BUDAPEST, June 27 (Reuters) - A moment of madness from Matthijs de Ligt that led to a straight red card robbed Netherlands of any chance of making the quarter-finals of Euro 2020, with the loss of their defensive lynchpin leaving their team tactics in tatters.
Under pressure from Patrik Schick, De Ligt slipped and flipped the ball back into his path with his left hand to prevent the Czech striker gaining control of it. But referee Sergey Karasev immediately gave a free kick and a yellow card, which he then upgraded to red after a VAR check.
The loss of De Ligt was immediately felt as the Dutch went from being comfortably in control to being forced onto the back foot by a muscular Czech side that wasn't afraid to be cynical in bringing attacks to a halt.
Often the deepest-lying of Frank de Boer's three centre backs, De Ligt is the glue that holds the Dutch defence together and allows wing backs Patrick van Aanholt and Denzel Dumfries to forage far into the opposition half in support of the attack.
The 21-year-old is also key to set pieces for the Dutch both offensively and defensively, and on several occasions in the first half he was targeted with free kicks and corners by Memphis Depay.
His defensive organisational ability was also sorely missed when Antonin Barak fired a free kick to the back post for the Czechs and Tomas Kalas headed it back across the goal for Tomas Holes to head home.
Shorn of De Ligt's physical presence at both ends, De Boer shifted to a flat back four, requiring Dumfries to prioritise his defensive duties.
Without their athletic wing backs to support him, Memphis Depay was left to battle against Ondrej Celustka and Tomas Kalas alone when strike partner Donyell Malen was replaced by Quincy Promes.
For all their intricate moves in the first half, the attacking play of the Dutch was too easily read, and the Czechs comfortably dealt with their cut-backs into the centre.
De Boer, who came through the Ajax Amsterdam school of "Total Football" inspired by Johan Cruyff, threw on giant striker Wout Weghorst, who at 1.97m posed a different physical challenge.
But it made little difference after the defence leaked another goal to the Czechs, and the Dutch followed De Ligt towards an early exit from a tournament they had expected much more from.
Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Hugh Lawson
The logo of JPMorgan is seen in Los Angeles, California, United States, on October 12, 2010. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
PARIS, June 28 (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron will declare that Paris is back on the map of global finance on Tuesday when he inaugurates JPMorgan's new trading hub in the French capital which he hopes will attract more bankers leaving post-Brexit Britain.
The U.S. bank's chief executive, Jamie Dimon, will be one of almost 120 international CEOs travelling to Versailles on Monday for Macron's now traditional "Choose France" summit in which he pitches France as an investment destination.
The day after, Dimon and Macron will visit JPMorgan's new hub in central Paris, a stone's throw away from the Louvre museum, where about 440 employees will be based, many having relocated from London.
Macron's advisers say that is testament to the appeal of France's pro-business reforms implemented since the former investment banker's election in 2017.
JPMorgan's new trading floor is the latest concrete example of how Brexit is changing Europe's financial landscape since January.
Paris is at the vanguard of attempts to relocate clearing of euro derivatives from London to the EU after Britain's "Big Bang" liberalisation of financial rules in the 1980s drained EU financial capitals of such activity and staff.
Global banks like JPMorgan have long used London as their EU gateway, but with Brexit largely severing Britain from the bloc's financial market, banks have spent millions of dollars on hubs in Paris, Frankfurt and elsewhere in the bloc to avoid disruption.
EY has calculated that over 7,500 financial jobs and $1.3 trillion in assets have moved from London to the EU.
After these initial moves, financial firms are now deciding if there is enough business in London and the EU for two operations to be profitable.
"We may reach a tipping point many years out when it may make sense to move all functions that service Europe out of the United Kingdom and into continental Europe," Dimon told shareholders in a letter this year.
New Financial think tank said in a report in May that Paris has attracted 102 of 440 firms from Britain that opened units in the EU, second only to Dublin's 135.
Officials say past tax measures have helped create 3,000 new finance jobs in Paris since Brexit and no new perks are planned this week when Macron courts executives in the palace of Versailles.
"London had everything. Our ambition is for Paris to have everything too," an advisor to Macron told reporters.
($1 = 0.8380 euros)
Reporting by Michel Rose and Gwenaelle Barzic in Paris and Huw Jones in London; editing by Clelia Oziel
Atlanta United drew New York Red Bull’s 0-0 Sunday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in one of the most boring games I can remember from this team in this venue. Let’s do the ratings.
