Page 88 - Football

Copa America: Uruguay beat Bolivia 2-0, reach quarters

Uruguay picked up a 2-0 win against Bolivia to confirm their progress to the CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 quarterfinal.Edinson Cavani and an own goal from goalkeeper Carlos Lampe helped the Celeste to the win.Bolivia had the first scoring opportunity of the game. With 11 minutes gone, Rodrigo Ramallo broke into the right side of the area and hit a shot that passed just above Fernando Muslera's crossbar. However, despite an encouraging start, Bolivia was pushed back by Uruguay who emerged as protagonists in the first half.The Celeste had two clear chances but Bolivian keeper Lampe made sharp stops to keep them out. The former Boca man first denied Luis Suarez before then denying Nahitan Nandez who followed up on the rebound. Later Cavani also tried his luck but once again Lampe came out on top.After 39 minutes Uruguay was finally able to beat Bolivia's star man. Suarez sent a dangerous cross into the box which Jairo Quinteros slid to intercept but inadvertently sent the ball goalwards. ..

England and Germany to renew epic rivalry at Euro 2020

One of the great rivalries in international soccer will be renewed on Tuesday at the European Championship when England plays Germany in the round of 16 at Wembley Stadium. The teams have played some epic matches in the past, including in the 1966 World Cup final and in the semifinals at Euro '96. They each won one of those matches, but overall the Germans lead with 15 victories, 13 losses and four draws. 1938: ENGLAND 6, GERMANY 3 Less about the result and more about what unfolded before kickoff in front of 110,000 fans at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, the English visitors gave a Nazi salute during the playing of the German anthem. And they did it under British government orders. The act handed Adolf Hitler a propaganda coup a year before Britain declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939 after its invasion of Poland. 1966: ENGLAND 4, WEST GERMANY 2 England won its only World Cup title by beating West Germany in London in a match that produced an enduring moment of controversy that

Denmark on the road for 1st time to face Wales at Euro 2020

After three emotional European Championship matches in Copenhagen, Denmark will next play in a city that Christian Eriksen once called home. The Danes will take on Wales in the round of 16 at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Saturday, a stadium where Eriksen is fondly remembered by Ajax fans as a stylish midfield playmaker from 2010-13 before his transfer to Tottenham. Denmark lost its first Euro 2020 match to Finland 1-0 after Eriksen suffered cardiac arrest on the field and had to be resuscitated with a defibrillator. The Danes also lost to Belgium before beating Russia 4-1 to finish second in Group B and advance to knockout rounds. I'm thinking a lot about Christian and how much I have hoped that he could experience this," Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said. He has been looking forward to this summer so much, it's a big, big dream for Christian, and just to know that he's not here hurts. While Denmark is hitting the road for the first time at a tournament that is being played in 11 ci

Record-chasing Italy becoming the team to fear at Euro 2020

Italy's unbeaten streak won't last forever, and Austria coach Franco Foda is plotting to be the one to stop it. The Italians have become one of the favorites at the European Championship after winning all three of their games in the group stage, scoring seven goals and conceding none. Those three victories at Euro 2020 extended the team's unbeaten streak under coach Roberto Mancini to 30 games matching the previous record set in the 1930s. Initially it seemed to be an insurmountable and impossible challenge for us, because they haven't lost for an eternity, Foda said. But sooner or later even Mancini's team will lose. Austria, which has reached the round of 16 at the tournament for the first time, will get its chance on Saturday at Wembley Stadium. Besides the unbeaten streak, Italy will also be trying to set another record. The team has not conceded a goal in 11 matches, a total of 1,055 minutes. If Austria fails to score, Italy will surpass the record of 1,143 minutes set betwe

