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ROME: Harry Kane scored twice as a buoyant England cruised through to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 with a one-sided 4-0 win over Ukraine in Rome on Saturday.
Kane ended a worrying international scoring drought by netting in the 2-0 last-16 defeat of Germany in midweek and he put England ahead inside four minutes on a sweaty evening in the Italian capital.
Gareth Southgate's side then put this quarter-final tie out of sight with two more goals early in the second half, one from Harry Maguire before Kane netted again.
Substitute Jordan Henderson got the fourth, and as Denmark lie in wait in the Wembley semi-final on Tuesday England will be confident of going on to reach a first ever European Championship final and even now claiming a first major international title since 1966.
??????? England = semi-finalists ???#EURO2020 | #ENG pic.twitter.com/lftDdElimL
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 3, 2021
The draw here was kind for them, with Ukraine surely as weak an opponent as they could hope to face in a quarter-final, a stage at which they have lost to the likes of Italy and Portugal in recent European Championships.
However the statistics are impressive, with England having come through five games at this tournament all without conceding a goal.
Some of their play in wide areas was outstanding, with Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho -- making his first start at the Euro -- too hot for Ukraine to handle.
⏰ RESULT ⏰
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 3, 2021
What. A. Performance.
??????? Kane (2), Maguire & Henderson net in Rome as England reach EURO 2020 semi-finals ?
?? Ukraine suffer defeat in first EURO quarter-final.
Sum up this knockout tie in one word ?#EURO2020
Kane, their captain, had gone close to eight hours without finding the net for his country but his opener here was his second in just eight minutes following the late strike that secured victory over Germany.
Regardless of the opposition, their display at the Stadio Olimpico was a step-up in class in the final third to previous games at the Euro and they will be favourites at home against a Danish side who played their own quarter-final against the Czech Republic on Saturday in distant Baku.
This will be the only match England play away from home in the competition and it marked quite a difference to their defeat of the Germans, which was watched by more than 40,000 supporters at Wembley, where coronavirus restrictions were eased.
??????? Two-goal England hero Harry Kane takes the plaudits after inspiring the Three Lions in Rome ?@Heineken | #EUROSOTM | #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/Cc1Y1y2XUb
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 3, 2021
With Italy currently imposing a five-day quarantine on all arrivals from the United Kingdom, the number of England fans in Rome was limited to those already based in the although they still made themselves heard in the crowd of under 12,000.
They had plenty to celebrate, unlike their Ukrainian counterparts, as Andriy Shevchenko's team came up short in their bid to take the country to a first ever major tournament semi-final.
They scraped out of their group and then edged 10-man Sweden in extra time in the last 16, and their chances of shocking England looked dead and buried when they fell behind early on.
Sterling, who terrorised the Ukraine defence down the left, played in Kane who poked the ball past Georgiy Bushchan.
Ukraine's giant striker Roman Yaremchuk forced a save from Jordan Pickford and a Declan Rice piledriver was kept out by Bushchan, with England looking comfortable.
However Ukraine were a different proposition after injured defender Serhiy Kryvtsov was replaced by Dynamo Kiev winger Viktor Tsygankov in the 36th minute.
They finished the first half strongly and more pessimistic England fans may have spent the interval reliving their exit from Euro 2016, when they lost to Iceland in the last 16 despite also having opened the scoring in the fourth minute.
They need not have worried.
England scored again less than a minute after the restart when a foul on Kane allowed Luke Shaw to deliver a freekick from the left for Maguire to head in.
Four minutes after that Sterling supplied the overlapping Shaw and he crossed for a rejuvenated Kane to head home.
The Tottenham star nearly had his hat-trick, a stinging volley producing a fine save from Bushchan.
From Mason Mount's resulting corner came the fourth goal, another header, this time from Henderson, the first of five substitutes sent on by Southgate who would have been thinking about the semi-final long before this quarter-final was officially over.
Courtesy: timesofindia
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New Delhi (PTI): India and Canada on Monday sealed key pacts on supplies of Uranium and critical minerals and vowed to soon conclude a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney finalising a new framework to shore up ties including taking bilateral annual trade to USD 50 billion by 2030.
