The UEFA Champions League qualifiers match between Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe and Ukraine’s Dynamo Kyiv ended without any goals in Lodz, Poland.
The Istanbul giant was without several players, including injured Nazım Sangare, Luiz Gustavo, Mauricio Lemos, Marcel Tisserand, Max Meyer, Mbwana Samatta and Steven Caulker.
South Korean defender Kim Min-jae, who is being pursued by a number of European clubs, including Rennes and Napoli, has also been left out of the preliminary squad.
The first-leg match between Fenerbahçe and Kyiv has been moved to Lodz, Poland, due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
The match at the Miejski Stadium kicked off at 9 p.m. (6 p.m. GMT) and was officiated by Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg.
The return leg of the match will be played on July 27 at 8 p.m. (5 p.m. GMT) at Istanbul’s Ülker Stadium.
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Borussia Dortmund’s newly signed striker Sebastien Haller on Tuesday thanked fans for their support following his diagnosis for a testicular tumor and vowed to “come back stronger.”
Ivory Coast’s Haller joined the German club earlier this month as a replacement for Erling Haaland, who has signed for Manchester City.
But the 28-year-old left the team’s preseason training camp in Switzerland on Monday after a tumor was found in his testicle.
“I want to thank you again from the bottom of my heart for all these many warm messages received,” the 28-year-old said in a post on Twitter.
“I was very moved to see these beautiful reactions and I even feel like I don’t deserve so much.”
“But I said that thanks to you it will only be one more challenge in our journey. See you very soon on the pitch to celebrate our next victories.”
“My family and I thank you. I will now focus on my recovery to come back stronger.”
Dortmund paid Ajax 31 million euros ($31.5 million) for the 28-year-old after he scored 47 goals in 65 appearances for the Dutch side.
“This news today came as a shock to Sebastien Haller and to all of us,” Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl said in a club statement.
“We will do everything in our power to ensure that he receives the best possible treatment,” he added.
Dortmund’s first game of the new Bundesliga season is against Bayer Leverkusen on Aug. 6, eight days after heading to third-tier 1860 Munich in the first round of the German Cup.
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Veteran Turkish footballer Mehmet Topal announced his retirement from football on Tuesday.
During his career, the 36-year-old midfielder represented all of Turkish football’s “Big Three” – Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş.
Topal won three Süper Lig titles, one with Galatasaray in 2007-08, another with Fenerbahçe in 2013-14 and the last one with Başakşehir in 2019-20.
In doing so, Topal became the first and only football player in history to win the championship with three different teams.
He started his playing career at Yeni Malatyaspor in 2000 before being signed up by TFF 1. Lig side Çanakkale Dardanelspor in 2002.
After an impressive performance at Dardanelspor, he was snapped up by Galatasaray in 2006 at the age of 20.
He then moved to Spain’s Valencia in 2010, playing 59 matches over two La Liga seasons.
The experienced football player, nicknamed “Spider,” returned to Turkey in 2012 and wore the Fenerbahçe jersey for 7 years, playing in 298 matches and scoring 24 times.
He joined Başakşehir in 2019, where he won his last Turkish title. After two seasons there, he signed a one-year deal with Beşiktaş, making 10 appearances.
Topal also represented the Turkish national team between 2008 and 2018, making 81 international appearances.
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Belgium overcame sweltering heat and European powerhouse Italy to secure the last spot in the Euro 2022 quarterfinals with a narrow 1-0 win in Manchester on Monday.
Hoffenheim striker Tina De Caigny’s predatory finish early in the second half made sure of second place in Group B behind France to set up a last-eight meeting with Sweden on Friday.
Despite scoring a late penalty, a 1-1 draw for Iceland against a much-changed France was not enough for it to progress as it became the first side to bow out of a women’s Euro from the group stage unbeaten.
In just its second ever major tournament, Belgium reached the knockout phase for the first time to round off a miserable few weeks for Italy.
“This is a historic night for Belgian women’s football,” said Belgium coach Ives Serneels.
“This might be the best moment yet. It has been a long time in the making.”
