NEWS – Page 18 – Football Flame

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Plymouth Argyle sack manager Ian Foster shortly after Bristol City defeat

 Ian Foster, the manager of Plymouth Argyle, is pictured during the Sky Bet Championship match between Middlesbrough and Plymouth Argyle at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, on February 24, 2024.Plymouth Argyle sacked head coach Ian Foster just hours after defeat to Bristol City.Foster was relieved of his duties on Monday night following the Robins’ 1-0 win at Home Park courtesy of Nahki Wells’ second-half header. The loss, Foster’s eighth inside the last 11 games, has left the Pilgrims just one point and one place above the Championship relegation zone.With six matches of the season remaining, and a crucial relegation encounter against Rotherham United on Saturday, the Plymouth board have acted to remove former England Under-20 coach Foster who took the job in January after ser...
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Lionel Messi will miss Miami’s game against NYCFC, could return for Champions Cup quarterfinal

Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF reacts against the Nashville SC during the first half in the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 match at Chase Stadium on March 13, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.Lionel Messi's hamstring injury will keep him sidelined for Inter Miami's home game against New York City FC on Saturday, but he could return for the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal first leg against Mexico's Monterrey on April 3.After missing Saturday, Messi will have played in nine of 19 MLS matches since joining Miami last summer.“He is working with the physios," Miami coach Javier Morales said Friday, “but he won't be available because we are doing all we can to get him ready for next Wednesday. There is a possibility he will play in that game — that is what we are working for.”Messi h...
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Barcelona set up Uwcl semi-final re-match with Chelsea Women

 Aitana Bonmati of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the Liga F match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid Femenino at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on November 19, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona eventually saw off SK Brann in the UEFA Women’s Champions League Quarter-Finals, while PSG went through against BK Hacken.Quarter-Finals 2nd LegBarcelona 3-1 SK Brann (Agg: 5-2)Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 BK Häcken (Agg: 5-1) Holders Barcelona will face Chelsea in the semi-finals for the second season running, with the first leg 0n 20 or 21 April, the second at Stamford Bridge a week later.Aitana Bonmati extended Barca’s lead over Brann and despite the efforts of goalkeeper Aurora Mikalsen and some loose finishing, Fridolina Rolfo doubled the advant...
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Leicester City Women sack manager Willie Kirk after allegation of relationship with player

 Leicester City Women manager Willie Kirk with Sam Tierney of Leicester City Women during the Leicester City v Chelsea FC - Barclays Women's Super League match at King Power Stadium on March 3, 2024 in Leicester, United Kingdom. Leicester City Women have sacked manager Willie Kirk following an investigation into an alleged relationship with a player.The 45-year-old was suspended from his post earlier this month, with a spokesperson for City confirming he was "assisting the club with an internal process". He has been absent from the touchline for Leicester's last three matches, with assistant manager Jennifer Foster and first-team coach Stephen Kirby taking charge of the team in his absence.And the club confirmed they have parted ways with Kirk in a statement on Thursday. "In Leic...
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Canada qualify for the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América

 Jacob Shaffelburg #14 of Canada celebrates with teammates after scoring the second goal of his team during during Play-In - Concacaf Nations League match between Canada and Trinidad & Tobago at Toyota Stadium on March 23, 2024 in Frisco, Texas.Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team have qualified for the CONMEBOL Copa América for the first time and they will open against the reigning FIFA World Cup champions Argentina. Canada have qualified as one of six Concacaf guest nations for the 16-nation tournament which runs from 20 June to 14 July in the United States.Drawn into Group A, Canada will face Argentina on Thursday 20 June in Atlanta, Peru on Tuesday 25 June in Kansas, and Chile on Saturday 29 June in Orlando.Alongside 10 CONMEBOL nations at the 2024 Copa América, the six Concaca...
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Gareth Southgate explains why Chelsea star Cole Palmer did not feature for England

Ivan Toney of England & Brentford, Cole Palmer of England & Chelsea, Rico Lewis of England & Manchester City during the England Men Training Session at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on March 25, 2024 in Enfield, England. Gareth Southgate says Cole Palmer is still in with a good chance of making England’s Euro 2024 squad and only missed out on minutes this week due to a minor injury.The Chelsea star, who has been the west London club’s standout player this season, was not included in the matchday squad against Brazil on Saturday but Southgate had hoped he would be available against Belgium.Although Palmer was on the bench on Tuesday evening, he did not get onto the pitch with Southgate instead choosing to bring on Anthony Gordon, Ollie Watkins and James Maddison as the ...
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Chelsea hold off Ajax to reach Women’s Champions League semis

Mayra Ramirez of Chelsea celebrates scoring their teams first goal during the UEFA Women's Champions League 2023/24 Quarter Final Leg Two match between Chelsea FC Women and AFC Ajax at Stamford Bridge on March 27, 2024 in London, England.Chelsea reached the Champions League semi-finals for the fifth time in their history after a 1-1 draw with Ajax at Stamford Bridge secured a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory.The Blues entered the evening already 3-0 ahead from their first-leg victory in Amsterdam and further eased any tension when Mayra Ramirez netted her first Champions League goal to open the scoring after 33 minutes in west London.It came after a nervy start for the hosts, who narrowly avoided conceding from a first-half mishap before Chasity Grant drew Ajax level with one of few chanc...
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Euro 2024 | Ukraine, Georgia and Poland qualify after late drama in playoffs

