Making their first Champions League appearance in almost two decades on Tuesday evening, Newcastle snatched a rugged 0-0 stalemate away at Italian giants AC Milan.

While Newcastle might not have been at their free-flowing best at the San Siro, Eddie Howe’s men had to put in a resilient performance on foreign soil as they struggled to create much in the final third.

Not mustering a single shot on target until the 94th minute, the Magpies would have simply been excited to get their first Group F points on the board.

Although Newcastle’s return to Europe’s elite might have stolen most of Tuesday’s headlines, AC Milan will certainly feel that they missed out on a golden opportunity to lay down an early marker.

Despite dominating for large spells here…

Roma head coach Luciano Spalletti believes Francesco Totti could continue playing beyond the end of the coming season.

Totti, who turns 40 in September, agreed to a one-year contract extension last month after weeks of uncertainty over his future in the capital.

Roma president James Pallotta said the 2016-17 season would be the record goalscorer s last as a player, before he begins an as-yet unspecified role behind the scenes at the Stadio Olimpico.

Spalletti, however, has suggested the 2006 World Cup-winner can continue to play for as long as he wishes.

Pallotta can say what he wants, he said. But Totti will stop only when he himself decides to. In my opinion, that won t be this year, either.

He will stop when he wants. I cannot decide and neit…

Matthijs de Ligt accepted responsibility for the Netherlands Euro 2020 exit after he was sent off in the 2-0 last-16 defeat to the Czech Republic.

The Juventus defender was dismissed 10 minutes into the second half after a VAR review for a deliberate handball that denied Patrik Schick a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Goals from Tomas Holes and Schick, his fourth of the tournament, secured a memorable win for Jaroslav Silhavy s side as they secured a quarter-final clash with Denmark in Baku.

The Netherlands were far from the free-flowing side that eased through the group phase, Frank de Boer s men becoming the first Dutch side since at least 1980 to go through a Euros or World Cup game without managing a shot on target.

Yet De Ligt felt his error when jud…

Theo Walcott says he wants to be more than just a super-sub for England at Euro 2012.

The Arsenal winger made a vital contribution in the 3-2 victory over Sweden on Friday, replacing James Milner on the hour mark with England trailing 2-1, and scored the equaliser before bursting through to provide the assist for Danny Welbeck s late winner.

After his impressive cameo, the 23-year-old is hoping to start the decisive final group game against Ukraine on Tuesday.

I don t want to be known as a super-sub, Walcott told The Mirror. But you have to be ready to come off the bench and make an impact if you re not in the starting team.

This game isn t just about the 11 players who are picked. You have to rely on the 23 players who have been selected for the tourn…

Eden Hazard will have a fabulous 2021 after missing out on Belgium s final games of this year with coronavirus, according to Roberto Martinez.

Since completing a €100million move to Real Madrid in June 2019, Hazard has been beset by injury problems and limited to just 25 appearances in all competitions.

He has scored two goals and supplied four assists for Los Blancos, after a final campaign at Chelsea in which he registered 16 goals and 15 assists in the Premier League alone.

A muscle injury meant his first outing of 2020-21 did not come until October 27 and three games into his return he tested positive for coronavirus.  

Hazard was again positive for COVID-19 at the weekend and will consequently miss Belgium s crunch Nations League Group A2 clash wi…

Hansi Flick will remain interim Bayern Munich coach for at least the rest of 2019, CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge announced on Friday.

Bayern placed Flick in charge after Niko Kovac left the post in the wake of a 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt – their heaviest Bundesliga loss since April 2009 – on November 2.

The former Germany assistant coach led Bayern to a 2-0 Champions League victory over Olympiacos in his first match at the helm and followed it up with a 4-0 Klassiker crushing of Borussia Dortmund last weekend.

The performances earned Flick the confidence of Rummenigge, outgoing president Uli Hoeness and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.

Uli, Hasan and I publicly announced after the Dortmund match Hansi would be our coach until further notice…

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres comes up against former-club Liverpool on Sunday at Stamford Bridge.

This weekend’s Premier League action sees seven games take place on Saturday and three on Sunday.

Everton host Sunderland at Goodison Park in one of the six games that kick-off at 3PM.

Everton have drawn the last four games in the top flight, but remain fourth in the Premier League table.

Midfielder turned target man Marouane Fellaini has been in fantastic goal scoring form for the Toffee’s netting five goals this season. He will be hoping to add to his goal tally against the team from the North East.

Sunderland have been struggling for form in recent months and Steven Fletcher is the only Black Cats player to have found the net this season. S…

Ella Toone says her superb goal helping England triumph in the Euro 2022 final is “still a pinch-me moment” – and the kind of feeling she wants more of as she heads into her first World Cup nearly a year on.

Substitute Toone opened the scoring in the Wembley showdown against Germany with a wonderful lofted effort en route to the 2-1 victory that gave the Lionesses their first ever major trophy.

The 23-year-old Manchester United midfielder told the PA news agency: “It’s still a pinch-me moment – I still sometimes don’t think it’s sunk in.

“But the best feeling I’ve had in football, and one that I want to make sure I have over and over again.

“I’ve had that feeling of what winning is like and I definitely want to make sure that throu…

Now that the pomp and circumstance of Week 1 in the NFL have come and gone, we get back to the Thursday Night Football matchups we have grown accustomed to as the New York Giants visit the Washington Football Team.

But what better way to make this NFC East battle (that only a mother could love) than by finding some winning bets. Washington is a 3.5-point NFL betting favorite despite losing its starting quarterback for the next couple of weeks. Does that mean the G-Men could have some value as an underdog?

Find out in our free NFL picks and predictions for Giants at Washington on September 16.

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It’s a dead rubber with nothing to play for, except that’s never really true in the National Football League. The Washington Football Team and New York Giants are locked into the third and fourth spots in the NFC East — that can’t change, but both teams will be hungry to end the season on a high.

The game might not matter when it comes to the playoffs, but there are plenty of bets to be won, so don’t miss our NFL picks and predictions for Washington vs Giants on Sunday, January 9.

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