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Arsenal win record-extending 14th FA Cup

Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang once again lit up Wembley as his brace ensured FA Cup final victory over 10-man Chelsea.

The striker equalised with a penalty he had won himself to cancel out Christian Pulisic’s early opener.

Chelsea then lost Cesar Azpilicueta and Pulisic to injury before Aubameyang brilliantly added his second to secure a 2-1 victory and then lifted a record 14th FA Cup for the Gunners.

Chelsea then had Mateo Kovacic sent off as they chased the game, the Croatia international picking up two bookings, both for fouls on Granit Xhaka with the second a controversial call from referee Anthony Taylor.

Aubameyang’s future at Arsenal remains in doubt as he has less than a year to run on his contract, but after downing Manchester City with two goals in the semi-final, he again showed his importance to Mikel Arteta’s side.

For Arteta, this was a first piece of silverware in a managerial career that only began in December and sees Arsenal qualify for the Europa League next season.

Aubameyang wasted the first chance of the final, heading wide when picked out in the box by Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Chelsea had their own opening moments later, Xhaka robbed of the ball and Mason Mount’s curling effort forcing Emiliano Martinez into an early save.

But there was nothing the Arsenal goalkeeper could do from the next Chelsea attack as Pulisic struck.

Mount broke into the penalty area and squared to Olivier Giroud, the former Arsenal man flicking the ball into the path of Pulisic, who skipped past the challenge of Kieran Tierney to become the first United States international to score in an FA Cup final.

Nicolas Pepe thought he had curled in a marvellous equaliser but his celebrations were cut short as Aubameyang had strayed offside in the build-up.

However, just seconds later and Aubameyang was played in over the top, racing clear of Azpilicueta before being hauled back by the Chelsea skipper.

Taylor opted to only caution Azpilicueta but the penalty stood following a short VAR check and Aubameyang made no mistake from the spot.

Azpilicueta would last less than five minutes longer, forced off with an injury as he made way for Andreas Christensen.

Arsenal dominated the remainder of the first half without managing to test Willy Caballero in the Chelsea goal.

After the break, Pulisic broke forward looking to add his second of the afternoon but instead was soon going the same way as his captain, limping off with a hamstring injury after shooting wide.

Pedro entered the fray in his place as Chelsea started to wrestle back control of the contest.

That was until Aubameyang struck once again.

Hector Bellerin burst forward down the right and Christensen’s heavy challenge saw the ball break to Pepe, his pass picked up by Aubameyang who turned on to his preferred left foot to lift the ball over Caballero.

Chelsea’s task was made all the more difficult as Mateo Kovacic was sent off, shown his second yellow card for a foul on Granit Xhaka just six minutes after they had lost their lead.

While Arteta could toast his first trophy, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard ultimately saw his side come up short.

He threw on Ross Barkley, Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi despite being a man light but there was to be no comeback.

Chelsea had beaten Arsenal 4-1 in the Europa League final last season but this would go the other way, due in no small part to the clinical Aubameyang, whose future Arteta will want sorted as soon as possible.

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Inter Milan end Atalanta’s long unbeaten run to clinch second place

Inter Milan clinched second place in Serie A, disparagingly described by coach Antonio Conte last month as the “best of the losers”, when they ended Atalanta’s 19-match unbeaten run with a 2-0 away win on Saturday.

Inter Milan clinched second place in Serie A, disparagingly described by coach Antonio Conte last month as the “best of the losers”, when they ended Atalanta’s 19-match unbeaten run with a 2-0 away win on Saturday.

Danilo D’Ambrosio and Ashley Young scored in the opening 20 minutes as Inter finished the season with 82 points, one behind champions Juventus who lost their final game 3-1 at home to AS Roma.

Atalanta, whose last defeat was at home to SPAL in Serie A in January, finished third with 78 points and were topscorers with 98 goals — two short of becoming the first side to score 100 in a season since 1950-51.

The hosts appeared to have one eye on their Champions League quarter-final against Paris St Germain on Aug. 12.

“For us it has been a very hard and difficult year in all respects, including personal,” said Conte after the game. “There has been a lot of criticism.”

“We won 43 points away from home, we have the best defence, the second best attack and the fewest defeats.

“The credit goes to these guys, to the people who have worked with them in the midst of the thousand difficulties that there have been in terms of injuries.”

Inter Milan were off the mark in less than two minutes when Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini flapped at a corner and D’Ambrosio headed into the net. Gollini was injured in the process and had to be replaced by Marco Sportiello.