“I’ve been with the Belgian women’s national team for 11 years now, so I’m ecstatic that we’re going to the quarterfinals.”
Hopes had been high for the Azzurre given Juventus’ promising run in the Champions League last season and the upcoming professionalization of the women’s Serie A.
However, the Italians failed to recover from shipping five goals in the first half to France in their opening game.
“We lacked calmness,” said Italy coach Milena Bertolini. “We put too much pressure on ourselves.”
That 5-1 defeat meant Italy needed to win to progress due to its inferior goal difference to both Belgium and Iceland.
Chances were few and far between in a first half affected by the conditions with temperatures reaching 36 degrees Celsius as a heatwave hit Britain on Monday.
Belgium got the goal just four minutes into the second half when a free-kick into the Italian box fell at the feet of De Caigny to sweep home her 38th international goal.
Italy nearly hit back immediately when Cristiana Girelli curled a brilliant effort off the underside of the bar.
But that was as close as it came to getting back in the game and Belgium was inches away from a second in stoppage time as Tessa Wullaert hit the post.
Iceland midfielder Dagny Brynjarsdottir reacts at the end of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 match against France, Rotherham, England, July 18, 2022. (AFP Photo)
Iceland bows out undefeated
In Rotherham, France did enough to see off Iceland’s hopes of reaching the quarterfinals, whilst still keeping plenty in reserve for its last-eight clash with champion the Netherlands on Saturday.
A serious knee injury to Marie-Antoinette Katoto that has ended her tournament gave Melvine Malard the chance to start up front.
The Lyon striker took less than a minute to open the scoring when she slotted Clara Mateo’s pass into the far corner.
France had two further goals from Malard and substitute Grace Geyoro ruled out after video assistant referee (VAR) reviews.
And another controversial VAR call gifted Iceland a penalty with the last kick of the game.
Dagny Brynjarsdottir smashed the spot kick into the top corner, but it was too little, too late for Iceland who went out after drawing all three of its group games.
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Argentina forward Paulo Dybala is closer to joining Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma following his departure from Juventus, club sources confirmed Monday.
Dybala, who was linked with a transfer to Inter Milan after his deal with Juventus expired, will sign a three-year contract with Roma worth 6 million euros ($6.09 million), Italian news agency ANSA reported.
The 28-year-old won five league titles and four Coppa Italia trophies with Juventus after joining the Turin-based club from Palermo in 2015, scoring 115 goals in 293 appearances across all competitions.
Dybala will become Roma’s fourth signing of the transfer window after the arrivals of midfielder Nemanja Matic, goalkeeper Mile Svilar and Turkish defender Zeki Çelik.
Roma finished sixth in Serie A last season and won the Europa Conference League under Jose Mourinho.
In the meanwhile, German giant Bayern Munich has reportedly agreed a deal worth 70 million euros to sign Dutch central defender Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus.
German dailies Bild and Sport1 claimed the fee for the 22-year-old would be followed by an additional 10 million euros in bonuses.
Bayern will use the proceeds from the transfer of Polish striker Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, estimated at more than 45 million euros, to help finance the transfer.
“It’s true that we have had discussions. De Ligt is a very, very interesting player,” Bayern executive director Olivier Kahn told Bild at the weekend.
Man Utd lands Martinez
Earlier Sunday, Premier League powerhouse Manchester United signed Argentine international defender Lisandro Martinez from Ajax.
Ajax confirmed United will pay an initial 57 million euros with a further 10 million euros in performance-related bonuses.
“Manchester United is delighted to announce the club has reached an agreement with Ajax for the transfer of Argentine international defender Lisandro Martinez, subject to medical, to player terms being finalized, and to U.K. visa requirements,” United said in a statement.
Martinez is set to be reunited with his former boss Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag has already added midfielder Christian Eriksen and left-back Tyrell Malacia to a squad that finished a disappointing sixth in the Premier League last year.
Martinez moved to Ajax from Defensa y Justicia in his homeland, winning two Eredivisie titles and helping the Dutch champions reach the last 16 of the Champions League last season.
