Champions League return gives platform for Man U’s rebuild

Manchester United’s return to the Champions League is a significant milestone as the Red Devils seek to close the gap to rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in the battle for Premier League supremacy.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men held their nerve on a final-day shootout for a place in the top four, winning 2-0 at Leicester to complete a 14-game unbeaten run in the league and end the season best of the rest in third place.


“Liverpool and City have been running away with it in the last couple of seasons so to get third is a massive achievement for the team,” said Solskjaer.

A huge 33-point gap to champions Liverpool shows the strides they still have to make to become title contenders again, but since the January signing of Bruno Fernandes transformed the mood and results at Old Trafford, no team in the Premier League has won more points.


“Bringing Bruno in, in January, has made a big difference,” said Harry Maguire, who cost United a world record £80 million ($103 million) for a defender at the start of the season.

“To finish third in the Premier League should be a minimum requirement from this club, but next season we have to keep improving and building.”


A third-place finish should buy Solskjaer time that did not look likely when Old Trafford turned on the team during a miserable 2-0 home defeat to Burnley in January.

The Norwegian has already proved himself adept at building a counter-attacking team capable of upsetting the odds. United have beaten both Chelsea and City three times this season and were the only team in 36 games between March 2019 and February 2020 to take a Premier League point from Liverpool.

However, the arrival of Fernandes, the emergence of 18-year-old Mason Greenwood, Paul Pogba’s return from injury and the development of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial into 20-goal-a-season forwards has improved United’s ability to see off weaker opposition.

“I think it’s a big day for Ole, it gives him some peace and demonstrates progress,” said former United captain Gary Neville after the victory at Leicester. “They look like they can win games in different ways.”

Culture change

During his 19 months in charge, Solskjaer has repeatedly stressed the need for a culture change as well as a return to winning ways on the pitch.


Greenwood and Rashford are not the only academy graduates to make important contributions this season. Brandon Williams and Scott McTominay are established squad players, while United have also got back to picking off exciting young British talent from other clubs in Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James.

“We are going places and we’ve got a team you can like. You can see the DNA of Manchester United. At least that’s what I feel,” said Solskjaer.

The income from the Champions League will aid that rebuild.

Even prior to the economic hit caused by coronavirus with the loss of matchday income and rebates to broadcasters, United expected their revenue to shrink by up to £67 million this season without Champions League football.

On top of extra TV and prize money, United also stood to lose substantially from clauses in certain commercial contracts had they missed the spotlight provided by European football’s premier competition for two consecutive seasons.

Key to United’s improvement from sixth last season to third has been the success of their four big signings in Fernandes, Maguire, Wan-Bissaka and James, compared with wasted transfer fees and wages spent on players in previous years, including Alexis Sanchez.

If they are to keep heading in the right direction, their recruitment must be spot on again, with Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho reportedly United’s premier target for the summer.

Agence France-Presse

Bayern beats Red Star 3-0 to open Champions League campaign

MUNICH — Bayern Munich substitute Thomas Müller provided a late highlight as the German powerhouse beat Red Star Belgrade 3-0 in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.

Müller came on for Philippe Coutinho in the 83rd minute and scored in the first minute of injury time when he ran behind the visiting defense and spun around to volley Thiago Alcantara’s lobbed free kick past goalkeeper Milan Borjan.


It was Müller’s 106th appearance in the Champions League, making the 30-year-old Bayern’s most capped player in the competition.

Robert Lewandowski had already sealed the result after striking from close range in the 80th, but it had been shaping up to be a frustrating evening for the Poland striker, who missed several chances after Kingsley Coman opened the scoring in the 34th.

“We had the whole game under control, but we had many chances and didn’t make the most of them,” Lewandowski said. “In the end it was only three goals, not five or six.”

Bayern failed to turn almost total possession in the first half into clear-cut scoring opportunities.

Marko Marin, Red Star’s playmaker and a former German international, went closest for the visitors in a rare attack when he shot just wide of the far post before Lewandowski scored.

Even Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was off his best as he misjudged a simple back-pass and was forced to clear in the 13th.

Making his first start for Bayern, Coutinho nearly scored a stunning opener on his Champions League debut for the side but his well-struck volley flew just over the bar.

“He had a great game,” Bayern coach Niko Kovac said of the Brazilian. “He brings another dimension to our game when he’s on the ball.”

Coman finally broke the deadlock by heading in Ivan Perisic’s cross.

Coutinho also had a goal ruled out for offside, and Lewandowski went close with a free kick after the break, before Borjan made a brilliant save to deny Perisic.

