Bruno Casemiro's superb overhead volley completed a 1-0 victory for Manchester United over a Bournemouth side who did not manage a single shot on target during the game. Ole Gunnar Solskjær's side need just one more point from their remaining two Premier League games to secure a Champions League spot for next term. Meanwhile, United face Chelsea next in the Premier League, which takes place on 17 May while Bournemouth will probably spend their final two games of the season worrying how they are going to make a return to the Premier League after being relegated on Saturday.
Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has helped to bring his team closer to top European football, succeeding in the absence of the ill Marcus Rashford. The Brazilian player scored a goal of Champions League standard in his role in attracting the team to the Champions League. Journalists have hailed his "cunning, leadership and vision." While the footballer is credited with playing a key part in United's victory against Bournemouth, Raphaël Varane and David De Gea also helped the team to secure their win.
Roberto Firmino helped Liverpool avoid defeat in his final appearance at Anfield as he scored a late equaliser against Aston Villa. The Brazilian striker scored his 12th goal of a season marked by injuries, equalising Mohamed Salah’s cross to rescue a point for a Liverpool side now out of the race for a top-four finish. Liverpool’s fate seems sealed, meaning that they will contest in the Europa League next season. Villa, on the other hand, still have a chance of European qualification following their impressive season so far.
Charges of alleged match manipulation have been levelled at 15 players across the top two tiers and local leagues in Brazilian football, following an investigation initiated by the president of his own club. Hugo Jorge Bravo, an active police officer and president of Vila Nova, reportedly received information that one of his players had been approached to give a penalty to a rival team and began an investigation that led to Brazil's federal police, the district attorney's office of the state of Goias and the country's lower house of Congress becoming involved. The case has grown to encompass 11 games so far and may expand further.
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice on his return to the Fulham starting line-up in their 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace. Mitrovic had been serving a ban, but his goals ensured Fulham ended the season with a club-record 15 league wins, staying clear of relegation worries. Eagles attacker Wilfried Zaha missed the game with a hamstring injury, while teammate Joel Ward rescued a point with a late equaliser. Palace and Fulham can both look upon this season as a success, having avoided relegation comfortably, with the Eagles having won 12 games.
Manchester City have become English champions for the fifth time in six years; it was achieved following Arsenal's 1-0 loss away at Nottingham Forest. The new champions must still overcome the challenges of Manchester United and Inter Milan in the FA Cup and Champions League finals respectively to complete the treble. Liverpool could only manage a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa which left both Manchester United and Newcastle on the verge of Champions League qualification. Everton must avoid relegation after Yerry Mina's last-minute equaliser gave them a 1-1 draw with Wolves to leave them two points above the relegation zone.
The G7 summit in Hiroshima has ended with discussions focusing on the Ukrainian war and the dominance of China. They also focused on challenges facing developing economies, including Brazil, Vietnam, Comoros and India. Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy made headlines during his time the summit. He was present in the session on Ukraine where it was revealed he had spoken with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. His itinerary for the rest of the day included visiting the Peace Memorial Park and the museum in Hiroshima to remember the atomic bombing of the city. Zelenskyy continues to make the rounds of G-7 leaders. Earlier on the second day of the summit, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the president on the margins of the summit for the first time since Russia's invasion of the Ukraine and shared images of their encounter to his Twitter page.
The final day of the Group of Seven (G7) summit has passed in Hiroshima, with delegates including Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelenskyy discussing the war, China’s dominance and the issues faced by the Global South. Joining the leaders were a number of key Asia-Pacific figures such as the Indian, South Korean, Indonesian and Australian prime ministers. The triennial met throughout the summit, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took some time off to visit Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park and Museum. President Joe Biden met with Zelenskyy, Ukrainian Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister for talks. The G7 laid out a common de-risking path on China, while India's Narendra Modi commented that he would “amplify concerns of the Global South” at the summit.
Orlando Pride hands Washington Spirit 1st NWSL loss, 2-1
The Toronto Star
23-05-21 03:18
Orlando Pride handed Washington Spirit their first loss of the regular season with a 2-1 victory, with goals coming from Marta and Kylie Strom. Meanwhile, Alex Morgan, Sierra Enge, and Madison Pogarch scored the goals for San Diego Waveas they beat Houston Dash 3-0. Racing Louisville beat the Kansas City Current 2-0 with a goal from Savannah DeMelo and Yuki Nagasato. The match between North Carolina Courage and Angel City ended in a scoreless draw, with both teams sharing points.
The Ukraine conflict was at the forefront of G7 meetings in Hiroshima, Japan, over the weekend. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among the invitees to the meetings, which discussed China's growing dominance and issues affecting the so-called "Global South." Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed the need for a "resilient and diversified" approach to supply chains, while UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak commented on the summit's significance for consolidating peace. Meanwhile, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for the issue of nuclear weapons to be discussed openly, and said it was "historically significant" for the G7 leaders visiting the Peace Memorial Museum to publish a focus on nuclear disarmament – known as the Hiroshima Vision. The G7 summit heralded a number of warm bilateral meetings, concluding with talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on the conflict on Sunday afternoon.
The Group of Seven (G7) summit in Japan has ended, with discussions centring around the Ukraine war, China’s growing dominance and support for the “Global South”. According to a communique, the G7 nations have agreed to support public-private initiatives to swerve China's “belt and road” initiative, to implement measures to counter state-backed “malicious cyber activities”, and to decarbonise energy systems by the end of the century. The G7 also signed a declaration committing to the protection of international maritime regulations, including the peaceful resolution of maritime disputes, navigation rights, and safety along sea lanes. G7 leaders expressed concern over the situation in the East and South China seas. The summit also saw the invitees from Indonesia, South Korea, India and Australia discuss issues such as Ebola, the impact of Brexit, terrorism and trade. President Zelenskyy of Ukraine was in the spotlight throughout the summit.
