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Real Madrid beat Getafe with team spirit, says Zidane

Captain Sergio Ramos converted a late penalty, sending Real four points clear of title rivals Barcelona with five games left.

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said his side used their team spirit to finally break down and beat a resolute Getafe side 1-0 at home on Thursday to inch ever closer to winning their first La Liga title for three years.

The league leaders created scant chances against their gritty neighbours but finally got the goal they craved when captain Sergio Ramos converted a late penalty, sending Real four points clear of title rivals Barcelona with five games left.

“We can be very happy today because we did an incredible job today against a side who caused us loads of problems, but we got the victory because of our team spirit,” Zidane told a virtual news conference after his side won their sixth game in a row.

“Me and the players have been suffering a lot because we have had to work so hard in all of these matches. It’s not easy to do what we are doing. You can’t achieve anything without suffering.”

Real knew victory against Getafe would give them a cushion over Barca, who drew 2-2 with Atletico Madrid on Tuesday and have dropped six points since the campaign returned after the coronavirus stoppage.

Zidane’s side, meanwhile, have been on a relentless run and defender Dani Carvajal, who earned the decisive penalty, revealed the coach had set the team the target of winning all of their matches when the campaign started up again last month.

“The coach’s message after the break was that we had 11 finals left and we had to try and pick up all 33 points. We’re on the way to doing that,” Carvajal said.

“It was clear that this was not like any other game and we had to make the most of Barca’s slip-up. Today was like a final for us and we treated it like one.

“Getafe put us under a lot of pressure but we produced a serious performance and proved we are a real team.”

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Manchester City honour Liverpool, then hammer them

Manchester City generously applauded new champions Liverpool onto the field before their Premier League match on Thursday — and promptly showed no mercy by thrashing them 4-0 at the Etihad stadium.

Manchester City generously applauded new champions Liverpool onto the field before their Premier League match on Thursday — and promptly showed no mercy by thrashing them 4-0 at the Etihad stadium.

With the title secured a week ago, there was little at stake for Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool side who showed far from their usual levels of intensity but the loss, just their second of the league campaign, was an emphatic reminder that City will be desperate to regain their crown next season.

Klopp was quick to defend his team’s attitude, rejecting any suggestion they had taken the game lightly.

“I saw a brilliant attitude. I saw fight. We didn’t behave like somebody who became champions a week ago. We lacked fluidity. And in some 50-50 situations they were quicker than us,” he said.

“Man City are incredible. I saw their season, they didn’t play a bad game even when they lost,” he said.

After the guard of honour, which included City manager Pep Guardiola, the visitors started brightly and Ederson had to be alert to keep out a fourth-minute effort from Mohamed Salah.

Salah then struck the post after a clever pass from Roberto Firmino, whose hair was coloured red, but if Liverpool thought they were in for another night of festivities, they were in for a rude awakening.

Joe Gomez could not cope with Raheem Sterling’s twisting and turning in the box, pulling him to the ground before Kevin De Bruyne converted the penalty in the 25th minute.

Sterling doubled the lead 10 minutes later when after a swift break, Phil Foden found him inside the box and the ex-Liverpool forward cut inside Gomez and slid the ball home.

The 20-year-old Foden made it 3-0, firing past Alisson after a swift exchange with Kevin De Bruyne.

City were showing an unusual willingness to play long balls and after Rodri launched a pass deep to De Bruyne, the Belgian found Sterling inside the box and he slipped the ball goalwards, with substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s outstretched touch only turning it into his own net.

It could have been even worse for Liverpool with Riyad Mahrez’s fine solo effort in the final moments but VAR spotted a handball by Foden in the build-up.

“We beat the champions, an extraordinary team,” Guardiola said.

“We tried to play football, take risks against the best team I have ever faced in my life at high pressing,” he added.

“They drank a lot of beers this week but they arrived here with no beers in their blood which is why I give us a lot of credit.”

The loss was the joint-heaviest defeat by a side already crowned Premier League champions. Arsenal were beaten 4-0 at Liverpool in 1997-98 in the game after they clinched the title.