Perisic again went close midway through the half when he controlled the ball on his chest and lobbed the goalkeeper, only to see the effort come back off the crossbar. Lewandowski missed the rebound with the goal at his mercy, but finally struck after the visitors failed to clear.

Tottenham drew 2-2 at Olympiakos in the other Group B game.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Ter Stegen saves penalty as Barcelona draws at Dortmund

DORTMUND, Germany — The only thing missing for Borussia Dortmund was a goal.

The German team did everything but score as Barcelona barely held on for a 0-0 draw in their Champions League opening game on Tuesday.


The home side hit the crossbar, missed a penalty, wasted a host of chances and even kept Lionel Messi quiet on the Argentina star’s first appearance of the season.

Messi came on as a substitute for the last 30 minutes but was unable to spark the visitors’ struggling attack, with Dortmund creating the best chances of the game.

Instead Barcelona had goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen to thank for avoiding defeat as he saved a penalty from Dortmund captain Marco Reus in the 57th and denied the home side with a string of saves on his return to his native Germany.

“It was a very difficult game,” ter Stegen said.

Dortmund substitute Julian Brandt struck the crossbar and Paco Alcácer also went close against his former side. It was the first game in which the Spanish striker failed to score this season.

“We had to suffer a lot, especially after the break when we lost control and they were very dangerous,” said Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde, who thanked ter Stegen for “his outstanding saves.”

The 16-year-old Ansu Fati made his Champions League debut to become Barcelona’s youngest player in a UEFA competition, before coming off for Messi in the 59th. Messi hadn’t played since injuring his leg in pre-season.

Defender Mats Hummels showed why Dortmund brought him back from Bayern Munich with several vital interventions, starting with a block to deny Antoine Griezmann’s first effort for Barcelona, then a crucial headed clearance from the lurking Luis Suárez. Griezmann, on his Champions League debut for Barcelona, produced the cross.

Dortmund’s first big chance fell to Reus, who was denied for the first time by ter Stegen in the 25th. Jadon Sancho also missed a good opportunity.


A Barcelona corner caused chaos in the Dortmund defense, with Roman Bürki punching the ball clear and Fati’s effort from the rebound deflected over by Reus.

Dortmund was more aggressive after the break but ultimately couldn’t get past ter Stegen. Messi, meanwhile, looked far from his best.

“I’m going home with the feeling that we dropped two points. We would have put ourselves in a great position in this difficult group,” Hummels said.

Dortmund next faces a trip to Slavia Prague on Oct. 2. The Czech champion held Inter Milan 1-1 after conceding a late equalizer in Italy.

“Then we’ll see how strong we are,” Hummels said.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Ronaldo not enough as Juve extend Italian domination but fall short in Europe

Massimiliano Allegri oversaw his final game as Juventus coach on Sunday, after guiding the team to an eighth consecutive Serie A title but paying the price for yet another Champions League failure despite the sensational signing of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo was left out alongside a host of other starters as the Allegri era ended with the whimper of a 2-0 defeat at Sampdoria, having played 31 of 38 matches and closing the season as the team’s top scorer with 21 league goals.

But helping the team to another Serie A title was not why the 34-year-old was signed last summer.

Ronaldo had spent nine glittering seasons at Real Madrid, lifting a fourth Champions League trophy in five seasons before moving to Italy.

His arrival in Turin on a 100-million-euro ($115 million) deal, plus a reported 30 million euros a year, was hailed as “the deal of the century” by the Italian press.

But after a season in which they were expected to sweep all before them Juventus have won less than the previous season, with their four-year reign as Coppa Italia holders ended in a 3-0 quarter-final defeat by Atalanta.


Ronaldo single handedly lifted Juventus into the Champions League quarter-finals with a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid.

But his hopes of a fourth straight European triumph were ended when they crashed out to daring Dutch Ajax in the last eight.

Amid criticism of Allegri’s tactics, Ronaldo, who has scored 124 goals in 160 Champions League appearances, reportedly said: “I don’t work miracles”.

“Cristiano showed us he could always score in the games that counted. But then you have to have a strong team behind him,” said veteran defender Andrea Barzagli.

Money-spinner
Despite the financial fallout of failing to advance in the Champions League, Ronaldo’s signing has been a money-spinning one for Juventus.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is the most followed sports star on social media with a global reach of over 340 million followers.

More fans ultimately means more money, and suddenly Ronaldo’s transfer fee does not look so extortionate.

The club’s value on the Milan stock exchange has rocketed by 133 percent since his arrival last July.

