Football
Copa America 2021 Final: Di Maria’s Early Strike Sinks Brazil
Argentina clinched the Copa America 2021 after beating Brazil 1-0 on Sunday (11th June) in front of nearly 5,000 spectators at the Maracana Stadium. Albiceleste adopted a cautious approach to the game after Di Maria gave them an early lead while Brazil did their best to cut the lead but were unable to do so due to a determined Argentine defense.Messi had a golden opportunity to score in the final towards the end of the match but instead blew it because he couldn't keep control of the ball. The match report of the Copa America 2021 final is discussed in this article.
Read:Messi’s Argentina beats Brazil 1-0, wins Copa America title
Match Report of Copa America 2021 Final: Argentina vs Brazil
Argentina won the Copa America for the first time in 28 years courtesy of Angel Di Maria's stunning first-half goal.Argentina took an early lead in the 22nd minute of the final match at the iconic Maracana Stadium as veteran attacking midfielder Angel Di Maria put the ball into the Brazil net after receiving a perfect cross from midfielder Rodrigo de Paul.
Before Di Maria's goal, both teams tried to play a little more carefully. But after falling behind by one goal, Brazil began to dominate the game and had complete control of the ball. They were creating opportunities, but a tenacious Argentine defense denied them.
Read:Brazil and Argentina both have keys to win Copa America
Brazil ramped up the heat in the second half and despite putting all of their best-attacking players on the field they were unable to equalize against an Argentine defense led by two great midfielders, Rodrigo de Paul and Paredes.
Messi was unusually silent throughout the contest. He squandered a wonderful opportunity to put the game away from Brazil with two minutes left in the game. However, Brazil were unable to score in the end, and Argentina won the championship.
Read Euro 2020 final: Italy holds historical edge over England
Messi finished as a joint top scorer with 5 goals and won the best player award along with Neymar.
The referee issued nine yellow cards In the Copa America 2021 final. Brazil got four yellow cards, while Argentina received five.
This was Brazil's first competitive loss since the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia when they were defeated by Belgium while Argentina have gone undefeated in 20 games under head coach Lionel Scaloni.
Read: Brazil and Argentina clash in a soccer final for 5th time
Bottom Line
Argentina won their record 15th Copa America championship thanks to an early goal by Angel Di Maria. Neymar's Brazil put forth a valiant effort throughout the match, but the Argentine defense held firm for the majority of the time, and Brazil was unable to score. This is Argentina's first major trophy in almost three decades.
Prior to this year's edition, they last won the Copa America in 1993. Football sensation Lionel Messi also earned his first major title with the Argentine national team after appearing in five finals, including four Copa America and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The Copa America 2021 had seen some incredible individual performances, and the best team ultimately won the tournament.
Read Copa America 2021: Lionel Messi vs Neymar da Silva
Messi’s Argentina beats Brazil 1-0, wins Copa America title
Two long droughts ended on Saturday at the Copa America final: Argentina won its first major title since 1993 after a 1-0 win against Brazil. And Lionel Messi finally lifted his first major trophy for the national team, filling in one of the biggest gaps in his decorated career.
Argentina’s winning goal at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro came in the 22nd minute after Rodrigo de Paul made a long pass to Ángel di Maria. The 33-year-old veteran striker counted on some sloppy defending from left-back Renan Lodi to take control and lob it past goalkeeper Ederson.
When the match ended, a tearful Mess i knelt down and put his hands on his face. Then most of his teammates ran in his direction to celebrate and threw him into the air. Once criticized by Argentina fans for his quietness, he went to the few hundred guests chanting his name at the Maracana and chanted with them. Messi kissed the trophy before lifting it into the air during the presentations.
The match at the Maracana started with some surprises. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni made five changes from the starting lineup that beat Colombia on penalties in the semifinal.
