Category: Slides

Categories
football Slides Sports News

JOSE MOURINHO CRITICAL DECISION TO GIVE SAKA THE LAST AND CRUCIAL PENALTY KICK

Jose Mourinho has criticised Gareth Southgate’s decision to have Bukayo Saka taking England’s fifth penalty in the Euro 2020 final shoot-out.

The 19-year-old Arsenal forward’s penalty was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma to hand Italy victory in the Wembley final and Mourinho felt more experienced England players should have been taking a spot-kick.

The Roma manager told talkSPORT: “The decision of the penalty takers, I think it is hard to leave Saka as the last one. I think it is hard for a kid to have everything on his shoulders at that moment. I just feel very sorry for him.

“In this situation where was (Raheeem) Sterling, where was (John) Stones, where was (Luke) Shaw?

“I feel that Gareth is such an honest guy. Such a protective coach of his players. I don’t think he would ever say players were not ready (to take a penalty).”

Former England full-back Stuart Pearce disagreed with Mourinho and defended Southgate’s choice of penalty takers.

“When we won the last two penalty shoot-outs before last night nobody was complaining about the process in picking the players to take them,” Pearce told talkSPORT.

“Jadon (Sancho), Marcus (Rashford) and Bukayo look like strong characters. These three boys will spring back. Our profession is tough at times but you have got to be resilient.”

Despite the heartbreak of losing the Euro 2020 final on penalties, Mourinho believes England can take confidence into next year’s World Cup in Qatar.

“I believe that if you look forward and you know that you have a World Cup coming very soon there are only reasons to be optimistic. Move to the future with great hope. A lot of these players can be even better for the experience.

“I think people have to start looking at the England national side with different eyes and, for the next World Cup, England will be a strong contender.

“But at the same time I can imagine the frustration and sadness because it was closer than ever. To lose a final at home is very, very hard.

“I think it is a missed opportunity. When you get to a final, anything less than a win is not good. When you lose a final I don’t think you ever forget that. It stays with you forever. I don’t know when they are going to sleep properly because it is hard.

“But the reality is that they did very well. They have a very young team. Gareth and Steve (Holland) together are doing a great job.”

Pearce agreed that England have much to be positive about after reaching their first major tournament final since 1966.

“We’ve gone all the way to the last game. In the end we’ve ended up being beaten by the best side in the tournament,” he said.

“I think the players knew they were so close. The only emotion I have is pride in what they have achieved. They have given the nation a massive lift. I think it is a fantastic achievement. A major step forward. We’ve beaten a decent Czech side, Croatia and the Germans on the way to the final.

“Next year I am looking at the squad of players and thinking that for a lot of players in there this experience will have done them good. Next year we can have a real tilt at the World Cup.”

Mourinho had a difficult relationship with Shaw during his spell as Manchester United manager but admitted that the full-back had enjoyed an impressive tournament.

“Because people feel I don’t like Luke Shaw I have to say amazing tournament, fantastic final, no mistakes,” he said. “For him and his career, very good Luke Shaw.”

Categories
football Slides Sports News

GARETH SOUTHGATE TAKES BLAME FOR ENGLAND POOR PENALTY SHOOTOUT

Gareth Southgate said he is to blame for England’s penalty failure in Sunday’s Euro 2020 final rather than the three players who missed in the shootout.

Italy won 3-2 on spot kicks at the end of a nerve-shredding night at Wembley that finished 1-1 after extra time. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were all unable to convert their penalties as England’s 55-year wait for an international trophy goes on.

Southgate claimed he followed the same process that yielded shootout success against Colombia at the 2018 World Cup and in UEFA’s inaugural Nations League a year later, and he shouldered the burden of England’s seventh tournament exit on penalties, 25 years after missing as a player against Germany in the Euro ’96 semifinal.

“What they have to know is none of them are on their own,” the 50-year-old England boss said. “We win and lose as a team, and the penalty takers are my call. We’ve worked on them in training; that’s my decision. That’s not down to the players.

“Tonight, it hasn’t gone for us, but we know they were the best takers we had left on the pitch. We tried to get those players onto the pitch. We’d already had to take a couple off during the game itself. So, yeah, of course it is going to be heartbreaking for the boys, but they are not to blame for that; that’s my call as a coach.”