In their wide-ranging talks, the two leaders also pledged to ramp up cooperation in defence, critical technologies, small and modular nuclear reactors, education and renewable energy as Modi said the relations between the two countries are now filled with new energy, mutual trust and positivity.
Canada is set to support India's civil nuclear energy sector under the USD 2.6 billion uranium supply agreement.
The prime minister said both sides agreed that terrorism, extremism, and radicalisation are common and serious challenges not only for India and Canada but for all humanity. "Our close cooperation against these is crucial for global peace and stability," he said.
Modi and Carney also deliberated on the precarious security situation in West Asia with PM Modi asserting that India supports the resolution of all conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy.
"The current situation in West Asia is a matter of deep concern for us. India supports the resolution of all disputes through dialogue and diplomacy. We will continue to work with all countries to ensure the safety of all Indian citizens in the region," the prime minister said in his media statement.
The major outcomes of the Modi-Carney talks were their decision to expand trade relations, a move that comes amid Canada's increasingly frosty economic ties with the Trump administration.
The fresh move to bolster ties came as part of ongoing efforts by the two sides to reset the relations that came under severe strain following a diplomatic row over the killing of a Khalistani separatist in 2023.
"Our goal is to reach USD 50 billion in trade by 2030. Unlocking the full potential of economic cooperation is our priority. Therefore, we have decided to finalise the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement soon.
"This will create new investment and employment opportunities in both countries," Modi said.
"Canada's pension funds have invested USD 100 billion in India. This symbolises their deep belief in India's growth story," he said.
The volume of two-way annual trade at present is around USD 13 billion.
The prime minister said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on critical minerals will strengthen resilient supply chains. Canada is known for its significant reservoir of critical minerals and rare earth materials.
"In the energy sector, we are building a next-generation partnership, which will focus on hydrocarbons as well as renewable energy, green hydrogen and energy storage," Modi said.
"In civil nuclear energy, we have signed a landmark deal for long-term uranium supply. We will also work together on small modular reactors and advanced reactors," he said.
Modi said the growing cooperation between the two countries in the field of defence and security symbolises the deep mutual trust and the maturity of the relationship.
"We will work to enhance defence industries, maritime domain awareness and military exchanges. To this end, today we have decided to establish the India-Canada defence dialogue," he said.
The prime minister also highlighted the expansion of two-way ties in the education sector.
"New partnerships between several universities in AI, healthcare, agriculture and innovation are being announced. We also agreed on Canadian universities opening campuses in India," he said.
The prime minister also made a mention of how India and Canada share an "unwavering belief" in democratic values.
"We celebrate diversity. The well-being of humanity is our shared vision. This vision inspires us to move forward in every field. Today, we discussed transforming this vision into a next level partnership," he said.
In his remarks, Carney mentioned the future of India-Canada energy ties.
"Today, we are launching a strategic energy partnership with significant potential to expand bilateral energy trade. We've signed a new critical minerals partnership spanning development, processing and secure supply chains for clean energy, electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing," he said.
"We're deepening our cooperation in clean energy, expanding collaboration across wind, solar and hydrogen, because Canada has big plans as well," he said.
Carney described the uranium supply agreement as a reflection of shared commitment to clean, reliable energy.
"All of these agreements under one planet are the beginning of a new, prosperous relationship that will offer generational opportunities for workers and businesses in both their countries and which will protect the planet for future generations," he said.
Carney landed in New Delhi on Sunday after spending two days in Mumbai, where he met several industry leaders.
In the face of its tense trade ties with the Trump administration, Canada is looking at building a stronger, independent and more resilient economy.
In the last few months, India and Canada have taken several steps to normalise their relations.
India-Canada ties hit rock bottom following then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India dismissed Trudeau's accusation as "absurd".
In October 2024, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.
However, Liberal Party leader Carney's victory in the parliamentary election in April last year helped in beginning the process to reset relations.
Subsequently, both sides have already posted their high commissioners in each other's capitals.
Last June, Modi travelled to Kananaskis, Canada, to attend the G7 summit. Modi and Carney held extensive talks on the margins of the summit with a focus on rebuilding the ties.
