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UCL: Griezmann equaliser earns Barcelona draw at Napoli

Antoine Griezmann of FC Barcelona battles for possession with Konstantinos Manolas of SSC Napoli during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between SSC Napoli and FC Barcelona at Stadio San Paolo on February 25, 2020 in Naples, Italy.Antoine Griezmann rescued a 1-1 draw for Barcelona at Napoli in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday.Frenchman Griezmann struck just before the hour mark in Naples after Dries Mertens had put the hosts ahead in the 30th minute with his 121st Napoli goal, drawing level with Marek Hamsik as the club's all-time top scorer.Barcelona ended the game with 10 men after Arturo Vidal was sent off with two minutes to go after picking up two yellow cards, following an angry clash with Napoli defender Mario Rui."In the end it's a...
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Napoli-Barcelona, Predicted starting lineups

Lionel Messi of Barcelona ahead of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match against SSC Napoli on February 24, 2020 in Naples, Italy.Everything is set for the big match at the San Paolo, Lionel Messi will play for the first time in the stadium where Diego Armando Maradona became a legend. Both managers are getting ready to make their final decisions with the lineups, Gattuso is expected to go with a 4 3 3 formation while Setien needs to decide between Lenglet and Umtiti.Napoli (4-3-3): Ospina; Di Lorenzo, Manolas, Maksimovic, Mario Rui; Fabian Ruiz, Demme, Zielinski; Callejon, Mertens, Insigne. Barcellona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Firpo; Arthur, Busquets, De Jong; Messi, Griezmann, Vidal.
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Zidane: Real Madrid not afraid of Pep, Man City

Zinedine Zidane, head coach, attends during the Press Conference of Real Madrid at Ciudad Deportiva Real Madrid before the UEFA Champions League, Round of 16, football match against Manchester City on February 25, 2020 in Valdebebas, Spain.Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has said he "doesn't worry about or fear" facing Manchester City and Pep Guardiola in the club's Champions League clash.Zidane and Guardiola will go head-to-head for the first time in a competitive match on Wednesday night in their Champions League round-of-16 first leg match at the Bernabeu."It's just Madrid-Manchester City, it's not Zidane-Guardiola," the French coach said at his prematch news conference on Tuesday."People can talk, and have opinions, but it's a game of football, it's an attractive game. These are the ...
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UCL: RB Leipzig edges Tottenham, Atalanta downs Valencia

Hans Hateboer of Atalanta scores the 2nd goal of his team during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Atalanta Bc and Valencia CF at San Siro Stadium on February 19, 2020 in Milan, Italy.The Champions League round of 16 continued on Wednesday with Tottenham and Valencia both showing weakness thanks to their injury problems. Spurs didn't start a striker against RB Leipzig. and it showed with a 1-0 defeat.Valencia was without its two center backs against Atlanta and went on to concede four goals in a 4-1 loss. It was a memorable night for RB Leipzig with Timo Werner scoring the winning goal in the second half on a penalty kick, and it's a result that means just a draw in the second leg on March 10 will see the club advance to the final eight. RB Leipzig for...
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UCL: Haaland shines for Dortmund as Atletico Madrid beat Liverpool

Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund, Thiago Silva of PSG during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at Signal Iduna Park on February 18, 2020 in Dortmund, Germany.Champions League round of 16 action began on Tuesday with Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid scoring impressive victories while contenders Liverpool and PSG were sent home with a loss and work to do. Liverpool, the reigning champs, lost 1-0 at Atletico Madrid on Saul Niguez's winner as the Reds didn't record a single shot on goal. Dortmund got two goals from 19-year-old Erling Haaland to put a foot into the round of 16 with a 2-1 victory over PSG, though Neymar's away goal could prove crucial come the second leg.
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Jurgen Klopp reacts to Liverpool drawing Atletico Madrid in Champions League

