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Di Maria scores twice as PSG beat Real Madrid

Angel Di Maria scored two sensational goals against his former club as Paris Saint-Germain beat Real Madrid 3-0 at Le Parc des Princes.It did not take Di Maria long to open the scoring. Bursting into the box, the Argentina international thumped a shot beyond Thibaut Courtois at his near post.His second was even better. The winger took one touch to set himself up, before curling a fine shot past Courtois from 22 yards out. And Thomas Meunier added insult to injury by netting PSG’s third in injury time.Real Madrid did have the ball in the back of PSG’s net twice, only for the referee to disallow their two goals. First Gareth Bale was adjudged to have handled the ball prior to beating Keylor Navas with an audacious lob, before Karim Benzema’s powerful finish was ruled out for offside....
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Leipzig beats Benfica 2-1 to open Champions League campaign

Timo Werner scored twice in the second half as Leipzig stunned Portuguese champion Benfica 2-1 in Group G of the Champions League on Tuesday.Werner opened the scoring with a low shot from inside the area in the 69th and doubled the lead from close range in the 78th after a video review reversed an offside call that had initially disallowed the goal.Substitute Haris Seferovic pulled Benfica closer in the 84th but the hosts were not able to get the equalizer at the Stadium of Light.Benfica had lost only one of its last eight European home matches.In the other group game, Napoli thrashed Liverpool 2-0, Lyon was held by Zenit St. Petersburg to a 1-1 draw at home.Salzburg 6-2 Genk, Borrussia Dortmund 0-0 Barcelona.
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Neymar and Mbappe set to miss Champions League clash against Real Madrid

Paris Saint-Germain will be without both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for Wednesday night's  Champions League clash with Real Madrid in the French capital.Neymar - strongly linked with Barcelona during the summer - made a scoring return for PSG at the weekend as he came up with a late winner in the Ligue 1 clash against Strasbourg.The Brazil international has carried a three-game European ban over from last season, however, due to comments made about the refereeing in the French club's last-16 loss to Manchester United.Mbappe, meanwhile, has missed PSG's last two league matches with a hamstring problem, and the 20-year-old will not be available to face Zinedine Zidane's side on home soil.PSG are currently top of Ligue 1 with 12 points from their five matches, but they suffered a 2-1 loss ...
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Barcelona confirm Champions League squad for 2019-20

Barcelona have confirmed their squad for their 2019-20 Champions League campaign that will see them take on Borussia Dortmund, Inter and Slavia Prague in the group stages.The Spanish champions have obviously included the entire first-team squad as well as Barcelona B players Hiroki Abe, Ronaldo Araujo and Ferran Sarsanedas in their A Iist.Abe will wear the No. 37 shirt, Araujo the No. 33 and Sarsanedas will take the No. 34 if they do actually feature in the tournament for Ernesto Valverde’s side.The trio have been included as they are not eligible for the B list. Abe and Araujo have not been at the club long enough, while Sarsanedas is over the age of 21.The B list contains players who have been at the club for at last three seasons and are under 21. It can be submitted to UEFA the day bef...
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Neymar’s three-match UCL ban confirmed

Brazilian star Neymar will miss three Champions League matches next season, UEFA confirmed Wednesday, as punishment for insulting a referee following Paris Saint-Germain’s collapse against Manchester United.UEFA first imposed the ban in April before PSG contested the decision, but a final decision was delivered on Wednesday. “The appeal lodged by PSG is rejected. Consequently, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body’s decision of April 25 is confirmed,” UEFA said.The world’s most expensive footballer was ruled out of the match with an injury. He watched from the stands as United were awarded a penalty deep into injury time after a protracted VAR decision, which Marcus Rashford scored to knock the French side out in the last 16 of the Champions League.The 27-year-old aimed an Intagra...
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Klopp : Firmino Fully Fit for CL Final

Roberto Firmino is fit and ready to start the Champions League final, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed on Friday, though declined to say whether the Brazilian will be in the XI.Firmino once again formed a dynamic partnership with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in the Liverpool attack this term, scoring 16 goals and adding seven assists between the Premier League and Champions League.However, a groin injury plagued Firmino in Liverpool's final matches of the season, with his last involvement an 11-minute cameo in the 3-0 first leg loss to Barcelona at Camp Nou on May 1."Yes, he's ready," Klopp said at a news conference when asked about Firmino's availability. "He's fit and he has trained. He should be fine."Yet despite the Brazil forward being fit, Klopp would not guarantee Firmino a ...
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Kane: I'm Fit to Play Today

