Ukraine
French, German leaders urge EU coordination on reopening borders
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron called on Friday for European Union countries to coordinate their COVID-19 border reopening policies and guard against new variants of the virus. Macron said EU countries must be careful not to allow new variants to spread, adding that the EU was watching developments in Britain, which has seen a steep rise in the weekly reported cases of the Delta variant. “Some countries have reopened their borders earlier for tourist industry reasons, but we must be careful not to re-import new variants,” he told a joint news conference with Merkel before a working dinner at the chancellery in Berlin. Merkel added: “We can’t act as if the coronavirus is over.” “Caution is still necessary so that we have a summer of many freedoms, if no...
‘Absolutely balling’, ‘So versatile’: Some Man City fans react to 24-year-old’s international display
A section of Manchester City fans reacted to Oleksandr Zinchenko’s performance during Ukraine’s 2-1 win over North Macedonia at Euro 2020 on Thursday. The 24-year-old has regularly played at left-back for the Cityzens, with just two of his 32 appearances came in the centre of the park last season. However, it has been a different story when it comes to the national team, and he has generally operated as the advanced player in a midfield three. Zinchenko only had a pass success rate of 77 percent but impressed with quality long passes from deep while creating three key chances. The midfielder was also solid with his defensive duties with two interceptions and four tackles, more than any other Ukrainian player. Some City fans were impressed with his showing and believe he deserves the chance...
Andriy Yarmolenko and Ezgjan Alioski go head-to-head in Euro 2020 survival battle
Seeking redemption for a slow start to their Euro 2020 campaign, Ukraine will take on North Macedonia at the Arena Nationala in Bucharest on Thursday. A potential failure against the former state of Yugoslavia might well end the Ukrainians’ European Championship adventure already in round two of the group stage. The same goes for the North Macedonians, who could be packing their bags already on Thursday if the results do not go their way. Note: You can watch all Euro 2020 games via live streaming. Ukraine Preview Ukraine’s hopes of making it out of the European Championship group stage for the first time as a sovereign state are on the line as they aim to bounce back from a 3-2 defeat to the Netherlands on Matchday 1. Despite coming back from a two-goal deficit, the Ukrainians failed ...
Joe Biden pointedly asks Vladimir Putin about cyberattacks at summit
U.S. President Joe Biden asked Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday how he would feel if someone carried out a ransomware attack on Russian oil pipelines, a pointed question during their summit that illustrated the breadth of their disagreements. The query referred to a cyberattack that closed the Colonial Pipeline Co system for several days in May, preventing millions of barrels of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from flowing to the U.S. East Coast from the Gulf Coast. Both leaders described their first summit in a lakeside Swiss villa as professional, rather than friendly, and said they agreed to hold lower-level talks on cybersecurity and arms control and to send their ambassadors back to their capitals. But there was no hiding their differences on issues such as human rights, wh...
All Euro 2020 nation crests redesigned, for the modern era
National team crests are just different from their club counterparts. Both are an integral part of the team’s history, and both are definitely tattooed on many of the fans. However, in the past decade or so, most national team crests have already been updated and bought into the modern era of design. National team crests also seem to be simpler and have less elements than their club counterparts. That being said, I did find some ways to further simplify them. In some cases through minor changes without removing elements. It was also interesting to note how similar some of the crests can be to each other. For example Scotland, Netherlands & Wales all feature a roaring majestic lion or dragon. Or how Sweden and Finland, both nordic countries, feature their flags on a shield. I have tried...
Netherlands vs Ukraine – Euro 2020 Group C Preview, H2H, Team News, Players to Watch & Predicted Line-ups
The Netherlands’s Euro 2020 Group C campaign gets underway on Sunday as they take on Ukraine at the Johan Cruijff Arena. The last time the Netherlands played a match at a major tournament at this venue, they failed to get on the scoresheet, bowing out to Italy on penalties in the Euro 2000 semi-finals. Meanwhile, the Ukrainians have never made it out of the European Championship group stage as a sovereign country. Note: You can watch all Euro 2020 games via live streaming. The Netherlands vs Ukraine Head-To-Head The Netherlands and Ukraine have never faced each other in a competitive match before, let alone at a major international tournament. However, the 1988 European Championship winners have avoided defeat in their previous friendly meetings, claiming a 3-0 win in 2008 before bein...
