Month: January 2021

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FRENCH LIGUE 1: PSG DRAW IN POCHETTINO’S FIRST GAME, LYON AND MARSEILLE WIN.

Mauricio Pochettino’s first game in charge of Paris Saint-Germain ended in a tame 1-1 draw at Saint-Etienne on Wednesday as leader Lyon moved three points clear by beating Lens 3-2 at home.

Lyon made it 15 games unbeaten with Memphis Depay scoring twice, but PSG still jumped up to second place on goal difference because Lille lost 2-1 at home to Angers.

“I am disappointed. We are PSG and we wanted to win,” said Pochettino, who replaced Thomas Tuchel after he was fired late last month. “This is not the result that we wanted.”

Pochettino’s tenure got off to a bad start when veteran winger Romain Hamouma put Saint-Etienne ahead in the 19th minute, after PSG midfielder Idrissa Gueye lost the ball near the penalty area.

It was the 100th league goal Hamouma has been involved in, with 57 goals and 43 assists.

Striker Moise Kean equalized soon after when he was teed up by midfielder Marco Verratti.

Kean then shot over the bar with 20 minutes left, just moments after Saint-Etienne striker Denis Bouanga headed against the woodwork.

Lyon totally dominated the first half against Lens and Depay made the breakthrough in the 39th, when he latched onto a defence-splitting pass from midfielder Lucas Paqueta and finished confidently.

It took Lyon less than one minute to double its lead following the break, when a cross from right back Leo Dubois led to a clumsy own goal from defender Steven Fortes.

Maxwell Cornet was then fouled in the box when put clean through by the impressive Paqueta, and Depay converted his sixth penalty of the campaign from a short run up in the 52nd.

Florian Sotoca pulled a fine goal back with a curler into the top right corner, and Cheick Doucoure ensured a nervy finish with a late second goal for Lens.

“Everyone thought it was going to be an easy win for us, but I was worried this would be a difficult game,” Lyon coach Rudi Garcia said. “But our unbeaten run continues and I congratulate the players for that.”

In northern France, Lille was 2-0 down after 11 minutes against Angers, with midfielder Romain Thomas grabbing both, before veteran Turkey striker Burak Yilmaz pulled one back in the 41st.

Marseille Wins

Marseille may now think twice about sending winger Nemanja Radonjic out on loan as planned.

He made the most of a rare start when he headed in Florian Thauvin’s cross close to halftime.

Montpellier is one of the league’s best away sides and midfielder Florent Mollet made it 1-1.

But Marseille’s substitutes made the difference as playmaker Dimitri Payet — surprisingly left on the bench — and Valere Germain netted in the last 10 minutes.

Although Marseille is in fifth place, it has played two games fewer than the top four sides.

Other Matches.

Aleksandr Golovin came off the bench and scored straight away as sixth-place Monaco won 5-2 at struggling Lorient.

The skilful Russia midfielder, who has been out since September with a thigh injury, struck midway through the second half with a fine curling shot from outside the penalty area following a corner.

Striker Ludovic Ajorque netted twice in Strasbourg’s 5-0 win against last-place Nimes.

Also, it was: Brest 2-0 Nice; Nantes 0-0 Rennes; Metz 0-0 Bordeaux; and Reims 0-0 Dijon.

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MANCITY BEAT MANCHESTER UNITED TO REACH CARABAO CUP FINAL.

Pep Guardiola dedicated Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Manchester United to reach a fourth consecutive League Cup final on Wednesday to the family of Colin Bell, a day after the City great died aged 74. John Stones and Fernandinho were the unlikely goalscorers for Guardiola’s men, who will face Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham in the final at Wembley on April 25.

Bell scored 152 goals in 492 appearances for City during a 13-year career in which he won five major trophies. City players warmed up in number eight shirts in honour of Bell’s old number.

A minute’s silence was held before kick-off with Bell’s former teammate Mike Summerbee reduced to tears as he watched on from the stands.

