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UCL LAST 16: KYLIAN MBAPPE STRIKES LATE TO GIVE PSG EDGE OVER REAL MADRID

Kylian Mbappe struck in the fourth minute of injury time to give Paris Saint-Germain a precious 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of their heavyweight Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday. It looked as though Real would escape with a draw after weathering a first-half onslaught from PSG before Lionel Messi had a penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois just after the hour mark at the Parc des Princes.

Then, in the last minute of stoppage time, Mbappe burst into the box from the left and between two defenders before finishing past Courtois for his 22nd goal this season.

“I got myself into some space and then it was one against two in the box, and in the box the attacker is always in control,” Mbappe told broadcaster Canal Plus.

“The defenders were going back and I could decide where I wanted to go, and then I managed to put it between the legs of Courtois.”

Tipped to move to Madrid when his contract in Paris expires at the end of the season, Mbappe’s last-gasp strike means his current club have the edge heading into the return at the Santiago Bernabeu on March 9.

He added: “We are very pleased to have this slight advantage but there is a return leg to come and we need to make sure we prepare well in our upcoming league matches.”

The France World Cup-winning striker may have focused much of the attention coming into this tie amid the speculation about his future but the array of attacking talent elsewhere could not be overlooked.

Messi was coming up against Madrid for the first time since leaving Barcelona, for whom he scored a record 26 goals in the ‘Clasico’ over his years at the Camp Nou.

Real also knew all about the threat of Angel Di Maria, who won the Champions League with the Spanish giants in 2014.

He started because Neymar was only deemed fit enough for a place on the bench having not played since late November due to an ankle injury.

The fragile Brazilian may have wondered how he might fit back into Mauricio Pochettino’s team as he watched the way they played without him in the first half.

PSG showed a hunger that has been lacking for most of the campaign in Ligue 1 even as they built a huge lead at the top of the table.

PSG’s pressing game suffocated their opponents, although Real were seemingly quite happy to defend deep and give up possession, aware that a 0-0 draw would do just fine with the away goals rule scrapped from this season.

That meant Karim Benzema, Real’s top scorer making his return after a three-game spell out injured, saw practically none of the ball along with the two players flanking him, Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio.

For most of the first half, PSG played perhaps their best football since the arrival of Messi last August. Yet Courtois only really had to make one save of note in that time, to deny Mbappe in the 18th minute.

The visitors would have tried to regroup at half-time, but less than five minutes after the restart Mbappe forced Courtois into an excellent save low to his right.

Courtois then topped that by diving to his left to keep out Messi’s 62nd-minute penalty, awarded after Mbappe was chopped down by Dani Carvajal, who he had tormented all evening.

The French club failed to score when on top in the first half and had now squandered a glorious chance to go in front. The miss summed up Messi’s underwhelming PSG career so far.

Pochettino sent on Neymar, the world’s most expensive player unmistakeable with his peroxide blonde hair.

However, Mbappe had scored a last-minute winner for his team against Rennes in the league last weekend and he again had the last word, leaving the side he might be representing next season up against it in the return in three weeks.

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“We are confident because we will be playing at home so we will have the stadium behind us,” Ancelotti told Canal Plus.

“Paris have a stronger chance but our hopes of going through are not lost.”

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FIVE-GOAL MANCITY CRUSH SPORTING LISBON IN UCL LAST 16

Pep Guardiola insisted Manchester City still have room for improvement after Bernardo Silva’s brace inspired a masterful 5-0 rout of Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League last 16 first leg on Tuesday.

Guardiola’s side produced a swaggering display at the Jose Alvalade Stadium to all but secure their quarter-final place before the second leg in Manchester on March 9.

Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring and Silva bagged the second before Phil Foden made it three by the 32nd minute.

With City at their imperious best, Portugal forward Silva struck again on his return to his homeland and Raheem Sterling’s gem rounded off the demolition after the interval.

City are unbeaten in their last 13 games in all competition, a hot streak that now includes 12 wins.

Sterner tests will await City later in the competition but this was a significant statement of intent that will have been heard all around Europe.

Determined to keep his players grounded, Guardiola said: “The difference between the two teams is not 5-0 but we were so clinical. We punished them.

“We had some simple passes that we lost. Against the top sides in Europe we would be punished.

“We have one more game to be in the quarter-finals and this is what you want. The players know me and the way we work that we can do better.

“I’m incredibly happy, please don’t misunderstand me, but we can do better.”

With City nine points clear at the top of the Premier League in their pursuit of a fourth title in five years, there is no questioning Guardiola’s domestic preeminence.

But Champions League success has been harder to come by.

