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Wolves will have plenty to improve upon when the summer transfer window opens.

Nuno Santo will have to enhance a striker line-up that’s bagged just four goals since Raul Jimenez’s injury. They will also need to bring more depth into a squad ravaged by injury this term.

What’s the word?

One player linked with a move to Wolves is Omar Mascarell.

The holding midfield player is currently Schalke’s captain but after claiming he wouldn’t leave back in January, it now looks as though he’s wanting a new adventure.

The German club are in dire financial straits at the moment which means Mascarell could be available for as little as £4m.

What will also make Wolves’ pursuit easier is the fact that Schalke have now been relegated from the Bundesliga. That all unravelled this week as the club’s players ended up being chased down the street by an angry mob of ultras.

Subsequently, the Old Gold are looking to take advantage and bring the 28-year-old back to English football.

When the midfielder was a Real Madrid player, he spent a period on loan at Derby in the Championship where he caught the eye.

Forget Dendoncker

If Wolves sign a new midfielder then it may just provide Nuno with the ammunition he needs to axe Leander Dendoncker from the starting XI.

The Belgian has played in defence and in the middle of the park this term but he has been pretty inconsistent along the way.

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He was at fault during their battering against Manchester City and has been relatively inconsistent; specifically in defence.

When Dendoncker came up against Newcastle and Allan-Saint Maximin he was skinned on a regular basis as the French winger flourished with four key passes and four dribbles.

With that in mind, it wouldn’t be a bad idea if Wolves searched for an upgrade.

Mascarell may have been relegated this term but he is still a midfielder that can offer plenty.

Nuno wasn’t in charge when the Spaniard played for Derby but Wolves saw firsthand just how good he was when the Rams defeated them 5-0 in November 2014.

The Schalke enforcer completed 95% of his passes, four of which created key opportunities to score. Mascarell claimed an assist too as he terrorised both Danny Batth and Ethan Ebanks-Landell. He also did the dirty work well too, registering two tackles and three interceptions.

It was a performance that was described as “absolutely outstanding” by first-team coach Paul Simpson at the time.

Of course, times have changed, but his free-kicks and corners that day were also attractive. “His set-piece delivery was very good against Wolves on a number of occasions and it gives us an added threat in the opposition’s penalty area,” Simpson continued.

That being said, it’s the defensive assets he possesses that would be so crucial to Wolves building from the back.

He won 1.8 tackles and 2.7 interceptions per game last term for instance. Dendoncker, on the other hand, managed the same number of challenges but fewer interceptions with just one per match.

Mascarell reads the play well and would offer a dynamic threat from dead-ball scenarios; there is much to like about his game.

AND in other news, Forget McBurnie: Wolves can save £15m by unleashing “powerful” rarely-seen beast…

Here's where you can watch Atlanta United vs Chicago Fire in MLS on TV or stream live.

Atlanta United will face the Chicago Fire on Sunday in an attempt to extend their unbeaten streak at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to four games.

Last weekend, the Five Stripes finished a two-game road trip with a 2-2 draw at Toronto. While Chicago squandered a 2-0 lead, drawing to the Philadelphia Union by the same score.

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Atlanta is currently third in the Eastern Conference, two points behind FC Cincinnati and New England Revolution. However, if you went by the press conference of coach Gonzalo Pineda, you wouldn't think it is the case.

The former Seattle Sounders assistant coach wasn't happy with the performance his team put on display in Toronto as they blew two one-goal leads in their previous two games, dropping four important points from winning positions.

After seven games this season, Chicago is showing solid progress, which is something we seldom saw from them in 2022.

Ezra Hendrickson's team has amassed the same number of points (10) as they had at this point in the previous season, but they have appeared to be much more dangerous and lethal when in possession in 2023. 

In seven regular-season games this season, Chicago has scored 10 goals; twice as many as they did at this point last year.

They are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference and in a playoff spot, which is encouraging, given that they haven't qualified for the postseason since 2017.

GOAL brings you everything you need to know about where to watch the game on TV and stream live online.

