Football: Bayern down Dortmund to win 10th straight Bundesliga title

BERLIN, Germany -- Bayern Munich were crowned Bundesliga champions for the 10th consecutive season on Saturday after a 3-1 home win over second-placed Borussia Dortmund.

First-half goals by Serge Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski put Bayern in control at a sold-out Allianz Arena before Emre Can converted a penalty after the break for Dortmund.

But teenager Jamal Musiala fired in a late goal to spark early celebrations in the home crowd.

This is the first time a club has won 10 straight titles in one of Europe's top five leagues.

"The year wasn't that easy. That's why I'm happy that we crowned it with the championship title," said Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann, who was drenched in beer by his players.

The Bavarian giants' eighth successive win over Dortmund leaves Bayern an unassailable 12 points clear with three games left.

The title capped an up-and-down season for Bayern, who were dumped out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Villarreal earlier this month.

"It was important that we finished things off after being knocked out by Villarreal," said Bayern captain Manuel Neuer.

"Everyone wanted it, that's what's special in our team."

Thomas Mueller, who claimed a record-breaking 11th Bundesliga winner's medal, said: "We were able to get a few things off our chest. Now it's wonderful."

Bayern dominated the opening half and Gnabry fired a magnificent volley into the top corner from the edge of the box to give them a 15th-minute lead.

Gnabry had a second effort disallowed before Lewandowski doubled the advantage 11 minutes before half-time.

It was the Poland striker's 27th goal in 26 matches against Dortmund, who he left for Bayern in 2014.

But his future is in doubt, with Lewandowski's contract up next year and Barcelona reportedly interested in taking him to the Camp Nou.

"Something will happen soon. The only thing I know is that there will be a meeting (with Bayern)", he told Sky.

Dortmund responded early in the second half as Can converted a penalty after Marco Reus was brought down in the area.

The visitors had their appeals for another spot-kick waved away with 30 minutes left when Lucas Hernandez brought Jude Bellingham down in the area.

Lewandowski won the battle of the Bundesliga's star strikers as Erling Haaland, who has been linked with big-money move to Manchester City, failed to score despite forcing Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer into two late saves.

Musiala put the result beyond doubt when he slotted home seconds after his initial shot was saved by Dortmund keeper Marwin Hitz.

- Late Union goals stun Leipzig -

Earlier, Union Berlin scored two late goals to poach a 2-1 win at RB Leipzig, which kept alive their Champions League qualification hopes.

Bayer Leverkusen thumped bottom club Greuther Fuerth 4-1 to take third place from Leipzig and move three points clear of fifth-placed Freiburg in the race for the top four.

Freiburg missed the chance to draw level on points with Leipzig, conceding a late equalizer in a 3-3 draw with Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Union are just two points further back in sixth, with five clubs, including seventh-placed Cologne, separated by just six points with three games remaining in the battle to reach next season's Champions League group stage.

Yussuf Poulsen put Leipzig ahead early in the second half to put the hosts on course for their second win in four days over Union, who they beat 2-1 in the German Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.

However, Union avenged the cup defeat as substitutes Sven Michel and then Kevin Behrens scored in the 86th and 88th minutes.

Union are bidding to reach the Champions League for the first time in just their third season since being promoted to the Bundesliga.

Freiburg, also hoping for a maiden appearance in Europe's premier competition, looked set to pile the pressure on Leipzig as they fought back from 2-0 down at half-time to lead Gladbach.

But Lars Stindl struck for the away side in the third minute of injury time.

Fuerth were finally relegated after their loss to Leverkusen, having been last in the table since September.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Arsenal's top four bid rocked in 'unacceptable' Palace defeat

LONDON -- Mikel Arteta apologized for Arsenal's "unacceptable" performance in a 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace that dealt a significant blow to their bid to finish in the Premier League's top four.

Arteta's side were destroyed by first half goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jordan Ayew at Selhurst Park on Monday.

Unable to muster a revival after the break, Arsenal's second defeat in their last three league games was sealed by Wilfried Zaha's late penalty.

Arsenal had gone into the weekend in fourth place, but Tottenham's 5-1 win against Newcastle on Sunday piled pressure on the Gunners and their response could not have been any less convincing.

The battle to qualify for next season's Champions League via a top four finish is heating up and Arsenal are in danger of wilting.

They sit in fifth place, behind Tottenham on goal difference having played a game less than their north London rivals.

West Ham and Manchester United, both three points behind Arsenal, will also fancy their chances after a result that blew the top four battle wide open.

"We made it impossible for ourselves with the way we competed. You have to be physical and run and then you earn the right to play. We were really inconsistent on the ball and that is unacceptable," Arteta said.

"We were poor, especially in the first half. I apologize to our supporters. We didn't have the presence or the composure to dominate the situation. That's what I'm most annoyed with."

It was an especially painful result for Arsenal fans given the presence in the Palace dug-out of Eagles boss Patrick Vieira, a Gunners legend after his trophy-filled playing career with the club.

How they could have done with the kind of tenacious performance that was Vieira's hallmark in midfield during Arsenal's glory days.

Vieira comfortably out-witted Arteta, who was voted the Premier League's manager of the month for March after masterminding his side's climb into contention for a top four berth.

Those Champions League ambitions don't look so believable now. 

"We need to put our hands up and get the criticism we deserve. Then we accept it, look ourselves in the mirror and look to the next game. This performance was not good enough," Arteta said.

- Arsenal in disarray -

Palace took the lead in the 16th minute after Ben White needlessly fouled Zaha.

Conor Gallagher swung his free-kick towards the far post, where Joachim Andersen headed it back across for Mateta to nod home from six yards for his sixth goal this term.

If that was a sloppy goal to concede, there was worse to come for Arteta eight minutes later.

Andersen's long pass should have been easy for the Arsenal rearguard, but Gabriel made a hash of his attempt to intercept, completely missing the ball as Ayew eluded the dozing Nuno Tavares to score with a composed finish from the edge of the area.

The Ghana forward's second goal this season left Arteta scratching his head in disbelief.

