Tag: football news

15Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Sports

Marcus Berg threatened online after Euro 2020 match against Spain, Sweden file police report

The Swedish soccer federation filed a police report Tuesday after striker Marcus Berg was subjected to a flood of social media abuse and threats from fans after missing a late chance against Spain at the European Championship. Berg couldn’t connect cleanly with the ball and missed the target when he had an open net in the second half of Monday’s 0-0 draw in Seville. He received a torrent of abuse online after the game and team officials said some of the posts contained illegal threats that have been reported to Swedish police. Berg said he turned off his social media channels but had been told about the threats. “It was tough yesterday and tough last night. What happens on social media is really sad,” Berg said during a news conference with Swedish media. “The things that a...

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14Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Anders & Morten Boesen: Former shuttlers and brothers who helped revive Eriksen

Anders Boesen was known to be an aggressive young shuttler in the early Noughties who shared some feisty face-offs with the great Indonesian Taufik Hidayat. On Saturday, he was at hand as the stadium doctor, for older brother Morten Boesen – also the Denmark football team’s chief physician – when Christian Eriksen collapsed at the Parken Stadium after a cardiac arrest. The shuttlers-turned-doctors Boesen brothers helped restart Eriksen’s heart, after 13 minutes of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and one go of the defillibrator. Watching his home team play their opener against Finland, India’s doubles coach Mathias Boe went through a tumult of emotions, as he watched the familiar well-built figure of Morten take charge behind the protective circle the team formed. Boe ha...

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14Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Euro 2020: Milan Skriniar guides Slovakia to 2-1 victory over 10-man Poland

Slovakia defender Milan Skriniar capped a memorable afternoon as he complemented a superb all-round display with the winner in the side’s 2-1 win over 10-man Poland in the opening Euro 2020 Group E clash on Monday. The 26-year-old centre back netted with a superb 69th-minute shot into the bottom-right corner after Poland had midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak sent off in the 62nd for a second yellow card. 🇸🇰 What a moment for Milan Škriniar & Slovakia! ⚽️#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/lAfsbYiBd9 — UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) June 14, 2021 Slovakia took an 18th-minute lead out of the blue through an own goal by Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny before Karol Linetty equalised in the 46th. Poland was on the front foot in the opening stages but fell behind as Robert Mak beat two d...

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14Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Euro 2020: The world at Kylian Mbappe’s feet

It’s the speed that comes to mind when the name Kylian Mbappe is dropped. It was at the 2018 World Cup in Russia that the then 19-year-old showed the world that he was in a tearing hurry to be a global superstar. In the chaotic Round of 16 encounter against Argentina, searing through the heart of the midfield, Mbappe had his arms outstretched for balance, head pulled back while his legs whirred. Marcos Rojo, grasping at shadows, dragged him onto the ground for a penalty. Now as Mbappe and France begin their Euros campaign against Germany in Munich on Tuesday, the world champions would be expecting much more from their talisman, who has evolved over the last three years. Catch @KMbappe if you can! ⚡️#FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/ZLLfYLqyRO — French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) ...

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14Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Eriksen’s toughest battle on road to recovery will be mental: Muamba

Former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba said Christian Eriksen’s collapse brought back painful memories of his own cardiac arrest and that the Dane’s toughest challenge in recovering from the incident will be a mental one. Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest after he collapsed in the 42nd minute of Saturday’s Euro 2020 match against Finland and was later rushed to the hospital. Jakob Hoeyer, communications director at the Danish football association, told reporters on Monday that Eriksen’s condition is still “stable, good”. Muamba, who collapsed on the pitch in an FA Cup match in 2012 and was technically dead for 78 minutes, said it took him more than a year to come to terms with the incident, which forced him to retire at the age of 24. “It’s too early to know abou...

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14Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Euro 2020: Late Denzel Dumfries header secures Dutch win after Ukraine fightback

Flying full back Denzel Dumfries scored a late winner to earn the Netherlands a 3-2 victory over Ukraine in a thrilling Group C opener at the European Championship on Sunday after the Dutch had thrown away a two-goal lead. Dumfries rescued all three points for the home team five minutes from time after Ukraine had fought their way back into the match at the Johan Cruyff Arena. The Dutch were 2-0 up with 15 minutes left, only to allow their opponents two quick goals and the chance to share the points before Dumfries headed home a dramatic winner to the delight of the home fans. Captain Georginio Wijnaldum and striker Wout Weghorst netted within seven minutes early in the second half as the Dutch sought a successful return to a major tournament — after a seven-year absence — ...

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13Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Sterling show: England striker shows his value, qualities

Raheem Sterling’s goal was all about Kalvin Phillips’s pace and vision. He galloped through the inside-right channel, foxed two Croatian markers with his blistering speed and drilled a perfect through-pass to Sterling, whose first-time shot was woefully placed but powerful enough to burst through the custodian. It was not a pass meant for Sterling. It might have been for Harry Kane who hulks the central territory, or it could have been for Phil Foden slicing in from the right wing. But it was Sterling who pounced in, from apparent nothingness. It was that moment — and not that goal — that described Sterling and his gifts. His faculty to visualise multiple moves ahead of him like a chess player, the boundless energy and purpose, his speed of thought and cleverness of movemen...

