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Turkey knocks out Austria and will face the Netherlands

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Having beaten Austria (2-1), the Turks will face the Dutch in the quarter-finals.

Turkey, thanks to a double from its defender Merih Demiral, upset the odds by beating Austria (2-1) on Tuesday in the round of 16 of Euro-2024 in Leipzig and will challenge the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

The Turks had not reached the quarter-finals of a Euro since 2008.

Turkey’s Italian coach Vincenzo Montella had assured that his players would not play with a desire for “revenge” after the 6-1 thrashing they received from Austria in a friendly in March.

And yet, they played with extra soul on Tuesday to surprise one of the most attractive teams at the start of the tournament, who had finished first ahead of France in Group D.

It was a story of corners in a very intense match with many duels in midfield and two teams running from one end of the pitch to the other without counting.

Austria suffered a blow to the head in the first minute: Baris Yilmaz managed to win a corner and Arda Güler, the 19-year-old Real Madrid star, took it upon himself to shoot it from very close to goal.

The Austrian defence fumbled when trying to clear the ball and the ball fell to Merih Demiral. The defender torpedoed it from close range into the net, and the Turkish fans cracked their first smoke bomb of the evening for one of the quickest goals in a Euro (57 seconds). READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

For Austria, who had won 14 of their last 19 matches and were looking to reach their first quarter-finals at a Euro, the situation was unusual.

Backwards

Ralf Rangnick’s men threw themselves into the battle to equalise as quickly as possible. They could have achieved it a few moments later, from a very similar corner, but the ball flew over the goal line, taunting Christoph Baumgartner.

But the Austrians were unable to create any other big chances, due to the Turks being very attentive and fired up.

After half-time, the Austrians increased the pressure, this time winning the majority of the duels. They created much more dangerous chances than in the first half, including a duel between Marko Arnautovic and goalkeeper Mert Günok (51) and a dribble by Laimer followed by a shot that was too soft (53).

And then the Turks took the Austrians by surprise a second time. On a corner there too, struck by an Arda Güler who was decidedly very inspired in this exercise, and who deposited it on the head of Merih Demiral (59)… You don’t change a winning formula.

The Austrians had the merit of reducing the score very quickly… again from a corner. Having come on a few moments earlier, Michael Gregoritsch did not hesitate to send the ball to the right place (66), reminding the Turks of his good memories, against whom he had scored a hat-trick during the famous friendly match in March.

The tension among the Turkish fans, who began to hold their heads in their hands, rose a notch. Austria pushed and pushed, but was clumsy, and the Turkish defense was heroic. In particular, goalkeeper Mert Günok pushed away a header from point-blank range by Baumgartner in the last minute, a gesture of immense class worthy of the “save of the century” made by the Englishman Gordon Banks on a header by Pelé at the 1970 World Cup.

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SPORTS

Champions League schedule and results, 2024-2025 season

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What is the 2024-2025 Champions League schedule? The new tournament format, which now includes 36 teams compared to 32 previously, promises more confrontations from the start of the competition. Find the complete schedule of matches and their results updated in real time in our table below.

During the league phase scheduled between September and December 2024, each club plays eight matches against different opponents, selected based on their UEFA ranking.

Then, the top eight teams in the rankings will advance directly to the round of 16, while teams ranked 9th to 24th will have to go through play-offs in January 2025. These knockout matches will begin in February, with the grand final scheduled for June 2025. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

For French clubs, including PSG, AS Monaco, Lille and Stade Brestois, the challenge will be to stay in the race for direct qualifications and avoid early eliminations.

The final of the competition will take place in Munich on May 31, 2025. We will then know the successor to Real Madrid where Kylian Mbappé now plays.

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Halftime show: Fifa is planning an event like in football at the next World Cup final

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In American football, the halftime show has long been part of the event. Appearances during the break have not been an issue in football so far – but that will change at the next World Cup.

Anyone who goes to the toilet or refills chips during half-time at the next World Cup final will miss something: As the world football association Fifa announces, from the next World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico there will be a half-time show in the final. What exactly the association is planning is still very vaguely worded in the announcement. FIFA is probably planning a musical performance modeled on the Superbowl in American football: This so-called half time show is probably the biggest stage that musicians have had so far. In recent years, megastars such as Coldplay, Rihanna and Bruno Mars have appeared at halftime.

FIFA wants to organize a halftime show together with an aid organization

Global Citizen acts as co-organizer. The aid organization is committed to combating extreme poverty around the world. “FIFA has made it its mission to promote football in all countries of the world and thereby have a positive influence on society,” explains the controversial FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Through this partnership, FIFA, together with Global Citizen, will unite the world of sports and entertainment to actively contribute to a better world. “We are committed to a series of joint actions that promote access to the game and encourage fans to advocate for positive change in their local communities,” Infantino continued. However, the association leaves it open exactly how a halftime show during the World Cup final should support Global Citizen or combat poverty in the world. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

“Eventization” of football is met with rejection in Germany

If FIFA presents an act as big as the NFL at the Superbowl, the football halftime show would actually immediately be in the same league as its US counterparts. In the USA, the show is one of the absolute highlights of the football final. It remains to be seen whether such a show will be received so positively by football fans who are more used to a simpler presentation of their sport.

In Europe and especially in Germany, the organized fan scene is extremely critical of the additional commercialization and “eventization” of sport. A resonant example is Helene Fischer’s act before the 2017 DFB Cup final. The artist was booed so mercilessly and loudly during her short appearance that her singing on the television was difficult to understand at times.

Source: FIFA press release

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Ugo Humbert-Arthur Fils, duel for a title in Tokyo between a calm player and another who doesn’t give up

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Difficult to find two courses as dissimilar as those of Ugo Humbert and Arthur Fils at the ATP 500 in Tokyo, but the rectilinear trajectory of the first will still cross the fractured line of the second, in the final, this Tuesday. Despite losing his first set of the week, Humbert (19th in the world) qualified without too much difficulty by beating Tomas Machac (54th) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. After having fought like a madman to eliminate Taylor Fritz and especially Ben Shelton, Son went through two tie-breaks with forceps to subdue Holger Rune. One wanders, the other suffers, but we will be treated to a happy ending. Even with a seven-hour time difference with France, this is a pleasure that we won’t shy away from.

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