Without Scotland left-back Kieran Tierney due to a knee injury, Arsenal's defence was in disarray and Zaha swept through to tee up Mateta for a chance that Aaron Ramsdale saved at full stretch.

Out-fought and out-played in the first half, Arsenal needed an immediate response after the break but Bukayo Saka's penalty appeal was waved away after he was bundled over by Cheikhou Kouyate.

Although there was more urgency about Arsenal in the second half, they still lacked a cutting edge. 

Emile Smith Rowe shot straight at Vicente Guaita with the goal at his mercy before Martin Odegaard fired wastefully wide from Saka's cross.

Arsenal were punished for their profligacy in the 74th minute as Zaha's raid prompted Odegaard to concede a penalty as he clipped the forward's ankle.

Zaha dusted himself down and converted the spot-kick with ease, sending Ramsdale the wrong way to leave Arsenal's top four bid in the balance.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Benfica stun Ajax with Nunez goal to reach Champions League quarter-finals

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- Darwin Nunez headed home in the 77th minute as Benfica stunned Ajax to reach the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday, winning the second leg of their last-16 tie 1-0 in Amsterdam to advance 3-2 on aggregate.

The Portuguese side had not managed a single attempt on target until Uruguayan striker Nunez beat goalkeeper Andre Onana to Alex Grimaldo's free-kick and headed in to silence the Johan Cruyff Arena.

Ajax, who had dominated the first half, could not recover from that blow and go out while two-time European Cup winners Benfica look forward to Friday's draw for the quarter-finals.

Having sent Barcelona packing in the group stage, they will now appear in the last eight for the first time since 2016.

"We are among the eight best teams in Europe. The team worked so hard to achieve this against really difficult opponents," said Benfica coach Nelson Verissimo.

Ajax's star striker, Sebastien Haller, had been hoping to score in an eighth consecutive Champions League game this season having netted a remarkable 11 goals in his first seven appearances in the competition.

Yet he was upstaged by the 22-year-old Nunez as Benfica's own prolific forward found the target for the 26th time in all competitions since the start of the campaign.

"We were not good enough in either box. We should have scored but didn't take our chances and then we conceded an avoidable goal," French-born Ivory Coast international Haller told broadcaster Canal Plus.

"It was the perfect game for them. We leave with regrets but unfortunately that is football. The team who dominate do not always win. We just have to learn from our mistakes."

A swashbuckling Ajax side had won all six games in the group stage before twice leading against Benfica in the first leg in Lisbon only to have to settle for a 2-2 draw.

Haller, who has 32 goals in total this season, had scored at both ends in that game and he had the ball in the net in the seventh minute here only for the effort to be ruled out because Dusan Tadic was flagged offside in the build-up.

Erik ten Hag's prolific side, who are top of the Dutch Eredivisie, looked at their best in the first half but could not find a way through as Steven Berghuis blasted over on the volley from just inside the box.

Ryan Gravenberch then unleashed a superb shot that was tipped over by Benfica goalkeeper Odisseas Vlachodimos, and they did not look as threatening in the second half.

Instead they found themselves behind for the first time in the tie as Nunez struck, and a Benfica team who lie third in the Portuguese league, 12 points behind leaders Porto, held on to join the cream of Europe's elite in the last eight.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Chelsea shrug off sanction uncertainty, Yarmolenko strikes on West Ham return

LONDON -- Chelsea shrugged off uncertainty over the club's future to beat Newcastle 1-0 thanks to Kai Havertz's late goal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, while Ukrainian international Andriy Yarmolenko broke down in tears after scoring in West Ham's 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.

The European champions are still reeling from the impact of the sanctions placed on billionaire owner Roman Abramovich by the UK government for alleged close links to Vladimir Putin as the Russian president wages war on Ukraine.

Chelsea have only been allowed to keep operating thanks to a special license that still imposes a series of restrictions such as a ban on selling tickets and merchandise.

There was little immediate sign of change once the action got underway in front of a full house at Stamford Bridge with all the tickets already sold prior to Thursday's announcement of sanctions.

Prior to the match both Chelsea's technical and performance advisor Petr Cech and manager Thomas Tuchel could offer no guarantees the Blues can even afford to fulfil their fixtures for the rest of the season unless the restrictions of the license are eased.

In contrast to matches in recent weeks there was no chanting of Abramovich's name by the Chelsea fans, although there was still a banner with his image hailing the "Roman Empire".

The chaos caused by questions over where Abramovich amassed his wealth have also seen renewed criticism of the decision to allow Newcastle to be taken over earlier this season by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.

The Magpies have seen immediate results from their first transfer window under new ownership as they were unbeaten in nine league games to climb away from the relegation zone.

Newcastle will rightly feel aggrieved that Havertz should not have been on the pitch to score the winner as he caught Dan Burn with an elbow in the first half, but escaped with just a yellow card.

The German then produced the one moment of real quality from a scrappy game when he controlled Jorginho's ball over the top beautifully before prodding home the winner in the 89th minute.

Victory solidified Chelsea's position in third place as they remain well on course for the much-needed financial boost of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

- Emotional Yarmolenko -

West Ham also have ambitions of a top-four finish as they closed to within two points of fourth-placed Manchester United in emotional circumstances at the London Stadium.

Yarmolenko had been given time off following Russia's invasion of his homeland to help aid some of his family to safety.

Introduced as a second-half substitute, he fired home the opening goal 20 minutes from time and was overcome with emotion as he bent down on his knees in celebration.

Pablo Fornals quickly doubled the Hammers' lead before Jacob Ramsey pulled a late consolation goal back for Villa.

At the bottom of the table, Leeds and Watford secured big wins in their battle to beat the drop as Everton slipped even closer to the relegation zone.

Leeds secured their first win under new manager Jesse Marsch in dramatic fashion as Joe Gelhardt struck deep into stoppage time to beat bottom-of-the-table Norwich 2-1 at a relieved Elland Road.

Victory opened up a four-point gap for Leeds over Everton, who are now only out of the bottom three on goal difference.

