Other Men

Brentford star Ivan Toney banned from playing until 2024 after 232 breaches of betting rules

Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney has been banned from soccer for eight months and fined $63,000 after admitting to 232 breaches of the Football Association's (FA) betting rules, the governing body said on Wednesday.

Toney will not be able to play for club or country until Jan. 16, 2024 and he has been warned as to his future conduct. The sanctions were imposed by an independent regulatory commission after a personal hearing.

Inter headed to first UCL final in 13 years after besting city rivals Milan

MILAN — A second-half goal by forward Lautaro Martinez earned Inter Milan a 1-0 victory over rivals AC Milan in their Champions League semifinal second leg on Tuesday, sealing a 3-0 aggregate win to book their ticket to the showpiece in Istanbul.

Milan recovered some of the spark they lacked in first leg but Inter's Martinez put the tie to bed when he struck powerfully from close range in the 74th minute at the San Siro.

Star striker Folarin Balogun chooses USA over England — here were the best reactions online

The United States men’s national team made a massive announcement on Monday that 21-year-old Stade Reims striker Folarin Balogun will make a one-time nationality switch to represent the U.S. instead of England.

FIFA approved the switch meaning Balogun could be playing for the Stars and Stripes as soon as the Concacaf Nations League semifinal vs. Mexico in June. Balogun has been electric in France’s Ligue 1 this season with 19 goals in 34 games (fifth best in the league).

Milan's dream of an unforgettable comeback against Inter is given a major injury boost

AC Milan forward Rafael Leão could be fit to face Inter Milan in their Champions League semifinal second leg, manager Stefano Pioli said on Monday, providing a major boost to his side's hopes of overturning a two-goal deficit.

Portuguese winger Leão, 23, missed the 2-0 first-leg defeat and also sat out Saturday's shock loss to Spezia in Serie A after sustaining a thigh injury in Milan's league win over Lazio earlier this month.

Leão has been one of Milan's most influential players this season and registered 13 goals and 10 assists in all competitions.

Vini Jr vs. Kyle Walker is game recognize game; Grealish vs. Carvajal is pure hatred

After 90 minutes of thrilling action at the Bernabéu on Tuesday night, it sure would be nice if we could just immediately go to the Etihad and scratch the itch for more of Real Madrid vs. Manchester City. This is highly addictive stuff.

The first leg saw Vinícius Júnior and Kevin De Bruyne exchange thunderously rifled efforts for a 1-1 draw, while the rhythm of the match mirrored this give and take with the individual battles turning into a series of brutal punches followed by staggering counters. 

I think this CBS tweet is a pretty accurate summary of it all. 

Latest Ricardo Pepi goal puts him alongside Luis Suárez in Groningen history

FC Groningen's relegation from the Eredivisie was confirmed Sunday following a 1-1 away draw at Go Ahead Eagles, although USMNT striker Ricardo Pepi provided a brief glimmer of hope (as he has all season) when he opened the scoring for the visitors in the sixth-minute.

This was Pepi's 12th goal of the campaign to go along with three assists, giving him 15 goal involvements in 26 games. The last 20-year-old to reach that benchmark for Groningen was one Luis Suárez, who scored 10 goals and created six more during the 2006-07 campaign.

Chelsea defeat Bournemouth 3-1 to secure first win after 56 very long days

BOURNEMOUTH — Chelsea claimed their first win under interim manager Frank Lampard with a 3-1 victory at Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday to snap a nine-match winless run in all competitions.

Late goals from Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix helped Chelsea move up to 11th with 42 points while Bournemouth slipped to 14th, three points behind the London side having played a game more.

It was a welcome win for Lampard who had lost his first five games in charge during his second stint while it was also Chelsea's first win since early March.

When you got to go you got to go — Stuttgart player leaves game in search of a toilet

What happens when professional athletes need to go? It’s a rare occurrence, but sometimes a player simply can’t hold it anymore and must go.

This was the case for Stuttgart’s Waldemar Anton on Wednesday during the DFB-Pokal semifinal against Eintracht Frankfurt. In the 63rd minute the defender went down without any contact and made the signal to the coaching staff that he needed to be substituted off.

Rather than heading to the bench, Anton made a beeline for the tunnel.

Olivier Giroud says Christian Pulisic used to be “a happy boy” and AC Milan would love to have him

AC Milan forward Olivier Giroud said that USMNT star Christian Pulisic was a “happy boy” at Chelsea when they played together, compared the American to Eden Hazard and claimed he’d be welcomed in Milan.

Giroud made a guest appearance on the CBS Sports GOLAZO! Network on Thursday and shared his experiences of playing with Pulisic. The 36-year-old Frenchman and Pulisic played together for two seasons at Chelsea in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns, winning the UEFA Champions League in the process.

Here’s what Giroud had to say about Captain America.

Too much soup/broth spoils the cooks — Chelsea’s unfocused season in focus

About a year ago I bought a new house, it seemed like a good deal at the time. The previous owner had to sell up and get out (some new trade rules impacted his business and forced him to put it on the market according to the agent). The house itself was great; it needed bit of a tidy-up here and there, but with a bit of elbow grease, some TLC and a bit of money spent in the right places I knew I could get it back to its former glory. 

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