Guardiola insisted this week that critics of his flawed European record over the last decade are “jealous” of his achievements.

Yet the Spaniard hasn’t won the Champions League since 2011 with Barcelona, while City are still waiting to lift the trophy for the first time.

City’s Champions League history is littered with unexpectedly premature exits, but they came painfully close last season, losing 1-0 to Chelsea in the final in Porto.

Back on Portuguese soil to launch a knockout stage campaign they hope will climax with silverware in the final in Saint Peterburg, City’s sublime performance underlined their desire to go one better this time.

Sporting’s fans did their best to make it a hostile evening, loudly jeering Silva, Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo for their spells with arch rivals Benfica.

But City took just seven minutes to silence the ear-splitting din with a sumptuous move.

Silva found Foden in the Sporting area and his shot was pushed out by Antonio Adan to Kevin De Bruyne, who scooped it back into the six-yard box for Mahrez to slot into the empty net.

Initially disallowed for offside, it took a lengthy VAR check before Mahrez could celebrate his 10th goal in his last 11 Champions League appearance.

City were in the groove and Silva produced a moment of magic in the 17th minute.

When Rodri’s header dropped in the Sporting area, the hosts were too slow to react and Silva pounced with a blistering half-volley that flashed in off the underside of the crossbar.

Guardiola’s team were so slick that even Sporting’s supporters were moved to applaud after the visitors’ third goal.

Mahrez twisted and turned on the right flank before whipping in a low cross that evaded Sporting’s flailing defence, allowing Foden to finish with ease on his 150th City appearance.

City weren’t done yet and the fourth goal arrived in the 44th minute.

Cancelo’s lofted pass picked out Sterling’s run into the Sporting area and his cutback was dispatched by Silva via a deflection.

Silva was denied a hat-trick five minutes into the second half when his header was ruled out for offside.

But Sterling put the seal on City’s masterclass in the 58th minute, taking aim from 20 yards and curling a superb strike into the far corner.

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UEFA CRITICIZED FOR PARTNERING WITH CRYPTOCURRENCY FAN TOKEN COMPANY

UEFA’s decision to partner with a company selling cryptocurrency fan tokens has been described as “incomprehensible” by Football Supporters Europe.

A day after being praised for giving away tickets to its men’s and women’s club competition finals, European football’s governing body has been heavily criticised over a new agreement with Socios.com.

The sale of fan tokens – which can rise and fall in value – has been criticised as a means of monetising fan engagement, in a largely unregulated market.

FSE condemned the partnership, which sees Socios.com become UEFA’s official fan token partner, and tweeted: “This is an incomprehensible move at a time when football needs protection from crypto-mercenaries.

“Governing bodies have a duty to protect the integrity & sustainability of football & everyone associated with it.

“There are countless ways to properly engage with fans. Encouraging fans to invest in ‘fan tokens’ isn’t one of them. They only serve the interests of those selling them.”

Socios.com sells branded fan tokens to supporters of clubs and bodies they have a commercial agreement with. Supporters must convert their money into a cryptocurrency called Chiliz.

Each token allows users to exercise voting rights over matters related to their club, but one of the criticisms of the tokens is that these votes are often on relatively trivial matters.

Token holders also have a chance to win club-related prizes, while the tie-up with UEFA promises rewards such as VIP trips to UEFA events, the chance to visit the organisation’s headquarters and to meet ‘UEFA legends’.

The value of tokens can rise and fall depending upon supply and demand, potentially leaving fans out of pocket.

UEFA’s marketing director Guy-Laurent Epstein said: “Thanks to this new alliance, hundreds of millions of fans around the world will have the opportunity to become more than spectators and play active roles in the biggest club football competitions on the planet through fan tokens.”

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Messi: PSG want Champions League title after drawing Madrid

Lionel Messi insisted Paris Saint-Germain’s objective is to win the Champions League after being paired with Real Madrid in the round of 16.

LaLiga leaders Madrid stand in the way of PSG and the quarter-finals following a chaotic redraw due to a technical glitch on Monday.

PSG – initially drawn against Manchester United – were Champions League runners-up in 2019-20, however, the French giants have never conquered Europe.

As former Barcelona superstar Messi prepares to reunite with Madrid – the first leg will be held on February 15 – the Ballon d’Or winner reinforced PSG’s ultimate pursuit.

“The objective for PSG is to win the Champions League, that’s everyone’s aim,” Messi said at the Dubai Expo 2020 via Marca.

“The team has been very close before. It’s an essential competition for all teams. We’ll try to win it.”

