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Euro 2020 round up: Kylian Mbappe leads France rout, Cristiano Ronaldo gets injured as Portugal draw

Kylian Mbappe led France's rout of Iceland in Euro 2020 qualifiers on Monday, but Cristiano Ronaldo limped off with hamstring injury in Portugal's disappointing draw with Serbia.Mbappe scored one and set up two more as the reigning world champions crushed Iceland 4-0 at the Stade de France to move top of Group H in Euro 2020 qualifying.The result gives France, 4-1 winners over Moldova in their Euro opener, six points from their first two matches and puts them ahead of Turkey, who also won 4-0 on Monday, on goal difference.Samuel Umititi, Olivier Giroud, Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann all scored as Iceland struggled to cope with a totally dominant France side.In Group A, England, fresh from a 5-0 demolition of the Czech Republic in which Raheem Sterling hit a hat-trick, were forced to come fr...
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Lionel Messi to miss Argentina friendly against Morocco with groin injury

Lionel Messi will miss Argentina’s friendly against Morocco on Tuesday due to a groin injury picked up against Venezuela on Friday.The Barca captain made his first appearance for his country since the World Cup on Friday in their 3-1 defeat at the Wanda Metropolitano.However, not only did Argentina lose, they also saw Messi pick up a minor problem.Barcelona confirmed the news in a short statement on their website.“Lionel Messi did not have the return to international action that he would have wanted, and an injury picked up on Friday night means he will miss Argentina’s game against Morocco on Tuesday.“Whilst he would feature from start to finish, a problem with his pubis means that Messi will not play in the second friendly of the international break.”Messi will now head back to...
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Venezuela stun Argentina and spoil Messi return to international football

Messi was back on Friday for the first time since the 2018 World Cup but couldn't stop his team losing 3-1 to Venezuela in a friendly.Salomon Rondon, John Murillo and Josef Martinez scored for Venezuela at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, while Lautaro Martinez replied for Argentina.Messi hadn't played an international since the 4-3 loss to France in the round of 16 at the World Cup in Russia."He played a good game" Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. "The chances we created were thanks to him."Messi showed his usual deft skills and his long-range shot in the 38th minute was headed for the top corner until Venezuela goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez Aray tipped the ball over the crossbar.Messi helped set up Argentina's 58th-minute goal with a pass to Giovani Lo Celso, who eventually fed Martinez...
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Raheem Sterling bags hat-trick as England win in Euro 2020 Qualifiers

Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick as England thrashed Czech Republic 5-0 in their opening match of the 2020 Euorpean championship qualifying campaign at Wembley here on Friday.England dominated the match and pulled ahead in the 24th minute, when Sterling positioned perfectly at the far post to tap-in from a low cross from former Manchester City teammate Jadon Sancho.The City forward then earned a penalty just before the interval and captain Harry Kane made no mistake from the spot.Sterling made it 3-0 in the 62nd minute when the ball deflected off a Czech player and fell into his path then he held off his marker Ondrej Celustka, turning smartly and bending into the left corner.He completed the hat-trick only six minutes later when he cut into the middle and shot from 25 yards with an effo...
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Belgium forward Eden Hazard bags brace to seal 3-1 win over Russia in Euro 2020 Qualifying

Belgium opened their qualifying campaign for Euro 2020 in style on Thursday as Chelsea forward Eden Hazard scored two goal to help his country earn victory over Russia.2018 World Cup semi-finalists Belgium earned a battling 3-1 win over Russia in Brussels as Hazard struck twice for Roberto Martinez's side in their opening game in Group I. Youri Tielemans rounded off a flowing move with a crisp low strike to fire Belgium ahead on 14 minutes at the King Baudouin Stadium, but Thibaut Courtois gifted Russia an immediate equaliser.The Real Madrid goalkeeper, put under pressure by Artem Dzyuba, panicked and scuffed the ball straight to Denis Cheryshev who duly swept home into an empty net.Michy Batshuayi had a shot cleared off the line, and later hit the post, but Hazard restored Belgium's lead ...
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Alexander-Arnold to miss England Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been ruled out of England squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Montenegro. The Liverpool right-back has been suffering with a back injury since the March 10 victory over Burnley, in which he was taken off in the 86th minute. Alexander-Arnold has since played against Bayern Munich and Fulham, but was feeling his back issue again when he reported for international duty on Monday. Despite being desperate to give himself every chance of playing in at least one of the games, Alexander-Arnold has been forced to withdraw. Gareth Southgate will now choose between Manchester City's Kyle Walker and Tottenham Hotspur's Kieran Trippier for tomorrow night's game against Czech Republic (7.45) at Wembley and Monday's trip to Montenegro. Having...
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Michael O’Neill admits Northern Ireland must win Estonia in Euro 2020 opener

