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Fernando Torres Announces Retirement

Former Liverpool, Chelsea and Spain striker Fernando Torres has announced he is to retire from football.The 35-year-old, who is currently playing for Sagan Tosu in Japan, confirmed the end of his football career on social media.He wrote: "I have something very important to announce. After 18 exciting years, the time has come to put an end to my football career."Next Sunday, the 23rd at 10:00AM, local time in Japan, I will have a press conference in Tokyo to explain all the details. See you there."He had a glittering playing career in which he won almost all the major trophies in football with Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and the Spanish national team. 
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Uruguay Draws With Japan 2-2 in Copa America

Copa America favourites Uruguay drew 2-2 with Japan on Thursday and delayed until the last round of the group stage its likely qualification to the tournament's knockout phase.Japan, which is playing a young team, was ahead twice in the match at the Arena do Gremio in Porto Alegre thanks to midfielder Koji Miyoshi, one of the seven changes the Asian team made after losing 4-0 to Chile in its opening match.Miyoshi netted his first at 25 minutes, hitting the ball hard to the left of goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. Luis Suarez levelled at 32 after a penalty kick awarded by video review following a foul by a Japanese defender.Miyoshi added Japan's second at 59 in a rebound after Muslera tried to block a cross from the left.At 66 minutes, Uruguay drew with a header by Jose Gimenez after a corner k...
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Messi Rescue Argentina in Copa Draw

Argentina couldn't manage more than a 1-1 draw against Paraguay in the Copa America on Wednesday, staying last in its group and facing an early elimination from the South American competition.Derlis Gonzalez opened the scoring for Paraguay in the 37th minute at the Mineirao Stadium and Lionel Messi levelled matters from the penalty spot in the 57th.However, Gonzalez missed a penalty kick shortly after Messi's equaliser, with goalkeeper Franco Armani stopping his shot from the spot.Colombia lead Group B with six points and are already through to the knockout stage thanks to a late 1-0 win over guest Qatar earlier Wednesday.Paraguay are second with two points, and Argentina and Qatar have one each.Argentina trail Qatar on tiebreakers.In the last round on Sunday, Colombia faces Paraguay and A...
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Mourinho Sees Himself at a National Team

Jose Mourinho has dropped hints to his future plans, revealing that he sees himself becoming the manager of a national team rather than another club. The former Manchester United boss has been out of coaching work since being sacked by the Red Devils in December 2018 and has recently appeared as a pundit for broadcaster beIN SPORTS. In an interview broadcast by Eleven Sports however, the 56-year-old revealed he still has the desire to take on new challenges in the world of management. “I want to compete in new competitions,” he said. “I think about the World Cup and the European Championships. “For a long time I have had the desire to try out such an adventure. Right now, I see myself more at a national team than with a new club. “Is Portugal the right team for me? Not necessarily.” The se...
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Marta Sets World Cup Record as Brazil Qualify for Round of 16

Six-time world player of the year Marta scored a record 17th World Cup finals goal to clinch Brazil's place in the last 16 with a 1-0 win over Italy, who topped Group C on goal difference.The 33-year-old Brazil legend's nerveless, second-half penalty saw her become the all-time leading scorer at men's or women's World Cups, surpassing retired Germany striker Miroslav Klose.Italy, who had already qualified, went close twice through Juventus' Barbara Bonansea in the first half, but faded after the break in Valenciennes.But an experienced Brazil side, who clipped the bar through Andressinha's fine second-half free-kick, narrowly missed out on second spot as Australia beat Jamaica 4-1 to pip Vadao's side on goals scored.The South Americans now look set to face hosts France in the next round in...
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Women's World Cup : USA Sweeps Past Chile

The United States easily reached the last 16 of the Women's World Cup as they produced another commanding display to beat Chile in Paris. Having opened their campaign with a ruthless, record-breaking 13-0 win over Thailand on Tuesday, the USA quickly got on top of Chile and led early on through veteran Carli Lloyd's crisp finish. Julie Ertz and Lloyd then both headed in from first-half corners, before Chile keeper Christiane Endler pulled off several stunning second-half saves to prevent the holders adding to their lead. The world's number-one side, who rested seven players, also hit the woodwork three times before Lloyd dragged wide from the penalty spot, missing the chance to become the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick. A draw with rivals Sweden in Le Havre on Thursday would ...
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Uruguay Blank Ecuador to Begin Copa Quest

Uruguay got their Copa America campaign off to a perfect start, beating a 10-man Ecuador 4-0 in Belo Horizonte on Sunday.Nicolas Lodeiro had given Oscar Tabarez's men a sixth-minute lead before Jose Quintero was sent off for Ecuador.That made an already difficult task even tougher and Uruguay capitalised on their numerical advantage in the first half through goals from star duo Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez.Uruguay comfortably saw out their win, added to by an Arturo Mina own goal in the second half, to secure a dream start in Group C, which also includes Japan and two-time reigning champions Chile.
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Ukraine Crowned U20 World Cup Champions

