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UKRAINE STAND TALL AGAINST NORTH MACEDONIA TO CLAIM FIRST EURO WIN

Soccer Football - Euro 2020 Qualifier - Group B - Ukraine v Portugal - NSC Olympiyskiy, Kiev, Ukraine - October 14, 2019 Ukraine's Andriy Yarmolenko celebrates at the end of the match REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Ukraine got their first win at Euro 2020 as they beat North Macedonia 2-1 in Bucharest on Thursday.

Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk scored for Ukraine in the first half as they became the first duo to score in each of their team’s first two matches in European Championship history, having both found the net in their 3-2 defeat to the Netherlands.

Leeds United’s Ezgjan Alioski pulled a goal back in the second half as he scored the rebound after his initial penalty was saved by Ukraine goalkeeper Georgiy Bushchan following a foul on Goran Pandev.

Both sides came into this match having lost their opening games — North Macedonia went down 3-1 to Austria — but, despite facing a fast start from their opponents, Ukraine’s greater quality soon showed as they created the majority of the chances.

The opening goal came on 29 minutes as Yarmolenko finished off from close range following a corner from the impressive Ruslan Malinovskyi.

Yarmolenko then turned provider five minutes later as he played Yaremchuk for a cool finish past North Macedonia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.

Pandev produced a lovely dinked finish over Bushchan on 39 minutes, but the goal was ruled out for a clear offside.

North Macedonia started the second half with more purpose and were rewarded for their endeavour on 56 minutes when Argentine referee Fernando Rapallini pointed to the spot following a foul by Oleksandr Karavayev on Pandev. Alioski saw his effort saved, but was first to the rebound to power home.

Malinovskyi missed the chance to wrap up the win for Ukraine when he saw his 83rd-minute penalty awarded for handball saved. It was the fourth spot kick missed of five awarded throughout the tournament so far.

If Netherlands avoid defeat in the other Group C match with Austria later on Thursday, major tournament debutants North Macedonia will become the first team eliminated from Euro 2020. They face Frank de Boer’s side in their final group game on Monday. Ukraine’s next task is a clash with Austria on the same day.

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BUFFON RETURNS TO PARMA AFTER 20 YEARS AWAY

Gianluigi Buffon has returned to Parma on a free transfer 20 years after leaving the club to join Juventus, it was announced on Thursday.

The 43-year-old goalkeeper left Juve at the end of the last campaign, where he had been for two decades, either side of a 12-month spell at Paris Saint-Germain in 2018-19.

Parma’s U.S. owner Kyle Krause had teased Buffon’s return on Wednesday with a tweet which read: “it’s a bird it’s a plane it’s” — in reference to the ex-Italy international’s Superman t-shirt he wore during the club’s 1999 Coppa Italia celebrations during his first spell.

arma tweeted the announcement with a video of a man in a black hooded jumper, walking on to the club’s home pitch to dig up an old treasure chest with a Superman t-shirt and Parma jersey, before Buffon revealed himself and said: “I’m back.”

Parma were declared bankrupt and were re-founded in Serie D in 2015. They returned to Serie A in 2018, but they are back in Serie B after dismal 2020-21 campaign saw them finish bottom.

Buffon made his professional debut for Parma at the age of 17 in 1995 and kept a clean sheet against AC Milan. He won the Coppa Italia, UEFA Cup and Italian Supercoppa at the club in 1999 before he left to join Juventus for a then-world record fee for a goalkeeper. The £32.1 million fee in 2001 was a record for 16 years until Manchester City paid Benfica £34.7m for Ederson.

At Juve, he won 10 Serie A titles in 19 seasons, as well as the Serie B title in 2006-07 when the club played in the second tier after they were relegated as a result of the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal. He also won the Coppa Italia five times and the Supercoppa on six occasions. Buffon reached the Champions League final three times with Juve, but was on the losing side in each.

In 2018, he moved to PSG where he won the Ligue 1 title and Trophee des Champions before returning to Juve the following season.

Buffon is the most capped Italian man with 176 international appearances and was part of the 2006 World Cup-winning side, a season which saw him finish second in the running for the Ballon d’Or.

He made his Azzurri debut in 1997 and was part of squads for nine major tournaments from 1998 to 2016 and was an unused sub at the 1998 World Cup. Buffon was also captain of the Italy side which lost to Spain in the Euro 2012 final.

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GATTUSO LEAVES AS FIORENTINA MANAGER BARELY AFTER TWO WEEKS IN CHARGE

Fiorentina have announced manager Gennaro Gattuso has left his position just 23 days after joining as manager, with the decision down to a disagreement over transfer strategies, reports have shown.

La Viola announced Gattuso’s appointment on May 25 — just two days after his departure from Napoli following the culmination of the 2020-21 Serie A campaign.