Also read: Copa America 2021: Lionel Messi vs Neymar da Silva
Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, Marcos Acuña, Leandro Paredes and Di María took the places of Nahuel Molina, Nicolás Tagliafico, Guido Rodríguez and Nicolás González.
Brazil, a team recognized for its steadiness, did not make any changes from the team that advanced to the final.
The teams were cautious early in the match, barely offering chances. When Argentina opened the scoring in a rare Brazil defensive mistake and Di Maria’s classy finish, the match became more physical and Argentina successfully stopped the ball from getting to Neymar.
Neymar tried hard with dribbles and passes, but the Selecao barely threatened Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the first half. Argentina sat in the back, hoping for counter-attacks.
Brazil coach Tite tried to change the dynamic of the match by replacing defensive midfielder Fred for Roberto Firmino, and managed to do so for much of the second half. But though the Selecao had more ball posession there were few real opportunities.
Messi’s performance in the final was not as impressive as in previous matches of the tournament, during which he scored four goals and had five assists. He had a clear opportunity in the 88th minute, tried to dribble Ederson, but the Brazilian goalkeeper stopped him.
Also read: AFC U23 Asian Cup: Bangladesh drawn in strong Group D.
“I can’t cry yet,” Di Maria said after the match. “We dreamed of getting this, and we fought. Many people criticized us and asked us not to come back (to the national team).”
The title, however, provides Messi some relief after all the questions throughout his career on his effectiveness playing for the national team.
The South American trophy is a relief for Argentina, which won its last major title when Messi was only 6 years old. Saturday’s victory in Rio gave the team its 15th Copa America title, this time unbeaten, equaling Uruguay’s total. Brazil has won the South American title nine times.
“If we achieved something, it was by making things natural. It is above all about transparency, one enters the other leaves. No one has a safe place,” said Argentina coach Scaloni. :“I hope fans enjoy this. They wanted to win it as much as us, they felt identification with this team, which may play well or badly, but never gives up.”
Messi, who has several titles with Barcelona, had reached the final of Copa America three times and lost all of them in 2007, 2015 and 2016. Now, he will have good memories at the Maracana, where Argentina lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany.
In its path to the title, Argentina won four out of five matches in group stage, including a hard-fought 1-0 encounter with Uruguay. It beat Ecuador 3-0 in the quarterfinals and topped Colombia on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time.
Also read:Brazil and Argentina clash in a soccer final for 5th time
Brazil became last-minute hosts of Copa America two weeks before kick off after original organizers Colombia and Argentina withdrew. Many players protested against the tournament taking place as the COVID-19 pandemic causes thousands of deaths a day in South America, even more so in Brazil where 532,000 have died.
Officials allowed a few thousand fans into the Maracana for the decider, the only match in the tournament to have spectators. There was very little social distancing in celebrations, and some fans removed their masks.
England, Italy set for thrilling EURO 2020 showdown on Sunday
England and Italy are set to face off on Sunday to be crowned the best in European football at London's iconic Wembley Stadium.
Italy are looking forward to win their first European title after 53 years when they beat Yugoslavia (1-1 and 2-0) in the EURO 1968 final, Anadolu Agency reported.
They then lost two finals in European Championships, a 2-1 loss to France in EURO 2000 and a 4-0 defeat to Spain in EURO 2012.
The Azzurri's defeat to Spain in EURO 2012 final is the biggest margin of defeat in a European Championship final.
With four final matches at the European Championships, they are now tied with Spain and the Soviet Union for second place behind Germany, which appeared in six finals.
Also read: Brazil and Argentina clash in a soccer final for 5th time
Roberto Mancini's side topped Group A by beating Turkey and Switzerland 3-0, and sealing a 1-0 victory against Wales.
Following the group stage, they beat Austria in the last 16 and Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinals, moving to the final after defeating Spain on penalties in the semifinals.
They conceded three goals, while Ciro Immobile, Federico Chiesa, Manuel Locatelli, Lorenzo Insigne and Matteo Pessina scored two goals each.
