Barca, Man City and PSG start Champions League with wins

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Barcelona's Joao Felix, right, scores his side's fifth goal during the Champions League Group H soccer match between Barcelona and Royal Antwerp at the Olympic Stadium of Montjuic in Barcelona Tuesday. (AP)
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Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe shoots and scores a penalty kick during the UEFA Champions League 1st round Group F match between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Tuesday. (AFP)
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Updated 20 September 2023
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Barca, Man City and PSG start Champions League with wins

  • Manchester City started their title defense by coming from behind to beat Red Star Belgrade 3-1 at home
  • In the wildest celebrations of the night Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel headed in the equalizer in the fifth minute of injury time to earn a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid

BERLIN: Barcelona’s João Felix, Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez and Paris Saint Germain’s Kylian Mbappe all scored Tuesday as their teams made winning starts in the Champions League.

But the wildest celebrations of the night came in Rome, where Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel headed in the team’s equalizer in the fifth minute of injury time to earn a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid. It was the last action of the game.

As the group stage began without either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time since 2002-03, a 16-year-old almost scored on his competition debut for Barcelona.

Lamine Yamal struck the side netting, then saw an effort saved by Antwerp goalkeeper Jean Butez after coming on as a substitute in Barcelona’s 5-0 win over the Belgian team.

Celtic finished with nine players in a 2-0 loss at Feyenoord that stretched the Scottish champion’s winless streak in the group stages to 11 games.

Here’s a closer look at Tuesday’s games:

CITY HAVE TO COME FROM BEHIND

Manchester City started their title defense by coming from behind to beat Red Star Belgrade 3-1 at home.

City had 22 shots on goal in the first half yet found itself 1-0 down at the break after Mirko Ivanić played Ghana winger Osman Bukari through to score in first-half injury time.

The linesman raised his flag, but a VAR check confirmed Bukari was onside, setting off celebrations among the 3,000 traveling supporters.

Alvarez equalized right after the break, finishing from a narrow angle after going past the goalkeeper, and it seemed only a matter of time before the second goal arrived as the home team pushed for more.

The otherwise outstanding goalkeeper Omri Glazer was at fault when it came on the hour mark, missing the ball as he went to punch away a free kick from Alvarez that sailed inside the far post.

Spanish midfielder Rodrigo sealed the win in the 73rd.

Leipzig defeated Swiss team Young Boys 3-1 away in the other Group G game.

BARCELONA FLYING

Antwerp endured a chastening evening in Barcelona, where Jelle Bataille’s own goal in the 22nd minute came after João Felix had already scored and set up Robert Lewandowski for another.

There was no respite for the visitors, with Gavi adding another in the second half before Félix grabbed his second.

Porto defeated Ukrainian champion Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 away in the other Group H game. Shakhtar is playing their home games in Hamburg, Germany because of the Russian invasion of its country.

PSG OFF THE MARK

Mbappe scored a penalty to break the deadlock as Paris Saint-Germain earned a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. Achraf Hakimi scored against his former team to seal what was a deserved win.

Dortmund midfielders Marcel Sabitzer and Marius Wolf both left the field with injuries.

AC Milan were held to 0-0 draw by Newcastle in the other Group F game.

GOALKEEPER HAS LAST WORD

Atletico coach Diego Simeone was booked for protesting on his return to the Stadio Olimpico and Lazio, the club he won four trophies with as a player.

Young Atletico midfielder Pablo Barrios put the visitors ahead in what was a heated game, but the biggest drama came at the end, when Provedel left his area to add support in attack and managed to score with a header to Luis Alberto’s cross.

Provedel didn’t know where to run as the stadium erupted around him.

Also in Group E, Feyenoord had two goals ruled out by VAR for offside and saw a penalty saved in their 2-0 win over Celtic.

Calvin Stengs broke the deadlock in first half injury time but the home team had to wait till the 76th minute for Iran midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh to get the second goal.