Frank Lampard's men slipped to an eighth defeat in nine league games as Conor Coady's header earned Wolves a 1-0 win at Goodison Park.

Watford secured a much-needed win to keep alive their hopes of survival by beating Southampton 2-1 at St Mary's thanks to Cucho Hernandez's double.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Ronaldo makes history as treble sinks Spurs, Liverpool close gap on Man City

BRIGHTON -- Cristiano Ronaldo became the all-time leading men's goalscorer in football history as his brilliant hat-trick inspired Manchester United's 3-2 win against Tottenham, while Liverpool closed the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City with a 2-0 victory at Brighton on Saturday.

Ronaldo had netted just once in his previous 10 games amid speculation that the Portugal striker was considering his future after less than a season of his second spell with United.

The 37-year-old's commitment was questioned when he reportedly jetted to Portugal last weekend rather than watch his team after being ruled out of their 4-1 defeat at Manchester City with a hip injury.

Even United interim boss Ralf Rangnick conceded he didn't know if Ronaldo was happy at the club.

But Ronaldo proved his commitment to the United cause with a superb display to single-handedly dispatch Tottenham at Old Trafford.

With recently retired NFL legend Tom Brady watching from the stands, Ronaldo bagged his first United treble since 2008.

His brilliant 25-yard drive put United ahead in the 12th minute before Harry Kane equalized with a 35th minute penalty awarded for Alex Telles' handball.

Ronaldo restored United's lead three minutes later from Jadon Sancho's cross, but Harry Maguire's 72nd minute own goal threatened to ruin his evening.

However, Ronaldo headed home from Telles' corner in the 81st minute to claim his 807th career goal, making him the top-scoring men's player in history, according to FIFA statistics, as he surpassed Josef Bican.

Ronaldo's heroics earned a standing ovation from Brady and lifted United into fourth place, while Tottenham are five points behind them in seventh.

"Today it was his best performance, at least since I arrived. He was good in training on Thursday and that is why I decided to start him," Rangnick said.

"A fantastic performance. It was not just the three goals, it was also he was part of the team when they were in possession of the ball.

"We showed the kind of reaction we were due after the bad second half at City."

At the Amex Stadium, Luis Diaz opened the scoring for Liverpool with a 19th minute header and Mohamed Salah netted with a 61st minute penalty awarded after Yves Bissouma's handball.

Jurgen Klopp's side have won their last eight league games, keeping the pressure on City, with the champions playing at Crystal Palace on Monday.

Salah has reached 20 goals in a Premier League season for the fourth time, with his latest strike coming at just the right time amid his tense contract negotiations.

Klopp said on Friday it is up to Salah whether he signs a new deal, a claim that was followed by the Egypt forward's agent tweeting a series of laughing emojis just minutes later.

Salah's long-term value to Liverpool is immense, but of more immediate concern to Klopp will be the knock that saw him replaced by Diogo Jota soon after his first goal in four games.

With a testing trip to Arsenal looming on Wednesday followed by an FA Cup quarter-final at Nottingham Forst, Klopp will hope his star makes a quick recovery.

"Something was not right. I think there was a situation where his foot got stretched. We'll have to see," Klopp said.

While City are in fine form, Liverpool's hot streak is equally impressive.

The Reds have scored 21 goals and conceded just twice in their winning run, while also keeping a third successive league clean sheet for the first time this term.

On the title race, Klopp said: "It's always the same, you expect Manchester City to win every game when you watch them play.

"The only thing we can do is as win as many football games as possible. We're ready, we don't need to call it a title race, we just want to win games."

Brentford boosted their bid to avoid relegation with a 2-0 home win against third bottom Burnley thanks to a pair of late goals from Ivan Toney.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Denmark's Eriksen sets sights on World Cup return

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Denmark's Christian Eriksen, who went into cardiac arrest at the European Championships and has since been fitted with a pacemaker, hopes to play in the World Cup in Qatar, he said in a Danish television interview aired Tuesday.

Eriksen terminated his contract with Inter Milan by mutual consent in December, as Italian league rules bar players with pacemakers.

"I want to play football. There's no reason not to do that," Eriksen said in an excerpt released Tuesday of a longer interview to be aired later this week on public broadcaster DR.

"They (the doctors) have said fine. They've said it's 'good'. So everything is stable, and it feels like I've got the green light to play football again."

"My goal is to play in the World Cup in Qatar" in November-December 2022, he said, adding: "Whether I can get selected is something entirely different ... but ... I can come back."

The former Tottenham player suffered a cardiac arrest in Denmark's opening game at Euro 2020 against Finland in Copenhagen on June 12 and had to be resuscitated on the pitch.

Denmark then rode a wave of emotion at the tournament, reaching the semi-finals.

The playmaker spent several days in hospital and had a pacemaker implanted to regulate his heartbeat.

He has recently been in training with his boyhood club Odense.

According to the Danish daily B.T, Eriksen mainly focused on physical exercises, but also trained with a ball, although this is not currently with a view to playing for them. 

"Christian Eriksen is using the pitch for his rehabilitation" but "he is not training with our team", Odense's communications officer Rasmus Nejstgaard told AFP in mid-December.

Agence France-Presse

Real Madrid’s Benzema gets suspended jail term in sex tape trial

VERSAILLES, France–France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema was found guilty of complicity in the attempted blackmail of a former international teammate over a sex tape on Wednesday and sentenced to a one-year suspended jail term.

The Versailles court also fined him 75,000 euros ($84,170) and ordered him to pay former team mate Mathieu Valbuena 80,000 euros to cover legal costs and 150,000 euros in damages together with his three other co-accused.

Benzema’s lawyer said he would appeal against the verdict.

Benzema, who had denied any wrongdoing, was not in court. He is due to play for Real Madrid against Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol later in the day.

“This outcome in no way corresponds with the reality of events,” lawyer Antoine Vey told reporters afterwards.

Real Madrid declined to comment.

Earlier this month, the president of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet, said Benzema would not be excluded from the national team were he to be convicted and given the suspended sentence prosecutors wanted.