Jurgen Klopp the head coach / manager of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Watford FC at Anfield.Liverpool will face Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.Monday’s draw in Nyon, Switzerland, pitted the reigning champions against the Spanish club. The first leg of the series will take place at 9 p.m. West Africa time on Feb. 18 in Madrid at Estadio Metropolitano, and the second leg will take place at 9 p.m. West Africa time on March 11 at Anfield. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp offered his reaction to the pairing with Atletico Madrid, predicting a “tough and intense” series for the teams. “It’s an interesting draw,” he told Liverpool’s website. “Before the draw I actually thought it would be Madrid — either one of the two ...
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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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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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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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Messi fires Barcelona into UCL Knockout Stage, Liverpool, Chelsea Held To Draws

Lionel Messi marked his 700th game for Barcelona with a goal and two assists in a 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund that sent his team into the knockout rounds of the Champions League on Wednesday.But Liverpool, the competition’s defending champion, could not replicate that feat as it struggled once again against Napoli.The clubs have played four times in the last 13 months, with Napoli winning two of those games. This time, Dejan Lovren’s header rescued a 1-1 draw for Liverpool, which must try again to qualify for the knockout stages against Salzburg on Dec. 10.Chelsea also will have to wait for qualification after a strange goal — a cross that found the net at the back post — saw it draw, 2-2 at home against Valencia, but Leipzig qualified for the knockouts for the first time as the teenage...
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Mourinho praises Tottenham and ballboy after 4-2 win over Olympiakos

Jose Mourinho apologised for substituting Eric Dier and praised a quick-thinking ballboy after Tottenham came from two goals down to beat Olympiakos 4-2 and qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League.Mourinho’s first home game as Spurs boss looked set to be spoilt as the Greek visitors capitalised on a woeful start by the hosts to lead through goals to Youssef El Arabi and Ruben Semedo.The Portuguese coach reacted by hooking defensive midfielder Dier with just 29 minutes played in favour of the more attacking talents of Christian Eriksen.And the change helped spark a superb fightback as Dele Alli’s first European goal for more than two years, a brace from Harry Kane, and a rare Serge Aurier strike sent Tottenham into the last 16Kane’s first, which levelled the Group B encounte...
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Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero set to miss United derby with injury

Sergio Aguero will miss next month’s Manchester derby after being ruled out for “a few weeks” by manager Pep Guardiola.The Manchester City striker suffered a thigh injury in the Premier League champions’ victory over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.Guardiola is unsure how long he will be without the club’s record goalscorer but he is already resigned to him missing the home clash with Manchester United on December 7.Speaking at a press conference to preview Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk, Guardiola said: “He will be out a few games, a few weeks. I don’t know exactly.”Asked about the United game, the Spaniard added: “Maybe we will have a miracle but I don’t think so.”Aguero’s absence will mean an opportunity for Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus to lead the line...
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Sensational Rodrygo Hat Trick Seals Real Madrid Win Over Galatasaray

Turkish team Galatasaray's Champions League adventure ended late Wednesday with a loss to Real Madrid.Galatasaray maintained their poor performance and were beaten 6-0 by the Spanish giants in a Group A match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.Real Madrid took control of the match from the start.Two early goals by Rodrygo along with goals by Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema made it 4-0 in the first half.Rodrygo and Benzema scored again in the second half and the match ended 6-0.Galatasaray failed to score at the end of four matches and the Lions are currently at the bottom the Group A with only one point.Real Madrid increased their point tally to seven and are sitting in second spot.In another Group A match, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Club Brugge 1-0 at home.The French club remained in the t...
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Barcelona held 0-0 by Slavia Prague in Camp Nou

Ernesto Valverde is under mounting pressure at Barcelona after his team followed up their La Liga defeat by Levante with a goalless draw at home to Slavia Prague on Tuesday in the Champions League.Lionel Messi hit the crossbar in the first half but that was as close as Barca came during a disjointed display that risks dragging Valverde's team back into the fight for qualification from Group F.Barcelona sit four points ahead of both Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan, whose game in hand comes against each other later on Tuesday.Barca play Dortmund at home next but will hope progress is secured before their final game at the San Siro.The likelihood is they have already done enough to make the last 16 but Valverde will again face scrutiny, this blunt performance coming only three days after hi...
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Hakimi scores 2 in Dortmund's comeback win over Inter