Messi swapped Barca for PSG in a blockbuster switch ahead of the 2021-22 season.

The 34-year-old was set to sign a new deal with Barca, but left Camp Nou after the Catalan giants announced that “financial and structural obstacles” had left them unable to retain his services.

Messi has scored one goal in 10 Ligue 1 appearances this season, while he has managed five goals in as many Champions League games.

“It was a very big change after so much time in the same place, so it wasn’t easy,” Messi said.

“But, we’re all doing well in what is a spectacular city and at one of the best teams in the world.”

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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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Mason Greenwood scores stunner in draw

Mason Greenwood scored a spectacular goal as Manchester United drew 1-1 with Young Boys at Old Trafford in their Group F finale.

Despite Ralf Rangnick making 11 changes to the team that beat Crystal Palace last weekend, the Red Devils got off to a flying start as Greenwood volleyed stylishly inside the near post after Shaw had sent the ball into the middle.

However, the visitors equalised three minutes before half-time as Fabian Rieder pounced on a loose pass before bending a sweet strike into the top corner, leaving Dean Henderson with no chance.

The second half lacked the energy of the first, although Young Boys looked the more dangerous of the two sides, but they were ultimately unable to find a winner.

Greenwood gave United the lead in the ninth minute with a fabulous, acrobatic finish into the bottom-left corner from Shaw’s left-wing cross.

The hosts were lively throughout the first half and Greenwood burst down the left before pulling back for Juan Mata, but the Spaniard’s well-struck, deflected effort was kept out superbly by Guillaume Faivre.

But Young Boys drew level with a fantastic goal of their own through Rieder, who picked off a pass in the United third and curled a stunning strike from the edge of the box into the top-right corner.

The visitors then went close to taking the lead on the stroke of half-time as Michel Aebischer lashed a low shot across goal that Eric Bailly did well not to turn into his own net.

Young Boys pushed for a winner in the second half and had a glorious opportunity to put themselves ahead when Quentin Maceiras somehow fired wide after being found in space in the box by Silvan Hefti.

United came into the game guaranteed to finish first in the group, so Rangnick’s decision to change his entire starting XI for his second game in charge was not that much of a surprise. Whether this early experiment helps him find his best formula a successful second half of the season remains to be seen.

Young Boys required a victory to stand a chance of continuing their European campaign but could not find that crucial second goal.

Greenwood’s superb opening strike was his eighth goal in major European competition (excluding qualifiers) for United, the most of any player for the club before their 21st birthday, overtaking Marcus Rashford.

United have now failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last five Champions League group stage matches at Old Trafford, their longest run without a home shutout at this stage of the competition.

United face Norwich City at Carrow Road in Premier League action next on Saturday, while Young Boys host Sion in the Swiss Super League.

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Kean heads Bianconeri top of Group H

Moise Kean’s early header proved enough to earn Juventus a 1-0 Champions League win over Malmo and top spot in Group H on Wednesday.

The Bianconeri controlled the game well but could only muster one goal despite playing a team with just one point to their name.

Federico Bernardeschi’s classy cross from the right was one of the few moments of true quality in the final third, which Kean met with a darting run to the near post in the 18th minute.

Malmo rarely threatened in the time that remained, but Juventus never looked like claiming an emphatic win either and their solitary goal proved enough to see them finish above Chelsea, who conceded a 94th-minute equaliser in their 3-3 draw with Zenit. 

Kean came close to opening the scoring in the sixth minute after being slipped into the area by Paulo Dybala, but the striker lashed his low effort just wide of the bottom-right corner.

The Italian made amends 12 minutes later, however, nipping in front of Ismael Diarra Diawara to nod Bernardeschi’s outstanding outside-of-the-boot cross in and put Juventus ahead.

Kean then laid the ball off to Arthur just inside the box on the stroke of half-time, but the midfielder lost his balance as he took the shot on and fired narrowly past the top-right corner.

Juventus, despite dominating the game and holding the lead, lacked conviction in the final third as Adrien Rabiot burst forward down the left and smashed a shot into the side-netting after the break.

Kean forced a low save in the 66th minute and should have doubled Juventus’ advantage with under 10 minutes remaining after Diarra Diawara spilled Rabiot’s initial effort, but the goalkeeper recovered to make a stunning save at point-blank range and deny the 21-year-old, whose contribution proved decisive in settling the group thanks to events in St. Petersburg.

Juventus’ triumph was a game of little drama, but the back-and-forth between Chelsea and Zenit in Russia saw the Bianconeri’s final position in the Group H table change several times.

The Serie A side needed to better the Blues’ result to win the group and Thomas Tuchel’s men and the cards fell in their favour as stoppage-time draw meant last season’s winners were held.

