After Monday saw a shock exit for world champions France and 14 goals across two games, Tuesday s last-16 ties at Euro 2020 had plenty to live up to.
But, while there was not quite as much goalmouth action this time around, there were plenty of intriguing talking points as two more sides booked their place in the quarter-finals.
First up, England claimed their first ever knockout-stage victory inside 90 minutes at a European Championship, vanquishing old rivals Germany at Wembley.
And then Ukraine needed the second-latest goal in the tournament s history to edge out Sweden in a tense battle for a last-eight berth.
Here, Stats Perform looks at the key Opta stats from another thrilling day of Euros action.
England 2-0 Germany: Three Lion…
Chris Armas has hailed the Colorado Rapids professionalism as they close in on a playoff spot, ahead of Wednesday s trip to Sporting Kansas City.
The Rapids sit third in the Western Conference amid a fine first campaign under Armas, and they boast an impressive seven-point cushion to those outside the automatic playoff places.
Goals from Jonathan Lewis and Rafael Navarro handed them a 2-1 win over the in-form Portland Timbers last time out, but Armas says there is no chance of his men losing focus after that result.
It was a big step for our team, Armas said. The mood in the locker room is one where it s like, it s just another day in the office .
There s no big celebration but they understand that was a big step for us, to get three points in a decisiv…
Lionel Messi has expressed his happiness and relief at finally winning silverware with Argentina after Saturday s Copa America 2021 triumph over Brazil at the Maracana.
Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 after Angel Di Maria s 22nd-minute strike, earning six-time Ballon d Or winner Messi his maiden piece of silverware with La Albiceleste.
Messi has finished runner-up in the Copa three times; 2007, 2015 and 2016, as well as runner-up at the 2014 World Cup and revealed his joy after the game.
I needed to get the thorn out of being able to achieve something with the national team, I had been very close for many years, Messi told reporters.
I knew that at some point it was going to go right, it was going to happen and I think there is no better moment than this.…
Jimmy Greaves is among the finest players England has ever produced and remained one of the great entertainers long into retirement.
Tottenham, Chelsea and England icon Greaves died on September 19 at the age of 81.
A naturally clinical finisher with both feet, who terrorised defences throughout a record-breaking career, the inside forward is the leading goalscorer in the history of the English top flight.
The World Cup winner found the back of the net a staggering 357 times in 516 First Division games and ended six seasons as the highest scorer.
He is also Spurs record goalscorer, having notched an incredible 266 goals from 379 appearances, and is fourth on the list of England s leading scorers, with 44 from 57 matches – including a record six hat-…
No English team has lifted the Champions League trophy since Chelsea s 2012 triumph, but the Premier League s five participants in this season s competition appear in a good position to change that.
Wins for Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool on Wednesday moved the tournament s English teams on to 15 victories.
Spurs and City are already assured of a place in the last 16 while Chelsea, following their 3-0 defeat to Roma on Tuesday, are the only Premier League side that is not top of a group.
Here, with the help of Opta data, we look at the numbers behind what has so far been one of the best Champions League campaigns for Premier League teams for some time.
15 English clubs have already won more Champions League games this season (15) than in the e…
The 2021 NFL season kicks off on Thursday as the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium.
Tom Brady and the Bucs are ready to run it back after returning all 22 starters from last season while the Cowboys will try to rebound from a down year with a healthy Dak Prescott back at the helm.
NFL betting lines have the Bucs as 7.5-point chalk for Week 1 with the O/U at 52. Here are our best free Cowboys vs. Buccaneers picks and predictions for September 9.
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The Cincinnati Bengals not only sent a message across the AFC North with their one-sided win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday… but also to the rest of the conference.
The Bengals can build on that big victory when they welcome the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13.
Cincinnati embarrassed the long-standing divisional gatekeeper and brings a two-game winning run into this Sunday’s homestand, sitting as a field-goal NFL betting fave. The Chargers are playing their second straight road game and limp into Sunday off a bad loss to the Denver Broncos.
Here are our free NFL picks and predictions for Chargers vs. Bengals on Sunday, December 5.
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We’re heading into Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season, and the prop bets aren’t slowing down. Today, I’m backing a receiver who could see 30% or more of his team’s targets Sunday and a quarterback who Pro Football Focus ranks at No.1.
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The San Francisco 49ers enter the Week 4 odds as massive 14.5-point home favorites in a divisional game vs. Joshua Dobbs and the Arizona Cardinals with a total of 44. The 49ers are a perfect 3-0 while the Cardinals are a few bad beats away from being perfect themselves.
When it comes to the NFL odds, there has been some resistance to the 49ers being double-digit favorites. With how well the Cardinals have played in the first half this year, can an underrated Dobbs lead the two-TD dogs to a first-half score and top a modest 1H team total of 6.5?
Here are my free NFL picks for Cardinals vs. 49ers on Sunday, October 1.
Cardinals vs 49ers odds
Cardinals vs 49ers predictions
The Arizona Cardinals a…
Scoreboard operators aren’t likely to be very busy tonight when the New England Patriots visit Acrisure Stadium to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. The two teams combined to score just 10 points in their previous outings and this evening’s projected total of 30.5 points is one of the lowest seen for a Thursday Night Football game in nearly 30 years. It’s shaping up to be a dream matchup for Under bettors and anyone who loves low-scoring, smash-mouth football.
While there are a number of different subscription-based TV channels and streaming services available to watch this game, you can also live stream Patriots vs. Steelers directly from legal sports betting sites.
In Canada, bet365 is one of our most trusted NFL betting sites — and the premier platfor…