Portugal coach sees weaknesses in Belgium team at Euro 2020

Portugal coach Fernando Santos has spotted the weaknesses in Belgium's team. He's just not going to tell anyone what they are. The Belgians won all three of their group matches at the European Championship to set up a match against defending champion Portugal on Sunday in the round of 16. Santos praised Belgium but said the team also struggled, especially in the come-from-behind win over Denmark when the top-ranked FIFA team was held to only six attempts. "I'm not going to talk about their weaknesses now because I don't want them to know what I'm thinking, Portugal coach Fernando Santos said. "But there are things we can explore. The game against Denmark showed some of their weaknesses." Belgium opened with a comfortable 3-0 victory against Russia and then needed late goals to defeat Finland 2-0 in its final group game. The Belgians beat Denmark 2-1 in between. Only Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands won all their group matches at Euro 2020. Portugal struggled to advance with a w

Ronaldo inspires every celebrity to be an 'undorser'

The Ronaldo episode is not likely to be the last, as many more celebrities may now want to make visible statements in support of causes close to their hearts

Euro Cup 2021: Ronaldo's record, Uefa Euro winners list, other key stats

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is just one goal away from breaking Ali Daei's record of 109 goals. Check Euro 2020 key stats, Euro Cup winners and runner-ups lists, and other key stats here

Germany preparing for 'next games' despite mixed Euro 2020 tournament

The Germans just about squeezed into the last 16 on Wednesday after Leon Goretzka scored a late equalizer in a 2-2 draw against Hungary

Brazil coach is fined $5,000 for criticizing troubled Copa America

CONMEBOL fined Brazil coach Tite $5,000 for criticizing the organization of the Copa America. The sanction came less than a week after a Bolivia player was also sanctioned for attacking the tournament, which is taking place amid a growing COVID-19 pandemic in the region after the two original hosts, Colombia and Argentina, were withdrawn. Tite said in a news conference on June 12 that the Copa America was shifted to his country in a confusing manner." CONMEBOL named Brazil as host less than two weeks before the tournament kicked off. The Brazilian Football Confederation cannot appeal the decision against Tite, CONMEBOL said. Eduardo Gross Brown, the president of CONMEBOL's disciplinary commission, added that Tite could suffer new penalties if he criticizes the tournament organizers again. Tite criticized the organization on Wednesday after Brazil's last-minute 2-1 victory against Colombia in Rio de Janeiro. I am not going to call this pitch horrible, but it is very bad to play s

Uruguay, Paraguay win to qualify for Copa America knockout round

Uruguay and Paraguay secured their spots in the Copa America knockout stage by winning their Group A matches by 2-0 scores

Portugal tie France, both through to Euro 2020 knockouts

France and defending champions Portugal both qualified for the round-of-16 at the Euro 2020 after they played out a 2-2 draw in a thrilling match that saw three penalties given and scored.

Spain put 5 past Slovakia, book Euro last-16 berth

Spain produced their best performance of the group stages to qualify for the last-16 of the European Championships with an impressive 5-0 win over Slovakia.

Oh no! Euro 2020 racking up own-goals at a wild pace

The own-goals at this year's European Championship are coming at a blistering and record-breaking pace. Two own-goals scored Wednesday by Slovakia in Spain's 5-0 victory made it eight so far at Euro 2020. That's already five more than the tournament record of three set at Euro 2016. The first Slovakian mishap came when goalkeeper Martin Dbravka pushed a high rebound off the crossbar into his own net. Juraj Kucka then knocked in the final goal of the rout in Seville. There previously had been only nine own-goals scored in 40 years from the 1976 tournament through Euro 2016. And before this year, there had never been a European Championship game with two own-goals. There have been two in the past week. Portugal also scored two on Saturday, four minutes apart. Defenders Rben Dias and Raphal Guerreiro gave Germany a 2-1 lead in a match the Germans ended up winning 4-2. The scorers of all eight own-goals in the group stage ended up on the losing team, including Germany defender Mats

