Atletico Madrid sign Brazilian midfielder Assuncao
July 7, 2008
MADRID (AFP) - Atletico Madrid announced Sunday the signing of Brazilian midfielder Paulo Assuncao from Portuguese first division side Porto for an undisclosed fee.
The 28-year-old will join his new teammates at Atletico on Monday, the Spanish club said in a statement posted on its website without specifying the length of his contract.
Assuncao joined Porto in 2005 from AEK Athens but has been eager to leave the Portuguese club after falling out with its management.
Atletico said meanwhile that is was in talks with several clubs which are interested in signing its Portugal international Maniche, 30, ended last season out on loan at Inter Milan after having fallen out with coach Javier Aguirre.
"Returning to Atletico would be difficult, if not impossible. They sent me out on loan because of Aguirre, because we had great differences of opinion and being with him became impossible," he told sports daily Marca last month.
It is the fifth signing for Atletico which finished fourth in La Liga last season and will therefore return to the Champions League stage after an 11-year absence.
The club has signed defenders Johnny Heitinga from Dutch side Ajax and Tomas Ujfalusi from Italian side Fiorentina as well as French keeper Gregory Coupet from Lyon and French striker Florent Sinama Pongolle from Recreativo Huelva.
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Atletico sign Coupet from Lyon
July 5, 2008
LYON, France (AFP) - June Spain’s Atletico Madrid on Friday signed French international goalkeeper Gregory Coupet from champions Lyon for 1.5 million euros, Lyon announced.
Coupet, 35, had been set to sign last week following talks but the move hit a hitch over the fee.
Coupet had a clause in his Lyon contract running to 2010 allowing him to leave Lyon, with whom he has won seven straight league titles, for three million euros, but the Spanish finally got their man for less.
Atletico will pay an extra 500,000 euros if Coupet helps them qualify for the Champions League in the next two seasons.
This year they will participate in the final qualifying round of the competition.
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France 0-2 Italy & Netherlands 2-0 Romania
June 18, 2008
Italy clinched a quarter-final meeting with Spain as they sent France crashing out of Euro 2008 with a deserved win.
France had a nightmare evening, losing key man Franck Ribery to a serious injury after only seven minutes.
Eric Abidal was then sent off after 25 minutes for fouling Luca Toni to give away a penalty, scored by Andrea Pirlo.
Thierry Henry then deflected in Daniele De Rossi’s 30-yard free-kick after 62 minutes, with Italy going through after the Netherlands beat Romania.
Raymond Domenech’s side carried all the appearance of a spent force and their display will now surely herald a changing of the guard for a group of players that has enjoyed so much success.
Italy, in contrast, celebrated their recovery from an opening defeat against the Dutch to move into the last eight - although they will lose influential midfield pair Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso through suspension.
Coach Roberto Donadoni was under huge pressure before the game, but the world champions delivered when it mattered and can now go forward with renewed optimism.
Italy dominated what was a calamitous first 45 minutes for France - and it was only the wayward finishing of Luca Toni that kept the scoreline respectable.
Toni set the tone for his display after only three minutes when he collected a long ball but pulled his shot hopelessly wide.
France needed all their big guns firing, and they suffered a desperate blow after seven minutes when key man Ribery collapsed as he challenged Gianluca Zambrotta and was stretchered off in agony.
Samir Nasri, a transfer target for Arsenal, came on as substitute but his evening was also short-lived as Italy continued to create opportunities at will.
Claude Makelele had smuggled Christian Panucci’s header off the line before Italy deservedly went ahead after 25 minutes following another dreadful moment for France.
Abidal hauled down Toni as he raced in on goal, leaving referee Lubos Michel with no alternative other than to produce the red card.
Pirlo hammered home the spot-kick - and the unfortunate figure of Nasri was then hauled off as former Newcastle flop Jean-Alain Boumsong was introduced in a defensive re-shuffle.
An astonishing passage of play followed, with Italy carving out a succession of chances that were all wasted by Toni.
Toni was off target when well placed three times in the space of just two minutes, as France threatened to collapse under the weight of Italian pressure.
France finally had a half-chance after 33 minutes, but Henry pulled his finish across goal from Jeremy Toulalan’s pass.
