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Ronaldo nears 700 goals as England lose to Czechs in Euro qualifiers

Cristiano Ronaldo is six goals away from the 100th mark playing for Portugal team and one strike away from his 700th career goal, after he scored in a 3-0 win over Luxembourg on Friday which kept the defending champions on course for the Euro 2020 finals.The veteran star hit his 94th goal for the Portuguese and took his overall career tally to 699 when he found the target in the second half after Bernardo Silva had opened the scoring in the first period.The three points kept Portugal in second place in Group B, five points behind Ukraine who defeated Lithuania 2-0."In the first 25 minutes we were very good, very dynamic and created chances," said Fernando Santos who was marking his fifth anniversary as Portugal coach."Then we lost depth, Luxembourg became more comfortable but never created...
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Germany 2-2 Argentina: Visitors fight back from two goal down to draw

An experimental Germany team leaked two second-half goals Wednesday as a weakened Argentina side, minus superstar Lionel Messi, earned a 2-2 draw in a friendly in Dortmund.Germany flew into a 2-0 lead thanks to first-half goals by Serge Gnabry and Kai Havertz, but Lucas Alario turned the game in the second-half when he came on for Argentina.The Leverkusen striker pulled a goal back, then set up Lucas Ocampos for the late equaliser against a German team which included four debutants.Freiburg pair, defender Robin Koch, a late call-up on Monday who was thrust into a makeshift back three at the last-minute, and striker Luca Waldschmidt started.Leverkusen forward Nadiem Amiri and Schalke midfielder Suat Serdar came on to make their second-half debuts.The Germans had already been forced into a h...
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Bastian Schweinsteiger announces retirement from football

Former Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has announced his retirement from football aged 35.Schweinsteiger came through the academy at Bayern Munich, and made over 500 appearances for the Bavarian club, winning eight Bundesliga titles, seven German Cups and the Champions League before moving to Manchester United in 2015 where he won the FA Cup under Louis Van Gaal.The decorated German has been plying his trade with Chicago Fire since 2017 and will now hang up his boots at the end of the current MLS season.Schweinsteiger retires with 121 caps for the German national team, having played an instrumental role in the teams 2014 World Cup triumph.In a letter posted on his twitter page, the 35 year-old said: “Dear Fans, the time has now come, and I will be fini...
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Marc -Andre Ter Stegen to play for Germany against Argentina

Germany coach Joachim Low has confirmed that Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will play for the national side in their friendly against Argentina.The 27-year-old has been in superb form again for Barcelona this season and has spoken of his disappointment at being left on the bench for the national side.Low says that Manuel Neuer remains Germany’s first-choice stopper but confirmed Ter Stegen will get the chance to impress on Wednesday in Dortmund.“Together with [goalkeeper coach] Andreas Kopke, we’ve decided that Marc will play in Dortmund and Manu in Tallinn. We’ve discussed it with both players,” he said.“I have confirmed numerous times that Manuel Neuer is our captain and our No.1 regarding the European Championship – so long as nothing extraordinary happens.” ...
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Chelsea duo Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori named in England squad for Euro 2020 qualifiers

Chelsea youngsters Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori have both been named in the England squad for the upcoming UEFA 2020 European Championship qualifiers against Czech Republic and Bulgaria.The 25-man squad was confirmed by the Three Lions on Thursday.The call-ups for Abraham and Tomori come off the back of impressive starts to the season for Chelsea, having been integrated into the first-team setup under manager Frank Lampard.Abraham has played for England previously, picking up two caps in 2017. However, he will return to the squad a much more rounded player and has excelled in the top flight for the Blues in 2019-20.On Wednesday, Abraham was on the scoresheet once again, as he helped Chelsea beat Lille 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League.Tomori's rise has been more understated, although it'...
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Europa League: Man Utd, Arsenal and Rangers win, Wolves lose

Arsenal teenager Bukayo Saka scored his first goal for the club as they beat 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0, while Manchester United’s 17-year-old Mason Greenwood secured a 1-0 win over FC Astana as the Europa League group stage began on Thursday.Joe Willock put Arsenal ahead in the first half with a deflected shot that flew in off the underside of the crossbar, but Frankfurt battled gamely until midfielder Dominik Kohr was sent off for picking up two yellow cards in the second half.Londoner Saka, 18, added a second with a superb curling shot in the 85th minute and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang slotted home a third to secure all three points for the Premier League side in the Group F clash in Germany.It was Frankfurt’s first loss in Europe in 16 games stretching back to 2006, and the win put A...
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Cristiano Ronaldo says the best goal he ever scored still wasn't as good as sex with his girlfriend

