Belgium VS Russia

8pm GMT Kick Off, Saint Petersburg Stadium, Euros 2020 Group B

Two First Half Goals And A Late One Saw Belgium Them Beat Russia 3-0 In Saint Petersburg.

Belgium took the three points in their fixture against Russia. Romelu Lukaku and Thomas Meunier scored the early goals, before Lukaku grabbed his second in the 89th minute, which secured the win in their first group fixture.

The first chance that Belgium had, they put it away. Dries Mertens tried to find Romelu Lukaku, but it was a poor cross. Luckily for the Belgians, the Russian defenders couldn’t get it cleared, Lukaku pounced on the chance and fired it past Anton Shunin to give the Red Devils an early lead.

Russia nearly hit back instantly through Mario Fernandes. A corner was whipped in, and the fullback rose and met the ball, however, it was directly at Thibaut Courtois.

Lukaku burst through the Russian defense and looked like he would get himself a second. He pulled it back to Leander Dendoncker on the edge of the box and he fired it way over the bar.

Belgium grabbed a second in the 34th minute through early substitute Thomas Meunier. A ball was played into the box which the keeper parried. Meunier was there on standby, had all the time in the net and slammed it into the net.

Towards the end of the half, Belgium’s tempo slowed down, with neither team having any chances which might have seen another goal.

The first chance of the second half was from Russia. Artem Dzyuba had a shot from just outside the box, but the referee blew the whistle just before the shot, as there was a foul in the buildup.

The second half saw a lot less chances, but Lukaku sealed the three points as he added a third just before the end of the game. Meunier played it into his path, he ran onto the ball and placed it into the corner of the net, as the game finished 3-0.

Belgium go top of their group alongside Finland, who beat Denmark 1-0 in their fixture.

Man Of The Match – Romelu Lukaku

Despite a lack of chances and opportunities in the second half, Lukaku was running the game in the first half.

He scored two of the few chances he had, made a number of runs to find space and was a serious danger to Russia throughout.

“File:RUS-2016-Aerial-SPB-Krestovsky Stadium 02.jpg” by Godot13 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Wales VS Switzerland

2pm GMT Kick Off, Baku Olympic Stadium, Euros 2020 Group A

A Late Goal From Kieffer Moore Earnt Wales A Point In Their Opener Versus Switzerland.

Switzerland looked like they would claim the three points in their opening game, but a goal from Kieffer Moore cancelled out Breel Embolo’s goal just after half time.

Switzerland had the first real chance of the game, as a cross was cleared, and the ball fell to Granit Xhaka. He tried his luck from distance, which struck his own team mate and went behind for a goal kick.

Then it was Wales who had a brilliant chance from Kieffer Moore. Dan James made a run down the left wing and whipped it into the striker. He got his head to it, which made Yann Sommer react, as he made an exceptional reflex save.

Then Switzerland had another chance, this time Fabian Schar found space at the front post from a corner. He tried to flick it into the bottom corner, but Danny Ward was there to deny him.

The best chance of the half came to Haris Seferovic. Breel Embolo took the ball down well in the box and played the ball to Seferovic. He was just a few yards out, but blasted his effort over the bar, just before the half time whistle.

The first chance of the second half came from Embolo. He burst through the Welsh defense, and looked certain he would score, which was well saved by Ward as he tipped it over the bar.

However, from the corner, Switzerland took the lead. Xherdan Shaqiri delivered the corner to the back post which was met by Embolo and he guided it past Ward into the corner of the net.

Minutes later, Kevin Mbabu should have doubled their lead. Embolo darted through the midfield and slotted it into the path of Mbabu. He hit it first time, but it was well wide of the target.

Wales tried to pull themselves back early. A Welsh corner was cleared to the edge of the box. Ben Davies picked it up and had a go, which was deflected behind for a corner, but from the resulting corner, the Swiss were able to clear their lines.

While Wales pushed for an equaliser, Switzerland wanted to finish the game off, and Embolo came agonisingly close. He picked the ball up on the left side of the box and went for a curling effort, which beat Ward but was just wide of the target.

After much knocking on the door, Wales levelled the game in the 74th minute thanks to Moore. Wales played a short corner into Joe Morrell, he crossed it to the front post and Moore beat his defender and headed it past Sommer.

Wales looked for a late winner. David Brooks fired the ball across the box as he looked for Aaron Ramsey at the back post, but Ramsey just missed the ball.

Switzerland though they had a late winner when Seferovic volleyed the ball into the back of the net, but it was overturned as he was offside.

Embolo nearly got a late winner from a corner. Once again he rose at the back post, but Ward was able to tip it over the crossbar.

