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FOOTBALL

German women take home U-20 World Cup

Germany’s under-20 women’s football team took home the FIFA World Cup on Sunday for the second time after a 2:0 victory over Nigeria in Bielefeld that completed an undefeated tournament.

German women take home U-20 World Cup
Photo: DPA

It was the first host nation victory in the history of the tournament, and followed their 2004 victory in Thailand.

Alexandra Popp, the 19-year-old player known as the “penalty-box princess,” scored an early goal in the eighth minute to rack up her tenth point in the tournament, earning her the Adidas Golden Shoe for top scorer.

“That was the best day of my football career so far,” said Popp.

The second point in the game came late when the Nigerians scored an own goal in additional time when German Kim Kulig headed the ball into the post and it bounced off Nigerian Osinachi Ohale’s back for the goal.

“The tournament was an amazing experience, an amazing summer,” said trainer Maren Meiner, who was treated to an ice-water bath by her team after the win.

The team’s final game was attended by a sold-out crowd of almost 25,000, a turn out said to be a good sign ahead of the FIFA World Cup scheduled to take place in Germany next year.

“One can’t imagine it any better, I had tears in my eyes,” said player Steffi Jones. “I’m super happy and am looking forward to next year.”

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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