Blog – Page 416 – Football Flame

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PREMIER LEAGUE

Chelsea defender Reece James signs new contract to stay at club until summer 2025

Reece James of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Burnley FC at Stamford Bridge on January 11, 2020 in London, United Kingdom.Chelsea defender Reece James has signed a new long-term contract that keeps him at the club until the summer of 2025.James, 20, has made 18 appearances for the Blues after scoring on his debut in a 7-1 victory over Grimsby in the Carabao Cup third round in September."It has been my dream to be here at Chelsea and play week in week out," said James."To have a contract for another five-and-a-half years is living the dream again."James, who also scored a late equaliser to earn Chelsea a Champions League point against Ajax in a thrilling 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge in November, added: "I have always wanted to be here and another five-and-a-ha...
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NEWS

Dybala Netted Brace as Juventus Defeat Udinese 4-0 in Coppa Italia

Paulo Dybala of Juventus FC kicks the ball during the Coppa Italia match between Juventus and Udinese Calcio at Allianz Stadium on January 15, 2020 in Turin, Italy.Argentine Paulo Dybala scored twice as Juventus brushed aside Udinese to reach the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.He combined brilliantly with Gonzalo Higuain who prodded in the opener before scoring a penalty after keeper Nicolas tripped Federico Bernardeschi.Dybala then scored with a delightful clipped shot and Douglas Costa added another from the spot after Bram Nuytinck handled in the area.Cristiano Ronaldo withdrew from the squad after falling ill in the day.The 34-year-old Portuguese forward picked up a sinus infection.Meanwhile, five-time Coppa Italia winners AC Milan defeated SPAL 3-0 to book their place in the last eight.P...
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TRANSFERS

Tottenham complete signing of Benfica star Gedson Fernandes on 18-month loan deal

Gedson Fernandes of Tottenham Hotspur poses for a photo on January 14, 2020 at the Tottenham Hotspur training ground in Enfield, England.Tottenham have confirmed the arrival of Benfica midfielder Gedson Fernandes on an initial 18-month loan deal.Jose Mourinho's side have an option to make Fernandes' switch permanent reportedly for as much as £65m in the summer of 2021.The 21-year-old was heavily linked with a move to West Ham at the start of the month, but the Benfica youngster has turned down the Hammers to join Tottenham.Fernandes is the first signing made by Mourinho as Tottenham manager and now he is looking to sign at least one striker as cover for Harry Kane.The England captain is sidelined until April with a hamstring injury and Mourinho believes the club could struggle to make the ...
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Tottenham advance in FA Cup 4th round

Giovani Lo Celso of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates with his teammates after scoring his sides first goal during the FA Cup Third Round Replay match between Tottenham Hotspur and Middlesbrough FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 14, 2020 in London, England.Tottenham edged into the FA Cup fourth round as Giovani Lo Celso bagged a rare goal in their 2-1 win over Middlesbrough, while much-maligned Newcastle striker Joelinton scored for the first time since August in a victory against Rochdale on Tuesday.Jose Mourinho's side almost killed off second-tier Middlesbrough within the first 15 minutes of the third round replay at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.Lo Celso, on loan from Real Betis, got Tottenham up and running with only his second goal of the season and his first since a Champions Le...
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Romelu Lukaku scored twice to help Inter Milan beat Cagliari in the Coppa Italia

(L - R)Sebastian Walukiewicz of Cagliari Calcio competes for the ball with Romelu Lukaku of FC Internazionale in action during the Coppa Italia match between FC Internazionale and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on January 14, 2020 in Milan, Italy.Romelu Lukaku scored after just 21 seconds as he bagged a brace in a 4-1 thumping of Cagliari that fired Inter Milan into the last eight of the Italian Cup, while Lazio and Napoli are set for a quarter-final clash after easing past second-tier opposition.Belgian Lukaku has looked like a player reborn since moving to Italy and his double took his hot streak to six goals in his last four appearances in all competitions, with his Serie A tally standing at 14 in 19 games."Inter was the best choice for me, here I can grow as a player and hel...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Lukasz Fabianski: West Ham goalkeeper 'out for a couple of weeks'

Lukasz Fabianski of West Ham United goes down injured during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and West Ham United at Bramall Lane on January 10, 2020 in Sheffield, United Kingdom.Fabianski will be out for up to two weeks due to inflammation of the scar tissue in his hip following surgery.Fabianski, 34, underwent surgery for a muscle problem that he sustained in September and returned to action late last year, but he was substituted after only 13 minutes in last Friday's 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United.West Ham said scans confirmed the Pole suffered irritation of scar tissue, which is common after surgery."It's good news in the sense that Lukasz hasn't aggravated or suffered any recurrence of the previous injury," West Ham medical head Richard Collinge said."We now just need...
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TRANSFERS