“That’s for him and his family. This person helps to build something for this club,” said Guardiola.

“It is an incredible victory for us to beat United away and reach another final and, especially today, it is for him.”

City now have the chance to equal Liverpool’s record between 1981 and 1984 of winning four successive League Cups.

“I know the Carabao (League) Cup is not the Champions League but four times a row is incredible,” added Guardiola. “I’m so impressed with the quality of this team.”

Mourinho was United boss the last time they lifted a trophy in 2017 and the Red Devils’ wait for silverware under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer goes on as they lost a fourth semi-final in the past two seasons.

“It’s not psychological, sometimes you meet good teams in the semis,” said Solskjaer, whose side also lost to City at this stage of the competition last season.

“We met the best team in England and for me we didn’t have enough today.

“But we’re getting closer. This is a much better Manchester United compared to a year ago in those semis, that’s positive but not enough.”

Both sides have hauled themselves back into contention for the Premier League title in recent weeks, but neither manager took the opportunity to rest key players as both made just two changes from the weekend.

Any fears of a repeat of the goalless draw between the sides last month in the league were quickly dispelled as both had goals ruled out inside the first five minutes.

Stones breathed a sigh of relief when his own goal was chalked off for offside by Marcus Rashford in the build-up before Ilkay Gundogan was also denied by the offside flag.

Zack Steffen was deputising for first-choice goalkeeper Ederson, who was one of City’s absentees due to a coronavirus outbreak, and the American produced an incredible save to deny Bruno Fernandes his 16th goal of the season with a curling effort that was destined for the top corner.

City looked more like their old selves in a thrilling first-half performance to blow away Chelsea on Sunday and they were inches away from the opener thanks to a stunning move that started deep inside their own half and ended with Kevin De Bruyne smashing against the post from the edge of the area.

The deadlock was finally broken five minutes into the second half when Stones cushioned in Foden’s free-kick with his thigh for his first goal in three years.

The England international’s poor form saw him fall down the pecking order in recent seasons, but City have now kept nine clean sheets in the 11 games Stones has started this season as he has formed a formidable partnership with Ruben Dias.

City’s issues this season have been at the other end and they again failed to make the most of their chances in the second half.

Joao Cancelo’s piledriver flew just over before Dean Henderson made fine saves to deny Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez.

However, Henderson could only watch as Fernandinho volleyed into the bottom corner after United failed to clear a corner for his first goal in two years, seven minutes from time.

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AC MILAN SUFFER FIRST DEFEAT AS CHIESA FIRES JUVENTUS TO THRILLING WIN.

Juventus inflicted a first Serie A defeat of the season on league leaders AC Milan as a Federico Chiesa double led the Italian champions to an exhilarating 3-1 win at San Siro on Wednesday.

Chiesa fired home a superb opener before makeshift midfielder Davide Calabria equalised for Milan at the end of an eventful, end-to-end first half.

But the visitors pulled away after the break as Chiesa curled in his second and substitute Weston McKennie swept in from close range to consign Milan to their first league defeat since March 8th, 2020, a run of 27 games lasting 304 days.

Stefano Pioli’s side remain top of the table on 37 points, one ahead of second-placed Inter Milan, who lost to Sampdoria earlier on Wednesday.

Juventus rise to fourth place on 30 points, but have a game in hand over the three teams above them.

Milan coach Pioli was forced to play right back Calabria in midfield after Rade Krunic and Ante Rebic were ruled out on matchday following positive Covid-19 tests, adding to an absentee list including Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer, Alexis Saelemaekers and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Juventus had issues of their own, with Juan Cuadrado and Alex Sandro in isolation and Alvaro Morata injured, but the selection problems did not impact the quality of an action-packed opening period.

Chiesa blasted a powerful half-volley off the post before finding the breakthrough in the 18th minute, when a clever backheeled pass from Paulo Dybala sent the Italy international through on goal to finish.