Kean is the second-youngest Italian goalscorer for Juventus in the Champions League at 21 years, 283 days old, behind only Alessandro Del Piero.

He would do well to match Del Piero’s exploits, but is showing promise this season with three goals in seven league games and his winner here.

Koni de Winter became the youngest player to start a match in Juventus history in the Champions League at 19 years and 179 days old – 14 days younger than Ruben Olivera – and did not look out of place.

De Winter completed 57 of his 64 passes, his accuracy of 89.1 per cent fifth-best among Juventus players to start the match.

– Juventus have won five of their six group games in the Champions League for the sixth time – never before winning all six – but with three of those six instances coming in three consecutive campaigns (2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22).

–  Malmo have lost each of their nine away games in the Champions League, suffering three defeats during each group stage in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2021-22. They hold the worst 100 per cent losing ratio away from home in the competition.

– Kean has scored four goals in just five Champions League starts across spells with PSG (three) and Juventus (one), while he is only the second Italian aged 21 or younger to score for Juventus in the competition after Alessandro Del Piero (eight such goals).

– Juve have won each of their last six home games in the Champions League, only the second time during the 21st century they have recorded such a winning run on home soil, also managing this feat between December 2016 and October 2017.

– Aged 19 years and 179 days, Koni de Winter became the youngest player to start a match for Juventus in their Champions League history.

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Chelsea forced to settle for second place

Chelsea were forced to settle for second place in Group H after an injury-time equaliser from Magomed Ozdoev clinched a 3-3 draw for Zenit in the Champions League.

Two goals from Timo Werner and another from Romelu Lukaku were not enough to secure the victory for the Blues, with Claudinho, Sardar Azmoun and Ozdoev all scoring for Zenit in Russia, and the Blues will now not be seeded in Monday’s draw for the last 16 after finishing below Juventus, who beat Malmo in Turin.

The momentum of the game swung back and forth several times, with Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga kept particularly busy.

Blues boss Thomas Tuchel was missing a number of midfielders, including Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic, and started Ross Barkley and Reece James in the middle, with Atletico Madrid loanee Saul Niguez being utilised at left wing back.

Chelsea took the lead in just the second minute when a Barkley corner was flicked on at the near post by Andreas Christensen, allowing Werner a simple tap-in.

Zenit should have been level on 26 minutes when Malcom was played in on goal, but the former Barcelona winger was denied by Kepa.

The equaliser did arrive 12 minutes later when Douglas Santos played a ball into the box that was glanced in by the head of Claudinho.

The hosts then took the lead before half-time when Barkley was dispossessed in midfield, with Malcom sliding Azmoun in behind a chaotic Chelsea defence. The Iran international took the ball round Kepa before slotting home, with the Blues goalkeeper forced to make another save from Azmoun just moments later.

Chelsea improved in the second half and were level just after the hour as Werner and Barkley played a one-two on the edge of the box, with the German giving Lukaku an easy tap in to make it 2-2.

Azmoun was denied another as Kepa made a fine save down to his left following a header from the striker, before Werner finished off a nice move five minutes from time, narrowly remaining onside.

However, the visitors failed to hold on as a tremendous strike from substitute Ozdoev deep into stoppage time levelled it up to ensure the spoils were shared.

This was a second chaotic game in the space of a week for Tuchel’s men, which will have the German scratching his head considering how organised they have looked for much of his reign.

After surrendering top spot in the Premier League following their 3-2 defeat at West Ham on Saturday – where they also conceded a late goal – Chelsea lost first place in their Champions League group as well, and could potentially now face Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the last 16.

Tuchel was forced into several changes, but will still have been irked by the lack of shape in this game, with Zenit looking the more dangerous across the 90 minutes, having 18 shots to Chelsea’s 13, with seven on target.

James has been one of Chelsea’s standout players this season playing at right wing back, but the England international was moved to midfield in Russia due to a growing injury list at Stamford Bridge.

Despite the disappointing result, James looked the part for most of the game, topping the list of Chelsea players for total passes (81), successful passes (76) and total passes in the opposition half (49), while also gaining possession eight times.

James’ versatility could come in very handy for Tuchel in the next few weeks while he waits for his first-choice midfielders to return.

Normally, you cannot question Chelsea’s defence. Since Tuchel’s first Champions League game in charge of the club in February, the Blues had only conceded three goals in 12 games in the competition before this one.

