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VILLAREAL BEAT ATALANTA TO SECURE UCL LAST 16

Villarreal clinched the final place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Thursday, while Leicester failed to advance in the Europa League.

Villarreal beat Atalanta 3-2 away in a game postponed from Wednesday because of heavy snow in northern Italy.

The Spanish side only needed a draw to advance as runner-up from Group F but jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the 51st minute, with Arnaut Danjuma scoring twice. Atalanta answered with goals from Duvan Zapata and substitute Ruslan Malinovskyi but it was too late to turn things around.

Atalanta finished third in the group and will enter a playoff to get into the last 16 of the second-tier Europa League, the competition Villarreal won last season.

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Ronaldo rescues Red Devils again

Cristiano Ronaldo once again proved Manchester United’s Champions League hero by scoring late on to rescue a crucial 2-2 draw at Atalanta on Tuesday.

The Portugal international completed United’s 3-2 comeback win against the same opponents from two goals down two weeks ago and also struck late on in September’s 2-1 recovery win against Villarreal.

Ronaldo’s latest rescue act arrived in the 91st minute at Gewiss Stadium when volleying in a sublime equaliser, having earlier struck to cancel out Josip Ilicic’s opener before Duvan Zapata put Atalanta back in front.

The draw keeps Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side top of Group F, level on points with Villarreal and two better off than Atalanta with two group games remaining, meaning their last-16 fate remains in their own hands.

After United had hit the post through a deflected Scott McTominay drive, Atalanta took the lead when Zapata pulled the ball back for Ilicic, whose shot squirmed under David de Gea – the goal allowed to stand after a VAR check for a possible Mario Pasalic offside infringement.

United lost Raphael Varane to injury before half-time, but the introduction of Mason Greenwood paid immediate dividends as he linked up with Bruno Fernandes, who in turn flicked the ball into the path of Ronaldo to fire home his first of the game.

Atalanta restored their lead when Zapata got in behind down United’s right, evaded a sliding challenge from Harry Maguire and finished past De Gea. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but VAR rightly overturned that decision after a two-minute check to determine Zapata was indeed onside.

That left United on the brink of a fourth successive away defeat in the European Cup for the first time ever, only for Ronaldo to once again bail out his side by firing a first-time shot into the bottom-left corner after a loose ball popped up into his path with time almost up.

With Villarreal on their way to a 2-0 win over Young Boys, United found themselves third in Group F with seconds remaining in Bergamo and yet more questions inevitably being asked of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

While Ronaldo’s brace does not entirely lift the pressure off Solskjaer’s shoulders, it does at least mean United remain top of their group with two games – away to Villarreal and at home to Young Boys – left to play.

Solskjaer could have had few complaints had his side fallen to just a second defeat in their past 12 games against Italian opposition in the Champions League – Atalanta had an expected goals value of 1.55 compared to United’s 1.04 – but with Ronaldo on the field anything is possible.

Ronaldo became the first player to score in four successive Champions League appearances for United since Ruud van Nistelrooy in April 2003 with his opener, which was a well-worked team goal involving Greenwood and Fernandes.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner added an even better second from range and in the process overtook manager Solskjaer’s tally of goals in all competitions for United with his 126th for the club, doing so in 63 fewer appearances.

United were once again shaky in defence and midfield, with the likes Maguire, De Gea and Paul Pogba in particular having off-days – the latter being replaced 20 minutes from time with his side chasing a goal.

The Red Devils have now failed to keep a clean sheet in 14 of their past 15 Champions League matches and have conceded in 13 of their 15 matches in all competitions this term.

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UCL: LAST-GASP CRISTIANO RONALDO HEADER COMPLETES STUNNING MANCHESTER UNITED COMEBACK

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s comeback kings did it again as Cristiano Ronaldo secured Manchester United a thrilling 3-2 victory in a breathless Champions League clash with Atalanta.

There was intense scrutiny on the 1999 treble hero and his players heading into the Group F encounter after Saturday’s embarrassing loss at Leicester compounded recent poor performances.

United were staring down the barrel of a fifth loss in eight matches and were booed by some fans as they trudged off at half-time trailing by two goals, only for Solskjaer’s side to storm back memorably at Old Trafford.

Marcus Rashford struck on his first start since the Europa League final and Harry Maguire lashed home a leveller, setting up a box-office finish that Ronaldo delivered with a powerful header from Luke Shaw’s cross.

The victory provided a much-needed shot in the arm for United, who moved top of the group and welcome rivals Liverpool to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The stirring second-half comeback displayed the best of Solskjaer’s side but they have plenty of room for improvement, notably at the back after Mario Pasalic and Merih Demiral capitalised on poor defending in the first half.