“The coach will always be responsible for his selection and Benzema will not be left out because of an eventual judicial sanction,” Le Graet told Le Parisien.

Prosecutors had argued that Benzema had encouraged Valbuena to pay a suspected group of blackmailers in order to keep the sexually explicit tape out of the public eye.

They said Valbuena received the first of several phone calls threatening to expose the tape in June 2015. Valbuena told the court it was clear the caller wanted money and that the blackmail attempt left him fearing for his career and place in the national squad.

Benzema was recruited by the alleged blackmailers to encourage Valbuena to pay as his teammate stalled, the prosecution had added.

Benzema had shown no goodwill to Valbuena and pretended to be have his best interests at heart, the judges said in their written ruling. Benzema had “deliberately helped the authors of the attempted blackmail of Valbuena”, they added.

Benzema and Valbuena both lost their places in the national team in the wake of the scandal, dubbed the “sex tape affair”.

Benzema, 33, who has played more than 90 times for his country, was recalled to the France squad for this year’s European Championship.

Among Benzema’s co-defendants were childhood friend Karim Zenati, who acted as an intermediary, and Mustapha Zouaoui, one of the suspected architects of the scam. All four defendants were found guilty in connection with the attempted blackmail.

-reuters

Football: Harder helps Chelsea past Juve, as Huitema and Moller hit hat-tricks

PARIS, France -- Pernille Harder scored the winning goal to help last season's losing finalists Chelsea to a hard-fought 2-1 win over Juventus in the second round of matches of the UEFA Women's Champions League on Wednesday.

Chelsea, who last week drew 3-3 with Wolfsburg, had opened the scoring through Scottish striker Erin Cuthbert just after the half-hour mark, only for Juve to draw level minutes later thanks to a perfectly-timed volley from Italy veteran Barbara Bonansea.

But Danish forward Harder, who moved from Wolfsburg to Chelsea for a world record fee in 2020, was first to react to a loose ball in the 69th minute, smashing home past Juve goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud Magnin.

Group A's other match saw German club Wolfsburg hammer Servette from neighboring Switzerland 5-0, the first of three such one-sided results in Wednesday's four games.

Tabea Wassmuth scored two goals, as Svenja Huth, Dominique Janssen and Joelle Smits all also hit the back of the net.

Canada's Jordyn Huitema hit the first hat-trick of the evening as Paris Saint-Germain hammered Kharkiv 5-0 in Group B.

The 20-year-old Canadian scored her three goals in the opening 17 minutes in an electric start in the French capital.

"It's incredible to be able to put these goals for the team. Just excited that the team has got an other win," the modest Huitema said.

Poland's Paulina Dudek and Lea Khelifi rounded out the scoring for the Parisians against the out-classed Ukrainians.

With seven goals scored and none conceded after two Group B games, PSG will head into their double-header with Real Madrid full of confidence.

"We are super excited to play on this incredible field and incredible stadium" against Real Madrid, Huitema admitted. 

"We have a huge fan base and we like their energy, we were missing the fans for a long time."

Madrid also went two from two, with Caroline Moller scoring a hat-trick of her own in the opening 37 minutes of a 5-0 victory over Iceland's Breidablik.

Olga Carmona and Lorena Navarro added two more in a comprehensive victory.

Reigning champions Barcelona travel to Denmark to take on HB Koge on Thursday, while Arsenal host German rivals Hoffenheim in Group C.

Group D action matches Bayern Munich against Sweden's Hacken, while Lyon entertain Benfica.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Man Utd stumble again as Chelsea top Premier League

LONDON -- Manchester United were held at home by Everton on Saturday after Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped to the subs bench as Chelsea scored two late goals against Southampton to top the Premier League table.

Elsewhere, Brighton drew 0-0 with Arsenal to end the Gunners' recent winning streak while Leeds earned their first league win of the season.

United's 1-1 draw at Old Trafford continues an unimpressive run of home results including a League Cup defeat by West Ham and last week's shock Premier League loss at the hands of Aston Villa.

Ronaldo has scored five times in six games in all competitions since rejoining the club in late August but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he did not regret resting the 36-year-old -- who scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner against Villarreal in midweek.

"You make decisions throughout the season, you've got to manage the players' workload," said the Norwegian manager. "The decision was, for me, the correct one today.

"We have started better than last season, but it is still not what we wanted."

Everton created plenty of chances in the opening period but fell behind shortly before half-time when surprise pick Anthony Martial curled home his first Premier League goal since February from a Bruno Fernandes pass.

Solskjaer called on Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho 12 minutes after half-time as he looked to put the game beyond Rafael Benitez's men but Everton ruthlessly exposed United's frailty on the counter-attack.

Demarai Gray won the ball back on the left and freed Abdoulaye Doucoure into acres of space in midfield. Doucoure played in Andros Townsend to fire home his fifth goal in nine appearances.

Townsend performed a Ronaldo-style "Siuuu" goal celebration and said it was done in tribute to the Portuguese superstar, whom he said was his "idol".

Everton thought they had won it late on but Yerry Mina's close-range finish from a Tom Davies pass was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

- Chelsea strike late -

Chelsea ended a miserable week on a high, with Timo Werner and Ben Chilwell striking late in a 3-1 win against Southampton, who are still without a league victory this season.

The three points lifted the Stamford Bridge club to the top of the Premier League on 16 points, two clear of Liverpool, Manchester United, Everton and Brighton.

Thomas Tuchel's side, tipped by many to win the Premier League in the early weeks of the season, were well beaten by Manchester City last week and lost to Juventus in the Champions League in midweek.

But they returned to winning ways in London on Saturday, helped by a second-half red card for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse.

Trevoh Chalobah nodded Chelsea into an early lead but Ward-Prowse levelled from the penalty spot just after the hour mark before he was sent off in the 77th minute for a dangerous tackle on Jorginho after a VAR check.

Werner provided the decisive moment, sliding in from Cesar Azpilicueta's cross before Chilwell volleyed in from close range on 89 minutes to secure the victory.

