December 2019 – Page 4 – Football Flame    
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Month: December 2019

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NEWS

Arsenal beat Standard Liege to reach Europa League knockouts as group winners

Bukayo Saka of Arsenal celebrates his goal tying the game at 2-2 with Alexandre Lacazette during the UEFA Europa League group F match between Standard de Liege and Arsenal FC at Stade Maurice Dufrasne.Bukayo Saka provided the inspiration as Arsenal fought back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw at Standard Liege and qualify for the Europa League knockout stage.For some time, the Gunners looked to have been slipping down to second place in Group F but a point, coupled with Eintracht Frankfurt's home defeat to Vitoria, meant they avoided the likes of Ajax and Inter Milan in the last-32 draw on Monday.Samuel Bastien and Selim Amallah both scored from deflected second-half efforts for the Belgian side, only for Saka to cross for Alexandre Lacazette to head in before netting the equaliser h...
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UCL

Atalanta down Shakhtar Donetsk to reach Champions league last 16

Atalanta's Belgian defender Timothy Castagne celebrates a goal awarded after a VAR review during the UEFA Champions League group C football match between FC Shakhtar Donetsk and Atalanta BC at the Metallist stadium in Kharkiv.Atalanta reached the Champions League last 16 in their first season in the tournament on Wednesday after a 3-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in Group C.The Italians, who were without a point until their fourth game in the campaign, joined Manchester City in the knock-out stages as Dinamo Zagreb failed to beat the English champions in Croatia, losing 4-1.Timothy Castagne, Mario Pasalic and Robin Gosens scored in the second half for the side who finished third in Serie A last season to reach the top tier of European football for the first time.The defending Ukrainian le...
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SERIE A

Napoli sack Ancelotti after sealing Champions League Last 16

Carlo Ancelotti SSC Napoli coach before the UEFA Champions League group E match between SSC Napoli and KRC Genk at Stadio San Paolo.Carlo Ancelotti has been sacked by Napoli despite taking the Serie A side to the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday with a 4-0 win over Genk."Napoli has decided to relieve Carlo Ancelotti of his role as first team coach," the Italian side said in a statement.Tuesday's win over Genk, which saw Napoli finish second in Group E, one point behind Liverpool, broke a nine-match winless run that came amid dressing room unrest and friction between the club, Ancelotti and the players.Former AC Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso is the favourite to take over at Napoli, who finished second behind champions Juventus last season but are miles off the pace this year.They ...
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Uncategorized

Champions League: Dortmund reach last-16 as Inter fall at home to Barcelona

Champions League, Borussia Dortmund - Slavia Prague, Group stage, Group F, 6th matchday at Signal Iduna Park: Dortmund's Julian Brandt cheers with Jadon Sancho over the 2:1.Borussia Dortmund qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League thanks to a 2-1 win over Slavia Prague along with Inter Milan’s failure to beat a weakened Barcelona at the San Siro.The impressive Jadon Sancho opened the scoring for Dortmund in the 10th minute before Tomas Soucek scored a deserved equaliser for the Czech side shortly before half-time.Julian Brandt, however, sealed the win with a powerful strike shortly after the hour mark, although Dortmund had Roman Burki to thank for their progression after a string of stunning saves either side of Julian Weigl’s dismissal for a second yellow card with 13 minutes r...
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UCL

Jurgen Klopp hails Liverpool resilience and intelligence after win in Salzburg

Head coach Jurgen Klopp of FC Liverpool gestures during the UEFA Champions League group E match between RB Salzburg and Liverpool FC at Red Bull Arena.Jurgen Klopp pointed towards Liverpool’s smartness as the deciding factor as the Reds beat RB Salzburg 2-0 in Austria.After a goalless first half in which both teams spurned opportunities, Liverpool seized the initiative with two goals in as many minutes.Naby Keita bagged the first with a simple header after Sadio Mane’s good work, before Mohamed Salah scored after rounding Cican Stankovic.And Klopp was delighted with the win, which left his side top of the Champions League group to qualify for the final 16.He told BT Sport: "What a team. What an effort. It was a tough game."They started so direct. They did so many smart things - playing in ...
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UCL

Harry Kane Out As Tottenham Face Bayern Munich In Champions League

Harry Kane attends Tottenham Hotspur training at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre.Harry Kane has been left out of the Tottenham squad travelling to Germany for the Champions League clash with Bayern Munich on Wednesday.Kane played the full 90 minutes as Jose Mourinho’s side thrashed Burnley 5-0 on Saturday, scoring twice to take his tally for the season to 15 goals in all competitions.Football Flame understands Kane has been left frustrated by being omitted as he aims to finish the season as the top scorer in the Champions League.Spurs have already qualified for the Champions League last 16 and will finish as Group B runners up, sat five points behind Bayern ahead of the final group game.Spurs were thrashed 7-2 in the corresponding fixture in October but three wins on the bounce – scoring...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Rashford can be as good as Ronaldo, says Solskjaer

