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European football leagues (La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A, etc.) 2019-20 Discussion Thread

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says La Liga will restart on June 8.
 
MenInG said:
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says La Liga will restart on June 8.
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BREAKING: Spain's La Liga free to restart from 8 June

The Spanish government has announced the country's top-flight professional football league can resume from 8 June.

La Liga has been suspended because of coronavirus since March but players returned to training earlier this month with the hope of a resumption behind closed doors.

There are 11 rounds of matches remaining in La Liga, with Barcelona two points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table.

Spain has been one of the countries hit worst by the virus but has relaxed restrictions in recent weeks.

The German Bundesliga became the first major European league to restart last weekend.
 
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Borussia Dortmund kept up the pressure on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich ahead of Tuesday's clash between the two with a hard-fought victory at Wolfsburg.

The visitors were largely the better side throughout, controlling possession and probing for openings against an opponent set up to defend and hit on the break.

It was from such a patient move that Raphael Guerreiro gave them the lead with his eighth goal of the season, slotted in from close range after Erling Braut Haaland had failed to convert.

Jadon Sancho, who has been struggling with a groin strain, again started on the bench but came on to set up the second goal, scored via a low drilled finish by Achraf Hakimi.

Shortly after, a VAR review led to home player Felix Klaus being shown a straight red for a high tackle on Manuel Akanji, that caught the Dortmund player on the calf.

Dortmund's win means they are now a point behind Bayern but the reigning champions can increase this to four again with victory over Eintracht Frankfurt later on Saturday.

Guile and grit from Dortmund
It is now two wins from two for Dortmund since German top-flight football returned, with this victory following the impressive one achieved over Schalke last Saturday.

Once again, though, it made for eerie watching, with no fans in attendance and every shout from players and support staff audible.

And strict hygiene protocols remain firmly in place, meaning - amongst other measures - warm-ups were staggered, while coaching staff and substitutes wore masks and were all separated by two metres as they took their place on the sidelines.

In general, though, it appeared to be another success as Germany lead the way for Europe's top leagues to follow in staging football during the ongoing pandemic.

The away side were noticeably superior in the first half and could easily have led by more had Thorgan Hazard been able to steer his first-time effort from the edge of the box on target instead of wide.

Wolfsburg came out fighting in the second half, though, and should have been level soon after the break.

However, Renato Steffen could only hit the top of the bar with his shot after being put through on goal by Wout Weghorst.

Sancho's introduction injected more life into the visitors and his typical driving run and pass set up Hakimi to all but seal the win before Klaus's technology-assisted dismissal.
 
Tests discover 10 positive cases at English football clubs

Eight Premier League footballers or officials have now tested positive for coronavirus after an unnamed Bournemouth player was one of two new cases discovered in the latest round of tests.

The English top-flight, which hopes to restart in June, has tested 1744 players and officials.

In 1014 tests conducted at Championship clubs, two people at Hull City were the only ones to produce positive tests. Teams in the 24-club second tier are due to resume training on Monday.

Last weekend, Germany's top two divisions became the first major European leagues to resume.

German clubs returned 10 positive results from 1,724 coronavirus tests, it was announced on 5 May. Matches resumed behind closed doors 11 days later.

Spain's La Liga has been given the go-ahead to restart from 8 June. Five players tested positive across Spain's top two divisions before clubs were allowed to begin individual training on 18 May.
 
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has called on French authorities to reconsider their decision to end the football season early.

On 28 April, it was announced the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 seasons would not resume because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter to France's prime minister and sports minister, Aulas said French football would face an "unprecedented economic and social crisis".

Lyon were seventh when the season was ended, so miss European qualification.

Ligue 1 is the only one of the big five European leagues to have ended its season, with the Bundesliga having resumed and the top flights in Spain, Italy and England hoping for June restarts.

The Dutch and Belgian leagues have also been terminated.

"The Bundesliga resumed matches on 16 May, Spain will resume matches on 8 June. Italy, Russia and Portugal have resumed collective training and England is working on a resumption after 19 June," Aulas said.

"How can France not be downgraded very quickly and see its professional football devalued?"

The French government is expected to announce an easing of restrictions in the country on 2 June.