"After two defeats we had to be careful that we didn't start being too sad or too worried because there was a chance to be on 16 points," Tuchel told the BBC.

"It was important to have a better performance than the last two games, that we sharpened our mindset so that we are not afraid to lose. It was nice to play the way we did and get a deserved win."

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal were bottom of the Premier League table after three matches before three consecutive wins lifted them to the comfort of mid-table.

But they found it tough to break down high-flying Brighton in a soggy evening contest on England's south coast and Arteta admitted his team did not deserve to win.

Earlier, Leeds beat Watford 1-0 thanks to a first-half strike by Diego Llorente while Hwang Hee-chan struck twice as Wolves beat struggling Newcastle 2-1.

Norwich stopped the rot against Burnley after six straight league defeats but they remain rock bottom of the Premier League table with just a single point from seven games after a 0-0 draw.

Liverpool host Manchester City in the pick of Sunday's Premier League matches.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Messi restricted in PSG draw as Man City, Liverpool win thrillers

PARIS, France -- Lionel Messi made his first Paris Saint-Germain start in a 1-1 draw at Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday, while last season's runners-up Manchester City and Liverpool won high-scoring thrillers.

Real Madrid, the record 13-time European champions, left it late to beat Inter Milan at the San Siro in a section topped by Moldovan debutants Sheriff Tiraspol after the first round of group stage matches.

Argentine star Messi lined up with both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for the first time, after being limited to just 24 minutes in a PSG shirt since his shock exit from Barcelona.

Ander Herrera, who scored twice in the weekend win over Clermont, gave PSG the lead by steering in Mbappe's cross on 15 minutes, but Brugge soon levelled through Hans Vanaken.

Messi curled against the bar from the corner of the area but PSG then lost Mbappe to injury and had to settle for a point against a team viewed as makeweights in a demanding Group A.

"We need time for them to get to know each other," PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino said of his all-star attack.

"We have to improve and find the right balance, I said that before, but we must stay calm. I'm happy with how Messi played, his desire and his attitude, and the way he's adjusting." 

Pep Guardiola's City, beaten 1-0 by Chelsea in May's final in Porto, overcame a hat-trick from Christopher Nkunku to beat RB Leipzig 6-3 at the Etihad Stadium.

Nathan Ake headed City ahead from a corner and Nordi Mukiele's own goal doubled their advantage, but Nkunku nodded in to get Leipzig back in the game.

Riyad Mahrez added a third with a penalty before half-time only for Nkunku to head in again early in the second period. 

Jack Grealish notched his first Champions League goal following his British record £100 million ($136 million) signing, with Nkunku completing his treble before Joao Cancelo and Gabriel Jesus strikes wrapped up a wild victory for City.

Leipzig finished with 10 men after former City player Angelino was sent off for a second booking.

"I loved it. I've been waiting a while. The past few weeks, I couldn't wait for this game. It's a great night," Grealish told BT Sport.

"It was one of those games. It had absolutely everything."

- Henderson stars for Liverpool -

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson hit the winner for Jurgen Klopp's side as they came from behind to defeat Milan 3-2 at Anfield in a meeting of two clubs who have combined for 13 European Cups.

Fikayo Tomori inadvertently deflected in Trent Alexander-Arnold's effort to put Liverpool in front but Mohamed Salah saw his penalty saved by Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

The momentum swung sharply in Milan's favour as Ante Rebic and Brahim Diaz struck twice in as many minutes before the break.

Salah atoned with an equaliser on 49 minutes that was initially discounted for offside before Henderson drove in on the half-volley from the edge of the box.

"It is a tough group. That is why it is important we won this game. It does not decide anything but it gave us a winning start," Klopp told BT Sport.

In the other Group B game, Spanish champions Atletico Madrid drew 0-0 at home to Porto, who were frustrated by a decision to disallow Mehdi Taremi's late goal.

Rodrygo snatched victory for Real as he flicked in with a minute to play in Milan, stunning Inter who had dominated much of the game and forced Thibaut Courtois into several saves.

Newcomers Sheriff defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 thanks to goals from Mali international Adama Traore and Guinean forward Momo Yansane.

Sheriff, from a tiny pro-Russian separatist region in Moldova, are the first club from the ex-Soviet country to reach the group stage of the Champions League.

England midfielder Jude Bellingham scored one goal and set up Erling Haaland for Borussia Dortmund's second in a 2-1 win away to Turkish champions Besiktas.

Javi Montero headed in a consolation for Besiktas in stoppage time.

Ajax powered to the top of Group D as Ivorian striker Sebastien Haller bagged four goals in a 5-1 demolition of Portuguese champions Sporting Lisbon.

Steven Berghuis added the other goal for the four-time European champions with Paulinho grabbing a consolation for the hosts.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Italy set new unbeaten record as Germany thump Armenia

PARIS, France -- Italy broke the world record for the longest unbeaten run in international football with a goalless draw at Switzerland on Sunday, while Germany got their World Cup qualifying campaign back on track by thrashing Armenia 6-0.

European champions Italy should have taken all three points, but Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer saved Jorginho's second-half penalty.

"The ball didn't want to go into the goal," Italian coach Roberto Mancini told RAI.

"We had too many chances today not to win the match... We have to be more clinical and more precise."

The draw, however, extended Mancini's side's unbeaten run to 36 matches, breaking the previous mark they shared with Brazil and Spain.

The Azzurri remain top of Group C, four points above Switzerland who have two games in hand.

Italy are bidding to banish the memories of their shock failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

The group winners automatically reach next year's finals in Qatar, with the runners-up heading into the play-offs.

The Germans brushed off the cobwebs of their underwhelming 2-0 win over Liechtenstein in Hansi Flick's first match in charge by thrashing previous leaders Armenia to go top of Group J.

Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry scored twice in the first 15 minutes.

Timo Werner set up Marco Reus, who was recalled by Flick, to put the result beyond doubt before netting himself to complete a dominant opening 45 minutes.