Shares had been trading around 0.6 euro in mid-May, jumping to 1.8 euro during the session on September 20, before dipping slightly following rape allegations against Ronaldo in the United States dating back to 2009 which he vehemently denies.

Shares jumped by 30 per cent after his hat-trick catapulted the Italian football club into the quarter finals of the Champions League in March.

Next season there will be a new coach on the bench with reports that Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri, former coach of Napoli, Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino and Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi are among the candidates.

On the pitch Welsh international midfielder Aaron Ramsey arrives in Turin from Arsenal.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Ronaldo strikes shootout winner as Real crowned kings of Europe

Cristiano Ronaldo added the finishing touches as Real Madrid were crowned kings of Europe for an 11th time with a 5-3 penalties victory over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday.

Two years after reviving Real’s bid for a 10th title, captain Sergio Ramos struck the opener after just 15 minutes at a packed San Siro.

But the match was pushed into extra time when Yannick Carrasco came off the bench to level on 79 minutes — the Belgian rushing towards the touchlines to kiss his partner in celebration.

After two scoreless periods of extra time the match went to penalties, and when defender Juanfran’s effort blasted off the bottom of Keylor Navas’s upright Ronaldo stepped up to secure the trophy for the second time in three years. In 2014, Atletico lost 4-1 in extra time after Ramos headed a late leveller at the death.

It means Real coach Zinedine Zidane has joined an elite club of players — including, notably, Johan Cruyff, Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola — to have also won the title as a coach.

Man-of-the-match Ramos said Zidane’s arrival in January following the sacking of Rafael Benitez was “really important for us”.

“He has a great relationship with the players. We’ll be celebrating this with him!” said Ramos.

The normally reserved Frenchman, meanwhile, was overjoyed at lifting European club football’s biggest prize.

“I was given the chance to come to this amazing club, and then to coach it. I have a phenomenal team and great players who are also talented, and it was together we achieved what we did tonight,” said Zidane.

Real, inaugural winners of the competition in 1956, claimed their 10th title two years ago in Lisbon when a late Ramos leveller pushed the match into extra-time.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone had pledged his side, two-time Europa League winners in 2010 and 2012, would end their wait to finally win Europe’s premier competition.

But it took only six minutes for Real to start knocking on the door when Jan Oblak had to produce a point-blank save from Karim Benzema after Gareth Bale’s back-header.

– ‘Penalties are a lottery’ –

When Ramos opened the scoring on the quarter hour, Atletico’s hopes, and morale, plummeted.

“We started the game badly,” admitted Simeone, who hinted he could now consider his future at the club.

“I think I could start thinking about my future,” Simeone said cryptically. “It puts a lot of years on you.”

Before half-time Atletico were restricted to an Antoine Griezmann shot that fizzed wide of the upright, but they were handed a lifeline seconds after the restart when Pepe barged into Torres from behind.

English referee Mark Clattenburg had no hesitation pointing to the spot but Griezmann, with seven goals in the competition this season, smashed his effort off the underside of the crossbar.

After Bale skewed an effort wide, Atletico got back on their feet to see Saul Niguez turn on Carrasco’s cross and send a half-volley wide of the post.

It prompted Simeone into some frantic arm-waving, but instead fans were left breathing huge sighs of relief as Real piled on the pressure.

At the end, Simeone said: “What really hurts me is to see the hurt of the people who’ve paid to come here -– I feel a bit responsible that I wasn’t able to give them what they wanted. That’s what really hurts.”

Luka Modric sent Benzema clear but he found the chest of onrushing Oblak with the goal at his mercy.

Modric was involved again when Ronaldo shot straight at the keeper from 25 yards, and Atletico survived a huge scare when Oblak stopped Ronaldo’s effort, then had Stefan Savic to thank for clearing Bale’s follow-up off the line.

The match was turned on its head moments later when Carrasco muscled his way through Real’s central defence to smash Juanfran’s perfectly-weighted cross past Navas and send the red half of the stadium wild.

But in the end penalty misses from Juanfran and Griezmann left Atletico coming up short.

Ronaldo said: “Penalties are always a lottery, you never know what’s going to happen.

“But we showed that our team had more experience and we showed that we scored all penalties — it was unbelievable, a fantastic night.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Real Madrid sets sight on another Champions League final

MADRID — Real Madrid will be boosted by Cristiano Ronaldo’s return and the likely absence of two key Manchester City players when it tries to reach yet another Champions League final on Wednesday.

Ronaldo returns after missing three straight games because of a leg injury, including the 0-0 first-leg draw in Manchester last week. The Portugal forward leads the Champions League with 16 goals, one shy of the record he set in the 2013-14 season.

