NEWS – Page 74 – Football Flame

NEWS

No Comments
NEWS

European football matchday: Manchester City take on Arsenal in English League Cup; Real Sociedad host Atlético Madrid

Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City gives their team instructions as Ralph Hasenhuttl, Manager of Southampton looks on during the Premier League match between Southampton and Manchester City at St Mary's Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Southampton, England.A look at what’s happening around European football on Tuesday:EnglandThe English League Cup reaches the quarterfinals stage this week and Manchester City is closing in on another slice of history under Pep Guardiola. City's players lifted the trophy for the third consecutive year last season and are three matches away from winning four in a row, which will match the achievement of Liverpool in the 1980s. Arsenal is City's opponent in the last eight in the latest head-to-head between Guardiola and the man who was his assistant at C...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Pele congratulates Messi for equalling goal record

Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona looks on during the La Liga Santader match between FC Barcelona and Valencia CF at Camp Nou on December 19, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain.Brazil soccer great Pele has paid tribute to Lionel Messi for equalling his goal-scoring record for a single club after the Argentine forward netted his 643rd goal for Barcelona in Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Valencia.Messi, 33, hit the milestone goal with a diving header just before halftime immediately after his penalty was saved by Valencia keeper Jaume Domenech.Messi, who made his first appearance for Barcelona aged 17 in 2004, needed 748 matches to score 643 goals, while Pele managed the tally in 665 competitive games for Santos."When your heart overflows with love, it is difficult to change your path. Like you, I know what...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Son Heung-min nominated for FIFA’s best goal award

Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur during the UEFA Europa League Group J stage match between Tottenham Hotspur and Royal Antwerp at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 10, 2020 in London, United Kingdom.South Korean Premier League star Son Heung-min has been shortlisted for a FIFA award for the best goal of the year.FIFA announced Saturday that Son's wonder goal for Tottenham Hotspur against Burnley in December last year is one of three candidates for the annual FIFA Puskas Award. Established in 2009 in honor of former Real Madrid striker Ferenc Puskas, the Puskas Award is presented to the player, male or female, who is judged to have scored the best goal in the given year.Son is up against two Uruguayan players: Luis Suarez of FC Barcelona and Giorgian De Arrascaeta of Ceara SC.In that ...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Ligue 1: Lille in second place after victory over Monaco; Lyon extend unbeaten run to 10 matches

Yusuf Yazici of Lille celebrates his goal with Burak Yilmaz and teammates during the Ligue 1 match between Lille OSC (LOSC) and AS Monaco (ASM) at Stade Pierre Mauroy on December 6, 2020 in Villeneuve d'Ascq near Lille, France.Paris: Yusuf Yazici scored what proved to be the winner as Lille beat fellow title hopefuls Monaco 2-1 on Sunday to retake second place in Ligue 1, while Lyon cruised past Metz as the pair increased the pressure on leaders Paris Saint-Germain.Christophe Galtier's men dug deep at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy to end Monaco's four-match winning streak and move back to within two points of reigning champions PSG.Lyon are behind Monaco on goal difference after brushing aside Metz 3-1.Marseille are two points further back in third, but have two games in hand."This result is imp...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Germany manager Joachim Low will remain in charge for next year’s European Championship finals

Head coach Joachim Löw of Germany gives an interview after the UEFA Nations League group stage match between Spain and Germany at Estadio de La Cartuja on November 17, 2020 in Seville, Spain.The German football federation (DFB) have said that manager Joachim Low will remain in charge of Germany for next year's delayed European Championship, despite a series of poor recent results. Breaking | The DFB confirm that Joachim Löw will stay on as Germany head coach: "Joachim Löw continues to have the trust of the DFB." https://t.co/mLDBqhaoG8— Get German Football News (@GGFN_) November 30, 2020 Löw, 60, has been in charge of the team since taking over from Jurgen Klinsmann following the 2006 World Cup.He led the nation to a fourth World Cup victory, and first since reunification, in Brazil in 20...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Argentina football legend Diego Maradona dies after suffering heart attack

Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona, confirmed coach of Argentina's football team, leaves an hotel in Barcelona after a meeting with Barcelona's player Lionel Messi on November 6, 2008.Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona has died after suffering a heart attack in his home country.The 60-year-old is said to have passed away at home this afternoon.Maradona only turned 60 last week but suffered a torrid birthday as he had to be escorted from the sidelines as he watched Gimnasia, the Argentinian team he was manager of.The former Barcelona star was taken for brain surgery but was reportedly on the mend.Flocks of fans turned up at an Argentinian hospital in recent weeks to wish their hero well as he battled to survive.They arrived with flags and banners, while they chanted his name...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Spurs, Milan and Real Sociedad have no room for Europa errors

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE banner logo in Toumba stadium.In an unusually crammed and crowded season, the Europa League, which resumes on Thursday with 26 group games, presents clubs fighting for domestic glory with a tricky balancing act.The English, Italian and Spanish league leaders, Tottenham, Real Sociedad and AC Milan, as well as Bundesliga high-flyers Bayer Leverkusen, have all slipped up already in Europe's second-tier competition and cannot afford another mistake.Yet the demands of a condensed season mean their managers are walking two tightropes at once.Real Sociedad, beaten at home by Napoli on the second matchday, have lost veteran David Silva to a hamstring injury on Sunday ahead of their trip to Group F leaders AZ Alkmaar.Yet even as they travel to the Netherlands, they need to plan f...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Ligue 1: Monaco defeat PSG after 2-0 down