Vladyslav Supriaha inspired Ukraine to Under-20 World Cup glory for the first time in their history as he scored twice in a 3-1 comeback win against South Korea. Ukraine trailed inside five minutes as Valencia's Lee Kang-in converted from the penalty spot, but Supriaha found the net either side of half-time and Heorhii Tsitaishvili rounded off the scoring late on. Saturday's final in Lodz featured two first-time finalists and it was South Korea who made the brighter start thanks to Lee's spot-kick, awarded after VAR ruled Kim Se-yun had been fouled just inside the area. Supriaha profited from some slack defending to tap in an equaliser in the 34th minute, however, and he added Ukraine's second shortly after the break after being inadvertently played in by Korea's Kim Hyun-woo. Ukraine then...
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Mane Suspended for Senegal's AFCON Opener

Sadio Mane will miss Senegal’s opening Africa Cup of Nations fixture against Tanzania due to a suspension, according to head coach Aliou Cisse. The Liverpool superstar will sit out the West Africans’ first Group C fixture – which will take place at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo later this month – after picking up two yellow cards during the qualifying campaign. Mane was booked in Senegal’s 1-0 victory against Equatorial Guinea in Malabo in November last year, with the Confederation of African Football also recording another booking in a 2-0 victory over Madagascar in March. Senegal departed for Egypt on Saturday, having previously been at a training camp in Alicante. Mane will be available for the showdown with Algeria on June 27 and their final group-stage clash against Kenya on July 1....
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Reports : Man Utd Interested in West Ham's Diop

Manchester United are interested in signing Issa Diop and willing to pay £45m plus a player for the West Ham defender, as per reports. West Ham are adamant that Diop is not for sale and it is believed they would not even listen to offers of less than £60m. Diop played 38 times last season after the Hammers signed him from Toulouse a year ago for £22m. United's top priority is signing a centre-back this summer and they have been told by Napoli that Kalidou Koulibaly would cost about £100m while Leicester value Harry Maguire at £80m. Former United manager Jose Mourinho singled out Diop for praise when his side lost 3-1 at West Ham in September last year. As well as a centre-half, United are intent on bringing a new right-back to Old Trafford to replace departing club captain Antonio Valencia...
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Colombia Down Argentina in Copa America

A miserable opening 45 minutes gave way to a more exciting second half, and Roger Martinez came off the bench to win the day with a 71st minute stunner to give Colombia all three points in Bahia, supported by a late cherry on top from Duvan Zapata.The goal came just minutes after Lionel Messi missed a golden opportunity to give Argentina the lead during a spell of serious possessional domination midway through the second half. Once again, the Argentinian collection of star forwards came up empty, a drought that continues to plague the side in big matches.The first half, largely, was a physical mess with very few real chances on net. The possession was nearly even between the two sides, neither team registered a shot on target, and there were just five shots overall in the first half, inclu...
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Women's World Cup: Netherlands Enter Knockout Stages

For a team that boasts, on paper at least, the best forward line at the World Cup – the Euro 2017 star Lieke Martens, Arsenal duo Vivianne Miedema and Danielle van de Donk and Lyon’s Shanice van de Sanden – the 3-1 win against Cameroon, who are ranked 46th in the world, should have been less of a labour. Two goals from Miedema, who became the Netherlands’ all-time top scorer with 60 goals at the age of 22, and one from Dominique Bloodworth, sandwiched a tidy finish from Cameroon’s best player of the tournament, Gabrielle Onguéné, to secure the three points and guarantee progression for the Dutch, but the worries that existed before this match remain. Though the talismanic forward will draw the plaudits, the Dutch will likely be most pleased with the performance of Groenen – now a Mancheste...
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Women's World Cup : England Beat Argentina; Reach Last 16

England booked their place in the World Cup knockout stages after beating a resolute Argentina thanks to Jodie Taylor's first goal in 14 months. Phil Neville's side looked as though they would pay for Nikita Parris' missed first-half penalty, which was saved by the brilliant Vanina Correa after Alex Greenwood was tripped. The Argentine goalkeeper also denied Beth Mead, Parris and Taylor, but had no chance in stopping Euro 2017's golden boot winner, as she tapped in Mead's low cross after 61 minutes. The victory for England, who are ranked third in the world - 34 places above Argentina - means they qualify for the second round and can seal top spot in Group D with a point against Japan in their final game on Wednesday. In front of a crowd of 20,294 in the industrial city of Le Havre, it was...
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Brazil Blank Bolivia in Copa America Opener

