As the nation desperately clings to the hope that Wayne Rooney might recover in time for the World Cup, Bryan Robson yesterday added a tinge of realism to England's chances of returning with football's ultimate prize whether or not the Manchester United forward features in Germany. "We are talking about Rooney being a big part for us, but you can say Brazil have got four strikers who are all in the same class as Wayne Rooney," said the former England captain

Few of the 3,918 souls gathered in the Riverside Stadium would have suspected so at the time, but the goals that David Murphy, Szilard Nemeth and Mark Wilson put past Northampton Town on the mournful evening of 11 September, 2001, proved to be the kick-start that has taken Steve McClaren to the brink of a European trophy - and a career as an England manager

Tottenham Hotspur have gained the support of the majority of Premier League clubs for their game against West Ham United to be replayed. Among their 11 backers are Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Bolton Wanderers. In an open letter, the Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, claimed that his club had been placed in "an impossible situation" by the Premier League who had threatened sanctions if Sunday's fixture had not gone ahead

Zinedine Zidane scored a majestic free-kick and a penalty in injury time to secure holders France a stunning victory over England in Group B. Frank Lampard had given England a first-half lead when he rose to head home David Beckham's free-kick. The brilliant Wayne Rooney won England a second-half penalty, but Beckham saw his spot-kick saved by Fabien Barthez. Zidane equalised with a free-kick and then converted from the spot after David James fouled Thierry Henry

Offensive lineman Steve Franklin and defensive back Steve Gregory signed free-agent contracts with NFL teams, according to reports from Syracuse. Franklin, a former Syracuse player, signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, while Gregory, also a former Syracuse player, agreed to terms with the San Diego Chargers. Franklin started 34 of the 35 games he played in at Syracuse

Dr Short and I are looking at a game Anatoly Karpov played against Robert Hübner in Montreal in 1979. Our starting point was the position shown right. Karpov, as white, played Qc4 at this point, which appears logical and strong but failed to produce a decisive advantage, and led to an endgame which, to us amateurs, looked like it had a long way to go but to two grandmasters was deemed a theoretical draw

A nine-week public inquiry will begin in east London today over the compulsory purchase of land required for the 2012 Olympic site in the Lower Lea Valley. But only 30 to 40 meaningful objections are likely to be aired at the inquiry after the London Development Agency concluded a flurry of last-minute land deals

Lewis Hamilton's performance in winning the two GP2 races supporting last weekend's European grand prix at Nürburgring has been described as "truly astounding" by one of McLaren's top executives, who said the 21-year-old British driver might be considered for a formula one drive alongside Fernando Alonso next season

Greg Rusedski's victories over top 10 players have been as rare as hen's teeth over the last few years, while up until yesterday he had never once managed it on clay, a surface that generally drives him to distraction. But with his wife, Lucy, watching, their three-month-old daughter, Scarlett, on her knee, Rusedski beat Spain's Tommy Robredo, the world No 10, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. Let nobody ever try to tell Scarlett that miracles are not possible, for she will know better

Leeds are marching towards the Premiership but Kevin Blackwell's side appear to be wearing hobnail boots. They collected eight yellow cards and had two players, Stephen Crainey and Richard Cresswell, sent off for second bookable offences during a heated encounter studded with spiteful tackles in which Preston's Brett Ormerod broke a leg and Carlo Nash fractured a cheekbone