Klopp and Guardiola defend Liverpool’s attitude after 4-0 loss

Juergen Klopp and Pep Guardiola insisted that Liverpool had been fully focused and hadn’t taken their foot off the gas, despite Manchester City’s comfortable 4-0 win over the newly crowned champions at the Etihad on Thursday.

City looked sharper and hungrier for most of the game, taking a 3-0 lead by half-time, while Klopp’s Liverpool were well below their usual levels of intensity.

Liverpool had previously lost only one league game this season, leading some observers to suggest last week’s title win – their first in 30 years – and subsequent celebrations had affected play on Thursday.

But manager Klopp was having none of it.

“If you want to lead this story in the direction that we we’re not focused, then do it,” Klopp said. “I liked my teams’ attitude – I saw a brilliant attitude – I saw boys who were fighting with all they have.

“It has nothing to do with last week, to be honest. It hurts like defeats hurt. What I wanted to see tonight was a team who is ready to fight against Man City, who obviously had a point to prove,” the German said.

If there is a team in the world that can smash us like this, it is probably City but we will come again. Make a few things better and it could look differently, but for tonight that is it,” he added.

City manager Guardiola said there was no question of Liverpool having suffered any kind of ‘hangover’ from their title win.

“I think they drunk a lot of beer the last week, but they were here with no beer in their blood and to win this game,” the Spaniard said.

“I saw a team with incredible focus, with energy and a desire to win the game, and I saw from the first minute they were focused to play hard,” he added.

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Lionel Messi’s return to Newell’s Old Boys ‘not impossible’, claims club vice-president

Although Lionel Messi is expected to sign a new contract with Barcelona, Newell’s Old Boys vice-president Cristian D’Amico is not ruling out the return of the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Amidst growing tensions at Barcelona, Lionel Messi has been tipped for a return to his boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina by the club’s vice-president.

Messi left the Argentine club at the age of 13 when Barcelona came calling in 2000. Although Messi is expected to sign a new contract with the Catalan club, Newell’s vice-president Cristian D’Amico hopes that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner can make a comeback in the future.

“I don’t know if it’s impossible. It’s a decision exclusively made by him and his family. We have to have the best possible context to help make a decision,” D’Amico told TNT Sports.

“When [Diego] Maradona came to Newell’s, nobody thought that he would come either. I hope that something similar can happen with Leo.”

“Obviously we shouldn’t be making things up, this is a delicate subject. What Newell’s doesn’t dream of seeing the world’s best player in their team’s colours? Time will tell maybe, we have to stay calm.”

Ex-Liverpool and Atletico Madrid forward Maxi Rodriguez, who returned to the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa in 2019 for a third stint, called on his compatriot to pick up the pace in coming home.

“I hope he comes at some point. It would be a dream for fans. There’s a family behind him and that can be tricky. But if he is coming, he’d better make it soon or else I won’t be able to play with him at Newell’s!” the 39-year-old joked.

Messi scored his 700th career goal on Tuesday in Barcelona’s 2-2 draw against Atletico Madrid but witnessed his side handing the title initiative over to rivals Real Madrid with the third draw in the last four outings.

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F1 Sports News

Formula 1 season starts 4 months later in a different world

There will be no fans on hand at the remote Spielberg track in Austria, with the coronavirus still creating uncertainty over how many races can actually be held and where.

Four months after the opening race was called off at the last minute, the Formula One season finally gets underway this weekend on another continent and in a different-looking world.

There will be no fans on hand at the remote Spielberg track in Austria, with the coronavirus still creating uncertainty over how many races can actually be held and where.

That may not be the only unusual sight, as drivers are discussing whether to take the knee together on the grid before Sunday’s race in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Defending F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has been an outspoken supporter of the movement and will be competing in an all-black Mercedes car instead of the usual silver as a statement against racism.

“It is so important that we seize this moment,” said Hamilton, the only Black driver to become F1 champion.

The truncated campaign kicks off with back-to-back races in Austria, as part of a hastily reworked schedule. It was meant to start nearly 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) away in the Australian city of Melbourne.

