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      Jordan James upstaged Real Madrid superstar Luka Modric and hailed it the ‘best night of my life’

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      JORDAN JAMES hailed getting the better of Luka Modric as the best night of his life.The young Wales midfielder has been on cloud nine since last month’s stand-out display against the 170-cap Croatia captain in the shock 2-1 Euro 2024 qualifying win. 
      Birmingham rising star Jordan James has impressed for Wales in his six-cap international careerCredit: Getty
      James not only faced Luka Modric but also Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo BrozovicCredit: Alamy
      There are 19 years and 164 international caps between James and Real Madrid superstar Modric. 
      When asked about getting the upper hand over the 38-year-old and Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic in midfield, James replied: “I don’t think it gets much better than that.
      “It was the best night of my life. It was a massive win for the country as well as seeing how proud my family were in the crowd.
      “It’s difficult coming back down to earth from the biggest game of my life. But my mindset is exactly the same as it was before that game. Nothing’s changed.
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      “Whether that’s against Modric or anyone else, I’m still going to play exactly the same and hopefully I can do that in the next two games. 
      “We’ll look back on that Croatia game and take confidence into the next two. Confidence is really high but we can’t take anyone lightly. 
      “We still have a job to do. We know what it means to the country to get to these big tournaments, so that’s our focus and hopefully we can do that.”
      Birmingham ace James, 19, knows he must back up his impressive Cardiff performance in Armenia on Saturday.
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      Wales will qualify for the finals in Germany next summer if they pick up two Group D wins, starting in Yerevan before hosting Turkey on Tuesday
      James said of June’s 4-2 home thrashing by Armenia: “There is a bit of revenge there. You don’t like losing. It’s not nice and we want to get them back.”.
      James, who still lives at his family home in Hereford, admits Wales boss Robert Page picked him following Joe Allen’s retirement after last year’s World Cup.
      The six-cap midfielder is set to start again on Saturday and plans to repay Page by helping the Dragons move one win away from securing a fourth major tournament spot in five attempts.
      James added: “The last few months have been brilliant. All I’ve ever wanted to do is to play for my country. to be able to put that shirt on again and again is something I’ve always wanted to do.
      “I didn’t expect to play in these big games but you have to deal with it and I think I’ve done quite well.
      “That’s massive trust from the gaffer at such a young age. Playing for your country, there is a risk but he took it and I’m just trying to repay him for what he’s done for me.
      “There is a shortage in my position. I knew that. What Joe Allen has done for the country has been amazing.
      “For him to retire has left a space for someone to take. I wanted to be that guy. The last three games I feel I’ve been able to do that. If I can do the same thing over and over again then happy days.” More

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      Tottenham star Ben Davies always believed Wales could reach Euro 2024 – and two wins will do it