Kylian MBAPPE of PSG score his goal during the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain at Stade Louis II on November 20, 2020 in Monaco, Monaco.Leaders Paris St Germain wasted a two-goal halftime lead as they lost 3-2 at Monaco in Ligue 1 on Friday ahead of a crucial Champions League game against RB Leipzig.Kylian Mbappe's double was cancelled out by two goals from Kevin Volland before Cesc Fabregas gave the hosts all three points with a penalty six minutes from time.Monaco are now second in the standings with 20 points from 11 games, four behind PSG, who host Leipzig in Group H on Tuesday trailing the German side and Manchester United by three points.Centre back Abdou Diallo, who fouled Volland for Monaco's penalty, was sent off.Mbappe, back with PSG since p...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Belgium, Italy into Nations League finals as Foden stars in England win

Youri Tielemans of Belgium celebrates with Romelu Lukaku of Belgium after scoring the 1-0 goal during the UEFA Nations League match between Belgium and Denmark at the King Power at den dreef Stadion on November 18, 2020 in Heverlee, Belgium.Romelu Lukaku helped fire Belgium into the UEFA Nations League finals by scoring twice in a 4-2 win over Denmark on Wednesday, while Italy also secured a place in the last four with victory away to Bosnia and Herzegovina.The world's number one-ranked side, Belgium only required a draw from their last League A, Group 2 game at home to Denmark behind closed doors in Leuven and took an early lead through Youri Tielemans.Jonas Wind equalised for Denmark, but Lukaku got a second-half double and Kevin De Bruyne made sure of the victory for Roberto Martinez's ...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Italy on the brink of Nations League finals despite coronavirus chaos

Roberto Mancini head coach of Italy issues instructions to Jorginho and Ciro Immobile of Italy during the UEFA Nations League group stage match between Italy and Netherlands at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia on October 14, 2020 in Bergamo, Italy.International football in a time of pandemic sets many problems and Italy right now could provide a list of most of them.The Azzurri are on the verge of making the Uefa Nations League finals, but this has been no ordinary lead-in. They face Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday, a win guaranteeing progress, with neither of their regular captains, no manager on the premises and without 20 players who had been called up.Roberto Mancini, the coach, has been self-isolating, having contracted coronavirus. He had hoped a negative test would allow him to return...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Nations League: Spain hammer Germany 6-0, Sweden relegated by France

Alvaro Morata of Spain, Robin Koch of Germany during the UEFA Nations league match between Spain v Germany at the la Cartuja Stadium on November 17, 2020 in Sevilla Spain.Spain dealt Germany their worst defeat in 89 years on Tuesday as a stunning 6-0 victory in Seville sent them through to the Nations League semifinals. Germany have not been beaten so heavily since losing to Austria by the same scoreline in a friendly in 1931. Spain's forward Ferran Torres scored a brilliant hat-trick to justify his reputation as one of football's most exciting prospects. Alvaro Morata, Ferran and Rodri gave Luis Enrique's side a 3-0 halftime lead, while Ferran struck again early in the second half and completed his treble with a classy finish. Substitute Mikel Oyarzabal tapped in the s...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Fifa Club World Cup moved to February because of Covid-19 restrictions

Liverpool's English midfielder Jordan Henderson (C) lifts the trophy after winning the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup Final football match between England's Liverpool and Brazil's Flamengo at the Khalifa International Stadium in the Qatari capital Doha on December 21, 2019.Fifa has moved this season's Club World Cup from December to February 2021 because of Covid-19 restrictions.European representatives Bayern Munich won the Champions League in August, but the pandemic affected the conclusion of other continental championships.The tournament will still be played in Qatar, from 1-11 February."The Club World Cup Qatar 2020 has been subject to the disruptive effect on the confederations' continental club championships," said Fifa."The introduction of strict return-to-play protocols have facilitated...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Nations League game called off hours before kick-off as Ukraine’s entire squad placed in quarantine

Andriy Shevchenko head coach of Ukraine during the international friendly match between Poland and Ukraine at Silesian Stadium on November 11, 2020 in Chorzow, Poland.Tonight’s Nations League match between Switzerland and Ukraine has been called off after six of its players tested positive for the coronavirus.The Ukrainian football association said in a statement that it was informed by Uefa the match “cannot take place” after Swiss health authorities made the decision “to quarantine the entire delegation of the national team of Ukraine.”The decision on the future of the match, which had been scheduled to take place in Lucerne at 7.45pm (Irish time), will be made by Uefa, the association said.Earlier on Tuesday, Ukrainian football’s governing body said a total of six national team players ...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