• Atlanta United vs Chicago Fire date & kick-off time

  Game:	Atlanta United vs Chicago Fire
  Date:	April 23, 2023
  Kick-off time:	4:30 pm ET
  Venue:	Mercedes-Benz Stadium

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• Where to watch Atlanta United vs Chicago Fire on TV & live stream online

  Fans in the United States & across the world can watch MLS with Apple TV MLS Season Pass.

  Country	TV channel	Live stream
  US	FS1 / TSN	Apple TV

  • Check out GOAL's soccer on U.S. TV guide

• Team news & squads

  Atlanta United team news and squad

  Atlanta United will once again be without Osvaldo Alonso due to injury. Their top scorer so far has been Thiago Almada, who missed the last game but might be ready to feature in the lineup against Chicago. Captain Brad Guzan is out for 10-12 weeks after an MCL tear.

  Atlanta United possible XI: Westberg; Lennon, Robinson, Purata, Wiley; Sosa, Rossetto; Araujo, Almada, Etienne; Giakoumakis

  Position	Players
  Goalkeepers	Westberg, Diop
  Defenders	Hernandez, Abram, Lennon, Robinson, Gutman, Purata, Sanchez
  Midfielders	Araujo, Sejdic, Ibarra, Etienne, Sosa, Almada, Fortune, Wiley, Wolff
  Forwards	Giakoumakis, Berry, Chol

  Chicago Fire team news and squad

  Jairo Torres, Victor Bezerra and Federico Navarro will once again be unavailable for selection this weekend due to injuries. Kei Kamara is expected to start up front having claimed the number nine spot for himself.

  Chicago Fire possible XI: Brady; Souquet, Burks, Czichos, M. Navarro; Pineda, Gimenez; Haile-Selassie, Shaqiri, Mueller; Kamara

  Position	Players
  Goalkeepers	Gal, Brady
  Defenders	Souquet, Czichos, M. Navarro, Ornsberg, Teran, Dean, Burks, Reynolds
  Midfielders	Haile-Selassie, Gutierrez, Herbers, Gimenez, Oregel, Casas, Pineda, A. Rodriguez
  Forwards	Kamara, M. Rodriguez, Mueller

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The Red Devils took their foot off the pedal against Sevilla and paid a heavy price – but a sense of complacency has been a theme of their campaign

"The important part of being a successful team is to avoid complacency. It is a disease that has to be guarded against."

So explained Alex Ferguson when discussing the secrets of his two decades of glory at Old Trafford.

"If we were winning at half-time, that was brought up — avoid it, it is a disease. If you lose a goal, you lose the game — keep your foot on the pedal.

"With complacency, you do not see it happening, you do not see where it is coming from. But, when it hits you, you ­cannot get out of it, you can’t eradicate it."

Erik ten Hag would do well to listen to those sage words.

Manchester United's late collapse against Sevilla in a match they were utterly coasting in was a stark reminder of how far the team still needs to come to be anything like the ruthless winning machine Ferguson built and maintained at Old Trafford for so long.

🏆 TOP STORY: Sane tells Bayern NOT to sack Mane

📣 HAVE YOUR SAY: Ronaldo & Mou reunited – a disaster?

🚨 MUST READ: Why Bellingham should say NO to City & Madrid

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  A lack of urgency in both boxes

  Complacency could be seen in how United failed to score a third goal after taking a 2-0 lead after 21 minutes thanks to Marcel Sabitzer's sharpshooting.

  Although Antony came agonisingly close to scoring, hitting the inside of the post, there was an overall lack of urgency from United's attackers in the second half.

  Wout Weghorst had the chance to turn and shoot at goal inside the area but instead played the ball back to Tyrell Malacia, who was in a worse position and further from goal.

  The Dutch defender had four players in his way and his shot was blocked.

  Complacency could also be seen in United's slack marking from the corner before half-time, when David de Gea clawed a Tanguy Nianzou header into the air and Raphael Varane had to scramble it off the line.

  The Frenchman was forced off injured immediately after the action and had to be replaced by Harry Maguire, who ended up getting the final touch on Sevilla's equaliser.