Ashley Young extended Inter’s lead with a delightful goal after 20 minutes, cutting inside and then curling the ball past Sportiello from the edge of the area.

Last month, Conte, frustrated after seeing his team let several games slip from their grasp, said he was not interested in the race for second place.

“I say it’s the first of the losers. There are those who are content with this, but it has no meaning for me,” he said.

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Ciro Immobile equals Serie A scoring record, wins European Golden Shoe

Lazio’s Ciro Immobile won the domestic Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe as he matched Gonzalo Higuain’s 2015/16 record of 36 goals in a single Serie A season.

Helped by a rule change that led to more penalty kicks, Ciro Immobile matched the record for goals in a Serie A season with 36.

In his last match of the season, Immobile finished off an exchange with Adam Marusic with one touch midway through the first half of a 3-1 loss at Napoli on Saturday.

Current Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain also scored 36 in 2015-16 while with Napoli, improving by one goal on the previous mark set by Gunnar Nordhal 66 years earlier

However, while Higuain scored only three of his goals in 2015-16 with penalties, Immobile had 14 penalties this season — around 40 percent of his total goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who finished second on this season’s scoring list with 31 to match Juventus’ club record, had 12 penalties.

The plethora of penalties was a product of a rule calling for involuntary handballs to be whistled as fouls. The rule is expected to be revised for next season.

Immobile also sealed this season’s European Golden Shoe award.

Fabian Ruiz, Lorenzo Insigne, and Matteo Politano scored for Napoli. The loss saw Lazio finish in fourth place, having trailed leader Juventus by just one point entering the break for the coronavirus pandemic.

INTER SECOND

Inter Milan sealed second place with a 2-0 win over high-scoring Atalanta, which hadn’t been held to a clean sheet since November.

Danilo D’Ambrosio scored with a header and Ashley Young found the target from outside the area in the opening 20 minutes.

Inter finished the season one point behind Juventus, which sealed its record-extending ninth straight title last weekend.

Atalanta finished third for the second straight season, four points behind Inter.

RONALDO RESTS

Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus strike partner Paulo Dybala were rested in a 3-1 home loss to Roma.

After Higuain’s opener, Roma struck back with a goal from Nikola Kalinic and two from Diego Perotti.

Still, it was a celebratory night for Juventus, which received the Serie A trophy after the game inside the empty Allianz Stadium.

ZLATAN FOREVER

Despite playing only half the season, Zlatan Ibrahimovic became the oldest player to score 10 or more goals in a single Serie A season.

At age 38, Ibrahimovic played a role in all three of AC Milan’s goals in a 3-0 win over Cagliari, including a powerful shot of his own that made it 2-0.

Ibrahimovic also used his strength to hold off a defender and enable Rafael Leao to shoot from a sharp angle. The ball bounced off the post and rebounded off Ragnar Klavan for an own-goal.

For Milan’s final goal, Ibrahimovic set up Samu Castillejo.

Also, Sampdoria drew 1-1 at already-relegated Brescia.

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As UEFA Champions League nears restart, pandemic schedules pose headache

The European club competitions will be played using new formats in Portugal and Germany five months after the coronavirus shut down the season.

When the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League return next week amid the coronavirus pandemic, the teams remaining in the competitions will be resuming following a vastly different set of preparations.

For Italian teams, it’s the last stretch in a packed schedule that included two games a week since June. France’s Ligue 1 stopped in March, leaving Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to schedule friendlies before two domestic cup finals.

When PSG faces Atalanta and Juventus plays Lyon in the Champions League, those contrasts will be tested.

“It’s clear that the conditions aren’t normal,” Simon Rolfes, the sporting director of Bayer Leverkusen, told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

“I think we have to accept that there are certain points where everything isn’t optimal or exactly the same, and that’s just the case because of the pandemic. Obviously, it isn’t the equality in competition that you’d normally wish for, but it’s not the time to achieve that. Otherwise, it can’t happen at all.”

Leverkusen tried to balance rest and training ahead of its Europa League game against Rangers on August 6, five months after the Bundesliga club won the first leg 3-1.

Leverkusen gave players a 17-day break to clear their heads following its DFB Pokal final loss to Bayern Munich on July 4 before going back to training.

“Since we’ve only got a short break, the players don’t lose much,” Rolfes said. “It’s not the sort of preparation you have after five, six, seven weeks on vacation.”