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has handed the club a huge boost by declaring himself fit to play against Liverpool in Saturday’s Champions League final, some just five days out from the fixture.The England skipper injured his ankle against Manchester City on April 9, and has played no part in any of the club's nine matches since.The 25-year-old watched from the stands as his side overturned a three-goal deficit against Ajax in spectacular fashion in the semi-finals.And in a timely boost to the North Londoners, the England ace now appears ready to make a welcome return in time for Saturday's clash at the Wanda Metropolitano.Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kane said: "I could play if the Champions League final was today.""I trained Friday, and I trained Saturday. I'll train this week and I fe...
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Liverpool forward Firmino returns to training ahead Champions League final

Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino has returned to training ahead of the Champions League final.The Brazil international missed Liverpool’s last three matches because of a thigh injury but was able to take part in the first session of the squad’s pre-final camp in Marbella, Spain.Firmino was the first player to arrive on the south coast of Spain so he could carry out some individual sessions with strength and rehabilitation staff.Liverpool says his reintroduction to full training “will be carefully managed under their supervision, with specialized programs planned over the coming days.”The 26-man squad is spending six days in Marbella before returning to England to finalize preparations for the match against Tottenham on June 1 in Madrid.
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Tottenham stuns Ajax to reach Champions League final

Tottenham replicated Liverpool’s Champions League miracle as Lucas Moura’s dramatic second-half hat-trick set up a stunning 3-2 win over Ajax which sets up an all-English final.Spurs were dead and buried at half-time in the second leg at the Johan Cryuff ArenA as they trailed the Amsterdam 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate after goals from Matthijs De Ligt and Hakim Ziyech.However, a miraculous comeback, spearheaded by Moura, was completed deep into added time when the Brazilian slotted home a loose ball to spark amazing scenes in Amsterdam.It continues the remarkable progress for Spurs under boss Mauricio Pochettino, who has led the club further in Europe than any other.Jurgen Klopp’s men may have thought their name was on the trophy after the manner of their comeback against Barcelon...
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Liverpool reach Champions League final after miracle victory over Barcelona

Two goals apiece from Divock Origi and half-time substitute Georginio Wijnaldum saw a Liverpool side written off without two of their best players, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino, thump the Spanish champions 4-0, in feat that must surely rival even the turnaround in Istanbul as one of the finest in the club’s history.With Firmino and Salah out injured, Jurgen Klopp gave starts to Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri in attack, while Virgil Van Dijk was fit despite a late injury scare on Monday.Having rested his entire first XI for the 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo at the weekend, Ernesto Valverde returned to same line-up that had started in the Nou Camp a week ago, meaning both Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez featured on their old stomping ground.In the days since that duo departed, Liverpool’s fab three ...
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Tottenham 0-1 Ajax Champions league: Donny van de Beek scores only goal

Ajax took a step towards their first Champions League final in over two decades on Tuesday with a 1-0 win at Tottenham Hostpur in the first leg of the semi-final.Donny van de Beek's 15th minute strike was enough for the Dutch league leaders, who also struck the post via David Neres with 12 minutes remaining.The sides will meet for the decisive second leg at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam on May 8. Mauricio Pochettino took his share of the blame for "sloppy" Tottenham's 1-0 Champions League semi-final first leg defeat against Ajax after admitting he used the wrong tactics.Pochettino's side made a dismal start as Donny van de Beek put Ajax ahead after just 15 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday.Ajax dominated the first half until Pochettino completely changed his ga...
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Champions League: Barcelona vs Liverpool

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will wait until the day of the game to assess whether Roberto Firmino is fit to play in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final first leg in Barcelona.The Brazilian forward, 27, missed the Premier League win over Huddersfield on Friday with a muscle tear.Midfielder Fabinho is available again after sustaining a head injury at Cardiff on 21 AprilBoth were included in the 23-man squad for the Nou Camp match.Klopp says Firmino's recovery "looks good so far" and he has until lunchtime on Wednesday to prove his fitness."We all knew from the beginning it would be a race," said the Anfield boss, whose team are vying with Manchester City for the Premier League title."We don't have to make a decision today because there's no game today, we can wait."I have to make that de...
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Ajax stuns Juventus as Barcelona progress in Champions League

Ajax stunned juventus to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 1997 as Matthijs de Ligt’s thumping second-half header secured a 2-1 second-leg victory in the last eight in Turin on Tuesday.Cristiano Ronaldo, bidding for his sixth Champions League title, scored a 28th-minute header to put Juve ahead after a 1-1 first-leg draw, but Donny van de Beek levelled for the visitors before half-time. Teenage centre-back De Ligt struck midway through the second period, though, to seal a 3-2 aggregate win and set up a last-four clash with either Manchester City or Tottenham.Meanwhile, Barcelona earned a convincing victory over Man United tonight to secure their place in the Champions League tonight.Two goals from Lionel Messi and one from Philippe Coutinho saw the Cata...
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Champions League : Liverpool revealed squad ahead Porto clash

