..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

OFFICIAL: Atletico Madrid announce Gaitan deal

Atletico Madrid have reached an agreement with Benfica to sign midfielder Nicolas Gaitan.

Gaitan made 37 appearances this season as Benfica claimed a league and cup double for the third year in a row.The 28-year-old, who joined from Boca Juniors in 2010, is part of Argentina's squad competing the Copa America Centenario.

Gaitan will travel to Madrid to "complete all the formalities" once his participation in the tournament in the United States is over.

He has made 15 appearances for his country, scoring twice.No fee was disclosed when Atletico announced the news on Thursday.

 

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Hodgson: Bale goal forced England changes


England boss Roy Hodgson insisted match-winners Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge were always going to feature against Wales, but admitted Gareth Bale's goal prompted their introduction earlier than planned.Vardy and Sturridge started on the bench as Hodgson named the same side which drew 1-1 with Russia against Wales in their second Group B encounter.

But after taking his side into the break 1-0 down following Bale's 42nd-minute free-kick, Hodgson decided to bring on both players at the start of the second half.


And Hodgson's decision paid dividends in the end as Vardy restored parity before Sturridge scored the all-important winner in the second minute of stoppage time in Lens.

"I thought we'd see the first half out but the substitutions were pushed onto me a bit earlier,” said Hodgson when asked if Bale's goal forced him into making the key changes which inspired England's win."It was always our intention for Vardy and Sturridge to feature at some stage.

"We thought a lot about what our starting 11 should be. The game against Russia took it out of people but I didn't want to start breaking eggs with a big stick."

England had been on the wrong end of a late goal in their opener with Russia and Hodgson had some sympathy for Wales counterpart Chris Coleman as he suffered a similar fate.

"It's amazing. We played so well against Russia only to lose a goal in the 91st minute, whereas today it took us until the 92nd minute to get our goal," the England boss added.

"People always tell us things even out but it's rare to see them even out over two games."If I had been watching from afar as a neutral I'd have felt sorry for Wales, but they'll have to excuse me for not feeling sorry for them, as I'm delighted for us."

He continued: "We were very aggressive and bold in our attacking play. It took some very good defending from the Wales back five to keep us out."

Hodgson did, however, back Wales to qualify for the last 16, adding: "Like us, I'm sure Chris is looking forward to the knockout round."

 

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Ukraine 0-2 Northern Ireland: McAuley and McGinn seal historic win


Northern Ireland secured their maiden win at a European Championship finals as a second-half header from Gareth McAuley and a late Niall McGinn strike defeated Ukraine 2-0 in a bitterly cold Lyon.

Defender McAuley powered home Oliver Norwood's deep free-kick in the 49th minute to score his country's first goal at a major tournament since Colin Clarke found the net against Spain at the 1986 World Cup.

Not even heavy rain - which turned into huge hailstones in the second half, causing the game to be suspended for two minutes - could dampen the spirits of those wearing green inside a sodden Parc Olympique Lyonnais, and they wrapped up a historic win when McGinn lashed home in injury time.

While Ukraine are now mired at the bottom of Group C without a point after two games - needing a favour from Germany when they take on Poland to keep them in the competition - the victory for Northern Ireland rekindles their hopes of qualifying for the last 16.It also vindicated manager Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill's decision to make five changes to the XI that started the 1-0 loss to Poland on Sunday.

Kyle Lafferty was one of those to be left out - a surprising move considering the forward scored seven goals in his country's successful qualifying campaign.
But O’Neill's selection shake-up had the desired effect and resulted in a performance with far more pace and purpose from the get go.

Stuart Dallas tested Ukraine goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov from long range before the Northern Ireland's fans broke out in applause in the 24th minute in memory of fellow supporter Darren Rodgers, who died in an accident in Nice in the early hours of Monday.