The home crowd in Stuttgart were given a fifth goal to cheer by Jonas Hofmann early in the second period, before the four-time world champions added further gloss in added time through 19-year-old debutant Karim Adeyemi.

They now lead Armenia by two points, with Romania a point further back after beating Liechtenstein 2-0.

A shock home loss to North Macedonia earlier this year had put Germany's qualification in danger.

- England cruise at Wembley -

A much-changed England labored for long periods before seeing off Andorra 4-0 in their first match at Wembley since their Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy on penalties.

Jesse Lingard, who missed out on Gareth Southgate's Euro squad, put the hosts ahead in the 18th minute, but a second goal did not arrive until substitute Harry Kane's penalty 18 minutes from time.

England, for whom Southgate made 11 changes, did enjoy a late goal spree as Lingard netted a second and Bukayo Saka marked his birthday by finding the net.

That goal brought loud cheers from the crowd at Wembley -- where Saka missed the decisive penalty in the shootout against the Italians in July.

"He (Saka) got a fabulous reception, before and during the game," Southgate told ITV. "You can see how popular he is with the rest of the team as well."

England have won all five of their matches in Group I and visit Poland, who they lead by five points, on Wednesday.

Robert Lewandowski scored twice and Adam Buksa grabbed a hat-trick as the second-placed Poles hammered San Marino 7-1.

Spain, who are in danger of not qualifying automatically, thrashed Georgia 4-0 in Badajoz.

First-half goals from Jose Gaya, Carlos Soler and Ferran Torres ensured they would bounce back from their loss to Sweden with a win.

Pablo Sarabia also netted after half-time, but although the 2010 World Cup winners move top of Group B, they are only one point ahead of Sweden who have two games in hand.

Belgium put one foot in Qatar with an impressive 3-0 victory over the Czech Republic which saw Romelu Lukaku mark his 100th cap with a goal.

The Chelsea striker has now scored 67 goals for his country and 50 in his last 50 appearances.

Eden Hazard and Alexis Saelemaekers also got on the scoresheet as Roberto Martinez's Belgium stretched six points clear of the Czechs at the top of Group E.

"I know that if I continue and my body follows, it will get better and better," said Hazard following his first international goal since 2019 after suffering several injuries.

Wales are only a single point further back, having played two fewer matches, after Gareth Bale scored a hat-trick, including an injury-time winner, in a dramatic 3-2 success over Belarus in Kazan.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Chelsea's Lukaku more 'complete' after Inter spell

LONDON -- Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku said on Monday believes he is now a "complete" striker as the club's record signing settles back into life at Stamford Bridge.

Lukaku rejoined Chelsea in a £98 million ($135 million) move from Inter Milan last week. 

The 28-year-old was unavailable for Chelsea's 3-0 win against Crystal Palace in their Premier League opener on Saturday.

But Lukaku could make his debut in Sunday's trip to Arsenal and the Belgium forward plans to show how much he has developed since the last time he played for the Blues.

Almost 10 years after arriving in west London as an unknown teenager, Lukaku returns as one of the world's top strikers.

"I just feel more complete; I've tried to master all the facets that a striker needs and I just want to keep improving on the small details all the time and keep improving on my strengths as well," Lukaku told Chelsea's website.

"I just want to try to help the team win and be available for the manager as well as for my team-mates.

"I want to make sure that they feel comfortable and they can lean on me in whatever situation we're in.

"The two years in Italy helped me master all the facets of the game for a striker and now I'm ready."

Lukaku fired 27 goals and laid on 11 assists last term as Inter stormed to the Serie A title.

He also boasts vast Premier League experience after stints with West Brom, Everton and Manchester United.

Chelsea struggled for goals at times last season, but Lukaku is confident he can fill any role required by boss Thomas Tuchel.

"The conversation was really clear from him, that he wants me to be a presence and a leader in the team," Lukaku said.

"If he wants me to be a focal point or if he wants me to attack the spaces in behind, I can do it.

"It's not like I'm a new player coming in and not quite knowing what to expect. I know the league, I've scored a fair amount of goals here but the past is the past and now we have to look forward.

"I'm a new version of that player from before. I've evolved and the team that I'm joining is a very strong team so now we just have to prove it on the pitch by challenging for the Premier League."

Lukaku also revealed he continues to lean on former Chelsea and Ivory Coast star Didier Drogba for advice.

"Our relationship means the world to me. It's not like we talk once a month, I talk to the guy every few days!" Lukaku said.

"We have a group chat so we're constantly communicating and I've been on the phone with him a bit more in the past two weeks.

"I had a lot of questions to ask and he still knows a lot of people here so he really prepared me well with the last details."

Agence France-Presse 

Extra-time winner lightens mood as Barcelona reach Spanish Cup final

Barcelona needed extra-time to reach the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday, with a 3-2 aggregate win over Sevilla coming just two days after a police raid on the club and the arrest of their former president.

Having trailed 2-0 from the first leg, Danish international Martin Braithwaite hit the crucial goal in the fifth minute of extra-time with a diving header off a Jordi Alba cross.

Gerard Pique had equalized in the fourth minute of stoppage time with virtually the last play of the game to save Barca.

The veteran international headed in at the near post after a fine cross from Antoine Griezmann.

That was after Ousmane Dembele, who scored in the 2-0 win at Sevilla in La Liga at the weekend, had given the 30-time Spanish Cup winners a 12th-minute lead in the second leg with a right-foot drive from outside the area.

Sevilla could have killed the game off in the 73rd minute to deny Barca their place in the final for a 42nd time.

They were awarded a penalty when Lucas Ocampos was brought down by Oscar Mingueza.

However, Ocampos saw his tame right-foot effort from the spot saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Flagging Sevilla were then reduced to 10 men in injury time when Brazilian Fernando was red-carded for a foul on Francisco Trincao.

“The team deserved to qualify,” said Barca coach Ronald Koeman.

“For their work and honesty. We are more aggressive, we’ve always created chances, the team has improved enormously.

“This is a very important result for the club, for the players, and for me of course as well. This is an important step in earning a title.”

