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Atleti ordered to close part of stadium for City clash

Atletico Madrid will be forced to close a section of their stadium when they host Manchester City due to the “discriminatory behaviour” of their supporters.

City secured a 1-0 advantage in the Champions League quarter-final first leg last Tuesday at the Etihad Stadium.

Supporters of the Spanish club were caught on camera performing alleged Nazi salutes during that game and UEFA subsequently charged the LaLiga champions with discriminatory behaviour and throwing of objects last Friday.

European football’s governing body has since ordered Atletico to close part of the Wanda Metropolitano, so at least 5,000 fewer supporters will be able to attend the game against Pep Guariola’s side.

UEFA has also ordered Atleti to implement a #NoToRacism banner when they clash with City on Wednesday.

Atletico were previously ordered by UEFA to close part of their stadium in the 2018-19 Champions League campaign, after a racist banner was unfurled during the 2018 Europa League final in Lyon.

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Ancelotti: Real are delighted to depend on Benzema

Real Madrid should not be ashamed to be reliant upon talisman Karim Benzema, according to Los Blancos head coach Carlo Ancelotti.

France international Benzema has helped Madrid to the LaLiga summit, 12 points clear of Barcelona, who have played a game less.

The former Lyon striker also propelled the LaLiga giants into the ascendancy with his hat-trick in a 3-1 win against Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Stamford Bridge.

Indeed, he became the first player to score a treble against the Blues in European competition as he joined Cristiano Ronaldo, Luiz Adriano and Lionel Messi as the fourth player to manage consecutive hat-tricks in the Champions League following his heroics in the last 16 against Paris Saint-Germain.

Only Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski (46) has found the net more times in Europe’s top-five leagues in all competitions than Benzema, who has 37 goals to his name in as many appearances.

Ancelotti heaped praise on his star forward as he fielded questions over whether potential transfer target Erling Haaland would be put off Madrid by Benzema’s exploits.

“What a question… I’m sorry, I can’t answer,” he said. 

“But I can say that Benzema is a modern centre-forward, in the past the number nine would get into the area and finish off whatever was going on there.

“Karim is what modern football demands in a striker, shooting, playing, defensive work, not giving away balls… It’s the perfect representation of what a centre forward should be today”.

Benzema and Vinicius Junior have formed a formidable partnership this campaign, with the duo combining for a competition-leading five goals in the Champions League.

Ancelotti referenced the likes of Los Blancos greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale as he pointed towards his new pairing as the stars of the show this season.

“The season says that there are two strikers who have stood out a lot, Vinicius and Benzema,” he added.

“In the past we had Cristiano, Bale… To say that we are dependent on Benzema is the truth, there is no need to hide it. I am very happy to be dependent on Benzema”.

Benzema has netted 11 times in the Champions League this campaign, the most by a Frenchman in Europe’s premier club competition and as many as he had scored in the previous two editions combined.

He will look to add to that tally at home to Chelsea on Tuesday as Ancelotti aims to qualify for an eighth Champions League semi-final – the joint-most of any coach in history, along with Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.

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EPL REVIEW: MANCHESTER CITY RETAIN PREMIER LEAGUE LEAD AFTER LIVERPOOL DRAW

Manchester City retained their slender lead at the Premier League summit as their crunch clash with title rivals Liverpool ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw.

Kevin De Bruyne fired the champions into a fifth-minute lead at the Etihad Stadium but Diogo Jota levelled eight minutes later for the second-placed Reds.

Gabriel Jesus restored City’s advantage before the break but Sadio Mane marked his 30th birthday with a second equaliser for Jurgen Klopp’s men.

Raheem Sterling thought he had put City ahead for a third time against his former club but VAR ruled against him in a tight offside decision and substitute Riyad Mahrez hit the post late on.

The result ended Liverpool’s 10-match winning league run and left City a point clear with just seven games of the season remaining.

Goals from Pierre Lees-Melou and Teemu Pukki helped reinvigorate Norwich’s slim survival hopes with a 2-0 home win over relegation rivals Burnley.

The Canaries were 10 points from safety before kick-off, but Lees-Melou’s early deflected strike gave Dean Smith’s men a precious lead and Pukki’s composed finish late on clinched a first Premier League victory in nine attempts.