“That’s a process we’ve been through,” Southgate continued. “We’ve tracked what they’ve done with their clubs over a long period of time and then what they’ve shown in training, as well. That’s the process that worked for us in Russia and in the Nations League. Tonight, it hasn’t quite worked.”

Southgate revealed that Prince William visited the dressing room at the final whistle to praise the 26-man squad for their achievement this summer, reaching a first tournament final since 1966 and capturing the imagination of the country, with more than half the population expected to have watched the final on television in addition to the 65,000-strong crowd.

“At the moment, the players are understandably really quiet,” Southgate said. “The Duke [of Cambridge] has just been down to see them in the dressing room and has rightly thanked them for what they’ve done and being fulsome in his praise.

“I said we could have no recriminations. They’ve got to walk away from here with their heads held high. They’ve done more than any other team in the last 50 or so years. In terms of the players, they should be incredibly proud of what they’ve done. Those opportunities in your life are incredibly rare.”

“But credit to Italy; they’ve been outstanding during the whole tournament,” the manager added. “The way they used the ball tonight was a little bit better than us. I think they were strong enough in defence to stop us creating anything consistently on their goal.”

Categories
football Slides Sports News

CRISTIANO RONALDO WINS EURO 2020 GOLDEN BOOT

Cristiano Ronaldo won the Golden Boot at Euro 2020 on Sunday, to continue a tournament of records for the Portugal captain.

His Golden Boot was made official after Italy beat England in a penalty shootout to win the Euro on Sunday night at Wembley.

Ronaldo, 36, ended on five goals for Portugal, the same number as Czech Republic striker Patrik Schick, with Ronaldo’s one assist at the tournament enough to crown him the Golden Boot winner due to the criteria by which UEFA ranks the contenders. UEFA uses assists as a tiebreaker, then fewest minutes played and then, finally, goals scored in qualifying if necessary to declare an outright winner.

In addition to ending as the tournament’s leading scorer, the Juventus forward claimed a string of other records. He netted twice in Portugal’s 3-0 win over Hungary to become the all-time men’s leading scorer at the European Championship, as he surpassed Michel Platini’s 11 with France before he eventually ended on 14 goals in total.

Three of Ronaldo’s five goals came from the penalty spot. His two late spot kicks put the gloss on Portugal’s opening win against Hungary, before another two sealed a 2-2 draw with France that ensured the defending champions progressed to the knockout phase. Between those was a stunning effort in the 4-2 loss against Germany in which he sprinted the length of the pitch to round off a rapid counter-attack.

Ronaldo also featured in a record fifth European Championship — no other man has managed more — while also tying the men’s record for most international goals, on 109 with Iran’s Ali Daei.

Portugal, who won Euro 2016 in France, saw their trophy defence end in the round-of-16 stage following a 1-0 defeat to Belgium.

Meanwhile, the tournament finished with 11 own goals, which meant Euro 2020 easily surpassed the total number of own goals scored at every other European Championship combined, with just nine own goals scored across the 15 previous tournaments.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

ITALY BEAT ENGLAND ON SHOOTOUT TO WIN 2020 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Italy claimed a first European Championship since 1968 after goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma saved twice in a dramatic 3-2 penalty shootout victory in the Euro 2020 final against England at Wembley on Sunday.

After a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes, Donnarumma saved from Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka — Marcus Rashford also missed by hitting a post with his spot-kick — to give Roberto Mancini’s team glory in London.

Andrea Belotti and Jorginho both saw their penalties saved by England’s Jordan Pickford, but Donnarumma’s stop from Saka decided the game to hand Italy the title.

“The guys were extraordinary. I don’t have words for them, this is a magnificent group. There were no easy games and this one became very difficult, but then we dominated,” Italy boss Mancini said.

“You need a bit of luck with penalties and I’m a little sorry for England. This team has grown so much, I think it can still improve. We are so happy for all.”

England had taken the lead inside two minutes when Luke Shaw, on the eve of his 26th birthday, scored the quickest-ever European Championship final goal after one minute and 57 seconds.

But Italy, unbeaten in 33 games ahead of this final, took the game to extra-time when Leonardo Bonucci equalised on 67 minutes.

Having been outplayed early in the game, Italy grew in strength with coach Roberto Mancini making greater use of his substitutions than his England counterpart Gareth Southgate, who sprung a tactical surprise before the game.

