Football

Chelsea 2-0 Dortmund (2-1 agg): Huge result for Potter as the Blues reach Champions League QFs
Champions League, Football

Chelsea 2-0 Dortmund (2-1 agg): Huge result for Potter as the Blues reach Champions League QFs

Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz scored in either half as Chelsea battled back to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on aggregate to advance in the Champions League. The Blues trailed 1-0 on aggregate after the first leg but they were determined to turn the tie around at Stamford Bridge. A goal from Sterling and a re-taken penalty from Havertz earned the hosts a 2-0 win and breathing space for Potter. The Premier League side have now won back-to-back games for the first time since October. The board’s faith in Potter has now been vindicated. Chelsea were energetic, playing on the front foot with bags of initiative, a team transformed from the one defeated here by Southampton 17 days ago. Dortmund, second in the Bundesliga and on a run of 10 straight wins, could not live with their early high ...
Benfica crush Brugge 5-1 to reach Champions League quarter-finals
Champions League, Football

Benfica crush Brugge 5-1 to reach Champions League quarter-finals

LISBON, March 7 (Reuters) - Clinical Benfica thrashed shell-shocked Club Brugge 5-1 to knock them out of the Champions League and reach the quarter finals 7-1 on aggregate at the Estadio da Luz on Tuesday. Benfica took the lead in the 38th minute through Rafa Silva who dribbled past two defenders and fired a left foot strike into the net after a counter-attack started by Goncalo Ramos who sped up the left channel before crossing to the far post. Ramos then scored either side of the break before Joao Mario extended the lead with a penalty in the 71st minute. Substitute David Neres grabbed the fifth six minutes later before Bjorn Meijer got a consolation Brugge in the 87th.
Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United
Premier League, Football

Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United

This season has been one of trials and tribulations for Liverpool and its beleaguered fans, but there may still be light at the end of the tunnel as Jurgen Klopp’s men put in a truly scintillating performance to tear Manchester United apart at Anfield. Braces from Cody Gakpo, Darwin Núñez and Mo Salah, plus Roberto Firmino’s late goal, secured an utterly dominant 7-0 win in this Premier League grudge match, marking the biggest win in the history of this storied fixture. It was a sobering afternoon for Erik ten Hag’s side, which had been on a brilliant run of form since the season resumed following the World Cup and at one stage even looked as though it may begin to put pressure on Manchester City and Arsenal at the top of the table. Klopp had called United a “results machine” in the b...
Premier League: Arsenal-Man. City, 1-3
Premier League, Football

Premier League: Arsenal-Man. City, 1-3

The most damaging blow Manchester City inflicted on Arsenal with victory in the biggest Premier League game of the season may just have been a psychological one. City's 3-1 win at Emirates Stadium saw them swap places with the Gunners, returning to the top of the table for the first time since 5 November. The gap may seem like the smallest of margins, City at the summit on goal difference having played a game more than Mikel Arteta's side. But this win - plus the manner of it and where it was achieved - made it feel much more than that. Scratch beneath the surface and it is hard to escape the sense that this highly-charged encounter in north London might just have been the night when the momentum in the title race shifted decisively. Arsenal have been outstanding this...
Club Brugge 0-2 Benfica: Joao Mario and David Neres secure comfortable first-leg away win for Portuguese visitors
Champions League, Football

Club Brugge 0-2 Benfica: Joao Mario and David Neres secure comfortable first-leg away win for Portuguese visitors

Match report as Joao Mario and David Neres scored to put Benfica 2-0 up at the half-way point of their Champions League last-16 tie with Club Brugge; Scott Parker suffered defeat in his first game as a boss in the Champions League. Goals from Joao Mario and David Neres saw Benfica win 2-0 away over Club Brugge in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie as Scott Parker started life as a Champions League manager with defeat. Joao Mario's 51st-minute spot-kick came after Benfica had spurned a host of good opportunities as they dominated the away encounter and ensured they have a lead to defend at home in the return in Lisbon on March 7. The penalty was awarded after Brugge's Scotland defender Jack Hendry had brought down Goncalo Ramos in a clumsy challenge. Neres took advant...
AC Milan 1-0 Tottenham: Brahim Diaz gives Italian champions advantage in Champions League last-16 tie
Champions League, Football