A brace from Philippe Coutinho handed hosts Brazil a winning start to the Copa America on Friday in a 3-0 victory over Bolivia as the absence of superstar Neymar was quickly forgotten.Barcelona’s Coutinho scored from the penalty spot early in the second half and added a close-range header three minutes later.Substitute Everton netted a sensational third five minutes from time to clinch a Group A victory for coach Tite’s tournament favorites in Sao Paulo.The build-up to the competition had been dominated by Neymar’s woes, firstly when he was accused of rape by a Brazilian model, and then when he damaged ankle ligaments in a friendly last week, forcing him out of the Copa.If Brazil’s first half performance was anything to go by, the Paris Saint-Germain star was sorely missed, but Coutinho’s ...
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Women's World Cup: Nigeria Defeat South Korea

A brilliant goal by former Liverpool forward Asisat Oshoala helped earn Nigeria a first win at the 2019 Women's World Cup - and all but end South Korea's hopes of reaching the last-16.Nigeria went ahead when defender Kim Do-yeon volleyed past her own keeper.Ex-Arsenal player Oshoala held off a defender before rounding the keeper to score Nigeria's second goal.South Korea, who face Norway in their third and final group match on Monday, have yet to score or earn a point.Having qualified for the World Cup after finishing fifth at the 2018 Asian Cup, South Korea are anchored at the bottom of Group A with a goal difference of minus six.They played well in spells against the champions of Africa but a lack of cutting edge in front of goal once again cost them.
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Women's World Cup: USA Fires a Record-Breaking 13 Goals Past Thailand

Prolific striker Alex Morgan netted five goals as United States began their Women's World Cup defence in style with a record-breaking 13-0 rout of Thailand in Reims on Tuesday.The reigning champions had to wait five days to start their campaign but produced an ominous performance that doubled as the biggest win in tournament history, surpassing Germany's 11-0 trouncing of Argentina in 2007.Morgan took her goal tally at the international level to 106 with her well-taken haul, while Samantha Mewis added a double and was involved in setting up another two goals.Jill Ellis' side had the three points in the bag with a 3-0 lead at half time but impressively, they did not let up after the break against a Thailand side who were well and truly out of their depth, the second half ending in truly emb...
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Euro 2020 Roundup : France, Germany , Italy win

France returned to the top of Euro 2020 qualifying Group H with a 4-0 win in Andorra.Kylian Mbappe put France, who had been beaten by Turkey in their last match, ahead in the 11th minute, with Wissam Ben Yedder adding a second on the half-hour mark.Florian Thauvin made it 3-0 just before half-time and Chelsea centre-back Kurt Zouma wrapped up a comfortable win on the hour.Elsewhere, Albania beat Moldova 2-0 while defender Ragnar Sigurdsson scored twice as Iceland beat Turkey 2-1 in Reykjavik.Sigurdsson headed the home side in front in the 21st minute following a free kick and then nodded in from close range 10 minutes later.Turkey pulled a goal back through Dorukhan Tokoz from a corner five minutes before half-time, but Iceland closed out victory to move level on nine points with the top t...
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Italy fight back to stun Australia with late goal

Italy fought back from a goal down to beat Australia in stoppage time and pull off a big shock at the end of the best contest of the Women's World Cup.Juventus star Barbara Bonansea struck both goals in the second half for the Italians, who have qualified for the finals for the first time in 20 years, winning it from close range in the fifth minute of added time.Australia captain Sam Kerr had earlier given the Group C favourites a first-half lead as she tucked in the rebound after her penalty was saved.The two sides are joined in the group by Brazil and Jamaica, who meet in Grenoble later on Sunday.The Azzurri celebrated joyously at the full-time whistle in France's north-eastern city of Valenciennes, having not played in a match at the World Cup finals since being eliminated in the group ...
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Germany Ease Past Belarus in Euro Qualifying

Germany bagged their second win in Euro 2020 qualifying on Saturday, beating Belarus 2-0 in Group A. Leroy Sane and Marco Reus got the goals.The Germans dominated the hosts and could have scored plenty more goals, especially in the first half. Sane exploited space in the hosts' defence to score the opener after 13 minutes, and Reus doubled the lead just after the hour mark.Die Mannschaft are second in the group behind Northern Ireland, who have won all of their matches. Germany have two wins but have played one fewer match so far.
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Women's World Cup:Norway stun Nigeria with three first-half goals

Ada Hegerberg was not needed as Norway kicked off their women's World Cup Group A campaign with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Nigeria. Without Ballon d'Or winner Hegerberg, who quit international football in 2017 due to a dispute with her home federation, the 1995 champions relied on goals by Guro Reiten, Lisa-Marie Karlseng Utland and an own goal by Osinachi Phale to prevail. The result put Norway in second place in Group A behind hosts France, who thrashed South Korea 4-0 on Friday in the opening game of the month-long tournament in Paris. Reiten put Norway in front after 17 minutes when she volleyed home from a corner. Utland doubled the tally with a powerful shot from close range after being set up by Reiten in the 34th. Three minutes later, three-times Afri...
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