List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Already one of the true legends of the women’s game, Lucy Bronze has been a regular for England since making her debut in 2013 and has played all across the park, although she is best known as a marauding right-back, overlapping Beth Mead in the Euros to often devastating effect. Born into a bilingual Portuguese-English family in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Bronze, now 31, played for Alnwick Town until she turned 12, when FA regulations prevented her from continuing to play for the boys’ team, a matter about which her coach felt so strongly he launched an unsuccessful discrimination case to challenge the rules, reluctant to lose his best player to an outmoded technicality. A multi-talented athlete in secondary school, she played at youth level for Blyth Town and Sunderland, graduating to the latter’s senior squad and winning the FA Women’s Premier League Northern Division in 2008/09 before relocating to the US to enrol at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to play for the Tar Heels, a path future LionessesAlessia Russo and Lotte Wubben-Moy would later follow. Returning to England to complete her sports science degree at Leeds Metropolitan University, playing for the institution’s women’s team while supporting herself by working at Domino’s Pizza, Bronze then commenced her senior career in earnest with Everton in 2010. After two years, she transferred to city rivals Liverpool where she won back-to-back Women’s Super Leagues, before moving to Manchester City in 2014, where she again won the title and the FA Cup in 2016. She then moved on to France to play for all-conquering Lyon in 2017, winning the Champions League, three successive league titles, two domestic cups and finishing second in the running for the 2019 Ballon d’Or before returning to City for further cup success. A final switch to Barcelona alongside long-time teammate Keira Walsh followed last summer and the Catalans duly won the title and Champions League in Bronze’s debut season. A hugely popular and respected member of the England set up with 105 caps to her name and counting, and an Instagram account for her West Highland Terrier Narla, it could all have been so different for Lucy Bronze. As the daughter of a maths teacher, she had reportedly planned to become an accountant had football not worked out. Read More How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule

Jordan Nobbs, an energetic box-to-box midfielder and former Arsenal captain, has had more than her fair share of bad luck in recent years and was forced to miss out on the 2019 World Cup, the 2020 Olympic Games and Euro 2022 because of knee and ankle injuries. Even in spite of those heart-breaking setbacks, she has still notched up 71 appearances for her country and scored eight times, including a memorable long-range drive against Italy on her debut in the Cyprus Cup in March 2013, in addition to captaining the national side at under-17 level. Now 30, Nobbs will be relishing her chance to get out on the field at a major tournament once again, rather than languishing in a TV studio on punditry duties, and has the calm and experience to martial the Lionesses from the middle of the park, as Jill Scott was often called upon to do during difficult moments last summer. Nobbs was born in Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham and is a product of Sunderland’s youth system, making her first team debut for the Black Cats at 16 and scoring nine times in 29 outings between 2008 and 2011, during which time the side were beaten FA Cup finalists in 2009 and she was named FA Young Player of the Year in 2010. Nobbs subsequently signed for the Gunners in 2010 and became an integral part of the North London club’s success for more than a decade, winning three Barclay’s Women’s Super League titles (captaining the side that lifted the trophy in 2019), as well as four FA Cups and five League Cups. She scored 52 goals in 157 matches between 2010 and 2023 before that sequence of niggling injuries began to hamper her progress and eat into her playing opportunities. Earlier this year she gave herself a new lease of life when she signed for Aston Villa, joining up with current England teammate and Rachel Daly, and scored a hat-trick in a 6-2 trouncing of Brighton, firmly re-establishing her credentials at the highest level. Read More How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule

