..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

PSG complete the capture of Juventus legend Buffon on one-year deal

Paris Saint-Germain have completed the signing of Gianluigi Buffon, with the 40-year-old goalkeeper penning a one-year contract with the Ligue 1 champions.

Goal revealed on Thursday that a legendary figure of the modern era had agreed terms with the French giants and was poised to take on a new challenge.That has now been confirmed, with the deal which takes Buffon to France including a 12-month extension option which could take him past his 42nd birthday.

He links up with PSG after leaving Juventus as a free agent, with the last 17 years having been spent in Turin.

Buffon told his new club’s official website as he prepares to open a new chapter in an iconic career: “It is with a great feeling of happiness that I join Paris Saint-Germain.“For the first time in my career, I am leaving my country and only a project this ambitious could have encouraged me to make such a decision.

“I want to thank the club and the president for their confidence. To have followed the club’s incredible progression in recent years, I know what dreams Paris Saint-Germain and its fans have in their hearts.“I am going to bring all my energy, all my experience and all of my thirst to win to help my new club achieve all the great objectives it has set out for the future.

“With my teammates and our supporters, we will share fantastic emotions at the Parc des Princes and in all of the stadiums in which we are going to represent Paris, a marvellous city that deserves to one day see its club at the top of international football.”

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi added: “We all feel an immense pride in welcoming Gianluigi Buffon into the great Paris Saint-Germain family.“The immensity of his career, as well as his ambitious personality, unifying and elegant, make him one of the most admired and respected players in world football.

“At 40 years old, his passion for football is intact and Gianluigi has found the ideal environment in our project to set himself extremely high objectives transmitting his experience, not only to the other goalkeepers at the club, but to all of our players.“Our supporters will know how to welcome Buffon with the enthusiasm and love that he deserves.

“His arrival reaffirms our will to always go higher, an ambition that we intend to pursue with a determination just as strong.”Buffon won nine Serie A titles during his time with Juventus and also tasted World Cup glory with Italy in 2006.He has, however, never been able to get his hands on the coveted Champions League crown and will be hoping to challenge for that elusive honour once again after joining ambitious PSG.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Juventus respond to Ronaldo transfer reports as talk of €100m deal builds


Juventus have revealed they are "evaluating several opportunities" in the transfer market amid widespread reports of an impending deal for Cristiano Ronaldo.Goal revealed on Thursday that the Serie A champions are closing in on a €100 million (£88m/$117m) capture of the Real Madrid superstar.

The 33-year-old’s desire to move on has left those in the Spanish capital stunned, with it finally sinking in at the Santiago Bernabeu that a five-time Ballon d’Or winner could be on his way.

With Juve seemingly on the brink of securing a remarkable recruitment coup, the club’s share price has surged – reaching its highest point since mid-February.No agreement has been pushed through as yet, though, and the Italian giants are eager to keep a lid on the mounting excitement in and around Turin.

As a result, the Bianconeri have been compelled by the National Commission for Companies and the Stock Exchange (CONSOB) to provide an update regarding their transfer activity.

"After the request from CONSOB related to the news published recently on media outlets, Juventus Football Club S.p.A is keen to remind that during the transfer season the club is evaluating several opportunities and will publish adequate information as prescribed by the law," a statement released on the club’s official website read.

Earlier this week, Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes said the Portugal captain would only end his nine-year stay at Madrid for a "new stage and a new challenge".Italian football would provide that for a man who first hinted at a fresh start after capturing the fifth Champions League crown of his career in May.

Ronaldo has already tasted domestic and continental success in England and Spain with Manchester United and Real and is seemingly keen to take in a new experience.Goal has already revealed that a four-year contract has been agreed with Juve, with that deal worth €30 million (£26.5m/$35m) per season.Former Bianconeri CEO Luciano Moggi has also claimed that Ronaldo has “already signed” and is merely waiting on the formalities of a high-profile switch to be completed.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Hazard edges closer to Chelsea exit as he undergoes trial at VVV Venlo


Kylian Hazard has moved a step closer to leaving Chelsea after joining Dutch side VVV Venlo on trial.

Hazard, the brother of Eden and Thorgan, joined the Blues in 2017 from Ujpest in Hungary.However, the midfielder is yet to make a first-team appearance for Chelsea, plying his trade with the club's development side instead.

And it now appears Hazard could be on the way out of Stamford Bridge after Eredivisie outfit VVV Venlo confirmed the news on Friday.A brief statement on the club's website read : “Kylian Hazard will train at VVV-Venlo for the next ten days.

“The offensive midfielder, younger brother of the Belgian internationals Eden and Thorgan, will try to convince the technical staff of our club of his qualities over the next ten days.”

Kylian is on course to embark on a similar path to that of his older brother Thorgan, 25, who also failed to make a first-team appearance for Chelsea before moving on.Thorgan moved to Chelsea in 2012 and was quickly shipped out on loan to Zulte Waregem and Borussia Monchengladbach for a season apiece.

