Australia 0-2 Japan: Mitoma nabs last-gasp double to send Samurai Blue to Qatar 2022

Kaoru Mitoma scored a last-gasp double to confirm Japan s place at the Qatar 2022 World Cup at the expense of their hosts Australia with a 2-0 win in Sydney on Friday.

The Union SG winger came off the bench to snatch two late goals and break Socceroos hearts with a second-half cameo that proved priceless for the visitors.

Introduced in the 84th minute for Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino, Mitoma notched his first effort five minutes later after tucking a cut-back beyond Mathew Ryan at close-range.

He then doubled his tally in injury-time to seal victory, coasting into the box on a glorious solo run before forcing a fumble from Ryan to finish.

Victory means the Samurai Blue move six points clear of Australia, to confirm both themselves and Saudi Arabia…

Liverpool 5-1 West Ham: Five-star display piles more misery on Lopetegui

Liverpool came from a goal down at Anfield to thrash 10-man West Ham 5-1 and book their place in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.

The victory piles more misery on Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui, who has endured a frustrating start to his tenure.

EFL Cup holders Liverpool did not have it all their own way, as they fell behind to Jarell Quansah s own goal in the 21st minute.

West Ham s lead lasted only four minutes, though, with Diogo Jota heading home from close range to restore parity.

Jota doubled up shortly after half-time, tucking in after fine work from Curtis Jones, though West Ham were left angered after their appeals for a Joe Gomez handball at the other end were dismissed.

Mohamed Salah slammed home a third after replacing debutant Federico …

Juventus eye 2023 free transfer for Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah

Juventus are interested in signing Mohamed Salah from Liverpool in the summer of 2023 according to . The report in the Italian news outlet, as relayed by , has claimed that the Italian and European giants are working on a four-year contract worth £10m net per season for the Egypt international forward. 

Paulo Dybala is out of contract at Juventus at the end of the season, and it has been reported that the Argentina international, who can operate as a forward or as an attacking midfielder, will leave the Bianconeri in the summer of 2022. Juventus’s plan is to bring Salah to the club on a free transfer in the summer of 2023 when his current contract at Liverpool runs out.

Salah is one of the best attacking players on the planet and is a world-class footballer. The Liv…

Next AFCON to be staged in middle of 2023-24 European season

The next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations will be staged in the middle of the 2023-24 European campaign, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced.

The 2023 showpiece was due to get under way in June this year, but it was decided last July it will instead take place in 2024 to avoid hosts Ivory Coast’s rainy season.

CAF confirmed on its official website on Thursday that the delayed tournament will run from January 13 next year until February 11.

It means a number of superstar players from across Europe could potentially miss five weeks action for their clubs at a busy period next season.

Ivory Coast is hosting the competition for the first time since 1984 and have automatically qualified.

Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Tunis…

Agnelli: No super league talks since 2015

Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli insists there have been no discussions over the prospect of a European super league since 2015.

Agnelli is also chair of the European Club Association (ECA) and met the European Union Commissioner for Sport, Tibor Navracsics, alongside UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin in Brussels on Tuesday.

The pair presented Navracsics with a letter of intent outlining the willingness of UEFA and the ECA to work together in the coming years to ensure the sustainable development of European football .

The opportunity to present a united front was timely, given the recent Football Leaks revelations that have rocked major clubs in Europe.

Drawing on documents obtained by the whistleblowers, German publication Der Spiegel claimed a host of …

On this day in 2009: Nigel de Jong signs for Manchester City

Manchester City signed Netherlands midfielder Nigel de Jong on this day in 2009 as a remarkable spending spree gathered pace.

The club were undergoing an astonishing overhaul following the takeover of Sheikh Mansour the previous summer and De Jong became a key cog in their rapid transformation from mid-table battlers to eventual champions.

De Jong, then 29, penned a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Premier League club after City agreed a fee of around £18million with Hamburg.

His arrival came soon after the high-profile captures of Craig Bellamy and Wayne Bridge at the then City of Manchester Stadium and was quickly followed, in the same transfer window, by that of goalkeeper Shay Given.

City had begun sending shockwaves through the transfer market…

Bears vs Lions Thanksgiving Day Prop Bets: The Morning Grind

Thanksgiving can make even the Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears look like an NFC title game, as the NFC North’s two basement dwellers will kick off our Turkey Thursday. Andy Dalton is the likely starter for the Bears while Jared Goff’s availability is still up in the air.

Will we see any offense in the holiday’s lowest-totaled game? Find out in our favorite free player props and predictions for Bears vs. Lions.

Packers vs Buccaneers Week 3 Picks and Predictions: Bowles' Defense Could Force a Rare Rodgers Slip-Up

Neither the Green Bay Packers nor the Tampa Buccaneers come into their Week 3 meeting with a healthy group of talented receivers.

The total is dropping and the side is moving to a pick’em. Tom Brady is looking frustrated under Todd Bowles’ offense but I’m looking at the inexperienced Green Bay receiving corps for a plus-money prop.

Find out what that is in my free NFL picks and predictions for the Packers vs. Buccaneers.

Chargers vs Vikings Odds, Picks, and Predictions Week 3: Two-Way Scoring Prevails

The biggest total on the Week 3 NFL odds board is a showdown on Sunday afternoon between the Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings. Despite high-powered offenses, both teams have gotten off to a 0-2 start due to defenses getting torched.

With that in mind, the Over/Under for this game is sitting at a whopping 54, six points higher than the second-highest total of the week. Is it worth chasing the steam on that number or is there another angle to consider? I let you know with my best free Chargers vs. Vikings free NFL picks and predictions for September 24.

Chargers vs Vikings odds

Chargers vs Vikings predictions

If you were thinking about playing the Over on the total, hopefully you bet it as soon as it hit…

Week 12 NFL Trend Report: How Low Can They Go?

Like that scrappy team that just won’t go away, Unders made another big statement once again in Week 11, going 10-4 which now has them cashing at a 60.7% clip on the season. While I keep expecting some sort of regression for these NFL betting trends — as I mention in this article week after week — they just keep coming back stronger, but is the tide finally set to turn in Week 12?

This week’s NFL odds feature some rock-bottom totals including Patriots vs. Giants at 33.5, Steelers vs. Bengals at 34, Browns vs. Broncos at 35, and Panthers vs. Titans at 36.5.

Low totals are still going Under though, so don’t be scared off if your numbers support backing the Under in these games. Over the last three weeks, 14 games have had a total lo…