According to Anadolu Agency, the historic EURO 2020 game with 60,000 spectators will be the Three Lions' first-ever final in the European Championship, and their first final appearance in a major tournament since claiming the 1966 World Cup title.
England won only two of their last 14 games against Italy in all competitions, 2-0 in June 1997 and 2-1 in August 2013 – both friendly matches.
However, in the 1977 World Cup qualification, the English team won against Italy 2-0 – the only victory in eight competitive games during the tournament.
Also read: Copa America 2021: Lionel Messi vs Neymar da Silva
They are unbeaten in their last 12 matches in all competitions, keeping 10 clean sheets and conceding just two goals.
Collecting seven points, England won Group D in the EURO 2020 ahead of Croatia, Czech Republic, and Scotland.
The Three Lions reached the final, eliminating Germany, Ukraine, and Denmark, respectively, conceding just one goal following the conclusion of the group stage.
Only three nations have ever lifted the Euros title on home ground – Spain (1964), Italy (1968), and France (1984).
Portugal (2004) and France (2016) made it to the final, but lost.
The match will be officiated by Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers.
The 48-year-old was also the referee in the 2014 World Cup's group stage match when England suffered a 2-1 defeat to Italy.
Brazil and Argentina both have keys to win Copa America
Brazil and Argentina have several keys that could see either team win the Copa America title on Saturday at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Led by a Barcelona -style Lionel Messi, Argentina players appear convinced they will put an end to a 28-year title drought. Its opponent Brazil looks even better than two years ago when it lifted Copa America without Neymar and with fans on the stands.
Brazil seeks its 10th South American title, while Argentina is going for its 15th, which would put it level with record winners Uruguay.
Here are some reasons why both teams have what it takes to win the title.
ARGENTINA
MESSI: the team captain is playing his best tournament with Argentina since his debut in 2005. He’s scored four goals and has five assists so far. Beyond his playmaking virtues, the 34-year-old is looking comfortable as a leader on the pitch — in a contrast with the shy Messi of past tournaments.
EMILIANO MARTÍNEZ: he is the first goalkeeper to stop three penalties in a shootout in Argentina’s history. Against Colombia, he trash-talked his opponents before each shot, which apparently worked. He looks safe in the position, has a good footwork and blocks crosses with precision.
Also read: Brazil and Argentina clash in a soccer final for 5th time
LIONEL SCALONI: The young coach took over as an intern in 2018 to leave behind Argentina’s meltdown in the 2018 World Cup when the team lost to France in the round of 16. Now he is responsible for a renewal to team players like defender Cristian Romero, winger Nicolás González and goalkeeper Martínez.
LAUTARO MARTÍNEZ: The striker nearly lost his position to veteran Sergio Agüero after a slow start in the tournament, but he has now scored in the last three matches. He tires opponents with his runs, opens gaps for Messi and still scores some goals.
PROTECTION TO MESSI: Rodrigo de Paul and Giovani Lo Celso are not the most creative midfielders in the world. But they are still high-level passers who will sacrifice defending so Messi can shine in the final third. Leandro Paredes and Guido Rodriguez also take that responsibility in the center, no matter who is playing.
BRAZIL
STEADINESS: Brazil won five matches and drew against Ecuador when it fielded a team with six substitutes. So far, the Selecao has scored in every match and conceded only two goals in the group stage. It usually plays better in the second half, when most of its opponents are fatigued. Substitutes have managed to keep the team’s intensity high when they join in.
Also read: Copa America 2021: Lionel Messi vs Neymar da Silva
NEYMAR: His dribbles, passes and shots add to Brazil’s steadiness. Neymar scored two goals and had three assists in five matches — he was rested against Ecuador. His exchanges with midfielder Lucas Paquetá made Brazil more fluid up front. As Neymar showed against Peru in the semifinal, he can still come up with tricks that result in goals.
