Category: News

[ad_1] Week 15 kicked off with the 49ers grinding out a 21-13 win over the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. With the win, San Francisco clinched the NFC West division title and joined the Eagles as the only teams to clinch a playoff berth so far this season. Rookie QB Brock Purdy, making his second start for the 49ers, threw a pair of touchdown passes to George Kittle and ran for a crucial first down on San Francisco’s game-clinching drive. RB Christian McCaffrey ran for a game-high 108 yards and…

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[ad_1] Stories of alleged political corruption can often feel a little dry in the details — all shell companies, wire transfers and offshore accounts. This is not one of those stories. This is a set of allegations — denied by those involved — that concern one of Europe’s most senior politicians, the Qatar World Cup and fat bundles of cash lined up on a table and tweeted out by the Belgian police. Eva Kaili, one of the European Parliament’s 14 vice-presidents, has been detained and charged with corruption in one…

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[ad_1] Welcome to our NHL projections and probabilities page where you will find each team’s projected point total, its probability of making the playoffs, and its odds of advancing to each subsequent round, including winning the Stanley Cup. The projections are based on 50,000 simulations of the remainder of the season, which factors in each team’s projected strength, current health, and their strength of schedule (which includes opponent strength, venue and rest). Each team’s projected strength is based on the projected value of the players on its roster based on…

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[ad_1] The World Cup has brought us some interesting goal celebrations — from Achraf Hakimi’s waddle against Spain to Kylian Mbappe’s effort after his double against Poland. But what is the origin of them and what do they all mean? Nick Miller and Jeff Rueter explain… Achraf Hakimi (Morocco v Spain) Oh, how convenient this particular sleuthing assignment is. If you had seen the entirety of the Welsh side skipping gleefully around the net to celebrate a Gareth Bale goal, you would never assume it was in homage to Tottenham…

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[ad_1] Lionel Messi’s goal from the penalty spot against France has made World Cup history. The 35-year-old has become the first player in the World Cup’s history to score in the group stages, round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final. Messi is playing in his fifth World Cup and is attempting to win the tournament for the first time, after he lost the 2014 final 1-0 to Germany. You can follow live coverage of the 2022 final between Messi’s Argentina and France here. The goal is Messi’s sixth at Qatar…

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[ad_1] Gianni Infantino has spent the past year telling anyone who would listen that this will be the biggest World Cup FIFA has staged and Sunday’s final is expected to bring the confirmation. For all the controversies that have accompanied the tournament staged in Qatar, it is forecast that a record-breaking audience will watch Argentina face France at the Lusail Stadium. Flick on the television or follow a stream and you will be one of more than a billion viewers to do so. FIFA will hope the average audience, those…

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[ad_1] It was called a “sprinkling of sorcery” by commentator Sam Matterface on UK broadcaster ITV. Matterface and expert summarisers Lee Dixon and Ally McCoist had just witnessed 35-year-old Lionel Messi take apart one of the standout defenders in the World Cup, Josko Gvardiol, to create the goal that sealed Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Croatia in Tuesday’s semi-final. The Croatian centre-back is 15 years Messi’s junior. At 6ft 1in (185cm), he’s six inches (16cm) taller than the Argentinian. And he tips the scales at 80kg (176lb), making him seven kilos…

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[ad_1] Most of them didn’t even know. DeForest Buckner sat at his locker, picking a scab from his knee, trying to stop the blood from trickling down his shin. “Shoot, I’m in disbelief, man,” the defensive tackle said. “We preach the word ‘FINISH’ all the time around here. But we don’t finish.” Across the room, Quenton Nelson slumped in his seat, his eyes fixed on the floor, his mind lost in thought. The Pro Bowl guard sat silently, trying to process what he’d just been a part of — the…

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[ad_1] World Cup win or not, Lionel Messi is, it seems, quite good at football. Many people have gone to matches just to watch him, others have come up against him and pulled their hair out trying to stop him. He became the best in the world at the three things you can do with the ball at your feet: dribbling, passing, shooting. He convinced the world to play without a recognised striker at a time when he was breaking goalscoring records. This piece is a celebration of Messi the…

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[ad_1] For a number of years, Turf Moor was seen as an intimidating Premier League away ground. In all weather — although it was usually cold, wet and windy — a visiting team knew they were in for one of their toughest battles of the season. It was ferocious, physical and loud. In Burnley’s final couple of seasons in the top flight, that fear factor faded. Teams were matching their hosts’ physicality and intensity. The crowd’s impact was less noticeable. The aura was weakening. Between a 3-2 victory over Aston Villa…

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