NEWS – Page 61 – Football Flame

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Napoli win ousts Leicester from Europa

Eljif Elmas of SSC Napoli celebrates after scoring his team's third goal with team mates during the UEFA Europa League group C match between SSC Napoli and Leicester City at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on December 9, 2021 in Naples, Italy. Eljif Elmas scored twice as Napoli earned a spot in the play-offs for the Europa League last 16 with a 3-2 win over Leicester City, who fall into the Europa Conference League.Leicester travelled to Naples knowing they would guarantee a top-two finish in Group C if they avoided defeat, but first-half strikes from Adam Ounas and Elmas put the hosts ahead on Thursday.Jonny Evans and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall quickly restored parity in a chaotic opening 45 minutes, only for Elmas to net again after the break and decisively edge Napoli back in front.Lucian...
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PSG’s perfect home record ends with draw against Nice

Jean-Clair Todibo of Nice in action with Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain during the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between Paris Saint Germain and OGC Nice at Parc des Princes on December 01, 2021 in Paris, France.Paris Saint-Germain dropped points at home for the first time this season by drawing 0-0 with Nice in the French league on Wednesday as the high-powered attack led by newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi came up empty.Nice goalkeeper Walter Benitez parried Kylian Mbappe’s low strike in the 27th minute and denied Angel di Maria in the 51st. PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was less busy but still had to push behind Andy Delort’s close-range header in the 32nd to help maintain a 12-point lead atop the standings.PSG had won every previous home game in all competitions this...
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Liverpool and Arsenal legend Ray Kennedy passes away aged 70 after long Parkinson’s battle

Former footballer Ray Kennedy is applauded by his two of his previous teams as he walks out before his Testimonial match between Arsenal and Liverpool at Highbury on April 27, 1991 in London, England. Former Liverpool and Arsenal player Ray Kennedy has died at the age of 70, the Merseyside club have announced.Kennedy won three European Cups and five league titles with the Reds, whom he joined from Arsenal in 1974 having done the league and FA Cup double with the Gunners three years earlier.A personal highlight was his pivotal away goal in the 1981 European Cup semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich.He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1984 and a testimonial game between Liverpool and Arsenal was held in 1991.Later that year he sold his medals and 17 England caps to help r...
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Lionel Messi wins record seventh men’s Ballon d’Or

Lionel Messi receives his seventh Ballon D'Or award from Luis Suarez during the Ballon D'Or Ceremony at Theatre du Chatelet on November 29, 2021 in Paris, France.Lionel Messi admitted winning the Copa America with Argentina might have been the determining factor in him claiming the men's Ballon d'Or prize for the seventh time after a turbulent year, as Spain's Alexia Putellas took the women's award.Now 34, Messi pipped much-fancied rivals like Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema to take the award in a glittering ceremony on Monday in Paris, the city he now calls home after leaving boyhood club Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in August.Despite his tearful goodbye from Barcelona and his relatively underwhelming start to life in France, the jury of journalists from around the world rewarde...
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Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar to miss 6-8 weeks with ankle injury

Neymar Junior of Paris Saint Germain (L) lies injured during the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between AS Saint-Etienne and Paris Saint Germain at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on November 28, 2021 in Saint-Etienne, France.Neymar is expected to be sidelined for between six and eight weeks after sustaining ligament damage to his left ankle, Paris Saint-Germain said on Monday. The Brazil star was stretchered from the pitch in tears after suffering the injury in the final minutes of Sunday's 3-1 victory at Saint-Etienne. "The examinations carried out last night confirm that Neymar Jr is suffering from a sprained left ankle with ligament damage," PSG said in a statement, adding that a further update would be made in 72 hours.Neymar had started 13 of the past 15 games for PSG this season after an...
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PSG score late goals to beat 10-man Saint-Etienne

Saint-Etienne's French defender Timothee Kolodziejczak (L) and Paris Saint-Germain's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi fight for the ball during the French L1 football match between AS Saint-Etienne and Paris Saint Fermain (PSG), at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in Saint-Etienne, central France, on November 28, 2021.Paris St-Germain came from behind to beat 10-man Saint-Etienne and move 14 points clear at the top of Ligue 1.After Neymar had an early finish ruled out for offside, Denis Bouanga gave St Etienne a 23rd-minute lead.Timothee Kolodziejczak was sent-off for a foul on Kylian Mbappe and Marquinhos headed PSG level from the resulting free-kick before half-time.Angel di Maria curled in with 11 minutes left and Marquinhos added a third for the visitors in added time.Bouanga's opener, co...
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Europa Conference League: Antonio Conte Warns He Is No Magician After Slovenia’s NS Mura Shock Sorry Spurs

