Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/695268
21 MORATA left Real for Juventus in 2014 but the Spanish giants have now decided to exercise a clause in his contract to bring the 23-year- old back to the Bernabeu. A club statement read: "Real Ma- drid have informed Juventus of their decision to recover the fed- erative rights on the player Alvaro Morata, who will join up with the first team for pre-season training under the orders of Zinedine Zi- dane." The fee for Morata has not been announced but reports in Spain suggest it is in the region of 30million euros (£23million). It remains to be seen if Morata will remain with the Champions League winners for next season or if he will be sold on for a profit, with a number of English clubs said to be interested. Juve general director Giuseppe Marotta had earlier revealed the striker, who has started both of Spain's matches in Euro 2016 so far and scored twice in Friday's 3-0 win against Turkey, would be heading back to his homeland. "Real Madrid will exercise their right to repurchase," Marotta said in quotes posted on Marca. "We expect their offer in writing in the coming day, then we'll see, but the number of possibilities that remain are few, and we will try to replace him with an equally-good player." Sport maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2016 FOOTBALL - EURO 2016 FOOTBALL Blaszczykowski winner seals Poland progress to last 16 Poland reached the knockout stage of the European Championship for the first time when Jakub Blaszczykowski's second-half goal beat already- eliminated Ukraine 1-0 yesterday and secured second place in Group C and a last-16 meeting with Switzerland POLAND had started strongly but appeared to be settling for the draw that would also have guaranteed their progress until Blaszczykowski struck nine min- utes after joining the fray as a halftime substitute. The result left them on seven points, second in the group on goal difference to Germany, who beat Northern Ireland 1-0, and left their huge following in the Stade Velodrome celebrating long and loud after the humiliation of four years ago when they finished bottom of their group when co- hosting the tournament. Poland could and should have been out of sight in the first five minutes as Arkadiusz Milik shot straight at goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov when through and Robert Lewandowski, the leading scorer from any country in the qualify- ing competition but without a goal in his previous five interna- tionals, side-footed wide with the goal gaping. Ukraine looked shell-shocked but, unlike in their previous two 2-0 defeats by Germany and Northern Ireland, they settled down, got stuck in and should have scored themselves when Andriy Yarmolenko bore down on Lukasz Fabianski but then blazed wide. A goalless draw would have been enough for Poland whatever happened in the other game but their grip on second place was strengthened when Germany went ahead against Northern Ire- land after half an hour and some of the intensity went out of their approach. But they looked fired up again after the break and an incisive inside pass by Milik sent Blaszc- zykowski through and the substi- tute beat a defender before hook- ing the ball firmly beyond Andriy Pyatov. Bartosz Kapustka should have doubled the lead two minutes lat- er but shot wide from close range. Poland then packed their mid- field and sat deep and although it allowed Ukraine to have more possession, unleash a few pot- shots and force some desperate last-ditch Polish tackles, they never really threatened an equal- iser. So, Ukraine go home without a point or a goal and are now with- out a coach after Mykhailo Fo- menko had announced before the game that he would step down. Poland, however, march on into uncharted waters and will have every belief that they can beat a Swiss team who hardly tore up any trees in finishing second to France in Group A. Poland's Jakub Blaszczykowski celebrates after scoring a goal Morata returning to Real Madrid Real Madrid have confirmed they will re-sign striker Alvaro Morata from Juventus this summer Alvaro Morata