It could be too little too late for bottom club Norwich, who remain in a perilous position but at least has kept 18th-placed Burnley within touching distance and dealt a serious blow to the visitors’ own chances of beating the drop.

Bryan Mbeumo and Ivan Toney combined to sink West Ham 2-0 and surely banish any lingering relegation fears for Brentford.

Two second-half goals lifted the Bees 12 points clear of the Premier League drop zone after a Sunday afternoon stroll in the west London sunshine.

Mbeumo lashed in the opener after being teed up by Toney, and then returned the favour for his strike partner as Toney grabbed his 14th goal of the season.

For West Ham it was another dent in their fading hopes of a top-four finish, and they were also dealt a potentially massive blow with Thursday night’s Europa League second leg against Lyon in mind when defender Kurt Zouma was forced to limp out of the action midway through the first half.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall inspired Leicester to a narrow 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.

The midfielder’s first Premier League goal came after a sublime assist for Ademola Lookman’s opener to give the Foxes the perfect preparation for Thursday’s trip to PSV.

They go to Eindhoven for their Europa Conference League quarter-final second leg with the tie poised at 0-0 but have momentum after just two defeats in their last 10 outings.

Kasper Schmeichel saved two Wilfried Zaha penalties – after VAR ordered a retake – only for the striker to nod in the rebound from the second which gave Palace second-half hope.

But a leveller never came and the Foxes move above Palace to ninth in the Premier League. The Eagles saw a seven-game unbeaten run come to an end, which had propelled them to Wembley for next week’s FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea.

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City must win all remaining games or title race is over

Pep Guardiola suggested Manchester City missed the chance to claim victory when on top against Liverpool and insisted his side must win all their remaining Premier League games otherwise the title race will be over.

Liverpool were as far as 14 points behind in mid-January, but a 10-game winning run in the league slashed City’s lead to just one point to set up what was billed as the title decider at the Etihad Stadium.

Kevin De Bruyne struck after just five minutes with his sixth goal in as many games on Sunday, before Diogo Jota soon restored parity in a thrilling end-to-end affair.

Gabriel Jesus then found the net against Liverpool for a fifth time in all competitions, only scoring more for City against Everton (eight), to send Jurgen Klopp’s side in at half-time trailing in the league for the first time this season.

Sadio Mane immediately levelled after the interval to keep the title race alive and Guardiola called on City to win their remaining seven games to win the league.

“Both teams wanted to try to win, we did everything we could but unfortunately we could not win,” he told Sky Sports.

“I had the feeling we handed them a life, but listen Liverpool is a joy to watch and the threats they have in attack, how good they are, so no doubts about how difficult they are.

“But I think we performed really, really well, I’m so incredibly proud of my team. Now, both teams know with seven games left we have to win all of them, otherwise it will be over.

“In Anfield, we played an incredible first half and it was the same result, I had the feeling we missed an opportunity to get three points but it doesn’t matter what happened this game, this was never going to be over.

“I would say the same with defeat, or victory, this was massive game to take advantage of, but we know what we have to do.

“Go to [Atletico] Madrid [in the Champions League quarter-final return leg], then FA Cup [semi-final against Liverpool] then back to the Premier League and win as many as possible.

“Seven games in the Premier League is a lot to play, it will be tough, I don’t know whether we are going to win the title at the end of the season but to be in the game, like we played today, it makes me admire a lot to perform that way.”

Guardiola also hailed the work of Jesus, who has scored four times against Klopp’s Liverpool in the Premier League, as he explained his match-by-match plan for each specific opponent.

“Gabriel Jesus deserves to play a lot, he is a fantastic person but all of them, [Ilkay] Gundogan, Ruben [Dias] they all have quality but we thought we could find spaces with the players we put out for the way they pressed today,” he added.

“Maybe next Saturday [in the FA Cup semi-final] from what we saw, maybe we change something. I put out a specially specific line-up for the demands of the team we are going to play, not because of who I prefer.”

Klopp and Guardiola are familiar foes, given their time spent managing Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in Germany, and the Spaniard expressed his admiration for his opposite number.

“Listen, I don’t know if Jurgen respects me but I respect him a lot, he has made me a better manager with his sides in Germany with Bayern and Dortmund, and then here,” he added.

“His teams are always positive and want to attack, I try to imitate him in that sense. We are not friends, we don’t have dinner together, I don’t call him but I have a lot of respect for him, but he knows next Saturday I’m going to try and beat him.”