Manchester City winger Lauren Hemp was one of the Lionesses’s most dynamic attacking threats at Euro 2022, providing a steady supply of crosses into the box from the left while unafraid to cut inside for a shot, perfectly complimenting Beth Mead’s game on the opposite flank. She only scored once in the tournament, during an 8-0 demolition of Norway in the group stages, but supplied the crucial extra-time corner that was poked home by Chloe Kelly in the final against Germany to secure the trophy and send an 87,000-strong Wembley crowd into raptures. But Hemp, 22, can certainly finish, having scored 10 for her country at senior level in 38 games, four of which came in a brutal 20-0 thrashing of Latvia in November 2021. Since last summer’s triumph, Sarina Wiegman has experimented with playing her as a number nine in a friendly against the USA last October, which paid off when Hemp scored early on in a 2-1 win, giving the manager fresh food for thought as she seeks a permanent replacement for retired record goalscorer Ellen White up front. Hailing from North Walsham in Norfolk, she began her career with her hometown team, playing alongside her sister Amy, before moving on to Norwich City to continue her youth career. From there, Hemp moved west to play for Bristol City, where she scored nine goals in 24 appearances between 2016 and 2018 and was named England’s Young Player of the Year for 2017, catching the eye of Manchester City. She has since scored 30 times for the blue half of Manchester in 81 games to date, including in the 2019 FA Cup Final when she came off the bench to net the winner and lift her first trophy. Read More How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule

There are barely 100 miles between Doha and Dammam. One city in the Persian Gulf which, until recent years, relatively few football fans elsewhere had to consider, brought arguably the culmination of Jordan Henderson’s Liverpool career, the other a conclusion that feels both sudden and premature and yet comes 11 years after Brendan Rodgers infamously tried to offload him to Fulham to get Clint Dempsey. Three years before Doha hosted the World Cup final, it staged the Club World Cup final. Henderson, the fifth Liverpool captain to lift the European Cup, became the first to raise the trophy that gave them the mantle of world champions. The ‘Hendo lift’, a trademark shuffle before picking up the silverware, capped their rise from the doldrums and his own ascent. Henderson was the misfit who became the only Liverpool skipper to win the lot: Premier League, Champions League, Club World Cup, European Super Cup, FA Cup, League Cup and Community Shield. And now he has joined the retirement home for Liverpool captains in Saudi Arabia, reunited with Steven Gerrard at Al Ettifaq in Damman. Robbie Fowler is in the neighbouring city of Al Khobar. Perhaps Phil Thompson and Phil Neal, Alan Hansen and Ian Rush will pop up there too, though presumably not Graeme Souness, who has criticised Henderson’s decision. That Gerrard, the mentor who groomed Henderson as his successor, has now disrupted Jurgen Klopp’s plans to transition between generations may irritate: Liverpool’s history has been a burden before but two men who have made the right sort have now posed a problem in the present. For Henderson, a departure comes with less fanfare than his old sidekick James Milner’s move to Brighton and more questions if he has tarnished what otherwise looked a wonderful legacy. Contrasting statements can both be true. The midfielder has earnt the right to take whichever decision he chooses; his band of admirers can nevertheless be disappointed with the one he has made. Liverpool LGBTQ+ fan group Kop Out said they were “appalled and concerned”; Henderson had appeared an ally to them, and to many other communities, offering vocal leadership on the field and moral leadership off the field. Saudi Arabia is not the logical destination for a man who had taken principled stands. If nothing came easily to Henderson at Anfield, now there is the sense he is giving up something he worked so hard for. When the Wearsider signed his penultimate Liverpool contract, in 2018, he said: “There is no other place in the world I would rather play football. I want to be here for as long as I can be.” Times change, along with circumstances, opinions and priorities but a slogan Liverpool adopted – “this means more” – felt particularly true for Henderson; the tearful pitchside embrace with his father, Brian, after the 2019 Champions League final moved many who knew neither in person. Henderson represented a great feelgood story; he was the ugly duckling who became a swan at Anfield, part of the seemingly gruesome foursome of expensive British buys in 2011, with Andy Carroll, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing. If none appeared good enough for Liverpool, Rodgers shared those doubts upon his appointment the following year; he was willing to let Henderson leave. Instead, the midfielder won him over to such an extent that he became captain. There was a sense, too, that Klopp was initially unconvinced by Henderson. In later years, he was happy to call him Liverpool’s “General”. Henderson, he reflected in 2021, was “essential to all the things we achieved in the last few years”. His Liverpool career was a triumph of character even as he could remain curiously underestimated or damned with faint praise. “If anybody does not see the quality of Jordan Henderson, then I cannot help them,” Klopp said in 2020; many remained blinded to it but Henderson was voted Footballer of the Year that year as the driving force in a team who won 26 of their first 27 league games and who ended Liverpool’s three-decade wait to become champions of England. Without ever oozing class, he proved a top-quality performer in two roles for Klopp: first, in the manager’s vernacular, as a No. 6 and then, after Fabinho’s arrival, as a No. 8 as well. He was an eager gegenpresser but that sometimes camouflaged his other qualities: he has often been a fine crosser, including from infield positions; many of his 33 Liverpool goals were spectacular. He had the tactical awareness to cover for Trent Alexander-Arnold in a way that meant the attack-minded right-back was rarely exposed for years. He was a valiant makeshift centre-back, including in the Club World Cup semi-final. He made 57 appearances as they came agonisingly close to the quadruple in 2021-22; perhaps that represented a last hurrah before the troubled 2022-23, the arrival of fellow midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, the reinvention of Alexander-Arnold, the prospect of a diminished role and, maybe, the passing of time persuaded him to move on when he had two years left on his contract and enduring importance. Or, alternatively, it was simply the Saudi millions. Henderson leaves with 492 appearances, level with Roger Hunt, one behind Ronnie Whelan, and eight years as captain, topped only by Gerrard, Ron Yeats and Alex Raisbeck. From unpromising beginnings, he became an all-time Liverpool great. But it is a shame he decided it had to end this way. Read More Liverpool agree £12m deal to sell Jordan Henderson to Saudi club Al Ettifaq Who could replace Fabinho? Liverpool transfer options analysed Liverpool transfer news: Latest Romeo Lavia and Federico Valverde updates as Dominik Szoboszlai signs