"Many developments and hopes are expected on this date, so that France can gradually regain a good dynamic," added Aulas.

"Could we imagine that 2 June is also a great opportunity to rectify the mistake concerning French football and to allow, with a health protocol used everywhere, a gradual resumption of training and, why not, a resumption of the 2019-20 season over the months of July or August?"

Last week, Lyon were one of three clubs, alongside the relegated Amiens and Toulouse, to have appeals against ending the Ligue 1 season early rejected.
 
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund. Robert Lewandowski v Erling Braut Haaland.

German football's biggest names meet on Tuesday evening and to make things even better there's a title on the line.

A win for second-place Dortmund would move them within a point of leaders Bayern with six games left, while victory for the seven-time reigning champions would put them seven points clear at the top.

This 'Der Klassiker' also sees Haaland - football's most exciting young star - go up against Robert Lewandowski - one of the game's most accomplished strikers - for the first time.

Both men have scored 41 goals in 35 games all domestic competitions this season, putting them level at the top of the European goal-scoring chart.

Throw in a possible return to the Dortmund starting line-up for England winger Jadon Sancho, and the chance to see Alphonso Davies, Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry and in-form Julian Brandt on the same pitch, it could be quite the match.

That said, Bayern coach Hansi Flick has stopped short of calling the game a title decider.

"Regardless of the result, nothing will be decided," said Flick whose side, like Dortmund, have won both of their games since the Bundesliga resumed behind closed doors on 16 May, following a two-month break because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dortmund hope Germany centre-back Mats Hummels is fit enough to play after he went off injured at half-time during Saturday's 2-0 win at Wolfsburg.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52788633
 
Serie A will resume on June 20 after the Italian government gave its approval on Thursday.
 
Spain's La Liga to resume on 11 June

Spain's La Liga will resume on 11 June with next season starting on 12 September, the league's president Javier Tebas has said.

On Monday, Tebas said a behind-closed-doors derby between Real Betis and Sevilla could restart the campaign.

"We're prepared and the important thing will be the day we finish the league," Tebas told Spanish newspaper Marca.

Tebas also said audiovisual testing was being carried out so fans had a choice of different viewing experiences at home - with the real "silence" from the stadiums or "simulation of the crowds" being played.
 
La Liga clubs free to start full training from Monday

MADRID (Reuters) - Clubs in Spain’s top two soccer divisions can hold full training sessions from Monday for the first time since returning to activity after action was halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers La Liga have said.

“Clubs will begin collective training on June 1 after the government’s latest health order on the easing of restrictions,” La Liga said in a statement on Saturday.

Teams returned to individual training at the start of May before progressing to training in groups of up 10 players two weeks later and groups of 14 players from last Monday.

The top flight will resume on June 11 without fans attending, with Sevilla taking on Real Betis and with matches potentially to be played every day of the week until the season is concluded on July 19.

All organised football in Spain was provisionally suspended on March 12 as the virus ravaged the country, but the rate of infection has slowed significantly. Thirty-nine people died in the last week compared with a daily death toll in the hundreds a month ago, the health ministry said on Friday.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-h...start-full-training-from-monday-idUKKBN2360GR
 
Spanish football to resume a day early with second half of abandoned match

Spanish football will return a day earlier than planned when the second half of a second division match that was abandoned because of offensive chanting is played on 10 June.

Rayo Vallecano fans chanted that Albacete's Roman Zozulya was a "Nazi" during their match on 15 December.

It was goalless when the match was abandoned at half-time.

La Liga will resume on 11 June while the Segunda Division will properly restart the following day.

Ukraine forward Zozulya joined Rayo on loan in 2017 but the deal was cancelled after some fans said the town was "not a place for Nazis".

He has always denied links with far-right groups.

In an open letter to Rayo fans in 2017, Zozulya claimed "a misunderstanding by a journalist who knows very little about the reality of my country and my own career" led to the belief he was involved in the far-right movement in Ukraine.

Rayo were fined 18,000 euros and given a two-match partial stadium closure.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52904367
 
Fake crowd noise livens up German football coverage
Think watching behind-closed-doors football matches are boring without boisterous fans creating an atmosphere? If you're nodding your head, then you might enjoy what one English broadcaster has done today.

