United News of Bangladesh

Lionel Messi will skip Argentina's last Copa America group match against Peru on Saturday because of a right leg injury. Messi hurt his leg in Argentina's 1-0 victory over Chile on Tuesday that clinched a quarterfinal berth for the defending champions. The Argentina superstar received treatment on his right thigh area after getting kicked by Chile defender Gabriel Suazo in the 24th minute, but he remained in the game. Argentina assistant coach Walter Samuel said Friday that the team will go “day to day” with Messi's injury and monitor how it progresses. “The absence of Leo means a lot to us and to football in general,” Samuel said through a translator. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni did not attend Friday's news conference after being suspended for Saturday’s match in Miami Gardens, Florida, after his team was late returning for the second half in its previous two Copa America matches. Messi has battled injuries since joining Major League Soccer's Inter Miami last season, and Miami head coach Tata Martino and the team have been tasked with prioritizing his health amid a packed schedule. The 37-year-old Messi missed six matches at the end of his first MLS season because of a leg injury and missed a handful of games at the beginning of this season because of a hamstring injury. Although Argentina has already advanced to the knockout stage, it will win Group A unless it loses to Peru at Hard Rock Stadium and Canada beats Chile in a game played simultaneously in Orlando.

Vinícius Júnior scored two first-half goals to lead Brazil to a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday night and put itself in position to advance out of Group D in the Copa America. “Today, he played almost a perfect match," Brazil coach Dorival Júnior said through an interpreter. “He was dynamic.” Sávio also scored a first-half goal for Brazil and Lucas Paquetá scored on a penalty kick in the second half. Omar Alderete scored Paraguay's goal. There were plenty of tense moments with five yellow cards and a red handed out. Andres Cubas was sent off for a red card in the 81st minute, forcing Paraguay to play the last part of the match down a man. Yellow cards were handed to Brazil’s Wendell, Vinícius Júnior and Lucas Paquetá and Paraguay’s Fabián Balbuena and Hernesto Caballero. The victory was quite a response for the Seleção, who opened the tournament Tuesday with a scoreless draw against Costa Rica despite outshooting their opponent 18-2. “There was a certain level of disappointment for the lack of results in the first match," Dorival Júnior said. "But I think our performance was of a great level. We’ve made great progress in very little time. We almost never have 20 days to work together. “I told you be patient because this team is trending on the right path.” With four points, Brazil is two behind group leader Colombia, which defeated Costa Rica 3-0 earlier Friday. A victory or tie by Brazil against Colombia on Tuesday ensures one of the group's two spots in the knockout stage. Brazil also has a six-goal differential advantage over Costa Rica, so a loss likely won't keep out the nine-time Copa America champions. Paraguay will not advance to the next round, leading to some tense back-and-forth between coach Daniel Garnero and reporters who questioned the team's continued struggles in this tournament. The country has won Copa America twice, but not since 1979. “There have been many head coaches and nobody’s finding the solution," Garnero said through an interpreter. "You’re talking about a match that just finished. I cannot talk about something that happened ages ago.” Brazil has had its difficulties against Paraguay in Copa America play, having drawn in their previous five meetings. That tied for the second-longest unbeaten streak against Brazil in this tournament, which Paraguay also was part of from 1963-83. But Brazil won the most recent meeting, defeating Paraguay 4-0 two years ago in World Cup qualifying, and there was little doubt about the outcome of this match after two late goals broke it open in what was a contentious end to the first half. Moments after teammate Bruno Guimarães hit the crossbar, Sávio put Brazil up 2-0 in the 43rd minute. Both teams got into a scrum in first-half stoppage time, with Chilean referee Piero Maza handing yellow cards to Wendell and Balbuena at three-plus minutes. Then Vinícius Júnior delivered the crushing blow five minutes into first-half stoppage time. Paraguay had its chances and even outshot Brazil 8-5, including 4-3 on goal. Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker made a tremendous save diving to his right to prevent a goal from Damián Bobodilla 15 minutes into the match. Early in the second half, however, Alderete scored to close the deficit to 3-1. Then 17 minutes later, Lucas Paquetá made up for a missed penalty kick in the first half by converting to give back Brazil its three-goal lead. “We played against two world class teams," said Garnero, referencing Paraguay's 2-1 loss to Colombia in its opener. "It’s complicated being in my place. I’m seeing a great effort by the team. They’ve measured up, but we still need to achieve the results.” Dorival Júnior made a bold and controversial move by deciding not to start Raphinha. The move, with national team legend Neymar watching from the stands, clearly paid off. Raphinha was a late-game substitute, entering the match at the 72nd minute in place of Sávio.

Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club earned the 2nd consecutive victory in the  Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) U -16 Football League 2023-24 beating Dhaka Wanderers Club by 1-0 goal at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur here on Friday. Shoriful scored the match-winning goal for Fakirerpool YMC in the 20th minute from a penalty. Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club made a flying Start in the  U-16 League for Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) Football Clubs outplaying Uttara Football Club by 3-1 goals in their first match.

The United States faces a difficult task to advance past group play at the Copa America after a 2-1 loss to Panana on Thursday night in Atlanta. Here are some scenarios that would allow the Americans to play in the quarterfinals as one of the top two teams from Group C: Cutting-edge technology on show at Euro 2024 is changing the face of soccer — The U.S. must beat 15-time Copa champion Uruguay on Monday in Kansas City, Missouri, if Panama beats Bolivia in a game that will be played at the same time in Orlando, Florida. Bolivia has lost 14 straight Copa games after a 5-0 loss to Uruguay on Thursday. — The U.S. could advance with a tie against Uruguay if Panama and Bolivia also play to a draw and the Americans have a better goal difference than Panama. The Americans would advance with a tie if Bolivia beats Panama. Belgium advances to last 16 at Euro 2024 after 0-0 draw, Ukraine eliminated — The U.S. could advance even with a loss to Uruguay if Bolivia beats Panama and the Americans have a better goal differential than Panama and Bolivia. The U.S. is plus-one, Panama minus-one and Bolivia minus-seven after Thursday's games.

From smart-enabled match balls and artificial intelligence to cryogenic recovery chambers, soccer is being transformed by the cutting-edge technology available to players, coaches and officials. That much has been evident at Euro 2024, where advancements in areas such as equipment and sports science have been deployed on and off the field, designed to improve the game, the fan experience and player welfare. Not all of it is a hit with everyone. For instance, there are still complaints about VAR decisions — just as there were about decisions in the days before VAR was introduced. Regardless, the world's most popular sport continues to be impacted by rapidly-developing technologies in the wider world. Right calls VAR decisions have, in large part, seemed to be a smoother process here than seen, for instance, in the Premier League last season. UEFA is deploying semi-automated offside technology, along with AI and Adidas' connected ball technology to speed up the review process and improve accuracy. Ten cameras are installed in each of the host stadiums, which UEFA says track 29 different points of the body on every player. Combined with the official tournament ball, which has a sensor to help detect every touch, and AI, the decision-making process is supposed to be quicker and more conclusive than before. Cristiano Ronaldo just avoided being hit by a fan who jumped from the crowd to get to him at Euros Perhaps too conclusive for some. Belgium's Romelu Lukaku had three goals ruled out in his opening two games — two for offside and one for a handball from teammate Loïs Openda in the build up, which was detected by the ball's sensor. Goal-line technology has ended debate over marginal calls in terms of whether the ball has crossed the line. There are seven cameras in each goal and a signal is sent to the referee's watch, which vibrates if the ball has crossed the line. UEFA says results are sent within one second of the action. The ball While the Adidas Fussballliebe, which is the official match ball of the Euros, is assisting with offside calls, it also seems to be a hit with players. It's made from recycled polyester and other materials including corn fibers, sugar cane and wood pulp, and players have spoken of the speed and distance it generates. That would appear to be evident judging by the number of stunning long-range goals scored during the group stage, such as Arda Guler’s curling effort from around 20 meters in Turkey’s 3-1 win against Georgia. Wearables Coaches are trying to find an edge wherever they can. England's players have been spotted wearing smart rings. “The idea is it helps monitor your sleep, which is the biggest factor in terms of recovery,” England manager Gareth Southgate said. "So no matter what things are invented in the world, the best things to aid recovery are sleep and nutrition. We’re not checking on the players but it allows them to monitor their own recovery.” Cristiano Ronaldo is an ambassador for a band which monitors sleep and biometric data such cardiovascular and muscular load. Lionel Messi hopes leg injury sustained during Argentina's Copa America win over Chile not serious Tracking vests have long-been used to measure distances covered by players. Southgate is also wearing a smart watch which retails at $6,500, has its own tracking capabilities and also provides score alerts during the tournament. One unexpected wearable is Kylian Mbappe's custom-made protective mask — the France striker needed it after suffering a broken nose in his opening game. Treatment Teams have a suite of recovery devices to help players cope with the congested tournament schedule. Spain's base camp in Donaueschingen has a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, a cryogenic chamber and a phototherapy bed to help speed muscular recovery after practice or a game. A hyperbaric oxygen chamber is used to breathe in 100% pure oxygen. Cryogenic treatment involves the use of cold temperatures, while phototherapy uses light. “This works wonders after the intense games we have here at the Euros. Anything that can give us an edge we are going to take advantage of,” Spain forward Nico Williams said on Instagram. England captain Harry Kane has made use of air compression boots, which massage players' legs and increase circulation. Downtime Boredom can be one of the biggest issues to deal with during a long tournament, with players spending time away from home and their family and friends. They can often be seen arriving at stadiums with their state-of-the-art, noise-cancelling headphones. Not every player uses the latest technology, however — England's Cole Palmer was seen wearing corded ear buds. Euro 2024: Spain aims to keep its winning run going and end Albania's faint chances Personal devices are a must, with smart phones, pads and gaming devices usually close at hand. Germany's Kai Havertz was seen carrying a popular video game console as he stepped off the team bus. Germany's base in Herzogenaurach also has a giant cinema screen by an outdoor pool. All the devices aren't purely for fun or distraction. For Spain's 16-year-old winger Lamine Yamal, his spare time can be taken up with catching up with homework on his pad.

