An early free-kick from superstar Neymar helped Brazil past Colombia and into the Rio 2016 men s football semi-finals.
The Barcelona forward struck from range in the 12th minute before Luan netted in the second half of a 2-0 win in Sao Paulo on Saturday.
The hosts are under pressure to deliver gold at their home Olympics and Neymar s effort helped them on their way.
Awaiting them in the last four are Honduras, who were fortunate to claim a 1-0 win over South Korea thanks to an Alberth Elis goal on the hour.
Germany continued their free-scoring form by thrashing Portugal 4-0 to set up a meeting with Nigeria.
Runners-up in 2008, Nigeria claimed a 2-0 win over Denmark, Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel opening the scoring.
HIGHL…
Over 200 people were arrested on Sunday in Austria on the second day of Euro 2008, including 157 mostly German fans in Klagenfurt, the interior ministry said on Monday.
Among those arrested in the south Austrian town, where Germany and Poland met for their first group stage match, were 144 Germans and 10 Polish fans, said ministry spokesman Konrad Kogler.
All except two fans have since been released, Klagenfurt police spokesman Gottlieb Tuerk told AFP.
They were not expected to be expelled from the country as previously reported in the media, he added.
Dozens of German supporters were arrested after chanting Nazi slogans, which is punishable by up to two years in prison under Austrian law.
But Carinthia police decided not to press incitement…
We’re halfway through the season in German Bundesliga which is turning to be quite an eventful competition this year.
As one of Europe’s most popular competition, Bundesliga is generating plenty of attention across the continent.
The current season has thus far produced some brilliant but also funny and strange moments, especially when it comes to goalkeeping bloopers.
Top ten of those can be seen in this great compilation produced by Bundesliga’s official channel.
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It is tempting to look back at Spain s 2010 World Cup triumph and remember only the final the glorious victory of brain over brawn, of elegance over Dutch brutality.
Andres Iniesta wrote his name in Spanish folklore with the extra-time winner, granting him eternal reverence, and applause at every ground he subsequently visited with Barcelona.
In addition to Iniesta, Vicente del Bosque was able to call on the rugged Carles Puyol in defence, the midfield artistry of Xavi and Xabi Alonso and the predatory instincts of David Villa and Fernando Torres.
A team so good you d imagine they breezed through the group stage with the minimum of fuss.
Not so. Indeed, their early travails in South Africa bear a striking similarity to Spain s struggles in advancing …
A classic NFC South showdown takes center stage for Sunday Night Football in Week 15, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play host to the reeling New Orleans Saints at the pirate ship.
The Bucs are favored by 11.5 as they aim to win for the fifth straight game. The Saints, on the other hand, have mostly struggled of late outside of Week 14’s beatdown against the Jets. The Buccaneers are not the Jets.
Here are our free NFL picks and predictions for Saints at Bucs on December 19.
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We’re already in Week 10 and despite a bump in the road last week, it’s been a profitable season to date on the player prop front.
The Week 10 markets have been slow to open but that hasn’t stopped me from finding some gems, and today’s NFL player prop picks are exactly that. I’m hitting the Over on a pair of rookie running backs who have very different roles on their respective teams.
I break it all down below.
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The Denver Broncos are in the middle of an unlikely renaissance that has put them back into playoff contention in the AFC. At the center of this surge has been quarterback Russell Wilson, who may not be putting up the gaudiest numbers in the league, but has been consistently good nearly all year long.
The Week 15 odds are against the Broncos as they visit the suddenly vulnerable Detroit Lions, who have lost two of their last three. Wilson will need to be on his game to lead Denver to another improbable victory, but there are reasons to be optimistic about his performance tonight.
Read on to see what I think about the Russell Wilson odds this week in my free NFL picks for the Broncos vs. Lions on Saturday, December 16.
Be sure to also check out our Bronc…
The hire of Jim Harbaugh had the sun shining on the Los Angeles Chargers again after a lifeless 5-12 SU and 6-11 ATS finish in 2023.
Then Justin Herbert hurt his foot. Now the future of the franchise — or at least the start to the 2024 campaign — is in question.
The Bolts hope that their star quarterback can recover from a pesky plantar fascia injury in time for Week 1. But that’s a lingering ailment that is easy to reaggravate and could stick with Herbert all year if not given time to heal.
That hiccup puts Los Angeles behind schedule in terms of transitioning to the new system under Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman. It also puts extra weight on the Chargers defense, which doesn’t have much beyond a handful of…
Nuno Espírito Santo insists he will not be cowed by the criticism and pressure amid Tottenham’s slump in form, which he knows must begin to pick up when they host Aston Villa on Sunday.
Although Spurs beat NS Mura 5-1 in the Europa Conference League on Thursday, the win only became comfortable when Harry Kane was summoned from the bench and scored a hat-trick in the final 22 minutes. It means Spurs’ progress under Nuno remains firmly under scrutiny: they have conceded nine goals across three straight Premier League defeats and the one they scored in that period, through Son Heung-min, was the consolation in an otherwise disastrous reverse at Arsenal.
Harry Kane’s 20-minute hat-trick sinks Mura and drags Spurs from their rut Read mo…
Sam Allardyce is close to formalising an agreement to make a surprise return to Premier League management and succeed Javi Gracia at relegation-threatened Leeds.
Allardyce is expected to be unveiled as manager on Wednesday when Gracia’s departure will be confirmed. A heavily incentivised deal could earn Allardyce £3m if Leeds avoid relegation. Although nothing has been finalised, the 68-year-old former England coach is pencilled in to take training at the club’s Thorp Arch ground near Wetherby on Wednesday after a changing of the guard at Elland Road which has also led to the departure of Victor Orta as director of football.
Orta had wanted to retain his fellow Spaniard Gracia – who succeeded Jesse Marsch at …