Southgate made one change to his starting team from the semifinal win against Denmark by selecting Atletico Madrid full-back Kieran Trippier ahead of Arsenal’s Saka, enabling his side to play with a three-man defence.

That tactical switch allowed Shaw and Trippier to play as advanced wing-backs and the plan paid dividends inside the opening two minutes when Shaw opened the scoring with his first international goal.

The Manchester United defender started the move in his own half by passing to Harry Kane before sprinting towards the Italy penalty area. Kane, meanwhile, moved the ball to Trippier on the right flank and the former Tottenham full-back delayed his cross long enough for Shaw to arrive at the far post and score with a half-volley past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

England maintained their impressive start, with Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips controlling the midfield for Southgate’s team, but Italy grew into the game in the closing stages of the first-half.

Although chances were limited, Federico Chiesa went close with a low left-foot shot from 20 yards which flew narrowly wide of the England post shortly before half-time.

Chiesa’s near miss proved a warning of what was to come in the second-half, with Italy dominating the game and creating a number of chances before Bonucci levelled the scores halfway through the second-half.

Lorenzo Insigne sent a 20-yard free kick wide on 50 minutes before England keeper Pickford was forced to dive low to his left to deny Chiesa after a mazy run and shot by the Juventus forward.

Italy’s dominance was rewarded, though, when Bonucci scrambled home from close range after England had failed to clear a corner. Bonucci struck from the rebound after Pickford had pushed Marco Verratti’s header onto the post.

Southgate attempted to stem the tide for England by replacing Trippier and Rice with Saka and Jordan Henderson, but Italy continued to dictate the play and remained the team in control for the remainder of the 90 minutes and opening period of extra-time.

Aside from a 30-yard Federico Bernardeschi free kick on 117 minutes, which was spilled by Pickford, clear chances were limited as the game drifted towards the end of extra-time and penalties.

Kane was devastated to have come so close, only to come up short in front of the home fans.

“We got off to the perfect start, maybe dropped a little bit too deep. When you score that early it’s easy to try to soak up the pressure and try to hold on to that, and that’s probably what happened,” Kane said.

“They had a lot of the ball, they had a lot of possession, but to be fair we looked fairly in control, they didn’t create too many chances, and then obviously they got their breakthrough.”

Kane was quick to commiserate with Rashford, Sancho and Saka, all of whom missed in the shootout.

He said: “You’ve got to hold your heads up high. A fantastic tournament and these things can happen, a penalty shootout, you go through your process and you put it where you want to put it, but anyone can miss a penalty — we win together and we lose together.”

England were playing in a first major final in 55 years since winning the 1966 World Cup. This was their latest heartache in shootouts at major tournaments, after defeats in 1990, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2012.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

FINALLY: LIONEL MESSI’S ARGENTINA WINS COPA AMERICA

An emotional Lionel Messi sank to his knees before being mobbed by his teammates as Argentina ended their long wait for a major title by beating Brazil in the Copa America final.

After losing four Copa America finals since their last triumph in South America’s showpiece tournament – including three finals involving Messi – Argentina were finally crowned continental champions as Angel Di Maria’s wonderful first-half lob was enough to give them a 1-0 victory over Brazil at the Maracana.

Argentina captain Messi had a quiet game by his lofty standards and missed a late chance to wrap up the game, but dropped to his knees on the final whistle before being smothered by his teammates.

The title is Argentina’s first since their Copa America triumph in 1993 and their 15th Copa America in total – a joint record with Uruguay.

La Abliceleste lost back-to-back finals against Chile on penalties in 2015 and 2016 as well as suffering defeats against Brazil in 2004 and 2007, but now finally have their hands on the famous old trophy again.

Argentina’s title in front of empty stands at the Maracana caps a controversial tournament which was moved to Brazil after initial co-hosts Argentina and Colombia were stripped of the hosting rights due to the Covid-19 situation and political unrest respectively.

Brazil was a contentious choice considering the nation’s own coronavirus and political turmoil, but the event went ahead despite widespread protest and reported doubts among the Brazilian players themselves.

The hosts were ultimately unable to defend their title, despite piling on the pressure in the second half and ending with five strikers on the pitch.

Messi had a subdued game by his stellar standards, although Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni later revealed that the star had been playing with a hamstring problem in the semi-final and final.