Fans tuning in to BT Sport's coverage of German Bundesliga matches were surprised to hear crowd noise and goal celebrations dubbed on the live action.

It is a concept which the company will also use for its Premier League coverage. Sky Sports is expected to do the same when the English top-flight restarts on 17 June.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Watching the <a href="https://twitter.com/Bundesliga_EN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bundesliga_EN</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/btsport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@btsport</a> and the manufactured crowd noise is definitely better than the eerie silence that comes with behind closed doors football. Helps the commentators too, I reckon. Not like the real thing, of course, but better.</p>— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) <a href="https://twitter.com/GaryLineker/status/1269279565685424128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Looks like Bayern Munich and Juventus are gonna win their leagues again this year
 
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UEFA set to choose schedules, venues for European football

Match schedules and venues for international soccer in Europe disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic will be decided by UEFA next week.

The Champions League, for this season and next, and the postponed European Championship playoffs and final tournament are at the top of the executive committee agenda published by UEFA.
 
It has been 96 days since the last top-level football match in Italy but tonight the sport finally returns, albeit behind closed doors.

It gets back under way after it was halted because of the pandemic on 9 March with a cup semi-final second leg between two of the country's biggest clubs - AC Milan and Juventus.

The second Coppa Italia semi-final, Napoli v Inter, will be on Saturday with the league - Serie A - resuming on 20 June.

The return in football in Italy follows the sport restarting in Germany last month, matches resuming again earlier this week in Spain and the English Premier League set to kick-off again on Wednesday as restrictions ease across Europe.
 
Coppa Italia: Juventus 0-0 Milan (1-1 on aggregate but Juventus win on away goals and advance to the final).
 
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Barcelona scored 66 seconds into their return to action as Lionel Messi completed a comfortable 4-0 win at Mallorca in La Liga.

Arturo Vidal headed the opener and former Middlesbrough striker Martin Braithwaite added his first for the club before the break.

Luis Suarez came off the bench to make his first appearance since early January and Jordi Alba made it 3-0.

Lionel Messi scored his 20th league goal of the season late on.

Barca are now five points clear at the top of the table, and while Real will aim to trim the gap when they face Eibar on Sunday, this performance illustrated the size of their task to chase down the leaders.

The league's coronavirus suspension had given Suarez, 33, time to recover after the Uruguayan striker underwent surgery on his right knee in January.

The former Liverpool man looked sharp enough and went close on several occasions, almost scoring the game's fifth goal in added time.

But, after Vidal's powerful early header, it was Suarez's shock stand-in who caught the eye.

Martin Braithwaite is the third Danish player to score a La Liga goal for Barcelona, after Allan Simonsen and Michael Laudrup.

La Liga gave Barcelona permission to make a signing outside the transfer window in February after Ousmane Dembele was ruled out with an injury - and they rather surprisingly moved for Braithwaite, signing him from Leganes.

Braithwaite: Why have Barcelona signed a Middlesbrough flop?
His first La Liga goal was excellent, thumping in from Messi's header, and he was only denied a second by a fine save from Manolo Reina.

Mallorca had plenty of possession without causing too much drama, something a pitch invader in a Messi Argentina shirt provided, somehow making his way on to the field despite the game being played without any fans in the stadium.

No harm was done, and Messi then freed Alba with a perfect pass and the left-back slotted home. The newly beardless Messi has been directly involved in 15 of Barcelona's 18 La Liga goals under Quique Setien (seven goals, eight assists).

And right at the end Messi reached the milestone of 20 La Liga goals for a 12th straight season, collecting a pass from Suarez, chopping inside and curling in via a slight deflection.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53027865
 
Edinson Cavani and Thiago Silva are set to leave Paris St-Germain this summer after the conclusion of the club's Champions League campaign in August.

Uruguay striker Cavani, 33, is PSG's record scorer with 200 goals and Brazil defender Silva, 35, is club captain.

"It was a difficult decision to make - they are players who made their mark on the club's history," sporting director Leonardo told Le Journal du Dimanche.

"The stories were so beautiful. But, yes, we are coming to the end."

He added: "We had to make a logical decision. Maybe we are wrong, I do not know - there is never a perfect moment. Now the Champions League is still in sight, and the idea is to continue competing with them until the end of August. How it can be done is not yet clear."