Rafael Leao curled a shot narrowly wide and Chiesa had another effort saved before Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny’s diving save stopped an Aaron Ramsey clearance from flying into his own net.

Milan hit back four minutes before the break when Leao picked out Calabria in the box and he fired into the top corner.

The tempo dropped slightly in the second half and Juventus took control on 62 minutes when Chiesa curled a left-footed shot into the bottom corner. The winger was forced off after hurting himself in the process, but the strength of the Juve bench showed when two replacements combined for their third.

Dejan Kulusevski weaved into the box from the wing and laid off a pass to McKennie, who was left with a simple finish from six yards.

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MANCHESTER CITY LEGEND COLLIN BELL DIES AT 74.

Manchester City’s legendary footballer Colin Bell died on Tuesday, reported Anadolu Agency. He was 74.

“Colin passed away peacefully this afternoon after a short, non-Covid related illness,” the English Premier League announced in a statement.

Manchester City Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said Bell’s death saddens everyone at the club, and he will be remembered always.

The English midfielder was regarded as one of the best players of his generation. He represented City between 1966 and 1979, and scored 152 goals in 492 matches.

“Colin The King” also had 48 caps for the English national team.

In 2004, one of the stands in Man City’s Etihad Stadium was named after him.

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TOTTENHAM BEAT BRENTFORD TO REACH CARABAO CUP FINAL, AWAIT MANCHESTER DERBY SEMIS.

Tottenham Hotspur reached the League Cup final after goals from Moussa Sissoko and Son Heung-Min sank Championship side Brentford 2-0 on Tuesday to set up a clash with Manchester United or Manchester City in April’s showpiece match.

Fellow London side Brentford, playing in their first semifinal in a major cup competition, started brightly but fell behind in the 12th minute when unmarked French midfielder Sissoko headed in a fine Sergio Reguilon cross from the left.

The visitors, who had beaten four top-flight teams on their way to the semis, thought they had drawn level after the break when striker Ivan Toney headed home but the goal was disallowed for a very tight offside, which was spotted by VAR.

Toney’s grounded knee was ruled to be offside before he rose to head in from close range after Ethan Pinnock nodded a cross back across the face of goal.

Jose Mourinho’s Spurs side responded to that let-off with South Korean forward Son collecting a fine pass from Tanguy Ndombele and bursting goalwards before slotting past goalkeeper David Raya to make it 2-0 after 70 minutes.

Brentford’s disappointment was compounded when Josh Dasilva was sent off six minutes from time for an over-the-top challenge on Tottenham’s Denmark midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who was immediately substituted with blood streaming down his shin.

“It’s a game that takes us to a final to, probably, but I hope not, an empty Wembley final but of course I’m very happy,” said Mourinho, who has won the League Cup four times in his career — three with Chelsea and once with Manchester United.

“The final is now in a pocket for three months, we have to wait for the final so we have to focus on what we have coming up… so let’s forget the final for now. But when April arrives we have to be ready and to fight for the trophy,” he added.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank added: “It was an open game, we had a top attitude, we were brave and an equaliser wouldn’t have been a totally unfair result against a world-class team.

“If you want to go to a final against a top team, you need the margins with you but then they show class to get a second and after that it was game over.”

Spurs have not lifted a major trophy since their League Cup triumph over Chelsea in 2008 but this will be their ninth final in the competition, which they have won four times.

The showpiece match will be held at Wembley on April 25, after the Football League moved the date back from February to increase the chances of fans being able to attend.

United host City in the other semifinal at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

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KLOPP ESCAPES FA SANCTION DESPITE COMMENTS ON MANCHESTER UNITED PENALTIES.

Jurgen Klopp has escaped an FA fine despite criticising Andre Marriner and questioning Manchester United’s penalty record.

The German made the comments after his sides 1-0 defeat to Southampton on Monday evening. Klopp felt his side should have had a penalty in the first half when Sadio Mane went down after a collision with Kyle Walker-Peters.