Achraf Hakimi's second-half brace secured Borussia Dortmund a 3-2 comeback win over Inter Milan at the fourth round in UEFA Champions League's group stage on Tuesday.The "BVB" rallied back from two goals down as the two goals from Hakimi and one goal from Julian Brandt were enough to snatch all three points from Inter Milan.The visitors from Italy did not need long to gain a foothold into the game as a long ball into Dortmund's territory allowed Lautaro Martinez to shrug off Mats Hummels before slotting home from the edge of the box to open the scoring with just five minutes played.Dortmund created their first chance with 18 minutes played when Mario Gotze's effort called Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic into action.Inter staged a well-positioned defence and disrupted Dortmund's build-up ...
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Paulo Dybala double rescues Juventus against Lokomotiv Moscow

Maurizio Sarri praised Juventus for not losing their heads as Paulo Dybala's quick-fire second-half double rescued a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Lokomotiv Moscow in their Champions League Group D clash in Turin on Tuesday.The Italian champions had trailed the Russians with 13 minutes to go in the Allianz Stadium after Aleksei Miranchuk had put the visitors ahead after half an hour.But Dybala pulled the hosts level on 77 minutes and added a second two minutes later to keep Juventus on course in Group D with seven points after three games.Sarri's side had drawn with Atletico Madrid and beaten Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the last two games.Atletico also have seven points, after beating Leverkusen 1-0 in Spain on Tuesday, with Lokomotiv third with three points."It became a difficult match when w...
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Luis Suarez scores sensational brace as Barca come from behind to beat Inter

Luis Suarez found the best way to silence his critics at Camp Nou.With Barcelona trailing against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday, the striker scored a pair of superbly-taken goals to complete a 2-1 comeback victory against a team that had dominated the first half at Barcelona’s stadium.Despite reaching third place on the club’s all-time scoring list with 182 goals, Suarez has taken a lot of the blame for the team’s failure to win the Champions League in recent years for his lack of scoring on the road in Europe.Those doubts were behind the jeers he received last week when he was substituted after a sub-par performance in a 2-1 win over Villarreal in the league.He has responded by scoring three goals in two games, and his two against Inter showed why he’s still regarded as...
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Frenkie de Jong: “It’ll Be Tough Against Inter As They Have A Great Team”

Frenkie de Jong knows that a tricky tie awaits him and his Barcelona teammates when they play host to Inter in the Champions League later on today.“When I think of Inter, I think of Wesley Sneijder and the Triplete winning team. It will be a tough match for us tonight because Inter have a great team. They have improved a lot,” he said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.“Antonio Conte is a super manager, he won silverware with Chelsea and Juventus and now he has started very well at Inter. He will have some surprises up his sleeve so we must be ready and I think we are.“It is true that we have not played our best football in several games, especially struggling away the home. At Camp Nou, however, we are definitely strong. We have to win against Inter because we are in the toughest g...
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Champions League Wrap: Real Madrid escape with draw against Brugge

Casemiro's header five minutes from time spared Real Madrid from an ignominious Champions League defeat as they came from two goal down to snatch a 2-2 draw against 10-man Club Brugge.Humbled 3-0 by Paris St Germain in their Group A opener, the 13-time European champions trailed by two goals at the halfway stage following a peculiar brace from 21-year-old forward Emmanuel Dennis.The Nigerian made a hash of the opener after nine minutes, failing to control the ball before it bounced off his leg and trickled into the net, with the goal awarded after initially being chalked off for offside.Dennis then broke free in the 39th minute after dispossessing Luka Modric and regained his composure after threatening to stumble to lift over Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who was substituted at half-t...
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Sarri frustrated as Juve concede late equalizer

Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri admitted his disappointment after his side surrendered a two-goal lead to be held 2-2 by Atletico Madrid in Champions League Group D.Atletico Madrid substitute Hector Herrera grabbed a late equaliser at the Wanda Metropolitano to send Sarri and his players back to Italy with only a share of the points when they had been on course to claim all three.Midfielder Herrera marked his debut as he headed in from a corner to earn his side a deserved point.Juventus had taken the lead two minutes after half-time when Juan Cuadrado fired home and they extended their advantage with 25 minutes to go courtesy of a Blaise Matuidi header.The Atletico fightback gained momentum five minutes later when Stefan Savic headed home from close range and Herrera’s late intervention ensu...
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