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Torino 0-0 AC Milan: Door open for Inter after Rossoneri held

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AC Milan opened the door for Inter Milan to temporarily reclaim the lead of the Serie A title race as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Torino.

The Rossoneri were tasked with responding after Inter’s 2-0 win over Hellas Verona on Saturday, which moved the Nerazzurri just a point adrift.

But, after seeing fellow challengers Napoli slip up with a 3-1 home defeat to Fiorentina, Milan also stumbled.

Clear-cut chances were few and far between, Milan failing to take advantage of their edge in possession.

It means Inter can go a point ahead at the top with a win at Spezia on Friday, when they kick off two hours before Milan host Genoa.

Davide Calabria’s long-range effort drew a strong save from Etrit Berisha in the 24th minute before Torino midfielder Samuele Ricci fired wide of the near post at the other end.

Mike Maignan tipped over from Mergim Vojvoda five minutes after the restart as Torino created the better opportunities in the second half.

Sandro Tonali was denied by Berisha after cleverly working his way into the box, with Andrea Belotti seeing a chance to secure a shock win for Torino go begging when he fired into the side-netting on an evening where the Granata were full value for a stalemate that could prove pivotal in the battle for the Scudetto.

After Napoli were beaten at home by La Viola, their coach Luciano Spalletti suggested their title hopes were out of their hands.

Such an assessment may have been premature after Milan dropped points again, recording successive 0-0 draws in Serie A for the first time since December 2018, when they also had back-to-back stalemates from games with Torino and Bologna.

Just six points separate the top four, with Juventus not out of the hunt. It is Inter who look to be in the driver’s seat, though, trailing by just two points with a game in hand on their arch rivals.

A primary source of Milan’s frustration was Torino centre-back Bremer, who was outstanding at the back for the hosts. 

The Brazilian, linked with Liverpool and Inter, produced a game-high six clearances as well as three tackles and three blocks, winning possession five times.

Milan coach Stefano Pioli was booked for remonstrating with the referee after full-time, though perhaps he was more exasperated by his side producing only three shots on target, heightening the pressure on them from the chasing pack.

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Neymar labels Messi and Mbappe ‘geniuses’ after PSG trio star in win

Neymar hailed fellow hat-trick hero Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain assists king Lionel Messi as “geniuses” after the 6-1 win over Clermont.

The Brazilian also echoed Mbappe’s verdict that it was a “shame” the superstar trio had not been able to link up more often this season.

Messi claimed three assists in the Ligue 1 leaders’ rampant away victory on Saturday night, becoming the first player to claim three assists on two separate occasions in the French top flight since Opta data for the competition began in 2006-07, having previously assisted three goals against Saint-Etienne in November.

The former Barcelona captain has averaged an impressive 0.73 assists per 90 minutes on the pitch during his first season in Ligue 1, a team-high.

Meanwhile, the trebles scored by Mbappe and Neymar meant they became the first Ligue 1 team-mates to net hat-tricks in the same game since Mbappe and Edinson Cavani did so against Guingamp in January 2019. Prior to that, the last team to achieve the feat were Bordeaux against Valenciennes in August 1979.

Speaking after reaching double figures for Ligue 1 goals this season, Neymar was delighted with PSG’s performance and said the relationship between the front three is improving with every match.

“I am very pleased to have scored my first hat-trick of the season,” Neymar said.

“And [I’m] even happier with the win and our attitude. It’s important that the chemistry between us get stronger in every match.”

The win represented just the 14th occasion across all competitions when all three attackers have started together this season, leading Mbappe to say it was a “shame” PSG fans had been forced to wait until now to see them perform regularly together.

Neymar delivered a similar sentiment, while labelling his attacking partners “extraordinary”.

“Unfortunately, everyone has gotten to pretty much 100 per cent only at the end of the season,” Neymar said, quoted on the official Ligue 1 website.

“It’s a shame, but I am very happy with everything that we are showing on the pitch. It’s a lot easier to play with players who are very intelligent.

“Leo and Kylian are extraordinary, they are two geniuses.”

PSG’s last 11 Ligue 1 goals have been scored by Mbappe (five), Neymar (five) or Messi (one), and Mauricio Pochettino’s men are closing in on the French title.

