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LA LIGA: REAL MADRID BEAT SEVILLA TO EASE PRESSURE ON ZIDANE.

Real Madrid beat Sevilla 1-0 in La Liga to alleviate some pressure on manager Zinedine Zidane.

An own goal by Sevilla keeper Yassine Bounou secured all three points for Los Blancos.

Madrid, who rise to third in the La Liga table, are four points away from league leaders Real Sociedad, while Julen Lopetegui’s Sevilla are fifth in the division.

Zidane went into the match under pressure following two successive defeats, to Shakhtar Donestk in the Champions League and Sevilla in La Liga.

Zidane’s side almost took the lead inside a minute after Vinicius Jr. was played through on goal by Rodrygo, but the winger shot wide from a tight angle.

Sevilla missed their chance to go ahead in the 33rd minute after Jesus Navas’s cross found the head of defender Jules Kounde, but the defender missed the target and couldn’t guide it past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

But after the break Vinicius Jr.’s shot was turned in by Bounou to send Real into the lead.

Bounou is the first goalkeeper to score an own goal in La Liga this season and the first Sevilla goalkeeper to score an own goal in the competition in the 21st Century.

After the match Vinicius Jr. claimed that the goal should be awarded to him and not for Bounou.

“It’s mine, of course! I took the shot,” he said. “The win today is really important for our confidence.

“It’s a difficult place to play against a good team. We had some games where we played well but didn’t win, and today we won… We didn’t have any doubts today.”

Meanwhile, manager Zidane said that his team deserved to win and praised the performance.

“They’re three really important points. But beyond that, it’s the game we played, from the first minute to the last. We suffered a bit in the second half but our first half was really good. We deserved it, against a really good opponent who can cause you problems,” he said.

“It’s important for the next game. It’s been a complicated moment lately, today we have to enjoy it and be happy. They’re three points, now we have to rest well and think about what comes next.”

Zidane spoke about the criticism both he and his team have received despite claiming victory against Sevilla.

“It’s like that. It won’t change much. When you lose, there’ll be criticism. Today we have to think positive. We have to keep looking for consistency. The rest won’t change.”

Real next face Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League on Wednesday before hosting city rivals Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

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CHELSEA 3-1 LEEDS: BLUES GO TOP AFTER IMPRESSIVE FIGHT BACK.

Chelsea struck twice in the second half as they came from behind to beat Leeds United 3-1 in front of 2,000 returning home fans.

Leeds took the lead in the fourth minute when Patrick Bamford rounded Edouard Mendy to score against his former side.

Timo Werner then missed a glorious chance to equalise, somehow firing over from point-blank range.

However, Olivier Giroud made it 1-1 on 27 minutes when he slid in at the near post to convert Reece James’s cross.

Chelsea pushed for a second goal and it came on 61 minutes, Kurt Zouma rising highest to head in a Mason Mount corner.

Christian Pulisic wrapped up the win from close range in stoppage time after being played in by Werner.

Frank Lampard’s side go top on 22 points after extending their unbeaten Premier League run to nine matches.

Leeds lie 13th with 14 points.

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WESTHAM 1-3 MAN UNITED: RED DEVILS FIGHT BACK SPOILS HAMMERS FANS’ RETURN.

Manchester United came from behind for the fifth time in a row this season to beat West Ham United and deny the Hammers fans a perfect return to their stadium.

In front of home support for the first time since 29 February, West Ham started brightly and the pressure paid off on 38 minutes.

Three minutes after Pablo Fornals had struck a post, Tomas Soucek poked in Declan Rice’s flick.

The half-time introduction of Bruno Fernandes turned the match, as he passed to Paul Pogba who struck a superb equaliser on 65 minutes.

Three minutes later, Mason Greenwood rifled Man Utd ahead, before another half-time substitute, Marcus Rashford sealed a ninth successive away PL win.

Man Utd rise to fourth on 19 points, while West Ham drop to seventh on 17 points.

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MAN CITY 2-0 FULHAM: DE BRUYNE, STERLING EASE CITY PAST FULHAM

First-half goals from Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne steered Manchester City past Fulham at the Etihad Stadium.

Sterling slotted City in front on five minutes after being played through by De Bruyne.

The two also combined for City’s second, Sterling earning a penalty on 26 minutes that was converted by De Bruyne.

Fulham briefly rallied as Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa headed over, before Alphonse Areola made a good save from Sterling’s volley.

De Bruyne had three chances to add to his tally in the second half, the best of which came back off the crossbar.

