Новости за 07.07.2018

1. England outdo Sweden in the airEngland's reputation as set-piece kings grew further on Saturday, as Gareth Southgate's side once again found the back of the net from a dead-ball situation. Harry Maguire rose highest to power home Ashley Young's corner in the first half, before Dele Alli nodded a second goal - this time from an open-play cross - past Robin Olsenafter the interval.This was the Three Lions' first clean sheet of the tournament, and they did a professional job against a Sweden side... Читать дальше...

Jesse Lingard and his mum have shared an emotional reunion at the World Cup. Lingard created Dele Alli's goal as England booked a first semi-final appearance since 1990 by beating Sweden 2-0. The Manchester United midfielder went viral on social media with a doctored snap after England squeezed past Colombia in the last round. "No mum, I'm not coming home," Lingard posted on Twitter alongside the image. No mum, I’m not coming home. It’s... pic.twitter.com/VdFHVoEfTI — Jesse Lingard (@JesseLingard) July 3... Читать дальше...

David Beckham cheekily reminded Zlatan Ibrahimovic of his obligation to wear an England shirt at Wembley after the Swede lost their World Cup bet. The pair put pride on the line with a wager on the outcome of their nations' quarter-final clash in Samara on Saturday. Beckham promised to take Ibrahimovic shopping at IKEA if Sweden won, so long as the LA Galaxy striker agreed to eat fish and chips at an England home international in the event of a victory for Gareth Southgate's side. And with Harry... Читать дальше...

Kyle Walker trolled team-mate Harry Maguire after the defender's header helped England into the World Cup semi-finals. Maguire's first-half goal put England in front against Sweden, with Dele Alli's effort after the break securing a 2-0 victory in Samara on Saturday. The Leicester City centre-back has become a social media star during the tournament, with a photograph of him speaking to fans turning into a meme. And Walker was quick to use the snap to mock Maguire despite the defender's first... Читать дальше...

Fabinho and Naby Keita were both handed debuts as Liverpool started pre-season with a routine 7-0 win over Chester on Saturday. Loris Karius, the target of widespread criticism for his role in last season's Champions League final defeat, also played 45 minutes in a match that saw Daniel Sturridge score twice. Ineffective during a six-month loan spell at relegated West Brom last term, Sturridge began his campaign to impress Jurgen Klopp with a second-half brace at Swansway Chester Stadium. Wales... Читать дальше...

England crowned another goalscoring hero named Harry on Saturday, but it was Maguire, not Kane, who helped the Three Lions into the last four of a World Cup for the first time in a generation. Not since Italia '90 and that penalty shoot-out heartbreak at the hands of West Germany have England been one win away from football's grandest stage. But 28 years on, Gareth Southgate's young side have presented themselves with that opportunity following a 2-0 win in this quarter-final against a stubborn Sweden in Samara. Читать дальше...

Italy international goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu has signed a contract extension with Torino. The 31-year-old - who made 37 league appearances in the 2017-18 season, helping Torino finish ninth in Serie A - will now remain with the club until 2022. Having returned to Italian football after a spell at Paris Saint-Germain, he has become an integral part of Walter Mazzarri's plans. Sirigu's performances at domestic level led to a recall for Italy under new boss Roberto Mancini, and he started in the 3-1 friendly loss to France in June. Читать дальше...

Maybe life was easier when nobody expected anything? As tiring as all of that laboured apathy towards England became, at least its effects weren't paralysing; three days on from the Colombian epic, those frayed nerves weren't ready to be exposed again against Sweden.A performance full of authorityFortunately, they never really were. England controlled this quarter-final from almost start to finish and rarely did the Swedish pose any sort of danger.Given the chaos of Tuesday night, it was also exactly... Читать дальше...