TITE: Brazil’s coach has used the tournament to test playing alternatives, eyeing the World Cup in Qatar. As a result, his team depends less on Neymar and adapts well to different situations. By using Gabriel Jesus as a winger, he created opportunities for new players to step up as target men, including Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Barbosa. Tite has also found Paquetá as a promising box-to-box player.
DEFENDERS: Veteran Thiago Silva is still in top form, Marquinhos is as quick as most strikers and Éder Militão has proven to be a potential Brazil starter in the long run. The two goals Brazil conceded at Copa America came on an unstoppable volley by Luis Diaz against Colombia and by Angel Mena in a rare mistake against Ecuador.
Copa America 2021: Lionel Messi vs Neymar da Silva
The most popular footballers from the South American continent are Argentina's Lionel Messi and Brazil's Neymar da Silva. Both have a vast fan following across the world due to their outstanding footballing talents. Without a doubt, these two individuals are the most important players for their respective countries and will make a difference in the Copa America 2021 final, which will be held at the Maracana stadium on Sunday (11th July) at 6 a.m. (BST).Messi and Neymar have been outstanding in this year's competition. Their overall impact on the Copa America 2021 tournament leading up to the final is discussed in this article.
Lionel Messi's Copa America 2021 Record Ahead of the Final
Lionel Messi has been in superb form since the start of the Copa America 2021 competition. He has directed the Albiceleste with wisdom in order to win a major tournament for the first time in 28 years. Argentina have not won a Copa America event since 1993.
Read Brazil and Argentina clash in a soccer final for 5th time.
They've participated in four South American Championship finals and a 2014 World Cup final in Brazil since then, but have yet to win a tournament. So, this is most likely Messi's final realistic chance to win a major event with Argentina's national team.
Messi has scored goals in a variety of ways in this competition. He has scored from Penalties, free kicks, and a well-executed counterattack. He has assisted his teammates in scoring goals particularly Lautaro Martinez. This young striker found his rhythm in the midst of the competition and earned a spot in the starting XI in place of veteran Sergio Aguero.
Lionel Messi has also shown outstanding chemistry with midfielders Giovani Lo Celso, Rodrigo de Paul, and Papu Gomez. Argentina and Messi have done well because this collection of players gels well together.
Read AFC U23 Asian Cup: Bangladesh drawn in strong Group D.
Messi has already set a number of records in this tournament, including the most international matches for Argentina, 150 international appearances, the most assists in a single Copa America tournament, and the most six Copa America appearances for Argentina.
Lionel Messi will play most of 34 matches in Copa America history if he appears in the final.If he scores in the final on Sunday, he would become the most international scorer in the South American continent. Messi is now one goal away from equaling Pele's 77 goals in international games.
Lionel Messi’s Copa America 2021 Stats
Matches: 6* | Goals: 4| Assists: 5
Read Euro 2020 final: Italy holds historical edge over England.
Neymar da Silva's Copa America 2021 Record Ahead of the Final
Brazil are the defending champion, and Neymar da Silva has steered the Selecao with flair in order to retain the trophy. He has been in outstanding form since the beginning of the Copa America 2021 competition.
The last time we witnessed a Brazil-Argentina final in 2007. Brazil won that South American Championship with a 3-0 victory against Argentina in the final.
Read English FA charged with offenses after win.
Despite Neymar has only scored two goals in five games, he is the driving force behind Brazil's attack. Neymar's excellent vision and rapport with teammates Lucas Paqueta, Everton, Casemiro, Fred, and Richarlison have boosted Brazil's successful attack on the opposition's defense.
Brazil have maintained their dominance in the midfield throughout the tournament and is arguably the best team in the competition. Led by Neymar, Brazil have found solid options in the offensive half, and finding a space in Brazil's defense to earn a goal will be a difficult task for Argentina.
