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      Watch fuming World Cup goalkeeper headbutt his OWN POST as comical error gifts opposition win

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      FORMER Barcelona star and World Cup goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen head-butted his own goalpost in shocking scenes.That’s after his comical error gifted the opposition a dramatic last-gasp winner.
      A Dutch goalie headbutted his own post after an embarrassing late gaffe

      NEC’s Jasper Cillessen was devastated as he conceded an 87th minute winner
      Cillessen, 34, has long been regarded as a trusted shot-stopper after plying his trade for several top teams including Ajax, Valencia and Barca.
      The Dutchman has also earned 65 caps for Holland and was even part of their squad for the World Cup in Qatar.
      But Cillessen’s experience could not prevent him from conceding a horror goal on Saturday.
      The stopper currently stars in the Eredivisie for NEC.
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      And they were level with rivals Heerenveen 2-2 when disaster struck in the 87th minute.
      Visiting sub Antoine Colassin found himself through on goal following a clever pass.
      But he was off-balance and could only manage to get off a delicate shot towards NEC’s net.
      Cillessen clearly didn’t think it represented a danger.
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      Cillessen was too casual as he ignored a shot that slipped through his body
      The Dutch World Cup goalie saw his years of experience evade him
      And he casually stood back as the ball made its way towards the near post.
      However, instead of going wide and out, the ball ended up creeping past Cillessen’s body and into his goal mouth.
      The keeper needed a second to realise what had happened before reacting with fury.
      He shockingly head-butted the post as Heerenveen celebrated their unlikely late winner.
      And fans could not resist reacting quickly on social media.
      One said: “Goalkeeping blunder of the season? Shocking from Cillessen.”
      Another declared: “He is finished and he knows it himself.”
      One noted: “Feel bad for him but football is a tough business, shouldn’t get picked for Holland until he gets better – if he ever will.”
      Another added: “Cillessen is no longer the first keeper of Holland, that’s clear now isn’t it?” More

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      Man Utd boost as Alejandro Garnacho is NOT in Argentina squad for U20 World Cup after club ‘did not give him up’

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      ALEJANDRO GARNACHO has not been selected to play in the U20 World Cup for Argentina.This is because Manchester United would reportedly not “give him up”.
      Alejandro Garnacho is not going to the U20 World CupCredit: Getty
      Garnacho has been out with an ankle injury for the Red Devils since early March.
      But he recently got his boots back on and stepped up his efforts to return to the squad.
      Manager Erik ten Hag has told him to be ready to be able to make an impact during the club’s run-in if he gets back to full fitness.
      And it appears that this would be why the club have not allowed him to take part in the youth international competition.
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      Garnacho has become a regular in the first team this season and was rewarded with a new contract at the end of April.
      He has managed five goals and six assists in his 32 games this season.
      He is not the only Premier League player to be withheld from Argentina’s youth side.
      Brighton have also kept hold of Facundo Buonanotte as they continue to push for European football.
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      The midfielder netted his first Premier League goal last week against Nottingham Forest.
      However, coach and former Liverpool star Javier Mascherano has been able to rely on Maximo Perrone from Manchester City.
      The squad also boasts Luka Romero from Lazio, Inter Milan’s Matias Soule and Valentin Carboni from Juventus. More

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      Man Utd handed huge Varane boost as Ten Hag confirms defender could return in ten days

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      MANCHESTER UNITED have been boosted by the news of Raphael Varane’s imminent return to match fitness.The Red Devils feared their World Cup-winning defender would be out for the rest of the season after he hobbled off in their 2-2 draw with Sevilla last month.
      Raphael Varane has been crocked since United’s 2-2 draw with Sevilla last monthCredit: AP
      But manager Erik ten Hag has revealed the Frenchman will be back in action in ten days’ timeCredit: AP
      But the injury is not as bad as first feared and manager Erik ten Hag will have the Frenchman back at his disposal in just over a week and a half’s time.
      The Dutchman said: “The prognosis: I think Rafa is close at this moment as is Scott McTominay.
      “But still, the coming two games, he’s not available.”
      Ten Hag revealed late last month that he was optimistic about France international’s chances of making a faster-than-expected recovery.
      The former Ajax boss told talkSPORT: “I think so, yeah. Varane, for the cup final, he can return.”
      United booked their place in the FA Cup final with a shootout victory over high-flying Brighton – who they travel to on Thursday night.
      And Ten Hag fully expects Roberto De Zerbi’s troops to be out for revenge at The Amex.
      He said: “It’s a normal reaction.
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      ” I think everyone involved in top sport, if you get beaten, you want to have revenge and that is normal.
      “They have a huge motivation to beat us, but we have to match that and do more, show more hunger than them, to win this game – willingness is the word for tomorrow.
      “We want to win every game, we want to win every competition.
      “We want to be in the Champions League, that is the competition we are now fighting for and that is the only thing in this moment to focus on.
      “The FA Cup final is after the season.
      Erik ten Hag expects Brighton to be out for revenge against United on ThursdayCredit: EPA
      “I never want to talk during the season of pride or satisfaction. You know my statement – satisfaction leads to laziness.
      “We have six games to go and every game we want to win, therefore you need full focus, full energy, full preparation and tomorrow is definitely going to be a fight.
      “We have to be ready for that fight and the points available.
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      “I don’t think about away or home, we have to win every game, so we have to win tomorrow as well.”
      United travel to The Amex on the back of a 1-0 win over Aston Villa – which saw them narrow the gap between themselves and third-placed Newcastle to two points. More