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• Getty Images
  

  An unforgivable lapse by Malacia

  By far the worst example of United's carelessness was how Malacia let the ball go behind him without looking to see if there were any Sevilla players near him in the build-up to their first goal.

  He had failed to sense the presence of Jesus Navas, who was part of Sevilla's first two UEFA Cup wins in 2006 and 2007 and embodies the team's never-say-die attitude which has helped them win this competition a record six times.

  The 37-year-old pounced and Malacia was too slow to react properly, sending the ball past De Gea, who was also taken by surprise.

  Malacia's attitude was the epitome of complacency. Perhaps the two-goal cushion made him think he did not have to fight for every ball any more.

  But his mistake woke the beast of Sevilla and suddenly United were not so confident.

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  'United became scared'

  Sevilla coach Jose Luis Mendilibar, a veteran of La Liga but who was taking charge of his first proper European match at the age of 63, spoke of how United took their foot off the gas and lost their nerve.

  "Bit by bit they stopped creating as much danger, we didn’t suffer as much as we did in the first half," he said.

  "They became scared once we equalised and were nervous towards the end."

  Mendilibar even felt that his side's reputation in the Europa League played on United's minds.

  "People respect Sevilla in this competition. When Man Utd were playing well, it was very easy for them, they scored two goals and could have scored more but when Sevilla pushed up forward I think they felt our presence in there," he said.

  "All the teams respect Sevilla a great deal in this comp and that is what we try to take advantage of as well.

  "In this competition, Sevilla have that soul, they believe in this competition and they believe in what we want to do."

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• Scholes: 'They felt it would be a stroll in the park'

  Paul Scholes was in no doubt that United got too comfortable.

  "A really strange second half that you can only put down to complacency," the former United midfielder said.

  And he said Ferguson would never have allowed the team to lose focus as Ten Hag's side did.

  "Did it happen when we played? Possibly, but I don’t think the manager would have allowed us to be complacent in the second half. When you’re in a quarter-final like that, that’s the time to win the game, to win the tie. You win it here tonight.

  "That should be 3,4,5-0 tonight against the opposition you’re playing. The only thing I can think, they felt it was going to be too easy, they felt it was going to be a stroll in the park.

  "You just can’t do that in European competitions, you can’t do that against a club like Sevilla."

Tottenham Hotspur’s season has very much repeated the same story.

The north London outfit have led 21 of their 30 league outings so far this term but have dropped a whopping 15 points from those winning positions.

Had they picked up those points, then Spurs would be sitting pretty in second place, four points ahead of today’s opposition, Manchester United.

For the most part, Jose Mourinho has absolutely rued individual errors and defensive mistakes, and that’s ultimately something he can ill afford at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this afternoon.

On the Chalkboard

Indeed, despite having the third-best defensive record in the Premier League, their blunders at the back have been the defining theme of 2020/21.

It was only in October that Spurs thrashed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men 6-1 and two months later, they were sat top of the league.

Mourinho watched Davinson Sanchez make the latest in a long list of mistakes at Newcastle United last weekend.

Spurs looked to be heading for three points until five minutes from time when the Colombian clattered into his centre-back partner Joe Rodon, which allowed Joe Willock to ghost into the box and score an easy equaliser.

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Following the match, former Ireland captain-turned-pundit Kenny Cunningham blasted the £31.5m-rated star on the OTB Football podcast. He said:

“When he’s not at his best, when he’s having one of those looser moments, then he’s a real liability to his team. And that was the case today. Had an awful first half, to be honest with you.”

Whilst the 24-year-old colossus started the 6-1 win, he was not part of the Spurs side that skyrocketed to top spot, as in the subsequent game, West Ham launched a stunning three-goal comeback to earn a point.

Sanchez was then axed from the starting XI in ten of their next 11 games.

He’s since worked his way back into the lineup, starting nine successive outings, but now it’s time to drop him once again after the latest error.

In February, ex-Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara implored the club to sell him as he’s part of one of the worst centre-back partnerships in the division, whilst Mourinho himself has even noted that Sanchez was the “weak link” when at Ajax.