Liverpool’s goalless performance led to only their second defeat of the season and United, who are level on points with a game in hand, now have a chance to go ahead.

Annoyed by the decision, Klopp claimed Marriner did not handle the Mane moment properly. Not stopping there, the Reds boss also questioned United’s large number of penalties. Across the 2018/19 and 19/20 seasons United were awarded 11 more penalties than any other team in the league.

But despite his comments, Klopp will face no action, according to reports.

“We had a really good view of it [the Mane incident], and it looked like a clear penalty,” said Klopp at full-time. “I turned around to the fourth official and asked if it was going to be checked, he said it already had been and was not a penalty. That’s 100 per cent true, and now someone wants to tell me how quick they had it in all these different angles.

Last year, there was a penalty against Leicester when people said Sadio Mane goes down too easily – if he goes down easily, we would have had a penalty in this game and the last game, a stonewall penalty, but what Andre Marriner did with Sadio Mane I’m not sure if that’s okay.

The boy tried everything, had a few great challenges with Walker-Peters. But there were a lot of situations which should have been free-kicks. The last one, when he goes down, you see that back and in the box he hits him in the end with his left foot, that’s a penalty.

“We cannot change. I hear now that Manchester United had more penalties in two years than I had in five-and-a-half years. I’ve no idea if that’s my fault, or how that can happen.”

Managers can be punished for their post-match comments, but the FA say “provided they are not personal in their nature, imply bias or attack the integrity of the officials in charge of the match, or in any other respect bring the game into disrepute.”

Despite Klopp questioning United’s number of penalties it seems his comments were not strong enough to warrant any action.

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NEWCASTLE AGREE DEAL IN PRINCIPLE TO SIGN UNITED’S BRANDON WILLIAMS.

Newcastle have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to sign Brandon Williams on loan from Manchester United. Williams was promoted to United’s first team last season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and was regularly called upon in the starting line-up.

The 20-year-old made 36 appearances in all competitions and scored in the 3-3 draw against Sheffield United.

He’s proven to be a versatile option for Solskjaer with his ability to play on either side of defence as well as being deployed further up the pitch.

But his minutes have diminished this season following the arrival of Alex Telles on deadline day last summer.

Williams has only made one cameo appearance off the bench in the league this season with Telles and Luke Shaw the preferred options at left-back.

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CRISTIANO RONALDO OVERTAKES PELE AS SECOND HIGHEST GOAL SCORER EVER.

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has overtaken Pele on the list of top goalscorers in the history of professional football.

Ronaldo netted his 757th and 758th career goals in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Udinese, moving him one ahead of Brazil legend Pele, who racked up 757 officially recognised goals during his career with Santos and New York Cosmos.

Santos recently joined Pele in arguing that his goal tally is not actually correct, claiming that he actually scored 1,091 goals for the Brazilian side alone, but the reality is the record books believe Pele only bagged 757 goals in legitimate, competitive games. No friendlies, soz.

Ronaldo is now one ahead of Pele as his 83rd goal for Juventus took him to 758 for club and country. The Portugal international sits on 102 goals for his country, adding to the 450 he managed for Real Madrid, his 118 for Manchester United and the five he managed during his time with Sporting CP.

Get ready for him to move into top spot as well.

The record is currently held by Slavia Prague legend Josef Bican, who racked up 759 goals between 1931 and 1955 while playing across Austria and the Czech Republic.

That means Ronaldo, who sits on 18 goals from 15 games so far this season, needs just one to tie the record and two to make it his own.

Ronaldo’s first chance to break the record will come on Wednesday when Juventus travel to Serie A leaders AC Milan, but he’ll be confident of having moved to the top of the mountain by the time the meeting with Sassuolo comes to an end the following Sunday.

The win over Udinese saw Juventus climb up to fifth in Serie A, ten points behind leaders Milan with one game in hand.