Neymar has appeared in over 100 international matches for Brazil and is a seasoned professional. Neymar will be even more motivated to help Brazil win their 10th South American championship against Messi's Argentina, as a victory in the final will solidify his position as one of the best players of his generation.
Read Ex-Madrid captain Sergio Ramos signs 2-year deal with PSG.
Neymar’s Copa America 2021 Stats
Matches: 5* | Goals: 2| Assists: 3
MessivsNeymar: Head to Head Record
Messi and Neymar have played each other four times on the international level, with each winning twice. Aside from the international arena, the two have only met once at the club level. Messi's Barcelona routed Neymar's Santos 4-0 in the 2011 Club World Cup final.
Messi first met Neymar on the international arena in 2010, when Argentina overcame Brazil 1-0 in a friendly match. Messi scored the only goal in that encounter. Two years later, Messi's dazzling performance in a friendly at the East Rutherford, New Jersey stadium shocked the Brazilian fans. Messi's hat-trick gave Argentina a 4-3 victory over Brazil.
Read BPL, BCL Football resume July 14.
Neymar's Brazil came out on top (2-0) in a friendly match against their arch-rival Argentina in 2014. Messi missed a penalty kick in that match.
The only time Neymar scored against Messi's Argentina in a 2016 World Cup qualifying match, where Brazil won the contest 3-0. As per the above statistics, Messi now has a 3-2 head-to-head advantage. Messi has also scored six goals, whereas Neymar has only scored once.
Bottom Line
Lionel Messi has a small edge over Neymar da Silva after assessing who has had the most influence on their national sides in the ongoing Copa America 2021 competition prior to the final. However, no one can ignore Neymar's outstanding performance against Peru in the semifinals, which helped Brazil reach the final. Both Lionel Messi and Neymar will give it their all to win the tournament for their respective countries. Therefore, a dramatic final between these two teams at the famous Maracana stadium is expected.
Read Italy vs England Final: EURO 2020 Match Preview.
Brazil and Argentina clash in a soccer final for 5th time
Brazil and Argentina will face off for the fifth time in a tournament final when they determine which team will carry the Copa America trophy out of the Maracana Stadium on Saturday. Brazil holds a 3-1 edge in their 84-year history of matches.
Here is how those finals went:
1937 COPA AMERICA: Argentina 2, Brazil 0
The Copa America format was a round-robin tournament and was supposed to have no final. But in 1937 the two arch-rivals finished level with eight points each, and instead of considering goal difference to pick the winner, Brazil and Argentina agreed to play for the trophy. The match ended 0-0 after 90 minutes at the Gasómetro, the old stadium of San Lorenzo in Buenos Aires. Argentina won its fifth continental title in extra time with two goals by Vicente de la Mata.
READ: Brazil and Argentina clash in a soccer final for 5th time
2004 COPA AMERICA: Brazil 2, Argentina 2 (Brazil wins on penalties)Argentina’s win seemed all but certain as the match at the Estadio Nacional in Lima ticked down. Argentina had opened the scoring with Christian Gonzalez from the spot, saw Luisão equalize in the end of the first half, but a shot by César Delgado three minutes before the end had then defending World Cup champions Brazil nearly knocked out. But striker Adriano scored on the last shot of the match to send the match to penalties. Brazil’s goalkeeper Julio César stopped Andrés D’Alessandro and Argentina’s Gabriel Heinze missed his chance from the spot. Juan scored the decisive penalty for Brazil, which won Copa America for the seventh time.
2005 CONFEDERATIONS CUP: Brazil 4, Argentina 1
Brazil eliminated host Germany in the semifinals while Argentina knocked Mexico out and the archrivals met in a final that many expected to be close. It wasn’t. Brazil thrashed Argentina despite Robinho replacing the injured Ronaldo. Adriano scored the first goal with a blast from outside the box in the 12th minute. Kaká found the back of the net from nearly the same position only five minutes later. Ronaldinho, the best player in the world at the time, netted the third in the 48th minute from close range and Adriano finished the rivals off with a header in the 64th minute. Pablo Aimar scored Argentina’s only goal.
