Daily#Sports#Updates.

Criticism in France for Aymeric Laporte switching to La Roja

May 14th, 2021

Aymeric Laporte.

Manchester City centre-back Aymeric Laporte switched allegiance from France to La Roja on Tuesday, with the ambition of playing for Luis Enrique’s side at Euro 2020. It’s a decision that’s generated criticism and disappointment in France according to Marca.

Many in France point to statements he made in March as hypocritical, where he said wearing the blue shirt has always been his dream and that playing for France at youth level was one of the best experiences of his life.

Laporte, who has never played for the French senior team, has played 24 matches in their underage setup and made three of Didier Deschamps’ squads, but never took to the field. The last time he was picked was back in August of 2019, but he was injured and unable to join up with the group.

Former French national team players, like Jerome Rothen and Emmanuel Petit, have criticised Laporte for his decision. They label him to be opportunistic, and argue that if you’re French, you’re French, and if you’re Spanish, you’re Spanish.

Laporte has also said in the past that he was disappointed to not be picked by Deschamps, and had even gone so far as sending him a message. Back in December of 2018, the defender hinted that it may be personal, rather than professional, reasons that the French coach didn’t select him.

He hints back at the criticism by sending out an emotional message. “I am now 26, and I have never earned a single official cap for France. With unexplained reasons. I am not a guy to oversee the Bench seats, I am that guy who deserves to at least collect some international caps. I have honored France for two years, but they never honored me even with one cap. I can’t go to retirement without a single international cap, with Spain I will definitely play and earn big caps. French Federation sent me a message expressing their deep disappointment on my decision to change Nationalities. I didn’t bother to reply or explain, because the writing is on the wall, they should send the text to their national team coach not to me.

#MCFC 🔵

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OFFICIAL: Borussia Dortmund have won the 2020/2021 DFB Pokal after a 4-1 win over RB Leipzig. 🏆

May 13th, 2021

🏆 1965
🏆 1989
🏆 2012
🏆 2017
🏆 2021

Borussia Dortmund have won the DFB Pokal for a fifth time. 🖐

BVB celebrate’s DFB Pokal trophy 🏆

They demolished Rivals RB Leipzig 1-4 Borussia Dortmund with goals coming from Sancho 5′ 45+1, Haaland 28′ 87′, Olmo 71′ to ensure BVB’s first and only title of the season.

DFB Pokal winners 2021.

Dortmond are currently at the fourth position on the Bundesliga table, and still fighting for Champions League position with two games to go.

Congratulations to BVB for winning the DFB Pokal cup after defeating a tough Leipzig side who are currently on second position on the league table.

🏆🔥
OFFICIAL: The Champions League final has been moved from Istanbul to Porto on May 29 🏆

May 13th, 2021

After more than a week of deliberations on a new venue for the finals due to coronavirus increase in cases in Instanbul, Uefa has decided to choose Porto in Portugal to host it.

Each club will get 6,000 tickets for fans.

Estadio do Dragão, Porto.

Eid Mubarak to all around the world 🌎
Taqabbal-Allâhu Minna wâ minkum.✨🤲🏼❤️
Wednesday stats and updates.

May 12th, 2021

✓Aymeric Laporte has officially become a Spanish citizen and is available for selection for their national team.

✓⚡ OFFICIAL : *The Champions League Final* will be held at the *Estadio Do Dragao* in Porto Portugal ( FabrizioRomano )

✓AC Milan have been awarded 18! penalties in Serie A this season.
Six more than any other team in the division. 😳

✓Gianluigi Buffon has become the oldest goalkeeper in history to save a penalty in Serie A.

What a way end his time at Juventus. 🔥

✓Cristiano #Ronaldo has just become the first player in the history of Juventus to have scored 100+ goals in all competitions in his first three campaigns for the Bianconeri. Legend.
#SassuoloJuve #SerieA

Ronaldo makes it 100 for Juventus.

✓⚽️ 450 for Real Madrid
⚽️ 118 for Manchester United
⚽️ 100 for Juventus

Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored 100+ goals for three different clubs in three different countries. 😬

✓Only Liverpool (9) have made more errors leading to goals than Chelsea (8) in the Premier League this season.
Jorginho the sixth different Chelsea player to make an error this campaign.