With the retirement of England’s record goalscorer Ellen White in the wake of last summer’s Euros triumph, much of the responsibility for providing the side’s attacking threat could now fall upon the shoulders of Alessia Russo. Russo, 24, who has just moved from Manchester United to Arsenal on a free transfer, grew in influence as that tournament progressed, regularly emerging from the bench to replace White and scoring twice in a 5-0 thrashing of Northern Ireland, as well as netting arguably the goal of the tournament in the semi-final: an utterly outrageous backheel to embarrass Sweden. Born and raised in Maidstone, Kent, Russo is of Sicillian heritage and took to football from an early age, both her father Mario and older brother Giorgio having played at non-league level. Rising through the youth ranks of first Charlton Athletic and then Chelsea, she briefly appeared for Brighton and Hove Albion in 2017 before enrolling at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she spent two years playing college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels alongside Lotte Wubben-Moy, scoring an impressive 28 goals across 58 games over two seasons before having to curtail her time in the United States because of the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Subsequently signing for Manchester United, she has scored 22 goals in 48 games for the Red Devils over the last three seasons, form that has earned her the attention of Sarina Wiegman and a move to the multiple title-winners, where she will link up next season with Lionesses’s teammates Leah Williamson, Wubben-Moye and Beth Mead and European greats Vivianne Miedema and Stina Blackstenius. The goalscoring form of both Rachel Daly and Bethany England last season means Russo’s place in the starting lineup as White’s natural replacement is by no means a given, however. Read More How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today

