EURO 2016
Russia benefited from two own goals as they overcame Liechtenstein 4-0 in Khimki, outside Moscow, on Monday to get their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign off to a winning start. Martin Buchel and Franz Burgmeier both put through their own net on either side of half-time before Dmitri Kombarov made it three from the penalty spot and Artem Dzyuba finished off the scoring. Russia and Liechtenstein are in Group G alongside Sweden, Austria, Montenegro and Moldova.
ITALY
Italian playmaker Andrea Pirlo has said he intends to continue playing for the national side despite hinting after the World Cup that at 35 years old it was time for him to step aside. “I have been talking with [new Italy coach Antonio] Conte who asked me if I was ready to play again for the Azzurri and I told him that I was,” the Juventus star told Gazzetta TV. “It was a difficult decision to take. I had wanted to stop playing for the national side but he [Conte] took over and he asked me to lend a hand. I am happy to do that and we are hopeful we can achieve great things together.” Pirlo is sidelined until October with a hip injury, which means he will miss Italy’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Norway in Oslo today.
SOUTH KOREA
Former German international Uli Stielike got a fair idea of the job at hand as the South Korean national team he would be coaching until 2018 went down 1-0 to Uruguay in an international friendly at Goyang, west of Seoul, yesterday. Uruguay defender Jose Gimenez shrugged off his marker to head in the-68th minute winner in front of a sell-out 38,000 crowd at the Goyang Stadium with Stielike in the stands. It was Uruguay’s second straight win after defeating Japan 2-0 on Friday.
AUSTRIA
An Austrian footballer has been banned for 70 matches for headbutting a referee. Ismail Gunduz of amateur side SK Rum received the punishment after he reacted furiously to being shown a second yellow card in the 87th minute of a match against SPG Innsbruck West. “We distance ourselves from Ismail Gunduz’s behaviour,” Rum coach Michael Messner told a local paper. “He was thrown out of the club with immediate effect.” Gunduz defended himself, claiming that he slipped. “This sentence is madness,” he said. “I will do all I can to return to the pitch.” GERMANY
Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus has been ruled out for at least four weeks with an ankle injury he picked up in Germany’s 2-1 win over Scotland on Sunday in a Euro 2016 qualifier, his club said yesterday. The injury is a bitter blow for the player, who missed the World Cup after injuring the same left ankle just before Germany’s departure, as well as Dortmund, who kick off their Champions League group matches against Arsenal on September 16.