✓Paulo #Dybala has become the first non European player to have scored 100+ goals in all competitions for Juventus (excluding those who have played for Italy). Joya.#SassuoloJuve #SerieA

✓ACMilan have scored 6+ goals in Serie A away from home for the first time since May 2001 v Internazionale and for the second time away against Torino in the competition (previously in 1951). Avalanche.#TorinoMilan #SerieA

✓Arsenal have had a different player aged younger than 21 score in each of their last three Premier League games against Chelsea (Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe). Future.

✓No player has provided more assists in La Liga this season than Marcos Llorente (11). He’s also scored 12 goals. 😎

✓Arsenal have completed their first Premier League double over Chelsea since the 2003-04 season, while this was their first league win at Stamford Bridge since October 2011, ending an eight-game winless run there (D2 L6). Relief.

✓Atletico are two wins away from their first La Liga title since 2014 🔨As a 2:1 win against Real Sociedad takes them 4 points clear.
Italian Open: Serena Williams returns, Naomi Osaka loses to Jessica Pegula.

May 12th, 2021

Serena Williams plays the 1,000th match of her career later on Wednesday when she faces Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska, a surprise French Open semi-finalist last year.

The 39-year-old American, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, returns to competitive action for the first time since her Australian Open semi-final defeat by Osaka on 18 February.

Serena Williams 🔥

Meanwhile, Japanese world number two Naomi Osaka suffered her second straight defeat on clay by losing to Jessica Pegula in the Italian Open second round.

Naomi Osaka

Osaka, who received a first-round bye, lost 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 to the American world number 31 in Rome.

Osaka, 23, has often struggled on clay and negative body language showed her discomfort against a confident Pegula.

After a tight opener where she missed three set points, Osaka’s level dropped in the second and Pegula took control.

Pegula, 27, kept her focus and discipline to take advantage of Osaka’s increasingly wayward hitting, breaking for 4-2 when Osaka walloped a wild volley wide and going on to seal the biggest win of her career.

Jessica Pegula

For Osaka, this defeat followed a second-round loss at the Madrid Open earlier this month and comes two and a half weeks before the start of the French Open.
Five key men in Man City’s title triumph

May 12th, 2021

Manchester City’s romp to a third Premier League title in five seasons under Pep Guardiola has been delivered by a squad that is the envy of world football.

While City’s domination has been built on a superb team ethos with Guardiola reluctant to pick out individuals, the contributions of a few have been key.

RUBEN DIAS

When City broke their transfer record to sign the Portugal defender from Benfica for 64 million pounds ($90.59 million) it seemed like a huge amount for a 23-year-old who had never played in one of Europe’s strongest leagues.

But he has proven a sound investment. Despite his age, Dias is a leader like former City captain and defender Vincent Kompany. Strong, agile and composed on the ball, Dias has taken fellow centre back John Stones under his wing, despite being younger, helping the England player reach a new level.

He has kept 14 PL clean sheets and conceded just 18 goals having zero errors leading to goal, zero red card, one goal scored. He helped the team record 22 wins 3 losses in 30 games.

Ruben Dias and Zinchenko

KEVIN DE BRUYNE

There is little more that can be said about Belgian dynamo De Bruyne who has again helped conduct the City orchestra with a panache that has the purists purring.

He has missed games through injury this season but has still scored five goals and managed 11 assists in 24 matches, although his value to the team goes way beyond raw statistics.

Kevin De Bruyne

ILKAY GUNDOGAN

With the club’s record scorer Sergio Aguero struggling with injury and illness and Raheem Sterling for form, experienced Germany midfielder Gundogan’s unlikely goal spree proved invaluable in the middle of the season.

The 30-year-old is City’s leading scorer in the league this season with 12 goals, including a spell of 10 in 10 games as City began to hit their stride.

Gundogan is better-known as a holding midfielder but Guardiola has pushed him further forward in this campaign to fill the void left by David Silva’s departure and was rewarded in a way he could hardly have expected.

Gundogan and John Stones

RIYAD MAHREZ

The Algerian has sometimes struggled to reach the heights he achieved during Leicester City’s incredible title season since joining City, but this season Mahrez has produced the consistency and impact that Guardiola demands.