United’s frontline of Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani and Bruno Fernandes is one to be feared – the trio have scored 55% of their league goals this term, and all three have either scored or assisted 52 of their 58 strikes, as per WhoScored.

Having someone who is prone to calamity is a recipe for disaster, so Sanchez really ought to be named on the bench today. When you have Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld waiting in the wings, there’s really no need to risk starting someone who has held Spurs back all season.

It’s not a coincidence that Mourinho enjoyed his best run in the league without him.

AND in other news, Daniel Levy played a blinder over 31 y/o’s exit…

Southampton produced a stirring comeback on Sunday afternoon to beat Burnley 3-2 and earn their first three points at home in the Premier League in three months.

A Chris Wood penalty gave Sean Dyche’s side the lead before Matej Vydra’s volley made it 2-0 and at that point, it seemed as if Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side were going to be on the end of another defeat in the Premier League.

However, they hit back quickly through Stuart Armstrong’s strike from the edge of the box after a Danny Ings flick, before the 28-year-old marked his return from injury with a well-taken goal against his old side to make it 2-2 before half-time.

Nick Pope made a series of excellent saves in the second half to keep the Saints out but he could do nothing when Nathan Redmond volleyed home the winner from Theo Walcott’s cross.

Redmond was arguably the game’s outstanding player, as he caused a lot of problems for Burnley with his direct running and dribbling, whilst he also picked up the assist for Ings’ equaliser.

As per SofaScore, the former Norwich City man earned an impressive 8.5 match rating for his display, which comfortably ranked him as the man of the match, with the winger picking up where he left off last time out against Bournemouth when his brace helped Southampton to a 3-0 victory in the FA Cup.

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During the 90 minutes, Redmond would complete four out of seven dribbles, which was joint with Ings as the most of any player from both sides.

Too often this season we have seen the 27-year-old dribble at opponents with no end product but he was on top form again today, as he contributed a superb four key passes, which is far more than the 0.7 key passes he has averaged per game in the Premier League this season.

He would also create two big chances for his teammates, whilst his pass accuracy rate of 78% was again above his average of 76.4% in the top-flight so far this season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

Considering the £16.2m-rated Redmond had just one goal and one assist in the Premier League before today, Hasenhuttl will be delighted that his winger was on top form for the second match in a row and hopefully he will be able to maintain that sort of performance for the rest of the season, now that the Saints have eased their relegation fears following today’s impressive comeback.

And, in other news… No goals this season: Hasenhuttl must axe 25 y/o flop, he’s stealing a wage

The Gunners will be up against the Leicester City star on Saturday, and should be thinking about adding him to their squad when the window next opens

James Maddison’s plan this Saturday will be to put a serious dent in Arsenal’s title hopes when Mikel Arteta’s side travel to Leicester City. His long-term thinking, however, is far less clear.

The 26-year-old will have just 12 months left on his contract in the summer, and despite talks about an extension being opened recently, it looks increasingly likely that he will be on the move.

Newcastle and Tottenham have been heavily linked as potential destinations for Maddison, but Arsenal have shown interest in the past.

They seriously considered signing him in 2021 when they were on the hunt for a new playmaker, but ultimately turned to Martin Odegaard when Real Madrid made it known they were ready to do business.

Clearly, that has proven to be a wise move, given Odegaard’s superb performances since swapping Santiago Bernabeu for the Emirates Stadium.

The Norway international is now Arsenal’s captain and has been the driving force behind their superb season up to this point, but that doesn’t mean that Maddison should be overlooked this summer.

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  "I'm not a No.10"

  Maddison would fit perfectly into Arteta’s 4-3-3 system, providing competition for Granit Xhaka in the left sided No.8 role.

  He has even admitted himself that he is far more comfortable operating in that position, rather than just behind the striker.

  “I’m not a number 10,” he said. “When the gaffer [Brendan Rodgers] came in, I transitioned into a number eight, and sometimes I play off the left.

  “Being a number eight has made me add that defensive side to my game. I’m never going to be a big tackler, I’m never going to go around smashing people. It’s that awareness and that responsibility of getting little toes in, little interceptions, because as a number eight you find yourself deeper a lot, so I’ve had to add that.”

