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Barcelona’s Depay Scores Hattrick As Netherlands Beat Turkey 6-1

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Reigning champions France beat Finland 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday thanks to Antoine Griezmann’s double strike to snap a five-game winless streak while Scotland kept their hopes alive with a 1-0 win in Austria.

In other action, Portugal and the Netherlands stayed on track to reach the finals in Qatar next year, with Memphis Depay grabbing a hat-trick for the Dutch in a 6-1 demolition of Turkey.

France were roared on by 57,000 passionate spectators in Lyon where Griezmann — who ended an unhappy spell at Barcelona with a loan move back to Atletico Madrid in the transfer window — combined well with Karim Benzema as their side overcame a disjointed start.

Benzema’s delightful backheel released Griezmann inside the box and he supplied a smooth finish after 25 minutes.

Griezmann made it 41 goals for his country when he beat Finnish ‘keeper Lukas Hradecky at the near post to make it 2-0 in the 54th minute.

After a frustrating 1-1 draw with Ukraine in their last game, the victory was a welcome boost for the French who are still smarting after crashing out of Euro 2020 at the last 16 stage this summer.

“We did not do everything well but we have rediscovered our confidence,” said France coach Didier Deschamps.

“This puts our fate in our hands and we must finish the job in November.”

– ‘I believe in these players’ –

Scotland grabbed a valuable three points in their bid to qualify for Qatar with a 1-0 win against the Austrians in Vienna as Australian-born Lyndon Dykes’ VAR-awarded penalty proved the difference.

The victory moved the Scots up to second in Group F, seven points behind Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark who are cruising with a 100 percent record after thrashing Israel 5-0.

“Some people in (Scotland) don’t believe in this group of players, but I do,” Scotland manager Steve Clarke told Sky Sports. “I love my players. We’re a good team.”

The Netherlands were ruthless against Turkey as Depay’s hat-trick took the Barcelona forward’s international goal tally to 33 goals.

The Dutch led 3-0 by half-time and any remaining chance for the Turks vanished when Leicester defender Caglar Soyuncu was sent off for a second bookable offence shortly before the break.

Louis van Gaal’s side moved into top spot in Group G by virtue of goal difference above Norway who outclassed minnows Gibraltar 5-1, with Erling Braut Haaland notching a hat-trick.

Serbia’s bid to qualify for a second successive World Cup finals suffered a setback as Nikola Milenkovic’s late own goal and a superb display from teenage goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu gave the Republic of Ireland a battling 1-1 draw in Dublin.

Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic had put Serbia ahead in the first half.

The Serbs trail Portugal – who were 3-0 winners in Azerbaijan – by two points in Group A.

The Portuguese did not miss the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo as Bernardo Silva scored a sparkling opener on 26 minutes before Andre Silva added a second five minutes later in Baku.

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota completed the job with a second-half header to continue his bright early season form.

AFP

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Chelsea Thrash PSG 3-0 to Lift 2025 Club World Cup

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Chelsea, on Sunday, thrashed Paris Saint-Germain 3–0 in the Club World Cup final.

The Blues were considered underdogs ahead of the game, in which they came up against the Ligue 1 and Champions League winners.

However, it was the Premier League club that flew out of the blocks in the first half, scoring the three goals that effectively decided the match.

Cole Palmer curled in a pair of identical goals from the right side of the box, putting Chelsea firmly in control at the MetLife Stadium.

Palmer then provided a slide-rule pass for João Pedro to make it 3–0, his third goal of the tournament since joining Chelsea.

There were no goals in the second half, as Enzo Maresca’s men held on to win the Club World Cup, in addition to the UEFA Conference League they clinched last month.

For PSG, they will not be winning an unprecedented sextuple, but they will have a chance to claim the UEFA Super Cup next month against Tottenham.

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Former NBA Star’s Wife Files for Divorce Six Months after Marriage, Seeks Equitable Sharing of Wealth

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Dwight Howard’s wife, Amber Rose Howard, has filed for divorce six months after they married on Jan. 11, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.

The rapper and reality star — who goes by the name Amy Luciani — filed for divorce on July 1 in Georgia, citing that her marriage to the former NBA champ is “irretrievably broken” and “there are no prospects for reconciliation.”

Rose requested alimony and asked that all marital assets and property be “equitably divided” by the courts.

Source: New York Post

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Galatasaray Proposes €55m Bid to Keep Osimhen

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Galatasaray have sent an initial bid of €50 million plus €5m in add-ons for Victor Osimhen amid Napoli’s demand for more money to sell the Super Eagles striker.

Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, in a statement on Monday, said Osimhen is keen on making a return to Galatasaray but the deal depends on club to club talks.

“Al Hilal remains involved in the race for Osimhen with a plan to pay his €75m release clause at Napoli but there is no agreement with the striker yet,” Romano added.

Reports also say that the Turkish Super Lig club is ready to offer the Nigerian international a three-year contract until the summer of 2028 with the option of another 12 months.

Osimhen joined Galatasaray on loan from Napoli last summer and the Super Eagles striker went ahead to have a remarkable campaign with the Turkish club.

The 26-year-old scored 37 goals and contributed eight assists in 41 games across all competitions for Galatasaray, helping the club to win the Turkish Super Lig title and the Turkish Cup.

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