Liverpool will be without Dejan Lovren and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as they travel to Porto for their Champions League quarter-final second leg on Wednesday.The pair both missed training at Melwood on Tuesday ahead of the game and have not been included in Jurgen Klopp's 21-man squad to head to Portgual.Lovren misses out due to illness, with Joel Matip in pole position to replace him in the starting line-up rather than youngster Joe Gomez.Oxlade-Chamberlain, meanwhile, will carry out more fitness work as he continues to get back to match fitness after almost a year on the sidelines.The Reds hold a 2-0 lead from last week's Anfield first leg and are in pole position to secure a spot in the semi-finals.Club captain Jordan Henderson is included having been forced off with an ankle problem in t...
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Barca boss Valverde says he fears Man Utd spirit

    Ernesto Valverde has admitted he fears Manchester United's "spirit" as he attempts to lead Barcelona into the Champions League semi-finals at their expense.Barca host United in the second leg of their quarter-final at the Nou Camp on Tuesday, and will take a 1-0 lead into the game following their victory in the first match at Old Trafford. However, United overcame PSG in the last 16, despite losing the first leg at home, and Valverde is wary of allowing a similar fate to befall Barcelona.He said: "What I fear the most is the spirit they have. We respect them as a team, and the history they have behind them."You can feel their spirit on the pitch and I think we will see it tomorrow. If we want to face that we have to show the way we are ourselves."United had just 34 per ...
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Champions League: Chiellini absent from training ahead Juventus-Ajax match

      The second leg of Juventus-Ajaxis right around the corner. Tomorrow at 8:00 pm GMT, Massimiliano Allegri's side will be looking for victory as they try and move on to the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League.  Today, at the Continassa, training is underway for the Bianconeri ahead of tomorrow's big match.Juve skipper GiorgioChiellini has not yet recovered from the injury that has already kept him sidelined in the first leg of the quarterfinals in Amsterdam, it is almost certain that the player will be unavailable to Allegri. In other news, Juan Cuadrado is also absent (outside of the Champions League squad list), while young Hans Nicolussiis training with the team.
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Ronaldo scores 125th Champions League goal in tie

     Cristiano Ronaldo marked his return from injury with a precious away goal as Juventus drew 1-1 with an excellent Ajax in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in Amsterdam on Wednesday.Ronaldo subdued the 50,000 home fans in the Johan Cruyff Arena when he headed Juventus in front on the stroke of half-time to take his record goal tally in the competition to 125.     Brazilian winger David Neres conjured a stunning equaliser almost immediately after half-time to give Ajax a draw that was the very least they deserved.However, it is Juventus for whom substitute Douglas Costa struck a post late on, who hold the upper hand heading into next Tuesday's return in Turin, with the winners of this tie facing Manches...
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Champions League: Barcelona down Manchester Utd at Old Trafford

   Barcelona beat Manchester United 1-0 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday after a first-half own goal by Luke Shaw at Old Trafford.  Luis Suarez's 12th minute back-post header was deflected past David de Gea by United left-back Shaw. The teams meet again next Tuesday at the Camp Nou.          Man Utd defender Chris Smalling believes Barcelona were nullified at Old Trafford despite emerging 1-0 victors from their Champions League quarter-final, first leg.Luke Shaw's 12th-minute own goal means United have another Champions League mountain to climb on the road, after overturning a 2-0 first-leg deficit to eliminate Paris Saint-Germain on away goals in the last 16."We pressed them high and made it difficult. I...
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Champions League Quarter-Finals kicking off

We are down to last eight and set your alarms because the Champions League quarter-finals will kick off today.FIXTURESWednesday : Tottenham vs Manchester City, Liverpool vs PortoThursday : Ajax vs Juventus, Manchester United vs BarcelonaTOTTENHAM VS MANCHESTER CITYFirst leg: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Wednesday 10 AprilSecond leg: Etihad Stadium, Thursday 18 AprilTottenham will be hoping for a lift from their new stadium as they prepare for the daunting task of facing quadruple-chasing Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday morning.Spurs won their first match at their new home, beating Crystal Palace 2-0 to move back into third in the Premier League after a disappointing run of results. As for City, they’re looking to carry their red-hot domestic form onto th...
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Tottenham's Serge Aurier set to miss Champions League clash against Manchester City

    Tottenham right-back Serge Aurier is expected to miss Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Manchester City after failing to recover from a hamstring injury. The Ivory Coast international, who has been struggling with a hamstring strain, is thought to have made himself available after the recent death of his father, but he will not be fit in time.Aurier has started five of Spurs’ eight Champions League games this season and completed both legs of the last-16 victory over Borussia Dortmund.In his absence, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is likely to select Kieran Trippier as a right-back or wing-back. The England international has previously struggled against City’s speedy wingers Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling, and he was at fault in the build-up to...
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