  Xhaka has been a revelation for Arsenal this season and his transformation from villain to hero has been one of the most uplifting stories of the Gunners’ incredible campaign.

  But he is now in his 30s, and when you look at where Arsenal will need to improve over the next few years as they continue to build under Arteta, that left sided No.8 role is an obvious position.

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  Nine goals and counting

  Arsenal do already have Emile Smith Rowe, who will have his eyes on Xhaka’s role, but Maddison feels like the perfect candidate to come in and boost a squad that should, barring a dramatic late collapse, have Champions League football to contend with in 2023-24.

  Maddison’s numbers this season speak for themselves. He has scored nine Premier League goals to Xhaka’s three, while both players have contributed five assists.

  On average, the England midfielder creates 2.5 chances per 90 minutes, compared to Xhaka’s 1.7, and has 3.4 shots compared to Xhaka’s 1.2.

  Clearly he would be a more attacking option in that No.8 role than the Switzerland international, but defensively he has come on impressively of late.

  He averages more tackles per 90 minutes (1.8) than either Xhaka (0.9) or Odegaard (1) and also makes more interceptions (0.6 compared to 0.5 and 0.1, respectively).

• "I won’t be begging for a player to stay”

  To build on Arsenal's progress this season, Arteta needs different high-quality options in his squad. 

  Over the past year, the starting XI has been improved dramatically thanks to the club’s smart work in the transfer market. But while the squad depth has got better, there is still more to be done, and improving that will be one of the key priorities in the summer window.

  Maddison has proven himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League over the past two seasons, and it’s clear that he feels the time is right to make the next step in his career.

  “Players' careers are short and they always have to think about the future,” Rodgers said last week, while discussing Maddison’s situation.

  “It’d be great (if Maddison signed a new contract). He’s a top player in the league. He’s shown that in his time here, but I won’t be begging for a player to stay.”

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  Arsenal should be at the front of the queue

  Arsenal will get a close up look at Maddison’s talents on Saturday and they will know that if they can keep him quiet, then they will go a long way to stifling Leicester’s attack.

  But as the ex-Norwich City man has shown this season, even in a side that has been drastically under-performing, keeping him out of the game is far from easy.

  Nine goals and five assists in 17 Premier League appearances is an exceptional return, especially for a team sitting 14th in the table.

  It’s clear that Maddison is ready to take the next step in his career, and there will be a long line of clubs queuing up to try and take advantage of his contract situation come the summer.

  If Arsenal are not at the front of that queue, then they really should be.

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You're going to want all of these as the temperature drops

With winter drawing in, those summer days when it was too hot to play football seem a lifetime away. Nowadays, it's the cold biting at you at five-a-side every Wednesday.

The change in weather doesn’t mean that you need to give up your weekly kickabout though, so we’ve pulled together 10 training gear pieces that will help you get through those cold, cold nights in the cage.

• Shop: Best football training gear

  Arsenal Jamaica Pre-Match Warm Top

  adidas£90.00 from adidas

  Arsenal has been churning out some top-level pre-match and training gear for a while now – referencing everything from the Bruised Banana kit to the London Underground. One of the best is their most recent, which celebrates the club’s Jamaican fans through its yellow, black and green pattern. It was released to coincide with this year’s Carnival, but it can still bring the heat in the depths of winter.

• Venezia Pre-Match Jacket

  Kappa €70.00 from Venezia club shop

  In case you haven’t heard, Venezia are the coolest club in the world at the moment. The Italian team has continued its work with Kappa and Bureau Borsche onto its pre-match gear, and this jacket is perfect for keeping warm. Its colour palette brings the club’s gold, green and orange colours onto a black base, but the stand out feature is the Kappa logos down each arm, alternating between green and orange.

• Nigeria Academy Pro Jacket

  Nike£74.95 from Nike

  Everyone remembers 2018 and Nigeria’s record-breaking Nike kit. This year, they’ve released more heat. One of the stand-out features is the Academy Pro jacket, which comes in the country’s black and green colours and is covered with two slightly different geometric patterns. As if that wasn’t enough, its moisture-wicking fabric will keep you warm while also keeping the sweat away.