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TOTTENHAM TO SIGN SERIE A DEFENDER OF THE YEAR CRISTIAN ROMERO FOR 55M

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to confirm the €55 million ($65m) signing of Atalanta defender Cristian Romero within the next 48 hours, sources have revealed.

The 23-year-old underwent the final part of his medical on Thursday and assuming no complications, he is then expected to fly to London to finalise the paperwork.

Spurs have agreed a deal believed to worth €50m with €5m in add-ons in a transfer that will rank as the second most expensive in the club’s history after Tanguy Ndombele’s €60m ($71m) arrival from Lyon in July 2019.

It would also be the third signing of new head coach Nuno Espirito Santo’s tenure after goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini arrived on loan also from Atalanta and Bryan Gil joined the club from Sevilla in a move which saw Erik Lamela travel in the opposite direction.

Spurs’ pursuit of Romero is believed to have been influenced by the club’s managing director of football, Fabio Paratici. The centre-back was named Serie A’s Defender of the Year last year during a campaign in which he made 42 appearances across all competitions as Atalanta finished third and lost the Coppa Italia final to Juventus.

Romero joined Atalanta on a two-year loan from Juventus at the start of the 2020-21 season with the option to make the deal permanent for €16m ($19m), payable in three instalments.

Spurs were keen on signing a centre-back throughout last season and with former boss Jose Mourinho identifying Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar as his preferred target. However, the clubs could not agree a fee and the arrivals of Nuno and Paratici have seen Tottenham shift their focus elsewhere.

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FEDERICO CHIESA SCORES WINNER AS JUVENTUS DEFEAT ATALANTA TO WIN COPPA ITALIA

Federico Chiesa fired a second-half winner as Juventus beat Atalanta 2-1 to win the Coppa Italia for the fifth time in the last seven seasons.

Italy forward Chiesa, on loan from Fiorentina, fired home into the bottom corner in the 73rd minute after Ruslan Malinovskyi had cancelled out Dejan Kulusevski’s first-half opener for Juve.

Andrea Pirlo’s side, who have conceded the Serie A title for the first time in 10 years this season, lifted the trophy for a record-extending 14th time.

Atalanta, who finished the game with 10 men after Rafael Toloi was shown a straight red card in the 88th minute for dissent, lost in the final for the second time in three years.

They were beaten 2-0 by Lazio in the 2019 final and last won the cup in 1963.

In France, Paris St Germain continued their domination in the Coupe de France as they beat Monaco 2-0 to lift the trophy for the sixth time in seven years.

Argentina striker Mauro Icardi took advantage of a defensive slip to guide the ball home following Kylian Mbappe’s pass in the 19th minute.

PSG looked the more likely to extend their lead and Mbappe put the icing on the cake with a sublime chipped finish nine minutes from time to seal the club’s 14th Coupe de France win.

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REAL MADRID EASE PAST ATALANTA TO REACH FIRST UCL QUARTER FINAL IN THREE YEARS

Real Madrid secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Atalanta.

The LaLiga side had been 1-0 up from the first leg and, after the Italians missed a couple of early chances, Karim Benzema fired them ahead on the night in the 34th minute.

A penalty from captain Sergio Ramos on the hour all but ended the tie, with Luis Muriel clipping in a fine free-kick to pull a goal back for Atalanta before substitute Marco Asensio wrapped things up late on.

With Casemiro suspended, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos came back into the Real Madrid side, as Isco dropped to the bench.

Atalanta had a great chance to level the tie, but Robin Gosens failed to make enough contact with Muriel’s cross from the left and could only knock the ball straight at Thibaut Courtois.

Defender Berat Djimsiti fired over from a corner and the Italians were made to pay as Real Madrid started to take control.

It took a fine block from Djimsiti to deny Vinicius Junior after a clever exchange with Benzema in the penalty area to prevent the opening goal which eventually arrived in the 34th minute.

Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello made a hash of his clearance, which fell to Modric and the Croatian chased the ball down before cutting a pass back for Benzema to fire the Spaniards in front.

Los Blancos almost doubled their lead early in the second half following a fine run from Vinicius but, after powering into the penalty area, the Brazilian stabbed wide from six yards.

As the hour mark approached, Real Madrid were awarded a penalty.

Again, Vinicius was the instigator after he took possession from Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskiy and charged forwards before being tripped by Rafael Toloi.

Although contact looked to have been just outside the area, Dutch referee Danny Makkelie pointed to the spot and captain Sergio Ramos powered in a penalty past the diving Sportiello.

Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata finally called Courtois into action in the 67th minute, before at the other end Benzema’s header was saved and then the Frenchman nodded the rebound against the post.

With seven minutes left, Muriel clipped a well-worked 25-yard free-kick up over the wall into the top corner as several Atalanta players peeled away.