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2007 COPA AMERICA: Brazil 3, Argentina 0
Argentina was widely expected to win the South American tournament that year. At age 20, Lionel Messi played the final in Maracaibo with Juan Román Riquelme and Carlos Tevez up front, but could not make a difference for the favorites. Brazil scored with Júlio Baptista, an own goal by Roberto Ayala and then Dani Alves. It was the Seleção’s second consecutive title in the tournament. It was also Messi’s first disappointment with Argentina in tournament finals.
AFC U23 Asian Cup: Bangladesh drawn in strong Group D
Bangladesh has been placed in strong Group D of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Football Uzbekistan' 2022 Qualifiers along with 2013 and 202O runners up Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Uzbekistan.
The ceremonial draw of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan' 2022 Qualifiers was held on Friday (July 9) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The qualifying round will be held from October 23 to 31 this year with Group D matches in Kuwait.
Also read: BFF celebrates AFC Grassroots Football Day 2021
Bangladesh will play hosts Kuwait on October 27, play Uzbekistan on October 29 and Saudi Arabia on October 31.
Uzbekistan, which already confirmed their place for the final round as the hosts, for the first time in the Central Zone. but, also included in the group stage.
Forty two Asian teams, split into eleven groups, will battle for the 15 spots of the final round of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan to be held in Jjune 2022.
Also read: FIFA, AFC Qualifiers: Indian captain Sunil Chhetri strike twice to beat Bangladesh 2-0
The draw divided the teams into two Regions.
The West Region comprises 23 West, South and Central zone teams while East Region consists of 19 East and ASEAN teams.
Eleven group champions and four best group runners up teams earned the rights to play in the final round alongside hosts Uzbekistan.
Euro 2020 final: Italy holds historical edge over England
Pirlo’s “Panenka.” Schillaci’s Golden Boot clincher. Another emotional goal celebration from Marco Tardelli.
The major-tournament rivalry — if it can be called that — between Italy and England has been marked by a few stand-out moments, and they all belong to the Italians.
In four meetings at either a World Cup or a European Championship, the Azzurri have won three of them and advanced via a penalty shootout in the other.
England might have home advantage in the Euro 2020 final between the teams on Sunday at Wembley Stadium but, historically, Italy has the edge.
“We know the size of the task,” England coach Gareth Southgate said. “It’s the biggest possible test we can have.”
This is no classic international rivalry. Indeed, they have only met once in a knockout match at a major tournament and that was in 2012, when Italy won 4-2 on penalties in Kyiv — after a 0-0 draw through extra time — in the latest shootout heartache for England.
It will best be remembered for a coolly taken “Panenka” penalty by stylish midfielder Andrea Pirlo midway through the shootout. England was somewhat fortunate to get that far anyway after being outplayed for large parts of the match.
Also read: Italy vs England Final: EURO 2020 Match Preview
That has been a theme.
The first match between England and Italy at a tournament came at Euro 1980, when Tardelli guided a near-post finish past goalkeeper Peter Shilton to earn the Azzurri a 1-0 win in their second group match.
Tardelli is best known for his screaming, fist-waving celebration after scoring Italy’s second goal in a 3-1 victory over West Germany in the 1982 World Cup final. His reaction after the winning goal against England was also emotional as he wheeled his way around the perimeter of the field before rolling onto the ground and holding his head in his hands.
In 1990, the teams met in a third-place playoff at the World Cup in Italy. It’s regarded as a match no one really wants to play, coming so soon after losses in the semifinals, but it at least gave Italy striker Salvatore Schillaci the opportunity to become the top scorer at the tournament.
And he took it, converting a penalty in the 86th minute to give Italy a 2-1 win and finish with six goals, one more than Czechoslovakia striker Tomas Skuhravy.