Craig Cathcart planted a header from a corner just wide towards the end of a first half that also saw defender Yaroslav Rakitskiy have Ukraine's only notable attempt at goal, driving a low shot into goalkeeper Michael McGovern’s arms.A glancing header from Yevhen Seleznyov just missed the target early in the second half, but McAuley made sure he hit the target with his opportunity soon afterwards.

Stationed at the back post, the West Brom defender rose high to meet Norwood's curling delivery and aim a header across Pyatov, sparking wild scenes of Irish celebration both on the field and in the stands.

Seleznyov failed to take a similar opportunity for Ukraine - aiming his header straight at McGovern from an inswinging set-piece - just prior to the game being suspended due to heavy hailstone.When play resumed, Viktor Kovalenko saw a well-struck drive drift just wide of the target with McGovern rooted to the spot.

Andriy Yarmolenko's left-footed drive did force McGovern into a smart low save in the 90th minute, but Northern Ireland made sure of their first victory over Ukraine with a second goal deep into six minutes of stoppage time as Dallas' shot was only parried and McGinn pounced.

 

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Ibrahimovic switches from Nike to Adidas to fuel Manchester United links


Zlatan Ibrahimovic appears to have made a huge change in his career - and it’s not that long-rumoured move to Manchester United.

The striker has worn Nike boots for many years and began Euro 2016 with Sweden in his usual Mercurial Vapor models.

But for Thursday’s training session with the national team, he stepped out in a pair of Adidas’ flagship boots.
Normally, if players have not officially signed a contract with a manufacturer, they would train and play games in pairs of blackout boots.The move will come as a blow to Nike, who launched a #DareToZlatan campaign in April 2014 to heavily promote the striker.

Although Ibrahimovic’s switch to Adidas has not been made official, it has also fuelled talk that the 34-year-old is on his way to Manchester United, who are sponsored by the German sportswear giant.

 

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Barcelona on alert as Celta Vigo president expects Nolito exit this summer

Celta Vigo president Carlos Mourino has conceded the club are resigned to losing star man Nolito this summer.

Nolito, who is currently away with Spain at Euro 2016, is a wanted man after scoring 12 goals in 29 La Liga games to help Celta finish sixth and secure qualification for next season's Europa League.

Mourino has previously claimed Nolito, who was on Barcelona's radar in January, will remain at Celta for the forseeable future.

However, Mourino now believes the 29-year-old, who has an €18m release clause in his contract, will likely depart ahead of the 2016/17 season.

I think that Nolito will leave Celta this year,” Mourino told Reporte Jalisco.

“There are no numbers, no negotiations. He has a buyout clause of €18m. Who pays it, can sign him.

“Nolito is playing so good and is a player who we have had a lot of advantages from. He was in a second line and we knew how to recover him.

“If anybody pays us the €18m we will lose an important player, but we will have money that we have never had before to boost the squad for next season.”

 

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Germany 0-0 Poland: Milik fluffs lines in Paris stalemate

Germany and Poland cancelled each other out to both edge a step closer towards qualification for the Euro 2016 knockout stages in a 0-0 stalemate in Paris.Arkadiusz Milik spurned a guilt-edged chance to put Poland in front early in the second half as he failed to make good enough contact with Kamil Grosicki's dangerous cross.

World champions Germany struggled to muster up much against a sturdy Poland side, who will feel the more aggrieved out of the two with the draw after creating the better chances to break the deadlock.

Milik passed up another glorious chance to score in the second half, before Mesut Ozil flew straight up the other end to force Lukasz Fabianski into making a decent save.

Adam Nawalka's men conclude their group campaign against Ukraine, who became first side to be eliminated following the draw between Germany and Poland.

Germany, who are joint-top of Group C with Poland on four points, finish against a Northern Ireland side who are in good spirits after beating Ukraine 2-0 in Lyon.

Fabianski deputised for injured former Arsenal team-mate Wojciech Szczesny in Poland's goal, while Shkodran Mustafi – who scored in Germany's 2-0 win over Ukraine – was replaced by Mats Hummels as both nations shuffled their packs.