Antonio Conte, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur reacts during the UEFA Europa Conference League group G match between NS Mura and Tottenham Hotspur at Stadion Ljudski Vrt on November 25, 2021 in Maribor, Slovenia. Tottenham manager Antonio Conte said he has quickly realised the level of his squad is "not so high" after an embarrassing  2-1 loss to Slovenian minnows NS Mura in the Europa Conference League. Spurs will now likely have to beat Rennes at home in their final group game to avoid crashing out of Europe's third-tier competition. And they can no longer catch Rennes at the top of the group meaning they would progress to the last 32, while the group winners are parachuted into the last 16.Harry Kane started as one of just two players to be retained by Conte from Sunday's 2-1 win...
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Bayer Leverkusen, West Ham United advance to Europa League last 16

Moussa Diaby of Bayer 04 Leverkusen celebrates after scoring his team's third goal with teammates during the UEFA Europa League group G match between Bayer Leverkusen and Celtic FC at BayArena on November 25, 2021 in Leverkusen, Germany. Bayer Leverkusen and West Ham United sealed UEFA Europa League last-16 berths after winning their group matches Thursday. West Ham United shutout Rapid Wien 2-0 on goals by Andriy Yarmolenko and Mark Noble at Vienna's Weststadion to increase their points to 13 in Group H.In a Group G match, French winger Moussa Diaby hit a late winner as Bayer Leverkusen punched their Europa League last 16 ticket with a dramatic 3-2 win against Celtic at BayArena.Collecting 13 points, Leverkusen are three points ahead of Real Betis.Also, Real Betis, along with Galatas...
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West Ham looks to bounce back as fixtures pile up

Declan Rice of West Ham United celebrates their side's victory with Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma after during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium on October 24, 2021 in London, England. West Ham United will be keen to bounce back as they face a busy week in the Europa and Premier leagues. The Hammers will make the trip away to Rapid Vienna this evening (Thursday) before then travelling to Manchester City on Sunday and then hosting Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday, December 1. West Ham’s team spirit has been a huge factor in their success over the past 18 months and their togetherness was evident once again as the squad united to wish Angelo Ogbonna well after he underwent surgery on his knee injury. Ogbonna to...
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Karim Benzema found guilty in sex-tape blackmail case

Karim Benzema of Real Madrid warms up during the La Liga Santander match between Granada CF and Real Madrid CF at Nuevo Estadio de Los Carmenes on November 21, 2021 in Granada, Spain.France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has been found guilty of complicity in the attempted blackmail of a former international teammate over a sex tape on Wednesday and sentenced to a one-year suspended jail term.He was also fined €75,000. Benzema's lawyer said the player would appeal against the verdict.Benzema, who had denied any wrongdoing, was not in the court in Versailles. He is due to play for the Spanish club against Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol later today."This outcome in no way corresponds with the reality of events," lawyer Antoine Vey told reporters afterwards.Real Madrid did not immediat...
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Davido donates ₦250M gift money to orphanages across Nigeria

Davido performs during YAM Carnival 2021 at Clapham Common on August 28, 2021 in London, England.Nigeria’s Music star, David Adeleke a.k.a Davido says he will donate N200 million gift money received from friends and colleagues to orphanage homes across Nigeria.The hip hop artiste took to his verified Instagram on Saturday to announce the Good news.He said he would make a personal donation of N50 million to make the money N250 million towards the efforts to help the less privileged.He wrote, “I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my colleagues, fans and the public for their generous gift in recent days.“In my usual playful manner, I requested few days ago that my friends, colleagues to send me money in celebration of my birthday.“The response and outcome exceeded my expectation as I rec...
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Augsburg stuns Bayern Munich to win Bavarian derby 2-1

Mads Pedersen of FC Augsburg celebrates with Niklas Dorsch after scoring their team's first goal during the Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and FC Bayern München at WWK-Arena on November 19, 2021 in Augsburg, Germany. Bayern Munich have crashed to a surprise 2-1 defeat at Bavarian neighbours Augsburg which could see their Bundesliga lead cut to one point in the next 24 hours.Augsburg led 2-0 with goals from Mads Pedersen and Andre Hahn after 35 minutes and all Bayern managed was a 38th-minute effort from Robert Lewandowski in a poor return from the international break.Bayern remain top despite their second season defeat but Borussia Dortmund can close within one point with victory over lowly Stuttgart on Saturday.Augsburg moved out of the danger zone past Stuttgart with a third s...
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Rangers name van Bronckhorst new manager

Head coach Giovanni Christiaan van Bronckhorst of Guangzhou R&F F.C. speaks to the media during a training session on April 20, 2020 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province of China.Scotland’s Rangers Football Club appointed Giovanni van Bronckhorst new manager Thursday to replace Steven Gerrard who left for Aston Villa."Giovanni van Bronckhorst has today agreed to become the 17th permanent manager of Rangers Football Club," the team said on Twitter."The 46 year-old former Light Blues player is a hugely respected and vastly experienced figure in the game, and joins Gers subject to receipt of a work permit," they added on their website.The former Dutch national made appearances for the Rangers during his playing career from 1998 to 2001, winning two league titles.Head coach Giovanni Christiaan...
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Lazio Midfielder Milinkovic-Savic Helps Serbia Qualify for 2022 World Cup