Busquets proves key as Spain gets back on track at Euro 2020

After helping Spain avoid elimination at the European Championship, Sergio Busquets had to pause for a moment while talking about his time away from the squad because of the coronavirus. The Spain captain teared up recalling the doubts that went through his mind after being told he had to go into isolation only days before the tournament was to begin. I'm emotional because I had to go through some difficult times, Busquets said. I had to stay at home for 10 days, not knowing if I was going to be back or not. Spain was glad Busquets did make it back, just in time to lead the team to victory over Slovakia on Wednesday. The Barcelona midfielder was voted the man of the match in the 5-0 win that sent Spain to the round of 16 after opening with disappointing draws against Sweden and Poland. The result allowed Spain to finish second in Group E, setting up a meeting against Croatia in Copenhagen on Monday. All this helped us grow, Busquets said. Now whatever challenges we have in front

Danish health officials: Delta variant reported during Euro 2020

Danish health officials have urged soccer fans who attended the Euro game between Denmark and Belgium on June 17 to be checked for the coronavirus

Well-drilled Sweden proving to be no pushover at Euro 2020

With a few minutes remaining in Sweden's chaotic European Championship match against Poland, Janne Andersson decided to have some fun in the technical area. Sweden's usually straight-laced coach saw a member of Poland's backroom staff, Jakub Kwiatkowski, scrambling to gather the loose ball that had been kicked out of play and got to it first. As Kwiatkowski confronted him, Andersson played the ball between his counterpart's legs and smiled at him. I tunneled him, Andersson said, using a classic Swedish term for the soccer move. He got annoyed, but I was happy with the tunnel. I didn't do it to mock him. He just came and I happened to put it between his legs. As for flamboyance on the field, well, that's been in short supply with Sweden at Euro 2020. And that suits Andersson just fine. Sweden, one of the continent's most pragmatic some might say boring teams, is in the knockout stage of a major tournament once again. And like at the 2018 World Cup, the team has done so by topp

Strikers search for goals, wing backs shine at Euro 2020

Kylian Mbapp scored the most goals in France last season, and Harry Kane did likewise in the Premier League. It's not just the fact that neither Paris Saint-Germain nor Tottenham won their leagues that links them. Nor the fact that both strikers are being talked about for transfers to new clubs after the European Championship. Although prolific for their clubs Mbapp with 27 league goals and Kane with 23 neither has managed to replicate their domestic scoring output at the European Championship. Kane managed only one shot on target in the three games for England. Mbapp had three for France. But neither striker found the back of the net. I think it's the world of a big player, England coach Gareth Southgate said, discussing Kane. Inevitably he's come through those periods and scored important goals for us and played exceptionally well. So it's a bit of a repetitive cycle. Perhaps it's a reflection of the toll of more gruelling pandemic-congested seasons on players' bodies. France

UEFA abolishes away-goals rule in club competitions

The away-goals rule was abolished on Thursday by UEFA after 56 years as a fundamental way of deciding matches in its European club competitions. The move was often proposed in recent years by club coaches who felt an idea from the 1960s was no longer relevant. Games now tied on aggregate score after the regulation 90 minutes in the second leg will go direct to extra time and then to a penalty shootout. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin cited the "unfairness, especially in extra time, of obliging the home team to score twice when the away team has scored." UEFA cited several factors that "blurred the lines between playing at home and away" including more television coverage to better understand opponents' styles, comfortable travel and better playing surfaces. Ceferin said the rule outlived its usefulness and inhibited home teams from attacking "because they fear conceding a goal that would give their opponents a crucial advantage.

Euro 2020 round of 16 qualification scenarios for Portugal, Germany, Spain

In Group E, Spain, Slovakia, and Poland will be vying for the last remaining spots, while Group F, the fate of Germany, Portugal, and Hungary will be decided. Check Euro Cup 2021 today's matches

Euro Cup 2021 round of 16 schedule, qualification scenarios, team standings

A total of 16 teams will qualify for Round of 16 matches and Euro 2020's next round which will begin from June 26, 2021. Check Euro 2020 round of 16 schedule, qualification scenarios, team standings