Новости за 14.07.2018

Eden Hazard cast fresh doubt over his Chelsea future as the Belgium star appeared to confirm his interest in a move to Real Madrid. New Blues boss Maurizio Sarri faces a battle to keep the forward, who believes his World Cup performances warrant him the Golden Ball and the right to choose his next destination. The 27-year-old signed off from a successful campaign in Russia with his third goal of the tournament as Belgium beat England 2-0 in the third-place play-off in St Petersburg on Saturday. Читать дальше...

Everton romped to a farcically emphatic 22-0 victory in their opening pre-season friendly under Marco Silva, as four players hit hat-tricks against ATV Irdning. The Toffees only managed 16 goals away from home last season in the Premier League but stormed past that number in a single fixture against their improbably over-matched hosts in Austria. Kevin Mirallas led the way with five goals, all after half-time. It was already 10-0 by the interval, with Turkey forward Cenk Tosun hitting four. If... Читать дальше...

Liverpool failed to overcome Bury in a pre-season friendly as a host of the Reds' first-team stars failed to spark in a 0-0 draw at Gigg Lane. Jurgen Klopp named a strong side to face the League Two side, with Virgil van Dijk, James Milner and new arrival Fabinho among the starting XI, while Loris Karius - under the microscope again after his dreadful error cost Liverpool a goal against Tranmere in midweek - retained his place. And Karius was not allowed to forget recent mistake, with some sections... Читать дальше...

Luka Modric makes football look easy and deserves the chance to lead Croatia into a World Cup final, according to former Real Madrid star Kaka. Modric has rightly taken the plaudits throughout Croatia's run to their first final and was typically imperious during the semi-final victory over England. Kaka spent one season with Modric at Madrid before leaving the LaLiga giants to rejoin AC Milan in 2013, and the ex-Brazil playmaker was full of praise for Los Blancos' "humble" number 10. "Luka [Modric] shows us that it's easy to play. Читать дальше...

So, what will Eden Hazard do next? The new era got up and running on Saturday at Chelsea, who are evidently intent on making up for lost time as head coach Maurizio Sarri's appointment was swiftly followed by the arrival of Italy midfielder Jorginho. A report by the Telegraph suggests Jorginho's international team-mate Daniele Rugani and Russia star Aleksandr Golovin are next on Sarri's hitlist. But will that be enough? "I'm waiting for new players next season," Hazard said when discussing his Chelsea future in May. Читать дальше...

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a 10-minute hat-trick as Unai Emery started his Arsenal reign with an 8-0 friendly win over National League side Boreham Wood. Emery was appointed Gunners manager in May after Arsene Wenger's 22-year spell in charge came to an end and the Spaniard could not have wished for a more comfortable first game in charge. It was Wenger's last signing as Arsenal boss who was the star turn during a goal-laden first half on Saturday. Aubameyang, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund during the January transfer window... Читать дальше...

France boss Didier Deschamps has rubbished the suggestion it will be easier to defend against Luka Modric than Lionel Messi or Eden Hazard as the Croatia star is "less mobile". Modric's form at the World Cup has seen him tipped to win the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player and challenge for the Ballon d'Or later this year. Deschamps sees no reason why France would have an easier time against the Real Madrid star in Sunday's final, simply because they have already coped with Hazard's Belgium... Читать дальше...

Domagoj Vida has been cleared by FIFA's Disciplinary Committee following the emergence of a second video in which the Croatia defender made potentially inflammatory political comments. Vida and assistant coach Ognjen Vukojevic - who has since been sacked by Croatia - were filmed making comments including "Glory to Ukraine", a phrase that has been adopted by anti-Russian nationalists, after Croatia beat Russia on penalties in the quarter-finals. FIFA chose not to suspend Vida, warning the centre-back over his conduct following the incident... Читать дальше...

FIFA has warned the Football Association following "political chants" made by England supporters during the World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia. The governing body announced on Thursday that it would investigate "no surrender" chants made by some English fans inside the Luzhniki Stadium. That investigation has now ended with the FA receiving an official warning. A statement from FIFA read: "The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has warned the Football Association with respect to the misconduct of... Читать дальше...

The criticism levelled at Neymar has become "too much", according to former Brazil international Gilberto Silva. After recovering from a metatarsal injury just in time to make the trip to Russia, Neymar scored twice in five games as Brazil were knocked out by Belgium in the quarter-finals, though he was roundly criticised in the media for his histrionic reactions to challenges. While conceding that the Paris Saint-Germain striker fell short of his own high standards, Silva believes Neymar, along with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo... Читать дальше...

West Ham have signed Paraguay international defender Fabian Balbuena from Corinthians on a three-year deal. The 26-year-old moves to London Stadium for an undisclosed fee reported to be worth in the region of £4million. Balbuena is Manuel Pellegrini's sixth major signing after taking charge of the Hammers, following Jack Wilshere, Ryan Fredericks, Lukasz Fabianski, Andriy Yarmolenko and Issa Diop to London. "I'm really excited for this new challenge and my target is to meet the demands of the Premier League," the centre-back said. Читать дальше...

The champions of the world will be crowned in Moscow on Sunday, when France take on Croatia at the World Cup final at Luzhniki Stadium. Lifting that trophy is all that matters for the players and staff involved, but, looking further ahead in 2018, this match could also decide the destiny of football's greatest individual prize. The Ballon d'Or looks, finally, to be slipping from the grasp of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, one of whom has won the award every year since Kaka claimed it back in 2007. Читать дальше...