Sadio Mane acknowledged Real Madrid as a "great team" while maintaining he has had no contact with the club about a prospective transfer from Liverpool. Madrid could well be in the market for attacking reinforcements with Cristiano Ronaldo heavily linked with a sensational switch to Juventus, who responded to the rumours on Friday by releasing a statement revealing they are "evaluating several opportunities". Senegal international Mane and Chelsea star Eden Hazard have been touted as potential... Читать дальше...

Neymar described Brazil's World Cup exit at the quarter-final stage as "the saddest moment" of his career. The Paris Saint-Germain star left Russia having scored two goals in five games as Brazil failed to play their best football, despite topping Group E without losing a match and then beating Mexico 2-0 in the round of 16. Headlines in the aftermath of the victory over Mexico focused on Neymar's theatrical reaction to challenges made on him rather than his performance, and he was powerless to... Читать дальше...

AC Milan have signed 22-year-old midfielder Alen Halilovic from Hamburg on a three-year contract as Gennaro Gattuso prepares his squad for the 2018-19 Serie A campaign. The highly rated Croatia international scored two goals in 20 LaLiga appearances for Las Palmas last season as he completed a two-year loan spell, having played just six league games for Hamburg. After starting his career at Dinamo Zagreb, Halilovic joined Barcelona in 2014 and made one appearance for the club in the Copa del Rey. Читать дальше...

Claiming the World Cup scalp of Lionel Messi ensures France have nothing to fear against Belgium star Eden Hazard, according to Lucas Hernandez. Les Bleus crushed Messi's hopes of winning the tournament when they dispatched Argentina 4-2 in the round of 16. Didier Deschamps' side subsequently beat Uruguay 2-0 on Friday to tee up a mouth-watering semi-final date with Belgium, who ousted favourites Brazil 2-1 in Kazan. Left-back Hernandez named Hazard and Romelu Lukaku as key dangers but is undaunted... Читать дальше...

Oliver Bierhoff described Germany's management team as "part of the problem" as he admitted his shared responsibility with head coach Joachim Low to address the national team's shortcomings. In the aftermath of Germany being knocked out in the first round of a World Cup for the first time for 80 years, Low re-stated his commitment to remaining in charge and general manager Bierhoff backed the 58-year-old as the man to turn their fortunes around. To do that, Bierhoff says the duo must begin their... Читать дальше...

Roma sporting director Monchi insists Alessandro Florenzi has not been issued with an ultimatum as the club attempt to meet the in-demand Italy international's wage demands. Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Inter are all reportedly interested in signing Florenzi, whose contract expires at the end of the upcoming season. The versatile right-back, who has won 28 international caps, is a product of his hometown club's academy but is yet to agree on Roma's offer of an extension. Monchi admits there is work still to be done between the parties. Читать дальше...

Raphael Varane is confident a niggling knee concern will not keep defensive partner Samuel Umtiti out of France's World Cup semi-final against Belgium. Umtiti has carried the problem throughout the tournament and was rested for last week's 0-0 group stage draw with Denmark. The 24-year-old returned for the last-16 win over Argentina and completed another 90 minutes in Friday's 2-0 defeat of Uruguay despite showing signs of discomfort. Varane, who scored the opener in the latter, believes the Barcelona... Читать дальше...

Ivan Rakitic has expressed his shock at seeing former Barcelona team-mate Andres Iniesta left out of Spain's line-up for their final World Cup match, saying the omission "hurt a lot". Rakitic and Iniesta won three LaLiga titles, four Copa del Rey trophies and a Champions League together between 2015 and 2018, and the Croatian said he was stunned that Fernando Hierro overlooked the World Cup winner as Spain went up against Russia in the round of 16. Iniesta replaced David Silva after 67 minutes of the game... Читать дальше...

Harry Kane has the "mentality and calibre" of England's World Cup-winning rugby union legend Jonny Wilkinson, according to Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate. As England prepared for their quarter-final clash with Sweden, Southgate spoke of the importance of the maturity and calmness of their captain, who scored his sixth World Cup goal from the penalty spot in a heated round-of-16 defeat of Colombia. Southgate heaped praise on Kane's "exceptional mentality", which he said reminded him of the man... Читать дальше...