Aston Villa Sign Milan goalkeeper Pepe Reina on loan deal

Pepe Reina of Aston Villa poses for a picture at the Aston Villa Bodymoor Heath training ground on January 13, 2020 in Birmingham, England.Aston Villa have announced the loan signing of AC Milan goalkeeper Pepe Reina until the end of the season. The former Liverpool goalkeeper will return to the Premier League after six years and is set to replace the injured Tom Heaton.England international Heaton has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury picked up during the 2-1 victory at Burnley on New Year's Day. In a related move, Bournemouth have confirmed the departure of goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to AC Milan on loan until the end of the season.Begovic spent the first half of the season at Qarabag in Azerbaijan on a temporary basis but will head to Milan, who sit 10th in Serie...
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LALIGA

Barcelona sack Ernesto Valverde and appoint Quique Setien

Quique Setien New Barcelona Head Coach.Barcelona have appointed Quique Setien as their new coach following the sacking of Ernesto Valverde and after failing to persuade their former player Xavi Hernandez to take over.Setien, the former Real Betis coach, is known for his attractive, attacking football with Barcelona having grown tired of Valverde’s approach even though the club is again top of La Liga and won its Champions League group.Setien, 61, led Betis to wins over Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid last season but lost his job after a downturn in form. However his exciting, attacking style of football is regarded as more in keeping with what Barcelona want while the Spaniard’s ready availability means that the club felt able to make a change.Valverde’s dismissal is the first t...
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NEWS

PSG 3-3 Monaco: Neymar scores two but Monaco expose PSG's defence

Benjamin Henrichs of Monaco, Neymar Jr of PSG during the Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and AS Monaco (ASM) at Parc des Princes stadium on January 12, 2020 in Paris, France.Paris Saint-Germain's defensive shortcomings were exposed as Monaco snapped the champions' Ligue 1 winning streak in a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.Neymar opened the scoring for the leaders, but Monaco, who were playing their first Ligue 1 game under new coach Robert Moreno, hit back with goals from Gelson Martins and Wissam Ben Yedder.PSG levelled with an own goal from Fode Ballo-Toure and Neymar netted his second to put them ahead, before substitute Islam Slimani grabbed a point for the visitors.The result left PSG on 46 points from 19 games, five ahead of second-placed Olympiq...
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Real beat Atletico on penalties to Clinch 11th Spanish Super Cup

Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid lifts the trophy with his team after his teams victory in the Supercopa de Espana Final match between Real Madrid and Club Atletico de Madrid at King Abdullah Sports City on January 12, 2020 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Thibaut Courtois proved the hero on Sunday as Real Madrid beat city rivals Atletico Madrid in a penalty shootout in Saudi Arabia to win their 11th Spanish Super Cup.Courtois and Jan Oblak were both imperious during a goalless final in Jeddah but the Belgian came up trumps, saving Thomas Partey's penalty after Saul Niguez had already hit the post.Sergio Ramos tucked away the winning spot-kick to ensure Real Madrid clinched their first trophy of the season, with La Liga and the Champions League next in their sights."I went through their takers on the be...
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LALIGA

Barcelona looking for new striker in wake of Luis Suarez’s injury

Luis Suarez of Barcelona reacts to a referee's decision during the Supercopa de Espana Semi-Final match between FC Barcelona and Club Atletico de Madrid at King Abdullah Sports City on January 09, 2020 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Barcelona will step up their search for a new centre-forward this month after Luis Suarez was ruled out for four months with injury.Suarez underwent surgery on his knee on Sunday and was expected to be sidelined for between four and six weeks, but is now set to miss most of the season.And they added: "The Uruguayan striker will be out for approximately four months."Barca could use summer signing Antoine Griezmann in a central role, but with no real other centre-forward apart from Suarez at the club, the Catalans will now look to bring in a striker this January.Inter M...
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SERIE A

Ronaldo continues to score streak to place Juve at the top of Serie A

Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus competes for the ball with Aleksandar Kolarov and Christopher Smalling of AS Roma ,during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Juventus at Stadio Olimpico on January 12, 2020 in Rome, Italy.Cristiano Ronaldo stretched his goal-scoring streak to six consecutive league games as Juventus took top spot in Serie A on Sunday with a 2-1 win at Roma, whose defeat was made worse by the cruciate ligament injury of rising star Nicolo Zaniolo.Juventus move two points ahead of Inter Milan, who were held 1-1 by Atalanta at the San Siro on Saturday, to move top after going two goals up in just 10 minutes in Rome.Turkish defender Merih Demiral found a way through after three minutes when he connected with a Paulo Dybala free-kick.Minutes later Argentine Dybala was hauled dow...
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SERIE A

Handanovic saves late as Inter battle Atalanta to draw

Luis Muriel of Atalanta BC kicks and misses the penalty that Samir Handanovic of FC Internazionale saves during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Atalanta BC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on January 11, 2020 in Milan, Italy.Samir Handanovic’s last penalty save on Atalanta’s Luis Muriel bagged a point for top-of-the-table Inter Milan on Saturday, moving them a point clear of second-place Juventus.Lautaro Martinez put Antonio Conte‘s side in front of the visitor’s in the fourth minute, following a pair of passes between the him and Romelu Lukaku.But with with the clock winding down, Robin Gosens tied it up for Atalanta, finishing one of the six clear chances the side had at the San Siro on Saturday.13 minutes later, with two minutes remaining in regular time, the visitor’s had thei...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Firmino strikes as Liverpool goes 16 points clear at the top