In April 2018, Cristiano Ronaldo scored what he called the best goal of his career.Whilst still in the colors of former club Real Madrid, the Portuguese superstar produced an incredible overhead kick in the Champions League quarter-final to help send current club Juventus out of the competition.It was a goal so good, it received a standing ovation from the opposition fans.But, according to the man himself, the goal still doesn't compare to sex with his model girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez."I tried to score this goal for many, many years," Ronaldo told Piers Morgan in an interview on ITV on Tuesday night. "I had scored 700-odd goals but I hadn't done this. I thought, 'Finally I had scored a bicycle, the beautiful jumping.'"The way I had done against [Gianluigi] Buffon, against Juventus, in ...
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UEFA Europa League group stage to kick off

The UEFA Europa League group stage will kick off on Thursday with a bevy of 24 matches.Three Turkish clubs -- Besiktas, Trabzonspor, and Istanbul Basaksehir -- will play their first matches away.In Bratislava, Besiktas will play Slovakia's Slovan Bratislava in Group K, while Istanbul Basaksehir will take on Italian club Roma at Stadio Olimpico in Group J. Both matches will start at 22:00 CET (1900GMT).In their match at Coliseum Alfonso Perez, Trabzonspor will face Spanish team Getafe at 19:55 CET (1655GMT).The first two teams from 12 groups will reach the last 32 round of the Europa League.The final will be held in Gdansk, Poland on May 27.First-week fixtures of the Europa League as follows:Matches kicking off at 1655 GMTGroup AApoel Nicosia (Greek Cypriot side) vs F91 Dudelange (LUX)FK Qa...
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Euro 2020 Round-up : Belgium Ease Past San Marino

Belgium moved closer to reaching Euro 2020 with a routine 4-0 win in San Marino to move eight points clear of third place in Group I.Belgium kept up their perfect start to the group but had to wait until the 43rd minute to make the breakthrough, when Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi scored from the spot.After half-time, Dries Mertens doubled their advantage, before ex-Spurs and West Brom winger Nacer Chadli added a third and an injury-time fourth from Batshuayi rounded off the scoring.Russia stayed three points behind them in Group I with a 2-1 win in Scotland, while Kazakhstan's faint home of qualifying remained alive as they held Cyprus to a 1-1 draw.Germany missed the chance to displace Northern Ireland at the top of Group C as Netherlands scored four times in 32 second-half minutes to s...
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Bale: “I kept my head down and worked hard”

Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale talked to the press in Wales for the first time this summer and explained his feelings after being on his way out of the club for most of the transfer window.“What happened this summer did not affect me much, I had some great holidays. I kept my head down and worked hard and while it’s true that many things were said, I just kept working. Things that happened will remain private, if you want answers maybe you need to ask Real Madrid about it,” said Bale.The Welshman ended up staying in Madrid and it looks like he will be a relevant player for coach Zinedine Zidane, given that he’s started in all three games played by the team this season.“It obviously wasn’t my best summer but it wasn’t the worst either. I remember I didn’t play for one full season with Har...
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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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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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Van Dijk, Messi, Ronaldo Lead UEFA player of the year nomination

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk have been named as the finalists for the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award.Messi scored 36 goals and assisted 13 in La Liga as Barcelona won the title but they were beaten in the Copa del Rey final and knocked out of the Champions League at the semifinal stage by Van Dijk's Liverpool.In his first full season at Anfield, Van Dijk helped Liverpool win the Champions League and finish as Premier League runners-up, ending one point behind Manchester City after losing only once all season.Ronaldo won Serie A with Juventus but only reached the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia and Champions League.The award will be presented at the Champions League group stage draw ceremony which takes place in Monaco on Aug. 29.The three were selected by a ju...
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Klopp hoping for more Istanbul glory as Lampard eyes overdue Super Cup win

Jurgen Klopp hopes to recreate special memories in Istanbul when Liverpool face Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup final.Besiktas Park will witness the first all-English clash in the competition’s history tonight, when the Reds will attempt to secure more continental glory in this Turkish metropolis.Istanbul will always have a special place in the hearts of Liverpool supporters after the Champions League final in 2005, when Rafael Benitez’s side came from three goals down to secure a 3-3 draw with AC Milan before winning on penalties.“I know about the special importance of Istanbul and what a special place it is for every Liverpool supporter,” Klopp said on the eve of the game.“It was 2005 in Istanbul and no one will ever forget that, which is good.“But we are different people. Unfortunately, w...
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Joao Felix sparkles as Atletico thrash Juventus