He soon joined Gladbach on a permanent deal in 2015 and his fine form in Germany earned him a place in Belgium's World Cup squad, alongside older sibling Eden.Eden has established himself as Chelsea's key man in recent seasons but the former Lille star has also been linked with a move away in the future.

The 27-year-old's current contract runs out in 2020 and he has suggested his future at Chelsea depends on who they sign ahead of the 2018/19 campaign .

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Karius' Champions League errors were '100 per cent' due to concussion, says Liverpool boss Klopp


Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says Loris Karius' two errors in the Champions League final were “100 per cent” a result of the knock he sustained during the game.

The German goalkeeper, 25, endured a nightmare match after he gifted goals to Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale as the Reds suffered a 3-1 defeat in Kiev in May.

Karius had collided with Sergio Ramos prior to the mistakes and Liverpool clarified after the final that he had sustained concussion, though the statement did not mention the tangle with the Real captain.Ahead of the Merseysiders' first pre-season match, Klopp has spoken out about the incident for the first time, saying the concussion is the “explanation” for Karius' errors but not an “excuse”.

He told Liverpool's official website: “He was influenced by that knock, that is 100 per cent.“What the rest of the world is making of it, I don’t care. It’s really not important what the people say. We do not use it as an excuse.“Now people could think for us it is the explanation – and for me it is 100 per cent the explanation and that’s all.”

Klopp has also explained how he first discovered Karius may have sustained a concussion from a conversation with Germany icon Franz Beckenbauer after the Champions League final.He continued: “After four days I got a call from Franz Beckenbauer, our Bobby Moore, our biggest football player who is a good friend of mine.“He called me and said he came from a doctor, he told me: ‘Your goalkeeper had a concussion.’

“I said: ‘What?’ because in the game, from my position that situation is not very good to see: ‘Maybe there was contact or not.’ I told him immediately: ‘OK.’“He said the doctor is the most famous doctor in Germany. I said: ‘OK, give me a few minutes, I have to fix a few things.'”Karius is likely to feature as Liverpool kick off their pre-season fixture list against Chester on Saturday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Why should we stop until the window is closed?' - Klopp hints at more Liverpool arrivals


Jurgen Klopp has hinted that he plans to add to his Liverpool squad again before the close of the transfer window.The German has already signed Naby Keita and Fabinho this summer after a campaign in which he led the Reds to the Champions League final.

Liverpool have also tried to sign Nabil Fekir from Lyon for £60 million (€68m/$80m), only for the French club to pull the plug on the deal as the transfer neared completion.




As reported by Goal, the Reds are weighing up whether to sign a new No.1 goalkeeper, with Roma's Alisson having been linked, or persist with Loris Karius despite his errors in the Champions League finals.Xherdan Shaqiri is another to have been mooted as a potential target and Klopp has suggested he is still trying to add to his squad before the transfer window closes.

“The work is always going on, that’s how it is. Why should we stop until the window is closed?” he told Liverpool’s official website.“It’s all good at the moment. We will see what happens and I will not – and don’t want to – say it looks a little bit better in that department or this department.

“If all the players are coming back and healthy from the World Cup then we have already a really, really good team – and that’s the only thing I need to know.“What happens on the other side, we will see, but we don’t finish thinking about it before the last day of the window.”

Meanwhile, the German has said that there will be opportunities for fringe and younger players to earn spots for themselves in the squad over the course of pre-season.

“I told the boys on Tuesday that everybody has the opportunity to show up, so do it,” he said. “I’m a lot of things but not blind, so that means I see what they offer – and if someone offers something special then I will realise it and we will make decisions about it.”

Competitive action for the Reds begins with a home Premier League clash against West Ham on August 11.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Paulinho: World Cup exit harder to accept than 2014 humiliation


Paulinho felt Brazil's exit from Russia 2018 was harder to accept than their 2014 World Cup humiliation.

A 2-1 loss to Belgium saw Tite's men eliminated in the quarter-finals Friday, four years on from a last-four defeat.In 2014, World Cup hosts Brazil were crushed 7-1 by Germany, who went on to win the title.

Paulinho, who played in that game in Belo Horizonte, said the loss to Belgium was tougher to take."For me, they were both difficult," Paulinho said in a television interview. "A very complicated 2014, but this one is harder."The midfielder added: "The way we left, we were fighting until the last second, in a match when we were all over them."

Meanwhile, Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus was left to rue a tournament of lost opportunities.The Manchester City star started all five of his team's games but was unable to get on the scoresheet after netting 13 times in the Premier League this past season.

