Euro 2020

CRISTIANO RONALDO made the headlines once again for his performance in Portugal’s 2-2 with France on Wednesday.The Juventus forward, 36, scored twice from the penalty spot to secure qualification from Group F.

Cristiano Ronaldo dominates France defender Presnel Kimpembe with his jump
CR7 has become known for his jumping abilityCredit: AP
He broke the international goal record in doing so, and now boasts an impressive record of 109 goals in 178 games for his country.
But Ronaldo also dazzled through his athletic ability, missing a header after hanging in the air with an incredible jump.
Time seemed to stand still as Ronaldo met the cross, but his header did not match up to his jumping ability.
The forward has made jumping a trademark of his game in recent years, and even managed to outjump Sassuolo goalkeeper Andrea Consigli during a match in January.
It is perhaps not surprising Ronaldo has scored a total of 109 headers in his club career alone.
CR7 was likened to a basketball player after his feat against Sassuolo, and fans have been clamouring to praise the striker after he showcased jumping prowess against France.
One Twitter user wrote: “How does he do it only he knows… Elevation-wise, that’s a lot of leap!!”

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Another added: “Is there any spring in CR7’s legs, man this is unreal stuff.”
A third could barely contain his excitement in response to the clip, tweeting: “DAMN 36 YEARS OLD AND JUST LOOK AT THAT LEAP. IMPOSSIBLE WHAT A ATHLETE.”
So while Ronaldo may be ageing, he shows no signs of slowing down athletically or in front of goal.
Is there any spring in cr7’s legs, man this is unreal stuff 🐐🐐🐐— ravi✋🚩 (@kumarravikant21) June 23, 2021

Mans jump power is crazy— Truth✍🏿 (@Justice__carter) June 24, 2021

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema get two each in thriller as both reach Euro 2020 last-16 after 2-2 draw More

CRISTIANO RONALDO was pictured laughing with Kylian Mbappe after Portugal and France shared the spoils on Wednesday.The Paris Saint-Germain forward was snapped with Ronaldo’s shirt in his hands, while the Portuguese had Mbappe’s shirt draped across his shoulders.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe swapped shirts at the end of the match
Mbappe first met Ronaldo in 2013, sporting a Real Madrid top
CR7, 36, scored twice from the penalty spot in Budapest to secure qualification for his country, while Mbappe still remains goalless in Euro 2020.
The duo appeared to be enjoying each other’s company after the final whistle, with Ronaldo grabbing hold of his opposite number.
Ronaldo has every reason to be joyous, as he helped his team progress while also breaking the international goalscoring record.
He now has 109 goals in 178 games for Portugal.
It was a true meeting of the old guard and the new, with Mbappe tipped by many to be a future Ballon d’Or winner.
The 22-year-old is yet to get set the tournament alight like he did in the 2018 World Cup, but he has proved a key danger for France.
And he will be hoping to inspire his country to win his first European Championship title, much like Ronaldo did in 2016.

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The pair were snapped smiling and joking with each other
Both players left the pitch happy after securing qualification from Group F

Mbappe was not part of the France squad for that home Euros so did not get a chance to face off against Ronaldo.
But he had met the Juventus star once before, in 2013 when he was just 14-years-old.
And unsurprisingly, the pair’s interaction sparked plenty of discussion on social media.

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Cristiano Ronaldo pelted with objects as he celebrates second Portugal goal in France Euro 2020 clash More

ENGLAND welcome Germany to Wembley on Tuesday with a place in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals at stake.But there will also be a healthy dose of pride on offer for two nations with a long and fascinating history of footballing rivalry.

England’s 1966 win over Germany won the Three Lions their only World CupCredit: Hulton Archive – Getty
But Die Mannschaft have broken many English hearts over the yearsCredit: Getty – Contributor
An inaugural 3-3 draw in May 1930 was a strong hint of what was to come as the first four meetings between the pair threw out 22 goals.
During this period, England’s dominance showed with seven wins in a row, including an infamous visit to Berlin in 1938, that culminated in the 1966 World Cup final.
Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick at Wembley may have had a helping hand from a potentially dubious goalline decision (more of that later) but etched his name into English folklore.
To this day, that 4-2 win at Wembley marks the Three Lions’ only World Cup triumph.
Die Mannschaft, then known as West Germany, had already bagged one crown beforehand and now total four World Cup and three European Championship titles.
Fresh off that historic victory, England had to wait nine years for another as they lost three of their next four encounters.
That included an extra-time defeat in the 1970 World Cup quarter-finals and a two-legged exit in the final round of qualifying for Euro 1972.
The next five meetings, including a 0-0 draw in the 1982 World Cup second group stage, were evenly shared before German dominance took hold.

