Belgium were held by a Greece team that are ranked 51 in the world
World number one side Belgium warmed up for the European Championship with a disappointing draw against Greece who are ranked 51 in a friendly match.
Belgium took the lead through Thorgan Hazard’s sixth Belgium goal after he exchanged passes with Yannick Carrasco and coolly converted at the near post.
Kyriakos Papadopoulos’ diving header struck the post and Georgios Tzavellas converted the rebound for Greece, who have failed to qualify for the Euros.
Belgium had the upper hand going into the game with a total ball possession of 58 to Greece 42 who didn’t look bad up to full time. Belgium recorded a total of 7 shots with three on target to Greece’s 9 shots 5 on target.
Belgium face Croatia in their final friendly on Sunday (19:45 BST) and Roberto Martinez’s side will be considered as one of the favourites to win the Euros.
They begin their campaign against Russia on 12 June, followed by Denmark on 17 June and rounding off Group B against Finland on 21 June.
England and Liverpool right-back hurt himself in the closing stages of Wednesday’s friendly against Austria and a scan revealed he has suffered a quad tear.
The 22-year-old is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks and will return to his club for rehabilitation.
Manager Gareth Southgate will not name a replacement until after Sunday’s final warm-up game with Romania.
Alexander-Arnold’s inclusion as one of four right-backs was one of the main talking points when Southgate named his squad last week, with the Liverpool player having missed the previous seven internationals.
England’s first game at Euro 2020 is against 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia at Wembley on Sunday, 13 June.
it’s a heavy blow for Gareth Southgate. He could have been a very important player in the Euros. Despite the fall out, England are well blessed in that position, even with Alexander-Arnold dropping out – Kieran Trippier won La Liga with Atletico Madrid, Kyle Walker won the Premier League with Manchester City and Reece James won the Champions League with Chelsea with all three in fine form.
Nigeria’s national soccer team welcomes Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions for a friendly match on 4th June 2021. Below is a prepared detailed analysis and preview for this fixture.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles has some of the best soccer talents in the likes of Napoli’s attacker, Victor Osimhen, Villareal’s Samuel Chukwueze, Kelechi Iheanacho and Ahmed Musa and so is Cameroon’s much-acclaimed squad. However, we think Nigeria has what it takes to win this game going by recent fixtures. A trip to Nigeria will unlikely yield good fruits for the Indomitable Lions who have had a poor run of form in recent games of only one victory, four losses and one draw this year. The hosts have won all their two games this year with a clean sheet. Moreover, Cameroon lost all in the last three trips to Nigeria. Cameroon’s has only scored two goals in the five games this year, which leaves tactician Toni Conceicao in desperate need of attackers.
Super Eagles of Nigeria.
The Indomitable Lions travels to Nigeria with a squad that lacks depth and pulling a win on the road looks almost unlikely. On the other hand, the Super Eagles coach has a squad packed with world-class talents and he should fancy getting lots of goals in this game. A struggling defence puts the Indomitable Lions in a precarious situation, especially after failing to score in three of their last five games, two of which were 4-0 loss at home to Morocco and away loss of 2-0 to Guinea.
Nigeria is the favourites coming into this game. However, it is noteworthy that Cameroon is equally a strong team that boasts of five trophies in Africa’s Nations Cup, two more than Nigeria’s three crowns. Will the Indomitable Lions wake up from slumber? Toni Conceicao has limited options in the attacking position in Vincent Aboubakar of Besiktas, Clinton Mua Njie of Dinamo Moscow and Ngnowa Yre available. Toni Conceicao should bank on plentiful options in the midfield to protect his leaking defence on match day.
Though is just a friendly, both teams would be looking forward to stand a point of dominance on the other as fans are hoping for an interesting encounter as it looks on paper. The match is set to kickoff at 10:30 GMT+3.
