Few of Russia s host cities can rival Kazan for sheer drama in week two, as the Tatarstan capital became the end of the road for Lionel Messi, Argentina and defending champions Germany.

The week began with something of a lull, as the city recovered from several days of Colombian noise, passion and colour the South Americans crushing Poland 3-0 last Sunday.

But when the action returned to Kazan, it couldn t have been more shocking the world champions Germany seeing their campaign end in the first round for the first time since 1938, South Korea beating them 2-0 in dramatic circumstances.

If that wasn t enough, the most tantalising of the eight round-of-16 matches came to the Kazan Arena and it surpassed all expectations, as France and Argentina played out what wi…

Eliseo Quintanilla s penalty kick in the 86th minute gave El Salvador a stunning 2-1 triumph over Mexico to damage the favored Tri-color s bid to reach the 2010 South Africa World Cup.

A handball penalty in the area against Mexico set the stage for Quintanilla to become the hero and boost the Salvadorans into third place the final guaranteed World Cup qualifying position in the six-team round-robin event.

It was a debut defeat for new Mexico manager Javier Aguirre.

Aguirre, who guided Mexico to the round of 16 in the 2002 World Cup, replaced fired former England manager Sven Goran-Eriksson after Mexico s 3-1 loss at Honduras in April.

But the problems with the Mexican side remained even with the change in leadership.

Julio Martinez had given El S…

Hungary have been ordered to play their next two UEFA competition matches behind closed doors following an investigation into discriminatory behaviour by supporters at Euro 2020.

Budapest hosted four games of the tournament, which concludes on Sunday when England face Italy in the final at Wembley.

Hungary s 3-0 defeat to Portugal and 1-1 draw against France in Group F each took place at the Puskas Arena in front of packed crowds of over 60,000.

During the Portugal game, images of a banner among the home supporters in the stands reading ANTI LMBTQ – referring to the Hungarian language abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer – circulated on social media. The matter was reported to UEFA by anti-discrimination group Fare.

Before t…

Paris Saint-Germain are champions of Ligue 1 again, clinching a sixth title in seven years after Lille failed to beat Toulouse on Sunday.

The Parisians still have six matches remaining but their 16-point gap to Lille, who have played a game more, means a title race that was virtually over before it began is now officially done.

Despite plenty of teams in France s top flight playing attractive football, there is at present no side who appears capable of interrupting PSG s dominance.

No club has been able to match PSG s spending power since the Qatar Sports Investments takeover of 2011, which has transformed them from a top-six side to Ligue 1 s superpower.

Here we assess how Thomas Tuchel s first title win compares to previous years in terms of their supe…

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will be hoping his side can go six points clear at the top of the Premier League with a victory at Manchester City on Sunday

This round of Premier League fixtures is spread over three days.

The undoubted encounter of the weekend sees champions Manchester City host arch-rivals and league leaders Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium in Sunday’s early kick-off.

City head into the game three points behind their local rivals looking for a win to take them back to the top of the table, after the Citizens drew 1-1 with Everton at the Etihad Stadium last weekend.

Meanwhile United recorded a 4-3 victory at Reading.

However, both Manchester clubs suffered Champions League losses in midweek. City lost 1-0 in Dor…

Managing to reclaim their Premier League crown with a stunning turnaround 3-2 victory against Aston Villa last weekend, topped off what was a famous final weekend of the 2021/22 campaign.

Eventually holding off Jurgen Klopp s side by just a single point after a remarkable title chase this year, England s top-flight has produced a host of interesting stories from up and down the table.

With also booking their Champions League return at the expense of north London rivals Arsenal a few days ago, we still have plenty to digest following a turbulent Premier League season.

So, away from English football s top-six , we have taken a look at a few winners and losers from this year s campaign.

Winners

Brighton

Opening the 2021/22 campaign in the midst o…

In Week 3 of the NFL season, we finally start to see teams for who they really are. It’s also the beginning of the end for football bettors.

The playing field between books and bettors is pretty level in the opening two weeks, but by Week 3 the oddsmakers’ power rankings are beginning to sharpen up and the data behind those lines is fattening.

That makes betting into the best of the number vital from here on out. We give our best NFL betting tips for the Week 3 spreads and totals to bet now, and the ones to bet later.

…

It’s been 31 years since the Cincinnati Bengals last won a game in the NFL Playoffs, but they are favorites to end that drought when they face off against the Las Vegas Raiders in the AFC Wild Card tonight. 

That’s because the Bengals have something they didn’t have the last 31 years this time around – quarterback Joe Burrow. The second-year man made a huge leap in his sophomore season, but will he and a dynamic Cincinnati offense be enough to cover against a feisty Las Vegas Raiders team led by Derek Carr?

Find out in our free NFL picks and predictions for Raiders vs. Bengals on Saturday, January 15.

…

The final regular season week of NFL betting picks and predictions is always a wild one, as handicappers scour the news wires for any inclination of a team’s Week 18 plans — be it a club resting starters, pushing for a postseason spot, or wrapping up a losing campaign.

And, for what it’s worth, the last week of the schedule has gone to the dogs in recent years. 

Since 2015, point-spread underdog picks are 59-49-4 ATS in Week 17/18, covering at a near 55% clip. That includes a 27-19-2 ATS mark for dogs in those finales since 2019 (58.7%) and a 10-6 ATS count for point spread pups in the inaugural Week 18 last season.

I’m hoping underdogs keep their bite in this weekend’s closing contests as I’ve been trying to get…

Tonight’s Week 5 odds showdown on Sunday Night Football sees Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy return to San Francisco — where he served as offensive coordinator in 2005 — to face a 49ers team that looks like the best in all the land.

This game will have large implications for the race for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and it’s a primetime battle between two of the four teams in the NFL to rank Top 10 in both offensive and defensive EPA per play. But with Kyle Shanahan’s team looking legit, led by a healthy Brock Purdy, the NFL odds are tabbing the 49ers as 3.5-point favorites.

Find out where our best bets lie in our free NFL picks and predictions for the NFL player props in the Week 5 edition of Sunday Night Football featuring Cowbo…