Tag: Raphinha

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RAPHINA’S STOPPAGE-TIME PENALTY GIVES LEEDS VICTORY OVER CRYSTAL PALACE

Raphinha’s stoppage-time penalty clinched Leeds a 1-0 home win against Crystal Palace and three much-needed Premier League points.

The Brazilian’s spot-kick in the third minute of added time, after Palace defender Marc Guehi had handled, raised the roof at Elland Road and secured Leeds just their third league win of the season.

It was a dramatic finale to what appeared to be another frustrating night for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who could have been on the end of a defeat had Palace substitute Christian Benteke not headed a golden second-half chance wide.

Leeds’ victory lifted them five points clear of the relegation zone and sent Palace spinning to back-to-back league defeats for the first time under boss Patrick Vieira

The first half fizzled out after a promising start, with both sides losing their way down cul-de-sacs each time they worked the ball into the final third.

Leeds tore into their opponents from the off in pursuit of a galvanising victory, but Palace stood firm under the early onslaught and helped set a frantic tempo.

Adam Forshaw fired narrowly wide from the edge of the penalty area in the 15th minute and Jeffrey Schlupp went just as close for Palace with a similar effort soon after.

Kalvin Phillips, restored to his favoured midfield holding role, burst through two challenges on to the edge of the area, but blazed high and wide.

Bielsa made two changes at the interval, sending on Rodrigo and Junior Firpo for Mateusz Klich and Pascal Struijk.

Firpo’s first contribution was to mis-place a pass and then concede a free-kick as Jordan Ayew scampered clear, but Conor Gallagher’s free-kick hit the wall and Wilfried Zaha miscued the rebound.

Leeds responded with their best move of the match. Raphinha’s brilliant cross-field ball picked out Dan James and the Wales forward’s pass into the area was pushed wide by Rodrigo.

The home crowd turned up the volume as Leeds began to build momentum, but clear-cut chances continued to elude them.

Forshaw rifled over at the end of one period of sustained pressure, while Palace remained a threat, with Zaha and Ayew the targets as they looked to hit Leeds on the counter.

Palace boss Vieira sensed the points were very much up for grabs when he sent on Benteke for Odsonne Edouard in the 67th minute.

The Belgium striker was then guilty of squandering the best chance of the match so far when heading Gallagher’s cross wide at the back post seven minutes later.

Leeds forced three successive corners, all scrambled clear, and Benteke went close to breaking the deadlock again when stretching on to Ayew’s speculative cross, only for Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier to snaffle the ball on the goalline.

Tyler Roberts’ curling effort was easily saved by Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita before another Raphinha corner led to the decisive penalty.

Referee Kevin Friend checked the pitch-side monitor after Cooper’s header struck Guehi’s raised hand and Raphinha converted the spot-kick in the third minute of added time.

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NORWICH MISERY CONTINUES AS RAPHINHA AND RODRIGO HIT LEEDS TO VICTORY

Raphinha and Rodrigo grabbed second-half goals to earn Leeds a 2-1 win that continued Norwich’s nightmare return to the Premier League.

A crazy four-minute spell after the break settled the game as Marcelo Bielsa’s men picked up a second top-flight victory of the season.

Raphinha opened the scoring in the 56th minute before Irish defender Andrew Omobamidele levelled, but the Canaries succumbed to Rodrigo’s long-range effort that slipped through Tim Krul’s grasp as their winless run in the Premier League extended to 20 matches.

Daniel Farke reacted to the 7-0 horror show at Chelsea by ditching the five at the back formation which had been used in the last four games and handed opportunities to Omobamidele and Kieran Dowell, who were both making only their second league starts this season.

While Leeds created the first chance, it was largely the Sky Bet Championship winners who dominated the opening exchanges.

Daniel James, minutes after he survived some half-hearted penalty appeals for handball, came close to a first goal for Bielsa’s side since a summer switch from Manchester United..

Stuart Dallas played the Welshman through in the eighth minute and James rounded Krul before he fired towards goal from a tight angle but Norwich captain Grant Hanley got back on the line to clear.

