The Republic of Ireland were unable to soothe the pain from Prague with victory as Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side were held to a 0-0 draw by North Macedonia in their friendly at Aviva Stadium. If the penalty shootout in Czechia last Thursday had gone the Boys in Green’s way, this would have been a play-off decider with a World Cup spot at stake. Instead Ireland and their visitors were left to battle it out in a fixture with nothing to play for.
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Paris St-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi says he is set to face trial after an allegation of rape was made against him. A woman has accused the Morocco captain of raping her at his home in the French capital in 2023, when she was aged 24. He denies the allegations. The public prosecutor’s office in Nanterre, a western suburb of Paris, began a preliminary investigation in March 2023.
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Anthony Gordon scored four goals as rampant Newcastle United blew Qarabag away to take control of their last 16 Champions League play-off tie. It took Gordon just two minutes to open the scoring after the latched on to a through ball from marauding centre-back Dan Burn and finished coolly past goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski into the bottom corner. Newcastle did not let up from that moment and lead by five at the interval.
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A decision on whether Crystal Palace can compete in next season’s Europa League has been delayed by Uefa. The Eagles’ place, earned by winning the FA Cup last season, has been under threat because of Uefa’s multi-club ownership rules, which prevents teams under the same ownership from competing in the same European competition. Co-owner John Textor, who also co-owns French club Lyon, has agreed to sell his 44% stake in Palace in a bid to help their case.
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Italy have appointed former midfielder Gennaro Gattuso as their manager. The AC Milan legend replaces Luciano Spalletti, who announced his own sacking at a news conference last week. Gattuso, 47, made 73 appearances for Italy and was a member of their 2006 World Cup-winning squad, and will now lead his country into the same tournament 20 years later.
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