England strike options excite Wayne Rooney

Victory over Montenegro at Wembley on Friday and another win at home to Poland next week will assure England of a place at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

Veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer left out of Australia squad

Coach Holger Osieck defended his decision, saying he was "opening doors to talent" that caught his attention in a bid to test upcoming players at international level.

Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer says he's good enough for first 11

Schwarzer signed on a free transfer earlier this month after spells at Fulham and Middlesbrough and will provide valuable competition and motivation for number one goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Chelsea news: Mark Schwarzer will push Petr Cech, says Jose Mourinho

Mourinho made clear that he regarded Cech as the world's best 'keeper, but he said the 40-year-old Schwarzer gave Chelsea extra "security" as a vastly experienced and highly rated back-up.

Jose Mourinho returns to Chelsea as the 'Happy One'

A reflective Jose Mourinho on Monday transformed himself into the "Happy One" as he embarked on his second spell in charge of Chelsea, outlining his hunger for fresh glory at the English Premier League side.

Petr Cech expects battle for Euro spots to go to the wire

Cech believes the pressure will continue to mount until the very end of the campaign and Chelsea cannot afford any slip-ups against a Swansea side that beat them in the last four of the League cup earlier this season.

UEFA Europa League: Chelsea beat Basel after David Luiz's last-gasp effort

In the end, the only sour note for the visitors was a yellow card for Ashley Cole that rules him out of the second leg, although Basel will also be without centre-back Aleksandar Dragovic for the same reason.

Alex Ferguson laments 'unbelievable' Cech save

Trailing 1-0 to Demba Ba's magnificent volley early in the second half, United looked poised to equalise in the 61st minute, only for Petr Cech to produce a stunning stop to repel Javier Hernandez's close-range header.

Gerrard impressed by ice-cool Rooney

The Manchester United forward's first-half header wasn't enough to secure what would have been a valuable victory over the group leaders as Montenegro hit back to equalise through Dejan Damjanovic in the second half.

England 'scared' says Montenegro coach Brnovic

Montenegro coach Branko Brnovic has raised the stakes ahead of his side's World Cup qualifying showdown with England by claiming that Roy Hodgson's team are anxious about the game.