AC Milan 1-0 Tottenham: Brahim Diaz gives Italian champions advantage in Champions League last-16 tie

Match report from the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie between AC Milan and Tottenham at the San Siro as Spurs suffer a 1-0 loss; Oliver Skipp and Pape Sarr made first Champions League starts for Spurs due to midfield personnel crisis. Brahim Diaz's early goal condemned Tottenham to a 1-0 loss against AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie but Antonio Conte feels their fans can roar them on to victory back in north London. Former Manchester City winger Diaz bundled home from close range after seven minutes and Spurs were fortunate not to fall further behind in the closing stages when Milan spurned two glorious headed chances through Charles De Ketelaere and Malick Thiaw. Instead, Conte will be relieved to return from a hostile San Siro with a defi...
Champions League: Bayern Munich beat Paris St-Germain
Football, Champions League

Champions League: Bayern Munich beat Paris St-Germain

Kingsley Coman repeated his 2020 Champions League final heroics as Bayern Munich beat Paris St-Germain in their last-16 first-leg tie. The Frenchman volleyed home the winner early in the second half in Paris. Coman also scored the only goal when Bayern overcame his former club PSG to win the trophy three years ago. Substitute Kylian Mbappe, back after injury, looked to have rescued a draw for the hosts, but his late effort was ruled out for offside in the build-up. Ligue 1 champions PSG have now lost their last three matches in all competitions. In contrast, Bayern are unbeaten in all competitions since 17 September and now favourites to reach the quarter-finals, despite having defender Benjamin Pavard sent off for a second booking in injury time. PSG were boosted beforehan...
Barcelona sinks ‘yellow submarine’ and leaves Real 11 points behind
La Liga

Barcelona sinks ‘yellow submarine’ and leaves Real 11 points behind

Barcelona increased their advantage at the top of the Spanish championship standings from eight to 11 points over second-placed Spanish, European and World champions Real Madrid by winning this Sunday night at La Cerámica Stadium in Villarreal (Spain) the host team by 1-0, in the game of the 21st round of La Liga. The Catalans now have 56 points and cement the lead - for now on condition, as Real Madrid have one less game (20 played), they only face the 'red lantern', Elche (20th) on Wednesday, 15th of this month, at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the meeting that closes this 21st round of the competition – in the table, with 11 more points than the 45 added by the 'meringues', who won the Club World Cup in Rabat (Morocco) on Saturday FIFA, by beating the Asian champion, Al Hilal (Saudi...
Benfica president Rui Costa slams Enzo Fernandez’s conduct during Chelsea transfer saga
Football, Premier League

Benfica president Rui Costa slams Enzo Fernandez’s conduct during Chelsea transfer saga

The west London outfit reignited a move for the World Cup winner with just a few days of the transfer window remaining, with Benfica having been adamant he was not for sale when initial approaches were made at the start of the month. Costa has now confirmed that he relented on that stance on the proviso that Fernandez would remain at the club until the summer, even accepting a smaller fee than the release clause and ensuring that the midfielder would earn the same salary being offered by Chelsea. But the 22-year-old had no intention of seeing out the rest of the season in Lisbon, with some reports even claiming he threatened to return to Argentina and never play for Benfica again. Costa has suggested that was indeed the case and once Fernandez had delivered his ultimatum the Benfica c...
FC Barcelona: Englishman Miles Barron revealed as club’s first manager
Football

FC Barcelona: Englishman Miles Barron revealed as club’s first manager

By Andy West Until now, the identity of Barcelona's first manager has been shrouded in mystery. The club's official records refer to him only as 'B. Barren', noting that he was an Englishman who was in charge for a brief period in 1912. New research has revealed the truth about this footballing pioneer, with a story that goes back to the coalfields of Durham and the first 'World Cup'. Here is the tale of Barcelona's first coach, Miles Coverdale Stocks Barron. Early Barca's British influence Futbol Club Barcelona was founded in 1899 by Swiss athlete and businessman Hans Gamper, who stayed at the helm for more than two decades and later adapted his first name to the Catalan version, Joan. Gamper was highly ambitious, and he quickly developed Barca into a force on the burge...