Marcus Rashford in action during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Etihad Stadium.Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has all the attributes to be as good as five-times Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said.Rashford scored in United’s 2-1 win over champions Manchester City at the weekend to take his tally to 10 league goals for the season, already equalling his best return in the top flight midway through the campaign.The 22-year-old England international has 13 goals in his last 14 games for club and country and Solskjaer said he saw similarities with Portuguese forward Ronaldo, who scored 118 times in 292 appearances for United from 2003-2009.“It’s very easy to compare the two of them, yes,” Solskjaer sai...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Frank Lampard confirms major boost for Chelsea with Antonio Rudiger available for Lille clash

Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea in action during a training session ahead of their UEFA Champions League Group H match against Lille OSC at Chelsea.Frank Lampard has confirmed that Antonio Rudiger has returned from a three-month injury layoff and could face Lille in an all-important clash for Chelsea on Tuesday evening. The Blues looked on course to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages last month as Christian Pulisic put them in front in Valencia before the Spanish club fought back to salvage a 2-2 draw at the Mestalla. That result makes it a huge match for Chelsea tomorrow night and it comes in the wake of the side’s disappointing 3-1 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park.While Lampard will be without Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud at Stamford Bridge, he has been boosted b...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

EPL: Eight wins in a row for Vardy and Leicester City,Newcastle snatch late win against Southampton

Jamie Vardy of Leicester City rounds Tom Heaton of Aston Villa before scoring the opening goal during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Leicester City at Villa Park.Jamie Vardy continued his remarkable scoring streak as Leicester eased to a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa to make it eight Premier League wins in a row.The Foxes took the lead after 20 minutes when Vardy took a fine Kelechi Iheanacho pass in his stride and rounded Tom Heaton before eventually tapping home into the empty net after fluffing his lines from the first attempt.And the visitors doubled their lead in the 41st minute when James Maddison’s inch-perfect cross was expertly flicked home by Iheanacho at the front post.Villa were given hope on the stroke of half-time when Jack Grealish’s effort deflected into th...
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SERIE A

Cristiano Ronaldo Scores But Juventus Fall To Lazio For First Defeat Of Season

Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus and Francesco Acerbi of Lazio during the Serie A match SS Lazio v Fc Juventus at the Olimpico Stadium.Italian champions Juventus suffered their first defeat of the season in all competitions with a 3-1 Serie A loss against Lazio in Rome on Saturday.Maurizio Sarri's eight-time reigning Serie A champions remain second in the league, two points behind leaders Inter Milan after 15 matches.Cristiano Ronaldo put Juventus ahead at the Stadio Olimpico when he picked up a Rodrigo Bentancur cross to tap in after 25 minutes. But Luiz Felipe hit back for the Romans in front of 60,000 fans just before the break.Juventus were hampered by Juan Cuadrado's sending off on 69 minutes and Lazio took control as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic connected with a Luis Alberto assist to fire i...
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LALIGA

Lionel Messi Hat-Trick Breaks La Liga Record As Barcelona Put Five Past Mallorca

Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona in action during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and RCD Mallorca at Camp Nou.It was showtime for Barcelona as Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick and Luis Suarez added more magic with a stunning backheeled goal.There was even an assist by goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen as Barca sparkled at the Camp Nou.With one of its best performances of the season, they cruised to a 5-2 win over promoted Mallorca, keeping pace with Real Madrid and regaining the league lead.Madrid had beaten Espanyol 2-0 earlier Saturday, but Barcelona's win left the teams tied on points and the Catalan club ahead on goal difference.The highlight of Barcelona's win was Suarez's 43rd-minute backheel, which came after a smart exchange of passes between Frenkie de Jong and Sergi Roberto.De ...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool Extend Lead At Top Of Premier League, Tottenham thrash Burnley

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's third goal during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool FC at Vitality Stadium.Liverpool beat Bournemouth 3-0 to lock down the Christmas number one spot ahead of Saturday's Manchester derby as Jose Mourinho's Tottenham blitzed Burnley 5-0 to climb to fifth in table. Interim boss Duncan Ferguson lifted Everton's spirits, condemning Chelsea to their third Premier League defeat in four matches while bottom club Watford battled to a goalless draw against Crystal Palace. Liverpool took advantage of playing before their closest rivals to widen the gulf at the top of the table to 11 points, meaning they cannot be caught by December 25.Jurgen Klopp, mindful of a fixture pile-up for his side,...
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BUNDESLIGA

Bayern Munich beaten by leaders Borussia Monchengladbach

Ramy Bensebaini of Borussia Monchengladbach celebrates with Nico Elvedi and Stefan Lainer after scoring his team's first goal during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and FC Bayern Muenchen at Borussia-Park.Bundesliga leaders Borussia Monchengladbach scored an injury-time winner to beat champions Bayern Munich.Bayern - who have won the title for the past seven years - are now in sixth, seven points behind Gladbach.They had led when Ivan Perisic smashed home from the edge of the box.But Ramy Bensebaini powered in a header to level and then scored an injury-time penalty to seal a dramatic victory after Javi Martinez fouled Marcus Thuram in the box and was sent off.Bayern - who lost Corentin Tolisso to a first-half hamstring injury - have now lost two league games in a ro...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Marco Silva sacked by Everton after Liverpool defeat