The G7 summit in Japan failed to convince three emerging economies, Brazil, India and Indonesia, to endorse its views on Ukraine. Brazil, whose former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was invited to the summit, declined to meet Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and privately criticised the alliance’s stance in the Ukraine conflict. Indonesian President Joko Widodo offered to be a peace envoy after meeting Zelenskiy separately. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi also endorsed a diplomatic solution. The interaction highlighted the G7’s difficulties in persuading major emerging nations to impose sanctions against Russia, and the difficulties of maintaining a global principle based on territorial integrity. A strategy was adopted before the summit to avoid pressuring invitees to condemn Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has played down the fact that he did not meet Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan on Sunday, suggesting it was likely due to scheduling. Speaking to reporters, Zelenskiy said he thought it was more of a disappointment for the Brazilian leader. Zelenskiy's attendance at the summit was seen as part of a push to court the "Global South" as Ukraine faces Russia's aggression.
The idealistic vision of a world without nuclear weapons came to the fore this weekend following the G7 summit in Hiroshima, with Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida using the forum as the backdrop to call for global peace and the end of nuclear arsenals. The last day of the talks was upstaged by the arrival of Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, determined to raise support for the Ukrainian peace plan and show recalcitrant Republicans in Congress that withholding further assistance from his country would damage US leadership. Plans for a joint communication document that would align the G7 behind the Ukrainian peace plan came to nothing, but its message was transmitted nonetheless. Kishida outlined four principles that the participants had agreed on, with the importance of the United Nations charter and the rule of law, as well as projecting solidarity with Ukraine the main areas of accord.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk believes the club is on the road to recovery and will still attract top talent despite their likely failure to qualify for the Champions League. The Reds have won seven of their last eight games and van Dijk says new players can be expected to join ahead of the next campaign. "If I’m a player on the rise and I have options to go to the next step and Liverpool is knocking on my door, then I would be very, very interested," he said. The centre-back also praised his Netherlands teammate Cody Gakpo's performance as Liverpool's false nine.
The Chinese Cyberspace Administration has prohibited the country's operators from buying US chipmaker Micron Technology's products over concerns of “serious network security risks”. The ban is the first big measure taken against a US semiconductor group and follows a seven-week investigation into Idaho-based Micron by the CAC, seen as retaliation for US efforts to curb China’s access to key technology. Washington introduced extensive chip export controls last October and since then, the Netherlands and Japan have followed. China is a crucial market for Micron and analysts have warned that Beijing’s restrictions could even provoke Chinese firms that provide “critical information infrastructure” to eliminate Micron from their supply chains.
Willian has said he is proud to have returned to the Premier League with Fulham and dismissed any suggestions that he was "finished". The Brazilian left Arsenal by mutual consent after just one season and joined Fulham on a one-year deal. Willian has scored five goals in 26 appearances and also has four assists for the Cottagers. His side currently sit 10th with 52 points and the Brazil international said "we still have to believe we can break the record, so let’s do it" ahead of their final match of the season.
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior was allegedly subjected to racist abuse from the stands and then sent off following a scuffle during a 1-0 defeat to Valencia on Sunday. The game was halted for ten minutes in the second half as Vinicius pointed out fans to the referee who he said had racially abused him. Vinicius carried on playing but was sent off a few minutes later after he became involved in a brawl with Valencia players. Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti, said: "For me Vinicius is the most important player in the world. LaLiga has a problem, these episodes of racism have to stop the match".
The match once again highlighted the issue of racism in Spain’s top flight. In recent weeks there have been reports of racist chanting aimed at Athletic Bilbao players Inaki Williams and Ibai Gomez and Espanyol’s Wu Lei. The Valencia captain, Dani Parejo, said of Vinicius’s sending off: “Vinicious is a great player. I’m against any kind of racism. I think we have to punish these people in every possible way.” Valencia coach, Salvador Gonzalez “Voro”, who had seen his side win for the first time in 12 games to move clear of the relegation zone, said that he hoped measures could be taken to rid the sport of racism.
Real Madrid exited the Champions League following a 4-0 thrashing at Manchester City on Wednesday in their semi-final, second leg. They are currently third on 71 points, 14 behind champions Barcelona, who secured the title last week with four games to spare. Valencia, however, are still fighting to avoid the drop. With three games to go, they are 13th in LaLiga on 40 points, five clear of the relegation spots.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has expressed disappointment at not meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky at the G7 summit last week and accused Zelensky of showing no interest in negotiating peace with Russia. Zelensky had sought a one-on-one meeting with Lula, though scheduling conflicts were blamed for the failure to meet. Lula said he did not see the point in meeting Zelensky now, as he said that neither he nor Russian leader Vladimir Putin appeared to want peace, with both sides convinced they would win the war. Lula has been pushing for peace talks and has offered Brazil, along with other neutral countries such as China and Indonesia, as a mediator. Zelensky emerged from the summit with increased diplomatic support and new pledges of military aid.
A planned meeting between Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the Group of Seven summit in Japan did not take place due to Zelenskiy being late. Lula said they "waited and received the information that he was late," but Zelenskiy did not show up, adding that it was likely due to "clearly he had appointments." Zelenskiy downplayed the missed meeting.