Ronaldo hurt his right leg in a Spanish league game on April 20 and hasn’t played since then. Madrid has not released any official information about the injury, prompting widespread rumors about its severity, but he participated fully in training on Monday and Tuesday and looked fit to return to action.

“Cristiano is fine, he is at 100 percent,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “He trained and will be there tomorrow.”

Madrid will also be lifted by the likely absence of Yaya Toure and David Silva because of injuries. City initially said Toure was going to miss the match because of a muscle ailment, but later said he made the trip to Madrid and was listed as doubtful. Silva wasn’t fit after being substituted in the first leg with a hamstring problem.

Zidane said Madrid has an obligation to reach the final.

“It’s going to be difficult, but if we don’t advance it will be a failure,” he said. “We have been saying that we haven’t won anything yet. Our goal is to advance. We will do our best to try to make it happen.”

Another edge for Madrid comes from Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where it has crushed all-comers this season, winning 20 of 23 matches in all competitions. In the Champions League, it’s won all five home games by outscoring opponents 18-0.

“Home advantage will help,” Real Madrid defensive midfielder Casemiro said. “It is going to be a very difficult game but our fans are strong. That gives us a small advantage. We’re counting on the fans and I’m sure they’ll not let us down.”

Only two opponents have beaten Madrid at home this season, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.

“That feeling when the fans inside the Santiago Bernabeu get behind you and are with us is unexplainable,” Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas said. “We’ll be trying to chase every ball, and each player is going to be giving their best to ensure that everything works out perfectly.”

Unable to recover in time were Karim Benzema and defensive midfielder Casemiro, who were expected to miss Wednesday’s game because of injuries.

Despite its advantages, Madrid holds a lot of respect for City, which has an impressive away record of three wins and two draws in the Champions League this season. It eliminated Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals, a stage it reached for the first time.

“If Manchester City made it to the semifinals, it’s because they’re an excellent team,” Ronaldo said. “Knocking out PSG is not an easy task, but they managed to do it. They are a team with very few weaknesses.”

City defender Eliaquim Mangala, one of the men in charge of stopping Ronaldo on Wednesday, said the scoreless draw in the first leg was not a bad result considering the team’s success in away games.

“We defended very well and didn’t concede an away goal which was very important for us,” Mangala said. “We know that it will be a tough game against Real Madrid and that they play well at home, but we did well in the other rounds.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Leicester 2 points away from Premier League title

MANCHESTER, England — One chance gone for Leicester in its attempt to clinch a first English league title.

Over to you, Tottenham.

Needing three points to pull off the ultimate underdog success story in sports, Leicester only managed to pick up one from a 1-1 draw at Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

Leicester still has two games left — against Everton at home next weekend and Chelsea away on the final day — to collect the required two points. It might not even go that far, as second-place Spurs has to beat Chelsea on Monday to keep the title race alive.

“I’d like to watch the (Chelsea-Spurs) match,” said Claudio Ranieri, Leicester’s Italian manager, “but I’m on a flight back from Italy so I might not know the result until I land.”

Spurs can at least prepare for that game at Stamford Bridge knowing they are guaranteed a top-four place and therefore a spot in next season’s Champions League.

The same can’t be said for either of the Manchester clubs.

While United stayed in fifth place, Man City dropped to fourth by losing 4-2 at Southampton as manager Manuel Pellegrini’s risk in playing a weakened team backfired.

Key players like Sergio Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne and Vincent Kompany were among those rested ahead of the second leg of the Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid on Wednesday, and it showed in City’s loose display at St. Mary’s Stadium. Sadio Mane scored a hat trick for seventh-place Southampton, while Kelechi Iheanacho scored both of City’s goals.

In the tight race for the final two Champions League spots, Arsenal is third — three points ahead of City and seven points ahead of United which has a game in hand. West Ham is a point further back in sixth.

In the other game Sunday, Swansea guaranteed Premier League football for another season by beating Liverpool 3-1, with Andre Ayew scoring two of the goals.

Like City, Liverpool seemed preoccupied by a looming European game — Thursday’s second leg of its Europa League semifinal against Villarreal, which stands at 1-0 to the Spanish side — and fielded a depleted starting lineup.

Christian Benteke scored the only goal for Liverpool, which finished with 10 men following the 76th-minute red card to left back Brad Smith.

For Leicester, a seemingly impossible dream is one step closer and there’s now a good chance the team could seal the title in front of its own fans at the King Power Stadium next weekend against Everton, in the next-to-last round of fixtures.