The only other tournament meeting was in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup and the Italians again won, with Mario Balotelli’s second-half header handing them a 2-1 victory in steamy Manaus in Brazil’s Amazonian rainforest.
Since then, there have been a pair of 1-1 draws in friendly games, none of which were played before Roberto Mancini became Italy coach in May 2018.
The overall record stands at 11 wins for Italy and eight wins for England in a total of 27 matches. Undefeated in the first eight meetings, England has only managed one win in the last seven.
Under Mancini, Italy is on a 33-match unbeaten run — a national record.
Also read: Italy beats Spain on penalties, reaches Euro 2020 final
“They have been a top team for the last couple of years,” Southgate said. “We have followed their progress closely. We know the way they play — with great energy, with great style — they are always difficult to score against.”
Italy’s influence on English domestic soccer has been huge over the past decade, with three coaches — Mancini (Manchester City in 2012), Claudio Ranieri (Leicester in 2016) and Antonio Conte (Chelsea in 2017) — leading teams to Premier League titles.
Mancini ended City’s 44-year wait for a top-flight championship, but was fired a year later, just three days after a surprising loss in the FA Cup final to Wigan.
That loss came at Wembley, where Mancini is returning on Sunday in a bid to guide Italy to a second European title.
“I think Italy against England is always a great match,” said Italy midfielder Marco Verratti, who made his international debut in a 2-1 loss to England in a friendly game in Bern, Switzerland, in August 2012.
“Two great teams and nations. Both deserve to be in the final. They had a sensational tournament. We both performed well but there can only be one winner and I hope it’s us.”
English FA charged with offenses after win
UEFA has charged the English Football Association with three offenses from its European Championship semifinal win over Denmark.
The disciplinary cases were opened over the use of a laser pointer by fans, fireworks being set off and for disturbing the Danish national anthem.
Also read: Italy vs England Final: EURO 2020 Match Preview
England won the Euro 2020 match 2-1 in extra time at Wembley Stadium.
Also read: Euro 2020 final: England can finally end 55 years of misery
Ex-Madrid captain Sergio Ramos signs 2-year deal with PSG
Obsessed with winning the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain added precious experience to its squad by recruiting former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos on Thursday.
The 35-year-old Ramos signed a two-year deal with PSG after Madrid preferred not to renew his contract last month.
Ramos was with the Spanish powerhouse since arriving from Sevilla in 2005 when he was 19. The central defender helped the club win 22 titles, including four Champions Leagues and five Spanish leagues. His 93rd-minute header helped secure Madrid the European trophy in 2014.
“This is a big change in my life, a new challenge and it’s a day I will never forget,” Ramos said.
Also read: Sergio Ramos bids farewell to Madrid, says he wanted to stay
“Paris Saint-Germain is a club that has already proven itself at the highest level. I want to continue to grow and improve at Paris and help the team to win as many trophies as possible.”
Ramos scored 101 goals in 671 matches with Madrid. He was left off Spain’s squad for the European Championship after playing sparingly this season because of knee and muscle injuries. It was the first major tournament Ramos missed since he began playing with the senior squad in 2005.
He was a member of the Spain team that won an unprecedented title hat trick at Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.
PSG has been desperate to win Europe’s biggest trophy since Qatari owners QSI took over a decade ago. The club has achieved considerable progress on the continent’s biggest stage, reaching the Champions League final last year. It lost in the semifinals to Manchester City this season.
Also read: Real Madrid denies Ramos breached anti-doping rules
“Sergio is a complete footballer, one of the best defenders in the history of the game. He is a born competitor, a leader and a true professional. His vast experience and ambition is in perfect synergy with those of the club,” PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi said.
Ramos is the third player bought by PSG during the transfer window after it also secured the services of Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and Inter Milan right back Achraf Hakimi. PSG is also reportedly set to sign Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma after the European Championship.