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      Ex-Man Utd star Angel Di Maria ‘withdraws from squad in suspicious circumstances’ after being left out of starting XI

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      ANGEL DI MARIA allegedly withdrew from the Juventus squad against Bologna after being told he was only going to be named on the bench.The 35-year-old Argentine hit the headlines last night as his club were held to a 1-1 draw in the Serie A clash.
      Mystery reportedly surrounds Angel Di Maria’s absence for Juventus last nightCredit: Getty
      The World Cup winner was left out of Massimiliano Allegri’s 23-man squad for the trip with the Italian side claiming that it was due to an ankle injury.
      However, Tuttosport is reporting that Di Maria has reportedly clashed with Allegri before the game after being told that he was due to start as substitute.
      He then pulled out of the squad in “suspicious circumstances”.
      Di Maria allegedly informed the Juventus boss he was suffering from the problem before withdrawing from the squad.
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      The former Real Madrid and Manchester United winger has endured a difficult campaign with the Bianconeri.
      He penned a one-year deal with the Turin giants after leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent.
      Di Maria struggled to impress before the World Cup in November but his form has improved since the tournament in Qatar.

      He has scored eight goals and provided seven assists in 32 appearances this season for Juventus.
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      However, over recent weeks, his displays have come under criticism again from supporters.
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      And he has not contributed to a goal in his last nine outings for the club.
      Juventus are currently third in the top-flight and battling for a top four finish.
      They are three points ahead of fifth-placed Milan in the chase to secure Champions League football. More

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      Cristiano Ronaldo hits major new milestone after joining Saudi side Al-Nassr

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      CRISTIANO Ronaldo has gained almost 170 million social media followers in a year, figures reveal.It cemented the former Man United ace’s position as the most followed footballer in the world.
      Ronaldo has gained almost 170 million social media followers in a year, figures revealCredit: Getty
      Ronaldo, 38, now with Saudi side Al-Nassr, has 855 million followers across all his accounts.
      Argentinian World Cup winner Lionel Messi, 35, has the next biggest presence, gaining 147 million users in a year to take his total to 579 million.
      Brazil star Neymar is third with 403 million followers, then France’s Kylian Mbappé with 132.5 million.
      Brazilian Vinícius Jr is fifth on 62.6 million, according to data website Football Benchmark.
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      A spokesman for SafeBettingSites.com, which collated the data, said of Portuguese Ronaldo: “His dwindling football career hasn’t impacted his social media popularity.”
      Meanwhile, former Manchester United midfielder Gordon Strachan recently revealed that his teammates gave Ronaldo a blunt warning when he arrived at Old Trafford.
      And he was brutally told: “We are not here to see you play.”
      Ronaldo joined the Red Devils for the first time in 2003.
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      “When Ronaldo arrived at Manchester United for the first time, there were people in the team who told him the truth,” Strachan said.
      “Sorry, we don’t want you dancing around with the ball when you can cross earlier.
      “Use your skills in areas where you can produce something useful.
      “We’re not here to see you play.” More

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      England ace Raheem Sterling says he ‘beat himself up’ over £300k burglary at his new home

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      ENGLAND ace Raheem Sterling says he “beat himself up” over a £300,000 burglary at his new home.The star, 28, flew home from the World Cup in Qatar after thieves broke in last December.
      England ace Raheem Sterling says he ‘beat himself up’ over a £300,000 burglary at his new homeCredit: Rex
      He said he had only just moved in and “was in the process of getting security” at the property in Oxshott, Surrey.
      Sterling, who joined Chelsea last July from Man City, said: “I beat myself up that I didn’t keep my family secure.
      “It’s one thing I said I would always do, so it wasn’t a nice feeling.”
      The dad of three added: “I couldn’t live with myself if anything had come to pass from it.”
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      “It was something I meant to do before going to the World Cup and I didn’t so I was beating myself up about it.
      “It’s the most scary thing to know with the age of the people living in my house. It’s not a nice feeling.”
      Nobody was home.
      Two men were arrested but no charges brought.
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      England hero Bobby Moore’s missing 1966 World Cup final jersey ‘may be a FAKE’