Real Madrid will sign France forward Kylian Mbappe, 22, from Paris St-Germain, who will then sign Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 36, from Juventus, with Argentine striker Mauro Icardi, 28, going from PSG to Juve. (La Gazzetta dello Sport, via Mail)
Jose Mourinho was approached by Real Madrid last week, before they appointed Carlo Ancelotti as manager, despite the ex-Real and Tottenham boss having agreed to take over at Roma last month. (Telegraph – subscription required)
Chelsea’s hopes of taking Romelu Lukaku back to the club have suffered a blow after the 28-year-old Belgium forward said he is staying with Inter Milan. (Football Italia)
Barcelona are still in talks with Dutch forward Memphis Depay, 27, over a free transfer from Lyon, while Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, 30, will join on a free transfer from Liverpool. (Fabrizio Romano, Twitter)
Manchester City are considering selling Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva, 26, as part of a summer rebuild. (Telegraph – subscription required)
Michy Batshuayi is expected to leave Chelsea permanently this summer with at least one top-half Premier League side interested in the 27-year-old Belgium striker. (Football.London)
Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian is close to agreeing a new one-year contract despite Real Betis expressing an interest in the 34-year-old Spaniard. (Mail)
Manchester United have revived their interest in signing England right-back Kieran Trippier, 30, from Atletico Madrid. (Manchester Evening News)
Aston Villa are one of three top-12 Premier League clubs plotting a summer move for New Zealand striker Chris Wood, and Burnley will demand at least £30m for the 29-year-old. (Football Insider)
Villa are also targeting midfielders with Arsenal’s 20-year-old England Under-21 international Emile Smith Rowe and Norwich’s Argentine Emi Buendia, 24, under consideration. (Star)
Former Everton striker and current assistant boss Duncan Ferguson wants to be considered for the permanent manager’s job at Goodison Park following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti. (Mail)
West Ham and New York City have made offers for France striker Olivier Giroud, 34, who is set to leave Chelsea on a free transfer. (Calciomercato – in Italian)
New Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti says that Wales forward Gareth Bale, 31, and Belgium forward Eden Hazard, 30, could still have a future at the club. (Guardian)
Borussia Monchengladbach’s Germany midfielder Florian Neuhaus, 24, who has been linked with Liverpool, has denied he has reached an agreement to join Bayern Munich. (Tageszeitung – in German)
Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham have all shown an interest in Lille’s Turkey right-back Zeki Celik, 24. (Standard)
West Ham and Southampton are competing to sign Barcelona’s former Spain Under-21 defender Junior Firpo, 24. (Sport – via The Boot Room)
West Ham are in advanced talks to sign Czech Republic defensive midfielder Alex Kral, 23, from Spartak Moscow for more than £20m. (Football Insider)
Argentine striker Sergio Aguero, 33, turned down a much more lucrative offer from Juventus to join Barcelona on a free transfer from Manchester City. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish)
Sevilla are interested in signing Chile forward Alexis Sanchez, 32, from Inter Milan. (Sport – in Spanish)
Leeds United have registered an interest in Huesca’s Spanish left-back Javi Galan, 26, whose release clause has dropped to £3.5m. (Football Insider)
West Brom are set to look at alternative candidates to be their new manager after extensive talks with former Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder. (Football Insider)
CAF Disciplinary Committee has recently delivered verdicts on three matters that have been happening lately. This boils down to sanctions, law improvements and bans on some teams and officials.
ASC Jaraaf official and players were banned for assaulting match officials in a return leg game in Senegal against Coton Sport.
The CAF Disciplinary Committee suspended ASC Jaraaf official Mr Youssou Dial for a period of two years from all football activities and two players for six matches following an incident that happened in Dakar where match official were assaulted in a Total CAF Confederation Cup quarterfinal fixture between Senegalese club, ASC Jaraaf and Coton Sport of Cameroon on 23 May 2021.
After the final whistle, officials of the club, led by Mr Dial and some players including Albert Diene and Mamadou Sylla charged towards the match officials and physically and verbally assaulted them on the field. The referee was seriously wounded with head injuries.
This sanction will also be communicated to FIFA. The suspension begins from the date notification of this correspondence.
Suspend the two players Mamadou Sylla and Albert Diene for their next six (6) CAF interclub matches. Fine ASC Jaraaf 50,000 (Fifty Thousand US Dollars) for the aggressive behavior and improper conduct of the officials and players.
Two MC Alger players banned for a year for assaulting referee:
Two MC Alger players have received 12 months ban for assaulting a match official during the Total CAF Champions League fixture between MC Alger and Waydad of Morocco.
Following the final whistle, MC Alger players players; Abdelnour Belkheir and Ahmed Boutagga physically attached the referee by kicking him in the leg. A red card was issued for violent conduct by the referee.
The CAF DC ruled:
To suspend Abdelnour Belkheir and Ahmed Boutagga for a period of twelve (12) months. The two players are suspended from taking part in all competitions organized by CAF, in particular interclub competitions as well as competitions with national teams. To impose a fine of $ 25,000 (Twenty Five Thousand United States Dollars) on MC Alger for the unseemly and regrettable conduct against the referee of the match in question. The fine must be paid in dollars within sixty (60) days of notification of this decision. Wydad Athletic Club v MC Alger Taha Yassine Khenisse (Esperance de Tunis):
The CAF DC has suspended Taha Yassine Khenissi of Esperance de Tunis for a period of twelve months (one year) from the date of provisional suspension, 19 May 2021, for violating anti-doping rules.
Taha Yassine Khenissi had tested positive for a WADA prohibited substance during the Total CAF Champions League between MC Alger and Esperance of Tunisia on 10 May 2021.
