February 2020 – Page 2 – Football Flame    
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Month: February 2020

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SERIE A

Rebic keeps up scoring form in AC Milan's win over Torino

Ante Rebic of AC Milan in action during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Torino FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on February 17, 2020 in Milan, Italy.AC Milan forward Ante Rebic continued his superb run of form by securing a 1-0 Serie A win over Torino at San Siro on Monday that sent them within touching distance of the European spots.The Croatia international latched onto a Samuel Castillejo cross to sweep home the decisive goal after 25 minutes, marking his fifth in the last five league games.Milan move into eighth place on 35 points but only trail seventh-placed Parma and Hellas Verona in sixth on goal difference.The home side came close to doubling their advantage after the break when Zlatan Ibrahimovic curled a shot just wide, before Castillejo fired a low shot off target from a pro...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Man Utd's 2-0 win over Chelsea 2-0 puts them right in chase for top four

Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea tackles Anthony Martial of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on February 17, 2020 in London, United Kingdom.Manchester United threw open the race for the final Champions League qualification spots in the Premier League by beating fourth-place Chelsea 2-0 thanks to headers by Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire on Monday.With 12 games remaining, seven points separate Chelsea and 11th-place Burnley, with the team finishing fifth also set to earn a place in next season’s Champions League following UEFA’s decision to punish Man City for serious breaches of financial regulations by handing the English champions a two-year European ban.Martial glanced in a header off a right-wing cross by Aaron...
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SERIE A

Dybala, Cuadrado fire Juventus back top against Brescia

Paulo Dybala of Juventus celebrates with his team-mates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A match between Juventus and Brescia Calcio at Allianz Stadium on February 16, 2020 in Turin, Italy.Juventus reclaimed top spot in Serie A on Sunday with a 2-0 win over 10-man Brescia but Lazio moved just a point behind into second after beating Inter Milan 2-1 in a clash between the title rivals in Rome.Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado scored in either half as champions Juventus rediscovered their winning form at home.Inter Milan drop from top spot to third, three points behind the champions, after falling to just their second defeat of the season.Sparks flew at the Stadio Olimpico with Romelu Lukaku threating Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Straskosha early with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic rattling ...
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BUNDESLIGA

Gnabry nets twice as Bayern Munich regain top spot

Kingsley Coman of Bayern Muenchen celebrates after scoring his teams second goal with team mates during the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Koeln and FC Bayern Muenchen at RheinEnergieStadion on February 16, 2020 in Cologne, Germany.Serge Gnabry scored twice as Bayern Munich beat Cologne 4-1 on Sunday to reclaim top spot in the Bundesliga.Chasing its eighth successive title, Bayern moved one point ahead of Leipzig at the top of the table. Bayern stormed into an early lead, leaving captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer pleased with the “ice-cold” finishing, but relaxed in the second half and allowed Cologne a string of good scoring chances.“I expected a bit more resistance from Cologne early on," Neuer said in televised remarks. “I'm annoyed that we didn't keep playing with consistency, becaus...
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LALIGA

Real Madrid falter as Celta Vigo grab draw

Eden Hazard of Real Madrid CF battles for the ball with Murillo of RC Celta de Vigo during the Liga match between Real Madrid CF and RC Celta de Vigo at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on February 16, 2020 in Madrid, Spain.Los Blancos were stunned by Fedor Smolov's first goal for Celta in the seventh minute and the home side failed to register a single shot on target in the opening half.However, they turned the game on its head within 13 minutes, Toni Kroos scoring again against Celta before Sergio Ramos slotted home a penalty after the returning Eden Hazard had been fouled.Mina's late leveller meant Zinedine Zidane's men only moved one point clear of Clasico rivals Barcelona, though their winning run came to an end.All eyes were on the returning Hazard, who was making his first appearance since...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool 25 points clear as Mane goal seals win at Norwich