GK Brad Guzan 6 - Wasn’t tested much but cleaned up a bouncing ball on the goal line to save a goal.
LB George Bello 6 - Was basically playing as a striker at the end and I get it since he was Atlanta’s liveliest looking player on the day. That’s not saying much but that’s where we are now.
CB Anton Walkes 6 - Some good shoulder barges and was bullying Red Bull’s strikers for most of the game. Walkes is smart in the way he positions himself and his body on recovery runs, and that strength showed.
CB Miles Robinson 6 - Robinson was solid, but he didn’t have any passes that truly unlocked Red Bull’s like he has in some recent games. He put a header of the post late. At the very least, it was good to see a bounce back from him after a rare poor performance in New York midweek.
RB Brooks Lennon 5 - Again, a ton of energy and did his normal thing trying to get the ball into the box from the right side. In the end, the service was not great or in great numbers, but Lennon was anything but a net negative for the team.
DM Santiago Sosa 5 - Sosa is finding life more difficult in MLS as of late with opposing managers targeting him as the player they need to close down all over the field. Having said that, it almost felt like a relief to see him have some more freedom after he took the role of the No. 8 when Franco Ibarra left with a hamstring injury in the first half. It will be interesting to see if he’s able to impact the game more going forward if he continues playing further up the pith in coming games.
CM Franco Ibarra 4 - Tough one for Ibarra, who injured his hamstring badly in the first hf and required a substitution. With how thin Atlanta is in midfield, you just hope it heals quickly.
W Erik Lopez 4 - Not good.
AM Ezequiel Barco 4 - Not good (but worked very hard tracking back).
W Marcelino Moreno 3 - Not good.
ST Cubo Torres 3 - I don’t even know what to say at this point.
SUB Alan Franco - Nearly cost the team soon after coming on and making a mistake. It’s like he has the yips or something, but eventually he grew into the game and looked more confident and secure by the end.
SUB Jake Mulraney- A very Jake Mulraney sub appearance. He had some nice dribbles and provided some energy. But wasn’t able to convert the opportunities into much of anything.
The stars and sun aligned on the BET Awardsred carpet this warm Sunday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Prominent black entertainers arrived in iridescent one-pieces, print dresses and colorful trains in anticipation of a spectacular evening.
Celebrities lined up to honor Black excellence across music, television, film, and sports in 21 categories. The BET Awards 2021 will air live on Sunday, June 27 on BET at 8 PM ET/ PT.
This year’s ceremony, which is celebrating the “year of the Black woman,” will see Queen Latifah receive the Lifetime Achievement BET Award. Also planned is a special tribute to rapper DMX, who died in April at age 50, that will be curated by producer Swizz Beatz and feature performances from Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Swizz Beatz, Griselda and a special appearance by Michael K. Williams.
“We are back and excited to bring culture’s biggest night, the 2021 ‘BET Awards,’ safely back to Los Angeles to celebrate this year’s incredible roster of nominees,” said Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy. “We broke ground as one of the first official award shows to move forward during the global pandemic and we are ready to take our pioneer status to the next level with the return of an audience to celebrate the best and brightest creative minds in the entertainment industry.”
Adding to the bling factor, presenters will include Ashanti, Chloe Bailey, Ciara, Crystal Renee Hayslett, DJ Cassidy, Ebony Obsidian, Eva Marcille, Issa Rae, Jill Scott, KJ Smith, Lena Waithe, Marsai Martin, Michelle Buteau, Michelle Mitchenor, Mignon, Mj Rodriguez, Naomi Campbell, Novi Brown, Regina Hall, Ryan Michelle Bathe, Saweetie and Sevyn Streeter.
Jennifer Hudson will also make a special appearance, show organizers say.
Click the photo above to launch the BET Awards red carpet gallery.
Atlanta United returns home from Wednesday’s trip up to Red Bull Arena to play none other than the New York Red Bulls themselves on a Sunday afternoon in the Benz. Despite the Sunday kickoff, the match won’t be broadcast nationally, instead remaining regionally through Bally Sports South.
This means the same challenges to access the televised match will be the same as the previous NYCFC match, so if you were able to find a way to watch the game, this one can be found using the same method. If unable to watch like the many other cord cutters out there, things will be a little more tricky. At the least, though, links to radio feeds are linked so you won’t completely miss the action.