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      BEN DAVIES never believed Wales’ Euro 2024 dream was over.Against all the odds, the Dragons lie two wins away from automatic qualification for Germany next summer, starting in Armenia on Saturday.
      Harry Wilson scores twice in Wales’ superb 2-1 win over Croatia to put Euro 2024 qualification in their own handsCredit: Rex
      Boss Robert Page has already led Wales at a Euros and World Cup – and is bidding for a third successive major tournamentCredit: Alamy
      Wales suffered a shock 4-2 home Group D defeat to the same opposition in June as well as away to Turkey.
      And chief executive Noel Mooney planned to review boss Robert Page’s position as manager if they didn’t finish in the top two.
      But last month’s superb 2-1 victory over Croatia galvanised the Welsh and put them into second place above the World Cup semi-finalists on a better head-to-head.
      Now success for Page’s men in Yerevan followed by another win against already-qualified Turkey in Cardiff next Tuesday would book a fourth major tournament finals spot in five attempts.
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      Tottenham defender Davies, stand-in skipper for the injured Aaron Ramsey, said: “We never stopped believing in this group. It was disappointing to lose at home and a real wake-up call.
      “If you switch off and aren’t at your best, you get punished. We won’t be making that mistake again.
      “We’ve had our backs against the wall and we’ve given ourselves a chance. It’s quite clear the second game doesn’t matter if the first one doesn’t go our way.
      “It’s full focus on Armenia. If we don’t get the result then the Turkey one is irrelevant.
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      “We can get a result against anyone – we’ve shown that. It’s another huge chance we’ve got. 
      “Growing up it was a dream of Welsh football to be going to these major tournaments. That dream still exists. Once you qualify, it gives people the chance to dream. 
      “We’ve come into every camp with the focus of getting to these major tournaments with the belief we can do it.
      “We don’t want to sit on the success and say: ‘OK, we’ve been there and had a nice time’.
      “We’ve had a great run so far, but once you get a taste of it you want to do it again. That’s exactly where we are as a group this time.”
      Davies, 30, delivered a rousing ‘huddle’ speech following the Croatia triumph inspired by two-goal hero Harry Wilson.
      Evoking the words of Dafydd Iwan’s Yma O Hyd – the 1980s folk protest song which has been adopted by Wales’ Red Wall as an anthem – Davies declared his team-mates must never give up.
      Davies, who is set to win his 83rd cap, added: “It was just a case of showing the reason why we’re here.
      “People doubted us again but we’re still standing.
      “We’re standing up against the challenges and here we are with two games to go still in the fight.”
      Wales reached Euro 2020 under previous boss Ryan Giggs by winning their final two matches, away to Azerbaijan and then at home to Hungary, in November 2019.
      In the post-Gareth Bale era, Davies – one of four survivors along with Ramsey and keepers Danny Ward and Wayne Hennessey from the Euro 2016 squad which reached the semi-finals – said: “There are similarities from the last time we qualified.
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      “It’s a tight group and they’re always going to come down to the last games.
      “Most of us have been in this situation before and it’s an opportunity for us to do it again. We’re ready for it.” More

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      Wales calm security fears ahead of Euro 2024 qualifying trip to Armenia with Rob Page ‘raring to go’

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      WALES have played down security fears ahead of their crunch Euro 2024 qualifier in Armenia.The Football Association of Wales had been in contact with the UK Foreign Office over recent weeks following conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
      Wales lost the reverse Group D qualifier to Armenia 4-2 at home in JuneCredit: Reuters
      Harry Wilson scores twice in 2-1 success over Croatia last monthCredit: Rex
      The territory, which had been controlled by Armenians for three decades, was seized by Azerbaijan in September. 
      Wales face the hosts on Saturday in the capital city of Yerevan, which is 171 miles from Nagorno-Karabakh.
      But Dragons boss Robert Page calmed any worries over safety when his squad make the trip to Eastern Europe later this week for the vital Group D clash.
      Uefa have also monitored the situation but there have been no plans to move the fixture to a different venue as Wales bid to avenge the 4-2 home loss against the same opposition in June.
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      Page confirmed the FAW contact with government officials and added: “There has been nothing that has been brought to our attention that we have to be concerned about.
      “It’s all good and we’re raring to go.”
      Page’s Wales squad met up in Cardiff at their Vale of Glamorgan base yesterday full of confidence following the superb 2-1 home victory over Croatia last month.
      Two wins for the Dragons against Armenia and then already-qualified Turkey in the Welsh capital on November 21 would book a spot for the finals in Germany next summer.
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      It would also represent a third successive Euros place for Wales. More

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      Saudi Arabia set to host World Cup 2034 after Australia pull out of the bidding leaving no competition