It was a much-needed win for Barcelona after former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, current chief executive Oscar Grau, head of legal services Roma Gomez Ponti and Bartomeu’s advisor Jaume Masferrer were arrested by Catalan police, who searched the club’s offices on Monday morning.

They were all questioned in relation to last year’s “Barcagate” scandal.

The club holds its presidential elections later this week.

The search of Barcelona’s stadium was part of a probe into allegations the club carried out a defamation campaign against current and former players who were critical of Bartomeu.

Spanish radio station Cadena Ser claimed in February 2020 that Barca covered up inflated payments to a company called I3 Ventures which it had hired to boost the image of the club on social media.

Part of the social media campaign included criticizing current and former players like Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez, and iconic coach Pep Guardiola.

Barcelona will face either Athletic Bilbao or Levante, who are 1-1 in their semifinal, in the final on April 17 in Seville.

Before that, however, Barcelona will attempt another comeback effort when it takes on Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie next week.

Barca trails 4-1 from the first leg.

Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui admitted Wednesday’s defeat was a “bitter pill to swallow”.

“We are disappointed and sad to be deprived of a final.

“We experienced the most crushing feeling in football, conceding with the last kick of the game (in normal time).”

Agence France-Presse

Football: Atletico Madrid game lost in Spanish snowstorm

Spain's heaviest snowfall in decades has forced Atletico Madrid's game against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday to be postponed, LaLiga announced.

"With the exceptional situation due to the storm over a large part of the peninsular which has forced the Madrid-Barajas airport to close for the day, and the impossibility of providing a pitch in ideal conditions LaLiga, after discussions with the two clubs, has postponed the game", the federation said.

The fixture was scheduled for 1515 GMT at the Spanish league leaders' Wanda Metropolitano stadium.

A new date for the encounter will be published in the coming days, LaLiga's statement added.

Athletic were unable to land in Madrid because of the extreme weather brought by Storm Filomena on Friday and had to return to Bilbao early in the evening.

The blizzards have caused chaos in Spain, with the capital's airport closed, hundreds of motorists stranded, and more snow forecast Saturday.

Diego Simeone's Atletico lead the table by two points from city rivals Real with two games in hand.

Agence France-Presse

Ronaldo denied as Portugal held by Spain

Cristiano Ronaldo hit the crossbar as Portugal and Spain played out a goalless draw in a compelling friendly in Lisbon on Wednesday.

Ronaldo and Renato Sanchez both struck the woodwork for Portugal, who then should have won it in injury-time only for Joao Felix to miskick at the back post.

Spain was the better team early on at the Jose Alvalade stadium and also went close through Dani Olmo but neither side was able to claim victory ahead of upcoming games in the Nations League.

“I think we were better than Portugal,” said Spain coach Luis Enrique. “We dominated the game. For sure they had two shots on the break that hit the bar and one that Kepa saved but we had chances as well.”

Both sit top of their Nations League groups, Portugal with maximum points after beating Croatia and Sweden while Spain has four after thrashing Ukraine and drawing with Germany.

Spain goes up against Switzerland on Saturday before playing against Ukraine three days later. Portugal face world champions France on Sunday and then play at home to Sweden.

During the first half, it was also announced by the football federations of the two countries they will stage a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

They will be competing against Morocco, as well as another joint bid from Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile.

The last time Spain and Portugal met was for the thrilling 3-3 draw at the 2018 World Cup, when Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, including a stunning late equalizer from a free-kick.

This was a far less dramatic contest, with both teams still rebuilding ahead of next year’s postponed European Championships.

It was the first time Spain had failed to score since losing to Italy at the 2016 European Championships in France.

Luis Enrique fielded an experimental eleven, which included Chelsea’s struggling goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, Manchester City’s 19-year-old central defender Eric Garcia and the newly called-up Sergio Canales in midfield.

For Portugal, the 20-year-old Francisco Trincao, who has just joined Barcelona, started in a front three with Ronaldo and Andre Silva.

Spain enjoyed a superb opening quarter of an hour but had nothing to show for it, as Gerard Moreno missed from close range and Olmo volleyed wide.

Portugal went closest in the second half. Ronaldo shifted onto his left foot and thundered a shot against the crossbar. He then turned provider, curving a pass right to Renato, whose effort also crashed against the frame and bounced out.

The best chance though fell to Felix in injury-time, the ball finding him free at the back post, only for the youngster to slide and somehow fail to connect.

Agence France-Presse 

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

Fabinho’s home burglarized while Liverpool celebrated title

LIVERPOOL, England— The home of Liverpool midfielder Fabinho was burglarized while he and his teammates celebrated their Premier League title.

The burglary occurred in the town of Formby, north of the city, either late Wednesday or early Thursday while Liverpool hosted Chelsea, Merseyside police said.


Jewelry and an Audi RS6 were stolen, although the car was later recovered 20 miles away in Wigan, police said. The occupants discovered the burglary when they returned home early Thursday.

Police said they are collecting security footage and have forensically examined the 26-year-old Brazil international’s home and car.

Liverpool beat Chelsea 5-3 at Anfield — their final home game of the season — before lifting the Premier League trophy to end a 30-year title drought. The team had clinched to title with seven games to spare.

Nine of the estimated 3,000 fans who gathered outside the stadium were arrested on charges ranging from assault to disorderly conduct, police said Thursday.


Fans were urged to stay home because of the coronavirus pandemic. Police said the “vast majority of the crowd were good natured and had dispersed by 2 a.m.”

Fabinho is the latest star athlete to be victimized. Tottenham player Deli Alli was held at knifepoint by burglars who stole jewelry from his London home during coronavirus lockdown in May.

The home of Sadio Mané, Fabinho’s teammate at Liverpool, has been targeted twice in recent years.

Associated Press

Piped noise, robots and sex dolls: what happens in stadiums without fans

Livening up sport without fans is a challenge for competitions returning after the coronavirus, and organisers have tried several ways to make empty stadiums more appealing.