After the match, he voiced his disappointment over his lack of goals, saying: "It's frustrating."I worked a lot. It's hard. You give up a lot of things to get to such a big tournament. Everyone knows it's a dream."Right there after the debut, it became an obsession."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Meunier: 'I expected more difficulties' against Neymar


Belgium defender Thomas Meunier said he expected greater difficulties in containing Neymar during his team's World Cup quarter-final win over Brazil.A Fernandinho own goal and Kevin De Bruyne strike helped Belgium to a 2-1 victory in Kazan, where Roberto Martinez's men held on despite Renato Augusto's second-half header.

Meunier, playing at right wing-back and directly opposed to Neymar, praised his team's defending and said he was surprised not to be tested more by his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate."I didn't expect that, I expected more difficulties, but we were so organised collectively," he said after the win.

"I always had help from Marouane Fellaini, from Toby Alderweireld. We were really focused on him, on [Philippe] Coutinho, on Marcelo, and we did a really wonderful job. I think we can congratulate ourselves for the job that we did defensively."Even offensively I got really frustrated because I didn't touch the ball. I made a lot of sacrifices for the team and I am happy that we won because of that."

The win helped Belgium move into a first World Cup semi-final since 1986, with a clash against France awaiting them, although Meunier will miss through suspension.Fellow Belgium defender Jan Vertonghen believes Didier Deschamps' men will provide a tougher test than Brazil.

"I think France are a bit more complete than Brazil are," he said."I think it will be harder to break them down."That semi-final match up will take place July 10 at the St Petersburg stadium.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'He's not Uruguayan!' - Suarez rejects Griezmann's 'respect'


Antoine Griezmann's decision not to celebrate his World Cup quarter-final goal out of respect for Uruguay has received a lukewarm response from Luis Suarez.Atletico Madrid forward Griezmann curtailed his typically exuberant celebrations after netting the second in the 2-0 win that sealed France's spot in the final four.

The 27-year-old later spoke of his "love" for "Uruguayans and Uruguayan culture" formed by close relationships with club team-mate Diego Godin and former Real Sociedad mentor Martin Lasarte.

Suarez, however, rejected the gesture as hollow given Griezmann's role in ending his nation's tournament."He's not Uruguayan, he's French and he scored a goal," the Barcelona star told reporters.

"He doesn't know what we have to do to succeed in football. He will have his customs and his Uruguayan way of speaking, but we feel differently."Suarez rued the injury absence of strike partner Edinson Cavani as "essential" to the result , although Uruguay's hopes of advancing were not aided by Fernando Muslera's poor error for Griezmann's goal .

The Galatasaray goalkeeper fumbled in a long-range effort in the 61st minute to gift France a buffer after Raphael Varane had headed home Griezmann's free-kick shortly before half-time.

Captain and key defender Godin refused to blame Muslera for the defeat.
"Fernando is a great goalkeeper. We all make mistakes. On other occasions he saved us with incredible stops," Godin said.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'I proved again who I am' – Courtois defiant after Belgium heroics


Thibaut Courtois had a defiant message for his detractors after a fine display in Belgium's quarter-final win over Brazil, adamant he proved himself after "unfair" criticism.

Courtois did not enjoy the best of seasons at Chelsea in the Premier League during 2017-18, with some putting his slight dip in form down to an uncertain future amid transfer rumours.

But he showed just why he has regularly been considered one of the world's best goalkeepers on Friday in Kazan, producing a string of vital saves – including from Neymar late on – as Belgium managed to cling on to a 2-1 win and reach the World Cup semi-finals.

"I know Neymar likes to curl it that way, I was ready and made a good save," Courtois said of his late stop to BBC Sport."I have been unfairly criticised a lot this year, today I proved again who I am and why I am here.

"Our tactical plan was great. We felt it was our day. It is a childhood dream to be in the World Cup. "It's incredible. This team wants to win every game, against England people said it was better to lose but we won the game, we have confidence in our team."

Kevin De Bruyne, meanwhile, acknowledged that keeping up with Brazil at times in the second half was a struggle, but he saluted the Red Devils' character."It's not easy to play Brazil, they are a wonderful team," De Bruyne said. "But the power we have as a team showed today. We were magnificent in the first half.

"Second half it was very difficult, they had a lot of players in the middle. In the last 15 minutes it was a character test and we showed the world what we are capable of."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

FIFA World Cup 2018 Quarter-finals Fixtures 2018.07.07

FIFA World Cup 2018 Quarter-finals Fixtures 2018.07.07

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Sweden Vs England

Russia Vs Croatia

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[RottenCOLT]

aye support karanne kamathi nathi team ekata ethokotawath un paradine.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

aye support karanne kamathi nathi team ekata ethokotawath un paradine.

​

 

[charitha chandi]

'He's not Uruguayan!' - Suarez rejects Griezmann's 'respect'


Antoine Griezmann's decision not to celebrate his World Cup quarter-final goal out of respect for Uruguay has received a lukewarm response from Luis Suarez.Atletico Madrid forward Griezmann curtailed his typically exuberant celebrations after netting the second in the 2-0 win that sealed France's spot in the final four.