Celtic defender Gustaf Lagerbielke was sent off with his second yellow card as he conceded the penalty, and substitute Odin Thiago Holm followed him off with a straight red for a dangerous lunge at Mats Wieffer.


Leao, Pulisic and Abraham inspire AC Milan comeback in 3-2 win over Inter in Italian Super Cup final

Updated 07 January 2025
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Leao, Pulisic and Abraham inspire AC Milan comeback in 3-2 win over Inter in Italian Super Cup final

  • It was the fifth time in the last seven years that the competition was played in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: It took exactly one week on the job for Sergio Conceicao to earn his first trophy as AC Milan’s coach — with two comeback wins no less.
Milan came back from two goals down to beat city rivals Inter Milan 3-2 and win the Italian Super Cup on Monday.
Rafael Leao came off the bench and played a part in all three of Milan’s goals from Theo Hernandez, Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham.
Conceicao was hired to replace the fired Paulo Fonseca last Monday and also led the Rossoneri to a comeback win over Juventus in the semifinals.
This time, Lautaro Martinez and Mehdi Taremi put Inter ahead with goals on either side of halftime.
Leao then earned a foul that resulted in a free kick which Hernandez curled in around Inter’s wall.
Then Pulisic finished off a counterattack by shooting through Augusto’s legs on a play that began with Leao.
For the third goal, Leao provided a through ball for Pulisic, who crossed to Abraham, who tapped into an empty net in stoppage time.
It was the fifth time in the last seven years that the competition was played in Saudi Arabia, and the second year of an expanded four-team format.
A throw-in led to Inter’s opener as Taremi fed the ball inside the area to Lautaro, who cut back before shooting through Hernandez’s legs on Inter’s only real chance of the half.
Taremi, who was playing in place of the injured Marcus Thuram, finished off a counterattack right after the break.
Milan play their first Serie A match under Conceicao against Cagliari on Saturday. The Rossoneri are in eighth place but will return to league action with much more confidence.


Tammy Abraham says it would mean everything to win first trophy for AC Milan in Saudi Arabia

Updated 06 January 2025
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Tammy Abraham says it would mean everything to win first trophy for AC Milan in Saudi Arabia

  • AC Milan play city rivals Inter in Riyadh on Monday night in Italian Super Cup final
  • Abraham says victory would be ‘amazing’

RIYADH: Tammy Abraham said it “would mean everything” to win his first trophy for AC Milan.

The former Chelsea striker, on loan at the San Siro from Roma, played a key role in AC Milan qualifying for the Italian Super Cup final against city rivals Inter in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday night.

England striker Abraham came off the bench for the final half-hour against Juventus in Thursday’s semifinal with AC Milan 1-0 down. But his forward play helped the Rossoneri overturn the deficit to win 2-1, with the equalizer netted by fellow former Chelsea player Christian Pulisic.

Having won trophies at both Stamford Bridge and Roma — who loaned him out to AC Milan at the start of the season — the 27-year-old, 11-times capped England striker dearly wants to add to his medal collection in Riyadh.

“It would mean everything to me to win my first trophy in a Milan shirt. I’m a player who always wants to win. I’ve won a few trophies in the past, and I want to keep building the cabinet. It would be amazing to lift my first trophy for Milan,” Abraham said.

“I’m a player that always wants to win. I want to help my team as much as possible. Against Juventus in the second half, I had to bring my energy and bring some belief to my team. I’m proud of my team but the job is not finished, and we have a really big job in the final.

“We played Inter earlier in the season and we won. We are ready and we have to be ready. They had a day extra to recover and prepare, but that’s no excuse for us. We want to go back home with the trophy.”

Inter beat Atalanta 2-0 on Thursday with a double from Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries to qualify for the final. All matches are taking place at Al-Awwal Park — the home of Cristiano Ronaldo and his Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr. Inter are going for three Super Cups in a row in Riyadh and a record four wins in succession.

The Italian Super Cup is being staged in Saudi Arabia — where some 80 percent of the population either play, attend, or follow football — for the fifth time.