After South Korean football club FC Seoul received a record fine for using sex dolls to fill seats, AFP Sport looks at some of the innovations:

- Robot drummers -

Sport took a surreal twist when Taiwan's baseball league started last month, with robots providing live music as they drummed in the stands.

In what could have been a scene from Star Wars, a group of robots -- some wearing wigs -- banged drums for Rakuten Monkeys' opening game.

Mannequins wearing team colours were placed around the stadium, along with cardboard cut-outs of fans, media and players' family members.

- Crowd sourcing -

Cardboard cut-outs have been a popular way to fill seats, but German football club Borussia Moenchengladbach took the idea a step further when it gave fans the chance to have life-sized images of themselves in the stands.

Thousands of people have taken up the offer, where they pay 19 euros to have their image placed in the Borussia-Park stadium.

"The campaign organisers are regularly overrun with orders -- we can hardly keep up trying to install them all," fan representative Thomas Weinmann told the Bundesliga website.

- Piped noise -

The sound of tinny, recorded cheering has replaced the roar of the crowd in some stadiums. In South Korea's K-League, recordings of popular chants have echoed around the country's empty football venues, some of which hosted games at the 2002 World Cup.

Meanwhile, TV viewers of Australian Rules football will hear pre-recorded crowd noises laid over the match footage when games return next month.

"We've had a number of different trials and consulted a number of people, including from the movie business, just to get it right," Lewis Martin, managing director of broadcaster Channel Seven, told AFL.com.au.

- App-lause -

Software developers have launched an app, MyApplause, which allows fans to combine to create crowd noise from their homes.

Users can choose from cheering, clapping, chanting and whistling, and the resulting noise is played over the stadium loudspeakers and the spectators' home sound systems. Team-specific logos and chants are available.

South Korean baseball has also taken a high-tech approach with fans beamed onto a stadium big screen as they watch the game online.

- Baseball barbecue -

Baseball cheerleaders in Taiwan have been carrying out live interactions with fans from the stadiums, chatting and broadcasting dance routines over their mobile phones. One cheerleader even cooked and ate a barbecue while sitting in the stands, while streaming herself on the internet.

Taiwan's baseball league has enjoyed unaccustomed popularity during the coronavirus, with millions of sport-deprived fans watching English-language commentaries from overseas.

- Sex dolls -

Much controversy has been generated by South Korea's FC Seoul, who received a 100 million won ($81,000) fine -- the biggest in K-League history -- for placing sex dolls in their stadium.

After reviewing the case, the K-League accepted FC Seoul's claim that it did not know the mannequins were sex toys, but said it "could have easily recognised their use using common sense and experience".

"The controversy over this 'real doll' incident has deeply humiliated and hurt women fans (and) damaged the integrity of the league," it said.

FC Seoul accepted the decision, apologised and promised to prevent a repeat.

Agence France-Presse

Premier League stars launch fund to ‘help’ health service virus fight

Premier League players announced on Wednesday they had launched an initiative to generate funds for Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) to help against the coronavirus pandemic.

The idea — named #PlayersTogether — has been set up to “help those fighting for us on the NHS frontline” during the COVID-19 outbreak.

“It is about we, as players, collaborating together to create a voluntary initiative, separate to any other league and club conversation,” a statement from the group said.

“To try and help, along with so many others in the country, to make a real difference,” it added.

Individuals such as league leaders Liverpool’s captain Jordan Henderson, Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were among those to post on social media about the move.

Earlier this week, the Premier League proposed wage cuts of 30 percent but talks have hit a stumbling block, with the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) warning the NHS could suffer from the loss of tax receipts.

The league’s chief executive Richard Masters admitted the virus fall-out could cost the top-flight “at least £1 billion” ($1.23 billion, 1.13 billion euros).

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor said the players had “agreed to play their part” as pressure mounts to find a collective pay deal.

Take our time

England’s top-flight stars had come under heavy fire over their lack of action, which contrasts sharply with significant pay cuts taken by players at other leading European clubs such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford defended his fellow players.


“I think there has been plenty of occasions, for me personally, where we’ve tried to help but we’ve not helped in the best way possible,” Rashford told BT Sport.

“You can get some backlash from that. We wanted to take our time with the decision,” he added.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock was originally among senior politicians calling for players to take a cut and “play their part”.

“Warmly welcome this big-hearted decision from so many Premier League footballers to create #PlayersTogether to support NHS Charities. You are playing your part,” he tweeted after the Wednesday’s announcement.

On Tuesday, English Football Association chief Greg Clarke called on players and fans to “share the pain to keep the game alive”.

Appearing at an FA Council meeting, Clarke warned football faces economic challenges “beyond the wildest imagination of those who run it” as a result of the health emergency.

Spurs have come under pressure from fans to follow Jurgen Klopp’s side in reversing their decision to use public money to pay employees.

The Reds, the European champions and the world’s seventh richest club, ditched their controversial plan to furlough some of their non-playing staff during the virus on Monday after coming under intense pressure from ex-players and fans.

More than 60,000 people, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson who is being treated at an intensive care unit, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Britain, and more than 7,000 have died from the virus.

Agence France-Presse 

Barcelona FC to cut salaries during coronavirus stoppage

BARCELONA, Spain — Barcelona will reduce the salaries of its players amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Spanish club said late Thursday that its executive board decided to temporarily suspend player contracts, which leads to a “proportional reduction of the remuneration provided for in the respective contracts.”


The player contracts will remain intact during the suspension. Employers in Spain are allowed to reduce labor costs while guaranteeing that workers will return to their jobs once conditions improve.

The club said it had not decided by how much the salaries will be lowered.

Barcelona is the first Spanish league club to say it will reduce salaries.

In the 2018-19 season, Barcelona said player salaries for its sports teams accounted for 671 million euros ($727 million) of its 973 million euros ($1.05 billion) in expenses. Barcelona also fields teams in basketball, handball and other smaller sports, but its soccer squad takes up most of its salary costs.

The Spanish league stopped play two weeks ago because of the coronavirus outbreak.

AP