaign, Inter returned to their usual ways last weekend by smashing relegation-threatened Frosinone at Stadio Stirpe.
The Nerazzurri s five goals—including one from Capocannoniere leader Lautaro Martinez—brought their…
Adrien Rabiot s wait to find a new club is finally over after his move to Marseille was officially confirmed on Tuesday.
Rabiot joins the Ligue 1 club following his departure from Juventus at the end of last season and has signed a two-year contract with Roberto De Zerbi s side.
The 29-year-old was reportedly of interest to several Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, but the France international has opted to return to his homeland.
Rabiot offers the French outfit an experienced option in midfield, having made 163 Ligue 1 appearances during his seven-year stint with Paris Saint-Germain.
He won 18 major titles during his time with the Parisiens before making the move to Juventus in 2019.
The Frenchman appeared 212 times in all co…
Cristiano Ronaldo became the European Championships record assist-maker as Portugal won Group F with a 3-0 victory over Turkiye at Euro 2024 on Saturday.
Having won late against Czechia in their opening game of the tournament, Roberto Martinez s side knew an improved display was needed on matchday two in Dortmund.
The Selecao dominated from start to finish, with defensive errors aiding their triumph as Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes netted either side of a calamitous Samet Akaydin own goal.
Portugal now have the luxury of being able to rest key players when they face Georgia in Gelsenkirchen next Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Turkiye know they must avoid defeat against Czechia to be certain of their progression to the knockout stages.
23 Portugal s C…
Phil Neville believes Portland Timbers can use their recent defeats as motivation in the second half of the season, starting with St. Louis City.
The Timbers Leagues Cup run came to an end against Saturday s opponents, losing 3-1 in the round of 32 nearly three weeks ago.
They were in good form in MLS before that, and sit eighth in the Western Conference, but lost their last league game 3-2 against LA Galaxy before the break.
Now, Neville is targeting a strong finish to the regular season.
In life sometimes you get a jolt or a little reminder of the work that needs to be done, and we got that, Neville said.
We ve had a lot of plaudits and people saying good things about us, but our last result was a wake-up call to the work we still need to do …
Putting in what was an iconic performance on Tuesday night, Borussia Dortmund punched their Champions League final ticket as they secured a famous 1-0 victory away at PSG.
Making the trip to Paris holding a slender one-goal advantage after claiming another 1-0 win in rural Germany last week, BVB were bracing themselves for what appeared to be a monumental challenge on foreign soil.
However, with veteran defender Mats Hummels powering home a close range header just five minutes after returning from the half-time break, Dortmund put in what was a remarkable defensive display as they frustrated Kylian Mbappe and Co.
Backed by an emotional travelling support and producing what was arguably their most famous European performance here, Dortmund will now begin planning…
Liverpool s Dominik Szoboszlai loves playing alongside Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch in Arne Slot s new-look midfield.
Szoboszlai had an up and down first season at Liverpool following a big-money switch from RB Leipzig.
The Hungary international has started eight of Liverpool s nine matches this season, including Wednesday s 2-0 win over Bologna in the Champions League.
Szoboszlai has formed a strong midfield trio alongside Mac Allister and Gravenberch, and he is revelling excelling in the unit.
He told Liverpool s official website: I love to play with them. I said it before, a lot of qualities what these two have – but the whole team [as well].
The midfield is not enough. Of course it s an important role but we need everybody, we n…
Kylian Mbappe finally got going at Euro 2024, though France could not beat Poland.
Austria topped Group D, having defeated the Netherlands.
There was less action in the later matches in Group C, however.
Here, we round up the best statistics from the penultimate group-stage day of Euro 2024.
France 1-1 Poland: Masked Mbappe off the mark
It has been a long time coming, but Mbappe, with what was his 23rd shot, finally scored his first European Championship goal for France, converting a 56th-minute penalty against Poland in Dortmund.
Mbappe brought up his 13th goal for France at major international tournaments (with the previous 12 having come at the World Cup), with only Michel Platini netting more for Les Bleus in the two competitions combi…
Phil Neville knows the Portland Timbers meeting with the Seattle Sounders on Saturday will be pivotal to the outcome of their season as the Cascadia Cup rivals battle for a playoff place.
Portland enter Saturday s game seventh in the Western Conference standings, two places and three points behind the in-form Sounders.
The Timbers were beaten 2-1 on home soil by their rivals when they last faced off in May, but they have not lost a regular-season home game since, winning seven and drawing two of their last nine.
Neville knows the importance of carrying that form into this weekend, saying: We re looking forward to another big game.
When we looked at the fixtures at the start of the season, to play Seattle home and away in the last eight games, we knew the…
Jose Mourinho has spoken highly of Luke Shaw s performances at Euro 2020 following his standout display in England s win over Ukraine.
The Manchester United left-back was voted as the Three Lions man of the match in a fan poll after providing two assists in the 4-0 quarter-final victory in Rome.
Shaw appears to have cemented his place as Gareth Southgate s first-choice left-back at these finals, a fitting reward for an impressive season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at United.
The former Southampton man has enjoyed arguably the strongest 18 months of his career, a far cry from a difficult spell when Mourinho was in charge at Old Trafford, when the Portuguese would often single out Shaw for criticism.
Mourinho took aim at Shaw again after England s group-stag…