 

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Keane claims Fellaini is the scapegoat for Manchester United fans


Roy Keane has defended Marouane Fellaini’s form for Manchester United and believes the Belgian has become a scapegoat for fans.

Keane’s Republic of Ireland face Belgium on Saturday with both sides looking to secure their first victory in Group E at Euro 2016,Fellaini was brought to Old Trafford by David Moyes in a £27.5 million deal from Everton and has struggled to secure a regular role in United’s midfield.But Keane believes the 28-year-old has made a positive impact in his three years at United.

“I like Fellaini,” said Keane.“I thought the criticism he had when he went to United was a bit over the top.

“I think it was just because he came in at the last minute when David Moyes was there and fans were maybe quick to jump on his back.“I saw him a few times live, when United weren’t great, and thought he done okay. But he seemed to be the scapegoat for the fans.

“We saw him recently scoring some important goals. I like him. I liked him at Everton and I think he’s a good player for Man United.“The criticism he’s had, I think he’s more of a scapegoat than anything else. Which can happen when a new manager brings in certain players and the new signings get criticism.

“If anything, they should have been criticising the experienced players at United who weren’t helping him out or who weren’t helping out the new manager. But that’s another story.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Stale Germany must improve - and fast - if they are to win Euro 2016


Untidy at the back and ineffectual up front, those are the takeaways from Germany's dreary Group C draw against Poland at Euro 2016. Only Toni Kroos is functioning close to his club level for the world champions, with key players elsewhere lacking in fitness, form or both.

Mario Gotze was chosen again to lead the line by Joachim Low. The Bundestrainer famously told Gotze to show the world he was as good as Lionel Messi before sending him on to win the World Cup but it's going to take more than motivational speaking to make Gotze into a player worth comparing to Messi.

The Bayern Munich hierarchy are said to be at their wits' end with the once-coming talent of German football and are ready to move him on. He won't have impressed watching clubs with his display here. Too often moves broke down at his feet - at one stage Low turned away and punched the air in frustration when Gotze took the ball down and laid it backwards instead of attempting to move it forwards. He missed his only presentable chance too - blasting into the gloves of Lukasz Fabianski when it looked easier to score.

That opportunity - provided inevitably by Kroos - came immediately after Poland should have taken the lead themselves. The dangerous Kamil Grosicki found space on his right foot to cross for Arkadiusz Milik. The Ajax man stooped to head the ball after Jerome Boateng got his attempted clearance all wrong but missed from under the crossbar.

It wasn't the only occasion on which Boateng and his central defensive partner Mats Hummels were caught out. Although both made great blocks in one-on-one situations from Robert Lewandowski, they allowed Milik too much space again in the second half but they were lucky his shot was scuffed.

Both Boateng and Hummels are recently returned from injury and they appear a little rusty together. While they held Lewandowski at bay, a team with more varied threats than Poland might well be their undoing. Carlo Ancelotti will be watching keenly to see how his new defensive machine progresses throughout this tournament. Mesut Ozil, meanwhile, continues to live down to his talent. He managed a shot on target at least but his creative genius - a prominent asset for Arsenal - is again lacking in tournament football for his national team.

Given the names of the players on show, it would be expected that Low could present a team with more fluency going forward. Instead there is predictability.They try the wings - with Jonas Hector and Benedikt Howedes - and try again if nothing comes of it. Thomas Muller cannot get his grip on matches while replacements up front Andre Schurrle and Mario Gomez barely contributed.

Low, too, also opted to leave wild card Leroy Sane in reserve - he must feature against Northern Ireland - when he might have given his stale side a spark here.

And now, level with Poland, there is still the possibility that they might not even top the group, thereby distorting their predicted path in the tournament. It is still very much up in the air with Northern Ireland yet to play while Poland will fancy their chances of inflicting another defeat on Ukraine.