Sadio Mane of Liverpool celebrates scoring the winning goal during the Premier League match between Norwich City and Liverpool FC at Carrow Road on February 15, 2020 in Norwich, United Kingdom.Jurgen Klopp described his team's 25-point lead at the top of the Premier League as "insane" after Sadio Mane struck to give Liverpool a 1-0 win at storm-hit Norwich on Saturday. The champions-elect were short of their fluent best in blustery conditions caused by Storm Dennis at Carrow Road but returned immediately to winning ways after their winter break.They have now gone 43 top-flight matches unbeaten, just six behind Arsenal's record of 49 games in 2003-04 and are sprinting towards their first league title for 30 years.Liverpool have earned 103 points from the past 105 available to them in t...
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LALIGA

Barcelona pile pressure on Real Madrid at LaLiga summit with narrow win over Getafe

Sergi Roberto of FC Barcelona, Antoine Griezmann of FC Barcelona, Ansu Fati of FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona celebrates goal 1-0 during the La Liga Santander match between FC Barcelona v Getafe at the Camp Nou on February 15, 2020 in Barcelona Spain.FC Barcelona moved level of points with Real Madrid (who play on Sunday) at the top of the Liga Santander on Saturday night with a hard-fought 2-1 win at home to Getafe.The game started badly for Barcelona who lost Jordi Alba with a muscle injury and they were lucky to still be on level terms after Getafe had a goal ruled out by the VAR after Marc Andre Ter Stegen saved from Jordi Molina.Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring for Barca after a Leo Messi pass in the 33rd minute and Sergio Roberto doubled their lead five minutes l...
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LALIGA

Valencia 2-2 Atletico: Visitors held to 10th league draw before Liverpool clash

Carlos Soler of Valencia CF battle for the ball with Marcos Llorente of Club Ateltico de Madrid during the Liga match between Valencia CF and Club Atletico de Madrid at Estadio Mestalla on February 14, 2020 in Valencia, Spain.Atletico Madrid were twice pegged back in Friday's 2-2 draw at Valencia to keep Diego Simeone's side in fourth in La Liga ahead of Liverpool's visit next week.Atletico host the runaway Premier League leaders at the Wanda Metropolitano in the Champions League last 16 first leg on Tuesday.Twenty four hours later Valencia are in Italy to take on Atalanta in Milan.Atletico's Real Madrid recruit Marcos Llorente right-footed the visitors' into an early lead before a close range header from Gabriel Paulista got Valencia back level five minutes before the break.Three minutes ...
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BUNDESLIGA

Borussia Dortmund cruise past Frankfurt 4-0 to go second

Jadon Sancho of Borussia Dortmund celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt at Signal Iduna Park on February 14, 2020 in Dortmund, Germany.Borussia Dortmund scored three second-half goals as they crushed Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 in the Bundesliga on Friday to take over second place.But the visitors, who had enjoyed their best start to a year in half a century with three wins out of four games, only put up a fight for 45 minutes and threw in the towel after the restart.Jadon Sancho latched onto a pinpoint Axel Witsel pass to score with a fine finish in the 50th and Erling Haaland tapped home four minutes later for his eighth goal in his fifth league game, a Bundesliga record.With the Eintracht defence in disa...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Wolves held by 10-man Leicester to 0-0 after goal ruled out

Hamza Choudhury of Leicester City battles for possession with Pedro Neto of Wolverhampton Wanderers during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City at Molineux on February 14, 2020 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.For the second time this season, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City played one another to a scoreless stalemate on Friday, this time at Molineux Stadium with Wolves failing to climb all the way up to sixth in the Premier League table and the Foxes unable to claw past Manchester City for second place once again.Wolves were the only side to put the ball in the back of the net at any point, when Willy Bolyheaded home past Kasper Schmeichel in the 44th minute. However, upon video review, Pedro Neto was adjudged to have been in an offside pos...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester City hit with two-season Champions League ban

Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City speaks during the press conference at Manchester City Football Academy on February 07, 2020 in Manchester, England.Manchester City have been banned from the UEFA Champions League for two seasons, and ordered to pay a fine of £25million (€30m), after they were found to have broken Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.A UEFA Statement read: “UEFA takes note of the decision of the independent Adjudicatory Chamber of the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB), issued today, which included the following summary of its content and effect to be announced as required by the Procedural Rules governing the CFCB:“Following a hearing held on 22 January 2020 the Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB), chaired by José da Cunha Rodrigues, has ...
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NEWS

Cristiano Ronaldo's late penalty salvages a tie for Juventus against Zlatan Ibrahimovic and AC Milan

Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus celebrates his goal with his team-mates Gonzalo Higuain during the Coppa Italia Semi Final match between AC Milan and Juventus at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on February 13, 2020 in Milan, Italy.Cristiano Ronaldo's injury-time penalty grabbed Juventus a 1-1 draw at AC Milan in their Italian Cup semi-final, first leg on Thursday as his incredible scoring run continued. The 35-year-old has now scored 12 goals in his last eight games in all competitions after the Portuguese ultimately got the better of old rival Zlatan Ibrahimovic despite being largely anonymous for much of the match. Milan paid for Theo Hernandez's 71st-minute red card as they failed to close out a game they had dominated for long periods and led through Ante Rebic.Juve will now be favourites to...
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NEWS

Real Sociedad 2-1 Mirandes: Real Madrid loanee Martin Odegaard scores winner in Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against second-division minnows

Martin Odegaard of Real Sociedad celebrates 2-1 during the Spanish Copa del Rey match between Real Sociedad v Mirandes at the Estadio Anoeta on February 13, 2020 in San Sebastian Spain.It took a long while, but Martin Odegaard is delivering the goods.The teen phenom whose recruitment carried a captive audience five years ago is now a 21-year-old proven playmaker in two leagues.Odegaard scored again Thursday as Real Sociedad took a Copa Del Rey semifinal first-leg lead with a 2-1 win over second-tier Mirandes.The second leg is March 5 in Castile and León, where Mirandes looks to make history as a Copa del Rey finalist from outside La Liga.Mikel Oyarzabal gave Real Sociedad a ninth-minute lead on Thursday before Matheus Aias leveled the score for Cinderella in the 39th. Odegaard found t...
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NEWS

PSG hammer Dijon, Lyon beat Marseille to reach French Cup semis

Kylian MBAPPE of Paris Saint Germain during the French Cup Soccer match between Dijon and Paris at Stade Gaston Gerard on February 12, 2020 in Dijon, France.Paris Saint-Germain cruised into the semi-finals of the French Cup on Wednesday after thumping Dijon 6-1 in a match that saw the French champions benefit again from comical own goals.PSG were ahead just 47 seconds after kick off thanks to Wesley Lautoa shanking Mitchel Bakker's low cross into his own net to the bemusement of his teammates.It was the second own goal in a week to be scored for PSG, who also saw Lyon's Fernando Marcal slam a stunning effort past his own goalkeeper at the weekend.However the hosts were level in the 13th minute thanks to a impressive low curling effort from Mounir Chouiar, which squeezed past Kaylor Navas.W...
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NEWS

Athletic beat Granada in 1st leg of Copa del Rey semifinal

Iker Muniain of Athletic Club competes for the ball with Maxime Gonalons of Granada during the Copa del Rey Semi-Final 1st leg match between Athletic Club and Granada at San Mames Stadium on February 12, 2020 in Bilbao, Spain.A 42nd minute goal scored by Athletic Club Bilbao captain Iker Muniain gave his side a slender 1-0 advantage to take to Granada after the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal on Wednesday night.Muniain was left with a tap-in after Inaki Williams outpaced the Granada defense before sending over a low ball for the attacking midfielder to side-foot into an empty net to give Athletic Club a win they deserved after dominating for almost the entire 90 minutes in packed San Mames Stadium.Although Granada's veteran striker Roberto Soldado had the first chance of the game...
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NEWS

