England
Arsenal warned off signing £35 million international star
Not long to go now folks! We’re around an hour away from the start of the quarter-finals at the European Championships. It’s the ‘tough half of the draw’ this evening as Spain face Switzerland, while Italy go head-to-head with Belgium. On Saturday we’ve got Czech Republic against Denmark and England versus Ukraine. Or, as most of the English media would have you believe, England are playing and no one else. Ahead of the action, we’ve dug out three stories that have caught our attention for our latest Euro 2020 Diary. Arsenal warned off Locatelli ‘I’m not a manager, but it’s not something I would do if I was in Mikel Arteta’s shoes.’ Nigel Winterburn there, telling the current Arsenal boss not to sign Manuel Locatelli. The 23-year-old has been superb at Euro 2020, sparking talk that he coul...
Euro 2020: UEFA name German referee for England vs Ukraine
German referee Felix Brych will take charge of England vs Ukraine – just days after the Three Lions dumped his nation out of Euro 2020. Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane grabbed the goals as Gareth Southgate’s side defeated Germany 2-0 at Wembley on Tuesday. That was enough to fire England into the quarters where they are now preparing to take on Ukraine in Rome. And the man in the middle will be someone who would have wanted England to lose two days ago. Brych is Germany’s representative at Euro 2020 and one of the best-known referees in the world. He took charge of Portugal’s last 16 exit to Belgium, a match in which he dished out five yellow cards. He’s already refereed Ukraine at this tournament, overseeing their thrilling 3-2 defeat to Holland. That match saw Ukraine boss Andriy Shevchen...
Ukraine vs England – Euro 2020 Quarter-Final Preview, H2H, Team News, Players to Watch & Predicted Line-ups
England’s pursuit of the Euro 2020 title continues at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday as they take on Ukraine in an intriguing quarter-final showdown. Ukraine came out on top of an extra-time drama against Sweden in the last-16, with Oleksandr Zinchenko’s breathtaking display nudging the Ukrainians to a 2-1 victory. Meanwhile, England’s quest to win their first European Championship title saw them crash out fierce rivals Germany 2-0 in the first knock-out round on the back of another Raheem Sterling’s heroic. But be aware that this will be England’s first match at the tournament away from Wembley. Note: You can watch all Euro 2020 games via live streaming. Ukraine Preview Artem Dovbyk’s last-gasp strike fired Ukraine past Sweden last time out, helping them reach the quarter-finals in ...
Euro 2020: Italy bars travelling England fans from Rome stadium
Fans travelling from the UK to Italy for England’s Euro 2020 quarterfinal clash with Ukraine on Saturday will not be allowed to enter the stadium in Rome, even if they have a ticket, due to coronavirus curbs, the Italian Embassy in London said on Thursday. England’s victory over Germany on Tuesday set up the last-eight clash at the Stadio Olimpico, but fans looking to make the journey to Italy from the UK cannot attend the match. “Anybody who has been in the UK in the previous 14 days, irrespective of their nationality or residency, will not be admitted to the stadium, even if they have a ticket,” a statement read. “Only those who can prove that they have arrived in Italy at least six days previously, have observed five days of quarantine, and have taken a post-quarantine Covid-19 test wit...
Euro 2020 Predictions: England, Denmark, Spain and Italy to progress to the semifinals
After a thrilling set of last 16 ties, the Euro 2020 quarter-finals are upon us. We could be in for another exhilarating round of fixtures. With giants such as France, Germany, Portugal and Netherlands all eliminated, the tournament is wide open. All of the remaining eight will know that there is a huge opportunity to get some silverware in the cabinet. Here are our predictions for the quarter-finals. Switzerland vs Spain Morata got his first goal of the summer in extra time Having looked down and out against France, Switzerland pulled off the shock of the tournament by coming back and defeating the world champions on penalties. Spain’s game against Croatia was equally as thrilling. They were 3-1 up going into the closing stages but conceded twice late on to go to extra time before hitting...
‘We’ve got to make sure we’re ready’: Spurs star issues rallying call
Harry Kane insists there is no room for complacency in the England camp following a memorable 2-0 win over Germany as he pinpoints Ukraine’s ‘greatest strength.’ Kane told the England team’s official YouTube channel the Three Lions have to be at their best to get past Ukraine in the quarter-finals. “We were on the couch, and we were watching it – we had it on, and it was a good game,” he said. “Ukraine had a huge high, scoring in injury-time, so I’m sure they’ll be buzzing today, and I’m sure they’ll take that into the game on Saturday. “We’ve just got to make sure we’re ready for everyone, their greatest strength is our team unity, and we need to be ready. “We know if we play to our highest abilities, we should have enough to win the game. But it’s knockout football, so we’ve got to make ...