Euro 2020 qualifying Group C: Northern Ireland v Estonia (Windsor Park, 7.45pm).Northern Ireland may have 16 from ’16 but it’s harder to see them achieving their Euro 2020 vision at least not this year.Manager Michael O’Neill is likely to lean towards many of those dozen and more squad members who went to the last continental competition in France three years ago, but topping the group this time around would be absolutely astonishing.The schedule has been kind to the men in green but then it really had to be after the boot in the nethers of being drawn against both the Netherlands and, yet again, Germany.The latter always seem to qualify and the former are resurgent, so NI know they will have to cause a shock or two to secure direct qualification by finishing in the top two of Group C.Firs...
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Liverpool's Shaqiri ruled out of Switzerland squad for Euro 2020 qualifiers

Liverpool winger Xherdan Shaqiri will miss Switzerland's opening Euro 2020 qualifiers against Georgia and Denmark due to a groin injury, the Swiss FA hAs announced."The attacking midfielder is suffering from a painful inflammation in the groin," the FA has said on its website. The 27-year-old Liverpool player missed training on Monday and was instead examined in a Zurich hospital.Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic will name a replacement on Tuesday for their opening Euro qualifiers away to Georgia on Saturday and at home to Denmark three days later. The Liverpool player has not started a game for his club since the end of January, and has not featured for the side since a goalless draw against Man United in February.He was an unused sub in Liverpool's 2-1 win over Fulham at...
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Di Maria brace helps PSG seal 3-1 win over Marseille

Kylian Mbappe and Valere Germain bracketed the halftime whistle with last-minute/first-minute goals, but Angel Di Maria’s second-half brace proved the difference as Paris Saint-Germain topped Marseille 3-1 to restore its 20-point Ligue 1 lead and leave the visitors exposed in the Champions League race.Marseille came into the match in good form, unbeaten in its last six matches with five wins in that span, but they were no match for Di Maria who had a hand in all three goals. Mbappe opened the scoring at Parc de Princes in first-half stoppage time with a clinical fastbreak, finishing off a feed from Di Maria that pushed the Frenchman to the left, but no matter as he calmly slotted the ball inside the far post to break the deadlock.The visitors earned a lucky equalizer just 24 seconds after ...
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Aubameyang brace helps Arsenal hit back to reach Europa league quarter-finals

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored two goal and set up another as Arsenal overturned a two-goal deficit to reach the Europa League quarterfinals with a 3-0 home win over Rennes on Thursday.There were two upsets, though, as five-time champion Sevilla and Inter Milan were both eliminated.Sevilla lost 4-3 at Slavia Prague after conceding a last-minute goal in extra time to go out 6-5 on aggregate, while Eintracht Frankfurt beat Inter 1-0 to advance.At the Emirates Stadium, Aubameyang celebrated his second goal by pulling on a Black Panther mask he had placed behind the advertising boards, after coming to the rescue for an Arsenal side that lost the first leg 3-1 in France last week.The Gunners erased that deficit in just 15 minutes, with Aubameyang scoring early and then setting up Ainsley...
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Gareth Bale named in Wales squad for opening Euro 2020 qualifier

Ryan Giggs has included Gareth Bale in a 31-man squad for Wales’ opening Euro 2020 qualifier despite missing Real Madrid’s last game.The Real Madrid winger turned his ankle in the closing moments of Real’s Champions League defeat by Ajax and sat out the 4-1 LaLiga win at Real Valladolid on Sunday.Rotherham midfielder Will Vaulks is called up for the first time as James Chester and Andy King miss out through injury.Aston Villa defender Chester has not played since the end of January because of a knee problem, while Leicester midfielder King will not play again this season after damaging an ankle during a loan spell at Derby.Ryan Giggs’ squad meet Trinidad and Tobago in a Wrexham friendly on March 20 before starting their Euro 2020 campaign against Slovakia in Cardiff four days later....
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Former Manchester united midfielder Fellaini retires from international football

Belgium midfielder Marouane Fellaini has announced his retirement for international football.The Former Manchester United midfielder, who is presently playing in the Chinese Super League for Shandong Luneng Taishan has featured for Belgium for 12 years including as part of the team that finished third at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.In a statement released on his official Twitter account, Fellaini said: "After 12 years of representing Belgium at the highest level, I have decided to retire from senior international football."It has been an honour to represent my country 87 times and to be part of two World Cups and a European Championship campaign for Belgium."I have many amazing memories with the Red Devils from my debut in 2007 to last year's World Cup in Russia and I am very proud B...
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Napoli and Inter advance in Europa League

Napoli and Inter Milan faced no issues as they both sealed their places in the last 16 of the Europa League.Salzburg, Eintracht Frankfurt, Villarreal, Dinamo Zagreb, Zenit, Benfica, Kiev, Rennes, Krasnodar and Slavia Prague also all made it through on an action-packed Thursday night across Europe. After a 3-1 away win in Switzerland last week, Napoli easily advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti made it two wins from his first two games in the Europa League with a 2-0 home victory over Zurich. Forwards Simone Verdi and Adam Ounas scored in each half at the Stadio San Paolo.  Meanwhile, Inter advanced after eliminating Austrian club Rapid Vienna 5-0 on aggregate after winning the second leg 4-0 in Rome.Former champion Sevilla advanced after knocking...
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Paraguay appoint former Athletic Bilbao boss Eduardo Berizzo as new coach