Mykhailo Mudryk of Ukraine celebrates scoring a goal during the UEFA EURO 2024 Play-Offs final match between Ukraine and Iceland at Tarczynski Arena on March 26, 2024 in Wroclaw, Poland.Ukraine found another late winning goal in another comeback win. Georgia and Poland held their nerve in penalty shootouts. All are going to the European Championship.The 24-nation Euro 2024 lineup was finalized Tuesday with three qualifying playoffs giving a stronger eastern European flavor to the tournament that opens June 14 in Germany.Mykhailo Mudryk's sweeping low shot in the 84th minute lifted Ukraine to a 2-1 victory over Iceland and a second late comeback win in the playoffs for a team representing the war-torn country.The “home” game for Ukraine was played in neutral Poland because international gam...
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Bellingham scores late for England in Belgium draw

Bukayo Saka of England celebrates with Jude Bellingham after scoring the team's second goal during the UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying round group C match between England and Ukraine at Wembley Stadium on March 26, 2023 in London, England. Jude Bellingham's 22nd goal of a standout season has salvaged a 2-2 draw for England against Belgium and continued his outstanding form going into this year's European Championship.The Real Madrid midfielder underlined his importance to Gareth Southgate's team ahead of the Euros with a goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time at Wembley to ensure England avoided back-to-back defeats, following Saturday's 1-0 loss to Brazil.Two first-half goals from Youri Tielemans, either side of an Ivan Toney penalty, put Belgium on the verge of their first away win aga...
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Spain coach: Whistles for Morata ‘hurt my soul’

 Spain Head Coach Luis de la Fuente gestures during the friendly match between Spain and Brazil at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on March 26, 2024 in Madrid, Spain.Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said it "hurt his soul" to hear a section of the crowd at the Bernabeu stadium whistle at Álvaro Morata during Tuesday's friendly draw against Brazil.The Atletico Madrid forward, who started against Brazil, had an off night and was whistled by some fans during the game. A former Real Madrid player, Morata was booed as he was substituted in the 81st minute."It hurts my soul that in my country, the captain of the national team is being whistled at," De la Fuente said. "I feel pain. The [crowd at the] Bernabeu has been incredible, but as a Spaniard I feel ashamed when a player from Spain is whistled."...
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Lukaku fit to face England as Belgium seek improvement

 Romelu Lukaku of AS Roma celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Europa League 2023/24 Knockout Round Play-offs First Leg match between Feyenoord and AS Roma at Feyenoord Stadium on February 15, 2024 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Belgium's record scorer Romelu Lukaku will be fit to face England in a friendly at Wembley today and adds considerable firepower to an attack that looked devoid of ideas in the disappointing 0-0 draw with Ireland last weekend.Lukaku sat out the match in Dublin with a groin injury but is back in full training, according to manager Domenico Tedesco.“Lukaku is ready to start,” the coach told reporters yesterday, before confirming that goalkeeper Koen Casteels remains sidelined with a shoulder injury.Lukaku's 83 goals from 113 caps is 50 more ...
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Igor Stimac says he will resign if India don’t qualify for FIFA World Cup qualifiers third round

India's Croatian coach Igor Stimac looks on during the Qatar 2023 AFC Asian Cup Group B football match between Syria and India at Al-Bayt Stadium in al-Khor, north of Doha, on January 23, 2024. India men’s football team manager Igor Stimac said he will resign from the position if they fail to reach the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.Even before the Asian Cup got underway in January , Stimac had prioritised qualification to the third round which booked a direct entry into the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.“If I don’t take India to the third round I will leave, with my pride, with my honour on everything that was done here in the five years of work. I will leave my position to someone else,” Stimac said on Monday, on the eve of India’s home leg fixture against Afghanistan in Guw...
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Pellegrini, Barella give Italy 2-0 win over Ecuador

 Lorenzo Pellegrini of Italy celebrates with team-mates after scoring the goal during the International Friendly match between Ecuador and Italy at Red Bull Arena on March 24, 2024 in Harrison, New Jersey.An early goal from Lorenzo Pellegrini and a late strike from Nicolo Barella gave a revamped Italy side a 2-0 win over Ecuador in a friendly at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey on Sunday.Italy coach Luciano Spalletti made 11 changes to the lineup from Thursday’s 2-1 win over Venezuela, which was the first of the two matches on the U.S tour, giving more players a chance to prove themselves before the Euro 2024 finals in Germany. There was a minute’s silence in honour of Fiorentina director Joe Barone, who passed away on Tuesday.Pellegrini put Italy ahead after three minutes by smashing hom...
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Former head of Chinese Football Association sentenced to life in prison for bribery