Blessed with an elegance and flair, Mahrez, now 30, has also played with a swagger this season, producing big performances in some of City’s biggest games, including both goals to confirm their place in the Champions League final. He has recorded 9 goals and 4 assists in 25 games thus far.

Riyad Mahrez

PHIL FODEN

Guardiola carefully managed Foden’s emergence as one of England’s most exciting talents when many were demanding that the youth-team graduate should be a regular.

This season, Guardiola has used the precociously talented 20-year-old mainly on the left side of City’s attack, and the player’s vision and movement has added another dimension to their forward play.

He has scored 14 goals in all competitions and is also in double figures in assists.

Phil Foden 💙
Rangers boss wins Scottish writers’ manager award

May 12th, 2021

Congratulations 👏

Steven Gerrard has been voted manager of the year by Scottish football writers after leading Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title with St Johnstone’s Callum Davidson, Scotland’s Steve Clarke and Livingston’s David Martindale were also on the shortlist.

Gerrard, in his third season secured the club’s first top-flight title in 10 years.

He said “I certainly cherish the award” but passed praise to all at Ibrox.

“I receive it collectively with my staff,” he said. “I think we have achieved the success we have this season as a team of staff.”

The former England and Liverpool captain took up his first senior managerial role when he moved to Scotland in 2018.

“I think I said in my first press conference that I got a feeling about this offer,” he said. “I felt like there was a connection to be made.

“I had admired the club from afar for many years and I had been up here and sampled the atmosphere and what the supporters were about.

“But also I had the education to know what the institution was about and what it meant to the people and it was an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down.”

While Rangers secured their 55th league title and reached the last 16 of the Europa League, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals of both domestic cup competitions, a record Gerrard has targeted to improve next season.

Rangers FC

The votes were cast by members of the Scottish Football Writers’ Association before Davidson, in his debut season as a manager, followed up St Johnstone’s League Cup success by beating St Mirren at the weekend to also reach the Scottish Cup final.

Scotland head coach Clarke had been voted among the top four after leading the national team to their first major tournament in 23 years, this summer’s delayed Euro 2020 finals.

Martindale made the list after winning his first eight games as Livingston boss, not tasting defeat until his 15th, reaching the Betfred Cup final and guiding his side into the top six.
How City won the League despite a poor start

May 12th, 2021

Pep Guardiola👑

Guardiola’s side finished 18 points behind Liverpool last season, and after losing another key player from recent success in David Silva, Guardiola needed to act.

But City did not have the most auspicious start to the season, slumping to a 5-2 defeat in their opening home game to Leicester City.

Just a day later, Guardiola moved to fix the problem – and the signing of Ruben Dias changed the course of the season.

Dias brought the composure, leadership and stability that had been lacking since Vincent Kompany left and his partnership with the reborn John Stones established City as the league’s most miserly team.

Even so, when Tottenham beat City on 21 November to go top of a seemingly unpredictable division, City were 11th and eight points off the pace, and it looked as though this might not be their year again.

But though doubts arose and questions were asked about the Spaniard’s future, City quickly shut them up.

They went on to win 22 of their next 27 matches, including a 15-game winning run and a record-equalling 11 successive away league victories.

At Anfield in February, where they had not won in the league since 2003, City bullied and dominated the defending champions, with Phil Foden brilliant in a crushing 4-1 victory.

Stones and Dias’ partnership at the back was key, conceding just three goals in the 15 games after that Spurs defeat, while Ilkay Gundogan has been the star at the opposite end of the pitch, his 12 goals so far leading City’s goalscorers.

City’s top scorers

The chasing pack did not have enough to rein them in and the title returns to the blue half of Manchester.

City captain Fernandinho said leading the team was “an honour and a privilege”.

“I am so proud and so happy with what we have achieved,” he said. “The Premier League is the hardest league in world football – every single match is tough. To win it again means the world to me and the rest of the squad.

He added: “Football is everything to us and we strive every single day to be as good as we can be in the hope we can bring success to Manchester City.

“Winning the Premier League is the ultimate fulfilment of our ambitions. It’s what we all dreamed of as young players, so to do it is a wonderful feeling.