Switzerland had a few chances in extra time, and Ward was called upon, but Wales held onto an important point in their opener.

Wales will take on Italy in their next game, were a result will give them greater chances of progressing through the groups.

As for Switzerland, they play Turkey, and if they can beat them, they put themselves a chance of reaching the Round of 16.

Man Of The Match: Breel Embolo

Switzerland had the majority of the dangerous chances in this game, and most of them came from the Borussia Monchengladbach forward.

He made a number of dangerous runs and passes. He had a number of shots and got the goal which could have got Switzerland the win.

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Italy VS Turkey

8pm GMT Kick Off, Stadio Olimpico, Euros 2020 Group A

An Impressive Second Half From Italy Saw Them Cruise To A 3-0 Victory In The Euros Opener

Italy put on a dominant performance in the Euros opener, beating Turkey 3-0. The opener was an own goal from Merih Demiral, with Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne adding two more goals later in the game.

Much of the early play was dominated by Italy, but they couldn’t get any real chances. For Turkey, the early minutes were used to get a foot into the game.

The first big chance came to Lorenzo Insigne. He played a great ball into the midfield which he got back. He tried to bend it into the far corner, which was just wide of the target.

Then Italy had another chance, this time it was Giorgio Chiellini. From a corner, the veteran defender had a free header in the box, which forced a world class save from Ugurcan Cakir which kept the score level.

Turkey’s first chance came from Burak Yilmaz. He was on the counter, and tried to cross it towards the back stick, but it was parried away by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Towards the end of the first half Ciro Immobile found himself space just outside the box, which forced Cakir into another save.

Just after the half time whistle, Italy took the lead thanks to an own goal. Domenico Berardi beat the defender and fired the ball into a dangerous area, Merih Demiral couldn’t get his body in the right position, and turned it into his own net.

Leonardo Spinazzola nearly doubled their lead just after, as he found space on the left wing, made his way into the box and sent it goalward, which made Cakir make another big save. Then Manuel Locatelli drove forward and had a go from distance, which was saved once again.

In the 65th minute, Italy doubled their lead, and it was Immobile who got the goal. Spinazzola had his shot saved, the Lazio forward was there to put away the rebound from close range.

Things got even better for the Italians, when Insigne added a third. Immobile slotted the ball into the path of the winger, who curled it into the far corner, out of the keepers reach.

Yilmaz had a to pull one back late on, but Chiellini was there to make a spectacular block, as the Lille striker looked certain to score. Italy held onto a 3-0 victory, and made a statement in their first game.

Man Of The Match: Leonardo Spinazzola

Much of the attacks that Italy had came through the left wing were on the left wing, and Spinazzola was influential in that.

He created a number of chances, and helped grab the second goal. He worked hard in defense and attack, as he covered so much of the pitch, and made space for his team mates multiple times.

“Stadio Olimpico Torino Italy” by mitsurinho is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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Almeria VS Girona – Match Preview

Kick Off: 8pm GMT, Saturday 5th June, Estadio de Los Juegos Mediterraneos, La Liga 2 Playoff Semi Final 2nd Leg

Last 5 Games:
  • Almeria DLWWL
  • Girona WWWDW

This weekend, either Almeria or Girona will advance to the Playoff final, for a chance to be in the La Liga next season.

Almeria finished 4th in the La Liga 2, and they finished on the same points as 3rd, Leganes.

On the last day of the season, Almeria faced Gijon who finished just outside the Playoff positions in 7th. Almeria would have loved to go into the playoff’s with a win, and that’s exactly what they got. A second half double from Ager Aketxe gave Almeria an impressive 2-0 away from home.

Their semi final opponent, finished 5th in the league, on 71 points, 6 points clear in the playoff places. Just like Almeria, Girona would have loved a win heading into the playoff’s, but this wasn’t the case.

They played Cartagena who finished 16th, and they found themselves 1-0 in the 60th minute, when Pablo De Blasis found the back of the net. Girona needed to fight back, and they did as they got themselves a point when Valery Fernandez equalised late on.

The first leg saw Girona take a fantastic lead, which puts them in pole position for a place in the final. They came out the blocks, as they scored two in the first five minutes. Yoel Barcenas got the first, and Man City loanee, Yan Couto got the second minutes later.

Things got even worse for Almeria, as in the 65th minute, Girona grabbed themselves a third, when 27-year-old Mamadou Sylla seized on the oppurtunity to give Girona a 3-0 advantage heading into the second leg.

