Santos hopes Ronaldo will remain

Inter Miami on Monday confirmed details of two upcoming friendlies in Saudi Arabia next year which will include a showdown between Lionel Messi and old rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Major League Soccer club had already announced plans for the team to face Ronaldo's Al Nassr in Riyadh, without confirming a date.

Inter said on Monday the team would take on Saudi powerhouses Al Hilal at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on January 29.

They will then face Al Nassr at the same venue on February 1, giving Messi the chance to lock horns once again with Ronaldo in the latest installment of a rivalry that has spanned decades stretching back to their first meeting in 2008.

"These matches will offer important tests for our team, which will benefit us as we approach the new season," said Chris Henderson, Miami's chief soccer officer and sporting director.

Miami will travel to Hong Kong following the Saudi Arabia games to play a team made up from the Chinese territory's First Division on February 4.

The team will then head back to the US for the start of the MLS season later in February.

Roberto Martinez insisted on Friday that Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to play for Portugal at Euro 2024 as the ageing icon prepares to face Turkey in a potentially crucial Group F clash, starting 10pm Bangladesh Time.

Ronaldo is Portugal's all-time top scorer with 130 goals in a record 208 international appearances and is playing at his sixth European Championship at the age of 39.

He moved to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia last year but is still a fixture in his national team despite no longer being the player he was, and Martinez said that he will play in Dortmund on Saturday.

"I think what's important is to understand what a player brings. For us, Cristiano brings the experience, brings the know-how, brings the goal-scoring opportunities, the movement in the box, the opportunity to open up space," Martinez told reporters.

Ronaldo played all of Portugal's opening 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in Leipzig but did not score, with Francisco Conceicao getting the decisive late goal.

"If you want to analyse the stats in terms of the physical side, well you need to look at what he's done in the last 12 months," added Martinez, with Ronaldo having scored 44 goals in 45 games for his club over the past season.

He also scored seven times in seven appearances for Portugal between the season starting and the Euros beginning.

"Cristiano is in the national team of Portugal because he deserves to be, and all the physical stats just back that he can play every four days."

Portugal trail group leaders Turkey on goal difference in Group F but will qualify for the last 16 in Germany in first place if they win at the Westfalenstadion and Georgia do not beat the Czechs in Hamburg.

Turkey beat Georgia 3-1 in their opening match of the tournament and will again play in front of a massive and loud support in Dortmund.
 

The Georgian capital Tbilisi erupted in celebration on Wednesday after the national side completed a stunning victory over Portugal that propelled them into the last 16 of the European Championship in Germany.

Georgia's 2-0 win over Portugal in their final group match drew people out onto the streets, waving national flags from car windows and letting off fireworks.

It was the first time Georgia have qualified for a major international tournament, let alone advanced beyond the group stage.

"It's incredible, I can't describe it in words. You should see what happens in the dressing-room," Levan Kobiashvili, President of the country's Football Federation, told Georgia's Interpress.

In Tbilisi, amid blaring horns, people could be heard chanting "Sakartvelo!", the local word for the country's name.

"The boys really gave us a miracle. Everyone deserves more than thanks. It's a wonder," Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters.

"They fought until the end and apart from the fight, it was proven once again that Georgians have football talent."

In Liberty Square, videos on social media showed hundreds of cars gathered, creating a traffic jam around the area, with fans climbing on the St George Statue to celebrate the moment.

"This signifies that wherever there is faith, purpose, selfless dedication, and the spirit of victory, there lies victory!," President Salome Zourabichvili wrote on Facebook after personally congratulating the players.

"Congratulations to everyone! I congratulate Georgia... not only for entering Europe... but for aiming high!"

Georgia's journey continues on Sunday in Cologne when they play Spain in the round of 16.

Cristiano Ronaldo insists he is focused on being the perfect team member at Saudi side Al Nassr rather than collecting more individual accolades in the twilight of his career.

The 39-year-old, who has won the Ballon d'Or award five times, scored in Al Nassr's 2-1 win over Al Rayyan of Qatar in their AFC Champions League Group B match on Monday.

It was the club's fourth successive victory in all competitions under new coach Stefano Pioli, who replaced Luis Castro last month.

"It was a strong and difficult match like all the matches in the AFC Champions League, but the most important thing is that we created many chances and defended well to prevent the opponent from creating easy chances," Ronaldo told a press conference.

"It is not important anymore whether I am the best or not, I no longer care about that. It is good for a player to score goals, but for me it is better for the team to win.

"I am used to breaking records and I no longer look for them. The most important thing for me now is to enjoy and help Al Nassr and my teammates to win."

Ronaldo became the top scorer in a single season in the Saudi Pro League last May with 35 goals.

The Portugal captain also scored his 901st career goal in a 2-1 win over Scotland in the Nations League last month.

"My goal against Al Rayyan was different and important because my father would have been happy with it if he was alive, as today (yesterday) is his birthday," the former Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United forward added.

Russia was the target of almost 25 million cyber-attacks during the World Cup, President Vladimir Putin said, though he did not indicate who may have been behind the attacks.

"During the period of the World Cup, almost 25 million cyber-attacks and other criminal acts on the information structures in Russia, linked in one way or another to the World Cup, were neutralised," Putin said during a meeting on Sunday with security services. The comments were reported by the Kremlin on Monday.