June 2020 – Football Flame

29Jun

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Achraf Hakimi to Complete Inter Milan Move

Achraf Hakimi of Borussia Dortmund in action during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and 1. FSV Mainz 05 at the Signal Iduna Park on June 17, 2020 in Dortmund, Germany.Morocco international Achraf Hakimi is close to completing his move to Italian giants Inter Milan.This has been confirmed by Inter’s chief executive officer Giuseppe Marotta as they look to sign the full-back from Spanish giants Real Madrid.Hakimi is coming off a two-year successful loan spell at German side Borussia Dortmund where he played 54 Bundesliga games and scored seven goals and also registered 14 assists.“The will of [owners] the Zhang family is to continue buying important players,” Marotta said on BEIN Sports.“I confirm that we are in an advanced negotiation for Hakimi. [Inter spor...

29Jun

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SERIE A

De Vrij and Bastoni nets as Inter Milan grab late win over Parma

Stefan De Vrij of FC Internazionale celebrates his goal with his team-mate Alessandro Bastoni during the Serie A match between Parma Calcio and FC Internazionale at Stadio Ennio Tardini on June 28, 2020 in Parma, Italy.Third-placed Inter Milan scored twice in the last six minutes through Stefan De Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni to grab a 2-1 win at Parma in Serie A on Sunday despite a subdued display.The scarcely-deserved win left Inter eight points behind leaders Juventus and four adrift of second-placed Lazio with 10 games each to play.Gervinho put Parma ahead with a solo goal in the 15th minute and a lacklustre Inter rarely looked like forcing their way back into the match until the closing minutes.De Vrij headed an equaliser from a corner in the 84th and substitute Bastoni n...

28Jun

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LALIGA

Karim Benzema’s moment of magic sends Real Madrid two points clear of Barcelona

Karim Benzema of Real Madrid assists teammate Casemiro for their side's first goal during the Liga match between RCD Espanyol and Real Madrid CF at RCDE Stadium on June 28, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain.A moment of magic from Karim Benzema gave Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Espanyol that moved them two points clear of Barcelona at the top of LaLiga.Zinedine Zidane’s side came into this match having watched Barca drop points in a 2-2 draw away to Celta Vigo on Saturday and made the most of the opportunity, taking a firm grip of the Spanish title race.The breakthrough at the RCDE Stadium came on the stroke of halftime, with Benzema back-heeling a pass through the legs of an opposition defender to set up Casemiro for a close range finish into an empty net.That proved to be the decisive ...

28Jun

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SERIE A

Lazio stay in title race with comeback win over Fiorentina

Franck Ribery of ACF Fiorentina compete for the ball with Ciro Immobile of SS Lazio during the Serie A match between SS Lazio and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Olimpico on June 27, 2020 in Rome, Italy.Lazio fought back from a goal down to beat Fiorentina 2-1 in Serie A on Saturday and keep its fading title hopes alive.Luis Alberto struck seven minutes from time to cut the gap to league leader Juventus back to four points.Ciro Immobile converted a penalty to cancel out Franck Ribery’s opener for Fiorentina.Lazio’s hopes of claiming a first league title since 2000 took a hit midweek when its 21-match unbeaten run ended with a defeat at Atalanta in its first match back following the hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.And it seemed as if it was going to slide further when Ribe...

27Jun

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BUNDESLIGA

Borussia Monchengladbach defeat Hertha Berlin to reach Champions League

Scorer Breel Embolo (2L) of Mönchengladbach celebrates his teams second goal with Matthias Ginter (L), Florian Neuhaus (M), Jonas Hofmann (2R) and Nico Elvedi (R) during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Mnchengladbach and Hertha BSC at Borussia-Park on June 27, 2020 in Moenchengladbach, Germany.Borussia Monchengladbach qualified for the Champions League and Fortuna Dusseldorf was relegated by a single point on the last day of the Bundesliga on Saturday.Germany becomes the first major European men's soccer league to complete a full season after restarting during the coronavirus pandemic in empty stadiums.The Bundesliga pioneered the widespread virus testing of players and socially distanced training sessions which have since been copied by other competitions across the contin...