Serbia's midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (R ) vies with Portugal's forward Bernardo Silva during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualification group A football match between Portugal and Serbia at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, on November 14, 2021.Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic will play in next year’s World Cup after helping Serbia finish top of their qualifying group.The 26-year-old Biancocelesti midfielder played in all but one of Serbia’s games in their successful 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, only missing out on the 3-2 win over Ireland in March.In those seven games Milinkovic-Savic scored one goal and provided two assists, helping the side secure an unforgettable 2-1 win over Portugal on Sunday last week in order to qualify them for the tournament.Sergej Milin...
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Argentina qualify for World Cup after Brazil draw

Lionel Messi of Argentina competes for the ball with Gerson of Brazil during a match between Argentina and Brazil as part of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers at San Juan del Bicentenario Stadium on November 16, 2021 in San Juan, Argentina.Argentina qualified for next year’s World Cup in Qatar as a point in their 0-0 draw with Brazil overnight proved enough after defeats for Chile and Uruguay.The reigning Copa America champions came into the match against their arch rivals knowing that a win might not be enough to secure their ticket, but a draw could be.And Chile’s 2-0 defeat at home to Ecuador, coupled with Uruguay’s 3-0 loss to Bolivia, sent Argentina through.It caps a fine year for Argentina and Lionel Messi, who won their 15th Copa America in July with a 1-0 final victory over Braz...
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China hold Australia but face uphill task to reach World Cup

Mitchell Duke of Australia celebrates with teammates after scoring their side's first goal during the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier final round Group B match between China and Australia at Sharjah Stadium on November 16, 2021 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.China are on the brink of suffering more World Cup heartache despite clinching an impressive 1-1 draw with Australia on Tuesday in qualifying for next year's football showpiece in Qatar.A 38th-minute strike by Mitchell Duke appeared to have condemned the global Olympic and economic powerhouse to their fourth defeat in six matches in Group B, but a Wu Lei penalty late on helped them gain a morale-boosting point at the Sharjah Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.But the Chinese are above only Vietnam with just five points and now face t...
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Man City defender Benjamin Mendy charged with two more counts of rape

Benjamin Mendy of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 15, 2021 in London, England.Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been charged with two more counts of rape.Mendy, 27, now faces six allegations of rape in all after initially being charged in August with four counts of rape.The France international has been in custody since his arrest in August after a number of bail applications were made but refused by judges.Mendy is also charged with a single count of sexual assault, Cheshire Police said in a statement.All the alleged offences relate to four women over the age of 16 and are alleged to have taken place between October 2020 and August 2021.The statement from police added: “Cheshire ...
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Messi in, Neymar out of Argentina vs Brazil World Cup qualifier

Brazil's Neymar (L) and Argentina's Lionel Messi talk before their South American qualification football match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at the Neo Quimica Arena, also known as Corinthians Arena, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on September 5, 2021. (Lionel Messi will play for Argentina when they face Brazil on Wednesday morning in a World Cup qualifier. Neymar will be missing because of left thigh pains.Messi, who has been bothered by a knee injury, will play in San Juan in a match that could earn the team a spot in next year's World Cup, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said Monday.Hours later, the Brazilian Football Confederation said in a statement that Neymar reported being "insecure" about the possible injury."Because there's not enough time to perform more exams, the coaching staff deci...
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Harry Kane hits four as England qualify, Italy need playoff

Emile Smith Rowe of England celebrates after scoring during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between San Marino and England at San Marino Stadium on November 15, 2021 in San Marino.England qualified for the World Cup in record-breaking style as Harry Kane scored four times in a 10-0 demolition of San Marino in the Three Lions' biggest ever victory in a competitive match. Needing a draw from their last Group 1 qualifier to reach next year's tournament in Qatar, England went goal crazy on Monday, scoring 10 in a single game for the first time since a 1964 friendly against the United States. Harry Maguire put Gareth Southgate's side in front early on before Filippo Fabbri's own goal doubled England's lead. England captain Kane took center stage after that, scoring four before...
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Late Russia own goal sends Croatia to World Cup

Fedor Kudryashov of Russia and Nikola Vlasic of Croatia in action during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between Croatia and Russia at Stadium Poljud on November 14, 2021 in Split, Croatia. Croatia qualified automatically for the 2022 World Cup finals after a late Fedor Kudryashov own goal gave them a 1-0 home win over Russia in their crunch Group H qualifier on Sunday.Russia's Fedor Kudryashov (L) and Croatia's Nikola Vlasic struggle for the ball in their 2022 FIFA World Cup Group H Qualifying Round football match at Poljud Stadium.Croatia, the 2018 World Cup runners-up, jumped above Russia to top the standings on 23 points from 10 games, one more than the second-placed Russians who will head into the March play-offs. Croatia dominated a match played in driving rain but a string ...
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