PSG midfielder shines in enthralling fixture – Netherlands 3-2 Ukraine Player Ratings
Netherlands came out on top after a frantic second half in their opening game against Ukraine. Netherlands made an explosive start to the game, and will have been disappointed to not go into the break leading. Memphis Depay almost opened his account in the second minute, but was denied by Georgi Bushchan after a solo run. Bushchan had to be at his best again shortly after when Georginio Wijnaldum played Denzel Dumfries in on goal. Moments later, the roles were reversed, with Dumfries crossing to Wijnaldum. However, Paris Saint-Germain’s newest recruit could only fire over the crossbar. The former Liverpool man would continue to threaten, and had a powerful volley well saved by Bushchan after a small deflection. The best chance of the first half came five minutes before the break, and again...
Denmark give fresh update on Christian Eriksen following collapse in Euro 2020 opener
Denmark have given a fresh update on Christian Eriksen’s condition following his collapse in their Euro 2020 opener. Eriksen fell to the turf in the first half of Denmark’s Group B clash with Ukraine at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on Saturday afternoon, and subsequently needed emergency medical treatment. The match was suspended after the midfielder was removed from the stadium on a stretcher and sent to hospital, where he was later revealed to be awake and in a stable physical state. The Danish Football Association (DBU) have now released a statement confirming that Eriksen will remain hospitalised to undergo more tests, but he has been in contact with the national team staff and his team-mates. “This morning we have spoken to Christian Eriksen, who has sent his greetings to his team...
Barcelona transfer target has chance to shine in relatively easy Euro 2020 group
With the European Championships just days away, we’re having a look at the best players to watch from each nation. Perhaps the least glamorous group of the tournament is Group C. A faltering Netherlands side will be the headline act, while Ukraine, Austria, and North Macedonia will be there to cause an upset. While the superstar power might not quite be there, the group is wide open, with plenty of underdog potential. It should be an interesting watch. Austria – Sasa Kalajdzic Kalajdzic will be Austria’s main source of goals The Austrian squad has a strong Bundesliga contingent, and Sasa Kalajdzic is a part of that. The 23-year-old has just enjoyed the best season of his career, netting 17 in all competitions for a mid-table Stuttgart side. On top of this, he has been in good form on the i...
Facebook report: U.S. a top target for foreign and domestic influence operations
The United States topped a list of the countries most frequently targeted by deceptive foreign influence operations using Facebook between 2017 and 2020, the social media company said in a new report released on Wednesday. It also came second on a list of countries targeted by domestic influence operations in that same time period. Facebook Inc said one of the top sources of coordinated inauthentic behavior networks targeting the United States in the year leading up to the 2020 presidential election was domestic campaigns originating in the United States itself, as well as foreign operations from Russia and Iran. The tallies were based on the number of “coordinated inauthentic behavior” networks removed by Facebook, a term it uses for a type of influence operations that relies on fake acco...
Ukraine denies killing of child in attack on separatists
Ukraine on Monday denied reports that its forces had killed a five-year-old child in an attack on pro-Moscow eastern separatists, after Russia said it would launch an investigation. “This is a gross, cynical, nasty and godless manipulation,” Ukraine’s defence ministry told AFP in a written comment on the claim, denouncing it as “fake news”. Separatist authorities had at the weekend accused Ukrainian forces of killing the child and injuring a woman in a drone attack. On Monday, the Russian Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said the Ukrainian army had attacked civilian infrastructure on Friday in the separatist-held Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) using heavy armament and drones. As a result of an explosion, a five-year-old child was killed while his 66-year-old grandmother...
WCQ: Tottenham’s Tanguy Ndombele returns to France squad
Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele has been rewarded for his upturn in form with a recall to the France squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. The 24-year-old hasn’t featured for Les Bleus since the summer of 2019 but now has the chance to add to his six international caps in matches against Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Other notable returnees include Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Lemar, who hasn’t featured since November 2019, while Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele, a member of their 2018 World Cup-winning squad, is back for the first time in two-and-a-half years. This represents Ndombele’s first international call up since his club-record €60 million (£54m/$68m) move from Lyon to Tottenham. The Frenchman arrived in north London with a reputation as an all-action midf...