Real Madrid, though, soon restored their two-goal cushion when substitute Marco Asensio drilled the ball into the bottom corner after being picked out by Lucas Vazquez.

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SERIE A: INTER MILAN GO SIX POINTS CLEAR AFTER 1-0 WIN AGAINST ATALANTA.

Milan Skriniar scored the only goal as Inter Milan moved back six points clear in Serie A with a 1-0 win over Atalanta on Monday. Inter extended their winning streak to seven league games as they push for a first title since 2010. Antonio Conte’s side are ahead of second-placed AC Milan, who beat Hellas Verona 2-0 on Sunday, with champions Juventus 10 points off top spot, with a game in hand, after a 3-1 win over Lazio. Skriniar found a way through after 54 minutes sending in off fellow defender Alessandro Bastoni after a corner resulted in a scramble on front of goal in the San Siro.

“Knowing that the closest direct pursuers had won it’s inevitable that there was pressure, these are three important points,” said Conte.

Atalanta are fifth, outside the Champions League berths, and 13 points off top spot with 12 games left to play this season.

“We put in a great performance and lost on a corner,” lamented coach Gian Piero Gasperini whose side are one point off fourth-placed Roma.

“Against Inter and Juventus we always lack that little detail we don’t yet have, but we are close.”

In a clash between the two biggest scoring teams in Serie A the defenders decided the tie with Atalanta’s Berat Djimsiti giving little space to the Inter attackers.

Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez lead the Inter attack, the best in the Italian top-flight with 63 goals.

Atalanta are second best with 60, with forward Duvan Zapata starting up front, being replaced by fellow Colombian Luis Muriel for the final 20 minutes.

Chances were few in the first half.

Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello used his head to clear for a corner off a Cristian Romero cross after quarter of an hour.

Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic denied a Zapata header six minutes before the break and Marcelo Brozovic was cleared off the line just after.

Josip Ilicic replaced Ruslan Malinovskyi after the break for Atalanta with Conte sending on Christian Eriksen in place of Arturo Vidal.

And the Dane’s corner which resulted in the goal, Skriniar’s third in the league this season.

Inter threated a second just after but Romero slid in to deny a Lukaku finish just before the hour.

“One goal but we missed sensational opportunities,” said Conte.

“It was a very tactical match.”

Atalanta broke their four-match winning run in Serie A as they remain in the running in the Champions League and the Italian Cup final.

Inter are without European commitments with nothing left to target but the league and are next at relegation-threatened Torino.

Atalanta play at home against promoted Spezia before their Champions League last 16, second leg visit to Real Madrid.

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Atalanta beat Napoli to reach Italian Cup final against Juventus

The final will be held on May 19 with Juventus looking for a record-extending 14th Italian Cup title. Juventus beat Inter Milan 2-1 on aggregate to reach its 20th final.

Atalanta beat defending champion Napoli 3-1 on Wednesday to set up an Italian Cup final against Juventus.

Matteo Pessina scored twice after Duvan Zapata had given Atalanta an early lead in the semifinal. Hirving Lozano netted early in the second half for Napoli.

The final will be held on May 19 with Juventus looking for a record-extending 14th Italian Cup title. Juventus beat Inter Milan 2-1 on aggregate to reach its 20th final.

It will be Atalanta’s fifth final. Its most recent was in 2019 but it hasn’t won the trophy since 1963.

The first leg between Napoli and Atalanta ended 0-0 last week.

Atalanta broke the deadlock in the 10th minute with a long-range strike from Zapata that swerved into the far side of the net.

Zapata turned provider six minutes later, laying off Robin Gosens’ pass for Pessina to fire in off the inside of the left post.

Atalanta had chances to score a third before Lozano reduced the deficit eight minutes into the second half, firing in a rebound after being denied by a save from goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini.

Gollini pulled off another save to deny Victor James Osimhen shortly before Atalanta sealed the match in the 78th minte, when Pessina mazed his way between two Napoli players before chipping the ball over goalkeeper David Ospina.

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Jurgen Klopp has no regrets despite Atalanta BC loss

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had no regrets over the selection gamble which backfired in a 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atalanta and insisted he would do it again.

The Reds boss made five changes from Sunday’s victory over Leicester, including altering three of his back four, and paid for it with a first defeat at Anfield in 90 minutes since Chelsea triumphed there in September 2018.

It was Klopp’s heaviest loss in 137 matches at Anfield, the Reds’ worst since losing 3-0 to West Ham in August 2015, and the first time since data began to be collected in 2003 that they failed to record a single shot on target in a home Champions League game.

Even the return of Mohamed Salah after his positive Covid-19 test could not lift the side out of their torpor as second-half goals from Josip Ilicic and Robin Gosens ensured there would be no option for Klopp to rest players in both of their final two group games.

