Danny Welbeck scores for Arsenal
Danny Welbeck scores for Arsenal

Football news and talking points: No UEFA action for Danny Welbeck, the Golden Shoe race and more


We take a look at the top stories dominating Monday evening's headlines...

No UEFA action for Welbeck

Danny Welbeck has escaped retrospective action for his alleged dive during Arsenal's 3-1 win against AC Milan last week, UEFA has confirmed.

The Arsenal and England striker went down in the box after he tangled with left-back Ricardo Rodriguez in the 37th minute of their Europa League second leg at the Emirates.

Arsenal were trailing 1-0 at the time but Welbeck converted the penalty and later added a second as the London club progressed to the quarter-finals with a 5-1 aggregate victory.

A spokesman for European football's governing body confirmed on Monday that no case had been opened against the 27-year-old but made no further comment.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said at the time that he had not seen the incident properly but that he would speak to Welbeck if he felt the player had been guilty of diving.

Chiellini withdraws from Italy squad

Giorgio Chiellini has been withdrawn from Italy's squad for their upcoming friendlies against Argentina and England.

The Juventus defender went off injured late in his club's goalless draw with SPAL in Serie A on Saturday.

Juventus and Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini

Giorgio Chiellini has been withdrawn from Italy's squad for their upcoming friendlies against Argentina and England.

The Juventus defender went off injured late in his club's goalless draw with SPAL in Serie A on Saturday.

The 33-year-old is suffering from a thigh problem and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced on Monday he will return to Turin for treatment.

West Ham's Angelo Ogbonna had already been called into the squad on Sunday to provide cover while interim coach Luigi Di Biagio awaited news on Chiellini's condition.

The Azzurri play Argentina at Manchester City's Etihad Stadium on Friday and England at Wembley next Tuesday.

Golden Shoe race

Mohamed Salah took the lead in the European Golden Shoe standings with his four goals against Watford at the weekend.

The award is presented by European Sports Media (ESM) to the top-ranked goalscorer in the continent, with a higher weighting given to goals in UEFA's top five leagues - the Premier League, LaLiga, Ligue 1, Serie A and the Bundesliga.


How it stands

1. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool: 28 goals (56 points)

Mohamed Salah celebrates

2. Lionel Messi, Barcelona: 25 goals (50 points)

3. Ciro Immobile, Lazio: 24 goals (48 points)

4. Edinson Cavani, Paris Saint-Germain: 24 goals (48 points)

5. Harry Kane, Tottenham: 24 goals (48 points)


Begovic sits out international break

Bournemouth goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has been ruled out of Bosnia and Herzegovina's friendlies against Bulgaria and Senegal due to a long-standing knee problem.

The 30-year-old has been playing through the pain barrier for Eddie Howe's Cherries and will use the international break to recover from the injury.

Former Chelsea keeper Begovic has been ever-present in the Premier League during his first season on the south coast, including Saturday's 2-1 victory over bottom club West Brom.

Asmir has been ruled out with a long-standing problem he's had with his knee. He's been playing through so he's going to stay here and get some rest," said manager Howe after the weekend win over the Baggies.

"It's been very important to try and keep him fit, I think he's a big player for us.

"He wants to stay in the team and he wants to keep playing so he's prepared to put his body through a little bit of pain to get there for us. But this rest, I think, will do him the world of good."

Bosnia, managed by former Croatia international Robert Prosinecki, have not qualified for this summer's World Cup in Russia. They face Bulgaria on Friday, ahead of a meeting with Senegal next Tuesday.

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Last updated at 1630 GMT 19/03/2018.

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