Fotbal Internaţional Thread

**beavis** · 12-03-2019 20:54

Van Gaal announces retirement from football

Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has called time on his football career.

The 67-year-old, who won the FA Cup during his 2 seasons in charge at Old Trafford after arriving in 2014, announced his intention to leave football behind on Dutch television.

Van Gaal's trophy-laden career includes the 1995 Champions League title with first club Ajax as well as 2 La Liga crowns with FC Barcelona, a Bundesliga title with Bayern Munchen as well as 2 spells as Holland manager - who he guided to third place at the 2014 World Cup.

United was Van Gaal's last managerial role and he was the coach who handed Marcus Rashford his debut as an 18-year-old.

Rashford paid tribute to his former manager, tweeting: "Thank you for opening the door & trusting in me. Enjoy retirement boss".

**beavis** · 16-03-2019 22:43

**beavis** · 23-03-2019 16:43

Hudson-Odoi breaks 64-year-old record

Callum Hudson-Odoi broke a 64-year-old record to become the youngest player to make his England debut in a competitive match when he came on during the Three Lions' 5-0 win against Czech Republic.

The youngster replaced Raheem Sterling after 70 minutes to earn his first international cap at the age of 18 years 135 days, breaking the record set by former Manchester United forward Duncan Edwards.

Edwards was 48 days older than Hudson-Odoi when he made his Three Lions debut in a British Home Championship tie against Scotland in April 1955.

The Chelsea winger made an impact too, with his late curling effort parried by goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka into the path of Tomas Kalas, who inadvertently deflected to ball into his in own net to complete the scoring.

Hudson-Odoi's introduction meant England ended the game with two 18-year-olds on the pitch with Borussia Dortmund's Jodan Sancho handed his first competitive start.

It's the first time England have had 2 players aged 18 or younger in an international match in 138 years, going back to a meeting with Wales on 26 February 1881.

Hudson-Odoi was originally called-dup to the England U21 squad but was promoted to the senior side after the squad was hit by a number of withdrawals.

That is despite not yet starting a Premier League game for Chelsea, with his long-term future at Stamford Bridge uncertain.

Meanwhile, Manchester City winger Sterling became the first England player to score a hat-trick at Wembley for 9 years, netting with his first 3 shots at goal.

Sterling converted Sancho's cross for the opener in the first half before 2 goals in 6 second half minutes completed his treble, the first by a Three Lions player at Wembley since Jermain Defoe against Bulgaria in September 2010.

**beavis** · 23-03-2019 21:02

Quaison vs Romania (1-0)
https://streamable.com/l21yw

Claesson vs Romania (2-0)
https://streamable.com/214nk

Keseru vs Sweden (2-1)
https://streamable.com/mca7o

**beavis** · 28-03-2019 23:09

Higuain retires from international football

Chelsea striker Gonzalo Higuain has announced his retirement from international football with Argentina, citing family reasons.

The 31-year-old, who joined Chelsea in January on a loan deal from Juventus, scored 31 goals in 75 appearances for the Albiceleste, with his last match a 2-1 win over Nigeria in the World Cup last June.

Explaining his decision in an interview with Fox Sports, Higuain said: "My time with Argentina is over. Thinking things through in depth, my time is up".

"To the delight of many, now I will only look at it from the outside. I have spoken to manager Lionel Scaloni and told him my point of view."

"I've made the decision because I want to enjoy my family, I want to spend time with my daughter, and at the same time, I feel that I gave my country everything I could."

**beavis** · 20-05-2019 23:13

Scotland appoint Clarke

Steve Clarke has officially been named as Scotland's new permanent manager, one day after guiding Kilmarnock into the Europa League.

The 55-year-old succeeds Alex McLeish at the helm, who was sacked by the SFA back in April following a string of poor results.

Clarke guided Kilmarnock to third in the Scottish Premier League this season and oversaw a 2-1 win over Glasgow Rangers on Sunday before hinting at a summer departure.

Scotland have appointed Clarke on a 3-year contract, with the team currently sitting fifth in their EURO 2020 qualifying group after 2 games.

His first match in charge is scheduled against Cyprus on 6 June, before a trip to Belgium 3 days later.

Clarke was named PFA Scotland Manager of the Year for his exploits at Kilmarnock this season and had one year remaining on his contract with the club.

**beavis** · 02-06-2019 21:35

Mali's Bissouma to miss African Cup of Nations

Brighton & Hove Albion and Mali midfielder Yves Bissouma will miss the 2019 African Cup of Nations due to a shoulder injury.

Sky Sports News understands that Bissouma is also likely to miss the start of the 2019-2020 Premier League campaign for Brighton.

Bissouma, 22-year-old, is set to undergo surgery on the issue, according to Sky sources.

Contrary to some reports, the former Lille player has not fractured his shoulder, but will have to go under the knife to fix the problem which is understood to be an historic injury.