The former Manchester United and Chelsea forward joined Inter for £74m in 2019, scoring 64 goals in 95 games for the club.The 28-year-old could be sold due to cost cutting at the San Siro club after they secured a first Serie A title in 11 years. “I am staying,” he told Belgian TV. “I feel good at Inter.”
Inter’s Chinese owners Suning are seeking to cut costs, a move that led to manager Antonio Conte quitting last week. Former Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi is expected to take charge at Inter.
Lukaku with the Serie A trophy 🏆
“I’ve already had contact with the man who becomes our new manager,” he told Belgian station VTM. “Maybe I shouldn’t say that yet. It was a very positive conversation. There’s also the challenge of doing it again (winning the league).”
Lukaku is currently preparing with Belgium, the world’s top-ranked side, for Euro 2020. Belgium have been drawn in Group B along with Russia, Denmark and Finland.
Everton will consider Rangers manager Steven Gerrard and his former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez as possible successors to Carlo Ancelotti. (Athletic, subscription required)
Everton are also lining up former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo as their new manager. (Talksport)
Ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes the club’s former manager Rafa Benitez is an ideal choice to take over at Goodison Park. (Telegraph)
Argentine forward Lionel Messi, 33, is close to agreeing a two-year deal to remain at Barcelona. (AS – in Spanish)
Arsenal are leading the race to sign Manchester City’s England winger Raheem Sterling, 26, in a deal that could stop England striker Harry Kane, 27, joining City from Tottenham. (Sun)
Manchester United are facing competition for the signature of Sevilla defender Jules Kounde as Barcelona are now also keen on a move for the 22-year-old Frenchman. (Mundo Deportivo)
Arsenal are set to complete the signing of Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana, 25, from Ajax, potentially for just £1.7m. (NOS – in Dutch)
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel will be given up to £200m to spend this summer. (Metro)
Barcelona’s Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic, 31, wants to return to Juventus. (Tuttosport)
New Roma coach Jose Mourinho will look to sign AC Milan’s Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, 22, who is set to become a free agent. (Mirror)
Leicester City’s deal for Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare, 22, could be completed sooner than anticipated after France Under-21s were knocked out of the Euros. (Leicester Mercury)
Brighton are preparing a new bid for Argentine winger Alan Velasco after Independiente rejected a £6m offer for the 18-year-old, who has also attracted interest from Newcastle. (Football Insider)
Manchester United are eyeing a move for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Pedro Goncalves, 22. (Record – via Star)
Leeds United will explore alternative targets after being left frustrated by Stade Brest’s asking price for French left-back Romain Perraud, 23. (Football Insider)
Brazil has been hit hard by the pandemic, with nearly 463,000 deaths. with the competition due to start next week, the South American Football Association (Conmebol) has received widespread criticism after they announced on Monday that Brazil would be hosting the event.
President Bolsonaro said the decision was not up for discussion and that the tournament, which involves players across South America, did not pose a health risk. He said on Tuesday that he had spoken with the health minister and they had agreed to host the event.
Criticism come from Sen Otto Alencar who appealed to Neymar for assistance and Neymar replied by saying ” I want to tell you something: You shouldn’t agree with the holding of this America’s Cup in Brazil! Don’t agree to this. It is not this championship that we need to now compete in. We need to compete in the vaccination championship,” he said.
The Copa America was originally set to be co-hosted by Argentina and Colombia in 2020 but the tournament was pushed back a year due to the pandemic.
Colombia were removed as hosts last month amid widespread protests against the government, with Argentina later stripped of the role too due to rising Covid-19 cases.
In a tweet he said I would like to thank Everton FC, my players and the supporters for giving me the opportunity to manage this fantastic and historical club. I decided to leave as I have a new challenge with a team that was always in my heart, Real Madrid.
The 61-year-old Italian, who managed Real Madrid for two years between 2013 and 2015, has left Everton after 18 months in charge at Goodison Park. He succeeds Zinedine Zidane at Real and the move leaves Everton searching for a sixth permanent manager in five years.
Ancelotti has signed a three-year deal at Real and said the move represented “an unexpected opportunity”.
Real will present Ancelotti to the media on Wednesday, while Everton said they “will begin the process of appointing a new manager immediately”. The usual suspects are being linked, such as Eddie Howe after he turned down Celtic, former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo and ex-Everton boss David Moyes
The four-time Grand Slam tournament winner wrote on twitter that she had suffered from bouts of depression since 2018 and will “take some time” away from the tennis court.
Naomi on twitter
Naomi Osaka dropped out of the French Open one day after officials threatened to expel her from the season’s second Grand Slam tournament if she continued to refuse to attend news conferences after her matches.
The move was a dramatic turn in the high-stakes standoff between the most powerful officials in tennis and Osaka, the world’s highest paid female athlete and a generational star who has quickly evolved into the most magnetic new figure in the sport.
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