Portland Timbers v Vancouver Whitecaps: Neville aiming to raise the level back on home soil

Portland Timbers head coach Phil Neville has urged his players to raise their performance levels against the Vancouver Whitecaps in MLS on Saturday.

Portland are currently on a five-match unbeaten streak in the competition and made a winning return from their mid-season break by beating the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 on Wednesday.

They sit seventh in a tightly contested Western Conference, and Neville admits they need to improve if they want to keep their current form going.

Even though we got the win against San Jose, the performance was nowhere near good enough, Neville said. We had 10 days off, and I hope that kind of performance is out of the way.

Saturday s a big game against Vancouver, and we can t play to that level. We have to keep raising the lev…

Flick confident of Champions League success despite Monaco setback

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick remained upbeat despite his side kickstarting their Champions League campaign with a defeat to Monaco on Thursday.

The visitors were dealt a blow with just 10 minutes on the clock after defender Eric Garcia saw red after a tangle with Takumi Minamino on the edge of the box.

Monaco made the most of their man advantage six minutes later when Maghnes Akliouche struck beyond Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Lamine Yamal levelled the scores before half-time, becoming the second-youngest player to score in the Champions League with a low finish into the bottom corner.

However, substitute George Ilenikhena would hand the French side the victory in the 71st minute, compounding Flick to his first defeat as Barca head coach.

It wa…

Euro 2024 social round-up: The Dutch take over Munich and Ed Sheeran´s private performance

The Euro 2024 round of 16 comes to an end on Tuesday.

Romania and the Netherlands are in action in Munich, with their fans creating quite the atmosphere.

Turkiye and Austria face off later on.

And there was also plenty of reaction from the previous matches of the round, too. We ve picked out some of the best social media posts.

Private Ed-ucation

England thought they were heading out of the tournament until Jude Bellingham s moment of brilliance against Slovakia on Sunday.

And along with a quarter-final against Switzerland coming as a reward, the Three Lions squad got an extra treat when pop sensation Ed Sheeran visited their camp to put on a private performance.

Clips of the gig made it onto social media. Perhaps that is what Engl…

Gignac ´haunted´ by Euro 2016 final miss

France striker Andre-Pierre Gignac says he is haunted by his miss during the Euro 2016 final defeat to Portugal in July.

With the game goalless in second-half stoppage time, Gignac turned a low shot past goalkeeper Rui Patricio, only to see the ball come back off the base of the post.

Portugal went on to snatch victory against the host nation in extra time, with Eder rifling home from distance to seal his country s first major trophy.

And Gignac concedes that it is difficult not to think about what might have been had his shot crept in off the woodwork.

The first week afterwards was very tough. It will haunt me for the rest of my career, the Tigres forward told Telefoot.

I thought of the joy of my team-mates, had I scored that goal in the 92nd m…

Italy into Euro 2008 quarters after toppling 10-man France

World champions Italy beat old foes France 2-0 here on Tuesday to go through to the Euro 2008 quarter-finals as Group C runners up with a helping hand from Holland whilst their rivals and 2006 World Cup finalists exited.

The French endured a wretched night, suffering two major blows in the first 25 minutes, with first star midfielder Franck Ribery stretchered off then Eric Abidal red-carded with Andrea Pirlo converting the penalty.

Daniele de Rossi added Italy s second after the break to send the world champion s on a last eight date with Spain in Vienna on Sunday.

The win would have been inconsequential if the Romanians had beaten Holland, but the Dutch instead beat Romania 2-0 to make it three wins out of three.

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said th…

Southgate insists wrong time to discuss England future after Euro 2024 final defeat

Gareth Southgate says now is not the time to make a decision over his England future after losing the Euro 2024 final to Spain on Sunday.

La Roja took the lead through Nico Williams early in the second half before Cole Palmer came off the bench to equalise in Berlin.

However, Mikel Oyarzabal proved the hero, scoring in the 86th minute to secure a 2-1 victory and ensure England lost a second consecutive Euros final following their defeat to Italy three years prior.

Southgate, who became the first manager to lose two finals at the European Championships, will be out of contract at the end of the year but refused to discuss his plans after further heartbreak.

I don t think now is the good time to make a decision like that, Southgate said to ITV. I ve got to…

Lloris wants France to learn from Euro 2016 heartbreak

The experience of Euro 2016 heartache has hardened Hugo Lloris resolve to lift the World Cup as France captain on Sunday.

Portugal stunned Les Bleus on home soil two years ago, recording a 1-0 extra-time win at the Stade de France through unlikely hero Eder after Cristiano Ronaldo hobbled out of the final injured.

Head coach Didier Deschamps made it two major finals out of two on Tuesday when Samuel Umtiti headed in the only goal to down Belgium in St Petersburg.

Although boss and skipper remain, this is a much-changed France squad – a hearty injection of exceptional young talent meaning only nine members remain from the 23-man squad that contested the European Championship.

It s an amazing feeling but we already lost the final two years ago and that s…

Inter Milan 1-0 AC Milan (Inter Milan win 3-0 agg): What Did We Learn As The Nerazzurri Storm Their Way To A First Champions League Final Since 2010?

Finishing the job on Thursday night, Inter Milan punched their Champions League final ticket as they eventually breezed past historic local rivals AC at their shared home of the San Siro.

Clinching a 1-0 victory here thanks to Lautaro Martinez’s clinical strike 16 minutes before the end, Simeone Inzaghi’s side largely didn’t have to get out of second gear and they stormed to a first Champions League final since 2010.

Sat firmly in pole position as they secured a routine 2-0 first-leg win last week, the Nerazzurri will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on Manchester City’s heavyweight showdown against Real Madrid from the Etihad on Wednesday night.

Only continuing on what has been a stellar recent romp, Tuesday’s 1-0 win at the San Siro also means that…

Week 11 NFL Touchdown Props: Mr. Wilson Menaces Jags D

The touchdown market has become one of the most popular and potentially profitable props in the NFL betting world. Each week, we’re going to throw down three to five units as we try to uncover some of the best weekly NFL TD props and dig into the matchups that surround them.

Week 11 has us looking at two possible running backs with expanding roles and a double-dip on the New Orleans tight end depth chart.

Without further ado:

Vikings vs Eagles Monday Night Football Picks and Predictions: Thielen Shows Us the Money

A Monday so nice, they’re doing it twice with the Minnesota Vikings visiting the Philadelphia Eagles in the second of two Monday Night Football matchups in Week 2. I’m here to break down the point spread and total and give my best NFL betting picks and predictions for Vikings at Eagles on September 19.

These teams were offseason darlings among sharp NFL bettors, drawing money and forcing notable adjustments on their NFL futures odds. Minny and Philly made good on those projections in Week 1, both starting the season with victories.

Philadelphia hung on for an uncomfortable win at Detroit, giving up 21 points in the second half, while Minnesota staked its claim in the NFC North with an impressive win over Green Bay. That has kept this spread tig…