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Evergreen Zlatan Ibrahimovic will continue playing well beyond his 41st birthday after signing a one-year extension Serie A champion AC Milan on Monday.
Details of the contract were not released, but a source close to the deal said the Swede has accepted a reduced salary given he will be unable to play until 2023 after undergoing surgery on his left knee in May.
“AC Milan is pleased to announce the renewal of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s contract until June 30, 2023,” Milan said in a short statement. “The Swedish forward will continue to wear the No. 11 shirt.”
Ibrahimovic, Sweden’s all-time top scorer with 62 goals, returned to his former club Milan in January 2020 after leaving Major League Soccer (MLS) team, LA Galaxy.
Although his second stint at the Italian side has been riddled with injuries, Ibrahimovic has made 74 appearances and scored 36 goals in all competitions since his return, helping Milan win its first Serie A title in 11 years last term.
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Spain women’s national player Marta Cardona scored a late goal that made all the difference for her side Saturday as the La Roja beat Denmark 1-0 and set a Euro 2022 quarterfinals date with England.
A first defeat since 2019 to Germany in their second group game meant Jorge Vilda’s side needed a point to avoid an early exit.
Spain was made to endure a nervous night at the Brentford Community Stadium until Cadona’s 89th-minute looping header made sure of its place in the last eight.
Its status as favorites was rocked by the loss of Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas and all-time top goalscorer Jennifer Hermoso before the tournament began.
And it will need to improve markedly if it is to upset an England side that scored 14 goals without reply in the group stages Wednesday.
Denmark’s 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Germany in its opening game meant the Euro 2017 finalist needed to win due to its inferior goal difference.
Despite Spain’s dominance of possession, the Danes had their chance to spring an upset nine minutes from time when substitute Nadia Nadim’s fierce shot was turned over by Sandra Panos.
Vilda was growing increasingly frustrated on the sidelines as nerves appeared to be getting to his side as the final whistle approached with uncharacteristic sloppy passes offering Denmark hope.
But Spain finally got the breathing space they desired when Olga Carmona’s cross was met by her Real Madrid teammate Cardona.
“That goal is for everyone,” said Cardona, who dedicated her goal to Virginia Torrecilla, who is also absent from the tournament after recovering from a brain tumor.
“It is for Virginia, for Jenni, for Alexia and those that weren’t able to come.
“The group stage is very difficult and now we can really go for it.”
Germany was already guaranteed to win Group B but kept its 100% record intact with a 3-0 win over Finland in Milton Keynes.
Sophia Kleinherne broke the Finns’ resistance five minutes before halftime when the Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder headed home Giulia Gwinn’s cross.
Alexandra Popp then grabbed her third goal in as many games after the break before Nicole Anyomi’s precise finish rounded off the scoring.
The eight-time winner will face Austria in the last eight in London on Thursday.
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Robert Lewandowski has offered a heartfelt goodbye to Bayern Munich as his move to Barcelona nears completion.
After weeks of saying the striker was staying despite his wish to leave, Bayern finally relented Saturday and said it had come to a verbal agreement with supposedly cash-strapped Barca.
“I would like to thank my teammates, staff members, club management and everyone who has always supported me and made it possible for us to win trophies for Bayern,” Lewandowski wrote on Instagram.
He spent eight seasons at Bayern, winning the Bundesliga every time and lifting the Champions League in 2020. He broke scoring records galore and leaves as one of Bayern’s greatest ever players having twice been named FIFA Best player.
“I am proud of what we have achieved together. Above all, I would like to thank the fans because it is you who make Bayern the special club that it is.
“I’m privileged to have spent eight wonderful years with this club and its fans and it will remain in my heart forever.”
Media reports say the 33-year-old could sign a four-year contract with the Catalans as early as Sunday after a initial fee of 45 million euros was agreed.
Bayern looks to have already recruited his replacement in Sadio Mane from Liverpool.
Instead of relying on one player to score 40 goals each season, the German champion hopes to spread the goalscoring burden more evenly.
Winger Serge Gnabry penned a new contract until 2026 on Saturday.
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