Marco Silva, Manager of Everton looks prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Everton FC at Anfield.Everton have parted company with manager Marco Silva after a 5-2 defeat at Liverpool saw them tumble into the relegation zone.Silva, 42, leaves Goodison Park 19 months after his arrival, having won just four of his 15 league games in charge this season following last term’s eighth-place finish.First team coach and former Everton striker Duncan Ferguson will take temporary charge until Silva’s replacement is appointed, starting with Saturday’s visit of Chelsea.Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri arrived at Finch Farm on Thursday afternoon to dismiss Silva and to address the squad after training.A statement posted by Everton said:“Everton Football Club can confirm that manag...
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LALIGA

Eden Hazard to miss El Clasico with fractured ankle

Eden Hazard of Real Madrid is injured during the UEFA Champions League group A match between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain at Bernabeu.Eden Hazard is set to miss the Clasico against Barcelona after further tests revealed a fracture in his right ankle, Real Madrid confirmed on Thursday.Hazard was forced off during the draw with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last week and despite Zinedine Zidane saying after the match he had suffered a "bad twist", Madrid announced the Belgian had been diagnosed with "bruising".But further tests have shown a fracture, with Hazard now expected to be out for around four to six weeks.It would mean he will sit out the Clasico at Camp Nou on December 18."After tests performed on our player Eden Hazard by the Real Madrid Medical Services during...
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NEWS

PSG 2-0 Nantes: Kylian Mbappe scores an audacious backheel while Neymar nets from the spot

NEYMAR JR of PSG and Kylian MBAPPE of PSG during the Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Nantes at Parc des Princes.A superb Kylian Mbappe goal and a Neymar penalty helped Paris St Germain restore a five-point lead atop the Ligue 1 standings with a 2-0 home win over Nantes on Wednesday.France striker Mbappe found the back of the net with a jaw-dropping backheel finish early in the second half and Neymar doubled the tally in the closing stages to put PSG on 36 points from 15 games.Second-placed Marseille, who have played one game more, had narrowed the gap to two points with a 2-0 victory at Angers on Tuesday.Elsewhere, St Etienne climbed up to fifth on 25 points with a 4-1 home win over Nice.
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Leicester win seventh league game in a row as Vardy strike

Jamie Vardy of Leicester City scores his team's first goal from the penalty spot during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Watford FC at The King Power Stadium.Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy struck for the seventh Premier League game in a row to help his rampant side to a 2-0 home win over basement club Watford, a seventh consecutive league victory that leaves them second in the table.Vardy, the league's top scorer, smashed home from the penalty spot in the 55th minute to net his 14th goal of the season while midfielder James Maddison sealed the points with a strike deep in stoppage time.Vardy had seen a penalty appeal turned down earlier in the game which instead earned him a yellow card for simulation, but his side were soon awarded a spot kick when Watford's Adam Ma...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa: Mason Mount nets stunning volley to get Frank Lampard's Blues back to winning ways

Mason Mount of Chelsea FC celebrates scoring his teams second goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.Mason Mount's stunning second-half volley was enough for Chelsea to see off Aston Villa 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.Tammy Abraham was passed fit to face the club where he spent a season on loan having recovered from a bruised hip as Frank Lampard made five changes from the side that lost 1-0 to West Ham here on Saturday.It was also a warm welcome back to Stamford Bridge for club legend John Terry, now assistant manager of the opposition.After a scrappy start between the two sides with neither keeping the ball particularly well, Willian had the first chance. Christian Pulisic carried the ball through the middle and laid it off to the Brazilian, ...
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NEWS

Lionel Messi wins Ballon d'Or for sixth time

Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi reacts after winning the Ballon d'Or France Football 2019 trophy at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris.Lionel Messi won a record sixth men's Ballon d'Or award at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, beating Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk to take the honours.Now aged 32, it is Messi's first Ballon d'Or since 2015 and his sixth overall as he moves one ahead of his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who finished third in the voting.Messi, who attended the ceremony at the Chatelet Theatre in the French capital with his wife and children, succeeds Luka Modric, the Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder who won the prize last year.The Barcelona number 10 previously won the award in 2009, 2010, 2011 and in 2012 before claiming his fifth Ballon d'Or in 2015.This latest ...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Brendan Rodgers Rules out Leicester departure

Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Leicester City celebrates after the Premier League match between Leicester City and Everton FC at The King Power Stadium.Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has dismissed speculation linking him with the vacant Arsenal manager's post.The 46-year-old Northern Irishman has led the Foxes to second in the Premier League and is a contender to replace Unai Emery, who was sacked last week.Rodgers has previously admitted there is an exit clause in his contract but said: "Why would I want to leave Leicester City at this time?"I am very happy so would have no need to look elsewhere."Former Liverpool and Celtic manager Rodgers was appointed at Leicester in February and after presiding over a ninth-place finish last term, he has seen his team win 10 of their first 14 league matc...
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