Blog – Page 428 – Football Flame

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SERIE A

Roma Share draw, Milan lose Serie A opener

Genoa came from behind three times against AS Roma to salvage a 3-3 draw, while AC Milan lost 1-0 to Udinese at Stadio Friuli on Sunday on the opening weekend in Italy's Serie A.This was AS Roma's first match under new coach Paulo Fonseca, and the Giallorossi made the perfect start when winger Cengiz Under made it 1-0 six minutes into the game. However, Genoa equalized ten minutes later when Cristian Romero converted Andrea Pinamonti's cross.Roma were back ahead in the 30th minute, when striker Edin Dzeko passed two defenders and fired in. But right at the end of the half, Genoa were level again when Domenico Criscito scored a penalty after Juan Jesus had clattered Pinamonti in the box.Five minutes into the second half, Aleksander Kolarov scored Roma's third with a long-range free kick, bu...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Aguero score a brace to help Man City win at Bournemouth

Sergio Aguero scored twice as the Premier League champions won 3-1 at Bournemouth on Sunday.After Aguero opened the scoring in the 15th minute, Silva set up Raheem Sterling's strike.Harry Wilson briefly gave Bournemouth hope by reducing the deficit to 2-1 with a stunning 25-yard free-kick in first-half stoppage time.But Silva laid off the ball for Aguero's second in the 64th minute to make sure of the victory for City, which saw its 15-match winning run in the league ended by a draw against Tottenham.City dominated possession on the south coast but also survived some shaky moments.With 13 minutes on the clock, City keeper Ederson escaped with a yellow card after racing out of his box and clattering Callum Wilson wide on the Bournemouth left.50th in 123 Premier League appearances, breaking ...
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BUNDESLIGA

Robert Lewandowski score Hat-trick as Coutinho make his Bundesliga debut for Bayern

Robert Lewandowski single-handedly made Bayern Munich's quest for an eighth Bundesliga title look a lot more likely, as the Bavarian stalwart contributed a hat-trick to provide Niko Kovac's side with their first win of the season at Schalke.Unable to take three points from an opening game at Hertha Berlin when scoring twice, the Polish striker was avenged at the Veltins-Arena after Schalke were thrashed 3-0 by the title holders.Summer signings Phillipe Coutinho and Ivan Perisic both made their Bayern debuts, replacing Thomas Muller and Serge Gnabry despite Kovac expressing concerns about Barcelona loanee Coutinho's fitness in a pre-match press conference.Lewandowski produced the first chance of the game from an early free-kick, but the resulting shot was comfortably dealt with by Schalke's...
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SERIE A

Chiellini scores as Juve beat Parma in Serie A opener

Juventus kicked started the 2019/20 Serie A season with all three points when they claimed a 1-0 win over Parma, courtesy of a first-half goal by Giorgio Chiellini, at Tardini Stadium, while Cristiano Ronaldo had a goal ruled out by VAR.Maurizio Sarri wasn’t on the bench for the Bianconeri, due to his struggle with pneumonia, and it was Giovanni Martusciello who stood in his place.The starting XI included Szczesny in goal, with De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini and Alex Sandro safeguarding the defence. In midfield was Khedira, Matuidi and Pjanic, while Douglas Costa, Higuain and Ronaldo lead the attack.A chance fell at both ends of the stadium, inside the opening 13 minutes, when Khedira delivered a great long ball into the box, only for Ronaldo to head it over. Parma then went on the counter...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

EPL: Salah Strike down Arsenal

Mohamed Salah scored twice as Liverpool cruised to a 3-1 victory over Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday.Joel Matip opened the scoring in the 41st minute and Salah put the game away in a nine-minute stretch to keep the European Champions perfect on the young season.After a scoreless first period, Matip rose highest to head home a pinpoint cross from a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner shortly after half-time.Salah converted a penalty in the 49th minute after drawing a foul from David Luiz in the box.And the Egypt international made it 3-0 in the 58th with a superb run and finish that saw him cut in from the right and coolly fire low and hard past Bernd Leno at the far post.Lucas Torreira pulled a goal back for Arsenal six minutes from time -- curling his shot past Adrian from the centre of the box...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal boss Unai Emery on possibility of Nicolas Pepe starting vs Liverpool

Arsenal are set to travel to Anfield this weekend, for a top-of-the-table Premier League clash.With two rounds gone in the new season, Arsenal and Liverpool are the only sides with perfect records still intact.Jurgen Klopp’s Reds currently occupy top spot on goal difference, following wins over Norwich and Southampton.Arsenal, meanwhile, have put Newcastle and Burnley to the sword over the course of the last two weeks.The latter of these wins, meanwhile, saw a number of the north Londoners’ new signings take centre stage. Chief among these was Dani Ceballos, with the Real Madrid loanee having dominated proceedings in the middle of the park throughout Arsenal’s victory over the Clarets.David Luiz, meanwhile, also largely-impressed in his first start since arriving from Chelsea.Arsenal’s mos...
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LALIGA

