Lorenzo Pellegrini and Nicolo Barella were on target as holders Italy continued their Euro 2024 build-up with a 2-0 victory over Ecuador in New Jersey.
The goals came at the beginning and end of the friendly at the Red Bull Arena with Pellegrini opening the scoring with a ferocious strike after just three minutes.
Ecuador enjoyed a spell of pressure in the second half but failed to take advantage and Barella sealed the win with a fine lobbed finish in time added on.
Italy coach Luciano Spalletti changed his entire XI from Thursday’s game against Venezuela with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and defender Raoul Bellanova making their debuts.
The Azzurri were quick out of the blocks and won an early free-kick outside the Ecuador area after Alan Franco fouled…
Four days after Wales did them a favour in Euro 2012 qualifying, England will be keen to inflict some pain on Gary Speed s men at Wembley.
Wales upset 2-1 win over Montenegro in Cardiff on Friday went a long way toward securing England s place in Poland and the Ukraine next year.
That result, coupled with England s comfortable 3-0 victory over Bulgaria in Sofia, handed Fabio Capello s men a three-point buffer on top of the Group G standings, and a win over Wales on Tuesday could all but wrap up qualification.
But after Wales, England s final game is a tricky trip to Podgorica to play Montenegro, meaning they cannot afford to slip at Wembley.
In March, England cruised to a 2-0 win in Cardiff when a Frank Lampard penalty and a Darren Bent goal inside the f…
Troy Parrott proved the last-gasp hero as Ireland stole a 2-1 friendly victory over Hungary, who suffered a blow less than two weeks before their Euro 2024 campaign starts.
Adam Idah opened the scoring in the first half at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, only for Adam Lang to level for the visitors four minutes later.
Yet Marco Rossi s team, who face Switzerland in their Euros opener on June 15, fell to late defeat as Parrott delivered a 92nd-minute winner for the home side.
That late strike ended Hungary’s 14-match unbeaten run (W9 D5) since losing 2-0 to Italy in a Nations League match back in September 2022.
Rossi may not be too concerned as that run was their longest undefeated streak since an 18-match streak between September 1954 and November 1955.
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The FA Cup encounter between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium promises to be an exciting one, offering a break from the Premier League title race for both teams.
Arsenal faced a setback in their last match of 2023, succumbing to a 2-1 defeat against Fulham. Meanwhile, Liverpool continued their impressive run into the new year by securing a 4-2 victory over Newcastle United, strengthening their lead at the top of the Premier League table.
Arsenal
Arsenal s recent form has been inconsistent, with a noticeable struggle in both defensive solidity and attacking prowess. Mikel Arteta s side faced a disappointing defeat against West Ham, followed by another loss against Fulham, highlighting concerns about their overall p…
Gareth Bale wants to inspire another famous Wales tournament odyssey at Euro 2020 before he returns to the Real Madrid ranks next season.
The €100million man played a leading role as Wales reached the semi-finals of the last European Championship in 2016.
Widely unfancied before that tournament, Wales were only denied a place in the final by eventual champions Portugal as Cristiano Ronaldo got one over his then Madrid team-mate Bale.
Now Wales go again on the big stage, with Bale coming off a strong finish to the season on loan at Tottenham.
He finished the campaign with 16 goals and three assists in 34 games, starting just 19 of those matches but showing enough flickers of his best form to suggest there is more to come from the 31-year-old. He far exc…
Wednesday saw Portugal win the first Euro 2016 semi-final while build-up continued to the high-profile clash in Marseille between hosts France and world champions Germany. But, as always, there was plenty going on away from the match action, and you can find the best of it in our diary
RED DRAGONS AND GOLDEN OLDIES
We have a certain stereotypical picture of the singing, chanting and howling football fan; beer in hand, slightly pink from sunburn and with a belly hanging over a pair of shorts.
A group of French men and women in their autumn years brandishing songsheets don t really fit in with the scene.
But that was exactly what happened in Lyon s old town when travelling Wales fans were joined by some scene-stealing locals ahead of their last-four…
Erling Haaland has informed Borussia Dortmund of his wish to stay at the club for another year, with director Sebastian Kehl recently confirming that the striker is in total agreement with that. However, according to AS, it is all a part of a plan which would see him join Real Madrid in 2022.
The 20-year-old, who has so far scored 37 goals in 38 games in all competitions this season, is under contract with the Bundesliga side until 2024, which puts Dortmund in a strong position together with claims that the release clause, believed to be in the region of €75 million, does not come into effect until next year. Dortmund have maintained that Haaland would not be sold this summer, and it s clear that nothing but an offer well in excess of €100m would tempt them into reconsideri…
Germany kicked off their Euro 2012 campaign in efficient fashion, grinding out a 1-0 win over Portugal on Saturday.
Mario Gomez s pinpoint header after 72 minutes earned the beaten 2008 finalists to a crucial three points, and equal top of Group B with Denmark after their tournament opener.
The match was certainly not one for the purists, with clear-cut chances hard to come by. Both sides gave a disciplined, if not dynamic performance on the field.
Neither side were in any hurry to take control early, though Cristiano Ronaldo did cause a few hearts to flutter when he flashed a low centre across the face of goal.
With just under a quarter of an hour gone, Germany keeper Manuel Neuer was floored by a dreadful late challenge from Helder Postiga, who was pe…
Napoli moved top of Serie A following a routine 2-0 win over Monza at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
First-half goals from Matteo Politano and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia did the trick for Antonio Conte s side, who leapfrogged Juventus to the summit of the table.
The hosts broke through in the 22nd minute as Politano rounded off a strong run by drilling a low shot beyond Stefano Turati in the Monza goal.
The visitors were then victims of their own downfall as Napoli doubled their lead 11 minutes later.
Turati pass out from the back went straight to Frank Anguissa, who then combined with Scott McTominay to set up Kvaratskhelia to volley home.
Though Monza improved in the second half, they were unable to truly trouble Napoli, who held out for the three po…
Ralf Rangnick expressed frustration at aspects of Austria s defensive showing but lauded their entertainment factor after the exit at Euro 2024, where other games have been difficult to stay awake for .
Austria topped Group D ahead of France and the Netherlands but were exposed from two corners in their last-16 defeat against Turkiye, who triumphed 2-1 in Leipzig on Tuesday.
Merih Demiral capitalised just 57 seconds into the encounter after Arda Guler s set-piece caused carnage, before the same combination provided another telling blow in the second half.
Austria have now fallen at the first knockout stage in back-to-back editions of the Euros, though Rangnick was far from displeased with his battling side.
We didn t have the necessary luck, the Austria …