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Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou admits he is “not relaxed” by the uncertainty over the future of Harry Kane and wants the issue sorted as soon as possible. England captain Kane has emerged as a prime transfer target for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich this summer. The 29-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season but, while Bayern continue to push to secure his services and have reportedly lodged two bids for the forward, Spurs’ stance remains the same, they have no intention of selling Kane. Tottenham’s record goalscorer has also been offered a new contract that is a significant increase on his current £200,000-a-week terms, the PA news agency understands, although reports claimKane will not sign a fresh deal this summer. Postecoglou, who was appointed as new Spurs boss ahead of the new campaign, conceded the situation is not a welcome one. He told reporters, via football.london: “Fair to say I am not relaxed about it! “It’s not something you go: ‘Ah, well, you know if it does or doesn’t happen!’ I mean it’s a very important part of this football club, not just the team, but the football club. “So, you’ve got to deal with it, and I think, for everyone concerned, we don’t want to be doing it for too long. I don’t think that is good for anyone. I don’t think it is good for Harry, I don’t think it is good for the club, because as laser focused as we want to be, you end up sort of repeating yourself along the way. “But the flip side of that is I don’t want to put a deadline on it, because that adds even more pressure. You want these things to happen for the right reasons. The reality of it is he’s still a contracted player at our football club, so that’s the way I see him. “It’s not like his contract is ending on the 12th [of August] and he’s got to make a decision, he’s got another year.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The Women’s World Cup continued with three games taking place on the second day of the tournament. Spain and Switzerland got their campaigns off to a winning start against Costa Rica and the Philippines respectively. However, Canada were forced to share the spoils with Nigeria after Christine Sinclair’s spot-kick was saved. Here the PA news agency takes a look at Friday’s action. Dominant Spain Spain started their campaign by easing to a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica. Valeria del Campo’s own goal was followed by strikes from Aitana Bonmati and Esther Gonzalez in the next six minutes. Jenni Hermoso also had a penalty saved by Daniela Solera before half-time, meaning that there has been a spot-kick awarded in all five games in the tournament so far. The match also marked the return of double Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, who played the final 13 minutes of the game following her return from an ACL injury. Missed chances for Canada It was not the start to the tournament that Canada were hoping for after being held to a 0-0 draw by Nigeria in Group B. In a tense clash, veteran Sinclair had the opportunity to put Canada ahead from the penalty spot, but she was denied by brilliant diving save from Nigeria’s goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie. The Super Eagles had Deborah Abiodun sent-off in the final stages of the game. Nnadozie’s stellar performance earned praise from Nigeria coach Randy Waldrum. He said: “Chiamaka has done this before and I will say this and I will embarrass her in front of you all, but I think she’s one of the best young goalkeepers in the world right now.” Swiss top Group A Switzerland take the advantage into the next round of fixtures after they beat the Philippines 2-0 to top Group A. It was a tough start for the Filipinas on their World Cup debut after Katrina Guillou had her effort ruled out for offside in the 16th minute. Ramona Bachmann then put the Swiss ahead with a penalty before the break and Seraina Piubel secured victory with her strike in the 64th minute. Switzerland are level with co-hosts New Zealand on three points and will face Norway next on Tuesday. Picture of the Day Quote of the Day This may be our first time out here but it doesn’t feel like it. We have way more to give. We’re going to look forward to the next one and bring it as hard as we can. Philippines goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel Post of the Day Up Next Group E: USA v Vietnam (2am, Eden Park, Auckland)Group C: Zambia v Japan (8am, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton)Group D: England v Haiti (10.30am, Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane)Group D: Denmark v China (1pm, Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth)all times BST Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Paul Wellens wants St Helens to use past disappointments as fuel against Leigh Open officials alter bunkers after complaints as Brian Harman surges into lead England mascot Dave the cat supporting Lionesses from his new home