“We made five changes, it was very important we did that, and in the end it didn’t work out and that is part of the deal. I would do it again,” he said.

“(We had) no real rhythm, first half was not a good game at all, they were not good as well. We spoke about it but second half it didn’t look like it (would change) and that is why we changed early.

“A second before we could change (Klopp was in the process of making a quadruple substitution) they scored the first goal, in a space which we knew they tried to use and we couldn’t defend in that moment.

“We had better football moments but not good enough. If you don’t have a shot on target that is never a good sign.”

Victory over Ajax next week would still guarantee safe passage and with December’s schedule, Klopp will want to avoid the nightmare scenario of having something to play for with the final game against Midtjylland.

“If I would think like this then it would be great. It is tricky, sounds easy to beat Ajax but with all the challenges we face in this country on top of the normal challenges we face already,” he added.

“My concern isn’t that I think about Ajax; we go in a few hours to play Brighton. When this game is over we start to think about Ajax.”

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini, whose side were beaten 5-0 in the reverse fixture three weeks ago, hailed the win as the club’s most prestigious.

“Obviously this is something which will be written in the pages of history,” he said.

“They haven’t lost a Premier League game in 64 matches. This is perhaps our biggest ever victory in our history, certainly our most prestigious.

“We were more solid in defence this time around because the defence was better protected with more players in midfield.

“This is the solution we opted for as we thought it was appropriate for this game.”

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Champions League roundup: Real Madrid pick up vital win while Liverpool lose at home

Atalanta rebounded from their 5-0 thumping by Liverpool three weeks ago as goals from Josip Ilicic and Robin Gosens gave the Serie A side a shock victory over the Reds in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Liverpool were merciless in Bergamo earlier this month and could have guaranteed their passage to the knockout stages with a fourth successive Group D victory, but they were out of sorts at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp made five changes and the gamble backfired as Ilic turned in Papu Gomez’s cross from the left on the hour before Gosens side-footed home a Hans Hateboer header in the 64th minute to give Atalanta a 2-0 win.

They became the first team to win at Anfield in 90 minutes since Chelsea in September 2018 on an evening where Liverpool failed to register a shot on target even though Mohamed Salah returned to the starting line-up.

Atalanta leaving Merseyside with a surprise win threw the group wide open as the Italian side moved to within two points of group-topping Liverpool, with Ajax doing likewise after overcoming pointless FC Midtjylland 3-1.

After a goalless first half, Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui were on-target within five minutes of the restart in Amsterdam before David Neres struck midway through the second period.

The visitors pulled one back through Awer Mabil’s penalty but finished the contest with 10 men following Erik Sviatchenko’s red card in time added-on.

Phil Foden scored the only goal as Manchester City secured their place in the last-16 yet again with a 1-0 victory over Olympiacos in Greece.

The 20-year-old turned home from a Raheem Sterling flick in the 36th minute as City maintained their 100 per cent record in Group C and reached the last 16 with two matches to spare.

The Greek champions were stubborn opponents at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus but City, who created a number of clear-cut opportunities, were never in danger of slipping up.

Porto have one foot in the knockout stage after overcoming Marseille 2-0 in a tempestuous affair in France, where both sides finished the match with 10 men.

Zaidu Sanusi opened the scoring for the visitors by netting a rebound for his first Porto goal six minutes from half-time although Marseille were given a boost when Marko Grujic was sent off midway through the second half.

Moments later though, Marseille defender Leonardo Balerdi was given his marching orders after a foul on Moussa Marega in the area, leading to Sergio Oliveira slotting home from the spot in the 72nd minute.

Eden Hazard’s seventh-minute penalty plus Achraf Hakimi’s own goal just before the hour mark gave Real Madrid a 2-0 Group B victory at Inter Milan.

The Serie A side had Arturo Vidal sent off after the Chilean midfielder picked up two yellow cards within seconds of each other, the second after appearing to square up to Premier League referee Anthony Taylor.

Madrid remain one point behind Borussia Monchengladbach, who maintained their place atop the group with a 4-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Lars Stindl’s penalty was followed by goals from Nico Elvedi, Breel Embolo and Oscar Wendt.

Bayern Munich guaranteed they will finish top of Group A as they overcame Red Bull Salzburg 3-1 for their fourth successive win – which came despite the dismissal of Marc Roca.

Robert Lewandowski’s opener and and own goal from Maximilian Wober gave the Bundesliga giants a cushion, and shortly after Roca’s dismissal, Leroy Sane added a third. Mergim Berisha claimed a consolation for Salzburg.

Elsewhere in the group, Atletico Madrid drew a blank against Lokomotiv Moscow.