Maurizio Sarri's long-anticipated appointment as Chelsea head coach was confirmed on Saturday, a day on from Antonio Conte's Stamford Bridge exit being rubber-stamped. Chelsea's sixth Italian boss has promised attractive football and trophies, having supplied plenty of the former while falling just short in pursuit of the latter during three acclaimed seasons at Napoli. However, he finds a Chelsea squad bloated by the uninspiring signings of last season – the state of flux heightened by speculation... Читать дальше...

Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic insists his players will tell him if they are not fit enough to take part in Sunday's World Cup final against France. All three of Croatia's knockout matches have gone to extra-time, Dalic's men triumphing on penalties against Denmark and hosts Russia before edging past England 2-1 in the semi-final. That has raised concerns over the fitness of some of Croatia's players for the showdown in Moscow, but Dalic has no such worries and is adamant he has built the kind... Читать дальше...

Jorginho has picked Chelsea over Manchester City, with his move to Stamford Bridge from Napoli confirmed in the wake of Maurizio Sarri's appointment as head coach on Saturday. The midfielder was said to be close to finalising a move to City, but Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis suggested the player preferred a move to London, despite the Italian club accepting a bid from the Premier League champions. Chelsea have now won the battle to sign the Italy international, who has agreed terms on... Читать дальше...

Luka Modric admits he is proud to be considered a leading candidate for the Ballon d'Or but insists he is only interested in winning the World Cup final with Croatia on Sunday. The 32-year-old's performances in helping Real Madrid to a third Champions League title in a row, coupled with his form at Russia 2018, have seen him tipped to become the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win football's top individual prize since Kaka in 2007. However, Modric says such prizes are... Читать дальше...

England manager Gareth Southgate admits the World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia will "live with me forever". The Three Lions looked set for a first final in 52 years after Kieran Trippier's early free-kick on Wednesday, before Croatia pulled level through Ivan Perisic and then delivered a knockout blow in extra time courtesy of Mario Mandzukic. Southgate revealed that he re-watched the heart-breaking 2-1 defeat at 4am on Friday morning, hampering his own preparations for the third-place play-off against Belgium on Saturday. Читать дальше...

Real Madrid's greatest ever goalscorer moved to the Serie A club earlier this week for £88m on a four-year contract that will see him earn around £26.5m a year after tax.But as everybody knows, the nameCristiano Ronaldobrings plenty of marketing, sponsorship and merchandise opportunities - and Juventus are already reaping the early rewards.According to Yahoo Sports in Italy, 520,000 shirts featuring Ronaldo's name and number were sold online and in-storein the first 24 hours of his move being announced.Just... Читать дальше...

Nestor Pitana has described being chosen as the referee for Sunday's World Cup final between France and Croatia as a "dream". The 43-year-old becomes only the second man to officiate the tournament's opening game - between Russia and Saudi Arabia - and the final, following in the footsteps of his compatriot Horacio Elizondo, who did the same in 2006. Pitana was in charge for France's quarter-final victory over Uruguay, as well as Croatia's last-16 clash with Denmark, and says being given the final... Читать дальше...

Chelsea have ended months of speculation by appointing former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri as their new manager on a three-year contract.

To be an Englishman in France at the end of June two years ago was a peculiar kind of torture. An existence with enough head-shaking to induce neck-ache, usually mumbling "shambles", "dreadful" or "so, so sorry" to anyone asking for an observation. The questions revolved around two subjects: England 1 Iceland 2, and the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union that had come four days earlier on June 23. Colleagues from overseas and locals - Parisians in my case - were fascinated by the... Читать дальше...

Many say penalty shoot-outs are a "lottery", but plenty of goalkeepers would argue against that point, perhaps most notably Danijel Subasic. Subasic has helped Croatia win two shoot-outs in the knockout stage of the World Cup as Zlatko Dalic's men moved into the final. Perhaps the goalkeeper got lucky, but his record with penalties would suggest otherwise. Former Croatia international shot-stopper Joey Didulica argues that suggesting shoot-outs are a lottery is amateur thinking. With the help of Opta data... Читать дальше...

Croatia shot-stopper Danijel Subasic has been the best goalkeeper at the World Cup, according to former international Joey Didulica.  Subasic has produced heroics for Croatia through the knockout stage, including delivering in penalty shoot-out wins over Denmark and Russia.  The Monaco goalkeeper, 33, shapes as again being key for Zlatko Dalic's men as they head into Sunday's World Cup final against France in Moscow.  Didulica, the former Croatia shot-stopper who made four appearances for the nation and was part of the 2006 World Cup squad... Читать дальше...

England will line up for a game no one involved in Gareth Southgate's camp ever wanted to play in on Saturday – the World Cup third place play-off, that empty space in which to mull broken dreams at a testimonial trudge. But in some ways it is fitting that the Three Lions conclude their Russia 2018 campaign in St Petersburg. The country's former Imperial capital was the birthplace of football in Russia more than a century-and-a-half ago, with British ex-patriots playing a key role in those formative years. Читать дальше...

Arsenal head coach Unai Emery is determined to work with Mesut Ozil in a "new way" to get the best out of the under-fire midfielder following a forgettable World Cup campaign.     Ozil was singled out by critics after champions Germany made a sensational group-stage exit from the World Cup in Russia.    After Germany finished bottom of the group following their loss to South Korea, team manager Oliver Bierhoff suggested Ozil's selection for the World Cup may have been a mistake.    But with club commitments and the Premier League looming... Читать дальше...