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13Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Euro 2020: Christian Eriksen had cardiac arrest, confirms Denmark team doctor

Denmark’s Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest when he collapsed during his side’s Euro 2020 opening match against Finland, his team’s doctor confirmed on Sunday, but the reason remained unclear. “He was gone; we did cardiac resuscitation, it was a cardiac arrest. We got him back after one defib (defibrillation),” Morten Boesen told a news conference, adding that Eriksen remained in hospital for further tests after his collapse on Saturday. “The exams that have been done so far look fine,” Boesen added. “We don’t have an explanation to why it happened.” Eriksen, 29, collapsed suddenly in the 42nd minute of the match while running near the left touchline after a Denmark throw-in. As a hush fell over the 16,000-strong crowd, his teammates gathered around him while he w...

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13Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Simon Kjaer: A leader and now a life-saver after Christian Eriksen incident

What was diminished to an eerie silence at the Telia Parken in Copenhagen on Saturday was embraced with more than 15,000 sighs of relief. The relief of Christian Eriksen, who had collapsed on the pitch in Denmark’s UEFA Euro 2020 group stage opener against Finland, was stable in a hospital. The relief that his teammates had responded to the situation with such life-saving speed. Most of all, it was the man with the armband — Simon Kjaer. The 32-year-old centre-back was one of the first players on the scene and appeared to prevent Eriksen from swallowing his tongue. “The Denmark captain sprinted the length of the pitch and sprung into action: he took Eriksen’s pulse, he made sure that his tongue was not blocking his airway and placed him in an upright position,” reported Mar...

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13Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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India’s passing, possession has improved since 2018 WCQ: Shanmugam Venkatesh

Delving into the minute technical details, Indian football team assistant coach Shanmugam Venkatesh says the current side has enjoyed more ball possession and made more accurate passes than the squad for the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers. India are already out of reckoning for a 2022 FIFA World Cup berth but are still in with a chance of advancing to the next round of 2023 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. Venkatesh, who also led the senior national team in his playing days, says current squad has improved on many fronts. “A direct comparison with the first 7 matches of previous World Cup qualifiers — the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 qualifiers which kicked off in 2015 shows us that the average ball possession of the current squad has increased by 10.2% — going up from previous 39.8 % to...

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13Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Euro 2020: We know nothing about Harry Kane

By Rory Smith There are a lot of things that everybody knows about Harry Kane. First and foremost, there is the fact that he is the captain of England’s national soccer team, a status that bestows upon its bearer the sort of profile unavailable to most athletes, particularly in tournament years. It is part-of-the-furniture fame, royal family fame. Everyone has heard of Harry Kane. Then there are the goals. Harry Kane scores goals with startling efficiency. He scores goals with both feet and with his head. He scores goals from close range and from long distance, for good teams and bad. He does not really seem to be subject to things such as form or confidence. He simply started scoring goals seven years ago and never stopped. He has scored so many that he is seventh on the l...

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13Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Finland beats Denmark at Euro 2020 after Eriksen’s collapse

Joel Pohjanpalo scored and Lukas Hradecky saved a penalty to give Finland a 1-0 victory over Denmark on Saturday in a European Championship game overshadowed by Christian Eriksen’s collapse on the field. The game was suspended for about 90 minutes after Eriksen needed urgent medical treatment near the end of the first half before being taken to a hospital. The Danish soccer federation said Eriksen was awake and in stable condition. “Of course you can’t play a game with such feelings,” Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said. “What we tried to do was incredible. It’s incredible that the players managed to go out and try to play the second half and still be dominant. I’m very affected myself.” When play resumed, Pohjanpalo put Finland ahead against the run of play in the 60th minu...

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12Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Denmark’s Christian Eriksen stable after collapsing during Euro 2020 game

Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen was given CPR on the pitch after he collapsed during his team’s UEFA Euro 2020 clash against Finland at the Telia Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on Saturday. The match was then suspended for almost two hours due to a ‘medical emergency’ before restarting. Finland won the match 1-0 after the restart, their first ever win in the European Championships. The Denmark FA said in a statement a little after the incident that Eriksen was awake, stable and undergoing further tests in hospital. During the 42nd minute of the match, as the ball went out of play for a Denmark throw-in, 29-year-old Eriksen rushed to receive the ball but he collapsed face-first as the ball hit his knee. Moments later, teammates Martin Braithwaite and Thomas Delaney rushed...