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      SAUDI ARABIA is set to host the World Cup in 2034.That’s after rival bidders Australia pulled out of the running on deadline day, leaving no competition for the Middle Eastern nation.
      Saudi Arabia looks set to host the 2034 World Cup after Australia dropped out of the raceCredit: EPA
      Saudi Arabia launched their bid to host the 2034 World Cup in September.
      Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is looking to transform his country in a project called Vision 2030.
      And that includes building a brand new £1TRILLION mega-city — which could end up hosting the entire World Cup.
      SunSport exclusively revealed this month that Saudi Arabia, a strict Muslim country, is even ready to suspend its ban on alcohol to attract football supporters from around the globe.
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      But there was a fly in the ointment when we also told you that Australia had launched a last-ditch bid to host the 2034 World Cup.
      Having impressed at the Qatar tournament before crashing out in the last-16 to eventual winners Argentina, the Aussies were hoping to succeed with an 11th-hour proposal.
      A joint four-way bid including Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore had even been mooted ahead of today’s deadline.
      But Football Australia have now announced they are out of the running to host the World Cup in 2034, paving the way for sole bidders Saudi Arabia to win.
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      Instead, the Aussies hope to host the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup AND the 2029 Club World Cup.
      A lengthy statement read: “We have explored the opportunity to host the FIFA World Cup and — having taken all factors into consideration — we have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition.
      “We wish FIFA and the eventual hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2034 the greatest success for the good of the game and for everyone who loves our sport.” More

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      Why are Saudi Arabia called KSA on TV when playing football?

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      EAGLE-EYED football fans may have spotted Saudi Arabia being referred to as KSA on TV.But why is this abbreviation used, how many World Cups have Saudi Arabia played in and who is currently in the squad? Here’s everything you need to know.
      Saudi Arabia’s name gets truncated to KSA on World Cup scoreline graphics
      Why are Saudi Arabia called KSA on TV?
      KSA stands for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – the country’s official name, which when abbreviated fits inside the small space allocated to the game’s scoreboard on TV broadcasts.
      The country was founded as a kingdom in 1932 by King Abdulaziz Al-Saud.
      According to reports, both FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) use the KSA abbreviation.
      However, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) uses SA.
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      How many times have Saudi Arabia played at the World Cup?
      In 2022, Saudi Arabia sealed their spot in Qatar and made their sixth appearance at the World Cup.
      The national team made their first World Cup debut in 1994 – when they reached the last 16 in the USA.
      They became the second Arab team in history to reach the round of 16 of a World Cup after Morocco at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
      Saudi Arabia then returned to the competition in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018, and 2022.
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      In the latest World Cup competition, the team beat eventual champions Argentina 2-1, however, they later lost the following matches against Poland and Mexico.
      As a result, Saudi Arabia were knocked out fourth in the group stage.
      In September 2023, Saudi Arabia launched their bid to host the 2034 World Cup – pushing back their initial plans to stage the 2030 tournament.
      The Saudi FA released a statement which read: “Today, we enter the next chapter of Saudi football: intending to bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
      “Our bid is inspired by Saudi Arabia’s transformation journey, the passion of our fans, and a commitment to deliver an amazing tournament.”
      What other competitions have Saudi Arabia competed in?
      Aside from competing in the World Cup, Saudi Arabia have also competed in a number of other competitions.
      They have won the AFC Asian Cup three times in 1984, 1988, and 1996 and have reached a joint record six Asian Cup finals.
      Saudi Arabia are the first Asian team to reach the final of a senior FIFA competition at the 1992 King Fahd Cup – which would eventually become the FIFA Confederations Cup.
      The national team also regularly participates in the Gulf Cup of Nations and Arab Nations Cup.
      Who is in the current Saudi Arabia squad?
      In August 2023, Roberto Mancini was named as the new manager of Saudi Arabia – two weeks after he resigned as Italy’s head coach, following five years at the helm.
      Mancini’s contract is claimed to be worth a staggering £21.5million per year after tax.
      Saudi Arabia were managed by Herve Renard at last year’s World Cup, but the Frenchman stepped down in order to join his own country’s women’s national team.
      Here we take a look at who is in the current Saudi Arabia squad.