Dembélé scores last-gasp winner as PSG wins Champions Trophy

Updated 05 January 2025
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Dembélé scores last-gasp winner as PSG wins Champions Trophy

  • The match was played at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, with PSG owned by Qatar-based QSI since 2011

PARIS: Ousmane Dembélé scored a stoppage-time winner as Paris Saint-Germain beat Monaco 1-0 to win the Champions Trophy on Sunday.
The France winger was unmarked at the back post to meet a low cross from the left by Fabian Ruiz in the second minute of added time.
PSG won the trophy, also known as the super cup, for the third straight time and a record-extending 13th overall. PSG won the league and cup double last season, with Monaco finishing second in the league.
The match was played at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, with PSG owned by Qatar-based QSI since 2011.
Désiré Doué hit the crossbar early on for PSG and Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Köhn made several saves.
Monaco improved after the break and hit the post through Eliesse Ben Seghir and Brazilian defender Vanderson.
Although Köhn made a fine save to deny Achraf Hakimi in the 74th minute, he failed to properly read Ruiz’s cross and Monaco missed out on winning the trophy for the first time since 2000.
Later Sunday, Marseille looked to strengthen its grip on second place in Ligue 1 with a home win against lowly Le Havre.
French league
Marseille looks to strengthen its grip on second place in Ligue 1 with a home win against lowly Le Havre later Sunday.
Toulouse climbed up to eighth place with a 1-0 win at seventh-place Lens, which leads Toulouse on goal difference.
Striker Zakaria Aboukhlal scored a penalty in the 73rd.
The goal came shortly after Lens midfielder David Pereira da Costa was shown a second yellow card following a video review and was sent off.
Angers beat Brest 2-0, and Strasbourg rallied to win 3-1 at home to Auxerre and move into 10th spot.
Esteban Lepaul scored early on for Angers and fellow striker Ibrahima Niane, who replaced Lepaul in the 75th, wrapped up the win in stoppage time.
Strasbourg’s goals came from captain Habib Diarra, Félix Lemarechal and forward Emanuel Emegha, after Hamed Traore gave Burgundy side Auxerre an early lead in Alsace.


Manchester United hold Liverpool in Premier League thriller to end losing streak

Updated 05 January 2025
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Manchester United hold Liverpool in Premier League thriller to end losing streak

  • United broke their six-year goal drought at Anfield to open the scoring in spectacular fashion through Lisandro Martinez
  • Liverpool boss Slot warned that United were “much better” than their shocking league position suggested