Fulham’s Ivan Cavaleiro forced a good save from Ederson, but City weathered the visitors’ late pressure to secure a clean sheet.

A second successive win sends City fifth with 18 points, while Fulham have seven and stay 17th.

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BURNLEY 1-1 EVERTON: CALVERT-LEWIN EARNS EVERTON A DRAW AT TURF MOOR.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s league-leading 11th goal of the season earned Everton their first Premier League draw with Burnley.

Burnley had taken a third-minute lead when Ashley Westwood pounced on Allan’s error to feed Robbie Brady, who shot low for his first goal in a year.

The returning Nick Pope denied Calvert-Lewin from close range before keeping out Richarlison’s shot.

Shortly after Jordan Pickford had denied Chris Wood, Everton equalised in first-half stoppage time. Richarlison crossed for Calvert-Lewin to convert.

After the break, Pope tipped behind James Rodriguez’s curling shot while Wood’s header was kept out by Pickford at the other end.

Pope saved well with his feet from substitute Gylfi Sigurdsson in the closing stages as both teams had to settle for a point.

Everton are ninth on 17 points, while Burnley stay 19th on six points.

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FIFA APPROVES MATERNITY LEAVE FOR WOMEN PLAYERS.

Football governing body, FIFA on Friday approved landmark measures to protect women footballers.

The FIFA Council approved new rules, including a minimum 14-week paternity leave for female players — with at least eight weeks after birth.

After the completion of a player’s maternity leave, her club will be under an “obligation to reintegrate her” into football activity and “provide adequate ongoing medical support”. “The players are the protagonist of the game, they are the most important part of the game and we have to make sure that we set the stage for them to shine.

When it comes to female players, we should bring more stability to their careers. For example, if they need to take a maternity leave, then they don’t have to worry,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a video tweeted on the governing body’s Twitter handle.

“If we are serious about boosting the women’s game, we have to look at all these aspects,” he added.

Without providing too many details, the FIFA president said new rules would also be introduced to give greater stability to coaches.

Coaches develop how we play and inspire the players, they too need job security and we have established minimum standards to protect them,” he said.

The mandatory 14-week maternity leave would see players guaranteed a minimum two-thirds of their contracted salary, while FIFA also made it harder for clubs to part company with pregnant players, saying “no female player should ever suffer a disadvantage of any sort on the basis of her pregnancy”.

The revamped FIFA Club World has been pushed back further. FIFA, in a media release, said that a Club World Cup, in the current format with seven teams, be organised for late 2021 and the hosting rights for this competition be awarded to Japan.

The next FIFA Council meeting is set to be held on March 19, 2021.

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JAPAN TO HOST 2021 FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP.

FIFA named Japan the host nation for the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup on Friday, with an undisclosed date during late winter.

“Following the postponement of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup, initially planned to take place in 2021 in the slot previously reserved for the FIFA Confederations Cup, the Council decided that a Club World Cup, in the current format with seven teams, be organised for late 2021 and the hosting rights for this competition be awarded to Japan,” FIFA said in a statement.

Japan is the eight-time Club World Cup host, last being in 2016.

In 2019, FIFA said the Confederations Cup would be abolished for an enlarged Club World Cup.

China was due to host the tournament next summer with a revamped 24-team format but play was postponed because of fixture congestions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

In March, the virus forced football confederations in Europe and South America to delay the UEFA EURO 2020 and Copa America. Those competitions will be held in June and July.

2021 will see two FIFA Club World Cup tournaments — a rare occurrence for FIFA — as Qatar is set to host the 2020 edition in February and Japan will organize the 2021 edition next winter.

The original date for the Club World Cup was December but FIFA had to pick another date amid the pandemic.

Last month FIFA said that the 2020 edition of the Club World Cup will be held Feb. 1-11 in Qatar.

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MESSI AND BARCELONA FINED OVER MARADONA JERSEY TRIBUTE.

Lionel Messi and Barcelona have been fined a combined €780 after the player was shown a yellow card for lifting his shirt to pay tribute to the late Diego Maradona following his goal in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Osasuna.

Messi, who was fined €600 while his club were fined €180, paid homage to Maradona by taking off his Barcelona shirt to reveal a Newell’s Old Boys shirt beneath belonging to Maradona.

The Spanish football federation’s competition committee rejected Barca’s protests against the punishment and their suggestion it should be waived as the gesture was a tribute to Maradona.