Neymar, meanwhile, has now scored against 24 of the 25 opponents he has faced in Ligue 1, the exception being Brest, and the treble was his first since January 2018, when he scored four goals against Dijon.

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De Jong’s header seals seventh straight LaLiga win

Barcelona sealed a seventh straight LaLiga win as Luuk de Jong’s stoppage-time header earned a dramatic 3-2 victory over a Levante side who were awarded three penalties.

Jose Luis Morales’ penalty seven minutes after the interval handed the hosts the lead, and they could have been 2-0 up moments later, yet Roger Marti’s spot-kick was kept out by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Barcelona took advantage of that reprieve, moving 2-1 ahead within seven minutes of the miss thanks to goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Pedri.

Levante thought they had claimed a point when Gonzalo Melero slammed home from the spot with seven minutes remaining, but substitute De Jong popped up in added time to claim yet another maximum-points haul for the Blaugrana.

Daniel Cardenas kept out Ferran Torres’ powerful header at the start of the second period, before Morales slotted home from the spot after Dani Alves blocked Son’s run in the penalty area.

Levante squandered the opportunity to double their advantage from 12 yards in the 56th minute, Ter Stegen keeping out Marti’s spot-kick after the striker’s header hit Eric Garcia’s hand.

The home side were punished just three minutes later when an unmarked Aubameyang headed home Ousmane Dembele’s cross from eight yards.

Pedri, who had only been on the pitch for seven minutes, put Barca ahead in the 63rd minute with a whipped strike from 15 yards after being teed up by fellow substitute Gavi.

Levante looked like they would secure a point when Melero powered home from the spot in the 83rd minute after Clement Lenglet tripped Dani Gomez in the area, just two minutes after coming off the bench.

There was still time for one late twist, though, as De Jong met Jordi Alba’s left-wing cross with a superb header that flew past a helpless Cardenas in the second minute of stoppage time.

Barca face Eintracht Frankfurt in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday following last week’s 1-1 draw. They then host Cadiz in LaLiga on the following Monday – a day after Levante visit Granada.

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Sadio Mane keeps Liverpool title hopes alive

Sadio Mane kept Liverpool in the Premier League title hunt with a priceless second-half equaliser in a gripping 2-2 draw with leaders Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp’s side sat 14 points behind City in January, but a 10-game winning run cut the gap to just one point to set up what many billed as a title decider at the Etihad Stadium.

Diogo Jota cancelled out Kevin De Bruyne’s opener in an enthralling start, and Mane followed suit swiftly after the interval following Gabriel Jesus’ 36th-minute strike.

Neither side could find a winner, with Raheem Sterling seeing a goal disallowed, as Pep Guardiola’s home side kept their slender lead intact with seven games left to play.

Sterling squandered a glorious chance after five minutes as he was denied by the onrushing Alisson following a square Jesus pass, but City were ahead just seconds later.

De Bruyne profited from a quick Bernardo Silva free-kick before arrowing a left-footed effort home, the ball going in off the right post following a fortuitous deflection off Joel Matip.

Liverpool responded within eight minutes, with Andy Robertson finding Trent Alexander-Arnold, who played the ball back from the far post for Jota to squeeze a low strike under Ederson.

De Bruyne whipped narrowly wide in search of his second before Jesus latched onto a Joao Cancelo cross and coolly finished via the underside of the crossbar.

Mane levelled up within a minute of the second half getting under way, racing onto Mohamed Salah’s throughball to slot powerfully past Ederson, who thwarted Jota’s prodded effort shortly after.

Sterling thought he had nudged the hosts ahead again, but a VAR check showed the forward was offside when De Bruyne passed the ball, while Salah curled just off target at the other end.

Substitute Riyad Mahrez provided a late scare for the visitors as he clipped the post with a free-kick, and then chipped over after a sublime De Bruyne pass, but there would be no decisive goal.

his result defied a trend for when the Premier League has seen its top two meet in the final 10 games of a season. In the last eight such meetings, prior to this, the team starting the day in second place had won seven times – including the last five in a row.

City, who have now not lost against Klopp’s side in the last five Premier League meetings (W2 D3), seemed set to take the three points when they became the first team to lead Liverpool at half-time in the league this season, but Mane’s composed finish means this race has a long way still to run.