Mali have been drawn in Group E in African Cup of Nations and will begin their tournament against debutants Mauritania on 24 June, before facing Tunisia and then Angola on 28 June and 2 July.

**beavis** · 03-06-2019 21:12

Qatar to host 2019 & 2020 FIFA Club World Cups

FIFA have awarded Qatar the right to host the 2019 and 2020 Club World Cups.

The FIFA Council met in Paris on Monday and approved the plan to stage the next 2 editions of the tournament in the Gulf state.

FIFA say the next 2 tournaments will "serve as valuable test events" for the 2022 World Cup, which will also be hosted by Qatar.

Liverpool will compete in the 2019 tournament after winning the Champions League and fans have been assured they will be allowed to drink if they visit Qatar.

Liverpool will be competing for the title against the champions of world football's other 5 confederations and the national champions from the host country.

So far, the other qualifiers are Mexico's Monterrey, Tunisia's Esperance and Hienghene Sport, the Oceania champions from New Caledonia. The Asian and South American champions will be decided in November.

The current Qatari champions are Al Sadd, whose manager is former FC Barcelona and Spain midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who recently took up the post.

As European champions, Liverpool would enter at the semi-finals stage. The Reds lost 1-0 to South American champions Sao Paulo in Yokohama in the 2005 Final, their only previous appearance in the competition in its current format.

The next 2 editions in Qatar will be the last before FIFA revamps the competition in 2021 by expanding it to 24 teams and holding it every 4th summer, in the slot currently held by the Confederations Cup.

**beavis** · 06-06-2019 18:03

Neymar ruled out of Copa America

Neymar has been ruled out of Brazil's 2019 Copa America campaign after rupturing ankle ligaments in a friendly against Qatar on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old suffered the setback in the 20th minute of the 2-0 friendly win in Brazil.

Hosts Brazil kick off the tournament on 14 June against Bolivia, with the Final set to be played on 7 July at the Maracana in Rio.

Neymar has picked up several injuries dating back to 2014, when he missed the World Cup semi-finals against Germany with a back injury.

The former FC Barcelona forward also injured his metatarsal in the months leading up to the 2018 World Cup and missed the final months of the most recent Ligue 1 season with a similar problem.

The friendly against Qatar was the first major public appearance for Neymar since a woman accused him of rape at a Paris hotel on 15 May.

**beavis** · 08-06-2019 00:18

Elyounoussi vs Romania (1-0)
https://streamable.com/2ulim

Odegaard vs Romania (2-0)
https://streamable.com/x7xpd

Keseru vs Norway (2-1)
https://streamable.com/jksr8

Keseru vs Norway (2-2)
https://streamable.com/da28j

**beavis** · 09-06-2019 10:36

Ramos breaks international win record

Spain captain Sergio Ramos has broken the record for international victories following La Roja's 4-1 win over the Feroe Islands.

Ramos continued his fine goal scoring run for the national side, as he netted the opening goal against the European minnows, and he has now won 122 games as Spanish international.

The victory in the North Sea means that Ramos edges ahead of previous record holder, and former club and country team-mate Iker Casillas, whose record of 121 had stood for over 8 years.

Their is a Spanish dominance of the other names on in the top 5, with Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta coming in third and 4th place respectively

The veteran defender looks set to build on his record in the coming weeks, with half of Spain European Championship qualification campaign still to go.

Ramos is also expected to play in the EURO 2020 competition, provided Spain qualify, with a decision on his international future not expected until after that tournament.

**beavis** · 12-06-2019 19:33

Aaron Hughes retires from football

Former Northern Ireland captain Aaron Hughes has announced his retirement from football, bringing his 22-year playing career to an end.

The 39-year-old made an emotional speech in the changing room after their 1-0 win against Belarus in Minsk on Tuesday, with the defender not named in the matchday squad.

Hughes, who made his Northern Ireland debut as an 18-year-old in 1998, won 112 caps for his country, which is 7 short of record holder Pat Jennings and one more than current skipper Steven Davis.

Hughes, who said he had "lived the dream" in a social media post to confirm his retirement, left Hearts of Midlothian after 2-and-a-half years at the club last month when his contract came to an end.

The defender came through the ranks at Newcastle and made more than 200 appearances for the club, before spells at Aston Villa and Fulham. Later in his club career, he played at Queens Park Rangers, Brighton & Hove Albion, Melbourne City and for Kerala Blasters in India, prior to his move to Hearts.

Hughes first announced his retirement from international football in September 2011, but he was talked out of the decision by current manager Michael O'Neill the following year. He went on to represent his country at the 2016 European Championships.

**beavis** · 16-06-2019 14:44

EURO U21 Championship - one to watch from each team

UEFA picks out one player from each of the 12 finalists who might be worth keeping a special eye on.