US Women’s National Team (USWNT) striker Trinity Rodman is seeking to introduce herself on the international stage in Australia and New Zealand after making swift progress at domestic level playing for Washington Spirit, scoring 13 goals in 47 appearances since making her debut in 2021. She will also be seeking to emerge from the long shadow cast by her famous father, Dennis Rodman, one of basketball’s greatest and most eccentric stars who was pivotal to the success of the “Bad Boy”-era Detroit Pistons and to Michael Jordan’s dominant Chicago Bulls team of the 1990s. The star has largely been a remote figure in his daughter’s life as she was raised by her mother Michelle Moyer but Rodman has said she learned the importance of being reactive from watching clips of his performances on the court. “Even if he wasn’t the first guy under the basket or he was next to Shaq [O’Neal], who was way bigger, way taller, he was going to get the rebound,” she said of her father recently. “It was timing, it was anticipation, it was body movement, it was positioning, it was everything. And I think he was so intelligent and I think people take that away. He was a freak of nature. He was an insane athlete, but at the end of the day, he, I think, was one of the smartest players at the time. He knew the game.” Hailing from Newport Beach, California, Rodman, now 21, began playing football at 10 for SoCal Blues, winning four national championships in the Elite Clubs National League before graduating high school and enrolling at Washington State University with the intention of playing for its college soccer side the Cougars, only for her time there to be completely derailed by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Subsequently turning professional and signing with Spirit in DC, she made her debut at 18 – scoring five minutes after coming on as a substitute – and has never looked back. Rodman was named Rookie of the Year and US Soccer Young Female Player of the Year in 2021 and was nominated for the Ballon d’Or Feminin in 2022 and has since progressed with ease into the ranks of the all-conquering USWNT alongside such greats of the women’s game as Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle. She threatens to be the breakout star of this World Cup. Read More FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today

Australian Travis Smyth has aced the 17th hole at the British Open

Groupe Amaury, the closely held family business that owns the Tour de France, saw revenue jump by nearly

Haiti have nothing to lose on their Women’s World Cup debut as they join England, Denmark and China in Group D. Ranked 53rd in the world, Haiti are one of eight teams playing at the Women’s World Cup for the first time, a stage that reached via the inter-continental play-offs. Rising star Melchie Dumornay scored twice in their final 2-1 victory over Chile, and Haiti have the talent to cause further upsets if they can balance their ambition with defensive organisation. Nicolas Delepine’s side are faced with a tough task, however. Not only will they face European champions England in Group D, but Asian champions China as well. Haiti Group fixtures (all times BST) Saturday 22 July 2023: England vs Haiti (10:30, Brisbane Stadium) Friday 28 July 2023: China vs Haiti (12:00, Adelaide) Tuesday 1 August: Haiti vs Denmark (12:00, Perth Rectangular Stadium) Confirmed squad Goalkeepers: Nahomie Ambroise (Little Haiti), Lara-Sofia Larco (Georgetown University), Kerly Theus (Miami City). Defenders: Tabita Joseph (Stade Brestois 29), Kethna Louis (Montpellier), Ruthny Mathurin (Mississippi State), Betina Petit-Frere (Stade Brestois 29), Milan Raquel Pierre-Jerome (Georges Mason University), Chelsea Surpris (Grenoble), Jennyfer Limage (Grenoble), Maudeline Moryl (Grenoble) Joseph Esthericove (Exafoot) Midfielders: Melchie Dumornay (Lyon), Danielle Etienne (Fordham Rams), Noa Olivia Ganthier (Weston), Sherly Jeudy (Grenoble), Dayana Pierre-Louis (GPSO Issy) Forwards: Roselord Borgella (Dijon), Roseline Eloissaint (Nantes), Florsie Darlina Joseph (Grenoble), Shwendesky Macelus Joseph (Zenit St Petersburg), Batcheba Louis (FC Fleury), Nerilia Mondesir (Montpellier) Key player There is considerable excitement around the 19-year-old Melchie Dumornay, who has signed a pre-contract with European powerhouse Lyon ahead of the new season. The midfielder scored twice as Haiti beat Chile in the inter-continental play-offs to qualify for the World Cup and is regarded as one of the best young players in the world. “You can’t compare Melchie with any other player, she’s special,” team-mate Jennyfer Limage told Fifa. The coach Frenchman Nicolas Delepine helped spark scenes of national celebration when Haiti qualified for their first ever World Cup by beating Chile in the play-off final. With the majority of the Haiti team already playing in France, Delepine took the job from French club Grenoble Foot 38 and wants his team to play quick, attacking football. Read More Women’s World Cup 2023 LIVE: England build-up to Haiti opener after Spain win How to watch England vs Haiti: TV channel and start time for Women’s World Cup opener Women’s World Cup odds: Who are favourites to win the tournament? England Women’s squad for World Cup 2023 England women World Cup fixtures and route to the final England’s World Cup hinges on a defining question