Goal records tumble in World Cup qualifiers

Goal records tumble in World Cup qualifiers

With 794 goals across the 270 group games, the European Qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup were the highest-scoring ever. The most goals previously scored across a full set of European World Cup qualifying groups was the 760 in 2006, when 276 matches were played. UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying set the record total for goals scored across the groups in a single European cycle when 839 were struck, though that took 310 matches (2.70 per game, compared with this campaign's 2.94).Meanwhile Belgium and Germany's total of 43 goals was the most ever scored in a single European Qualifying group for a World Cup or

Dustin Pedroia Confident Red Sox Will Overcome Pressure, Clinch AL East

Dustin Pedroia Confident Red Sox Will Overcome Pressure, Clinch AL East

The Boston Red Sox have squandered many opportunities to clinch the American League East, and now their lead has shrunk to two games with two games to play in the regular season. Boston can clinch the division with a win or a loss by the New York Yankees in the next two days, so they still control their own destiny. But their recent play has many people concerned, but not Dustin Pedroia. Following Boston’s 3-2 loss to the Houston Astros on Friday, Pedroia noted how hard it is to win the best division in baseball. But the veteran second baseman stated the team has overcome a lot of adversity this season and they

Anders Bjork Scores In Bruins’ 4-2 Preseason Win Over Blackhawks

Anders Bjork Scores In Bruins’ 4-2 Preseason Win Over Blackhawks

The Boston Bruins defeated the Blackhawks 4-2 on Monday night at TD Garden in their final preseason home game. Exciting forward prospect Anders Bjork scored for Boston, increasing his preseason goal total to two in three games. Hear from Bjork in the “NESN Sports Today” video above, presented by People’s United Bank. ... NESN.com

Bruins Prospects Understand Great Opportunity Preseason Games Present

Bruins Prospects Understand Great Opportunity Preseason Games Present

The Boston Bruins will have their first taste of true competition Monday night. The Bruins will host the rival Montreal Canadiens in their first preseason game. After Sunday’s practice, B’s head coach Bruce Cassidy labeled preseason games as “the best evaluator,” as these contests considerably will help dictate whether a player is worthy of a roster spot. NESN’s Alex Kraemer caught up with two Bruins prospects — Jake DeBrusk and Anders Bjork — after Sunday’s training session. Both players are excited for Monday’s game, and understand how important the preseason is in terms of making the NHL roster. For more on the Bruins,... NESN.com

Bengals Fire Offensive Coordinator After Two Straight Games With Zero Touchdowns

Bengals Fire Offensive Coordinator After Two Straight Games With Zero Touchdowns

It’s not a good time to be a member of the Cincinnati Bengals organization. The Bengals are off to an 0-2 start this season with a 20-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 and a 13-9 loss to the Houston Texans on Thursday. The team failed to score a touchdown in either game, so on Friday, Cincinnati fired offensive coordinator Ken Zampese and promoted its quarterbacks coach. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis also released a statement about the firing, as posted by Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Bengals certainly needed a change, but it’s doubtful that Lazor is the answer. His experience as an NFL offensive coordinator

CSKA Moskva v Young Boys: play-off facts and stats

CSKA Moskva v Young Boys: play-off facts and stats

The omens do not seem promising as BSC Young Boys come to Russia needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit to make it past PFC CSKA Moskva to the UEFA Champions League group stage.Previous meetings• The clubs had not met in UEFA competition prior to the first leg. • CSKA have now won all three of their previous games against Swiss clubs. They recorded a 3-0 victory at FC Lausanne-Sport in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage and were then 5-1 winners at home.• Young Boys suffered their first defeat in three home games against Russian clubs in the first leg