England’s Henderson, Sterling to miss Iceland game

England Team Shoot Back Row:- Michael Keane, Declan Rice, Harry Maguire, Jordan Pickford, Jordan Henderson and Ross Barkley of England. Front Row:- Danny Rose, Harry Kane, Kieran Trippier, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford of England.England midfielder Jordan Henderson and winger Raheem Sterling will miss Wednesday's Nations League game against Iceland through injuries, the Football Association (FA) said on Monday.Henderson was withdrawn at halftime in Sunday's 2-0 defeat away to Belgium due to tightness in his leg, while Manchester City star Sterling missed the game with a calf injury."The pair have now returned to their respective clubs for further assessment," the FA said in a statement.England, third in Group A2 with seven points from five games, cannot qualify for the Nations League...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Luis Suarez to miss World Cup qualifier with COVID-19

Luis Suarez of Uruguay celebrates after scoring the second goal of his team during a match between Colombia and Uruguay as part of South American Qualifiers for Qatar 2022 at Estadio Metropolitano on November 13, 2020 in Barranquilla, Colombia.Atletico Madrid and Uruguay forward Luis Suarez has tested positive for COVID-19, the Uruguay national team said in a statement on Monday. Uruguay's statement said top scorer Suarez and stand-in goalkeeper Rodrigo Munoz plus a staff member had tested positive. Other members of the squad had all tested negative ahead of Tuesday's World Cup qualifier at home to Brazil. The statement added that all three are "in good health," and said the team had followed protocol and taken the appropriate measures following the results. They join defend...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Former Nigeria and Serie A player escapes from suspected armed kidnappers

Christian Obodo (L) of Lecce competes for the ball with Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Milan during the Serie A match between US Lecce and AC Milan at Stadio Via del Mare on October 23, 2011 in Lecce, Italy.Former Nigeria Midfielder Christian Obodo, who spent over a decade in Serie A, including spells with Fiorentina and Udinese, has said that he had escaped from suspected kidnappers in the country’s oil-rich Delta state.Obodo was driving around the southern city of Warri on Sunday when he said two armed men forced themselves inside his car.“They pushed my girlfriend out of the car,” he told AFP by phone, adding that a third gunman drove in a car behind them.“I was praying and trying to hold a conversation with them asking them what have I done, but they barked at me and told me to keep quiet and t...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Mohamed Salah to undergo another Covid-19 test in Egypt on Thursday

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool rues a missed opportunity during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium on November 8, 2020 in Manchester, United Kingdom.Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is set to have another Covid-19 swab test on Thursday, as he continues his period of self-isolation in Egypt.Salah tested positive for the virus while away on international duty, a few days after video emerged of him dancing amid a large crowd at his brother's wedding while not wearing a mask.The Egyptian FA confirmed his positive test last Friday and confirmed a room has been set aside for him to isolate ahead of a second swab test this week.That now looks set to take place on Thursday and if that proves to be a negative test, Salah would be allowed to fly back to the U...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

France boss Didier Deschamps details how Anthony Martial has improved at Man Utd

Anthony Martial of France during the UEFA Nations League group stage match between Portugal and France at Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica on November 14, 2020 in Lisbon, Portugal.France boss Didier Deschamps has detailed how Anthony Martial has improved during his time at Manchester United.Martial has become a regular for France, having started recent Nations League wins over Portugal and Croatia.While the 24-year-old has scored 73 goals in 229 games for United, he hasn't yet found his scoring touch for France, having netted just once in his 19 international appearances so far.But Deschamps is happy with the forward's development at United, who Martial has represented since 2015.The France coach praised Martial's performance in Saturday's 1-0 victory in Portugal, saying he had developed ...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Nations League: Belgium break England hearts, Italy close on finals

Romelu Lukaku of Belgium battles for the ball with Tyrone Mings of England and Eric Dier of England during the UEFA Nations League group stage match between Belgium and England at King Power at Den Dreef Stadion on November 15, 2020 in Leuven, Belgium.Belgium ended England's hopes of reaching the Nations League finals with a 2-0 win on Sunday while Italy edged closer to next year's title shake-up.Belgium were just five minutes from joining world champions France at next October's finals when Iceland pulled level at 1-1 with group rivals Denmark in Copenhagen.However, a stoppage time penalty by Christian Eriksen gave the Danes a 2-1 win and kept alive their chances of pipping Belgium to top spot in Group A2.Youri Tielemans and Dries Mertens scored the goals which gave world number one Belgi...
Read More
No Comments
NEWS

Barcelona preferred Dembele over Mbappe, says Bordas

France's forward Kylian Mbappe (L), France's forward Ousmane Dembele and France's forward Florian Thauvin celebrate with their medals after the Russia 2018 World Cup final football match between France and Croatia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on July 15, 2018.Former Barcelona director Javier Bordas has said that the club could have signed Kylian Mbappe before the striker moved to Paris Saint-Germain but decided to go for Ousmane Dembele instead.The club brought in Dembele in summer 2017 for €105 million plus add-ons following Neymar’s shock departure to the Ligue 1 side. Bordas has explained Mbappe could have arrived for €100m but technical secretary Robert Fernandez preferred Dembele.“Yes. When we were to sign Dembele, Minguella called me to tell us that Mbappe was within reach. I sp...
Read More
Blogarama - Blog Directory