It was not a sign of things to come, with Teemu Pukki firing wide after a poor clearance by James while Max Aarons and Mathias Normann tried their luck but did not trouble Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

For all the Canaries’ huffing and puffing, the visitors were slowly beginning to click into gear with Diego Llorente heading over before Rodrigo shot straight at Krul.

There was still time for Milot Rashica to test Meslier with a long-range shot which had been going wide and Normann drilled off target from the resulting corner to ensure it was goalless at half-time.

After a lack of clear-cut opportunities during the opening 45, that all changed at the beginning of the second period.

First Raphinha produced the type of quality which had been lacking throughout when he rifled home for his fourth goal of the season.

James passed out to the Brazilian on the right and Leeds’ number 10 cut inside Omobamidele and Hanley before he fired back across goal into the bottom corner.

Norwich responded two minutes later after Meslier passed the ball out for a corner, which Rashica whipped in for Omobamidele to head home for his first professional goal.

It would not last long however with Leeds retaking the lead on the hour mark following a critical error.

Kalvin Phillips passed into the path of Rodrigo, who was given too much time and let fly from 30-yards with a swirling left-footed drive which slipped through Krul and found the net.

Bielsa’s internal delight was briefly interrupted when Raphinha clattered into his manager after trying to keep the ball in play but his side were able to hold out for an important three points.

Rashica’s free-kick into the wall was the closest Norwich came to an equaliser despite a flurry of substitutions by Farke as the Canaries suffered an eighth league defeat of the term and were booed off.

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NEYMAR, RAPHINHA STAR AS BRAZIL CRUISE PAST URUGUAY IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Raphinha turned in another eye-catching performance for Brazil on Thursday by scoring twice in the home side’s 4-1 victory over Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier.

Brazil took the lead after 10 minutes when Neymar chested down a pass from Fred and rounded the keeper before firing low between two defenders on the goal-line.

Raphinha made it 2-0 after 18 minutes when he bundled home a parried shot from close range and then made it 3-0 after 58 minutes, completing a superb counter-attack with an angled shot.

Luis Suarez scored a consolation goal for Uruguay with a 77th minute free kick before Gabriel Barbosa restored Brazil’s three-goal cushion with a header seven minutes from time.

“This couldn’t be more memorable for me,” Raphinha said. “This is me fulfilling my childhood dream. It’s so gratifying to score.

“It’s going to be very difficult to forget this night.”

Both Neymar and Raphinha could have scored more, with Uruguayan keeper Fernando Muslera thwarting both in quick succession early in the second half.

It was a measure of Brazil’s superiority that Muslera was Uruguay’s best player on a poor night for the visitors, who have now won only two of their last nine qualifiers.

Brazil are now six points clear in the South American qualifying group, ahead of second-placed Argentina who beat Peru 1-0 on Thursday.

The top four qualify automatically for Qatar 2022 and the fifth-placed side goes into an inter-regional playoff.

Also on Thursday, Chile beat Venezuela 3-0 to record their second successive win. Erick Pulgar scored twice in the first half, both off Alexis Sanchez assists, and Ben Brereton made it 3-0 17 minutes from time to lift Chile onto 13 points in sixth place.

Venezuela, who have lost nine of 12 qualifiers, are bottom of the group on seven points, four adrift of Peru.

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EVERTON 0-1 LEEDS UTD: RAPHINHA STRIKE RETURNS WHITES TO WINNING WAYS.

Raphinha’s first Premier League goal gave Leeds United a 1-0 win at Everton in an enthralling encounter.

The Brazilian midfielder’s shot, the 35th of the match, found the bottom corner in the 79th minute to earn Leeds a first win in four matches.

The two goalkeepers had excelled throughout.

Jordan Pickford denied Patrick Bamford, Raphinha, Jack Harrison and Helder Costa, while at the other end, Illan Meslier made eight saves, including superbly from Abdoulaye Doucoure and then from Richarlison.

When Harrison did beat Pickford on two occasions, his first effort was cleared off the line by Ben Godfrey while his header came back off a post.

But Raphinha finally broke the deadlock to secure Leeds’ first Premier League win at Goodison Park which lifts them to 11th on 14 points, two behind Everton in sixth.