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      AN ENGLAND shirt said to be Bobby Moore’s missing 1966 World Cup final jersey may be a fake, it was claimed last night.Bobby was wearing the iconic red shirt when he hoisted the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley.
      England legend Bobby Moore was wearing the iconic red shirt when he lifted the 1966 World Cup trophyCredit: Gerry Cranham
      Ex-wife Tina believed it was safe in the attic of the home she shared with the Three Lions skipper in Chigwell, Essex.
      She was stunned when it seemingly resurfaced in the hands of an anonymous private buyer who was putting it up for sale.
      Now an expert says it might have been a spare — which would send its value plunging from around £10million to £10,000.
      The collector, who does not want to be named, told The Sun: “The Bobby Moore 1966 shirt is the Holy Grail.
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      “The mystery shirt’s badge differs slightly to close-up pictures I analysed of Bobby’s shirt.
      “From an enlarged photograph you can see that the white border at the top of the badge is clearly uneven, because the visible stitching is not straight.
      “In pictures released of the shirt up for auction, the white border at the top is even.
      “It’s a tiny detail but, in my opinion, very clear and very definitive.
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      “And in my opinion the shirt being auctioned is definitely not the shirt worn by Bobby in the ’66 final.
      “It is most likely another spare.”
      Tina, 79, and West Ham defender Bobby divorced in 1986 and Bobby remarried.
      He died in 1992.
      There is no suggestion of wrong­doing by the would-be seller, but the family want to know how they got the shirt.   More

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      Emi Martinez admits he ‘creates chaos’ and reveals he got into Bruno Fernandes’ head with brutal Cristiano Ronaldo joke

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      EMI MARTINEZ has opened up on what makes him so successful at saving penalties. The Aston Villa goalkeeper, 30, has developed a reputation for doing whatever it takes to ensure he comes out on top in shoot-outs after helping Argentina beat France in the World Cup final.
      Martinez has developed a reputation as a penalty specialistCredit: tictock
      Martinez revealed how he got inside Bruno Fernandes’s head before a penalty in 2021Credit: tic tock
      The 30-year-old also starred in the quarter final penalty win against The Netherlands with saves from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis.
      And he saved three out of five penalties in Argentina’s Copa America semi final shoot-out win over Colombia en route to lifting the trophy in 2021.
      Later that year Martinez was playing for Villa against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
      Having gone ahead in the 88th minute they conceded an injury time spot kick.
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      The World Cup winner admitted that he was surprised Bruno Fernandes and not Cristiano Ronaldo was taking the spot kick and he used this this to his advantage.
      Speaking to Ian Wright and Oriana Sabatini on Behind The Game he said: “I saw Ronaldo disappointed for not taking it, and I thought there is tension here.
      “I said ‘Come on, you take it now. He (Ronaldo) doesn’t want to shoot’. I said to Cavani ‘Why is Ronaldo not shooting?’ ”
      The shot-stopper’s antics caused a delay to the penalty being taken and he was accused of trash-talking Fernandes.
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      The former Arsenal man denied this and explained he just wanted to put doubt in Fernandes’s mind.
      Martinez was also seen jumping up and down on his line and swaying side to side, which was a tip international team-mate Lionel Messi had given him.
      He said: “It’s not even trash-talk. I create chaos. It was the 92nd minute of the game, I have to distract him in some way because they’ve got everything to win.
      “Bruno, he didn’t miss a pen for 25 pens or something. I asked Messi and he said when you move all around the place like that, they don’t like it. 
      “I was dancing not because I want to dance. I never practised that. I don’t know how to do it now, that just came out in the moment. 
      “The strikers they said ‘We pick a spot’, and the quality they’ve got they can put the ball in the spot.
      “So if you’re moving around so you create chaos, actually we see different spots.”
      Fans flooded to social media to give their thoughts on the explanation.
      One replied: “That was a pretty cool explanation of Bruno’s pen, goalkeepers are always at a disadvantage in pens so it’s kinda cool to hear all the little tactics each keeper employs to level the field.”
      A second said: “Even as a United fan I respect it. Especially because time has passed a bit since.
      “The s*** housery is elite and I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t appreciate that.”
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      A third added: “It’s just mind games and it’s part of taking a penalty. Someone who can do that to an opponent consistently deserves to be admired.”
      Maritnez and Aston Villa are flying high in fifth place in the Premier League and will continue their quest to secure European football away at Manchester United on Sunday. More