The European tournaments will be played using new formats in Portugal and Germany five months after the coronavirus shut down the European season.

The late finishes will give players little chance to catch their breath as the last games of the 2019/20 season flow quickly into the opening games of 2020/21.

FATIGUE SETS IN

Tiredness means more muscle injuries and poorly timed tackles. FIFPro is monitoring the situation with concern.

“The number of recovery days between matches is not sufficient much of the time,” FIFPro medical director Vincent Gouttebarge told the AP. “It’s the cumulative exposure to this load. Week after week with the club obviously, with the national team, traveling perhaps from one country to another.”

Basel has the toughest schedule of all. The Swiss Super League ends Monday, later than any other country in Europe. That leaves a three-day turnaround to play Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League, then potentially more knockout matches.

Basel players also face a Swiss Cup semifinal match in August, national team games in early September, a new league season from September 11, and qualifying for the 2020/21 Europa League starting September 17.

UNEVEN LEAGUES

Teams who aren’t in European competitions could have an edge in domestic leagues.

While the likes of Bayern Munich, Leipzig, and Leverkusen train, other German clubs can rest. Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen only resume training Monday.

“It’s a challenge for the teams who are playing in the European cups, no question,” Rolfes said. ”It will be really important to manage it intelligently and very well. Ahead of the Bundesliga season, it’s an advantage for the teams who have normal preparation and a normal vacation.”

The plan at Leverkusen is to give players more rest once the team’s Europa League campaign is over before the new Bundesliga season begins with cup games in mid-September.

Fatigue could follow players and clubs all the way through the 2020/21 season, which is more congested than usual. Germany has more midweek games and a reduced winter break to make way for the postponed European Championship in June-July 2021.

Besides Dortmund, English clubs like Liverpool, Tottenham, and Arsenal are already eliminated from European competition and can get extra rest.

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Eddie Howe Leaves Bournemouth

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has left the club by mutual consent after their relegation from the Premier League.

The 42-year-old led the Cherries in more than 450 games across two spells spanning more than a decade.

The Englishman, who leaves after talking to club officials on Saturday, said he believes it is “the right time for the club to have a change”.

Bournemouth’s five-year stay in the top flight ended despite a 3-1 win at Everton on the final day of the season.

“Having spent a total of 25 years with the club as both a player and a manager, this decision – made together with the club – is one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make,” said Howe in an open letter to fans.

“However, although the affection and love I have for this football club will always remain, we collectively feel that now is the right time for the club to go in a new direction.

“Bournemouth will always be in my heart, but I firmly believe now is the right time for the club to have a change.”

Bournemouth had risen from League Two to become an established Premier League team under Howe, who guided them to three promotions in six seasons.

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NBA roundup: James Harden, Houston Rockets rally, top Dallas Mavericks in Over Time

James Harden scored 49 points, Russell Westbrook added 31 points and 11 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets erased a 14-point deficit and rallied for a 153-149 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.

James Harden scored 49 points, Russell Westbrook added 31 points and 11 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets erased a 14-point deficit and rallied for a 153-149 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.

The Rockets claimed the season series with Dallas two games to one by finally mustering some defensive might down the stretch of the fourth quarter.

Trailing 139-137, Houston got a tip-in of a Harden missed free throw from Robert Covington with 3.3 seconds left to force overtime. Covington, following an 0-for-8 start from behind the arc, added a 3-pointer with 1:22 left in overtime to extend the Houston lead to 150-146.

Luka Doncic recorded his league-leading 15th triple-double with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists while Kristaps Porzingis paced the Mavericks with 39 points and 16 rebounds. Trey Burke added 31 points on 8-of-10 3-point shooting off the bench while Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 24 points for Dallas.

Portland Trail Blazers 140 – Memphis Grizzlies 135 (OT)

CJ McCollum scored 33 points, Damian Lillard added 29, and Portland overwhelmed Memphis in overtime.

The Trail Blazers built a first-half lead then surged ahead 75-62 in the third quarter before a 22-6 run pushed the Grizzlies ahead. The game was back-and-forth from there until the Blazers took control in the extra frame.

Rookie Ja Morant, the Grizzlies’ leading scorer on the season at just under 18 points per game, finished with 22 points Friday. He had only two points on 1-of-5 shooting at halftime but came to life to lead the third-quarter run. Morant also handed out 11 assists.