Danny Drinkwater, Leicester’s box-to-box midfielder will miss that game after being sent off against United for collecting a second yellow card in the 86th minute.

United opened the scoring at Old Trafford through Anthony Martial’s powerful sidefoot volley in the eighth minute, by which time Leicester had barely got out of its own half.

Ranieri’s team of rejects, journeymen and unheralded foreign players has been confounding the doubters all season and they did so again here, digging deep and equalizing with their first genuine chance when Wes Morgan headed in from Drinkwater’s free kick in the 17th.

“I am very pleased with our performance after the goal,” Ranieri said. “We keep calm and score a goal. After that we get a lot of confidence and play better. After that, it was another match.”

United could also have finished with 10 men had the referee spotted Marouane Fellaini lashing out at Leicester defender Robert Huth, first with his forearm and then with his elbow, as they jostled at a set piece. Fellaini appeared to be reacting after his hair was pulled by Huth and United manager Louis van Gaal empathized with his player.

Mimicking the incident by appearing to grab a TV reporter’s hair off camera, Van Gaal said: “What is your reaction when I grab your hair? Your hair is shorter than Fellaini’s but when I do that, what are you doing then? It’s a reaction.”

Leicester’s vocal fans stayed behind after the final whistle, chanting “Tottenham Hotspur, we’re waiting for you,” and “Are you watching, Tottenham?”

The pressure now moves onto Spurs, who haven’t won away to Chelsea in the league since 1990.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Injury-hit City into Champions League quarters for 1st time

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City’s players trudged off the field. Many fans left early. The final whistle was greeted with only a smattering of cheers.

It was hardly the way the English club envisaged marking progress to the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in its history.

Another landmark feat for Abu Dhabi-owned City was achieved on Tuesday thanks to a lackluster 0-0 draw with Dynamo Kiev at Etihad Stadium, which sealed a 3-1 victory on aggregate. Progress came with little fanfare and at a cost, with captain Vincent Kompany hobbling off in the fifth minute with a recurrence of his long-standing calf problems that could keep him out for a month.

“It was really satisfying to make history for this club,” City defender Pablo Zabaleta, although it was hard to tell by the end.

Injuries to Kompany and fellow center back Nicolas Otamendi, who hobbled off in the 23rd after a clash of knees, were the major incidents in a soporific match as City advanced with the minimum of concern but without impressing, either.

Kiev, seeking a first Champions League quarterfinal berth since 1999, needed to score three goals to stand a chance of advancing but barely threatened until creating a couple of opportunities in the final minutes. City’s reorganized defense stayed relatively solid and the team took few risks, with winger Jesus Navas striking a 61st-minute shot against the post for City’s best chance.

“Unfortunately we have lost our match in Kiev,” Dynamo coach Sergei Rebrov said.

Atletico Madrid beat PSV Eindhoven 8-7 on penalties to advance after the night’s other match finished 0-0 after both legs and extra time.

City’s ownership in the Middle East has had tangible reward for their influx of cash since 2008 in the shape of five domestic trophies, including two Premier League titles. Yet progress beyond the last 16 in five seasons in the Champions League has eluded them — until now.

City will be hoping to avoid the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona — should the Spanish champion advance, as expected, on Wednesday — as likely the only English club in Friday’s draw for the quarterfinals.

“When you are at this stage, all the teams are difficult,” Pellegrini said. “I keep having in my mind that the team that it is better than all the other teams is Barcelona. I think all the other teams are at a similar level.”

Aside from possibly Sergio Aguero, Kompany was the last person Pellegrini would have wanted to see come off injured given his importance to the team and the assuredness he brings to an often shaky defense.

The Belgium international appeared to get hurt over-reaching as he turned to retrieve the ball under pressure. He immediately kicked the ball out before signaling to the bench and slumping to the ground.

As he stared glumly in anticipation of a third injury layoff this season, the Etihad fell silent and groans were heard.

City’s problems exacerbated when Otamendi indicated to come off in the 23rd as he thumped a clearance downfield. Minutes earlier, he had come off worse after a clash of knees with Vitaliy Buyalskiy and had been hobbling around.

City, fortunately, had two center backs on the bench in Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis, who dealt adequately with Dynamo’s sporadic attacks.

“We knew before the game that Dynamo had to score three goals to qualify,” Pellegrini said. “We didn’t want to force the game. Dynamo didn’t take any risks, also. But so many times I think this team receives criticism that we don’t know how to defend. I think we defended today without any problems.”

source: sports.inquirer.net