Austria: Xaver Schlager (FC Salzburg)
An all-action midfielder with an eye for goal, Schlager has been preparing for this tournament by featuring in the Austria senior side's European Qualifiers against Slovenia and Macedonia. A UEFA Youth League winner with Salzburg in 2017, he has since excelled in the club's first team, scooping 4 Austrian league titles and featuring in every game of the run to the 2017-2018 Europa League semi-finals.

Belgium: Dodi Lukebakio (Fortuna Dusseldorf)
Back in November, on loan in Germany from Watford, Lukebakio pulled off a Bundesliga first: he scored a hat-trick against Manuel Neuer. The Belgian speedster followed his sensational treble to rescue a 3-3 draw for Dusseldorf at Bayern with the opener in a 2-1 triumph against Dortmund. His knack for scoring in the big games perhaps comes from his pace, the 21-year-old thriving in attacking transitions. "Dodi can become a very good player", said Fortuna coach Friedhelm Funkel. "He's so unpredictable with his pace and dribbling".

Croatia: Nikola Vlasic (CSKA Moscow)
Joining CSKA on loan from Everton proved just the ticket for Vlasic. This 21-year-old attacking midfielder established himself as a key man for the Army Men, not least in the Champions League. He was CSKA's key player in the group stages, scoring 3 goals including the winner against Real Madrid. "He did a great job in Russia and we are possibly looking at one of the key players in Croatia's future", said coach Zlatko Dalic. Vlasic scored 5 goals in 25 league appearances for CSKA last season.

Denmark: Robert Skov (FC Copenhagen)
The 2018-2019 campaign marked Skov's breakthrough. Deployed on the right wing, he scored 32 goals and made 10 assists in 48 appearances for Copenhagen, including no small contribution in the Europa League. Leading scorer in the Danish top flight, he struck 8 goals direct from free-kicks alone and deservedly made his senior Denmark debut in the European Qualifier against Georgia on Monday.

England: Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Only just 19-year-old, Foden made 13 Premier League, 4 Champions League and 8 cup appearances for Josep Guardiola's 2018-2019 domestic Treble-winning City side. "He's special", said Guardiola in April. "I see many players as a manager and this guy has something that is difficult to find". Foden only made his U21 debut in October last year but many observers feel this summer could be the springboard that launches him into Gareth Southgate's senior England team plans.

France: Houssem Aouar (Olympique Lyon)
Aouar, who turns 21-year-old at the end of the month, has further cemented his credentials at Lyon this season. He has particularly impressed with his vision and technical ability, scoring 7 goals and contributing 6 assists in Ligue 1. He also caught the eye in the Champions League, Manchester City manager Guardiola describing him as "incredible" and praising his "calmness with the ball at his feet" after his team's two group stages encounters with Les Gones. A full France debut is unlikely to be too far away.

Germany: Florian Neuhaus (Borussia Monchengladbach)
A clever attacking midfielder, Neuhaus enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with Borussia Monchengladbach in 2018-2019, his 3 goals and 8 assists propelling the Foals to a fifth place finish. While some have likened his appreciation of space and darting late runs to Thomas Muller, the 22-year-old idolises a different senior international. "I love watching Toni Kroos", he said. "It really impresses me how confidently he plays and how his pass completion is almost always perfect".

Italy: Moise Kean (Juventus)
Aged 19, the Juventus forward has already broken a long list of records at club and international level. The first player born after 2000 to play in the Champions League, to play and score in Serie A and to score for Italy, Kean has great pace and can shoot with both feet. That goal in the EURO 2020 qualifier against Finland - he quickly added another in the following game against Liechtenstein - also made him the youngest player to net for Italy since 1958. "Kean has quality and enormous potential", said Azzurri coach Roberto Mancini.

Poland: Dawid Kownacki (Fortuna Dusseldorf)
Poland's captain, Kownacki was the overall top scorer in qualifying for this tournament. He already has considerable top flight experience - more than 100 games - in Poland (Lech Poznan), Italy (Sampdoria) and Germany (Fortuna Dusseldorf). He spent last season on loan in Dusseldorf from the Blucerchiati, further demonstrating his versatility and eye for goal, and could yet extend his stay in the Bundesliga. Some have dubbed him The New Lewandowski; no pressure, then.

Romania: Ianis Hagi (FC Viitorul)
Son of all-time Romania great Gheorghe, Ianis Hagi has inherited his father's passion and no small amount of his skill but is very much a talent of his own. "We can't compare him to me", said Gheorghe. Ianis made his Romanian top flight debut for Viitorul - the club established and managed by his father - aged 16. He subsequently captained the club either side of a spell at Fiorentina and is now a senior international to boot. He is 2-footed, creative and a set-piece specialist. "The name Hagi is not a burden, but a huge honour", he said.

