SPORTS NEWS

 Djokovic Crashed out of Olympic

Tokyo — There will be no "Golden Slam" for Novak Djokovic.

The top-ranked Serb lost to Alexander Zverev of Germany 1-6, 3-6, 6-1 Friday in the semifinals of the tennis tournament at the Tokyo Olympics.

Brief History

Djokovic began his professional career in year 2003, At age 20, he interrupted Roger Federer's and Rafael Nadal's streak of 11 consecutive majors to win his first Grand Slam title at the 2008 Australian Open. By 2010, 

Djokovic also separated himself from the rest of men's tennis to join Federer and Nadal in the Big Three, the group of three players who have dominated men's tennis Sports for more than a decade. In 2011, Djokovic was ranked No. 1 for the first time, winning three out of four majors and a then-season record of five Masters events. He remained the best player in men's tennis for the rest of the decade, leading the tour in major and Masters's titles, and winning four out of his five titles at the ATP Finals consecutively from 2012 through 2015. After four consecutive year-end finishes at No. 3 through 2010, Djokovic finished No. 1 for six years and No. 2 for three years in the next decade.

Djokovic had another career year in 2015, reaching fifteen consecutive finals, including all four major finals and eight Masters finals, winning three majors and a season-record of six Masters events as well as the ATP Finals. The following year, he won the 2016 French Open to complete the non-calendar year Grand Slam and the career Grand Slam. He also became the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four major titles at once and the only one in history to do so on three different surfaces. By winning the 2021 French Open, he became the first man in the Open Era to achieve the career Grand Slam twice. His victory at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships the following month made him the first man since Laver in 1969 to win the first three Grand Slams of the year.

Representing Serbia, Djokovic led the Serbian national team to their first Davis Cup title in 2010 and to the inaugural ATP Cup title in 2020. He won the bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award four times and is also a recipient of the Order of St. Sava, the Order of Karađorđe's Star, and the Order of the Republika Srpska. Beyond competition, Djokovic was the former ATP player council president and is also an active philanthropist. In August 2020, Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil announced the formation of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) as the first player-only association in tennis, citing the need for players to have more influence on the tour and advocating for better prize money structure for lower ranked players.

His lost to Alexendar Zverev

Djokovic was attempting to become the first man to win all four Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic gold in the same year. He won the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon this year and needed the Olympic and U.S. Open titles to complete the collection.

Sports News

Sports News

 Tokyo Olympics: Bianca Walkden claims taekwondo bronze medal for second successive Olympic

Bianca Walkden joins swimmers Tom Dean and Duncan Scott and triathlete Georgia Taylor-Brown as Team GB's medal winners on Tuesday. Great

 Britain's Bianca Walkden took bronze in the women's +67kg taekwondo at the Tokyo Olympics with a 7-3 victory over Poland's Aleksandra Kowalczuk.

The Makuhari Messe Hall had already seen Britain claim two medals with Bradly Sinden and Lauren Williams both picking up silver, and Walkden added a third podium on the final day of taekwondo competition.

The 29-year-old from Liverpool had lost her semi-final against Korea's Dabin Lee earlier on Tuesday - a last-second head-shot giving her opponent a place in the final - but Walkden ensured she left Tokyo with the same medal she won in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

• BRIEF HISTORY

Bianca Walkden (born 29 September 1991) is She represented England at 2016 Olympic Games where she won a bronze medal. Walkden is a triple World champion, twice European champion, and twice World Grand Prix Final champion in her division. In 2017 she became the first practitioner ever to win all 4 Grand Prix events in her division in a single season.

In 2017, Walkden successfully defended her world title in Muju, South Korea during the 2017 Muju WTF World Taekwondo Championship, where She beat American Jackie Galloway 14-4 in the heavyweight division. 
In May 2019 at the 2019 World Taekwondo Championships, Walkden won the women's heavyweight title after Zheng Shuyin was disqualified after attaining a 20-10 lead. 
In September 2019 at Chiba, four months after winning the controversial gold medal in Manchester, Walkden was defeated 7-5 by Zheng Shuyin. In October 2019 at Sofia, Zheng Shuyin again defeated Walkden by 3-2.
In 2021, she won the gold medal in the women's +73 kg event at the 2021 European Taekwondo Championships that is held in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Sports News

Manchester United To complete the signing of Raphael Varane from Real Madrid.

United have agreed personal terms with Varane who is currently at 28, and are understood to almost reached an agreement on the transfer with Real Madrid.

Varane has already made arrangements to travel to Manchester in anticipation of a move to United even though he trained with Madrid again on Monday.

United held 'positive discussions' in the latest round of negotiations and the deal is now believed to be all but done. Varane may have to quarantine before he is able to start training with United.

The France international is also believed to have studied United's defending from last season, when they conceded 18 goals from set-pieces.

United have been working on a £50million deal for Varane for upwards of a month, having expressed their firm interest in the France international midway through last season.