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11Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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UEFA Euro 2020: Italy open tournament with comfortable 3-0 win over Turkey

Italy waited a long time for this European Championship to start and then showed Friday just how eager the team was to play the tournament opener. After humiliatingly failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Italy was already back on track with a perfect qualifying campaign of 10 wins in 10 matches. Now Roberto Mancini’s team has begun its first major international tournament in five years with a convincing 3-0 win over Turkey. Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne both scored after an own-goal from Turkey defender Merih Demiral had given Italy the lead — all in the second half. 🇮🇹 Italy score THREE in a EURO game for the first time! ⚽️⚽️⚽️#ITA #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/pCAxeFjnDo — UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) June 11, 2021 Demiral redirected a cross from Domenico Berardi int...

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11Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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UEFA Euro 2020 starts with fireworks and balloons after year-long delay

The Euro 2020 championship finally got underway on Friday after a year-long delay with a colourful fireworks show and choreography featuring balloons representing the 24 teams in Rome’s sparsely populated Stadio Olimpico. Only some 16,000 fans were admitted for the opening match between Italy and Turkey, around 25 per cent of capacity, after authorities kept a firm cap on attendance at the tournament due to COVID-19 concerns. EURO 2020 Opening ceremony at the Olimpico in Rome! 😍#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/ADcB2yZZIE — UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) June 11, 2021 Trying to pump up excitement, which has been largely missing in Rome in the run up to the kick-off, Italian soccer greats and 2006 World Cup winners Francesco Totti and Alessandro Nesta welcomed fans at the opening cerem...

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11Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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When you train with best, you only get better: R Sai Kishore

Ravisrinivas Sai Kishore’s transition has been gradual — from being the chief architect of Tamil Nadu’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy victory, followed by an IPL contract with Chennai Super Kings and now a chance to be a reserve bowler for India’s tour of Sri Lanka. The wiry framed left arm orthodox spinner’s rise through the ranks has been possible because of his hunger to learn and soak in as much knowledge as possible like he did during his month long stint at the CSK before IPL was suspended due to COVID-19. “…Being with CSK has been a big plus, my game has got better. If I have to say correctly, when you practise with the best of the best, you will automatically get better,” Sai Kishore told PTI after his maiden national call-up albeit as a net bowler. “The exposure has been...

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10Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Sports

Another Copa America, another chance for Argentina to end drought

This year’s Copa America gives Argentina another chance to break a 28-year trophy drought, which has been made even harder by a venue switch from home turf to that of arch-rivals Brazil. The Argentines were supposed to stage the tournament this year but with COVID-19 cases surging it was moved at the last minute and Brazil are now hosting their second Copa America in succession, beginning on Sunday. The last time Argentina won the tournament was in 1993, their 14th title, with Diego Simeone anchoring the midfield and Gabriel Batistuta scoring goals at centre forward. Since then they have reached the final four times, all since 2004, and failed to lift the trophy. It is a galling run for a proud footballing nation and especially for players like Lionel Messi, who are not use...

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10Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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UEFA order Ukraine to remove ‘political’ slogan from kit ahead of Euro 2020

UEFA has ordered Ukraine to remove the phrase “Glory to the heroes” from the inside of its new national team shirt ahead of the European Championship for political reasons, after a complaint from Russia. Russia on Wednesday had complained to UEFA over Ukraine’s kit, which is emblazoned with a map including Crimea and words from a military slogan. UEFA said the map was not a concern, and neither was the phrase “Glory to Ukraine” on the outside of the shirt. But it said that the “specific combination of the two slogans is deemed to be clearly political in nature, having historic and militaristic significance,” and that the slogan inside the shirt must therefore be removed. Ukraine had said the shirt was a symbol of national unity, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy posted a se...

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8Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

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Spain squad to be vaccinated after Sergio Busquets positive

The Spanish soccer squad’s players will get a COVID-19 vaccine shot on Wednesday, less than a week before their opening Euro 2020 match, after captain Sergio Busquets tested positive, Sports Minister Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes said on Tuesday. Busquets’ positive has thrown Spain’s tournament preparations into chaos with the remaining 23 players going into isolation along with the coaching staff. An Under-21 side led by their coach Luis de la Fuente will face Lithuania on Tuesday in what was supposed to be the nation’s final warm-up game before the Euros. Coach Luis Enrique called up a group of six players, including Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, to complement the squad. They will train separately in “parallel bubble” away from the main Euros squad with a view to t...

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7Jun By drnakipuriaNo Comments

Sports

UEFA Euro 2020: Spain again has to weather a storm before a major tournament

For the third straight time, Spain’s preparations for a major soccer tournament have taken a hit just before it is set to start playing. After having to overcome problems ahead of the 2016 European Championship and the 2018 World Cup, “La Roja” enters Euro 2020 having to deal with the scare of a COVID-19 outbreak that could jeopardize its title chances. Captain Sergio Busquets tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday and has his participation in the tournament in doubt. He is already set to miss the team’s opener against Sweden on June 14 after starting a 10-day period of isolation away from the team’s training camp. Nobody else in the squad had tested positive since Sunday, but there were fears more infections could be detected in the coming days as testing would cont...

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