There might have been tears as a young France squad made their World Cup exit on Friday, but the players are convinced the experience gained in Brazil will help when their country hosts the European Championship in 2016.
That experience was gained the painful way in a 1-0 quarter-final loss to Germany, with Antoine Griezmann being consoled by teammates as he cried after the final whistle.
ROOM FOR PROGRESS
Only two France outfield players to appear at this World Cup are more than 29 years old, leaving plenty of room for progress before Euro 2016.
“There’s a lot of disappointment in the changing room, but there is also a lot to learn from this,” France captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said. “It’s been a very positive World Cup, and I hope it will be a reference point for the years ahead and notably for Euro 2016 in France.”
REASONS
Lloris pinpointed a number of factors for his team’s defeat to the 2010 semi-finalists on a steamy afternoon at the Maracana Stadium.
“It was very hot, then there were the stakes and we lacked a little bit of experience,” Lloris said. “This is a very young, very talented team ... and we have to keep this momentum going over the next two years, when we have a lot of friendlies, so that we go into Euro 2016 with great ambitions.”
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two