Orlando Magic 128 – Brooklyn Nets 118

Orlando turned a close game into a rout by scoring nine consecutive points late in the second quarter en route to a win over Brooklyn in what could be a key battle for playoff seeding.

Evan Fournier had 24 points while Aaron Gordon posted a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) for the Magic (31-35), who moved past the Nets (30-35) into seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The top seven teams are guaranteed a playoff spot. The eighth-place team advances to the postseason as the final seed if it is at least four games better than the ninth-place team at the end of the regular season. Otherwise, a play-in series will determine the eighth seed.

Nikola Vucevic had 22 points for the Magic. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot led the Nets with 24 points, and Caris LeVert had 17.

Rockets vs Mavericks Highlights 

Phoenix Suns 125 – Washington Wizards 112

Cameron Johnson and Devin Booker combined for 18 first-quarter points, helping Phoenix build a big lead en route to a victory over Washington.

Booker finished with a game-high 27 points and Deandre Ayton registered a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Suns, who entered the resumption of play with the worst record among the 13 Western Conference teams still alive.

Rui Hachimura paced the Wizards with 21 points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 36 points and 15 rebounds to lift Milwaukee past Boston in the teams’ first game of the NBA restart.

Antetokounmpo’s double-double was his 19th straight, matching the longest streak in the NBA this season — set by the reigning league MVP himself from Oct. 24 to Nov. 29.

Khris Middleton had 18 points and Brook Lopez added 14 points and six blocks for the Bucks, who bolted out to a 17-2 lead before requiring a late push to seal the win. Marcus Smart scored 23 points off the bench and Jaylen Brown added 22 for the Celtics.

San Antonio Spurs 129 – Sacramento Kings 120

DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points — all but two in the second half — and added 10 assists as San Antonio finished with a flurry to beat Sacramento in the teams’ first game back in action after the league’s stoppage for COVID-19.

Derrick White added 26 points for San Antonio, with Rudy Gay scoring 19 off the bench, Lonnie Walker IV hitting for 16, and Dejounte Murray contributing 11.

The Kings’ De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 39 points. Bogdan Bogdanovic hit for 24, Nemanja Bjelica added 12, and Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes contributed 10 points each for Sacramento.

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PSG complete domestic treble with League Cup triumph

It was the last roar for the competition, which was founded in 1995, as the French Professional Football League (LFP) decided in September to scrap it as of next season until further notice.

Paris St Germain (PSG) completed a domestic treble as they beat Olympique Lyonnais 6-5 on penalties to lift the French League Cup on Friday with the match ending in a 0-0 stalemate after regular and extra time.

Second-half substitute Pablo Sarabia scored PSG’s final penalty in the shootout after goalkeeper Keylor Navas had saved Bertrand Traore’s spot kick to give the Ligue 1 champions and French Cup winners their ninth League Cup trophy.

It was the last roar for the competition, which was founded in 1995, as the French Professional Football League (LFP) decided in September to scrap it as of next season until further notice.

The LFP had failed to secure a broadcaster for the 2020-2024 period but reserved the right to relaunch the competition in the future.

Lyon keeper Anthony Lopes made a string of good saves in a cagey contest played in front of 5,000 fans at Stade de France, who were allowed into the stadium in line with coronavirus safety regulations.

Lopes denied Brazilian forward Neymar three times and also kept out shots by Angel Di Maria and Idrissa Gueye, while Navas kept out a Maxwel Cornet free kick at the other end.

Lyon defender Rafael da Silva was sent off in the last minute of extra time for a professional foul on Di Maria and Neymar blazed the free kick over the bar.

The Brazilian held his nerve to keep PSG alive in the shootout before Navas blocked Traore’s penalty and Sarabia calmly slotted his shot past Lopes to spark wild celebrations among his team mates.

PSG, who beat St Etienne 1-0 in the French Cup final last Friday, will have a chance to complete a quadruple as they face Italian side Atalanta in the Champions league quarter-finals on Aug. 12 in Lisbon.

Their win over Lyon also means that Stade Reims, who finished sixth in the French League, have snapped up a berth in next season’s Europa League qualifying.

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LIVERPOOL APPOINTS NEW CEO AS MOORE STEPS DOWN

Liverpool’s chief executive officer Peter Moore will step down at the end of August after three years in the role, the Premier League champions said on Friday.

Liverpool owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner and president Mike Gordon said in a joint statement that Moore had helped the club move forward since coming onboard in 2017

“He has strengthened the club’s business operations through his leadership and we are grateful to him for his passion, dedication and support, ” they said.

