MADRID: Marcelo said an emotional goodbye to his 15 years of association with Real Madrid after winning the highest number of titles in the club’s history, in a farewell ceremony attended by his teammates held here in Valdebebas.
Marcelo won 25 trophies for Real Madrid, including five Champions League, six La Liga, and two Copa del Rey titles, during his stay at Santiago Bernabeu.
“When I signed for Madrid, in my head I thought I could reach the top, and here I am the player with the most titles in its history,” said Marcelo who broke down in tears.
The 34-years-old footballer will be a free agent after his term expires at the end of this month as he announced not to hang up his boots without revealing which club he might join after leaving.
“I haven’t thought about retiring, I think I can still play,” he said. “I don’t think playing against Madrid will be a problem, I couldn’t have done any more. I’m very professional.”
Marcelo joined Real Madrid from Brazilian club Fluminese in 2007 and made 545 appearances for the club in all competitions.
READ: Australia secure FIFA World Cup spot after beating Peru on penalties
AL-RAYYAN: Australia’s substitute goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne saved the final penalty to bolster his side to claim a spot in the forthcoming FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022 as they edged Peru 5-4 in the shootout following a 0-0 draw in an inter-continental play-off.
The two sides remained involved in a fierce battle and could not be separated after 120 minutes; forcing the match to go into the shootout phase.
With the shootout score at 5-4, Peru’s Alex Valera came for the much-needed equalizer but failed as Redmayne danced across the goal line before diving to the right to stop the ball.
Three minutes before the game’s completion, Redmayne was introduced for the shootout. His theatrics on the field as he tried to divert the opposing kickers made him an instant star.
Following this victory, Australia qualified for a fifth successive World Cup and a sixth in total. They will play in World Cup Group D with the reigning champion France, alongside Denmark and Tunisia. The finals run from November 21-December 18.
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PARIS: France failed to retain the title of UEFA Nations League as their hopes to qualify for the final four were shattered after a home defeat by Croatia in a Group A1 match, here at Stade de France Stadium on Monday.
France’s eagerness to secure their first win in the competition remained unfulfilled as Croatia avenged the World Cup Final loss to rule the World Champions out of the League.
Luka Modric scored the penalty in the fifth minute after Ante Budimir was knocked down inside the area by Ibrahima Konate, which remained the lone goal of the match as Karim Benzema’s side failed to take down the lead.
France have now lost two and drawn two games in the competition to finish at the bottom of Group A1 with two points.
Meanwhile, Denmark top the group on nine points – two points ahead of Croatia – after a 2-0 win over Austria.
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MALAGA: Spain defeated the Czech Republic 2-0 to become the group leader of Group A2 after Carlos Soler and Pablo Sarabia scored one goal apiece in a dominating home game of UEFA Nations League, here on Sunday.
Spain dominated the opponent from the start and scored the opening goal in the 24th minute when Soler struck from close range following a brilliant pass by man-of-the-match Marco Asensio.
Substitute Sarabia doubled the host’s lead in the 75th minute after winger Ferran Torres sent in a cross and Sarabia shoved the ball into the back of the net.
Spain’s head coach Luis Enrique made nine changes to the starting lineup that beat Switzerland 1-0 on Thursday.
Spain kept their grip tight over the Czechs throughout the game and enjoyed 73% of possession but often lacked the precision to make it count.
Spain after the comprehensive victory leapfrogged Portugal in Group A2 standings. Spain top the table with eight points whereas Portugal finished on 7 points after a defeat by Switzerland last night.
The Czech Republic, on the other hand, are ahead of Switzerland and placed third with four points.
READ: Seferovic’s epic header help Switzerland beat Portugal in Nations League
GENEVA: Haris Seferovic, record-breaking header in the first minute helped Switzerland to achieve their first win in the UEFA Nations League campaign as the home side triumphed Portugal 1-0 in the Group A2 clash, here at Stade de Geneve on Sunday.
Seferovic scored the fastest goal in the Nation League’s short history as he headed the ball into the box after just 56 seconds into the game.
Portugal nearly leveled the lead as the forward Rafael Leao struck in the 18th minute but his effort was disallowed for offside.
Following halftime, Portugal intensified their attack, but despite Bernardo Silva’s strike from the edge of the box in the 63rd minute and Diogo Jota’s stunning header in the 78th, the efforts went in vain and failed to get on the scoresheet.
