Talented youngsters Marko Rog, Ante Ćorić, Duje Ćaleta-Car and Dominik Livaković are among 27 players named by Croatia coach Ante Čačić in his provisional UEFA EURO 2016 squad."With these 27 players we want to boost the atmosphere," said Čačić, who will definitely leave out one of the four goalkeepers. "It is important to enter the fray with the best squad and to play with our best players. We have a tough group."A notable absentee is Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren, after some well-publicised tensions between himself and the coach. Čačić said: "I am not saying the national-team doors are closed to Lovren. One day, when he realises that he needs to be a part of ...
Football Update
U17 EURO semi-final schedule
The UEFA European Under-17 Championship consists of three distinct stages: the qualifying round, the elite round and the final tournament. The format changed for 2014/15 with the expansion of the final tournament from eight to 16 teams.Qualifying roundThe qualifying round, played in autumn, is made up of 13 groups of four countries playing in one-venue mini-tournaments. The top two from each pool progress alongside the five third-placed sides with the best record against the leading pair in their groups.Elite roundIn the elite round, held in early spring, those 31 qualifiers plus the top seed – given a bye this far – compete i...
Mladost Podgorica, Olimpija share Barça’s billing
On the day that Barcelona sealed their eighth Liga championship in 12 seasons, Mladost Podgorica in Montenegro and Slovenia's Olimpija secured rarer triumphs.Slovenia: Olimpija end wait in dramatic fashion League top scorer Rok Kronaveter converted a 93rd-minute penalty as Olimpija Ljubljana won at Rudar to clinch their fifth title – 21 years since the fourth. With one match to go, Olimpija are three points clear of Maribor with a better head-to-head. "The feeling is phenomenal," said Kronaveter, who actually hails from Maribor. "It was a very tense match, right to the very last minute. Olimpija and Ljubljana deserve this trophy; we have waited too long for ...
More tickets for fans at EURO 2016
The UEFA EURO 2016 ticket portal has reopened to sell a new batch of tickets direct to fans on a first-come, first-served basis.TICKET PORTALWith the tournament less than a month away, UEFA has happily secured even more tickets for supporters. The portal was briefly closed on Friday but reopened at 16.00CET; fans are advised to act quickly as it is extremely likely there will be queues.Fans can now view how many tickets are being offered for purchase in each category for each match on EURO2016.com/tickets so that they do not have to queue on the portal to see what is available.This ticket portal is selling tickets in Categories 1-4, ...
Video: Liverpool’s path to the Europa League final
Liverpool began their UEFA Europa League slowly with three successive draws, and did not immediately accelerate with Jürgen Klopp's arrival, but they have crunched through the gears in the knockout stages. Rivals Manchester United, Villarreal and, most sensationally, Dortmund are all in the rear-view mirror as the Reds approach their final destination: Basel.Group stage17/09: Bordeaux 1-1 Liverpool (Jussiê 81; Lallana 65)01/10: Liverpool 1-1 Sion (Lallana 4; Assifuah 18)22/10: Liverpool 1-1 Rubin (Can 37; Dević 15)05/11: Rubin 0-1 Liverpool (Ibe 52)26/11: Liverpool 2-1 Bo...
Group D winners Spain edge thriller with Italy
The UEFA European Under-17 Championship consists of three distinct stages: the qualifying round, the elite round and the final tournament. The format changed for 2014/15 with the expansion of the final tournament from eight to 16 teams.Qualifying roundThe qualifying round, played in autumn, is made up of 13 groups of four countries playing in one-venue mini-tournaments. The top two from each pool progress alongside the five third-placed sides with the best record against the leading pair in their groups.Elite roundIn the elite round, held in early spring, those 31 qualifiers plus the top seed – given a bye this far – compete i...
Benteke salvages hope for Liverpool
Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea (Benteke 90+2; Hazard 32)The Reds retain a chance of qualifying for next season's UEFA Europa League through their league position after Christian Benteke struck at the death to earn them a draw at home against the deposed English champions. Fielding a full-strength side after prevailing with a much-altered selection at the weekend, Jürgen Klopp's side were frustrated in the first half, Eden Hazard putting Chelsea in front with a superb individual effort.Daniel Sturridge, Kolo Touré and substitute Sheyi Ojo missed decent chances after the break but, just after Simon Mignolet had saved from Hazard, Liverpool levelled when Ojo picked out ...