But the fast-spreading impact of the coronavirus pandemic led to the Australian GP being canceled on March 13, two days before the scheduled race, while people were still queuing for the first practice sessions. Several other races, including the showcase Monaco GP, were also canceled.

A rescue package with eight European races squeezed into 10 weeks, culminating with the Italian GP on Sept. 6, was scrambled together. F1 still hopes to rearrange some of the postponed races in order to finish the season with 15-18 of the scheduled 22.

There will also be two consecutive races at the British GP. If the season continues beyond Europe, it will end with races in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi in December.

We actually don’t even know the amount of races we are going to do,” McLaren and future Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr said.
“It’s an unprecedented scenario.”

Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring, cut off from major towns or cities, offers a reassuringly secluded feel amid coronavirus fears.
But strict health and safety measures have been put into place.

Everyone entering the track, including a greatly reduced number of media representatives, must have tested negative for Covid-19 and further tests will be carried out every five days. F1 teams are not allowed to mingle with each other, on or off the track, and media have no access to F1’s paddock area.

Drivers would normally have faced a barrage of questions in a news conference room, but health requirements dictate that drivers hold news conferences via video link and with questions sent in advance.

And, of course, Spielberg’s 4.3-kilometer (2.7-mile) circuit will be largely empty. It is normally swarming with tents, camper vans, makeshift barbecues and tens of thousands of orange-shirted Max Verstappen fans.

The Red Bull driver, hugely popular back home in the Netherlands, has won the past two races here.

The track is among the shortest in F1 but also one of the most aggressive. Drivers spend about 72 per cent of the time at full throttle, second only to Italy’s Monza track with 77 per cent.

That’s perfectly suited to Verstappen’s bold and abrasive racing style. Last season he chased down the leading trio before making a typically brazen overtaking move on race leader Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.

The 22-year-old Verstappen showed last season that he is closing the gap to Hamilton in terms of wheel-to-wheel driving. Red Bull’s car also made a considerable jump in speed, while Ferrari’s faded, and Verstappen is emerging as a major title threat to Hamilton.

The 35-year-old British driver is chasing a record-equaling seventh F1 title to equal Michael Schumacher’s record, and only needs to win eight more races to beat Schumacher’s mark of 91.

Aside from Verstappen and possibly Valtteri Bottas Hamilton’s improving teammate at Mercedes, the other main challenger is Leclerc.
The 22-year-old Monaco driver is extremely quick and impressed observers in his first season at Ferrari with seven pole positions, two more than Hamilton, and two wins.

He is now Ferrari’s No. 1 ahead of four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel, whose star has faded after he wasted mid-season leads in 2017 and 2018 and lost those titles to Hamilton.

The German veteran is leaving at the end of the year after failing to agree on a new contract, and his future in F1 is uncertain.
Like so many other things this season.

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WESTHAM’S DISALLOWED GOAL CLARIFIED AFTER VAR CONTROVERSY

Tomas Soucek’s opening goal was controversially disallowed against Chelsea on Wednesday night after a lengthy VAR decision canceled out the goal for reasons explained by the officials.

West Ham United ‘s 3-2 win over Chelsea was a massive result for the Hammers, who move above Watford and three points clear of the relegation zone.

Goals from Tomas Soucek, Michail Antonio and Andriy Yarmolenko handed David Moyes’ side all three points but it could have been different after a controversial VAR ruling early on in the game.

Soucek thought he had scored the opener after bundling the ball over the line from a corner but it was controversially disallowed by VAR.

On commentary, Gary Neville expressed his bafflement at the decision, commenting “I’m not even sure what they’re looking at,” while the check was ongoing.

“I would be absolutely furious if this goal is disallowed and I’m David Moyes. I think if it takes this long and you can’t sort it out you’ve just got to be giving the goal.”

However, the goal was not given, with Neville complaining: “I don’t like that one. Not for me, that one. I’m not against the introduction of technology of the game and I think I have a level of patience that it will get better.