Serbia: Luka Jovic (Real Madrid)
Bound for Real Madrid this summer after a breakthrough campaign with Eintracht Frankfurt in which he scored 10 Europa League goals en route to the last 4, Jovic comes into this tournament this fresh from impressing for the Serbia seniors. The 21-year-old has been likened to Germany great Gerd Muller in terms of physique, although he idolises Radamel Falcao.

Spain: Daniel Ceballos (Real Madrid)
Player of the Tournament in the 2017 finals as Spain finished runners-up, those displays earned Ceballos a move to Real Madrid. While he has been unable to hold down a regular berth at Santiago Bernabeu, he has been a useful squad member, making 13 starts and a further 10 substitute appearances in La Liga this term. He will be looking to use this summer's tournament as a platform for more regular club football next season.

**beavis** · 17-06-2019 16:35

Iseka vs Poland (0-1)
https://streamable.com/ifkws

Zurkowski vs Belgium (1-1)
https://streamgoals.com/video/0d7ee3c586

Bielik vs Belgium (2-1)
https://streamgoals.com/video/6511691035

Szymanski vs Belgium (3-1)
https://streamable.com/fdu4p

Cools vs Poland (3-2)
https://streamable.com/p307k

Ceballos vs Italy (0-1)

https://streamable.com/1toef

Chiesa vs Spain (1-1)
https://streamable.com/rllsq

Chiesa vs Spain (2-1)
https://streamable.com/z44lp

Pellegrini vs Spain (3-1) (P)
https://streamable.com/l0ars

**beavis** · 17-06-2019 21:21

Vecino out of the Copa America

Inter Milano midfielder Matias Vecino has been ruled out of Uruguay's Copa America squad with a thigh injury.

Uruguay beat Ecuador 4-0 in their opening game of the tournament on Sunday night, and Vecino was forced off with around 10 minutes remaining.

The Uruguayan Football Federation stated on their official website that the midfielder was diagnosed with a muscular lesion to his right thigh and will miss out on the rest of the competition.

The 27-year-old has won 34 caps for his country and will be sorely missed, as coach Oscar Tabarez considers him a vital cog in his engine room, starting him in every game of the 2018 World Cup.

**beavis** · 18-06-2019 08:33

Wolf vs Serbia (0-1)
https://streamable.com/z9z9n

Horvath vs Serbia (0-2)
https://streamable.com/ektav

Richter vs Denmark (1-0)
https://streamable.com/a47hm

Richter vs Denmark (2-0)
https://streamable.com/km1lw

Waldschmidt vs Denmark (3-0)
https://streamable.com/788jq

Skov vs Germany (3-1) (P)
https://streamable.com/cr0op

**beavis** · 19-06-2019 22:30

Puşcaş vs Croatia (1-0) (P)
https://streamable.com/21qfn

Hagi vs Croatia (2-0)
https://streamable.com/hfa2w

Vlasic vs Romania (2-1)
https://streamable.com/qb9hr

Băluţă vs Croatia (3-1)
https://streamable.com/m3cbn

Petre vs Croatia (4-1)
https://streamable.com/zs9ke

Foden vs France (1-0)
https://streamable.com/h6n40

Ikone vs England (1-1)
https://streamable.com/7hzoj

Wan-Bissaka vs England (1-2) (OG)
https://streamable.com/w3djl

**beavis** · 21-06-2019 17:28

Torres announces retirement

Former Liverpool, Chelsea and Spain striker Fernando Torres has announced he is to retire from football.

The 35-year-old, who is currently playing for Sagan Tosu in Japan, confirmed the end of his football career on social media.

Torres joined Sagan Tosu in July 2018 after leaving boyhood club Atletico Madrid for a second time. He has scored just 4 goals in 32 games for the J League side.

The striker came through the youth system at Atletico, making his debut against Leganes in a Spanish second division game in March 2001.

He scored his first goal for the club a week later in a 1-0 victory over Albacete, before helping Atletico to promotion to La Liga the following season.

Torres then established himself as one of the most prolific strikers in Spain, top-scoring for them in 5 successive seasons, which earned him a move to Liverpool.

The Spaniard was a huge success at Anfield and, while he did not win any silverware, he registered 81 goals in 142 games before his shock move to Chelsea on Deadline Day in January 2011.

Torres' time in London got off to a slow start. His first game for Chelsea was a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, and he scored just once in 18 games for the club during the remainder of the 2010-2011 season.

Torres' fortunes did pick up though, and he won the FA Cup and the Champions League in 2012, as well as the Europa League in 2013, before leaving for AC Milan in 2014.

He then returned to Atletico 6 months later, winning another Europa League title in 2018 in his penultimate match before his move to Japan.

Torres was arguably most successful on the international stage, and was an important member of the Spain side that won back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and 2012, as well as the World Cup in 2010.