Barcelona midfielder Paulinho has confirmed he has an offer to return to the Chinese Super League. Paulinho joined Barca last August from Guangzhou Evergrande and despite impressing at Camp Nou the 29-year-old has been heavily linked with a return to his former club. Speaking after playing in Brazil's 2-1 World Cup quarter-final defeat to Belgium, Paulinho acknowledged he has offers on the table as he plots his next move. "I'm going to Barcelona to talk to my representative about this matter," he told reporters. Читать дальше...

Mexico midfielder Andres Guardado taunted Neymar after Brazil's elimination from the World Cup, in retaliation for the Paris Saint-Germain star's comments about his team earlier in the tournament. Brazil beat Mexico 2-0 to knock them out in the round of 16, prompting Neymar to hit out at Guardado's side in his post-match comments, saying: "They talked too much, and now they are going home." But the Selecao were undone by Belgium in the quarter-finals as an own-goal from Fernandinho and a Kevin... Читать дальше...

Gareth Southgate has dismissed suggestions from Sweden that his England players are entitled ahead of Saturday's World Cup quarter-final showdown in Samara – insisting hard toil has been a vital ingredient of their run in Russia. Former Sweden international Hakan Mild labelled Southgate's youthful squad as "spoilt children who earn a lot of money" earlier this week and noises coming out of Janne Andersson's camp have broadly amounted to a feeling England may not be able to cope with their battling qualities. Читать дальше...

Sydney FC were dealt a double blow with confirmation stars Bobo and Adrian Mierzejewski are set for moves abroad. Bobo, 33, is moving to a club in Turkey after two seasons with the Sky Blues, having scored 42 goals in 57 A-League games. Last season's Golden Boot winner is joined by Mierzejewski in departing the premiers, the former Poland international heading to China. Mierzejewski leaves Sydney after just one season, during which he won the Johnny Warren Medal as the A-League's player of the year. Читать дальше...

Brazil star Philippe Coutinho said he was ready for the backlash after the surprise World Cup quarter-final loss to Belgium. A Fernandinho own goal and Kevin De Bruyne's fine strike helped Belgium to a 2-1 win in Kazan, where substitute Renato Augusto's second-half header gave Tite's men hope. However, they were unable to find an equaliser despite a frantic finish, the favourites bowing out in the last eight. "We wanted to go all the way to the final but we've given our best shot. Everyone gave... Читать дальше...

Monaco continue to build towards the 2018-19 Ligue 1 season by completing the signing of Pele. The 26-year-old joins from Rio Ave and is likely to replace Fabinho following the midfielder's move to Liverpool. Pele, a Guinea-Bissau international, won Rio Ave's player of the season award last campaign. "I am very happy to join Monaco, an ambitious club competing in the Champions League and a contender in Ligue 1," Pele told the club's official website.  "It's great motivation and a dream to represent Monaco. Читать дальше...

Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insists his highly publicised recent comments on Jordan Pickford were not meant to belittle England's number one. Pickford defended his ability after letting in an Adnan Januzaj winner when the two nations met in their final Group G clash last week. Courtois raised his Everton counterpart's relatively small stature as a factor in his failure to make the save, suggesting he was "too busy throwing his legs in the air". But, speaking in the aftermath of Belgium's 2-1 quarter-final upset of Brazil on Friday... Читать дальше...

Brazil great Ronaldo says Tite should stay in charge of the national team despite exiting the World Cup at the quarter-final stage. Belgium triumphed 2-1 in Kazan on Friday thanks to a Fernandinho own goal and Kevin De Bruyne's rocket, with Renato Augusto replying with a header for the Selecao. The five-time winners were favourites in the tie but, with Neymar muted, were unable to break down Belgium despite heavy late pressure on Thibaut Courtois' goal. Tite's men lost just once during qualifying... Читать дальше...