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England’s sorry record against Germany

An English victory in the 1985 Azteca 2000 tournament was their last of the century and preceded five consecutive defeats.
Among which were the 1990 World Cup semi-final, taken to penalties thanks to Gary Lineker’s late equaliser in Turin.
But misses from Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle set in motion a long story of Three Lions shootout failures.
Fast forward to Euro 96 and a similar scene was set, this time at Wembley for a place in the final on English turf.
A 1-1 draw gave way to 11 successful penalties in a row before Gareth Southgate’s effort was comfortably saved by Andreas Kopke to hand the Germans victory.
England would lose in their next four major tournament shootouts before Southgate, as manager, oversaw a 2018 World Cup triumph over Colombia.
The turn of the century heralded plenty more iconic match-ups.
Alan Shearer netted the only goal as the Three Lions helped knock Germany out of the Euro 2000 group stage – before dramatically following them.
Germany famously beat England at Wembley in the Euro 96 semi-finalCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
Michael Owen hit a stunning hat-trick in Munich for a 5-1 England winCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Dietmar Hamann scored the last-ever goal at the Old Wembley in a 2002 World Cup qualification victory for Die Mannschaft before England’s revenge in Munich 11 months later.
A stunning Michael Owen hat-trick earned a 5-1 victory and remains the only time the sides have been separated by four goals.
And their most recent major tournament clash came at the 2010 World Cup.
Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski set Germany on course for a last-16 cruise before Matt Upson’s header.
Frank Lampard looked to have put England level in Bloemfontein – only for the linesman to miss the ball crossing the line – before Fabio Capello’s side crumbled and lost 4-1.
Four friendlies have come and gone since, which Germany have claimed by two wins to one.

That leaves the overall total, from 32 matches, to read England: 13 wins, Germany: 15 wins, and draws: four.
The Three Lions have the edge in terms of goals scored, with 51 to 42, yet the Germans will happily boast seven major trophies to one.
Will that change next week? Tuesday’s 5pm kick-off could well be the next step in a glorious summer for one of these teams.
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England face Germany in Euro 2020 Round of 16 at Wembley after exciting Group F finish More

BAYERN MUNICH reportedly want to bring Renato Sanches back to the Allianz Arena following his impressive start for Portugal at Euro 2020.The German giants sold Sanches to Lille for £21million in 2019 but are now willing to exercise a buy-back clause of £25m to secure his return, according to reporter Rudy Galetti.
Bayern reportedly want to bring ex-star Sanches back to club form LilleCredit: EPA
He wrote on Twitter: “#BayernMunich is aiming for the return of Renato #Sanches from #Lille.
“The club has the possibility to exercise the buyback clause set at around €30M.”
The 23-year-old initially joined the Bundesliga champions in 2016 from Benfica.
They signed the midfielder for £68m, making him the most expensive Portuguese export at the time.
But after just four league starts, Sanches was shipped out on a season-long loan to Swansea where he endured a shockingly miserable time.
After managing a paltry 12 appearances at the Liberty stadium, Sanches returned to Bayern before heading to Lille.
Since his move to France, where he became Lille’s most expensive signing, the 2016 Golden Boy winner’s career has been on the up again.
He won the Ligue 1 championship with them in 2019, and his performances caught the eye of Liverpool last year who were reportedly keen to bring him to Anfield.

Sanches capped his resurgence with some stellar display’s in the Euros this summer.
He’s been one of the driving forces in Portugal’s campaign which saw them secure qualification in a pulsating 2-2 draw with France yesterday.
Sanches earned the Man of The Match award in the game in which he had a 96per cent pass accuracy and won 70 per cent of the duels he entered.
Renato Sanches gets fit as he works out at the Lille OSC training ground More

ENGLAND will face old foes Germany for the first time since 2017 in their crunch Euro 2020 last-16 clash. The Three Lions take on Die Mannschaft on Tuesday at Wembley after Joachim Low’s side scraped second spot in their group.