When these teams met earlier in the season, the results weren’t in the favour of Girona. The first time they met this season, the game ended 0-0, but Blanquivermells had three players sent off. Jonas Ramalho was sent off in the first half, and that was followed up by Sebastian Cristoforo and Monchu Ramon late on in the game.

In the reverse fixture, Almeria took the three points. The game looked like it was heading for another 0-0 draw, but towards the end of the game, Umar Sadiq scored the only goal of the game.

The winner of the game will either play Rayo Vallencano or Leganes in the final

Key Players:

Manuel Morlanes: He joined Almeria on loan this season, and he had been a key component of the team.

He hasn’t had many goal contributions, but he’s great at making chances for his team mates with his technical ability.

Bernardo Espinosa: The experienced center back has helped his team in their quest to go straight back to the La Liga.

In 31 appearances, he’s helped keep his team keep 10 clean sheets, while also making a number of blocks and interceptions.

Vitesse Have Completed The Loan Signing Of Julian Von Moos

Eredivisie club, Vitesse have just announced a deal with FC Basel, to loan Julian Von Moos to the club for the 2021/22 season.

Von Moos was part of the squad which saw Basel finish 2nd this season, but the young forward didn’t get a great amount of playing time at Bebbi.

Last season, the 20-year-old made 17 appearances for the Basel first team, but he couldn’t find the back of the net.

He also made six appearances for the Basel U21’s were he picked up just one goal.

The young Switzerland forward began his career at St Gallen at a youth level, before moving to GC Zurich in 2016.

Von Moos impressed a lot of people in the U16’s and U18’s at Zurich, and Basel made sure they would acquire the services of the player, when they bought him for £1.2 million.

Since his move to Basel, he has had a loan move to FC Wil 1900, were he scored seven goals and assisted three times in 13 games at Wil.

However, Von Moos hasn’t been able to show his quality at Basel, having only four goal contributions in 20 games for the Swiss side.

He is quite a versatile player, who can play on the left or right wing, and can even take up the strikers position.

He is known for having great technique on the ball, which he combines well with his creativity, as he looks to open up the opposition defense.

He also has an eye for goal. During his loan spells and at youth level, he showcased great long shots, which can trouble almost any goalkeeper.

Vitesse are well known for having loan players, and turning them into great players after their loan spells, and they will be hoping for another with Von Moos.

He will face competition with Vitesse already having Hilary Gong, Oussama Darfalou and Thomas Buitnik at the club. Vitesse also have a buyout option in the loan deal.

He is their third signing of the window, along with Daan Reiziger from Ajax and Toni Domgjoni from Zurich.

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England VS Austria – Match Report

8pm GMT Kick Off, Riverside Stadium, International Friendly

A Second Half Strike From Bukayo Saka Was Enough To See England Beat Austria.

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka scored the only goal of the game, as England beat Austria 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium. Austria pushed for a late equaliser through Marcel Sabitzer, but the Three Lions were able to hold on to a win, as they prepare for their Euro campaign.

England came close to taking a lead through Trent Alexander-Arnold early on. Harry Kane played a diagonal ball to the right back who fired it goalward, but it was tipped over.

Then is was Austria who pushed for a goal. Christoph Baumgartner ran through the midfield and tried to catch Jordan Pickford out. His effort went just over the bar.

Bukayo Saka nearly gave England the lead with a spectacular volley. The ball flew in front of the winger, and he hit it first time. He got the power onto it, but not the precision, as it flew over the bar.

Then it was Jesse Lingard who was close to getting the first goal of the game. Kane was able to get onto a loose ball, which Lingard got onto, which forced Daniel Bachmann into a quick save.

Austria’s striker Sasa Kalajdzic had their first chance of the game. The ball was played into him just outside the box. He went for a shot which was straight down the throat of Pickford, which was the last chance of the half.

The first goal of the game came in the 55th minute, and it was Saka’s first international goal. Lingard tried to play the ball into Jack Grealish, which was intercepted, but it fell to Saka, who put it into an empty net and gave England the lead.

Austria pushed for an equaliser and they went so close. Marcel Sabitzer went for a curling effort, which Pickford had to tip onto the bar, which kept England in the lead.

Then they had another chance from a corner. The corner was dangerously whipped in towards the back post which tried to pick out Florian Grillitsch, but the ball had too much for the Hoffenheim player to get to.

Sabitzer was the outlet for Austria, and came close to pulling Austria back into the game again. He had a go from distance, which Pickford did well to get behind, as it moved in the air.

England were able to hold onto a 1-0 victory, as they continue their preparation for the Euros. England will now play Romania in their last game before the Euros, and Austria will face Slovakia.