“The interference maybe? I don’t know, they’re so close, Antonio and Kepa, I’m not sure that’s interference. I’m not sure he was even offside. But without that touch, I’m not sure.”

PGMOL have since released a statement explaining the decision, revealing: “Soucek’s goal was disallowed following a VAR Review for an offside offence against Antonio.

“The on-field decision was to award the goal, but the VAR advised the referee that Antonio was in an offside position & directly in the line of vision of Kepa Arrizabalaga.”

Speaking after the game about the decision, Moyes said: “I was spewing. I was thinking ‘Are we ever going to get a decision here?’ I felt like everything was going against us.

“I think some of the things that have gone against West Ham recently have been really poor. I can’t explain it but we did say to the players that we’ve got to change our luck and it maybe went our way tonight.”

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EVERTON CAST DOUBT ON LEICESTER TOP FOUR HOPES WITH WIN OVER FOXES.

Leicester City’s top-four hopes suffered a setback following a 2-1 loss to Everton in the Premier League today.

The Foxes saw their winless run since English football’s restart from the coronavirus pandemic stretched to four games.

Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson’s penalty gave Everton the perfect start at Goodison Park.

The Toffees are yet to lose at home under Carlo Ancelotti and they held on in the second half for a vital three points for their own ambitions of European football next season.

Kelechi Iheanacho’s fortunate goal as the ball ricocheted in off his face reduced Leicester’s arrears and they pressed hard for an equaliser in the closing stages.

Michael Keane’s clearance off the line spared Jordan Pickford’s blushes after another huge error from the England number one.

However, defeat means Leicester could drop to fourth should Chelsea win at West Ham later on Wednesday and the Foxes are now just three points clear of Manchester United and Wolves in the battle for a place in the Champions League next season.

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AUBAMEYANG MAKES PREMIER LEAGUE HISTORY AS GUNNERS NETS FOUR PAST HELPLESS NORWICH.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted his 50th Premier League goal for Arsenal after opening the scoring against Norwich City and set a club record in the process.

The Gunners’ captain became the quickest player in Arsenal history to reach half a century in the Premier League, setting a new record above the club’s all-time record scorer Thierry Henry.

As well as setting a new club record, Aubameyang also put himself amongst some very good company in the league record after becoming the sixth-fastest player to hit that figure.

Aubameyang has scored 50 goals in just 79 Premier League matches since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund – but others have done it remarkably quicker.

Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole took just 65 matches to hit the margin, while former Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United ace Alan Shearer took 66 games.

Another ex-United man, Ruud van Nistelrooy, took 68 matches to hit half a century, while ex-Liverpool striker Fernando Torres took 72 matches.

In more recent history, Liverpool star Mohamed Salah took the same amount of matches as Torres, then being followed by Aubameyang

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CHELSEA STUNNED BY LAST GASP YARMOLENKO STRIKE AS HAMMERS BEAT CHELSEA IN DRAMATIC LONDON DERBY

Super-sub Andriy Yarmolenko scored a last-gasp winner to give West Ham’s Premier League survival hopes a huge boost in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Chelsea at the London Stadium.

Introduced in the 78th minute for Jarrod Bowen, who had earlier set up goals for Tomas Soucek and Michail Antonio, Yarmolenko coolly slotted home at the end of a swift counter-attack to stun Chelsea.

The vital result lifts David Moyes’ side three points above the relegation zone, while Chelsea – for whom Willian scored twice, including a stunning free-kick – missed the chance to climb to third.

It is the first time the Hammers, who won the reverse fixture 1-0, have done the league double over the Blues since the 2002-03 season, although they were somewhat ominously relegated in that campaign.

It had not shaped up to be a good night for the home side when Soucek was initially denied his first goal for the club, a lengthy VAR review finding the prone Antonio to be offside when the Czech forced home the loose ball from a corner.

The Hammers’ woes were compounded when Issa Diop brought down Christian Pulisic in the area and Willian confidently converted the spot-kick.

But West Ham fought back and Slavia Prague loanee Soucek climbed above Cesar Azpilicueta to nod in the leveller from Bowen’s corner.

