Goals from Lukas Klostermann and Nils Petersen were enough for Germany to set-up an Olympic gold medal match against hosts Brazil at the Maracana as they overcame Nigeria 2-0 in the semi-final of the Rio 2016 men s football tournament.
In a tense affair at Sao Paulo s Arena Corinthians on Wednesday, it was Horst Hrubesch s side who took the lead early on in proceedings, Max Meyer picking out full-back Klostermann, who duly rolled home his finish from six yards out.
Germany survived a scare moments later, however, as a calamitous error from goalkeeper Timo Horn allowed Aminu Umar a clear sight on goal, but the Osmanlispor forward could only drill a tame effort straight at the backpedalling German shot-stopper.
Matters perhaps should have been made worse for Nigeri…
Croatia need to put together a much more convincing performance against Euro 2008 co-favourites Germany here on Thursday if they are to really reflect the confidence their coach Slaven Bilic has that they can win the title.
Croatia did win their first match but the manner of their 1-0 win over co-hosts Austria was laboured to say the least with bizarrely several of their players looking jaded by the start of the second-half and a similar performance against the Germans could result in a real hammering.
The Germans looked alert and sharp in their 2-0 victory over Poland, with Polish-born Lukas Podolski grabbing a brace and showing once again that he is the man for the big stage.
Bilic, though, is convinced that his young side will step up to the plate and that…
Paris Saint-Germain have their Ligue 1 crown back after Sunday s stunning 7-1 victory wrested the championship from Monaco, but the inevitability of this triumph coupled with their inability to meet expectations in Europe makes it something of a damp squib.
Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi famously said in 2013, following a quarter-final elimination at the hands of Barcelona, that PSG s aim was to win the Champions League in the next five years .
While detractors can say such a bold and ambitious statement cause unwanted pressure for players and coaches, the fact it came from Al-Khelaifi meant it was on him as well.
PSG s transfer business at the start of the season gave every indication Al-Khelaifi was not going to accept failure on his pledge, as Neymar arriv…
The 2008-09 season has come to an end and it is time to look at who has been hot and who hasn’t in this season’s EPL.
Hot club
The trophy winners were Manchester United in the Premier League and Carling Cup and Chelsea in the FA Cup. Other notable performances came from Everton, reaching the FA Cup final and finishing fifth in the league again, Liverpool, making a real challenge for the Premier League title for the first time in a long while, Aston Villa making good progress and Hull and Stoke staying in the Premier League.
Also worthy of a mention are Fulham for qualifying for the Europa league after only escaping relegation on the last day on goal difference just one season before. That was a remarkable performance.
The winne…
The Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles clash in an NFC East battle on Tuesday night, following the postponement of Week 15’s originally scheduled Sunday contest.
Both teams are sitting on 6-7 records and have a glimmer of hope of reaching the playoffs. This divisional game is always feisty and should be even more competitive with their seasons hanging in the balance.
Check out our NFL picks and predictions for Washington vs. Philadelphia and find out where we’re leaning in the biggest game of the year for both sides.
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The Dallas Cowboys visiting the Minnesota Vikings may be the best NFL game to watch in Week 11, but it also features a ton of betting value as stud wide receiver CeeDee Lamb goes against a shaky Vikes secondary (while trying to one-up Minnesota star Justin Jefferson too).
Meanwhile, the Bengals-Steelers game wasn’t good enough to stay in the SNF spot… but there’s another No. 1 WR in that matchup who is more than good enough to garner my attention.
With kickoff just hours away, here is my best free NFL player prop picks for today — with a No. 1 wide receiver flavor.
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NFL underdogs barked loudest last week, finishing 10-4-1 ATS against the NFL odds.
Unfortunately, my NFL picks and predictions stumbled upon two of the four pups that came up short against the point spread.
It was a cruel Sunday, like watching your brothers and sisters open awesome Xmas gifts, and when it came to your turn to rip through the wrapping paper, a goddamn desk lamp was waiting for you.
If Week 14 was Christmas morning for underdog bettors, then I dub Week 15 odds as Boxing Day.
For those not familiar, December 26 – also known as Boxing Day in Canada and the UK – has become one of the best shopping days of the year.
With stores clearing out their remaining holiday stock, you can find some killer deals. And for those …
Saturday offers Russell Wilson another chance to showcase why he deserves to be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback.
With plenty at stake for Steeler quarterbacks in this preseason finale, the line has swung drastically in Pittsburgh’s direction. However, as our Steelers vs. Lions predictions explain, our NFL picks are bullish on Detroit’s second-string roster ahead of this August 24 clash.
Steelers vs Lions prediction
My best betLions +6.5 (-105 at FanDuel)
My analysis
The main storyline in this game revolves around the quarterback position for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as Russell Wilson battles Justin Fields for the starting spot come Week 1.
Both men are new to th…
Amnesty International has called for a meeting with the Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, over the controversial takeover of Newcastle United.
Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty’s chief executive, has asked for the opportunity to discuss amending the Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ test to incorporate clauses that protect human rights.
Saudi takeover of Newcastle leaves human rights to fog on the Tyne | David ConnRead more
The takeover of Newcastle by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, has raised questions over the possibility of sportswashing by a Saudi state whose record on human rights has previously been described by Amnesty as “atrocious”.
Newcastle are considering whether to firm up their interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s Amine Adli but would be expected to face competition from Bayern Munich and Milan to sign the France Under-21s winger.
Adli, a skilful 23-year-old who has six goals and six assists in all competitions this season, is also being monitored by Arsenal after a breakthrough campaign at Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso. Morocco are hoping to persuade Adli to switch his allegiance to the nation where his parents were born.
Newcastle have also been tracking Leverkusen’s France international Moussa Diaby and are understood to have registered their interest in both players some time ago. They could now make a formal approach.