It has been just under four years since the pair last met, battling out an underwhelming 0-0 draw at the home of football.
Boss Gareth Southgate picked England’s most inexperienced side since 1980 for the friendly as he looked to cast an eye over a number of names.
One of those was goalkeeper Jordan Pickford who was making his international debut alongside Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham.
The Everton stopper was hugely impressive, and would eventually take Joe Hart’s No1 shirt for his country.
Pickford would remain as one of four players who started on that day to still feature for England.
Southgate opted to play five at the back with Kieran Trippier on the right with ex-Spurs ace Danny Rose on the left.
Forgotten man Phil Jones would play in the heart of defence alongside John Stones and Harry Maguire.
The Manchester duo are almost bankers to be the first names on Southgate’s team-sheet on Tuesday.
Jake Livermore went up against the legendary Toni Kroos in midfieldCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was handed his international debut against GermanyCredit: Getty – Contributor
England’s midfield in 2017 looks a far cry compared to Southgate’s options now.
A midfield trio consisted of Loftus-Cheek, Tottenham’s Eric Dier and more surprisingly, West Brom’s Jake Livermore.
He would play one more time for the Three Lions in a 0-0 draw against Brazil four days later.

In attack, Chelsea outcast Tammy Abraham partnered Leicester legend Jamie Vardy.
England fans will be hoping to improve their attacking stats next week after mustering just a shot on target against the Czech Republic.
But supporters are unlikely to hold their breath with England scoring only twice in their opening three matches.
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ANTOINE GRIEZMANN has played with some pretty decent players in his time, it’s fair to say.But the France star, who has helped his nation to reach the last-16 of Euro 2020, did manage to eventually pick his dream five-a-side team from team-mates and one footballing legend when pressed for it two years ago.
France star Antoinne Griezmann has named his dream five-a-side teamCredit: The Mega Agency
Antoine Griezmann picked his dream 5-a-side team from team-mates and one footballing legend
And he is backing them to stay undefeated despite two notable absentees.
The Barcelona star, 30, even opted to go WITHOUT a goalkeeper in his all-star team.
Speaking to Oh My Goal, Griezmann talked through his side: “I’d go with Ousmane Dembele and I would say NG, N’Golo Kante, because you never lose when he’s on your team.
“I would take Godin because he always finds a way to cheat and win!

A team with N’Golo Kante in doesn’t lose according to his international team-mateCredit: AP:Associated Press
Diego Godin gets into the side because he will always find a way to win – even if it means cheatingCredit: AFP OR LICENSORS

That means there is no place for France team-mate Kylian Mbappe in the side.
However, when asked who the most skillful player is, Griezmann said either Mbappe or fellow Frenchman Dembele.
The Atleti star also said that Diego Costa is the best player he has played with.
He said: “I would have to say Diego Costa, for the support he gives me on the field.
There was no place for Kylian Mbappe in the team despite being one of the most skillful players in the worldCredit: AFP or licensors
“Because he allows me to play freely. He’s a guy I really work well with on the pitch.
“We understand each other with a single look, we know where we’re both at.
“On top of that he’s a fighter and he brings that out in me, which I love. It’s rare to have that with a team-mate.”
Surprisingly, Griezmann said the best player he has faced on a football field is Ajax midfielder Frenkie De Jong.
Diego Costa helped to get the best out of his strike partner at the Wanda MetropolitanoCredit: AFP OR LICENSORS
The Dutchman is now a teammate at Barcelona.
But Griezmann said former Real Madrid defender Pepe was the toughest to play against.
Griezmann added: “I tried to put pressure on De Jong and never succeeded.
“Pepe is always breathing down your neck. He’s always on top of you and he’s a player who’s very difficult to get past.”
Griezmann struggled to even get close to Ajax and Netherlands midfielder Frenkie De JongCredit: Reuters
But the World Cup winner was very much sat on the fence when he was asked to settle the ongoing debate.
“Best player of all time? Well, you know… It depends on the era but I would say either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I never saw how Diego Maradona and Pele played. It’s a tough question, everyone has their own style.
“There’s also Zinedine Zidane. Zidane won the World Cup, Messi and Ronaldo never have.”
Griezmann refused to commit to the greatest player of all time – mentioning Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Pele, Diego Maradona and Zinedine ZidaneCredit: EPA
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Finally, Griezmann made a shock selection when asked to pick his best footballing memory.
Despite helping France win the World Cup in 2018, he did not opt for that.
Instead, he said: “When we moved into the first division with Real Sociedad [2009/10].
“It was honestly the first time that my knees were shaking because it was my first year and the atmosphere was incredible. It was all new for me and it was intimidating.”
The Frenchman spent nine years at Real Sociedad and helped them get promoted back into La LigaCredit: AFP – Getty More