Both players' contracts are due to expire on 30 June. Ligue 1 was cancelled in April, but the Champions League is due to be completed in August with a mini-tournament behind closed doors.

PSG resume training on 22 June and are already through to the Champions League quarter-finals after beating Borussia Dortmund in March before football was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cavani had asked to leave the French champions in January amid interest from Spanish side Atletico Madrid, while he was also linked to Manchester United and Chelsea.

Last month, PSG signed striker Mauro Icardi for 60m euros (£54m) from Inter Milan.

When asked if forwards Neymar and Kylian Mbappe would still be at the club next season, Leonardo said: "Nothing tells us otherwise.

"They still have two years on their contracts and we're more thinking about the future with them. We want to go forward."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53040386
 
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Bayern Munich celebrated in a near-empty stadium after securing an outstanding eighth successive title.

Robert Lewandowski chested down Jerome Boateng's chipped pass to net the winner against Werder Bremen - and seal the league with two games to spare.

Bayern's 11th straight Bundesliga win put them 10 points clear of Borussia Dortmund, who have three games left.

Bayern finished the match with 10 men after Alphonso Davies was sent off for two yellow-card offences.

How successful has the Bundesliga restart been?

Poland striker Lewandowski has scored 31 league goals this season, a tally that equals the single-season scoring record by a foreign player in the league. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, now at Arsenal, scored 31 Bundesliga goals for Borussia Dortmund in 2016-17.

Bayern were far from their best against a Werder Bremen side fighting for survival at the other end of the table.

With the game goalless, Bremen's Maximilian Eggestein went close from distance before Lewandowski's quality winner after Kingsley Coman had earlier headed narrowly wide.

Coman again went close before teenager Davies was sent off with 11 minutes remaining, while Werder Bremen had a late appeal for a penalty for handball turned down.

Seven points clear of nearest rivals Borussia Dortmund with three games to go before kick-off, Bayern needed one win from their remaining three games to wrap up another title.

When Bayern won the title on the final day of last season, they did so after an emphatic 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in front of 75,000 fans at the Allianz Arena.

On Tuesday, there were no supporters present inside Werder Bremen's 42,000-capacity Weserstadion as they wrapped up the title in pouring rain.

The full-time whistle was greeted with shouts of delight from Bayern's players which echoed around the empty stadium, but it was a far cry from previous title celebrations before the coronavirus pandemic.

"It is sensational the kind of football we have played in the past few months," said Flick, a four-time Bundesliga winner with Bayern as a player.

"You could feel the passion, the joy for the game and the team spirit."

With matches at home to Freiburg and away to Wolfsburg still to come, Bayern's latest domestic triumph looks relatively straightforward but it required a managerial change to kick-start their season after a poor opening.

After an embarrassing 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt on 2 November, Bayern were fourth in the table, four points behind early-season leaders Borussia Monchengladbach.

That result spelt the end of Niko Kovac's 16-month reign, Flick appointed interim boss before signing a new contract until 2023 in April.

And Bayern have flourished under the 55-year-old former Germany assistant.

This result means they have taken 58 points from a possible 66, yet their season is far from over.

While Bayern have progressed to the final of the German Cup, where they will meet Bayer Leverkusen on 4 July in Berlin, the five-time champions of Europe are still in the Champions League and are well placed to reach the quarter-finals after establishing a 3-0 lead over Chelsea in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

"We have now taken the first step and reached our big goal," added Flick.

"But we also have the cup in our sights and then obviously the Champions League games are something you cannot plan for and we still need to survive the Chelsea game."

Nine league titles at one club - the stats

David Alaba and Thomas Muller win their ninth Bundesliga championship title, equalling the record set by Franck Ribery last season.
Hansi Flick is the third person to win the Bundesliga title for Bayern both as a player and a manager, after Franz Beckenbauer and Niko Kovac. Flick won the Bundesliga title as a Bayern player in 1985-86, 1986-87, 1988-89 and 1989-90.

In Europe's top five leagues, only Juventus (35 in Serie A) and Real Madrid (33 in La Liga) have won more league titles than Bayern (30, including pre-Bundesliga era).