      GK – Mohammed Al-Owais
      GK – Mohammed Al-Rubaie
      GK – Raghed Al-Najjar
      GK – Hamed Al-Shanqiti
      DF – Yasser Al-Shahrani
      DF – Ali Al-Bulaihi
      DF – Saud Abdulhamid
      DF – Sultan Al-Ghannam
      DF – Abdulelah Al-Amri
      DF – Hassan Al-Tambakti
      DF – Ali Lajami
      DF – Zakaria Hawsawi
      MF – Salem Al-Dawsari
      MF – Fahad Al-Muwallad
      MF – Salman Al-Faraj
      MF – Mohamed Kanno
      MF – Abdulellah Al-Malki
      MF – Sami Al-Najei
      MF – Abdulrahaman Ghareeb
      MF – Abdullah Al-Khaibari
      MF – Nasser Al-Dawsari
      MF – Ayman Yahya
      MF – Ali Hazazi
      MF – Faisal Al-Ghamdi
      MF – Eid Al-Muwallad

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      Other members of the squad include:

      FW – Firas Al-Buraikan
      FW – Abdullah Al-Hamdan
      FW – Saleh Al-Shehri
      FW – Haroune Camara
      FW – Haitham Asiri
      FW – Mohammed Maran More

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      Who is Neymar’s sister Rafaella Santos?

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      RAFAELLA Santos has managed to create a successful name of her own despite her big brother’s superstar status.But who exactly is she and why is she famous? Here’s what we know.
      Neymar and Rafaella pictured with their mother Nadine Da Silva
      Who is Rafaella Santos?
      Rafaella Santos is Neymar’s younger sister, who was born on March 11, 1996.
      She legally changed her surname to Beckran once of the appropriate age.
      Brazilian tabloid Globo claims that the surname change was in honour of her childhood idol, David Beckham.
      She was raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil with her older brothers, Joclecio Amancio dos Santos and Neymar Jr.
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      Rafaella had previously been in a relationship with former Inter Milan forward Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa who was spotted early in on her modelling career but the couple decided to go their separate ways in 2018.
      The model has an incredibly close relationship with her brother which has stretched as far as them getting matching tattoos and the pair even have tattoos of each other printed on their bodies.
      Speaking about his sister, Neymar once said: “My heart is yours, my love is yours, my smile is yours, my day, my night, my longing, my best company”.
      Their bond has caused a lot of controversies and has even led people to believe that there is a “curse of Neymar’s sister’s birthday”
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      Why is she famous?
      In the last decade, Neymar’s sister’s social media influence has skyrocketed with supporters being treated to the blonde beauty showing off her outfits alongside modelling for a number of organisations.
      She made her name in modelling when she starred in a World Cup-themed advert for Beats by Dre in 2014.
      Since then, Rafaella has gone on to model for a number of clothing brands which has landed her in the limelight along with being related to Brazilian icon Neymar.
      As of October 2023, she has over 6.1 million followers on Instagram.
      You can find her account under the username @rafaella
      With some of the money Rafaella has made, she heavily invested in the charity Instituto Neymar –  a charity her older brother created in 2014 which focuses on helping disadvantaged children who live in their home town of Praia Grande, Sao Paulo.
      What is the curse of Neymar’s sister’s birthday?
      Almost every year around Rafaella’s birthday on March 11, Neymar usually ends up with an injury or suspension.
      Many believe he misses these games so he can celebrate her big day.
      It began on February 28, 2015, when Neymar picked up a yellow card against Granada that caused him to miss the game the following month against Rayo Vallecano – three days before his sister’s birthday.
      In 2016, he missed a game on March 6 due to another suspension from an accumulation of yellow cards in La Liga.
      The curse happened again the following year when Neymar suffered an injury that caused him to be out of action in early March.
      In 2018, he missed the remainder of the 2017/2018 season with a metatarsal fracture.
      The following year, the same issue happened again, although he was able to return to the pitch for PSG in April.
      Many were shocked when Neymar actually played in 2020 on his sister’s birthday, scoring a goal against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
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      But many pointed out that he couldn’t have celebrated with his sister back in Brazil at this point due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
      The curse returned in 2021 as he missed the match against Nantes with a muscle injury. More