LIVERPOOL: Manchester United rallied to snap a four-game losing streak and halt Liverpool’s romp toward the Premier League title in a thrilling 2-2 draw at Anfield on Sunday.
Liverpool move six points clear at the top of the table, with a game in hand to come, over second-placed Arsenal.
But this was an opportunity lost for Arne Slot’s men after they came from behind to lead 2-1 through Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah’s penalty.
United broke their six-year goal drought at Anfield to open the scoring in spectacular fashion through Lisandro Martinez and got the point a much-improved performance deserved when Amad Diallo levelled on 80 minutes.
A point edges the Red Devils up to 13th in the table and seven clear of the relegation zone.
Liverpool boss Slot warned that United were “much better” than their shocking league position suggested ahead of the game and so it proved.
United had been carved open at will by Newcastle in a dismal 2-0 defeat on Monday that left manager Ruben Amorim declaring they were in a relegation battle.
Amorim’s hand was strengthened by the return of captain Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte from suspension, while Kobbie Mainoo also returned to the starting line-up.
The Portuguese’s plan to frustrate Liverpool worked but the home side did have the chances early on to make the breakthrough.
Gakpo prodded past the far post from Ryan Gravenberch’s through ball.
Moments later Salah picked out Alexis Mac Allister with a sumptuous pass that the Argentine caught flush and forced Andre Onana into a fine save with his feet.
United took time to begin to impose themselves as an attacking threat but should have been in front before the break.
Diallo miscued his header with the goal gaping from Diogo Dalot’s cross.
Rasmus Hojlund then had the best chance of the first half when he raced in behind the Liverpool defense but could not beat Alisson Becker.
However, confidence was suddenly coursing back into United players who have looked bereft in recent weeks.
The visitors’ breakthrough came from an unlikely source as Martinez showed his strikers how to finish with a blistering hit in off the underside of the bar for just his second goal for the club.
The Anfield crowd were beginning to get restless as the league leaders were briefly at sixes and sevens.
However, Liverpool’s position at the top of the table owes much to the depth of firepower they possess.
Even on a quiet day for Salah, they had an in-form forward to come up with the moment of magic required to turn the game.
Gakpo turned inside his Dutch international colleague Matthijs de Ligt and blasted high past Onana for his 10th goal in 15 games on the hour mark.
Despite the equalizer Slot immediately made two offensive changes, as Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez were introduced, and got his reward.
MacAllister’s header flicked off De Ligt’s outstretched arm inside the penalty area and a VAR review resulted in the awarding of a spot-kick.
Salah smashed low and hard beyond Onana for his 18th Premier League goal in 19 games.
However, United’s spirited display got the point it merited to halt an alarming losing streak for Amorim so early in his reign.
Alejandro Garnacho’s attitude has been questioned by his new boss but the Argentine came off the bench to make the equalizer as his low cross was turned in by Diallo.
And it should have been even better for United when Harry Maguire spooned Joshua Zirkzee’s pass over the bar with the goal gaping deep into stoppage time.


Inter Milan eye historic Italian Super Cup triumph in Riyadh showdown with rivals AC Milan

Updated 05 January 2025
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Inter Milan eye historic Italian Super Cup triumph in Riyadh showdown with rivals AC Milan

  • Both sides aiming to secure early-season silverware

RIYADH: Inter Milan and AC Milan meet on Monday in the Italian Super Cup final at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh, with both sides aiming to secure early-season silverware in what promises to be a competitive Milan derby.

Inter head into the match looking to extend their recent dominance in the competition, having won the past three Super Cups, including two in Riyadh.

Victory would see them claim a record fourth consecutive title. AC Milan, however, are seeking to end their own trophy drought and derail Inter’s impressive run.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Sunday, Inter captain Lautaro Martinez highlighted the significance of playing in Saudi Arabia, where he scored in both of his team’s previous Super Cup finals in Riyadh.

He said: “For us, playing here has been important in the past finals because we won the trophy and because I scored.

“This is a derby and a final, and we all know how important it is. The goal is to win and bring the trophy home.”

Inter secured their place in the final with a 2-0 victory over Atalanta on Thursday, thanks to two goals from Denzel Dumfries.

Manager Simone Inzaghi, who has overseen all of Inter’s recent Super Cup wins, acknowledged the challenge of competing in a derby final.

He said: “It would be very special to win the Super Cup for the fourth time with Inter.

“We face a strong opponent with the same hunger to win. We need to stay focused and deliver a strong performance.”

AC Milan earned their spot in the final by defeating Juventus 2-1 in their semifinal. New manager Sergio Conceicao, who took charge only last week, faces a significant test in his second match with the club.

He said: “The match will be difficult, but we have to focus on ourselves.

“My goal is to prepare the team as best as possible and ensure we approach the game with ambition and hunger to win.”

Conceicao’s plans could hinge on the fitness of key forward Rafael Leao, who is being assessed after missing the semifinal.

Midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, who joined the club in the summer, is eager to seize the opportunity to win his first trophy.

He said: “It’s a great chance for us as a group to win something. We have to play with confidence and take this opportunity.”

Monday’s match marks the fifth time the Italian Super Cup has been staged in Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh hosting for the fourth time.

Inter’s previous successes in Riyadh have given them an edge in the tournament, but AC will be determined to change the narrative and claim their first Super Cup since 2016.