Their nine clean sheets in this period was the highest total of any team, and had they kept one here, they would have been the fastest team and manager combination to reach 10 clean sheets in the competition (13 games), ahead of Ajax under Louis van Gaal, Milan under Fabio Capello and Real Madrid under Jose Mourinho (all 14 games).

However, without Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger, Chelsea’s backline looked all over the place for large parts of this game, with Cesar Azpilicueta, Christensen and Malang Sarr being regularly pulled this way and that by the Zenit attack.

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Xavi’s men crash out of Champions League

Barcelona have been eliminated from the Champions League following a 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.

Xavi’s side drop into the Europa League and will not appear in the knockout stages of Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

Already assured of top spot in Group E, first-half goals from Thomas Muller and Leroy Sane put Bayern well on the way to progressing with a 100 per cent record.

Jamal Musiala ensured that Julian Nagelsmann’s side did just that when he sealed the victory just after the hour mark in another routine victory for the hosts in this fixture.

To avoid elimination, Barca needed to win or hope that Benfica failed to beat Dynamo Kiev elsewhere in the final round of group fixtures.

Jordi Alba tested Manuel Neuer from distance, while Ousmane Dembele swept a shot over from Memphis Depay’s square ball.

But Barca fell behind in the 34th minute; Robert Lewandowski cleverly twisting and turning before crossing for Muller, whose looping header crossed the line before Ronald Araujo could volley clear.

Bayern doubled their lead just before the break with Sane’s powerful 30-yard strike completely perplexing Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Sane squandered a golden opportunity for his second goal shortly after the restart when somehow failing to turn the ball home from inside the six-yard box after Kingsley Coman cushioned Alphonso Davies’ cross into his path.

Bayern’s third goal did arrive in the 62nd minute as Musiala sealed the deal by slotting home following a strong run and cross by Davies.

Bayern will buoyantly march towards the knockout stages when the competition resumes in February, with the draw for the last 16 to take place on Monday.

With six wins from six, Nagelsmann’s side are one of only three teams to record maximum points during this season’s group phase – along with Liverpool and Ajax.

They have now scored two or more goals in each of their last 12 home matches in this competition, while it was also their fourth straight win over Barca, who must reset their focus to the Europa League after this humbling early exit.

It was a landmark day for Muller, who reached 50 Champions League goals with his clever first-half header.

That was Muller’s eighth strike in seven appearances against Barca – his highest tally against any opponent in the competition, and the most that any player has managed against the Catalan giants in the European Cup or Champions League.

Although he did brilliantly to provide the assist for Muller’s header, Lewandowski was not at his best on Wednesday. Not only did the talisman fail to register a single shot on goal before being replaced 13 minutes from time, but his tallies of 20 touches and 12 passes were the lowest recorded by any Bayern starter.

He subsequently missed the opportunity to become the first player to score 10 or more goals during the Champions League group stage on multiple occasions, as well as the second to find the net in 10 successive matches in the competition.

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AC MILAN LATE GOAL SINK ATLETICO AND KEEP LAST 16 HOPES ALIVE

A stunning header from substitute Junior Messias in the dying minutes handed AC Milan a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid and kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the last-16 in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Milan arrived in Madrid rooted to the bottom of Group B with only one point and anything but a win against Atletico would have eliminated them from this season’s competition.

Wednesday’s result means the race to see who will join group winners Liverpool in the next round will go down to the wire. Porto, who are on five points, as well as Milan and Atletico, who are tied on four points, will have to wait until the final round of fixtures to decide who will finish second, and progress to the last 16.

Milan will host Liverpool while Atletico will travel to Porto on Dec. 7 for the final Group B fixtures.

On a freezing night in Madrid, a packed crowd at the Metropolitano Stadium failed to spur on Atletico, who struggled to make any kind of impact against a Milan side who showed urgency and aggression.

Brazilian Messias, who has completed a remarkable journey from working as a delivery driver and playing amateur football before slowly climbing the ladder , broke the deadlock in the 87th minute with a spectacular header after latching on to a perfect cross from Franck Kessie.

“They studied us really well and our gameplan didn’t work,” Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann told reporters.

“The Champions League is very difficult and Milan were superior in every aspect. We have to work, to get better…”

Milan controlled the game from the beginning, despite manager Stefano Pioli springing a surprise by starting Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the bench after he scored two goals against Fiorentina on Saturday.

The Swedish striker came on in the second half and almost scored a second goal in stoppage time, appealing unsuccessfully for a penalty after being caught by keeper Jan Oblak when he was about to shoot.

Atletico will finish the group stage having won none of their three home games, after losing to Milan and Liverpool and drawing with Porto.

“The Champions League does not forgive,” Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone said.

“You only go through when you deserve to.”