Italy ended the half in the ascendancy, with France keeper Gregory Coupet superbly turning Fabio Grosso’s free-kick on to an upright.
France finally gathered their forces after the break, with Henry twice forcing Gianluigi Buffon into saves, albeit comfortable ones.
Hopes of a French revival were snuffed out after 62 minutes when De Rossi’s 30-yard free-kick was deflected past Coupet by the outstretched foot of Henry.
Buffon had hardly been extended, but he produced a brilliant diving save from Karim Benzema’s curling long-range shot.
Toni rounded off his night in typical fashion, crashing an opportunity against the outside of a post, but Italy’s fans had been celebrating their triumph long before the final whistle.
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France: Coupet, Clerc, Gallas, Abidal, Evra, Govou (Anelka 66), Toulalan, Makelele, Ribery (Nasri 10), Benzema, Henry, Nasri (Boumsong 26).
Subs Not Used: Mandanda, Frey, Vieira, Malouda, Thuram, Squillaci, Gomis, Sagnol, Diarra.
Sent Off: Abidal (24).
Booked: Evra, Govou, Boumsong, Henry.
Italy: Buffon, Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso, Pirlo (Ambrosini 55), De Rossi, Gattuso (Aquilani 82), Toni, Perrotta (Camoranesi 64), Cassano.
Subs Not Used: Amelia, De Sanctis, Gamberini, Barzagli, Del Piero, Di Natale, Borriello, Quagliarella, Materazzi.
Booked: Chiellini, Pirlo, Gattuso.
Goals: Pirlo 25 pen, De Rossi 62.
Att: 25,000
Ref: Lubos Michel (Slovakia).
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France Euro 2008 Squad
May 29, 2008
France Coach Raymond Domenech named his 23-man squad for Euro 2008 and Bafetimbi Gomis earned a place in France’s final 23-man squad for Euro 2008 on Wednesday, a day after celebrating his first cap with two goals in a 2-0 warm-up win over Ecuador.
Gomis had been expected to be dropped until he became the first player to score twice on his France debut since Zinedine Zidane in a 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic in 1994.
France are in Group C with world champions Italy, Netherlands and Romania at Euro 2008.
France Euro 2008 Squad
Goalkeepers: Gregory Coupet (Olympique Lyon), Sebastien Frey (Fiorentina), Steve Mandanda (Olympique Marseille).
Defenders: Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Jean-Alain Boumsong (Lyon), Francois Clerc (Olympique Lyon), Sebastien Squillaci (Olympique Lyon), William Gallas (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich), Lilian Thuram (Barcelona).
Midfielders: Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth), Claude Makelele (Chelsea), Jeremy Toulalan (Olympique Lyon), Patrick Vieira (Inter Milan).
Forwards: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Karim Benzema (Olympique Lyon), Sidney Govou (Olympique Lyon), Samir Nasri (Olympique Marseille), Bafetimbi Gomis (St Etienne), Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)
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French goalkeeper Gregory Coupet ready to leave Lyon
May 24, 2008
Sensational transfer news are out and it has been reported that Gregory Coupet has confirmed that Saturday’s Coupe de France final will be his last game for French champions Lyon.
It has been reported that the goalkeeper has been constantly linked with a move to Tottenham despite him signing a contract extension last summer which ties him to Les Gones until 2010.
It is believed that the French International goalkeeper had told local media that he will be playing his last game for Lyon on Saturday.
Earlier, the seven-times French champions released a statement denying any approach from Tottenham and claiming no transfers would be considered before the final. The club even released a statement in their official website that Lyon categorically deny having received any offer from the English club Tottenham about the transfer of Gregory Coupet.
It is also believed that the club stated that they would like to remind everyone of the general fact that no discussions relating to possible transfers will take place before the Coupe de France final at the Stade de France on Saturday in which the club as a whole have all their focus.
BIO
Full name: Grégory Coupet
Date of birth: December 31, 1972
Place of birth: Le Puy-en-Velay, France
Height: 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position: Goalkeeper
Current club: Olympique Lyonnais
Number: 1
Previous Clubs
1993-1997: Saint-Étienne
1997-2008: Olympique Lyonnais
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