 Chen Xuyuam, President of Chinese Football Association, and coach Gao Hongbo (L) attend a training session during the AFC U23 Championship on January 8, 2020 in Songkhla, Thailand. A court in central China's Hubei Province on Tuesday sentenced Chen Xuyuan, former head of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), to life in prison for bribery.The Huangshi Intermediate People's Court found that Chen took advantage of his various posts from 2010 to 2023, including those related to the CFA, to help others in matters regarding project contracting, investment operations, and sporting event arrangements. In return, he accepted money and valuables worth over 81 million yuan (US$11.42 million).Chen has severely harmed the order of fair competition in the football sector and brought tremend...
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Japan to advance in World Cup qualifying after game cancelled

 Ritsu Doan of Japan celebrates scoring his side's first goal with head coach Hajime Moriyasu during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Japan and Spain at Khalifa International Stadium on December 01, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.Japan look poised to reach the final stage of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup without kicking a ball after FIFA said their match at North Korea will not be rescheduled.North Korea were supposed to stage the qualifier on Tuesday in the capital Pyongyang but five days before the game officials abruptly said the isolated country could not play host without giving a reason.On Friday the Asian Football Confederation said the match was off and at the weekend FIFA said it “shall neither be played nor rescheduled”, citing lack of space in the international ...
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Bafana coach Broos wary of Algeria on the rebound from Afcon

 South Africa Coach Hugo Broos is thrown in the air by his players after winning the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 3rd place match between South Africa and DR Congo at Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny on February 10, 2024 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.Hugo Broos is wary of an Algeria on the rebound from their disappointing Africa Cup of Nations and eager to impress new coach Vladimir Petković when they host Bafana Bafana at what should be a packed Stade Nelson Mandela on Tuesday night.The Fennec Foxes bombed out in the first round at the Nations Cup in Ivory Coast, which prompted highly rated coach Djamel Belmadi, who steered Algeria to the 2019 title, to step down.The 60-year-old Bosnian-born Swiss coach Petković began his tenure with a 3-2 win against 86th-rankied Bolivia on Friday ...
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Ex-Brazil star Dani Alves leaves prison after paying bail

 Brazilian footballer Dani Alves looks on at the start of his trial at the High Court of Justice of Catalonia in Barcelona, on February 5, 2024. Former Brazil international footballer Dani Alves, convicted of rape in Spain, has paid bail of €1m and can leave jail pending his appeal, a court has said.One of the world's most decorated footballers, Alves, 40, was last month sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail for raping a young woman in the VIP bathroom of a Barcelona nightclub in the early hours of 31 December 2022.But in a surprise move, a Barcelona court last week agreed to his request for provisional release while his appeal is heard on condition that he posted bail of €1m, hand over his Spanish and Brazilian passports, remain in the country and present himself to court "...
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How Germany could line up against the Netherlands

 Julian Nagelsmann, Head Coach of Germany, looks on prior to the international friendly match between France and Germany at Groupama Stadium on March 23, 2024 in Lyon, France. Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann is expected to name a similar XI to the one which dismantled France as the Netherlands visit Frankfurt on Tuesday.Following a ten-game spell without a clean sheet spanning across the majority of a friendly-filled 2023, a centre-back pairing of Antonio Rudiger and Jonathan Tah assisted Marc-Andre ter Stegen to a rare shutout versus Didier Deschamps's men in Lyon, with both defenders set to retain their spots in the side.Elsewhere in Die Mannschaft's squad, there is a three-horse race emerging for the berth at the focal point of Germany's attack - Arsenal's Kai Havertz staked...
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USMNT player ratings from CONCACAF Nations League triumph over Mexico

Tyler Adams #4 of the United States celebrates with Tim Weah #21 and Gio Reyna #7 during the the Concacaf Nations League Final against Mexico at AT&T Stadium on March 24, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. The United States men’s national team made it a perfect 3-for-3 when it comes to capturing CONCACAF Nations League trophies, defeating Mexico 2-0 in Texas on Sunday in the latest dos a cero between the two massive rivals.Tyler Adams and Giovanni Reyna scored big goals and Tim Ream was terrific at the back of a 2-0 win over Mexico in Texas, while other players weren’t at their best but played their parts in a fairly-straightforward win.Here are our player ratings from the CNL Final in Arlington, Texas, as the Yanks added to their ridiculous 3-2 extra time affair over Mexico in 2021 and 2-...
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Spalletti Already Has Italy Euro 2024 Squad in Mind

 Head coach of Italy Luciano Spalletti reacts during a Italy training session at Centro Sportivo Giulio Onesti on March 18, 2024 in Rome, Italy.Italy capped off their United States tour with a commanding 2-0 victory against CONMEBOL giants Ecuador in Harrison, New Jersey. Speaking to the press in the post-game interview, Luciano Spalletti admitted most of the squad that traveled across the ocean will appear at Euro 2024. Goals from Lorenzo Pellegrini and Nicolo Barella on either side of halftime inspired Italy to a landslide victory against Ecuador, only a few days after a 2-1 triumph against Venezuela. A brace of wins against South American sides has been a perfect start to Gli Azzurri’s preparations for the upcoming tournament. Spalletti praised his team’s effort at the Re...
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