Despite their disappointing league standing, Juventus only lost their first Serie A game of the season on December 22, a 3-0 loss to Fiorentina, but Andrea Pirlo’s problem has been too many draws – six from 14 games.

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URUGUAYAN FOOTBALLERS ACCUSE ENGLISH FA OF RACISM, DEMAND OVERTURN OF CAVANI’S BAN.

Uruguayan footballers have accused the English Football Association of racism in sanctioning Manchester United’s Edinson Cavani over an Instagram post which contained the Spanish word “Negrito”, and have called for his three-match ban to be overturned.

A strong statement by the Uruguayan Football Players Association (AFU) condemned the FA’s “truly discriminatory and racist act” to hand Cavani a suspension for “merely using a common expression in Latin America to affectionately address a loved one or close friend”.

The former PSG striker was accused of a racist language used to describe an African decent in a social media post after a game.

Cavani pled not guilty and explained that he never meant any harm but was just complementing his friend in his innocent post.

As part of the league’s resounding effort to ensure there is #NoRoomforRacism, the English FA decided to ban Cavani for three games along with a fine.

We will have to wait and see the FA’s reaction to this accusation by a group of Uruguayan footballers.

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Liverpool lose at Southampton to extend blip in EPL

On the receiving end this time was Liverpool, which also appears to be on its knees in what is shaping up to be the most open title races in years.

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl slumped to the ground, pulled down the bill of his cap, and wept after another big win for his team in the English Premier League.

On the receiving end this time was Liverpool, which also appears to be on its knees in what is shaping up to be the most open title races in years.

Danny Ings, a former Liverpool player, scored in the second minute to lead Southampton to a 1-0 win over the defending champions at an empty St. Mary’s Stadium on Monday.

Liverpool has gone three games without a win — after back-to-back draws against West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle — and leads on only goal difference from great rival Manchester United, which has played one game fewer.

United isn’t the only team in striking distance of the lead approaching the halfway point of the league. Four points separate Liverpool from seventh-place Everton, with 10th-place West Ham only seven points off the lead in what was always going to be a disjointed season amid the pandemic.

Southampton is in the mix, too, its latest win lifting Hasenhuttl’s team to sixth place in a season when it has been top — albeit briefly — for the first time since 1988. It all proved too much at the final whistle for the emotional Hasenhuttl, whose team was heavily depleted for the game.

“When you see our guys fighting with everything they have, it makes me really proud,” the Austrian coach said. “You need to have the perfect game against Liverpool and I think we did have that.

“It was an intense game, my voice is nearly gone. The guys are tired — you have to be to win against such a team. The guys believed in what they were doing.”

Few could have foreseen this sudden drop-off by Liverpool, which has failed to score in successive games for only the second time in Jurgen Klopp’s five-year tenure.

Indeed, such has been Liverpool’s lack of cutting edge of late that Klopp’s team has managed just seven shots on target in the past three games. In the game before that, Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 7-0 away.

“Our decision-making was just not good,” Klopp said. “That is how it is when you don’t have momentum. We should have had much more chances.”

Southampton was missing the spine of its team, with first-choice goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (coronavirus), central midfielder Oriol Romeu (hamstring) and striker Che Adams (concussion) joining giant center back Jannik Vestergaard on the injury list.

But the Saints still had Ings, who latched onto a free kick by set-piece specialist James Ward-Prowse and lifted a bouncing ball over goalkeeper Alisson Becker and into the far corner.

“We all know how good Prowsey is on set-pieces, and all the parts came together and luckily I got the goal,” said Ings, who had an injury-plagued spell at Liverpool from 2015-18. “We had a chat before the game to see if there was a moment where we could get in quickly and luckily it paid off.”

It was attack vs. defense from then on but Southampton held firm, with center backs Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek, in particular, outstanding.

“You know exactly what you are going to get from them,” Klopp said of Southampton. “You cannot be surprised but we looked surprised.

“At the beginning how we played, where we lost the balls, it’s not rocket science. We should have done much better. We played into their hands with the start.”