Lionel Messi expected to face Real Betis

Lionel Messi is reportedly "expected to get his first minutes of the season" for Barcelona against Real Betis on Sunday after recovering from a calf injury.The Argentinian missed Barca's opening game of the 2019-20 La Liga season last Friday when the defending champions lost 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao.The Blaugrana will be aiming to get their first win of the new campaign at the Camp Nou against Betis, and their chances will be boosted if Messi is involved.According to Sport's Jordi Gil, the 32-year-old is "fully recovered" from his injury and will join the rest of Barca's squad in training on Friday and Saturday before a decision is made about his involvement against Betis.Gil added, barring any setbacks, Messi could be included in Barca's starting XI on Sunday, but he is "extremely unlikely"...
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TRANSFERS

Leicester City striker Islam Slimani completes AS Monaco loan move

Leicester City striker Islam Slimani's loan move to AS Monaco is now official.The Algerian striker has departed the King Power Stadium for another year, joining Monaco on a season-long loan deal.Slimani, who remains under contract until 2021, has failed to fit in at City since his arrival for a then club-record fee of £30m in 2016.He spent last season at Turkish club Fenerbahce, his second loan spell since joining City following time on loan with Newcastle United in 2018.Slimani, who won the Africa Cup of Nations with Algeria this summer, struggled in both his loan spells, only making a combined league appearance total of 19, scoring just once.And he will be hoping to enjoy a much better spell in Ligue 1, joining a Monaco side who performed well below par last season, finishing 17th.They h...
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TRANSFERS

Balotelli Joins Newly Promoted Brescia

Brescia have announced the signing of free agent Mario Balotelli ahead of their Serie A campaign, with the striker joining on a reported three-year deal with the newly promoted outfit.The 29-year-old has been without a club since leaving Marseille at the end of last season, where he enjoyed a fruitful run of form having cancelled his contract with Ligue 1 rivals Nice in January.However, despite a return of eight goals in 15 appearances for Marseille, financial restrictions at the Stade Velodrome meant the former Inter, Manchester City, Milan and Liverpool forward was left without a club once his short-term contract expired in June.He returns to the Lombardy city where he spent much of his childhood after previous negotiations with Brazilian giants Flamengo broke down.
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NEWS

Ligue 1: Still no Neymar as PSG loses at Rennes

French champions Paris St-Germain fell to a surprise defeat as they threw away a goal lead and were beaten by Rennes.Edinson Cavani, who had earlier hit the post, gave PSG the lead when he was gifted the ball by Rennes captain Damien da Silva's misplaced backpass.PSG, again without Neymar, had a chance to make it 2-0 but Kylian Mbappe also hit the woodwork.Mbaye Niang's curled finish made it 1-1 before Romain del Castillo headed in a cross from Eduardo Camavinga, 16.Rennes had a chance to grab a third goal but Jeremy Gelin's header hit the post, with Mbappe and Cavani both missing late chances to make it 2-2.PSG only lost five Ligue 1 matches in 2018-19 as they won the title by 16 points, while Rennes, who came 10th last season, denied PSG a league and cup double as they beat them on penal...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Frank Lampard denied first win as Leicester draw at Chelsea

Frank Lampard's winless run at the start of his tenure as Chelsea manager extended to three games Sunday after Leicester fought back to earn a 1-1 draw in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.After a 4-0 loss at Manchester United on the opening weekend and then a penalty shootout defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday, Chelsea couldn't hold on to the lead given by youngster Mason Mount's seventh-minute goal.Holding midfielder Wilfred Ndidi was at fault for that goal after being dispossessed by Mount on the edge of Leicester's area, but he made amends by scoring the equalizer.James Maddison swung over the corner and Ndidi rose higher than marker Cesar Azpilicueta to plant a firm header into the corner.Chelsea struggled in the second half, perhaps through fatigue having been taken to ex...
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TRANSFERS

Inter Milan in UK for Alexis Sanchez Talks

Inter Milan's representatives are in the UK to hold talks with Manchester United over the transfer of Alexis Sanchez, according to reports in Italy.Sanchez, the Chile international forward, is keen on a move to the Serie A side, who are now trying to agree a fee with United for the 30-year-old.Inter head coach Antonio Conte wants to add another forward to his squad alongside Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez.Edin Dzeko was one of their primary targets, but the former Manchester City striker has opted to extend his stay at Roma, meaning Inter have to look elsewhere.Besides Sanchez, Inter are also considering free agent and former Tottenham striker Fernando Llorente, Ante Rebic from Eintracht Frankfurt, RB Leipzig's Timo Werner, and Arkadiusz Milik at Napoli.
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LALIGA