Moyes’ men took the lead when Bowen tricked his way into space and drove a low cross into the heart of the area, with Antonio on hand to provide the finish.

However, they could not hold on at 2-1 and Willian’s cultured free-kick hit the inside of Lukasz Fabianski’s left-hand upright before nestling in the net.

Remarkably, that was not the end of matters and, with the visitors pushing for a winner, the decisive goal came at the other end as Yarmolenko collected Antonio’s pass before slotting in.

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Klopp says liverpool wont sign players

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits he cannot spend “millions and millions” on squad reinforcements for his newly-crowned Premier League champions but does not believe he will need to.

The effect of the coronavirus outbreak is likely to have a significant impact on transfer activity for the majority of clubs this summer but Klopp insists even if he had a significant war chest to spend, it would not necessarily be the easiest or right thing to do.

Liverpool’s first league title in 30 years was achieved by a squad four years in the making and while the Reds boss will obviously look to strengthen – especially with the likely departures of fringe players Xherdan Shaqiri and Adam Lallana, to name two – he thinks it will be difficult to make significant improvements.

The club have already stepped aside in deciding not to compete with Chelsea for the £50m signing of RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner.

“Covid has of course influenced both sides with ins and outs, that is completely normal, and it’s just not likely that it will be the most busy summer in the world,” Klopp said.

“But maybe at a later point in the year, if the transfer window is still open, we will know more. But this squad… look at it.

“It is not a squad you have to change now and say ‘OK, we need this position and this position’.

“We don’t have a first XI, I say we have a first 16 or 17, they can all play to the same level. But we have to use this, 100 per cent.

“We cannot spend millions and millions and millions because we want to or we think it is nice to do. We never wanted that.”

Since the £65m purchase of Alisson Becker – then a world-record fee for a goalkeeper – in the summer of 2018, Liverpool’s spending has been modest and minimal.

Youngsters Harvey Elliott (whose fee from Fulham has to be decided by tribunal) and Sepp Van Den Berg (£1.3m) have been joined by Adrian (free) and Takumi Minamino (£7.25m).

During that time, the club has invested in longer contracts for their key personnel, meaning they spent a Premier League-high £30m on agents fees last year.

Klopp suggested the continued rise of youngsters within and around the first team deserves further exploration.

The likes of Wales Under-19 international Neco Williams becoming Trent Alexander-Arnold’s deputy and exciting Liverpool-born academy graduate Curtis Jones and fellow young forward Elliott fully integrating themselves into the team remains a realistic possibility.

“We want to strengthen this squad and this squad is strong. The problem with a strong squad is how do you improve a strong squad in the transfer market?” added Klopp.

“It works with money, obviously, that is possible. But it never works only with money.

“You have to be creative and we try to be creative. We try to find solutions internally and there is still a lot to come: we have three or four players who can make big steps.”

Barely had Liverpool been crowned champions following Manchester City’s defeat at Chelsea last Thursday and questions were being asked about whether this was the start of a new era of domination, last seen under Sir Alex Ferguson with arch-rivals Manchester United, Klopp knows the expectation will be greater on his side next season but insists he will not even think about defending their title.

“I have heard people say it is only a real thing if we win twice in a row, but that is really funny. That is obviously an English thing,” he said.

“When we (former club, Borussia Dortmund) became champions in 2011, nobody told us we had to become champions again.

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Barcelona sign Pjanic on a four year deal

Juventus' Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic celebrates after scoring during the Italian Serie A football match Juventus vs Bologna on October 19, 2019 at the Juventus stadium in Turin. (Photo by Marco Bertorello / AFP) (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images)

Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic will join Barcelona at the end of the season in a swap deal with Brazil international Arthur.

Bosnian Pjanic, 30, has agreed a deal worth an initial 60m euros (£54.9m), with a further 5m (£4.6m) in add-ons.

He made 214 appearances for Serie A champions Juve after joining in 2016

Arthur will remain with Barcelona until the end of the season.

Juve are four points clear at the top of Serie A as they chase a ninth consecutive title.