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• Real Madrid Warm Up Top

  adidas£90.00 from adidas

  All adidas training gear this season follows the same format – just look at Arsenal’s Jamaica-inspired design – but one of the best is Real Madrid’s. Everything has been kept simple, with the club’s white and purple colours used for the diagonal stripes. It’s a pretty clean design, and the brushed fleece interior guarantees warmth.

Everton are rightly set to release Joshua King at the end of his contract this summer, having proven to be an utter disaster since signing from AFC Bournemouth.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Blues chiefs have seen enough from King since his Deadline Day arrival last month to opt against retaining the Norway international.

Everton paid Bournemouth £2m to take over the final six-months of the forward’s £45,000-per-week contract, with the option to later trigger a longer-term deal.

But Carlo Ancelotti has decided against activating the clause, which would have seen the Cherries owed up to a further £3m, and will instead pursue alternative options in the next transfer window.

The Italian tactician is thought to have been unimpressed by King’s results since moving to Merseyside on the final day of the winter window, and has often overlooked the 29-year-old even when without Dominic Calvert-Lewin through injury.

King is yet to start a single fixture for the Toffees, with each of his eight appearances to date coming from the bench and totalling a combined 117 minutes.

Four of the 52-cap forward’s outings have lasted less than 10 minutes, and he is yet to provide a single goal or assist in royal blue.

King, who had previously expressed intentions to remain at Goodison Park for next season, has recently been linked with a move to Fenerbahce with claims of an approach being made by Super Lig outfit to his representatives.

Should Everton release King?

Claims of Ancelotti being unimpressed by King’s performances for Everton are hardly surprising given his lack of playing time so far, making a decision to part ways with the £9m-rated forward the best option for both sides.

Being released at the end of his contract will allow King to explore options that will return the highest payout, given claims in January that the Norwegian was pushing for a £120k-p/w deal.

Not taking up the option to extend King’s contract will also allow Everton to begin exploring potential replacements, knowing they will not be held back by first having to find a suitor willing to take on his wages.

King’s salary, plus the £2m paid to Bournemouth, has so far cost the Toffees £20,000 for each minute he has played, with the former Manchester United trainee taking in £315,000 for his 117 minutes of action since February 1st.

It is highly likely that King will continue to steal a living at Goodison Park until his terms lapse in 17 weeks’ time on June 30th, with the further £765,000 that Everton are locked into paying the striker going on a bench warmer based on his current record.

Simply put, King’s move has proven to be an utter disaster for the Toffees, who have not seen anything from the player who former Cherries boss Eddie Howe once lauded as the “complete package”.

AND in other news, Farhad Moshiri is set to back Everton as Carlo Ancelotti eyes a 29-y/o he described as “the best” in the world…

The Lionesses were in devastating form during their second outing at the 2022 finals, with a record-setting bar being raised a little higher

The UEFA Women’s Euros can always be relied upon to deliver intrigue and excitement, with the likes of England, Germany and Sweden having conjured up some of the most memorable performances in the competition’s history.

Goals are rarely in short supply, with some destructive attacking units filling their boots against unwitting opponents, and the record books continue to be rewritten on a regular basis.

The Lionesses, as hosts in 2022, have been in history-making form of late, with another entry added to the very top of a list regarding biggest victories on a continental stage. Here is what that particular roll of honour looks like…

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  England 8-0 Norway | 2022

  After opening a bid for glory on home soil with an unconvincing 1-0 victory over Austria, England broke their shackles in style during a second group stage outing in 2022.

  Georgia Stanway got the Lionesses off to the perfect start when converting a 12th-minute penalty, but those at the Amex Stadium in Brighton could not have predicted that the floodgates would open in such style.

  Lauren Hemp doubled the home side’s lead, before Ellen White and Beth Mead grabbed a brace apiece to have Sarina Wiegman’s side six goals in front at half-time – another Women’s Euros record.

  While England took their foot off the gas a little in the second 45, there was time for Alessio Russo to step off the bench and get in on the act, while Arsenal star Mead went on to complete an impressive hat-trick.