As a marker of where Germany currently stand, it says plenty. They might be among the pre-tournament favourites, but they are going to have to get a lot better to win Euro 2016.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

United States 2-1 Ecuador: Seattle hero Dempsey seals Copa America semifinal spot

The United States sealed its spot in the semifinals of the Copa America Centenario following a 2-1 win over Ecuador on Thursday. Clint Dempsey was the hero for the Copa hosts, scoring once and setting up Gyasi Zardes as the U.S. continued its dream run.

Ecuador hit back in the second half through Michael Arroyo, but the South Americans could not find the vital equalizer at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

However, both sides were forced to play the majority of the second period with 10 men after Jermaine Jones and Antonio Valencia were sent off for the USA and Ecuador respectively. The win means the U.S. will face the winner of Argentina and Venezuela next Tuesday in Houston for a spot in the final.

U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann only needed to make one change from the side that beat Paraguay 1-0, with Matt Besler coming in for the suspended DeAndre Yedlin. Ecuador counterpart Gustavo Quinteros also made just the one change, with the injured Jaime Ayovi replaced in the lineup by Arroyo.

The opening 15 minutes of the contest were tight, with both sides easing their way into the game with so much at stake, looking to avoid errors.The first chance on goal fell to Bobby Wood in the 17th minute, but he was off balance as he looked to score, with his tame effort going well wide.Arroyo went down the other end and had a powerful shot just miss the target, but it was the U.S. that took the lead in the 22nd minute.

Wood managed to find Jones who whipped in a first-time cross, and Dempsey made no mistake with the leaping header, giving Ecuador goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez no chance. Dempsey had a chance to double the lead five minutes later but Dominguez got down well to save his fierce shot, before John Brooks came up big to block an Arroyo shot.

A counterattack on the stroke of halftime gave Dempsey the chance to play in Alejandro Bedoya, but Dominguez was there again to provide the save off the Nantes midfielder.

Ecuador almost found an equalizer in first-half stoppage time but Brad Guzan produced a brilliant save to deny Arroyo, keeping the U.S. ahead going into the break.

The South Americans started the second period brightly and should have equalized when Antonio Valencia flicked on a header for namesake Enner, but he could not direct a diving header on target.The game was then turned on its head a few minutes later when both Jones and Antonio Valencia were sent off after a bizarre sequence of events.

Antonio Valencia kicked out at Bedoya to pick up a second yellow, before Jones was shown a straight red for apparently punching an Ecuadorian player in the resulting melee. With both sides reduced to 10 men, it was the USA that resumed control of the match after Dempsey's scuffed shot was tapped in by Zardes in the 65th minute.

Ecuador did not back down, however, and a free-kick variation from Walter Ayovi set up Arroyo to blast home an equaliser with a ferocious shot from outside the area in the 74th minute. Quinteros' men continued to threaten, and Enner Valencia had two glorious chances to score within the space of a minute, but directed both of his headers wide.

However, their push for an equalizer came to nothing, and the U.S. held on to reach just its second semifinal in the continental competition.

 

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Copa America Quarter Finals Fixture 2016.06.17

Copa America Quarter Finals Fixture 2016.06.17

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Peru Vs Colombia

(SL Time 5.30AM-(18th June)​

 

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Euro 2016 Group Stage Fixtures 2016.06.17

Euro 2016 Group Stage Fixtures 2016.06.17​

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Italy Vs Sweden

(SL Time 6.30PM)​

Czech Republic Vs Croatia

(SL Time 9.30PM)​

Spain Vs Turkey

(SL Time 12.30AM(18th June)​

 

[ish5501]

Euro 2016

i love italy

 

[Ysa Karu]

 

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Half Time

Spain 2 Vs 0 Turkey

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Full Time

Spain 3 Vs 0 Turkey

Spain Goal(s)

Morata 34',48'
Nolito 37''


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[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Spain!

VAMOS ESPANA
​

 

[King GBN]

Well no stars but there are few old freaking legends !!!