Cristiano Ronaldo narrowly avoided being hit by a fan who jumped from the crowd to get close to the soccer star when Portugal played Georgia at the European Championship on Wednesday. A video widely circulated on social media shows someone leaping over the top of the players' tunnel at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen as Ronaldo headed to the locker room. A safety steward rushed to shield the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star and other security staff raced toward the fan, who fell away out of sight. Lionel Messi hopes leg injury sustained during Argentina's Copa America win over Chile not serious A bemused-looking Ronaldo stops, but appears to be unharmed. Portugal lost the game 2-0. Portugal’s Football Federation confirmed the incident, but did not comment. European soccer's governing body UEFA said it was aware of the incident. Ronaldo is one of the most famous sporting icons in the world with a massive fan base, which includes 632 million followers on Instagram and nearly 112 million on X. During Portugal's previous match against Turkey in Dortmund on Saturday he was confronted on the field by four supporters who wanted selfies. Ronaldo posed for one with a young fan who evaded stewards to get on the field in the 69th minute, but looked frustrated when approached by more fans later in the game and after the final whistle. Portugal coach Roberto Martinez coach said after that game that the Al Nassr forward was fortunate not to have been harmed and raised concerns over his security. “We all love a fan that recognizes the big stars and the big icons in their minds," he said. “But you can understand it was a very, very difficult moment — if those intentions are wrong, the players are exposed and we need to be careful with that.” Young fan takes selfie with Cristiano Ronaldo during match at Euro 2024 UEFA have said safety and security in the stadium is the “ultimate priority” and that additional safety measures would be deployed to prevent selfie-seeking fans from entering the field. The 39-year-old Ronaldo is widely-regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time alongside Lionel Messi, Pele and Diego Maradona. He has won the Ballon d'Or for the best player in the world on five occasions and is a six-time Champions League winner. He now plays for Saudi Arabian team Al Nassr and reportedly earns up to $200 million a year. Ronaldo is the first player to appear at six European Championships and while he is yet to score at this year's tournament, he holds the record for the most goals at the Euros with 14. He could also become the oldest player to score at a Euros - surpassing Luka Modric, who set a record with his goal for Croatia against Italy on Tuesday at the age of 38 years and 289 days. Despite the shock loss to Georgia, Portugal advanced to the knockout phase of Euro 2024 and will play Slovenia in the round of 16 in Frankfurt on Monday.

Belgium advanced to the last 16 of the European Championship after a 0-0 draw with Ukraine on Wednesday, and the Ukrainians became the first team with four points in a group to be eliminated. All four teams in Group E at Euro 2024 finished with four points. Romania ended up first, followed by Belgium and Slovakia. Ukraine was last on goal difference. Lionel Messi hopes leg injury sustained during Argentina's Copa America win over Chile not serious The third-ranked Belgians nearly had a different ending when Ukraine substitute Ruslan Malinovskyi tried to score directly from corner late in the match. Belgium goalkeeper Koen Casteels managed to save the effort at the near post.

Bangladesh National Women's Football team will play two FIFA Women's Tier-1 International Football matches against Bhutan National Women's team next month. The two-match series will be held in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu on July 11 and 14. BFF EC member cum Chairperson of the BFF Women's Football Committee Mahfuza Akhter Kiron said this after a committee meeting held at Federation office on Wednesday. Earlier, Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) cancelled the Lebanon tour of Bangladesh Women's Football team as they failed to get green signal from the Government due to present political unrest in Lebanon. The defending SAFF Women's Champions, Bangladesh Football team will play the International matches with Bhutan as part of their preparation for the ensuing SAFF Women's Championship 2024 to be held in Nepal next October. Bangladesh Women's team also played two preparatory football matches against Chinese Taipei last May-June in Dhaka as a part of their preparation and lost both matches by 4-0 and 1-0 goals, respectively.