Roberto Firmino scores the winning goal for Liverpool FC during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 11, 2020 in London, United Kingdom.Liverpool stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League to 16 points and set a record in the process as Roberto Firmino's first-half goal secured a battling 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.Jurgen Klopp's side were not at their best and needed to withstand a Spurs fightback after the break but hung on for a 20th win out of 21 league games this season.Their total of 61 points is the most after 21 games of a Premier League season, beating Manchester City's 59 two seasons ago, and has never been surpassed in the Spanish, Italian, German or French leagues at the same stage.L...
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SERIE A

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores on first start as AC Milan beats Cagliari

Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Milan celebrates his goal 0-2 during the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and AC Milan at Sardegna Arena on January 11, 2020 in Cagliari, Italy.Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his first goal on his first start back for AC Milan to give the team a 2-0 lead against Cagliari on Saturday afternoon.The Swedish striker returned to Italy after leaving LA Galaxy at the end of the MLS season. Against Sampdoria last Monday he came off the bench but couldn't impact the game as the Rossoneri drew 0-0.On Saturday manager Stefano Pioli handed the 38-year-old his first start for Milan since 2012 and the former PSG striker repaid his manager's faith by scoring the second goal of the game.Ibra first moved to Milan in 2010, joining on loan from Barcelona having previously played for riv...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Aubameyang scores, sent off as Arsenal draws 1-1 at Crystal Palace

Referee Paul Tierney shows a red card to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC at Selhurst Park on January 11, 2020 in London, United Kingdom.Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has opened the scoring at Crystal Palace, but was later sent off as the hosts fought back to draw 1-1 in the English Premier League.New Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was on course for a third straight win when his skipper made the breakthrough in the first half, but a deflected effort by Jordan Ayew cancelled it out at the start of the second period at Selhurst Park on Saturday.When Aubameyang received a red card with 23 minutes left, the experienced Roy Hodgson would have fancied his chances of gaining three points against the youngest manager ...
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LALIGA

Barcelona confirm Luis Suarez set to undergo knee surgery

Luis Suarez of FC Barcelona (C) reacts during the Supercopa de Espana Semi-Final match between FC Barcelona and Club Atletico de Madrid at King Abdullah Sports City on January 9, 2020 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Luis Suarez will have knee surgery on an external meniscus this Sunday, Barcelona have announced.Suarez, 32, is said to have been struggling with a niggling problem in his right knee for several weeks and it has finally been determined he will have an operation to prevent complications ahead of the season’s run-in.Media reports began circulating on Friday suggesting Suarez was set for a prolonged period of absence due to the problem.And, following examinations on Saturday, Barca have confirmed the Uruguay striker will be operated on by renowned knee specialist Dr. Ramon Cugat.Barcelona...
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TRANSFERS

Wolves striker Patrick Cutrone join Fiorentina on loan deal

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Patrick Cutrone during the UEFA Europa League group K match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Besiktas at Molineux on December 12, 2019 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.Patrick Cutrone has joined Fiorentina from Wolves on an initial 18-month loan deal with an obligation to buy.The Italian striker returns to Serie A six months after leaving boyhood club AC Milan, in a deal worth £16m which allows Wolves to recoup the fee spent on him in the summer.Cutrone was greeted by Fiorentina fans when he landed in Florence late on Thursday night before completing a medical and signing his contract on Friday.The Italy U21 international struggled to break into Nuno Espirito Santo's team throughout his time at Molineux, starting nine times out of 24 appearances and scoring thre...
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Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud 'agrees terms' on Inter move to reunite with Antonio Conte

Olivier Giroud of Chelsea before the FA Cup Third Round match between Chelsea FC and Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge on January 05, 2020 in London, England.Inter Milan officials have held talks with Olivier Giroud's agents and agreed terms for a January transfer,  according to Sky Italia.The France striker, whose Blues deal expires in the summer, has agreed a two-and-a-half year contract to join the Italian side.However, Inter have yet to agree a deal with Chelsea, who are asking for between £6.8m (€8m) and £8.5m (€10m).Inter do not want to spend more than £4.3m (€5m) and Giroud has other offers on the table, including one from Lyon, but he is keen to move to Inter.Giroud has not featured for Chelsea since the end of November, with Tammy Abraham the clear No 1 striker at Stamford...
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NEWS

PSG will face Reims in French League Cup Semi-final

Kylian Mbappe, Neymar Jr and Mauro Icardi of PSG warm up during the French League Cup (Coupe de la Ligue) quarter final between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and AS Saint-Etienne (ASSE) at Parc des Princes on January 8, 2020 in Paris, France.The draw for the semi-finals of the French League Cup  (Coupe de la Ligue) took place on Thursday 9 January. Paris will travel to Reims.On Thursday evening, the draw for the semi-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue took place, under the watchful eye of former Paris forward, Pedro Miguel Pauleta. For the club's 13th time reaching this stage of the competition (a competition record), they will travel to Reims.After beating Le Mans in the Round of 16 (1-4) and knocking out Saint-Etienne on Wednesday at the Parc des Princes (6-1), Thomas Tuchel's side will no...
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