Griezmann doesn't know how it feels to be Uruguayan: Suarez

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi is joined by teammates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez on the 30-player lineup announced on Monday for the MLS All-Star Game.

The league's top talents will face the Mexican League All-Stars on July 24 at Columbus, Ohio.

Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi, a 37-year-old forward who sparked Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup, scored 12 goals and added 13 assists in his first 12 matches this season for MLS overall leader Miami.

Together with striker Suarez, midfielder Busquets and left back Alba, Inter Miami has a league-best 13-3 with five drawn record and 44 points over 21 matches.

The roster was selected through a combination of fan, media and player voting as well as designations by All-Star coach Wilfried Nancy of the host Columbus Crew, the reigning MLS champions.

The MLS lineup also includes 2023 MLS Most Valuable Player Luciano Acosta, a midfielder for FC Cincinnati, 2023 scoring champion Denis Bouanga, a striker for Los Angeles FC, Real Salt Lake forward Chicho Arango, forwards Diego Rossi and Juan Hernandez of Columbus and fellow front-liners Christian Benteke of DC United and Federico Bernardeschi of Toronto.

France winning the World Cup trophy in Russia, Chinese kitchen and bathroom appliance maker Vatti Corp is now in the spotlight -- it is time for the company to deliver on a bold promise. 

Vatti, as a sponsor for the French national soccer team, said a month ago that if France won the title at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, it would refund customers who made purchases of designated products between June 1 and July 3, based on invoice value.

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WC celebrations rock Paris

On Monday, the Guangdong-based company said it had started the promised refund process, after the marketing campaign helped it net total sales of about 1 billion yuan ($150 million) during the promotional period, a year-on-year increase of over 20 per cent.

The sales of designated products, such as dishwashers and water heaters, which were listed in the refund initiative, hit around 79 million yuan, with online sales accounting for 29 million yuan and offline sales standing at 50 million yuan.

Vatti said the company will afford the refund of sales through its own online store, and its distributors and retail partners will be responsible for refunding offline sales and third-party online sales.

Also, total costs of the refund only include manufacturing and promotional cost, which is less than the combined sales price of 79 million yuan, thus exerting little impact on the company's bottom line, the company added.

"We chose to launch such a campaign to support the French team because the temperament of the French team is very compatible with our passionate, smart and fashionable brand image," Vatti said in an interview with China Daily.

The shares of Vatti surged as much as 9 per cent by midday on Monday before the rise narrowed to about 4 perc ent at closing, when share prices stood at 15.18 yuan.

Ma Bing, a 33-year-old bank employee in Beijing, bought a dishwasher in June after seeing Vatti's advertising post on an elevator.

"Well, my wife has been asking for a dishwasher for a long time. I am also a big fan of the French team. The dishwasher saved me from my wife's nagging when I stayed up at night for football matches. It was a good deal," Ma said, adding he has registered the refund information at a Vatti online store.

Vatti is one of a number of Chinese companies that are cashing in on the World Cup. Their combined spending on advertisements for this year's tournament hit $835 million, $400 million more than the next biggest spender, the United States, and easily exceeding that of host country Russia, according to market-research company Zenith.

Liu Buchen, an independent expert in the home appliances industry, said it is good for Chinese companies to experiment with creative marketing campaigns, but more effort is needed to ensure that enterprises do deliver their promises and consumers' rights are protected.

Copyright: China Daily/ Asia News Network

Inter Miami rested Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez but still managed to extend their unbeaten run in Major League Soccer to 10 games with a hard fought 2-1 win at the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.

With neither of their star strikers -- or their former Barcelona teammate midfielder Sergio Busquets -- having made the trip to Canada, Miami coach Gerard Martino turned to Ecuadorean forward Leonardo Campana and Finnish winger Robert Taylor in his front line and they delivered the goals.

Martino said none of the former Barcelona trio was injured but that the team felt it was wise to rest them and avoid a 12-hour return flight ahead of a midweek game against Atlanta on Wednesday.

The Whitecaps had sold out their 55,000-seat stadium in anticipation of Messi playing. Vancouver's offered half-price food as compensation, but there were signs in the crowd objecting to Messi's absence.

Taylor put Miami ahead in the 38th minute when he was found by a superb pass from Jordi Alba and cut inside on to his right foot before burying a shot into the far corner.

Taylor then created Miami's second, in the 54th minute, with Campana leading a counter-attack, switching to Taylor on his left and the winger bursting into the box before picking out the Ecuadorean with a pinpoint pull-back which Campana confidently slotted home.

The Whitecaps reduced the deficit through a Ryan Gauld penalty in the 72nd minute after a foul by Tomas Aviles and Vancouver piled on the pressure in search of an equalizer.

Fafa Picault headed against the post and the Haitian forward caused Miami's defence a series of problems in the latter stages, but they hung on for the three points.

Rossi brace

Diego Rossi scored twice as defending MLS champions Columbus Crew picked up their third straight win on the road with a 2-0 victory at Orlando City.