After the surprising defeat, Portugal lost the top spot in Group A2, as they fell to second place with seven points while Spain, who beat the Czech Republic 2-0 in the other game, moved to the top with eight points. Switzerland still remain at the bottom whereas the victory earned the team three points.
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Ecuador will play at the World Cup in Qatar this year after FIFA dismissed the appeal of Chile to disqualify the team for fielding an ineligible player in the World Cup qualifiers.
Chile filed a complaint with FIFA that Byron Castillo, who played for Ecuador in the eight World Cup qualification matches, was actually a Columbian-born and three and a half years older than his documented age.
The governing body for world football, however, announced on Friday that it had decided to close the proceeding against the Ecuadorian Football Federation after considering all elements.
Following the decision, Ecuador will retain its spot in Group A which also features hosts Qatar, the Netherlands, and Senegal.
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LISBON: Portugal secured a comfortable 2-0 win against the Czech Republic in their UEFA Nations League encounter with defender Joao Cancelo and winger Goncalo Guedes scoring two goals in the first half to seal the fate of the away side, here on Friday.
Portugal cemented their position on the top spot of Group A4 with seven points after the home win.
The opening goal in the 33rd minute put Portugal ahead of their opponent in the game after Benardo Silva assisted with a through ball to Cancelo who shot with the right foot to the bottom left corner of the nets.
Within the next minutes, Goncalo scored another goal from a similar spot followed by an assist again from Silva, enabling their side to dominate the game in front of the home crowd.
Portugal will now travel to Geneva for their next game against Switzerland next Sunday, whereas, the Czech Republic will face Spain in an away game.
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CARDIFF: Netherland’s forward Wout Weghorst stood up for his team as he denied the home side Wales a victory in the ongoing UEFA with a late header, boosting the Dutch to a 2-1 triumph.
Wales, fresh with the joy of the World Cup qualification following their victory over Ukraine earlier this week, left annoyed as their search for the maiden victory in the ongoing tournament prolonged with the defeat against the Netherlands.
For their all-important match against the home side Wales, Dutch manager Louis van Gaal named a much-changed Playing XI to their combination which thumped the Belgium 4-1, but Teun Koopmeiners’ strike propelled them to pull ahead earlier in the second half.
The two sides remained locked in a tense battle until two minutes into extra time when Rhys Norrington-Davies’ injury-time header cancelled out the Dutch lead.
Weghorst, on the other hand, nodded home around 100 seconds later to silence the Welsh crowd and made sure his team the victory.
Following their triumph over Wales, the Dutch side have claimed the top spot in Group A4 in the UEFA Nations League. Whereas, Wales remained at the bottom following their back to back defeats in the league.
MUNICH: England forced a dramatic draw against Germany in a thrilling clash as Harry Kane scored a late penalty to become the second English footballer to score 50 international goals after Wayne Rooney, in a Group three match of the UEFA Nations League.
Tottenham star was awarded a penalty shot after German center-back Nico Schlotterbeck brought down Kane in the penalty area. Kane netted the ball in the 88th minute to equalize 1-1, securing a point for his team.
Kane with his late equalizer relished the England team and its manager Gareth Southgate, who faced immense pressure after an upset at the hands of Hungary 1-0 in their first encounter of the Nations League campaign.
German midfielder Jonas Hofmann scored the opening goal of the match as he beat England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with a powerful shot, clinching a lead for his team in the 50th minute.
The vital 1-1 draw helped England to take a point home in their first two games of the UEFA Nations League.
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LAHORE: The glittering trophy of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has been unveiled by the former french footballer Christian Karembeu in a ceremony, held here at a local hotel today.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by the Pakistan football stars Kaleemullah, Hajra Khan, and Saddam Hussain along with other footballers.
The officials of the Pakistan Olympic Association and Pakistan Sports Board were also present on the occasion.
Ahmed Orakzai, secretary of Inter-provincial Coordination (IPC), received a souvenir from the French footballer, who expressed his delight over the occasion. He also presented souvenirs to Kaleemullah and Saddam Hussain.
Young football talents hailing from Gilgit, Malir, and Lyari were also invited to the ceremony.
The mega event of FIFA Men’s Football World Cup will be held in Qatar this year from November 22 to December 18 between 32 teams.
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