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      First teams already eliminated from 2026 World Cup contention – 969 days before the tournament begins

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      GUAM have become the first nation to be eliminated from 2026 World Cup contention – 969 days before the tournament is set to begin.The western Pacific island take part in the AFC’s qualifying path.
      Nations around the globe are already dreaming of World Cup 2026 gloryCredit: EMPICS Sport
      Twenty sides were drawn into two-legged ties, with the losers of each OUT of World Cup contention.
      Guam drew Singapore and were beaten 2-1 in the first leg.
      The two sides met again in Dededo on Tuesday, with Shawal Anuar’s late goal consigning Guam to a 3-1 aggregate defeat.
      Other Asian nations have since also fallen by the wayside, their dreams of competing on the world stage already parked until 2030.
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      Mongolia were beaten 2-0 on aggregate by Afghanistan.
      Yemen overcame Sri Lanka 4-1 across two legs.
      Cambodia were narrowly edged out 1-0 by Pakistan.
      Timor-Leste were beaten 7-0 on aggregate by Chinese Taipei.
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      Macau held Myanmar to a 0-0 draw at home, but were beaten 5-1 by their rivals in the away leg.
      Bangladesh edged past the Maldives 2-1 on aggregate, holding on with ten men in the second clash.
      Meanwhile, Bhutan fell short in their comeback against Hong Kong, only managing a 2-0 win after losing the first leg 4-0.
      Nepal scaped through against Laos 2-1 and Indonesia thumped Brunei 12-0 – with resounding 6-0 wins home and away. More

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      Who is England vs Australia referee Stephanie Frappart?

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      STEPHANIE FRAPPART is refereeing England’s clash with Australia tonight. France’s Frappart was selected as a group of female match referees to history in Qatar at the World Cup last year.
      Stephanie Frappert is making history at World Cup 2022
      Frappert lining up before officiating Juventus vs Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League
      The Frenchwoman acted as a fourth official at Euro 2020, making history by doing so.
      Frappart also made history in December 2022 by becoming the first female to referee a men’s Champions League game.

      She officiated the Group G clash between Juventus and Dynamo Kiev in Turin.
      The 37-year-old was also in the middle for the 2019 Super Cup between Chelsea and Liverpool, as well as the women’s World Cup final in the same year.
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      In October 2020 Frappart refereed her first Europa League game – overseeing Leicester’s game with Zorya Luhansk.
      Frappart has reffed sixteen times this season in the French Ligue 1, showing 62 yellows at an average of 3.88 per game.
      She has sent off just one player in the league this season.
      Frappert officiated the 2019 Super Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool that the Reds won 5-4 on penalties.
      Frappert showed three yellow cards in the UEFA Super Cup game between Chelsea and Liverpool

      Who is Stephanie Frappart?

      Born – Herblay, France
      Age – 37 years old
      Debut – 2011, French men’s third tier
      April 2019 – First female referee in Ligue 1
      December 2020 – First female referee in the Champions League
      June 2021 – First female referee at a men’s major tournament

      Stephanie Frappart poses with her medal after refereeing the 2019 UEFA Super Cup

      After officiating the 2019 Super Cup between Chelsea and Liverpool Frappart told CNN:
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      “It was a pretty special feeling when you walked out in the stadium and the crowd were actually cheering for us, I’ve never experienced that and in such a big, big match.
      “In the warm-up I looked around and I was like, the other teams aren’t here so they have to be cheering for us.”
      “When you looked up at the crowd, I normally don’t engage with the crowd, they were looking at us and a few were waving and giving us thumbs up and congratulations. I thought that was pretty special.”
      Euro 2020 gets underway on June 11 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome as Turkey take on Italy

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