“ACF Fiorentina and Mister Rino Gattuso, by mutual agreement, have decided not to follow up on the previous agreements and therefore not to start the next football season together,” a Fiorentina statement read.

“The company immediately set to work to identify a technical choice that will guide the Viola team towards the results that Fiorentina and the City of Florence deserve.”

Sources say that Fiorentina are unhappy with the “unacceptable situation” regarding Gattuso’s agent, Jorge Mendes.

FC Porto midfielder Sergio Oliveira and Valencia winger Goncalo Guedes, clients of Mendes, had been summer targets for Fiorentna.

Gattuso’s departure has increased the pressure on Fiorentina’s U.S. owner Rocco B. Commisso who has seen five managerial changes in just two seasons, which have yielded 10th and 13th-place finishes.

Commisso stuck with Vincenzo Montella when he bought the club in June 2019 before dismissing him in December of that year and replaced with Beppe Iachini, who lasted until November 2020.

Fiorentina then turned to former manager Cesare Prandelli, who resigned in March 2021, citing a “darkness inside,” and Iachini was rehired to see out the campaign.

Gattuso started his managerial career with Swiss side Sion in 2013 and, after stints in Greece and in the Italian lower leagues, was appointed Milan boss in 2017 before taking over at Napoli in 2019.

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ERIKSEN TO HAVE HEART STARTER DEVICE IMPLANTED

Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen will get a heart starter device implanted after his collapse during their Euro 2020 opener against Finland on Saturday, the team’s national team doctor said in a statement on Thursday.

Eriksen’s life was saved when CPR was administered to him on the pitch and his heart was re-started with a defibrillator before he was taken to hospital, where he is recovering.

He will receive an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), a small electronic device, a type of pacemaker, which can prevent fatal cardiac arrests by discharging a jolt to restore a regular heart rhythm.

“After Christian has been through different heart examinations it has been decided that he should have an ICD,” doctor Morten Boesen said in a statement. “This device is necessary after a cardiac attack due to rhythm disturbances.

“Christian has accepted the solution and the plan has moreover been confirmed by specialists nationally and internationally who all recommend the same treatment.”

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ITALY BECOMES THE FIRST TEAM TO QUALIFY FOR THE KNOCKOUT STAGES AFTER WIN OVER SWITZERLAND

Italy became the first team to qualify for the knockout stages of Euro 2020.

Roberto Mancini’s side showcased themselves as possible contenders for the title after a dominant 3-0 win over Switzerland in Group A.

Manuel Locatelli’s brace either side of half-time and Ciro Immobile’s late third gave Italy the points in Rome and sent them through to the last 16.

Wales put themselves on the brink of qualification after an impressive 2-0 win over Turkey in the same group.

Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts scored at the end of each half to secure the points, while Gareth Bale missed a penalty.

Russia, who lost their opening game to Belgium, got their Group B campaign up and running with a 1-0 win over Finland.

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SERGIO RAMOS SET TO LEAVE REAL MADRID AFTER SIXTEEN YEARS WITH THE SPANISH CLUB

Real Madrid have confirmed Sergio Ramos will leave the club.

The 35-year-old, who has been with Madrid since 2005, will depart at the end of his contract this summer.

The La Liga club announced on Wednesday evening that they will host a farewell to the defender on Thursday, followed by a press conference.

A short statement on the club website read: “Real Madrid C. F. announces that tomorrow, Thursday 17 June, at 12:30pm, an institutional act of tribute and farewell to our captain Sergio Ramos will be held, which will be attended by our president Florentino Perez.

“Sergio Ramos will then appear before the media in a virtual press conference.”

Ramos arrived at the Bernabeu 16 years ago following a switch from Sevilla and went on to have a glittering career.

He won five La Liga titles, four Champions League crowns as well as the Copa Del Rey twice.

It was during his time in the Spanish capital that he also won the 2010 World Cup with Spain along with back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and 2012.

Injuries took their toll in the most recent campaign, though, as he played just 21 times as Madrid lost out in the title race to city rivals Atletico while also going out at the semi-final stage of the Champions League.

Ramos will be a free agent and a host of top clubs are already reported to be interested in signing him.

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LOUIS VAN GAAL RETURNS TO COACHING AFTER FIVE YEARS OF ABSENCE

Louis van Gaal is set to briefly return to coaching for the first time since leaving Manchester United in 2016 by taking over Dutch second division side SC Telstar.

However, Van Gaal will only be in charge for one match next season, with Telstar offering supporters the chance to be his assistant.

“It’s happening!” Telstar announced on Wednesday. “Van Gaal will return to coaching next season for one league game only — and you can be his assistant!

“We are running a lottery for the chance to sit next to the Champions League winner on the bench at the BUKO Stadion. Money raised will go towards the Spieren voor Spieren Foundation.”