Fabian Ruiz's Goal Leads Napoli Past Inter in Coppa Italia Semi-Final Leg 1

Fabian Ruiz of SSC Napoli competes for the ball with Christian Eriksen of FC Internazionale during the Coppa Italia Semi Final match between FC Internazionale and SSC Napoli at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on February 12, 2020 in Milan, Italy.A stunning goal from Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz gave Napoli a 1-0 win at Inter Milan in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final after the visitors dominated a cagey game at the San Siro on Wednesday.Ruiz curled a delightful left-foot shot past Inter goalkeeper Daniele Padelli in the 57th minute after a one-two with right back Giovanni Di Lorenzo.Inter lacked energy after Sunday’s spectacular 4-2 comeback win against bitter city foes AC Milan in their league derby and Napoli bossed the midfield in the first half.Dries Mertens fired over the bar wi...
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BUNDESLIGA

Jurgen Klinsmann Quits as Hertha Berlin Manager

Jurgen Klinsmann head coach of Hertha Berlin looks on prior to the Bundesliga match between Hertha BSC and 1. FSV Mainz 05 at Olympiastadion on February 08, 2020 in Berlin, Germany.Jurgen Klinsmann shocked Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin on Tuesday by stepping down as coach just 10 weeks after taking the reins at the ambitious capital club.The 1990 World Cup winner announced his surprise decision in a post on his Facebook page, three days after Hertha slumped to a 3-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Mainz which left them just six points above the drop zone.“After long consideration, I have decided to give up my position as head coach and return to my original, long-term role on the club board,” wrote the 55-year-old.“I am convinced that Hertha will stay up,” he added in a message addressed ...
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TRANSFERS

Torino Reportedly Keen On Signing Inter Goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio

Michele Di Gregorio of FC Internazionale in action during the Primavera TIM Playoffs match between FC Internazionale and AC Chievo Verona on June 5, 2017 in Sassuolo, Italy.Torino are interested in signing young Inter goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio according to a report from FCInterNews.it.The 22-year-old shot-stopper has caught the eye of the Granata who have had scouts at several of Pordenone’s games this season in order to monitor the progress of Leonardo Candellone, the young striker they loaned to the high flying Neroverdi for the duration of the 2019/20 season.Di Gregorio has played a significant role in Pordenone’s success this season in their first season in the Italian second flight with them currently well in the race for automatic promotion to Serie A come the end of the season....
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NEWS

Coutinho not surprised by Liverpool success: But I don't regret leaving

Philippe Coutinho of FC Bayern Muenchen controls the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and RB Leipzig at Allianz Arena on February 9, 2020 in Munich, Germany.Philipe Coutinho burned his bridges with Liverpool Football Club when he forced his way out of the club for a chance to play with Barcelona. He claimed that he left to win trophies, but then was part of the team that got dramatically kicked out of the Champions League by Liverpool last season.In an interview with Sports Illustrated, he was asked about Liverpool’s record breaking success, and the player lovingly nicknamed The Magician by the Liverpool faithful had nothing but good things to say about his former club.“Liverpool is flying,” Coutinho said, “and it doesn’t surprise me. We’ve seen it already last y...
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LALIGA

Eden Hazard Reportedly Set to Return against Celta Vigo

Eden Hazard of Real Madrid during the UEFA Champions League group A match between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on November 26, 2019 in Madrid, Spain.Eden Hazard is reportedly set to make his long-awaited return to first-team action from an ankle injury in Sunday's La Liga clash with Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu.The Belgium international has been sidelined since November's 2-2 UEFA Champions League draw with Paris Saint-Germain but is expected to be included in the squad for Sunday's match, according to Marca's Juan Ignacio Garcia-Ochoa.Manager Zinedine Zidane does not want to take any risks with Hazard but could start him on the bench and bring him on in the second half, per the report.The 29-year-old joined Real Madrid from Chelsea in summer ...
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