Messi still ended the competition with four goals and five assists and was named joint player of the tournament with Brazilian ace Neymar.

Many tipped Messi to be well on the way to a seventh Ballon d’Or accolade now that he had ended his lengthy wait for a senior title with Argentina, having previously won the U-20 World Cup and Olympics.

“This is a very big title,” said Argentina coach Scaloni. “I hope that Argentines can enjoy it. The fans love the team unconditionally and I think they identify with this side that never drops its guard.”

The scenes back in Buenos Aires suggested fans would revel in the triumph as they filled the streets in celebration, while there were also joyous scenes back in Barcelona.

Messi meanwhile was seen sharing a videocall with his family on the Maracana pitch and was also pictured deep in conversation with former Barcelona teammate Neymar at the final whistle.

Attention will now to turn to Messi’s club future after he officially became a free agent when his contract with the Catalan club ended last month.

All the signs are that Messi, 34, will re-sign with the Catalans, although they will need to get their finances in order first.

Should he rejoin Barcelona as expected, Messi will finally do so as a Copa America champion.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

QUEEN ELIZABETH SENDS GOOD WISHES TO ENGLAND MANAGER AHEAD EURO 2020 FINAL

Queen Elizabeth II sent a message of support to England national football team manager Gareth Southgate on Saturday, the evening before England’s showdown with Italy at Wembley Stadium in London.

“55 years ago I was fortunate to present the World Cup to Bobby Moore and saw what it meant to the players, management and support staff to reach and win the final of a major international football tournament,” the Queen said, referencing England’s 1966 World Cup win.

“I want to send my congratulations and that of my family to you all on reaching the final of the European Championships, and send my good wishes for tomorrow with the hope that history will record not only your success but also the spirit, commitment and pride with which you have conducted yourselves.”

England reached its first men’s major tournament final in 55 years after after beating Denmark 2-1 in a gripping encounter on Wednesday at Wembley Stadium.

The national team will face Italy on Sunday. The Italians have look strong throughout the tournament, but England hopes a home-field advantage will inspire it to a historic victory. About 65,000 fans are expected.

Goldman Sachs predicts that England has a 58% chance of defeating Italy in the Euro 2020 final.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

PSG SET TO MOVE FOR MANCHESTER UNITED’S PAUL POGBA

Paris Saint-Germain are considering a move for Manchester United’s Paul Pogba as they look to bring in a new midfielder this summer.

Pogba’s future at Old Trafford is far from certain as he enters the final 12 months of his contract and, speaking in December, his agent Mino Raiola said it was “over” and that the former Juventus midfielder needed “a new scenery.”

The 28-year-old enjoyed a strong end to the 2020-21 campaign as he helped United finish second in the Premier League and reach the Europa League final; and he continued that form into Euro 2020 with some impressive displays despite France’s shock round-of-16 exit to Switzerland.

PSG sporting directo and Raiola discussed Pogba over the phone, having addressed the subject in June when they met in Monaco. A move for Pogba was also discussed when PSG agreed a deal for Gianluigi Donnarumma, who is a free agent after his AC Milan contract expired.

Sources have told ESPN that Pogba has yet to discuss a new deal at United formally and is interested in the project on offer at PSG.

Other candidates on PSG’s transfer shortlist include Rennes’ Eduardo Camavinga, who also has only one year left on his contract and Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

The 2018 World Cup -winner knows PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino is a big fan of his, while Leonardo has a very close relationship with Raiola.

Leonardo has been in Paris the past few days to finalise the arrival of Sergio Ramos, while Raiola was in Turkey for the transfer of Mario Balotelli, one of his other clients, to Adana Demirspor.

Before taking things further and contacting United, PSG will have to offload players first. Pablo Sarabia, Ander Herrera or Leandro Paredes are among the midfielders PSG would be open to letting go in order to make room for Pogba.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

OLIVIER GIROUD CLOSE TO €2 MILLION MILAN MOVE

AC Milan are closing in on a deal to sign Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud for €2 million, sources have reported.

Chelsea triggered an option last month to extend his contract by a further 12 months but the 36-year-old wants more regular game-time and is keen on a move to Italy.

Giroud fell down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge last season following the arrival of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig with Kai Havertz also preferred at times as a false nine by Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.