     Eduardo Berizzo former boss of Athletic club gives instruction during La Liga match between Club Atletico De Madrid and Athletic ClubParaguay has named former Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao coach Eduardo Berizzo as their new manager.The 49-year- old replaces Juan Carlos Osorio, who resigned last week following five months and one game in charge.The Paraguayan Football Association (APF) announced the arrival of Argentinian Berizzo on Monday.“The Paraguayan Football Association…have successfully concluded the negotiations with Eduardo Berizzo, who becomes the new coach,” read a statement on the APF website.Berizzo, who was sacked by Bilbao in December, has previous experience on the international stage having been Chile’s assistant manager from 2007 to 2010.Berizzo will...
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Brighton beat Derby county 2-1 to progress to FA cup quarter-Final

     Ashley Cole of Derby County battles for Possession with Anthony Knockaert of BrightonBrighton & Hove Albion has progressed to the  FA Cup quarter-finals but had to survive a late scare to see off Championship side Derby County at the Amex Stadium.      Anthony Knockaert of Brighton and Hove Albion scores his team's first goal past Kelle Roos of Derby CountyBrighton took the lead through Anthony Knockaert strike just after the half-hour, before Jurgen Locadia reacted quickest to Yves Bissouma's effort coming back off the post to tap home just before the break. Chris Hughton's side failed to add to their lead and substitute Ashley Cole pulled one back for Frank Lampard's side with ten minutes remaining, but the Seagulls held on to pr...
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Emiliano Sala funeral take place in his home town in Argentina

       Romina Sala sister of Emiliano SalaThe funeral of Cardiff City striker Emiliano Sala took place in his home town in Argentina on Saturday three weeks after he was killed in a plane crash.A public vigil was held in a gymnasium in Progreso, the modest village in the province of Santa Fe which Sala left as a teenager to forge a career in Europe.The 28-year-old died last month just two days after completing a Cardiff club-record £15 million ($19.3 million, 17.1 million euros) move from French club Nantes.The single-engine private plane carrying Sala and pilot David Ibbotson crashed in the English Channel near Alderney on January 21. Sala had returned to Nantes to say goodbye to his former teammates before flying back to Wales.The player's body was recovered from the ...
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Man Utd's Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial are major doubt for Chelsea FA cup clash

Manchester United could be without both Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial for the clash with Chelsea in the FA Cup next Monday.Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s United were defeated by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday.Though, not only did Man United lose the game against Paris Saint-Germain, they lost two big players in the process. Both Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial limped out of the game due to injury.Alexis Sanchez replaced Lingard in the first half before Martial was substituted at half time for Juan Mata.With Manchester United set to face off against Chelsea next Monday, that is certainly worrying.Now, a report on Wednesday has claimed that both players are ‘major doubts’ for the FA Cup clash.
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Atalanta stun Juventus in Coppa Italia

Holders Juventus were bundled out of the Coppa Italia after suffering a 3-0 quarter-final defeat to Atalanta.The home team scored twice in the first half with goals from Timothy Castagne and Duvan Zapata.Colombian striker Zapata claimed his second in the 86th minute  his 17th goal in his last 10 games  to set up a semi-final against Fiorentina.Juve have won four Coppa Italia titles under manager Massimiliano Allegri.Atalanta took the lead through Castagne goal as he coolly slotted a shot into the bottom corner.Just two minutes later, Zapata punished Juve for failing to clear the ball as it pinged around the box, rifling a shot past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.The Serie A leaders, who are unbeaten in the league, had chances in the second half and came close with a Sami Khedira vo...
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Crystal Palace knocks Tottenham out in FA cup as Chelsea cruise

Tottenham crash out in the fourth round of the FA Cup after losing 2-0 at Crystal Palace on Sunday, and defending champion Chelsea  beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-0.Crystal Palace took a ninth-minute lead when Jeff Schlupp’s shot was saved by Paulo Gazzaniga but the Spurs goalkeeper could only push the ball into the path of Connor Wickham and he scored off his thigh.The hosts extended their advantage after Kyle Walker-Peters handled in the penalty area with Wickham lurking. Former Tottenham winger Andros Townsend slammed the resulting spot kick straight down the middle in the 34th.Tottenham got a penalty of its own 10 minutes later when Patrick Van Aanholt brought down Juan Foyth, but Kieran Trippier fired well wide to ensure the Eagles took a 2-0 lead into the break, and then s...
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Thierry Henry suspended as Monaco coach

Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has been suspended by Monaco and appears to lose his  job as coach after only three months in charge at the Ligue 1 club.Predecessor Leonardo Jardim is expected to replace Henry, just over three months after being fired himself.The 2017 French champions are in the relegation zone after only five wins under Henry in all competitions. Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer is in his first managerial role, having previously been Belgium assistant boss.“Monaco have decided to suspend Thierry Henry, until a final decision (on his future) is made,” the principality club said in a statement.Jardim is expected to be unveiled for a second spell after agreeing terms on a two-and-half-year contract, according to report.The Portuguese coach led Monaco to the L...
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