Managing director Billy Hogan would replace Moore from September 1, the club said.

“To think we have won the Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and the Premier League title during my time here is way beyond my dreams,” Moore said.

“It’s been a phenomenal achievement by the manager, players and staff. The team fully deserves the plaudits and recognition and the memories I will cherish forever.”

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RAUL JIMENEZ TO BE A RED DEVIL SOON – REPORTS

Manchester United are reportedly close to signing Wolves star Raul Jimenez.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has publicly admitted he is on the lookout for a new centre-forward this summer
.

All of the goal scoring burden was placed on Anthony Martial and Odion Ighalo last term.

Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood chipped in with their fair share from the wide positions.

But for the Red Devils to launch a serious challenge for the title it is deemed that they need a world class forward.

Wolves star Jimenez apparently fits the bill after he netted 27 goals across all competitions last season.

The Mexican moved to Molineux for £33m and it will likely cost United much more than that to take him to Old Trafford.

Portugese sources claim a transfer is already in place and the 29-year-old will be playing Champions League football under Solskjaer next year.

The report adds that super-agent Jorge Mendes has concluded a deal for Wolves to sign Paulinho.

The 27-year-old netted 25 goals in 48 appearances which was enough to convince Nuno Espirito Santo he is the ideal man to replace Jimenez.

Meanwhile, Solskjaer warned last month that he was in the market for a new striker.

“You need competition for places at Manchester United,” the Norwegian said.

“If you think you’ve got a divine right to be playing every game and are doing so well that we’re not going to look for players to replace you, you’re in the wrong place.

“I’ve been here myself for so many years as a striker and Teddy Sheringham comes in, Dwight Yorke comes in, Ruud van Nistelrooy comes in, Wayne Rooney comes in.

“We’ve always got to look at improving, and if they don’t improve, we might have to look somewhere else to get better because we have to be better.

“We’re too far away from where we need to be and want to be.”

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FIFA PRESIDENT GIANNI INFANTINO FACES CRIMINAL CHARGES

Criminal proceedings against Fifa president Gianni Infantino have begun in Switzerland over meetings he held with the country’s attorney general.

A special federal public prosecutor, Stefan Keller, was appointed last month to examine complaints made in relation to the meetings in 2016 and 2017 involving Infantino, attorney general Michael Lauber and the chief public prosecutor for the Upper Valais region, Rinaldo Arnold.

Keller has now opened criminal proceedings against Infantino and Arnold, and has sought approval from the Swiss parliament to do the same against Lauber, who must have immunity from prosecution lifted before proceedings against him can be opened.

He has concluded that “there are indications of criminal conduct” in relation to the meetings.

Infantino and Fifa say they will co-operate fully with the investigation, with Infantino insisting he was trying to assist Lauber with the attorney general’s investigation into historic corruption.

The Fifa president was asked about the meetings with Lauber at the world governing body’s Council meeting in June, and said: “To meet with the Attorney General of Switzerland is perfectly legitimate and it’s perfectly legal.

“It’s no violation of anything. On the contrary, it is also part of the fiduciary duties of the president of Fifa.”

The first meetings with Lauber occurred in 2016, just after Infantino had been elected as president and in the aftermath of the corruption scandal which engulfed Fifa under Infantino’s predecessor Sepp Blatter.

Lauber’s office was investigating that scandal, in which Fifa was being treated as a victim rather than a suspect.

Infantino said there was a “mountain of questions” regarding those investigations, and added in June: “It’s legitimate to offer to contribute to the Swiss attorney general about the clarification of these events, hoping that those who have done criminal acts and damaged Fifa will be held to account for that.”

The statement from the supervisory authority for the office of the attorney general said the meetings had generated concerns of abuse of public office, breach of official secrecy, assisting offenders and incitement to these acts.

Infantino added on Thursday: “As president of Fifa, it has been my aim from day one, and it remains my aim, to assist the authorities with investigating past wrongdoings at Fifa.

“Fifa officials have met with prosecutors in other jurisdictions across the world for exactly these purposes.

“People have been convicted and sentenced, thanks to Fifa’s co-operation, and especially in the United States of America, where our co-operation has resulted in over 40 criminal convictions.

“Therefore, I remain fully supportive of the judicial process, and Fifa remains willing to fully co-operate with the Swiss authorities for these purposes.”