The committee’s statement said that while it accepted the gesture was a tribute, Article 93 of the disciplinary code states that a player should be punished for removing their shirt when celebrating, irrespective of the motive.

The statement added that Messi could only have had the sanction waived if he had been given the booking in error. Messi’s booking pushes him one game closer to a ban.

Messi is a supporter of Newell’s Old Boys having played for the club’s junior team before leaving for Barca aged 13.

He had also paid tribute to Maradona, who played for the Rosario based side in 1993, when the World Cup winner died last Wednesday.

“He has left us but he isn’t going anywhere because Diego is eternal,” Messi wrote on Instagram.

Meanwhile, Newell’s Old Boys said on Wednesday they’ve begun to sell replicas of that jersey after receiving “hundreds of inquiries” about it.

“Leo Messi … decided to remember and pay homage to a genius of global football … in a show of love and respect to one of the greatest in history,” the Rosario club stated.

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SEVILLA 0-4 CHELSEA: GIROUD SCORES ALL FOUR AS BLUES THRASH SEVILLA IN SPAIN

Olivier Giroud scored four goals as Chelsea beat Sevilla 4-0 to secure top spot in Champions League Group E on Wednesday night.

Christian Pulisic was back in the XI for Frank Lampard, following his first appearance as a substitute in a 0-0 Premier League draw with Tottenham Hotspur since returning from an injury layoff.

Kai Havertz teed up Giroud for an early Chelsea strike with the France forward curling a left-footed shot past Alfonso Pastor as he was falling away from the goal.

Chances were hard to come by for both teams throughout the remainder of the first half as Chelsea took their 1-0 lead into the dressing room.

Giroud doubled his tally and Chelsea’s lead nine minutes into the second half, chipping the ball over Pastor after being played in by Mateo Kovacic.

A glancing header from a N’Golo Kante cross gave Giroud his third of the match to give Chelsea some breathing room as they saw out their group-topping win with one match left to play.

Giroud scored his fourth from the penalty spot, sending Pastor the wrong way after Sergio Gomez had taken him down in the area as the two ran onto a whipped in cross.

The result left Chelsea with 13 points from five games, three ahead of second-placed Sevilla with a better head-to-head record against the Spanish side after their 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge in the reverse fixture.

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MAN UTD 1-3 PSG: FRENCH CHAMPIONS DENTS UNITED HOPES OF NEXT ROUND QUALIFICATION

Neymar scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain beat 10-man Manchester United 3-1 at Old Trafford on Wednesday to throw Champions League Group H wide open.

United, PSG and RB Leipzig are all on nine points heading into next week’s final round of games in which the United go to Leipzig and PSG host Istanbul Basaksehir.

United knew a point would be enough to secure a place in the round of 16 and they really should have wrapped the game up well before Marquinhos put PSG 2-1 up in the 69th minute and Fred received his marching orders a minute later.

It was surprising Fred was still on the field by that stage having received only a yellow card following a VAR review of an off-the-ball head-to-head clash with Leandro Paredes.

The pair were involved in a strong challenge later in the first half for which Paredes was booked but despite having plenty of options on the bench, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided against substituting Fred, a costly mistake.

Neymar fired PSG into a sixth-minute lead after a Kylian Mbappe shot was deflected and fell kindly to the former Barcelona forward who drilled the ball into the bottom corner.

United drew level in the 32nd minute through a Marcus Rashford shot which deflected off the outstretched leg of Danilo to beat PSG keeper Keylor Navas.

United created several good chances after the break but failed to go ahead.

After good work from Edinson Cavani and Rashford down the right, Anthony Martial fired over the bar from a promising position.

Cavani was sent through and launched an audacious chip over the advancing Navas but the ball struck the crossbar — Martial’s follow up shot was brilliantly blocked by Marquinhos.

The defender struck the bar himself with a looping header over David De Gea and the goalkeeper pulled off a great save to keep out a low shot from substitute Mitchel Bakker.

Then came the minute that changed the game — a half-cleared corner rattled around the box before it was poked in by Marquinhos.

Fred was dismissed after a foul on ex-United midfielder Ander Herrera as things fell to pieces for the home side.

Paul Pogba was thrown on and went close with a superb volley from outside the area but as United threw men forward they left holes at the back.

Mbappe powered through with a speedy run from deep but side-footed wide before the outcome was settled when Rafinha set-up Neymar for a simple tap-in.

PSG now have the head-to-head advantage over United and the easier task on paper next week while Solskjaer’s men have plenty to do in Leipzig.