Austria had their best chance of the game in extra time. Pickford punched the ball clear, but it was fired goalward by Louis Schaub. Ben White was there to clear the ball off the line.

Man Of The Match – Jack Grealish

The midfielder was brilliant in the game, with almost all the chances England had, coming through the Villa man.

He picked up a number of free kicks with his quick footwork, and had a big influence on the only goal of the game.

“Riverside Stadium” by yellow book is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Loanee Watch: Burnley

After looking at players from some other clubs in the Premier League (which you can read here), Burnley is up next. Unlike the other clubs, Burnley haven’t had many players on loan in the 2020/21 campaign, as Sean Dyche has tried to get the most out of his squad.

Many of the players still have a long way to go before making a performance for the Burnley first team, or if they will make an appearance for Burnley in the future. Many of the players in the academy have also stayed at the club, with only a small handful spending a season away from Turf Moor.

Here is a look at three players who have spent a season out on loan from Burnley.

Lukas Jensen – Kordrengir

Jensen is the only player on this list who is registered as part of the first team. The goalkeeper has had two loans this season, he was at Bolton Wanderers for a short period of time, and is currently at Kordrengir in the Icelandic second division.

In the first half of the season, the Danish keeper was playing in the Premier League 2 were he made 9 appearances for Burnley. In those 9 games, he kept two clean sheets, while conceding 15 goals. In the winter transfer window, Bolton decided to loan the keeper to them, but it wasn’t what the young keeper needed.

He didn’t make a single appearance for the Trotters while he was there, and came back to Burnley when they achieved promotion back to League One. The day after returning to Turf Moor, he was sent to Kordrengir. Since his arrival he has made one appearance, were he’s conceded one goal. He will stay in Iceland until July, as their league is currently active.

It’s fair to say that Jensen won’t be getting any game time over Nick Pope or Bailey Peacock-Farrell any time soon. The 22-year-old will likely go on several more loan moves before Dyche decides what’s best for the keeper’s future.

Bobby Thomas – Barrow

The young center back was on loan at Barrow who just got promoted to the football league and he made a number of appearances which helped Barrow avoid relegation.

He made 21 league appearances for Barrow this season, even though he moved in the winter window.

He helped keep three clean sheets for Barrow, while also scoring in a crucial game, to give them a massive three points towards the end of the season.

The 20-year-old isn’t completely unknown to Burnley fans, having made an appearance in the Carabao Cup earlier in the season, and also being on the bench in a few Premier League games.

Thomas will likely see another loan move next season, which will likely be at a higher level. However, with Burnley not having too many center backs at the club, and if Dyche doesn’t buy one through the summer, the Englishman might have a chance of being in Burnley’s plans down the line.

Mace Goodridge – Barrow

Just like Bobby Thomas, Goodridge joined Barrow on loan during the winter window, but he didn’t have an impactful loan like Thomas.

Goodridge spent the first half of the season playing in the Premier League 2, were he only made seven appearances, but he couldn’t get a goal or an assist them those games.

He moved to Barrow in January, but only made two appearances for Barrow, and with many of the games, he wasn’t part of the starting eleven or bench.

Goodridge will either spend another season in the academy at Burnley, or he will be sent on loan again in the summer window.

Other Loans

The only other loan that Burnley had this season was Anthony Gomez Mancini, however, the midfielders contract comes to an end in a few weeks, and it looks like he will be leaving Turf Moor on a free.

The season just gone, Burnley finished in 17th, and both the fans and the players will be hoping for a better finish next season. Therefore it’s likely none of these loanee’s will be given the oppurtunity next season, as Dyche will need to invest in his squad. However, the future will tell if any of these players are good enough to play for The Clarets.

“Burnley FC” by airplanes_uk is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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Watford Have Made The Signing Of Imran Louza

Watford have agreed a deal with Nantes to bring Imran Louza to Vicarage Road for a fee around £9 million.

Despite Nantes’ poor season, Louza was shinning through those poor performances, which earnt him a move to Watford.

Last season, the midfielder made 33 appearances for Nantes, were he scored seven and assisted three times, while also picking up four yellow cards and one red card.

The 22-year-old has only played for Nantes, coming through the academy system at the French club.

In the last two seasons, he’s been a breakout star for Nantes, being a crucial part of the spine in the team, having made 66 appearances for the first team.

Louza is a great midfielder, who can do all the necessary parts of the game, to make him a top class midfielder in the Premier League.

He is someone who has great movement and passing to open up almost any defense.

However, one of his biggest attributes is his work from a dead ball situation. He has fantastic corner and free kick taking ability, while also being a genius from the penalty spot.