The 27-year-old later spoke of his "love" for "Uruguayans and Uruguayan culture" formed by close relationships with club team-mate Diego Godin and former Real Sociedad mentor Martin Lasarte.

Suarez, however, rejected the gesture as hollow given Griezmann's role in ending his nation's tournament."He's not Uruguayan, he's French and he scored a goal," the Barcelona star told reporters.

"He doesn't know what we have to do to succeed in football. He will have his customs and his Uruguayan way of speaking, but we feel differently."Suarez rued the injury absence of strike partner Edinson Cavani as "essential" to the result , although Uruguay's hopes of advancing were not aided by Fernando Muslera's poor error for Griezmann's goal .

The Galatasaray goalkeeper fumbled in a long-range effort in the 61st minute to gift France a buffer after Raphael Varane had headed home Griezmann's free-kick shortly before half-time.

Captain and key defender Godin refused to blame Muslera for the defeat.
"Fernando is a great goalkeeper. We all make mistakes. On other occasions he saved us with incredible stops," Godin said.

griezmann

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sweden Vs England

Sweden Starting Line-up

Pickford
Walker
Stones
Maguire
Trippier
Lingard
Henderson
Alli
Young
Sterling
Kane

&

England Starting Line-up

Olsen
Krafth
Lindelof
Granqvist
Augustinsson
Larsson
Ekdal
Forsberg
Claesson
Berg
Toivonen
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[Wolverine GTR]

 

[Michael]

IT'S COMING HOME!!

Sweden 0 - 2 England

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sweden 0 England 2: Maguire and Alli head Southgate's side into World Cup semi-final

Harry Maguire and Dele Alli scored headers as England booked their place in a first World Cup semi-final since 1990 by beating Sweden 2-0.

Maguire and Alli struck either side of half-time in Samara on Saturday to move the Three Lions into the last four, and they will face either Croatia or hosts Russia on Wednesday.England dominated after making a slow start, Maguire scoring from Ashley Young's left-wing corner after half an hour to put Gareth Southgate's side on track.

Jordan Pickford made tremendous saves to deny Marcus Berg and Viktor Claesson either side of Alli doubling England's lead, the midfielder nodding in Jesse Lingard's centre.Although the World Cup's top scorer Harry Kane was muted, England held Sweden at bay to follow up their penalty success against Colombia with a more comfortable victory.

Sweden had advanced from three of their four previous World Cup quarter-finals but could not find a way to beat Pickford as the Three Lions marched on to the semis.

Claesson hammered the game's first shot over the crossbar in the 12th minute as a cagey start saw both sides play loose passes due to early nerves.Raheem Sterling then set up Golden Boot leader Kane, who slotted wide, with England - playing in their first World Cup quarter-final since 2006 - starting to find their feet.And they took the lead in the 30th minute with their eighth set-piece goal of the tournament.

Young's outswinging corner found Maguire to power home his first international goal, goalkeeper Robin Olsen and Ola Toivonen on the line unable to stop the defender's downward header.The offside flag spared Sterling's blushes when Kieran Trippier's long-range pass sent him clear to miss and the forward soon wasted another chance from Jordan Henderson's lofted throughball.

Olsen did well initially with a strong hand to deny Sterling, who dallied with the rebound and allowed Andreas Granqvist to make a vital block.Pickford was called into action for the first time shortly after the restart, diving to his left to superbly palm away a header from Berg, who climbed above Young at the back post.

The importance of that terrific save was made clearer as England struck again in the 58th minute.Another England set-piece caused chaos and, although Sweden initially cleared their lines when Lingard delivered a perfect cross to the back post, Alli was there to double his side's advantage.

Pickford made a smart stop from Claesson after he combined well with Berg, Sweden coach Janne Andersson turning to John Guidetti from the bench. Guidetti teed up strike partner Berg in the 71st minute but Pickford, who kept his first clean sheet of the World Cup, tipped the effort over the crossbar.

Such was England's comfort in the closing stages, Henderson - at risk of missing the semi-final through suspension - could be replaced by Eric Dier as Southgate's side moved on to Moscow.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sweden 0 Vs 2 England

Quarter-finals Match in Pictures

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[Wolverine GTR]

Sweden v England - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

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[Wolverine GTR]

Russia Vs Croatia

Russia Starting Line-up

Akinfeev
Ignashevich
Kutepov
Kudryashov
Fernandes
Zobnin
Samedov
Kuzyaev
Cheryshev
Golovin
Dzyuba

&

Croatia Starting Line-up

Subasic
Vrsaljko
Strinic
Lovren
Vida
Rakitic
Modric
Perisic
Kramaric
Rebic
Mandzukic
​