This time Gianluigi Buffon hung on

 

[King GBN]

Iniesta the magician who plays like Mozart , he is an amazing player he is the Maestro of Spain

Boring 60 mins, 30 mins of running back and forth with a bit more panic, defence fucks up at 90 and goal. UEFA 2016 starter guide.

 

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De Bruyne: Physical Ireland can cause Belgium problems


Kevin De Bruyne says Belgium face a stiff test as they look to kick-start their Euro 2016 campaign against the Republic of Ireland.

Considered favourites for a long run in the tournament before kick-off, Belgium opened their tournament with an insipid performance against Italy, losing 2-0 in Lyon.

Ireland drew 1-1 with Sweden in their first game, taking the lead through Wes Hoolahan before a tired defence was breached as Ciaran Clark turned Zlatan Ibrahimovic's cross into his own net.

De Bruyne admits that Belgium are yet to live up to their reputation, having topped the FIFA rankings in the past year, and has declared Saturday's game a "moment of truth"."Ireland have done well," said De Bruyne. "Their style of play can cause a lot of problems and I think is difficult for any rival. Even before the tournament I said this was the key game because it could decide the group.

"The physical power of the Irish players and their results in qualifying show the level of the team has risen a lot. They're very dangerous - they are the silent outsider in this group. We have to beware. They have a lot of unity and that's a big virtue in the team."

He continued: "When we looked at the group we knew it would be hard. Italy, Ireland and Sweden are all complicated rivals. Our first challenge is just to get through this phase and we will have to work very hard to do it. It won't be easy."We had an excellent qualifying campaign, so it's normal that expectation has increased, but now is the moment of truth.

"We have flattered to deceive in the past but now is the moment to give our fans a special moment to remember."

 

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Italy 1-0 Sweden: Late Eder strike seals last-16 place

Eder lit up an otherwise forgettable contest as Italy beat Sweden 1-0 to seal progression from Group E at Euro 2016.

Antonio Conte's men underlined their typical tournament credentials with a 2-0 win over Belgium in their opening game but turned in an insipid display against a rigid Swedish defence, which suddenly fell apart in the 88th minute to let Eder in.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic once again saw another chance to become the first man to score in four separate European Championships slip away, the former Juventus, Inter and AC Milan striker struggling to impose himself against Juve's 'BBC' backline of Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.

Indeed, Sweden have failed to register a shot on target in two games so far, and barely deserve a spot in the next round on this evidence.With Italy now able to plot their run in the knockout stages, Belgium and Republic of Ireland will hope to seize the initiative to join them when they meet in Bordeaux on Saturday.


All of the incisive passing and movement that had served Italy so well against Belgium completely deserted them in a first half devoid of chances, with Eder and Graziano Pelle unable to get close to some probing crosses from Antonio Candreva.

Sweden also appeared too cautious to truly threaten, dominating possession but rarely committing men forward, with the history-chasing Ibrahimovic dropping into the clutches of Daniele De Rossi in midfield all too often.

Neither Erik Hamren nor Conte felt the need to make any half-time changes and, Pelle slashing an early effort from 18 yards off target aside, the game returned to its turgid form as a result.

Simone Zaza was summoned by Conte on the hour to replace Pelle, but Marco Parolo running the ball out of play when a shot presented itself summed up the contest neatly.

Martin Olsson's surging runs on the left had been Sweden's most viable outlet but, when the Norwich City man finally got his delivery right, Sebastian Larsson missed the ball and Ibrahimovic blazed over the crossbar - though the captain's blushes were spared somewhat by an offside flag.Parolo then spurned a glorious chance, Emanuele Giaccherini swinging in a ball from the left that the Lazio man thumped onto the bar with his head.

But there was still time for Eder to dribble through the Sweden backline, Andreas Granqvist stumbling in his attempts to stop the Inter striker running at goal and curling a firm effort beyond Andreas Isaksson to secure an unfancied Italy's passage to the second round.