This is Watford’s third signing of the window, having already bought Mattie Pollock from Grimsby Town and Kwadwo Baah from Rochdale.

The French international comes into the team, were he faces competition from Will Hughes, Tom Cleverley and Domingos Quina who spent a year out on loan at Granada.

“File:Watford v Coventry, Vicarage Road, 2000.jpg” by Paul Ashwin is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

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Real Betis Have Completed The Signing Of Juan Miranda

Real Betis have announced the signing of Juan Miranda from Barcelona on a free.

The 21-year-old was on loan at Betis last season, and the manager, Manuel Pellegrini decided to bring Miranda back to the Benito Villamarin.

Last season he made 25 appearances for Betis, which included 22 in the league and 3 in the Copa Del Rey. In those 25 games, he scored twice and assisted twice, while also keeping nine clean sheets in the games he featured in.

The Spanish fullback began his career at Real Betis, playing at youth level for Los Verdiblancos, with many people believing he could become a world class left back at a young age.

With all the praise he received, he earnt a move to Barcelona, were he featured for the U16’s, U18’s, U19’s, Barcelona B and the Barcelona first team. However, he only made four appearances for Barcelona’s first team.

In August of 2019, Miranda joined German club, Schalke 04 on loan, were he made 12 appearances while in the Bundesliga.

The season after, he joined Betis on loan, and his impressive spell got him a permanent move back to the club.

Miranda can almost do everything from fullback, and that’s why he is so highly praised.

He has great pace that goes together well with his well timed tackling to help out the defence.

He can also help out with the attacking side of the team, as his crossing and dribbling help a lot with the attacking style and tempo of the team.

Miranda will have competition for his spot in the team, with Betis already having Alex Moreno, who also plays left back.

Miranda has signed a three year contract, while Barcelona will get a percentage of any future transfer involving the player.

“Real Betis – Sevilla FC (12 de Mayo 2018)” by tquifes is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

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Poland VS Russia – Match Report

7:45pm GMT Kick Off, Municipal Stadium, International Friendly

A First Half Equaliser From Vyacheslav Karavaev Was Enough To See Russia Draw With Poland.

Poland opened the scoreline early on with Jakub Swierczok, before Karavaev pulled one back halfway through the first half. Both teams pushed for a winner through-out the second half, but neither team could break down the oppositions defense for a second time.

Poland took an early lead through Jakub Swierczok. Mateusz Klich played a lovely ball over to the Russian defense to Przemyslaw Frankowski, who put it on a plate for the 28-year-old to give Poland the advantage.

Klich tried to release Frankowski down the line, as he looked to be the provider once again, but Anton Shunin did well to clear his lines.

The first bit of good play from Russia came through Aleksei Miranchuk. He found space out wide, and made a run with the ball into the box. He tried to pick out Artem Dzyuba, however, it was intercepted and cleared away from uncertainty.

In the 20th minute, Russia drew level through the fullback, Vyacheslav Karavaev. Aleksandr Golovin played an inviting ball towards the back post. It looked like Dzyuba would be the target, but Karavaev flew through the defense as he met the ball, and squeezed it between Lukasz Fabianski’s legs.

Poland nearly took the lead immediately after the setback, when Klich got the ball on the edge of the box, after it was cleared by a Russian defender. He hit it first time, but it was just over the bar.

They came so close again, this time it came from Swierczok. The Russian defenders invited him to cross the ball into the box. His cross didn’t go how he wanted, but it came close to tricking the keeper as it bounced off the top of the bar and went out for a goal kick.

Once again, Klich was causing all the problems for Russia, and he had have had an assist to his name. He found space out on the left, and whipped it into Karol Swiderski and although he had a free header, it was directly at the keeper. Which was the last big chance of the half.

The first chance of the second half came from Tymoteusz Puchacz. Poland picked up a free kick just outside the box. The fullback tried to lift it over the wall and under the bar, but the shot just had too much power on it for it to dip under the crossbar.

Both teams lacked much creativity in the second half, which saw little to no action. The substitutions slowed down the tempo of the game, and when the teams did attack, the opponents defense was quick to stop the danger high up the pitch, therefore the game ended at 1-1.

Poland now face Iceland as their final preparation before the Euros, while Russia play Bulgaria just before the Euros.

Man Of The Match – Mateusz Klich

The midfielder who plays for Leeds United was a key individual in the team for Poland in this match.

Despite drawing 1-1, Klich made a number of chances, which should have been finished by the Polish attackers. He also won the ball a lot in the midfield, and opened up the play with a number of key players which spread the play.

“Wroclaw Stadium” by Maciek Lulko is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0