27Jun

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LALIGA

Espanyol dismiss current manager Abelardo Fernandez

Head coach Abelardo Fernandez of RCD Espanyol looks on prior to the start the La Liga match between CA Osasuna and RCD Espanyol at El Sadar Stadium on March 08, 2020 in Pamplona, Spain.Espanyol have sacked coach Abelardo Fernandez, the third manager they have dispensed with this season, as they fight to extend their 26-year stay in La Liga.Fernandez was appointed in December after David Gallego and Pablo Machin were each dismissed, but despite a positive start since play resumed following a three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic, Thursday's 1-0 defeat at Real Betis proved the last straw."Espanyol announce that Abelardo Fernandez has been relieved of his duties as first team coach," the Barcelona club said in a statement."This decision has been taken due to the team...

27Jun

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PREMIER LEAGUE

Willian gives hope for a long-term deal after scoring Man City winner

Chelsea's Brazilian midfielder Willian takes the penalty to score the team's second goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in London on June 25, 2020.Willian has stated that there is a chance he will remain at Chelsea despite his contract negotiations having stalled.The 31-year-old has been in a stalemate with the Blues for several months over a new deal, with the Brazilian wanting a new three-year deal.However, the west London club are only willing to give the winger a two-year contract, with his current deal ending at the culmination of the 2019/20 campaign.Willian has been linked with a move to both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal on a free transfer, with the Brazilian himself saying before that a new con...

27Jun

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SERIE A

Juventus beats Lecce 4-0 to go seven points clear

Juventus's Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with team mates after scoring from the penalty mark to give the side a 2-0 lead during the Serie A match between Juventus and US Lecce at Allianz Stadium on June 26, 2020 in Turin, Italy.Juventus moved seven points clear at the top of Serie A on Friday after hammering struggling Lecce 4-0 in Turin and piling the pressure on title rivals Lazio.A superb Paulo Dybala strike and Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty just after the hour mark made sure of the result at the Allianz Stadium before two late strikes from Gonzalo Higuain and Matthijs de Ligt completed the rout against a Lecce team who had to play for an hour with 10 men.The away side meanwhile stay third-from-bottom, level on 25 points with Genoa a place above them and a poin...

25Jun

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LALIGA

Real Madrid ease past Mallorca to take over at the top

Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring the 2-0 during the La Liga match between Real Madrid and RCD Mallorca played at Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium on June 24, 2020 in Madrid, Spain.Real Madrid eased to a 2-0 home victory over Real Mallorca thanks to goals in each half from Vinicius Jr. and Sergio Ramos to stay in charge of the La Liga title race ahead of Barcelona.Brazilian youngster Vinicius opened the scoring with a cool finish in the 19th minute after missing an earlier chance and he hit the crossbar later in the first half.Captain Ramos doubled Madrid's lead with a superb free kick, curling the ball over the wall and into the top corner to score his eighth goal of the league season and his 10th in all competitions.Real's fourth win in a row since the season r...

25Jun

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PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool beats Crystal palace to move within two points of League title

Sadio Mane of Liverpool Celebrates liverpools forth goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace at Anfield on June 24, 2020 in Liverpool, England.Liverpool were back at their lethal best to beat Crystal Palace 4-0 at Anfield on Wednesday, moving within two points of securing the Premier League title.The victory, with goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, Fabinho and Sadio Mane, ensured Jurgen Klopp's side could be crowned champions on Thursday if second-placed Manchester City fail to win at Chelsea.Should Pep Guardiola's side win at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool could finish the job with a victory in their next game, against defending champions City, on July 2.It was such a dominant performance from Klopp's side, who had been held to ...