Despite his contract being up next summer, Varane has returned to training this week as expected and did not put any pressure on the club to force a move.

Real Madrid are keen to cash in, rather than allow him to leave for free, and now face a defence without the Frenchman or his teammate Sergio Ramos next season

SPORTS NEWS

TOP TEN (10) BEST ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS OF THIS GENERATION

This is the list of ten (10) best attacking midfielders arranged From top to bottom, there is playmaking quality throughout - with a mixture of experience and youthful exuberance represented.

10) Aaron Ramsey

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 13 appearances

b- 2 goals

c- 4 assists

d- 87.1% pass success

e- 1.4 key passes per game

It's not so much what Aaron Ramsey does on the pitch, it's how he does it. The Welshman plays with a smile on his face and, while his 2020/21 season at Juventus didn't pull up any trees, he's still a gifted attacker. That was evident at Euro 2021 where his incredible timing and running saw him combine with Gareth Bale again and again against Turkey before he put Wales ahead.

9) Marco Reus

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 27 appearances

b- 8 goals

c- 6 assists

d- 81.7% pass success

e- 1.5 key passes per game

Dortmund's 32-year-old captain Marco Reus, "It's good to have him on the pitch talking to me and giving me advice," said Sancho. "Because when he tells me things I listen." The two-time winner of Germany's Footballer of the Year award has the experience, finishing and vision to make him worth listening to.

8) Papu Gomez

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 20 appearances (9 Atalanta/11 Sevilla)

b- 7 goals (4 Atalanta/3 Sevilla)

c- 3 assists (2 Atalanta/1 Sevilla)

d- 84.8%/88.9% pass success

e- 1.9/0.9 key passes per game

The Argentinian playmaker has come up the long way but is finally getting his due. From Argentina via Italy then Ukraine, Papu Gomez spent seven seasons at Atalanta (setting the Serie A season record for assists in 2019/20) before landing a deal to take him to Sevilla in January. Used mainly as an attacking midfielder or secondary striker, the Argentinian's movement off the ball and finding pockets of space make him invaluable. Scored twice and had an assist in Argentina's victorious Copa America campaign.

7) Mason Mount

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 32 appearances

b- 6 goals

c- 5 assists

d- 86.5% pass success

e- 2.4 key passes per game

Able to play any of the forward positions, Mason Mount has seen his career take off in the last three seasons. On loan at Derby under Frank Lampard, he stepped his game up when the pair returned to Chelsea and became a vital cog in Thomas Tuchel's machine. He was instrumental in England's run to the Euro 2021 final and Gareth Southgate understands his value to the national team: "He is an exceptional player, he finds space intelligently, he creates chances, he scores goals," said the coach.

6) Thomas Muller

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 31 appearances

b- 11 goals

c- 18 assists

d- 75% pass success

e- 2.9 key passes per game

It may seem to England fans that Thomas Muller has been around forever but the most decorated footballer in German history is still only 31. Thirteen Bundesliga titles, a World Cup Golden Boot (2010) and a 2014 World Cup winner, Muller can play anywhere on or behind the forward line. Despite his late miss against England, the German is known for his icy veins, ability to create chances and his scoring - 39 for Germany in 106 caps and 129 for Bayern in 383 appearances.

5) Kai Havertz

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 18 appearances

b- 4 goals

c- 3 assists

d- 84.9% pass success

e- 0.7 key passes per game

Scoring the winner in the Champions League final is the perfect end to a debut season with a new club, but Kai Havertz's first year at Chelsea didn't go completely smoothly. A change of managers, injury and catching COVID-19 were a few of the setbacks that the 21-year-old overcame to establish himself as a Thomas Tuchel and fan favourite.

4) Marcos Llorente

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 33 appearances

b- 12 goals

c- 11 assists

d- 84.6% pass success

e- 1.2 key passes per game

When he first switched Madrid teams from Real to Atletico, Marcos Llorente was used as in a defensive midfield role but when Diego Simeone moved him forward, he blossomed. "He can play anywhere," said Simeone, but it was his pace, first touch and movement that saw him finish second in La Liga in assists. At Euro 2021, he completed 94% of his passes as Spain reached the final four.

3) Bruno Fernandes

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 35 appearances

b- 18 goals

c- 12 assists

d- 78.3% pass success

e- 2.6 key passes per game

Playing just off the striker at Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes has been a revelation since arriving at Old Trafford. Last season, he finished behind only Harry Kane and Mo Salah in scoring and only Kane in assists. His lethal set pieces and trademark move of attacking the spaces between a full-back and central defender and then shooting have made him a hero in Manchester. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has built his 4-2-3-1 formation around the Portuguese and has been rewarded with 38 goals and 25 assists in all competitions.