The club are in the market to sign a forward this summer and are expected to try and prise Erling Haaland away from Borussia Dortmund. They are also keeping tabs on Harry Kane’s future at Tottenham Hotspur among other possible targets.

Chelsea are willing to part with Giroud, who moved across London from Arsenal in January 2018 and has scored 39 goals in 119 appearances.

Since joining Chelsea, the France international has won an FA Cup, Europa League and Champions League.

Giroud was a World Cup winner with in 2018 and part of the side which was knocked out of Euro 2020 at the round-of-16 stage by Switzerland on penalties.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

BORIS JOHNSON MAY DECLARE BANK HOLIDAY IN ENGLAND IF TEAM WINS EURO 2020

Boris Johnson is poised to call an extra bank holiday if England win Sunday’s football final at Wembley, as the British government is being urged to publish safety data about previous Euro 2020 matches.

Asked whether he could declare Monday a bank holiday in the event of an England win, the prime minister said: “I think that would be tempting fate; let’s see what happens.”

His official spokesperson later added: “I don’t want to pre-empt the outcome of Sunday’s match. Clearly we want England to go all the way and win the final, and then we will set out our plans in due course.”

Downing Street sources suggested the timing of the match meant it would be much too late to give fans an emergency day off next Monday – but other options were being considered.

Asked whether bosses should allow their staff the day off to celebrate after watching the crucial tie, Johnson’s spokesperson said: “We would want businesses who feel able to consider it if they can, but we recognise it will vary depending on the business and company.”

The UK prime minister, not previously known as a football fan, attended Wednesday’s semi-final with his wife, wearing an England shirt apparently over his office attire, and with a suit jacket on top.

The British government has extended pub licensing hours to 11.15pm on Sunday to allow the public to watch the match, and celebrate or drown their sorrows afterwards.

Meanwhile, questions have continued to be raised about the safety of allowing so many fans to watch the match in person during a pandemic. The England-Italy tie will be held in front of a 60,000-strong crowd – the same as Wednesday’s semi-final.

Seven earlier matches in the tournament were held as part of the British government’s events research programme, set up to test the safety of mass gatherings.

The British shadow sports minister, Alison McGovern, said data about the safety of these matches should be produced before Sunday. “If they have the data they should publish it, and if they don’t have it, they should say why,” she said.

Public Health Scotland has already published data about the Scottish fans who attended the England-Scotland match on June 18th, held with a much smaller crowd of 22,500.

In total 1,991 people who later tested positive had attended one or more Euro 2020 events during their infection period, a time when they “may have unknowingly transmitted their infection to others”.

Only 397 of those were actually at Wembley for the match – but that represented 15 per cent of the 2,600 Scotland fans who were allocated tickets.

No data about how many English fans subsequently tested positive – or about later matches – is expected to be published until the end of the second phase of the programme, which is due to continue until late July.

McGovern questioned whether the pilot scheme was really providing the information that events organisers and members of the public needed. “The events research programme has been much more ad hoc than we would have liked,” she said. “It is unclear how the events have been chosen, and the process by which data has been made public is concerning.”

Results from the first phase of the research programme, which included an FA Cup semi-final, were eventually published last month after pressure from the scientists overseeing it and in the face of threatened legal action from artists including Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The findings were broadly positive – but the first phase took place at a time when daily Covid infections were much lower, and the report warned that “events with high crowd density and proximity could potentially pose a greater transmission risk”.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

ENGLAND CHARGED BY UEFA OVER LASER AIMED AT KASPER SCHMEICHEL

UEFA has charged England after a laser pointer was aimed at Denmark’s Kasper Schmeichel in the Euro 2020 semi-final.

The goalkeeper had a laser shone in his face before he saved Harry Kane’s extra-time penalty, although Kane scored the rebound to earn England a 2-1 victory on Wednesday.

England have also been charged with “disturbance caused by its supporters during the national anthem” after home fans booed the Denmark national anthem and the lighting of fireworks inside Wembley.

The case will be dealt with by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body.

England came from behind after Mikkel Damsgaard’s free kick gave Denmark the lead.

Simon Kjaer’s own goal levelled for Gareth Southgate’s side and Kane booked England’s first major tournament final for 55 years when he followed up his missed penalty after Raheem Sterling was tripped by Joakim Maehle.

England now play Italy at Wembley on Sunday aiming to win their first major trophy since lifting the World Cup in 1966.