Vaclav Pilar stunned Netherlands with a last-gasp winner as the Czech Republic secured a shock 2-1 Euro 2016 qualifying victory in Prague.

Substitute Pilar was on hand to snatch all three points in time added on in Tuesday s Group A opener at Generali Arena to punish a calamitous mistake from defender Daryl Janmaat.

Newcastle United full-back Janmaat attempted to head back to Jasper Cillessen, but beat the goalkeeper and Pilar had the simple task of slotting home from point-blank range after the ball had struck the post.

There was no time for Netherlands to respond, so Guus Hiddink suffered a defeat in his first competitive game at the helm since he returned for a second spell as coach of his country.

Pavel Vrba, on the other hand, was able to celebrate h…

Spain and England recorded home wins, while Slovakia s dream run continued, but the big story from Friday s Euro 2016 qualifying saw Montenegro and Russia s clash abandoned.

The Group G encounter in Podgorica was halted for more than 30 minutes after Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was struck on the head by a flare thrown from the crowd.

Referee Deniz Aytekin had only just blown his whistle for the game to start, with the incident occurring in the first minute of the match.

The object looked to hit the head of Akinfeev, who immediately dropped to the floor and was taken off the field on a stretcher.

The match was then abandoned during the second half with the score at 0-0, shortly after Russia s Roman Shirokov had a penalt
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y saved, with pla…

Jurgen Klopp pointed to Liverpool s hectic schedule over the past 12 months as a reason for his side s struggles this season.

Liverpool played 63 games in the 2021-22 season as they made deep runs in the Champions League, EFL Cup and the FA Cup, and have since struggled with a number of injuries.

Currently sitting seventh on the Premier League table with eight wins from 17 fixtures, the Reds are seven points adrift of the top-four, and are in danger of missing out on Champions League qualification for the first time since finishing eighth in the 2015-16 season.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Klopp said a lot of Liverpool s problems can be attributed to bad luck .

Could anybody know how the last season of 63 games could influence this season? he said. I…

Tottenham legend Gary Mabbutt has backed new Spurs head coach Antonio Conte to have an immediate impact with the club  but would prefer him to have signed a longer contract.

The former Juventus, Chelsea and Inter boss was swiftly appointed as the replacement for Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked on Monday.

Tottenham made an unsuccessful attempt to recruit 52-year-old Conte prior to their appointment of Nuno in the close season.

They secured their man second time round but Conte has only agreed an 18-month deal with the London club.

The Italian has left his last two posts after just two seasons in charge, parting with the Nerazzurri over a reported dispute with the club s board despite having led them to the Serie A title last campaign, breaking Juve s …

In a move that football purists, romanticists and aficionados of 1990s Serie A will be excited by, Gianluigi Buffon is returning to Parma after 20 years away.

Buffon came through the club s academy in the early 90s and made 220 appearances for them in all competitions, winning the Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana and UEFA Cup during a six-year spell in the first-team.

Juventus made Buffon the world s most-expensive goalkeeper at the time when they paid €52million for him in 2001 and he played 685 times for them across two spells, 20 short of Alessandro Del Piero s club record.

Nevertheless, Buffon s longevity has ensured he is the record holder for the most Serie A appearances (657) and titles (10) in the league s history.

After leaving Juve at the end…

Manchester United great Roy Keane hailed Cristiano Ronaldo s superb display after the 37-year-old s hat-trick downed Tottenham at Old Trafford.

United were twice pegged back by their rivals for the top four during an absorbing contest, but Ronaldo s 81st-minute header sealed just his second treble in United colours and a crucial 3-2 win for the hosts.

The Portugal legend has now scored in each of his past seven appearances against Tottenham in all competitions, and his 14 goals against Spurs represent his highest tally against any English club.

Speaking on Sky Sports after the match, former United captain Keane labelled the striker a genius  and said Ralf Rangnick s team needed to keep their talisman beyond the end of this season.

Ronaldo looked an…

Holders Spain will meet Czech Republic, Turkey and Croatia in Euro 2016 Group D at next year s finals in France as they aim for a third successive title.

Vicente del Bosque s side begin the defence of their crown against Czech Republic a side they beat twice in qualifying for the tournament in 2012.

England, who enjoyed a perfect record in qualification, will meet neighbours Wales a match-up which Chris Coleman admitted he was eager to avoid given the media circus which could surround the encounter. 

Slovakia and Russia, who dismissed former England boss Fabio Capello during qualifying, complete Group B.

Host nation France have been given one of the kinder draws, with Albania, Romania and 2008 co-hosts Switzerland lining up to face Didier Deschamps side …

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Having already secured their place as winners of Euro 2024 Group B, Spain face an Albania team still vying for a spot in the last 16 at the Merkur Spiel-Arena on Monday night.

La Roja clinched their position in the knockout stages by defeating reigning champions Italy 1-0, while Sylvinho s side currently occupy third place following a thrilling comeback to draw 2-2 with Croatia.

Albania

In a dramatic turn of events at the Volksparkstadion, Albania midfielder Klaus Gjasula experienced a whirlwind of emotions during their match against Croatia. Initially, Gjasula seemed to have sealed a heart-wrenching defeat for his team by scoring an unfortunate own goal, which occurred just four minutes after he came off the bench, following g…

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will evoke the spirit of their Barcelona comeback when he sends his team out to keep their Europa League hopes alive against Atalanta in Bergamo.

The Reds have a 3-0 deficit to overturn from the first leg if they are to make the semi-finals, a scenario which has echoes of their famous comeback to beat the Catalan side in a Champions League semi-final in May 2019 on their way to winning a sixth European Cup.

After that victory his players remarked about the stirring speech he gave in the dressing room before kick-off and Klopp said, although he does not yet have anything planned, he can use that brilliant night at Anfield as a reference point even though they will not have the backing of a home crowd.

“I usually don’t prepare the…

Remember the name Wayne Rooney!

Broadcaster Clive Tyldesley commentated on plenty of famous moments down the years, and his excitement in this instance was justified.

Five days short of his 17th birthday, Wayne Rooney came on as a late substitute for Everton at Goodison Park. The Toffees were drawing 1-1 with Arsenal, the reigning Premier League champions.

Everton had only beaten Arsenal once in their previous 12 meetings, but on October 19, 2002, Rooney stepped up to deliver a sensational stoppage-time winner and kick-start a career that saw him rise to the very top.

Talk of the terraces

October 19, 2002 might have been the day Rooney cemented himself at the forefront of English football, but the boy wonder from the Liverpool suburb of Croxteth…