RONALDO LEAD PORTUGAL TO FIRST WIN AT EURO 2020, GERMANY FALL TO FRANCE

Defending champions, Portugal kicked-off their Euro 2020 campaign with a solid performance by defeating Hungary 3-0 at Ferenc Puskás Stadium in Budapest. By playing in the match, Cristiano Ronaldo became the only player to have played in five Euro final tournaments.

It was a difficult task for Hungary as they have to face the reigning Champions in Euro opening match. They defended well through out the match until the final 10 minutes of the match when Raphael Guerreiro got the breakthrough for Portugal in the 84th minute.

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Three minutes later, Ronaldo doubled the lead from the penalty spot. And the Portuguese skipper netted his second in the added time, which is his 11th goal in Euro finals. Ronaldo has now scored the most Euro final goals in the tournament history, two clear of Michel Platini. 

In another Group F match, France edged Germany 1-0 at Allianz Arena in Munich. Mats Hummels 20th minute own goal gave the World Cup Champions a winning start in the tournament. Portugal took the top spot in Group F, followed by France with same points but lesser goal difference.

Photo: UEFA EURO 2020

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UAE DENY VIETNAM LATE COMEBACK, MALAYSIA BEAT THAILAND

United Arab Emirates toppled Vietnam from the top spot of Group G on the final day to reach the final round of the World Cup 2022 Asian Qualifiers. The Al-Abyad were leading 3-0 before a late scare by Vietnam to end the game with a 3-2 final score. Vietnam will also play in the final qualifying round for finishing second best in the group.

UAE to control of the match from the start. Ali Salmeen broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute. Five minutes before the break, UAE were awarded a penalty and Ali Mabkhout scored his 76th international goal. Early in the second half, Mahmoud Khamis found the net to give his team a comfortable 3 goals lead.

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The never-say-die Vietnam team played their hearts out until the final minutes. Nguyen Tien Linh gave his team a fighting chance in the 84th minute. And Tran Minh Vuong scored Vietnam's second after three minutes into the injury time.

In another group match, Malaysia edged Thailand 1-0 to finish third in the group. Safawi Rasid scored the only goal of the match from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute. Both Malaysia and Thailand advance to the final round of the Qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

Photo: AFC

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VIETNAM JUST A POINT AWAY FROM ASIAN QUALIFIERS FINAL ROUND

Vietnam edged Malaysia 2-1 to stay on top of Group G and ready to secure a place in the final round of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. With 2 points clear ahead of UAE, they just need a draw to confirmed their place in the final round.

Nguyen Tien Linh gave his team the lead in the 27th minute, but Malaysia fought back to keep their chances alive. Guilherme De Paula scored the equaliser for Malaysia in the 72nd minutes from the penalty spot. However, Vietnam got a penalty in the 81st minute, and Que Ngoc Hai made no mistake to give his team the win.

UAE hammered Indonesia 5-0 in another Group G match earlier. Two goals each by Ali Mabkhout and Fabio Lima, plus a goal by Sebastian Tagliabúe sealed the win at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai. It is their third consecutive win in Asian Qualifiers and still in the race to win their Group. UAE will face Vietnam on Wednesday for their final group match.

Photo: AFC

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HENDERSON READY FOR EURO OPENING MATCH AGAINST CROATIA

Despite missing a penalty in a warm-up match against Romania last weekend, Jordan Henderson has declared he is fit for the Euro 2020 campaign. His fitness was questioned after he was introduced into the match in the last 45 minutes after not playing for club or country since suffering a groin injury in February. Henderson believes that England's manager, Gareth Southgate has been assessing his fitness level before making a decision to include him into the squad.

"We know a little bit more detail, I know more detail and so does the manager."

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The Liverpool captain suffered a groin injury in a match against Everton in February. He completed the surgery soon after the match focused on recovery and fitness with the tournament on his mind.

"You probably wouldn’t know but I’ve trained for a long time. It’s a little bit different training on your own instead of team training, although I managed to do that towards the back end of the season with Liverpool."

Henderson insisted that he is fit and raring to go for England’s opening match of the tournament against Croatia on June 13. The player is obviously desperate to start against Croatia on Sunday and, having played such a key role in the 2018 World Cup, he is out for revenge against their nemesis in the semi final in Russia.

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THAILAND HELD BY INDONESIA IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Indonesia came from behind twice to secure their first point in the Asian Qualifiers Group G, playing out a 2-2 draw against neighbours Thailand at Al Maktoum Stadium on Thursday. Narubadin Weerawatnodom and Adisak Kraisorn scored the goals for Thailand, before Kadek Agung and Evan Dimas rescued their team from 6th conseutive defeat. The draw was a blow to Thailand as three points would have taken them top of the group, with Akira Nishino's men set to play hosts United Arab Emirates on Monday.

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In another match, Ali Mabkhout and Fabio de Lima scored two goals each to give UAE a comfortable 4-0 win over Malaysia in Dubai. The Emirates took possession throughout the match and gave very little opportunities to their opponent.

UAE moved to second place in the group sharing same points with Malaysia and Thailand, while Indonesia remained at the bottom with just one point from yesterday's match. Vietnam is still on top of the table with 11 points from just five matches and looking good to win the group.

Photos: AFC

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