De Bruyne’s excellence was on show as he lashed in his sixth goal in as many games – netting in four games in a row for City in all competitions for the first time – before Jesus came to haunt Liverpool once more.

He has only scored more for City against Everton (eight) than against the Reds in all competitions (five), while this was the fourth time he has netted in the league against Klopp’s side. Jamie Vardy (eight) and Harry Kane (six) are the only players to score more past Klopp’s Reds.

Salah-Mane link-up delivers

Mane and Salah have combined for 21 Premier League goals for Liverpool, with only Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman coupling up for more (24).

While the Egypt forward has just one goal in his last eight games across all competitions, and has not scored in the league in open play since February 19, Klopp will be pleased with his forward’s contributions amid ongoing contract negotiations.

Mane’s goal was timed at coming just 46 seconds into the second half, catching City cold.

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Leclerc wins Australian Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc extended his championship lead by winning the Australian Grand Prix and Max Verstappen retired for the second time in three races on Sunday.

Ferrari driver Leclerc led from start to finish at Albert Park to secure his second victory of the season, with Sergio Perez finishing second and George Russell third.

World champion Verstappen pulled over on lap 39 of 58, while Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz – who started the day second in the driver standings – spun off early in the race after starting back in ninth spot.

Leclerc got off to a good start and Lewis Hamilton moved up from fifth to third behind world champion Verstappen.

The safety car was deployed when Sainz found himself in the gravel after losing control on lap three, with Leclerc extending his advantage as Perez used the DRS to overtake Hamilton.

Verstappen pitted for hard tyres on lap 19 and the safety car was out again when Sebastian Vettel retired, giving Russell the opportunity to pit and remain in third place.

Leclerc fended off Verstappen when the race restarted and that was as close as the Dutchman came to taking the lead before he pulled over due to another issue with his Red Bull.

Monegasque Leclerc was untroubled, easing to a second win in three races and put the icing on the cake by clocking the fastest lap.

Leclerc finished over 20 seconds ahead of Perez, with Russell securing a podium spot and Hamilton crossing the line in fourth spot.

Leclerc could not have wished for a better weekend as he converted his pole into a victory and nipped in with the quickest lap to secure maximum points.

The 24-year-old’s win was the Scuderia’s third in four races in Australia and extended his lead to 34 points ahead of Russell, who jumped into second spot with his second podium finish in Formula One.

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AARON RAMSDALE ADMITS FALTERING ARSENAL ‘NOT GOOD ENOUGH’ IN BRIGHTON DEFEAT

Aaron Ramsdale admits Arsenal were “not good enough” as they slipped to defeat at home to Brighton.

Enock Mwepu was the star of the show for the visitors, creating Leandro Trossard’s opener before his own fine strike doubled the lead. Martin Odegaard’s late consolation meant Brighton left with a deserved 2-1 win.

Arsenal were already reeling from defeat at Crystal Palace on Monday night and, with Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey missing through injury, their small squad was exposed once more.

Gabriel Martinelli had a goal ruled out for offside but other than that Arsenal rarely threatened and they lost more ground in their hopes of returning to Champions League action.

Rivals Tottenham cantered to victory later on Saturday to move three points clear in fourth place with Ramsdale now targeting a return to form at Southampton next week.

“This was supposed to be the reaction game but it wasn’t,” he told Arsenal’s official website.

“We’ve lost and not managed to pick up any points and next week is even bigger.

“I think we just need to go out there and be free and play our game, you know?

“It’s a game of football and I think in the first half we were very tense and slow so we just need to go out there next week, trust what the manager and the coaching staff are saying and go and play our football, which we’ve done all season.

“It’s not good enough. Two games on the spin where the first 45 minutes has got away from us.

“You make it an uphill battle against any team in the Premier League if you’re losing at half-time.”

The victory was just a third league win of the calendar year for Brighton.

The Seagulls ended a run of six losses with a home draw to Norwich before taking all three points from the Emirates Stadium.

“I am so glad, we needed the three points after six loses and a draw,” said Mwepu.

“I think we have shown that we have the right mentality in the group to come to places like Arsenal and play like we did.

“We just want to continue in the final games like this, play well and win for the coach, who has shown a lot of confidence in us.

“We had a little joke in the dressing room before the game that I was going to score. I was delighted to take the chance, I hit it really well and it was wonderful to see it go into the net.”