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53071043

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Napoli held their nerve to claim a first major trophy in six seasons by beating Juventus 4-2 in a penalty shootout in the Coppa Italia final.

Arkadiusz Milik scored the winning spot-kick after Paulo Dybala had seen his first for Juve saved, before team-mate Danilo blazed the second over.

This followed a hard-fought 0-0 over 90 minutes of few chances, played behind closed doors at the Stadio Olimpico.

It gives Napoli boss Gennaro Gattuso his first major trophy as a manager.

However, for his opposite number Maurizio Sarri it is another lost piece of potential silverware.

So far in his career - which included a transformational three-year spell at Napoli that saw them regularly challenge for the title - Sarri has just last season's Europa League to his name, from his one campaign with Chelsea.

And while his side currently top Serie A, they are far from assured of securing a ninth straight title and his first trophy on home soil, with their lead over second-placed Lazio just one point.
 
Bayern Munich are extending Philippe Coutinho's loan deal from Barcelona until the end of the season
 
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Real Madrid won their first La Liga title in three years with a game to spare as they edged past Villarreal at an empty Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium.

Karim Benzema fired between the legs of Sergio Asenjo and added a controversial second from a retaken penalty.

In bizarre fashion, Sergio Ramos had rolled the first attempt for Benzema to smash in but the effort was disallowed.

Vicente Iborra pulled one back but it mattered little to Real as the club wrapped up their 34th Spanish title.

Zinedine Zidane's side have won all 10 of their matches since Spanish football restarted in June.

They head into the final day of the season with an unassailable seven-point lead over second-placed Barcelona.

Behind closed doors in a 6,000-seat stadium at the club's training complex is perhaps not the stage for the grand crowning Real would have imagined for their first title since 2017.

But that did not stop Zidane's squad pulling on shirts with "Campeones 34" printed on the back before lifting the trophy in celebration as ticker tape fell over the pitch.

"It has been a strange season but our objective was very clear once the league restarted," said Ramos afterwards. "We wanted to win every game."

La Liga titles have been in shorter supply than Champions League triumphs for Real this decade, with this only their third in the past nine seasons.

They won three successive European Cups in Zidane's first tenure but had recorded successive third-place finishes since their previous domestic title, as Barcelona were crowned champions.

Zidane was in charge the last time they won the league and made it his aim to reclaim the title after returning midway through the last campaign - less than a year after his departure.

It looked as if the Frenchman's side would fail to deliver on that objective when football in Spain was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic in March, with Barcelona top of the table.

But Real have been in scintillating form since the restart and did not look like losing after Benzema's opener on Thursday. His second from the spot put the game beyond Villarreal's reach, despite a nervy final few minutes.

In the end, Barcelona's defeat by Osasuna made the victory a little more comfortable but no less significant for Zidane, who was hoisted into the air by his players.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53437428

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Campeones Ole Ole!

Unbelievable how the corona break worked differently for Real giving them a big boost. What a comeback. Even though our attack is weak our super defending made the difference. Love Ramos who for sure is the player of the season with his tremendous contribution in both attacking and defending. I can't believe that this guy is 34. Crazy!

A consistent and steady Real, but Barcelona's weak and sluggish performances after the corona break did help us. So a thank you to my Catalan friends as well.
 
Cristiano Ronaldo dedicated Juventus' record-extending ninth successive Serie A title 'to the fans' as they defeated Sampdoria in Turin.

The forward scored his 31st league goal of the season from Miralem Pjanic's short free-kick and Federico Bernardeschi sealed the victory.

Maurizio Sarri's side are the only team to win nine consecutive titles in one of Europe's top five leagues.

It extends their own record, which Bayern Munich had matched in June.

Ronaldo missed the chance to get closer to Ciro Immobile's tally of 34 at the top of the Serie A goal charts as he struck a penalty against the crossbar in the final minutes.

Juventus 2-0 Sampdoria as it happened
Juventus had missed the chance to claim the title in what manager Sarri described as a "messy" defeat at Udinese on Thursday and began Sunday's match with just one win in their last five games.

They were far from their free-flowing best and were forced to withstand plenty of pressure in the second half but Bernardeschi's goal from Ronaldo's saved attempt ensured former Chelsea manager Sarri won the first league title of his managerial career.