2) Kevin De Bruyne

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 23 appearances

b- 6 goals

c- 12 assists

d- 81.7% pass success

e- 3.2 key passes per game

Kevin de Bruyne "sees things others cannot see" according to Pep Guardiola (thankfully not dead people) and that's what, simply put, makes him the best attacking midfielder in the world not named Lionel Messi. Since joining Manchester City six years ago, the Champions League may have eluded him but he's won the Premier League three times, five League Cups and an FA Cup. His vision and range of passing are matched only by his timing and the intelligence of his runs, and his playmaking is behind Belgium's rise to the No1 ranking.

1) Lionel Messi

2020/21 Season Stats:

a- 33 appearances

b- 30 goals

c- 9 assists

d- 85.1% pass success

e- 2.2 key passes per game

Now that Argentina's Copa America campaign has ended in victory, football's decision makers can turn their attention to trying to lure free agent/best footballer on earth Lionel Messi to their team. Messi's contract with Barcelona expired at the end of June making him available for nothing. PSG and Manchester City have been on alert as talks over a new deal with Barcelona drag on. What else is there say about the man himself when it comes to forward play. His 672 goals in all competitions for Barca are more than the next four players on the scoring list combined and he's the proud owner of six Ballon D'Ors. At 34, he may be closer to the end than the beginning of his career, but he remains at the top of the tree.

Sports News

 Tokyo 2020 Football: Banda Makes Olympic History Again As Zambia hold China In Eight-Goal Thriller

Barbra Banda Zambia women’s team captain made history again as she became the first player to score consecutive hat-tricks in a single Women’s Olympic football tournament.

Banda followed up her hat-trick feat in the 10-3 defeat against Netherlands as she replicated it in the thrilling 4-4 draw against China in Group F on Saturday.

She had earlier made history as the first African woman to score a hat-trick at the Olympics.

Banda has also equalled Canada’s Christine Sinclair’s record six-goal tally in 2012.

With Zambia 3-1 down Banda netted in the 42nd, 46th and 69th minutes to put them 4-3 ahead.

But with seven minutes left in the game Shuang Wang equalised to deny Zambia a first ever win at the Olympics.

In the 86th minute China had a player sent off after Qingtong Li was shown a straight red card.

Zambia will take on Brazil in their final group game on Tuesday and China will take on Netherlands

Sports News

 

TOP TRANSFER NEWS

PSG interested in signing Paul pogba, although there has been no contact between Manchester United and PSG, and no official bid, but Pogba wants to assess all his options before deciding on what is likely to be the last big contract of his career

Pogba's agent, Mino  Raiola, suggested in December that the midfielder is "unhappy" at United and "needs a change of scenery", urging him to leave the club in the current summer transfer window.

French football expert Jonathan Johnson says Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Pogba, but would need to sell players to finance a potential deal. But Last month while with France at Euro 2020, Pogba said there had been "no concrete proposal" from United.

The World Cup winner has had a mixed time since rejoining United from Juventus for a then world-record fee in 2016.

While on occasions he has demonstrated his huge talent, Pogba found himself left out of the team in 2018-19 under Jose Mourinho and has had a modest time in the last couple of seasons while he has frequently been linked with a move away from the club.

The 28-year-old can sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in January should he choose not to extend his stay at Old Trafford, PSG have been busy during this transfer window, signing Italy's Euro 2020 hero Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos and Achraf Hakimi.

The paris club lost their grip on the Ligue 1 title last season, finishing second behind Lille, while they were beaten by Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals.

Solskjaer insists Pogba 'cares' about Man Utd, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Pogba "cares" about United, with talks ongoing about a new contract.

He think everyone in the team and Paul included are just focused on doing as well as we can this season," Solskjaer said back in March. "I don't think any energy would be used on the speculation. "Of course, we've got discussions and talks, When you see Paul playing like he did against Milan, when you see him come back training, it shows how much he cares for us and how much he enjoys playing and how much we can benefit from having him here.

Mino Raiola wants to see Pogba win more major honours in his career. The France international has won just the Europa League and the League Cup during his second spell at United. "With Pogba, what's really important too is what Manchester United want, what project they are proposing for Pogba," Raiola told Spanish sports newspaper AS in May.

"Pogba has always been interested in one thing, winning the Champions League, titles, that's his objective. And we'll see if that's possible at United or at other big European clubs.

SPORTS NEWS

Relationship between Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi

The two have been an example of consistent consistency and resilience, and despite being on the wrong side of the 30 they continue to score goals and win team and national awards. Messi (with 6 Balon d'Or) and Ronaldo (with 5 Balon d'Or) have spent ten years together in the Ballon d’Or, which was only broken by Luka Modric in 2018.

Both Messi and Ronaldo did not win the league title last season, but did enlighten their countries in their final games of the tournament. The Portuguese ace won the tournament by leading five goals to Euro 2020 and Portugal’s Round of 16. drought.

Although Messi and Ronaldo have never appeared on the same side of the pitch, they both seem to have a good relationship with each other. In that note, let’s take a look at what Lionel Messi has to say about Cristiano Ronaldo over the years.

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# 10 “It’s a very special moment for me, to win another Ballon d’Or, after being in the audience watching Cristiano (Ronaldo) win two years ago (2016)

 

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