England Women 6-1 Argentina Women

England reached the Women’s World Cup quarter-finals after comfortably beating Argentina in Chengdu. England led 2-0 after 10 minutes thanks to Eva Gonzalez’s headed own goal and Jill Scott’s speculative shot.

Catalina Perez was sent off early in the second half, giving away a penalty that was converted by Fara Williams.

Argentina pulled a goal back through Gonzalez’s free-kick, but Kelly Smith struck twice more and Vicky Exley made it 6-1 with a confident penalty.

The win meant England finished second in Group A behind Germany and they will discover their quarter-final opponents on Tuesday when the Group B matches are completed. The United States are favourites to progress along with either Sweden or North Korea.

Porto v Liverpool

Liverpool’s Mohamed Sissoko and John Arne Riise will miss Tuesday’s Champions League match against Porto. Left-back Riise is ruled out of the Group A encounter with a groin injury he picked up on international duty with Norway last week.

Midfielder Sissoko and left winger Harry Kewell will also fail to make the trip to Portugal.

But the left-sided Fabio Aurelio is back in the squad after a lengthy absence with an Achilles tendon injury.

“Fabio is back which is good news for us,” said Reds manager Rafael Benitez.

“He has worked hard to recover from his injury and could be a useful asset for us.”

Liverpool finished as runners-up last season after losing to AC Milan in the final and Benitez will face a dilemma in terms of his starting line-up in attack.

Peter Crouch and Andriy Voronin got the nod for the 0-0 draw with Portsmouth on Saturday but Fernando Torres is expected to start with Dirk Kuyt also in contention.

source:bbcsports

Defoe happy to stay at Tottenham

Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe has no intention of leaving despite reports of a bust-up with manager Martin Jol at the weekend, BBC Sport understands. Reports claimed Defoe has refused to sign a new five-year deal as he is eyeing a move away from the club.

The 24-year-old England forward was left out of the squad for the north London derby defeat to Arsenal.

But Defoe has decided to remain at White Hart Lane and fight for a place in Jol’s struggling side.

The player’s contract runs out at the end of next season and Spurs want him to commit himself to a long-term deal and avoid the prospect of seeing his value drop next summer.

Reports claimed the under-fire Jol has told the player he will be forced to play with the reserves if he fails to sign his new contract.

Shevchenko given Desailly backing

Former Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly insists the club’s misfiring striker Andriy Shevchenko will come good. Desailly says Chelsea must win the Champions League this season – and the France legend believes Shevchenko will be key to that ambition.

“Shevchenko is a top player and does not need to prove himself,” Desailly told BBC Sport.

“For the moment, he is not performing. Let’s wait and I’m sure he will help Chelsea win the Champions League.”

He added: “Shevchenko has Champions League experience. He likes to be the one that everyone is focused on.

“I’m sure that with the Champions League everyone will look at him and the motivation can come from there.

“Also, he feels like he came to Chelsea to win things. Last year, although it was good, they only won the two cups domestically and he needs more.”