Sampdoria's hopes of finding a way back into the match ended as they were reduced to 10-men following a second booking for Morten Thorsby.

Ronaldo's goal sees him move to within three of leading Serie A goalscorer Immobile, who scored a hat-trick in a 5-1 win over Verona earlier on Sunday.

"I told the players 'if you win with me who has never won anything, it is because you are really strong'," said Sarri, whose only major trophy win was the Europa League with Chelsea in May 2019.

Title dedicated to the fans
Ronaldo, 35, has scored 10 goals since football returned in Italy on June 20, more than any other player in Europe, bringing his tally to 31 this season.

He has also matched former Italy World Cup winner Felice Borel, who was the last player to score 31 goals for Juventus in the 1933-34 season, with two games remaining.

"Delighted for the second consecutive championship and to continue building the history of this great and splendid club," said Ronaldo on Instagram.

"This title is dedicated to all Juventus fans, in particular to those who have suffered and are suffering from the pandemic that has taken us all by surprise by overturning the world.

"It was not easy. Your courage, your attitude and your determination were the strength we needed to face this tight final of the championship and fight to the end for this title that belongs to all of Italy.

"A big hug to you all."

Defender Leonardo Bonucci added: "It is the most beautiful success, even the most difficult because we wanted it and suffered.

"We started on a new path with a lot of scepticism around us, we gave everything, despite some slip-ups.

"It was a complicated year for everyone in the world, it was difficult to return after so many months not playing."

Juventus extend record domination
Juventus are one of three European teams to be on a run of nine titles in a row, alongside Celtic in Scotland and Ludogorets Razgrad of Bulgaria.

The world record for consecutive league titles is thought to be Tafea, who won the Vanuatu league for 15 seasons in a row (1994 to 2009), while Gibraltar's Lincoln Red Imps and the now dissolved Skonto of Latvia have the European record with 14 in a row.

Lyon won seven French titles in a row (between 2002 and 2008), while Real Madrid have won five consecutive Spanish titles twice and Huddersfield, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are the only teams to win three in a row in England.

Within Europe's 'big five' leagues - England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France - Juventus' 36 titles is a record, two ahead of this season's Spanish champions Real Madrid.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53544939

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Real Madrid forward Mariano Diaz tests positive for COVID-19

Real Madrid forward Mariano Diaz has tested positive for COVID-19, the Spanish champions said, casting doubt on his participation in their Champions League tie at Manchester City next week.

Real said tests were conducted on the squad on Monday and that though Diaz was in "perfect health", he would be self-isolating at home.

Real, who trail Manchester City 2-1 from the first leg of their last-16 tie before the pandemic suspended the competition in March, are set to play the Premier League side in the second leg on August 8.
 
Cristiano Ronaldo's hopes of finishing as Europe's top scorer were dealt a blow as he failed to score as champions Juventus were beaten by Cagliari.

Ronaldo has scored an incredible 31 Serie A goals this season but found himself frustrated on Wednesday night.

Luca Gagliano's close-range finish and Giovanni Simeone's powerful drive secured the win for the hosts.

Ronaldo trails Lazio striker Ciro Immobile by four goals in the battle for Europe's Golden Shoe.

Immobile scored his 35th goal of the season as Lazio beat Brescia 2-0 on Wednesday.

With one game of the Serie A season remaining, Immobile is the outright leading scorer in Europe as his latest strike moved him ahead of Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, who finished the Bundesliga season with 34 goals.

Immobile is also just one goal away from equalling the Serie A record for most goals in a season.

Gonzalo Higuain scored 36 times for Napoli in the 2015-16 campaign.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53581594

Capture.JPG
 
AC Milan will face competition from Bayer Leverkusen for £30m-rated Norwich City defender Ben Godfrey.
 
Former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas has retired from football at the age of 39.

Casillas made 725 appearances for Real during a 16-year career at the Bernabeu, winning three Champions League titles and five La Liga crowns.

He also helped Spain win the 2010 World Cup and two successive European Championships in 2008 and 2012.

Casillas joined Porto in 2015 but has not played since suffering a heart attack during training in April 2019.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53652195
 
Atletico Madrid have confirmed two positive cases of coronavirus from testing carried out on Saturday.
 
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