Lionel Messi hopes a leg injury sustained during Argentina's 1-0 Copa America win over Chile is “nothing serious.” Playing a day after his 37th birthday, the Argentina superstar received treatment on the thigh area of his right leg for nearly two minutes after getting kicked by Gabriel Suazo in the 24th minute on Tuesday night. Messi, however, stayed on the field as the defending champion clinched a quarterfinal berth. He told reporters after the match that it was “nothing serious”. Messi added: “Its bothering me a little bit but I was able to finish the match. It was hard for me to move freely, particularly side to side. We’ll see tomorrow how it feels.” Messi said he’s also been dealing with a sore throat and fever in recent days. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said during his post-game news conference that he had not spoken with Messi but wasn't concerned about the injury. Scaloni cited Messi sprinting half the length of the field along with Ángel Di María and Lautaro Martínez late in the game. “That’s my last image,” Scaloni said. Martínez scored the only goal following a scramble in the 88th minute after a corner by Messi. Scaloni said he’s planning to rest several starters in Argentina’s last Group A match, against Peru on Saturday in Florida. Argentina will win the group unless it loses to Peru in Miami Gardens and Canada beats Chile in a game played simultaneously in Orlando. The Canadians can overtake Argentina on goal difference. Argentina is on plus-three and Canada minus-one.

After nearly 90 minutes of total domination, Lionel Messi and defending champion Argentina advanced to the Copa America quarterfinals after the ball ricocheted in front of the net during a frantic scramble that led to the breakthrough. Lautaro Martínez scored off the last in a series of rebounds in the 88th minute, lifting the Albiceleste over Chile 1-0 on Tuesday night and into the quarterfinals with a game to spare. “The ball ended up right at me and I was able to convert it,” said Martínez, who scored the second goal in last week’s opening 2-0 win over Canada. Messi started the leadup to the goal with a corner kick that was sent sent toward goal with a glancing header by defender Lisandro Martínez. The ball landed in front of goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, where Argentina’s Giovani Lo Celso and Chile’s Nicolás Fernández were wrestling. Lo Celso kicked the ball off Bravo and it rebounded to Chile’s Igor Lichnovsky, who tried to poke it wide. Lautaro Martínez, who entered in the 73rd, calmly one-timed that rebound into the roof of the net on Argentina’s 21st shot. Players stood and waited for three minutes while the goal, Martínez’s 26th for the national team, was confirmed in a video review. “We deserved the win. It was not an easy match,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “We managed to win at the moment least expected.” Copa America could be Messi’s final tournament with Argentina Argentina leads Group A with six points, followed by Canada with three, and Chile and Peru with one each. The Albiceleste finish the first round against Peru at Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, when Canada meets Chile in Orlando, Florida. Playing a day after his 37th birthday, Messi frequently flaunted his talent to spin around and slalom through defenders before an adoring sellout crowd of 81,106 at MetLife Stadium, site of the 2026 World Cup final. Argentina dominated 22-3 in shots and 11-0 in corner kicks. Chile didn’t take its first attempt until the 72nd minute. Messi came the closest to scoring before Martínez with a 30-yard shot that glanced off the post to Bravo’s left in the 36th minute. Messi had received treatment on the thigh area of his right leg for nearly two minutes after getting kicked by Gabriel Suazo in the 24th. Nicolás González’s shot from another Messi pass in the 62nd was parried off the crossbar by Bravo. Argentina outshot Chile 17-0 before Rodrigo Echeverría’s 72nd-minute effort following a turnover was saved by Emiliano Martínez, who blocked the ball while falling after it deflected off Alexis Mac Allister. The goalkeeper then used his right hand to bat another Echeverría shot in the 76th that deflected off a toe of defender Cristian Romero. “I always have to save one or two every match. And I’m lucky to keep doing it,” Martínez said. On the 46th anniversary of Argentina’s first World Cup title, the teams returned to the stadium where Chile beat Argentina on penalty kicks in the 2016 Copa America final. That defeat prompted Messi to announce his international retirement only to reverse his decision seven weeks later. At least 90% of the fans wore Argentina jerseys, most with Messi’s name and No. 10. Cristiano Ronaldo back in action as Portugal and Turkey look for second straight win at Euro 2024 There were some small brown patches behind one goal on a grass field installed at a stadium where the usual surface is artificial turf. The surface was narrow, with construction scheduled to allow a wider field for the World Cup. Bravo, at 41 the oldest player in Copa America history, had eight saves in his 150th international appearance. He and Messi, former Barcelona teammates, spoke with each other while leading their teams onto the field for the national anthems. “Losing this way leaves a bitter taste,” Bravo said. “We played against a tremendous opponent.”