Telstar finished 13th in the second tier of the Dutch football pyramid last season. They are coached by Andries Jonker, who previously worked as Van Gaal’s No.2 at Barcelona and Bayern Munich before taking on a role at Arsenal’s academy.

Van Gaal, 69, spent one season at Telstar as a player in 1977-78 before embarking on a successful career in management.

His first coaching job was with Ajax, where he won the Champions League in 1995, and he went on to manage Barca, AZ, Bayern, United and Netherlands on two occasions.

Upon leaving United in 2016, when he was replaced by Jose Mourinho, Van Gaal announced that he was taking a sabbatical from football.

Three years later, in 2019, he announced his retirement from all football-related activity.

“I am a pensioner now,” he told pressmen. “I have no ambition to be a technical director or a TV pundit.

“My wife Truus gave up her job for me 22 years ago and followed me when I went abroad. I told her I would quit as a coach when I turned 55, but instead kept going until I was 65.”

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MARKO ARNAUTOVIC SUSPENDED FOR INSULTING NORTH MACEDONIA PLAYER, TO MISS HOLLAND GAME.

Austria striker Marko Arnautovic has been suspended for his side’s Euro 2020 match against Holland after being found guilty of insulting another player in his side’s opening win over North Macedonia.

The former Stoke and West Ham forward, who now plays in China for Shanghai Port, had to be restrained by team-mate David Alaba after scoring in the 89th minute.

Arnautovic, who is of Serbian heritage, appeared to make comments towards opposition players and then turned towards spectators.

Reports alleged his initial remarks were aimed at defender Egzon Bejtulai and Ezgjan Alioski, who both have Albanian roots.

Arnautovic later apologised for his outburst, but insisted he was not a racist.

UEFA appointed an ethics and disciplinary investigator on Tuesday and confirmed on Wednesday the issuing of a one-match ban.

The tournament organisers said in a statement that its appeals body had decided to “suspend Austrian Football Association player, Marko Arnautovic, for the next (1) UEFA representative team competition match for which he would be otherwise eligible, for insulting another player”.

Arnautovic wrote on Instagram after the incident: “There were some heated words yesterday in the emotions of the game for which I would like to apologise – especially to my friends from North Macedonia and Albania.

“I would like to say one thing very clearly: I am not a racist. I have friends in almost every country and I stand for diversity. Everyone who knows me is aware of that.”

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MANCHESTER UNITED STAR, DONNY VAN DER BEEK OFFERS HIMSELF TO BARCELONA

Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has sensationally made himself available to Barcelona ahead of a possible switch to the La Liga side, according to reports.

Van de Beek has struggled to earn a place in Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans since his £35million move from Ajax last summer and is apparently keen to seek regular football elsewhere.

Solskjaer handed the 24-year-old just four Premier League starts.

Two of those came during United’s final five matches – in the 2-1 defeat against Leicester City and in the 2-1 final-day victory over Fulham.

Van de Beek made played in just half of his side’s top-flight fixtures and often found the likes of Scott McTominay, Fred and Paul Pogba ahead of him in the midfield pecking order.

The Dutchman’s frustrations were compounded when he was forced to withdraw from the Netherlands’ squad for Euro 2020 due to a groin injury.

Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona appear to want a midfielder this summer to improve their squad following a poor season.

They tried and failed to sign Gini Wijnaldum, who will join Paris Saint-Germain when his Liverpool contract expires at the end of the month.

And Van de Beek has taken the opportunity to offer himself to Barcelona, according to report from Spain.

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COCA-COLA LOSE $4 BILLION IN MARKET VALUE AFTER CRISTIANO RONALDO ADVISED THAT PEOPLE TAKE WATER INSTEAD

The soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s gesture at a Euro 2020 press conference on Monday wiped $4 billion off Coca-Cola’s market value.

Ronaldo, sat beside Portugal manager Fernando Santos ahead of his team’s match against Hungary, irritably set aside two bottles of Coke, then picked up a bottle of water and said, “Água!” – the Portuguese word for water.

Coca-Cola’s shares, which had opened at about $56.17, had fallen by 1.6%, to $55.22, by the end of the press conference. Its market value dropped by $4 billion, to $238 billion from $242 billion. The soft-drink manufacturer’s shares continued to slide on Tuesday, falling by 0.3%.

The stock price of one of the largest bottlers of the drink, Coca-Cola Bottling, fell by 4% on Monday. It’s down by 8% in the past week.

Coca-Cola, an official sponsor of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, reportedly said in a statement that “everyone is entitled to their drink preferences” and has differing “tastes and needs.”

A Euro 2020 spokesperson said: “Players are offered water, alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, on arrival at our press conference.”

Ronaldo has previously expressed disapproval of Coca-Cola and other unhealthy foods and beverages. His fitness routine is said to involve eating six meals and taking five naps in a typical day.

He has said he gets irritated with his son Cristiano Jr., who likes to drink the soda.