The Crew, who play in the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup against Mexico's Pachuca next Saturday, had a made a slow start to the regular season in MLS but Wilfried Nancy's team look to be hitting their stride.

Uruguayan Rossi put Columbus ahead, on the stroke of half-time, with a penalty awarded in unusual fashion.

It was Orlando who were awarded a penalty after Crew defender Steven Moreira brought down City's Colombian winger Luis Muriel inside the box but the video review spotted a foul at the start of the action, at the other end of the field.

After going to the monitor, referee Jair Marrufo ruled that Cesar Araujo had brought down Aidan Morris in the other box and awarded the spot kick for Columbus -- with Rossi gratefully converting.

Rossi's second, in the 61st minute, was less controversial -- the forward running on to a pass from Yaw Yeboah and then beating Pedro Gallese with a delightful chip with the outside of his foot.

There was a seven-goal thriller in Toronto were the home side fought back to make it 3-3 against Cincinnati through an 85th minute Lorenzo Insigne penalty only to see Cincinnati's Sergio Santos make it 4-3 in stoppage time.

There was still time though for ex-Italy striker Insigne to find the net again but his last gasp effort was ruled out for offside.

Former USA and Premier League goalkeeper Brad Guzan was sent off for Atlanta United in their 1-0 defeat at home to Los Angeles FC.

Guzan's attempted headed clearance, outside his box, struck LAFC's Mateusz Bogusz and the 39-year-old keeper's outstretched leg brought down the Polish attacker.

After a VAR review, Guzan was shown a red card and substitute keeper Josh Cohen's first job was to pick the ball out of the net after the deflected free-kick from Bogusz beat him.

The game ended 10 against 10 after LAFC's Eduard Atuesta was dismissed after a second yellow card as the visitors hung on for a 1-0 win.

Western Conference leaders Real Salt Lake are fast becoming the MLS comeback specialists - a week after they scored three late goals to beat the Colorado Rapids 5-3, they came back from three goals down to earn a 3-3 draw at FC Dallas.

Nelson Palacio got the equalizer with a left-foot drive in the last of eight minutes of stoppage time.

Luis Suarez struck twice to take his season tally to 16 goals in 20 Major League Soccer games, as Inter Miami cruised to a 4-1 win over the Chicago Fire on Saturday.

Miami, once again without Lionel Messi, who continues to be sidelined by an ankle injury, have already secured their place in the playoffs and remain in top place for the regular season 'Supporters' Shield'.

But there was no sign of Gerardo Martinez's side easing off as Uruguayan Suarez continued his impressive scoring form in a convincing victory.

The 37-year-old former Barcelona striker made Miami's opener in the 25th minute when his shot was parried out by Chicago keeper Chris Brady but flew into the goal of the helpless defender Tobias Salquist.

Suarez was on target himself, a minute after the interval when, after a smart exchange with Diego Gomez, he beat Brady with a low left-foot shot which flew into the near post.

The veteran striker made it 3-0 with his second, a close range finish after a low ball into the box from his former Barca team-mate Jordi Alba.

Giorgios Koutsias pulled a goal back for Chicago in the 82nd minute but Miami completed the rout when Leonardo Campana broke down the right and slipped the ball to substitute Robert Taylor with the Finnish winger making no mistake.

Defending champions the Columbus Crew, fresh from their Leagues Cup triumph, look well placed to join Miami in the Eastern Conference post-season after two stoppage time goals earned them a 4-2 win over New York City.

Algerian Mounsef Bakrar looked to have earned NYCFC a point after he finished off a swift counter-attack to make it 2-2 in the 86th minute.

But in the third minute of stoppage time DeJuan Jones took advantage of some hesitant New York defending to poke home and then Jacen Russell-Rowe made it 4-2 for the Crew, who are third in the East.

FC Cincinnati, without suspended Argentine Luciano Acosta, remain a spot ahead of the Crew after a 4-1 win over Montreal with another Argentine, Luca Orellano, scoring twice.

Orellano's second goal, in the 57th minute, to make it 3-0, was a spectacular strike from inside his own half.

French star Antoine Griezmann has extended his contract with Atletico Madrid by a year, the Spanish club announced on Tuesday.

Griezmann's contract now runs until June 30, 2022, and ends rumours linking him with a move away from Atletico.

"The first thing that I want to do is apologise to the people who misunderstood my statements," the 26-year-old said.

"Maybe I expressed myself badly or someone wanted to make news where there wasn't any, but since I came, I have given my all for my club, my teammates and my coaching staff, and I'm very happy to live one more season with all of you."

Griezmann arrived in Atletico in 2014 for 30 million euros from Real Sociedad, where he started his career in 2009.

He has scored 83 goals in 160 games for Atletico, with whom he reached the Champions League final in 2016.

Atletico's sporting director Jose Luis Perez Caminero dubbed the contract extension "great news because he is one of the best players in the world".

"Antoine is a different football player, capable of changing a match, with spectacular qualities, a very complete player."