‘This should not frighten us’: Man City star not phased by facing England
Manchester City star Oleksandr Zinchenko believes in Ukraine’s chances of surpassing England in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals this Saturday. In an interview with The Independent, Zinchenko maintained England’s strength and squad depth but insisted Ukraine will fancy their chances in Rome. “I watched almost all of their matches at the Euros except for (Germany),” he said. “I know many players of the team personally, thanks to the matches in the Premier League. “It is very difficult to score for this team. It is a great team with a fantastic selection of performers. “If you look at their bench, there are players worth, probably, like three national teams of Ukraine. “But this should not frighten us, but rather motivate us. I have already felt that everything in this life is real. I will perso...
Former Tottenham star shows up biased pundit
It happened folks! England finally got the job done in a big game against Germany on Tuesday. The Three Lions just about deserved their 2-0 win, although it wouldn’t be England if there weren’t a few scary moments along the way. In our latest Euro 2020 Diary, we look at a couple of talking points around the game and assess what lies ahead. England unites People have had a tough time of things over the last year and a bit, but football is once again proving how it has the power to lift everyone. The viewing figures for England’s game highlight that point to perfection, and they are likely to increase if the team goes further. Peak TV audience on @BBCOne for the England game yesterday was 20.6m = 80.1% of audience. — Simon Stone (@sistoney67) June 30, 2021 The atmosphere at Wembley Stadium w...
2 England, 1 Belgium, 2 Switzerland – Best XI from the round of 16
As the group stages came to a close, the knockout rounds of Euro 2020 begun, and the round of 16 certainly didn’t disappoint. We’ve had everything you could possibly want. Penalty shootouts, giant killings, last gasp winners, eight-goal thrillers, screamers, VAR drama – it’s what we live for as football fans. Here are our picks for the best XI from the round of 16. Jordan Pickford (GK) – England’s goalkeeper position has been the subject of debate for a while now, with many of the fans preferring the likes of Nick Pope and Dean Henderson over the Everton stopper. However, Gareth Southgate stuck with Pickford and has been rewarded for his faith. Against Germany, the 27-year-old was on top of his game, making crucial saves to deny Timo Werner and Kai Havertz at 0-0. Cesar Azpilicueta (R...
West Ham star responds in five words to Leeds player’s IG post after Euro win
England end a 55-year wait for a knockout tie victory over Germany after winning 2-0 on Tuesday afternoon at Wembley. Gareth Southgate’s side earned a memorable victory with Raheem Sterling and skipper Harry Kane scoring for the home side to put them through to the quarter finals. Sterling, who scored the winners against Croatia and the Czech Republic in the group stage, gave England the lead after slotting home a Luke Shaw cross from the left in the 75th minute. Kane opened his scoring account of the tournament after heading in from substitute Jack Grealish’s perfect delivery. Jordan Pickford was sensational once again, with the Everton goalkeeper yet to concede a goal in the tournament. He made two crucial saves from Timo Werner and Kai Havertz in eac...
Former Tottenham player delivers nonsense Euro verdict, FA jump the gun
Goodbye group stage, hello knockout phase. Yes folks, we’re down to the last 16 in the European Championships and as Jim Ross would say ‘business is about to pick up’. We’ve reached the stage of the tournament where a mistake can kill someone’s career, or one goal could lead to a player bagging a big-money move they don’t deserve. Let’s look at some of the key talking points from the last 24 hours and establish which team we want to crash out of the competition. Denmark on a mission The football world froze two weeks ago as Christian Eriksen collapsed during Denmark’s opening game against Finland at the European Championships. Thankfully, the medical experts miraculously worked their magic, and Eriksen has lived to fight another day. What a man! ‘He’s become a friend’ – how Kasper Hjulmand...
Former Chelsea player urges manager to take the safe option and ignore Villa star’s claims
Former England and Chelsea star Joe Cole has urged Gareth Southgate to include Mason Mount in his starting line-up against Germany instead of Jack Grealish. During an interview with talkSPORT, Cole reiterated his admiration for the Aston Villa playmaker but implored Southgate to bring Mount back into the starting XI. “As much as I love Jack, I would go with Mase ahead of him for this game,” he said. “Jack won’t like this, but having Jack off the bench, if it is level after 60 minutes, imagine Wembley seeing Jack step up if we need something. “You need someone on the bench who can change something. “Mason is a little bit more disciplined in the central position, which allows you to change the system a little bit. “It is like choosing [a favourite] between your kids. Choosing between Mason M...