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  England 6-0 Scotland | 2017

  The Lionesses were already record-holders before their crushing victory over Norway, with neighbours Scotland blown away in a Battle of Britain encounter back in 2017.

  That contest also took place during the group stage, on Dutch soil in Utrecht, with the Scots brought crashing down to earth with a bump after bringing their long wait for a first major international tournament appearance to a close.

  Pre-match injuries heading into an eagerly-anticipated opening encounter did their cause few favours, and England were in an unforgiving mood.

  Three goals were recorded either side of the interval, with Jodie Taylor netting the first Euros hat-trick in 20 years while Ellen White, Jordan Nobbs and Toni Duggan also got on the scoresheet.

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  Sweden 5-0 Finland | 2013

  The Swedes were expected to go well on home turf and made a serious show of intent during a group stage outing against Scandinavian rivals in Gothenburg.

  The sight of star strikers Kosovare Asllani and Lotta Schelin finding the target came as no surprise – with the latter bagging a brace – but an unlikely source of goals got a five-star showing up and running.

  Centre-half Nilla Fischer set Sweden on their way by putting them 2-0 up, with her considerable threat from set-pieces proving impossible to contain.

  Finland struggled throughout and only mustered their first shot on target with 11 minutes left on the clock.

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  Germany 5-0 Russia | 2001

  Germany would, during a run of six consecutive Euros triumphs, ultimately emerge victorious on home soil in 2001.

  They delivered a convincing display of what they were capable of when eventually running away with a group stage game against Russia despite being kept out for 43 minutes.

  Bettina Wiegmann broke the deadlock shortly before the break, and the Germans were then off to the races in Erfurt.

  Birgit Prinz hit the net within five minutes of the restart, before Maren Meinert and a deadly double from Sandra Smisek rounded off a comfortable afternoon’s work for the most dominant team on the continent.

After a global vote involving 44 editions, Goal proudly presents its list of the best 25 male and best 25 female footballers on the planet for 2019-20

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  25. Paulo Dybala @man

  In the summer of 2019, Paulo Dybala was so close to leaving Juventus that he had already recorded a goodbye video for the Bianconeri supporters that love him so dearly.

  Now, he is set to sign a new contract with the Italian champions, having reminded everyone in Turin of his importance to the Old Lady with a string of sensational performances that helped secure the club's ninth consecutive Scudetto.

  Indeed, Dybala, who hit 17 goals in all competitions, was named Serie A's Player of the Season, while Juve's Champions League elimination to Lyon was partly due to the injury which limited his involvement in the second leg.

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  25. Cristiana Girelli @woman

  After becoming well-known to the entire nation of Italy for her hat-trick at last summer’s World Cup, Cristiana Girelli kept up her reputation as a serial goalscorer in 2019-20.  

  Scoring 16 goals in 16 Serie A games, the 30-year-old helped Juventus win yet another league title while finishing top of the goalscoring charts herself.

  Girelli also scored the opening goal in Juve’s 2-0 win over Fiorentina in the Italian Super Cup and was in fine form for her country throughout the year, only failing to find the net in one of the seven games she played for Italy.

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  24. Jadon Sancho @man

  Borussia Dortmund and Portugal star Raphael Guerreiro says Jadon Sancho has the ability "to be just as good as Cristiano Ronaldo, maybe even better someday."

  It is easy to understand why Sancho is held in such high esteem.

  At just 20 years of age, the winger is already an England regular, having run riot in the Bundesliga since joining Dortmund from Manchester City in 2017.

  Last season alone, Sancho scored 20 goals, and created a further 19, as he established himself as one of the most coveted young players in world football.

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  24. Asisat Oshoala @woman

  When it comes to off the ball movement and the ability to be in the right place at the right time, Asisat Oshoala is impeccable.  

  One of the most exciting things is that the 25-year-old can still improve her finishing and be even more prolific.

  "She has pace and power which is tough to find in any player nationally," Barcelona head coach Lluis Cortes said after the club brought in the Nigeria international on a permanent basis.  

  With 20 goals in 19 games, the signing proved even better in hindsight, helping Barca win their first title since 2015.