Record signing Joao Felix scored two first-half goals for Atletico Madrid as they secured a 2-1 win over Juventus in the International Champions Cup at the Friends Arena on Saturday.Although the vast majority of fans in the crowd seemed to be more interested in seeing his fellow Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, Felix opened the scoring by squeezing a first-time finish through two defenders and into the back of the net midway through the first half.Sami Khedira equalised for the Italian champions in the 29th minute but Felix, who joined Atletico from Benfica for a reported €126 million in July, netted his second four minutes later.The Spanish side open their La Liga campaign at home to Getafe next Sunday, while Juventus travel to Parma on August 24 to begin their Serie A season.Juventus forwar...
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Cesc Fabregas sent off as Monaco lose to Lyon

Monaco suffered a disastrous start to the new Ligue 1 season against Lyon.After their narrow brush with relegation last term, Les Monegasques will hope for much better this time around but this 3-0 defeat was an inauspicious beginning.Monaco found themselves behind in only the fifth minute when Bertrand Traore's cross was headed in by Moussa Dembele.Worse was to follow on the half-hour mark when Cesc Fabregas was sent off.The midfielder had originally been shown a yellow card for a foul on Leo Dubois but the decision was referred to VAR.Replays showed Fabregas had raked his studs down the back of Dubois' leg and the card was upgraded to red.Six minutes later more calamity befell the hosts, this time goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte, making his debut after signing from Montpellier, letting a lon...
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Dani Alves eyes 2022 World Cup in return to Brazil

The former Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain defender Dani Alves said the move aims to keep him in shape for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when he will be 39 years old.The captain of Brazil’s title-winning Copa America team signed a contract that runs to December 2022. He left PSG on a free transfer after his contract expired in July.Alves has lifted 40 trophies in his professional career and is looking for more.“I have the dream of playing the next World Cup and I need a team that believes in me, in my history in soccer,” Alves said. “I am coming to Sao Paulo to bring results, I don’t want anyone thinking I have come to end my career. I still have many goals.”Alves did not play in last year’s World Cup because of a knee injury. He was on Brazil’s squad for the 2010 and 2014 editi...
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Messi banned from Internationals for three months after ‘corruption’ outburst

Argentina's Lionel Messi has been banned from international duty for three months and fined $50,000 after levelling accusations of “corruption” at South American soccer chiefs during the Copa America.Messi was sent off against in the Copa America third-place play-off and afterwards alleged that the tournament had been fixed in favour of hosts Brazil, who beat Argentina in a controversial semi-final on their way to the title.The Argentina captain called the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) “corrupt” and did not attend the ceremony to pick up his medal. He was handed a one-match ban and a $1,500 fine for his sending off last month. CONMEBOL had said that the Barcelona forward's comments were “unacceptable”.“The player is suspended to play official and friendly matches with hi...
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Mbappe: I don't want Neymar to leave PSG

Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has said he wants teammate Neymar stay at the Parc des Princes despite speculation over a summer return to former club Barcelona.The Brazil international joined from Barca for a world-record €222 million in 2017 but has not taken part in any preseason action with PSG hopeful Barca would make an acceptable offer.But that has not happened and speaking ahead of Saturday's Trophee des Champions clash with Rennes, Mbappe said his wish is that Neymar stays put."Everybody knows about his situation," Mbappe said at a news conference in Shenzhen. "I do not want him to leave. He knows what I think of him and his situation."Coach Thomas Tuchel added that Neymar has trained well since returning for preseason and was involved in a group session ahead of the Ren...
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Neymar Rape Case Dropped Over Lack of Evidence

Police investigating rape allegations against Brazilian football player Neymar say they have closed the case.The Sao Paulo attorney general's office said the case was suspended due to a lack of evidence, but will be sent to prosecutors for a final decision.The investigation was opened after Brazilian model Najila Trindade alleged the footballer attacked her in a hotel in Paris, France, in May.Neymar has denied the accusations, saying he is being extorted.A spokesman for Neymar said that he was not able to comment on the police decision.The case has gripped Brazil, where it has dominated newspaper headlines.
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