Can the Five Stripes get one over the Red Bulls for the first time in regular season play and cut their recent winless run? Get ready for the match with the always entertaining Prekrap as well as the Five Stripes Tonight preview episode, then come back and join us in the match thread below for kickoff from MBS.
This thread will be your match thread. We don’t have many rules here. We just ask that you don’t insult each other personally and treat each other with respect. Debates can get heated and that’s fine, but name-calling and petty insults will get you banned. If you see a comment that you feel is out of line, please report it and it will be dealt with.
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SPIELBERG, Austria -- Another qualifying session, another Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton front row. This one was nearly different as Valtteri Bottas set the second-fastest time, but the Finn will start fifth due to a penalty for spinning in the pit lane during Friday practice.
The good news for those hoping for a repeat of the thrilling French Grand Prix is that Bottas' penalty clears the way for the two title protagonists to go head-to-head once more, but once again it's Red Bull that appears to have the upper hand.
There was no doubting who was the fastest driver in qualifying at the Red Bull Ring.
Verstappen was 0.194s faster than Bottas and 0.226s clear of Hamilton. Both of the Dutchman's qualifying laps in the final session of qualifying would have been quick enough to secure pole, but his first was ultimately the best of the day at 1:03.841.
"It's been a very good weekend," Verstappen said after stepping out of his Red Bull. "Again, in qualifying the car was really good to drive.
"It was not easy to deal with the traffic in the last few corners to get a clean run but I think that first lap in Q3 was good enough at the end. I had a good first sector.
"Super happy to be on pole here at home. It's always nice to see a Red Bull car first here."
Speaking about the gap to Verstappen, Hamilton added: "It was a difficult session for me. I generally have had a really good weekend so far, of course not as quick as Max, but I did a lot of work before the event and then the car was feeling great all day yesterday.
"But then I got into qualifying and the car just didn't feel as good as it did in final practice. I don't fully understand it so I wouldn't say I was particularly that quick in qualifying, but nonetheless I am really happy to be where we are.
"But the next two-tenths [to Verstappen] are a little bit difficult [to find]. They've had straight-line speed again here this weekend, which is hard for us to compete with, but I am really proud of the team for just continuing to push hard, not leaving any stone unturned."
As the two drivers pointed out, most of Verstappen's advantage over Mercedes came in sector one, which is made up of the pit straight, Turn 1 and the long hill up to Turn 3. It is a sector that rewards straight-line speed, which the Red Bull appears to have unlocked plenty of since the introduction of a new Honda engine and slimline rear wing at the French Grand Prix.
There has been some speculation that the new engine may have delivered a performance advantage at a time when engine performance has been frozen by the regulations, but separating how much straight-line performance comes from the Honda power unit and how much comes from the lower drag rear wing on the Red Bull is hard to determine.
"It's always the interaction between a strong power unit, lots of downforce and making the tyres work and I think they doing a good job," Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said.
"We have already seen in Paul Ricard, where they were able to run a smaller wing while not using a lot in the twisty bit. So overall, it is just a very strong package."
Engine, wing or tyres, the result is the same as Red Bull -- or more specifically Verstappen -- appears to be pulling a gap over Mercedes as the teams enter the second third of the season. In a year when a budget cap limits resources and the development focus of teams has already shifted to a major regulation change in 2022, the question is whether Mercedes will be able to fight back?
"It's not a secret, there is a trend: they have the fastest package at the moment," Wolff added. "We need to utilise our tools and our intelligence to understand our car, setup work, tyres and what it needs to deploy, and then we need to be faultless.
"If we can align those stars then we can win the championship. Whatever the pole positions or victories anyone has at this stage, we are just one-third of the way through the championship and there is a long way to go.
"They have three pole positions from eight races? Well, three is not so much, is it? So that is completely open, but from a data standpoint their package is clearly quicker at the moment."
But Wolff was clear. Mercedes feels like it has been pegged back by regulation changes over the winter for 2021 and will not eat into its planned 2022 development time -- which will likely determine its competitiveness for years to come under F1's new rules -- to chase this year's title.
"We know that how the technical direction has evolved for 2021, we have been on the receiving side: fact," he added. "We continue to stick to our principle of putting our resources into 2022 with all the consequences that could have on 2021.
"But this is a long game. We are not looking at a single race or single result, we are trying to optimise every single year and, having said that, we just need to get the best from our package."
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