“We have missed the fans so much. We wanted to do this for them.

“We will enjoy this moment and we hope the fans do too. Rest assured we will continue to do everything we can to bring the Champions League home this season.”

They are set to lift the Premier League trophy after their final game of the season against Everton on 23 May.

Up to 10,000 fans will be present inside the stadium after the latest lifting of coronavirus restrictions in England.
19 years of wait is over for Sporting Lisbon 🏆

May 11th, 2021

Champions of Portugal

Sporting Lisbon win their first league title in 19 years! 🏆🇵🇹
They haven’t lost a game all season and have only conceded 15 goals. They lastly won the title in 2002.

Since Sporting last won the title, FC Porto and Benfica completed an unbeaten season and won it, Arsenal went invincible, Leicester were relegated to League 1, promoted back to the Premier League and won the title and Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for a league title.

The wait is over and Sporting Lisbon are still unbeaten after 32 games.
CITY SET SERIES OF RECORDS EN ROUTE TO PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE.

May 11th, 2021

The advent of 2021 saw City establish a new Premier League record for the longest sequence of wins from the start of a calendar year thanks to the 13 league victories we chalked up between January 3 and March 2 of this year.

That formed the centrepiece of a quite remarkable run of 21 consecutive wins in all competitions between December and March which saw City establish another new English topflight record.

Along the way to securing a third Premier League title in four seasons, City have also accrued a series of outstanding Club and national records.
In what has been the most challenging and demanding of campaigns played against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the quality and consistency of Pep Guardiola’s squad has garnered widespread praise and admiration.

The continued excellence of City under Pep is further reinforced with the fact that we have now won ten of the past 15 available major English trophies counting from the 2017/18 campaign to today.

Furthermore, the guiding principles of reinvention, resilience and teamwork underpinning the squad, have seen City create a number of new and notable record-breaking achievements along the way to securing a third Premier League crown in four years.

The advent of 2021 saw City establish a new Premier League record for the longest sequence of wins from the start of a calendar year thanks to the 13 league victories we chalked up between January 3 and March 2 of this year.

That formed the centrepiece of a quite remarkable run of 21 consecutive wins in all competitions between December and March which saw City establish another new English topflight record.

City also equalled the Premier League record of 19 for the longest run of games without going behind, achieving that distinction between November 28, 2020 and March 2 of this year.

That sustained run of excellence also helped see Pep Guardiola’s squad equal our Club record run of 28 games without defeat between November 25, 2020 and March 2, 2021 matching the tally we achieved between April and December in 2017.

City also broke new ground by becoming the first team in the history of the Premier League to be as low as eighth on Christmas Day and then go on to win the title.

In what has proved a season like no other, the records kept on tumbling with City establishing another notable English first by winning all nine of our competitive fixtures in January.

That was the most by a team in the top four tiers of English football in a single month since the formation of the Football League in 1888.

City have also blazed a record-breaking trail on the road.

Last weekend’s impressive 2-0 Premier League victory at Crystal Palace made it 19 consecutive away wins across all competitions this term – another English top-flight record.

It also secured our 11th consecutive Premier League triumph – equalling the record figure jointly held by Chelsea in 2008 and ourselves in 2017. We now have the chance to set a new record when we travel to Newcastle United on Friday evening.

All told, City have now gone 22 games unbeaten away, yet another Club landmark eclipsing a record the record previously established by Joe Royle’s City side between January and September of 1999.

Man city Champions of England.

Guardiola’s squad are also rewriting the record books on the continent too with our march to the Champions League final seeing us establish several more club firsts.

Tuesday’s 2-0 win at home to Paris Saint-Germain means we are on our longest unbeaten run in the UEFA Champions League having gone 12 games unbeaten between 21 October, 2020 and 4 May, 2021.

It also saw us set a new record for the longest winning run by an English side in Europe’s elite club competition (7).

City are also in the midst of our longest unbeaten home run in the UEFA Champions League, a sequence that now extends for 14 games covering the period from 7 November, 2018 through to 4 May, 2021 (ongoing).

Congratulations to Pep, his backroom staff and all the players on their sustained excellence this season.

The Master.