Bale Shines as Real Madrid Beat Celta Vigo

Gareth Bale marked his return to the starting line-up with an impressive assist as Real Madrid survived a red card for Luka Modric to win 3-1 at Celta Vigo in their opening LaLiga fixture of the season.The Wales star had been left out in the cold for large parts of pre-season following a collapsed move to China, but he was handed a start at Balaidos on Saturday and set up Karim Benzema for a 12th-minute opener.Looking to capitalise on champions Barcelona's shock loss to Athletic Bilbao on Friday, Madrid added a stunning second goal through Toni Kroos, but only after Brais Mendez had a strike ruled out and Modric was shown a straight red card.Zinedine Zidane started without any of his new signings, although the quality of his side's third goal - rounded off by substitute Lucas Vazquez - wil...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool show no sign of fatigue as they extend unbeaten run

Liverpool made light of their exhaustive midweek jaunt to Turkey to post a club-record 11th straight Premier League win with a 2-1 success at Southampton.Goals from Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino kept up their impressive domestic record as they have won every game going back to the Merseyside derby on March 3rd and are unbeaten in 19 overall.This win must be as pleasing as any for Jurgen Klopp given his side did not land back in this country until 4am on Thursday morning following their penalty shootout Super Cup win over Chelsea in Istanbul on Wednesday night.Southampton caused them a host of problems, as fatigue seemed to be an issue, but Mane’s brilliant goal gave them a half-time lead and the second half was an incisive attacking display which should have yielded more than Firmino’s ef...
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BUNDESLIGA

Borussia Dortmund crush Augsburg to set title marker

Title contenders Borussia Dortmund crushed Augsburg 5-1 in their Bundesliga opener on Saturday, with two goals from Paco Alcacer, to lay down an emphatic marker after champions Bayern Munich slipped up in their first game of the season a day earlier.Augsburg stunned the hosts with Florian Niederlechner's goal after only 30 seconds but Dortmund quickly recovered to level with Spaniard Alcacer, Dortmund's top scorer last season, in the third minute.They turned up the tempo in the second half, scoring three goals in a span of eight minutes.England international Jadon Sanchofired them ahead in the 51st and the teenager then helped set up goals for Marco Reus and Alcacer. Substitute Julian Brandt volleyed in their fifth in the 82nd.Bayern, who have won the last seven consecutive league titles, ...
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TRANSFERS

Coutinho to join Bayern Munich on season-long loan

The former Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho is on the verge of joining Bayern Munich on a season-long loan.The Brazil international, who was left out of Barcelona’s squad for their La Liga opener against Athletic Bilbao on Friday – which they lost 1-0 – looks set to join the German champions following a summer of speculation. His loan deal is expected to include an option for a permanent move.“We can confirm that there is an agreement in principle for the loan of Coutinho to Bayern,” said Barcelona’s club director, Guillermo Amor, before the league match. “We just have to finalise the deal.”Bayern’s sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic, added: “I can confirm that [chief executive] Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and I were in Barcelonaand we have reached an agreement with the club, player...
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NEWS

FIFA bans former Nigeria coach Samson Siasia over match fixing

Former Nigeria national team coach Samson Siasia has been banned by FIFA for life following a match-fixing probe.FIFA, in a statement on Friday, said that the adjudicatory chamber of their independent Ethics Committee found that Siasia was guilty of having accepted bribes in relation to the manipulation of matches in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics.The former international played 51 times as a striker for the Nigerian national team and later coached various national youth sides.According to FIFA, the formal ethics proceedings against Siasia were initiated on 11 February, 2019 and stem from an extensive investigation into matches that Wilson Raj Perumal attempted to manipulate for betting purposes.In its decision, the adjudicatory chamber found that Mr Siasia had breached art. 11 (Brib...
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BUNDESLIGA

Hertha hold Bayern Munich to a draw in season-opener

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich were held to a frustrating  2-2 draw on the opening evening of the domestic season.Robert Lewandowski scored both goals for Nico Kovac's side but it wasn't enough against a spirited Hertha Berlin.The visitors were leading 2-1 before Lewandowski equalised from the penalty spot on the hour mark.
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LALIGA

Gareth Bale to get another chance at Real Madrid

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is ready to put his faith in Gareth Bale as he looks set to stay at the Bernabeu.The Wales forward was omitted from Zidane's squad for a pre-season friendly with RB Salzburg, having also previously missed the club's trip to Germany for the Audi Cup.That came after the collapse of Bale's proposed transfer to Chinese club Jiangsu Suning amid widespread speculation his six-year stay in Spain was about to end.Bale reportedly skipped the trip to Germany, where the Spanish giants faced Tottenham and Fenerbahce, as he was furious with his treatment at the hands of Zidane and president Florentino Perez and felt he was not in the right frame of mind to play.But Zidane now seems to have changed his mind on the Welshman.He said in a press conference ahead of Real's op...
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TRANSFERS

Report: Neymar 'Would Take 15m Euros Pay Cut' to Rejoin Barcelona

Neymar would take a pay cut of 15 million euros (£13.7m) to rejoin Barcelona from Paris St-Germain, reportedly.The Spanish giants are believed to have made several offers for the Brazil international, including one of 100m euros (£92.4m) plus Philippe Coutinho.However, those bids have been rejected with PSG holding out for more money.Neymar is currently training alone at PSG, although that is understood to be part of a scheduled programme rather than related to the transfer saga.
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