Liverpool rout Sparta 5-1 and Roma top Brighton in Europa League. Leverkusen, Marseille, Milan triumph

Liverpool's Darwin Nunez kicks the corner flag as he celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the Europa League round of 16 first leg between Sparta Praha and Liverpool at the Epet Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday. (AP)
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Updated 08 March 2024
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Liverpool rout Sparta 5-1 and Roma top Brighton in Europa League. Leverkusen, Marseille, Milan triumph

  • The Uruguay international’s first strike of the evening was the 1,000th Liverpool goal scored under manager Jurgen Klopp, whose team will host the second leg next week at Anfield

LONDON: Darwin Nunez scored twice to help Liverpool rout Sparta 5-1 and take a big step closer to the Europa League quarterfinals on Thursday.

Nunez’s right-footed shot from 25 meters (yards) flew past goalkeeper Peter Vindahl to double Liverpool’s early lead after Alexis Mac Allister’s penalty in Prague in the first leg of the round of 16.

The Uruguay international’s first strike of the evening was the 1,000th Liverpool goal scored under manager Jurgen Klopp, whose team will host the second leg next week at Anfield.

“We’re happy about the result and the performance,” Klopp told Czech public television. “Our goals were fantastic.”

In first-half stoppage time, Nunez let a pass from Mac Allister bounce in the right corner of the area before firing inside the far post for his second.

Nunez scored in the ninth minute of stoppage time Saturday to earn Liverpool a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

In Prague, Liverpool needed just a few minutes to go ahead.

Mac Allister sent Vindahl the wrong way in the sixth minute to convert a penalty awarded after the Argentine was downed in the area by Asger Sørensen.

Conor Bradley reduced the lead to 3-1 with an own goal a minute after he came on as substitute at the start of the second half. Luis Díaz restored the three-goal advantage seven minutes later.

Dominik Szoboszlai added a goal in stoppage time.

Next for Liverpool is a seismic meeting at Anfield against Manchester City on Sunday.

In a positive sign for the Reds, Mohamed Salah returned from injury as a substitute in the 74th minute.

Bundesliga leader Bayer Leverkusen made a long trip to Baku and needed a stoppage-time equalizer to draw 2-2 with Qarabag and extend their German record unbeaten run to 35 games across all competitions this season.

Substitute striker Patrik Schick rose in the area to head in an equalizer after another substitute Florian Wirtz had reduced Qarabag’s lead to one in 70th.

The teams also met in the group stage — Leverkusen won 5-1 at home and 1-0 in Baku.

Leverkusen returns to Germany ahead of a potentially tricky Bundesliga game against Wolfsburg on Sunday.

Roma’s renaissance under coach Daniele De Rossi continued with a 4-0 thumping of Brighton at Stadio Olimpico.

Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku gave the hosts 2-0 lead in the first half. Gianluca Mancini and Bryan Cristante finished it off in the second.

Roma has won eight of 10 matches across all competitions — with only one loss, to Serie A leader Inter Milan, since De Rossi replaced the fired Jose Mourinho.

In a pre-match incident, two Brighton fans were hospitalized in Rome after being stabbed. During the game, Brighton said it reported to UEFA and local police that bottles, coins and lighters were “being thrown by home supporters into the away end.”

Marseille keeps on scoring for new coach Jean-Louis Gasset, beating 10-man Villarreal 4-0 for a total of 16 goals in four games under him.

Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted from the spot and added one more for his 33rd career goal in the Europa League to improve his own competition record. Marseille also got a goal from Jordan Veretout and own goal from Yerson Mosquera.

Olivier Giroud, Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored a goal each at the end of the first half to put AC Milan in control 3-1 over 10-man Slavia Prague at San Siro. Ivan Schranz scored one more for Slavia before Christian Pulisic clinched a 4-2 win for the Italian powerhouse.

Michael Gregoritsch’s late goal secured a 1-0 home victory for Freiburg over West Ham.

An own goal from Rangers’ defender Connor Goldson salvaged a 2-2 draw for two-time European champion Benfica in Lisbon.

Europa Conference League

In the third-tier competition, Aston Villa held Ajax 0-0 in Amsterdam. Both teams finished the game with 10 men after Ajax midfielder Tristan Gooijer and Villa defender Ezri Konsa received their second yellow card in the last 10 minutes.

Lille relied on two goals from Canadian striker Jonathan David en route to a 3-0 victory at Sturm Graz.

Maccabi Tel Aviv also recorded a comprehensive 4-1 victory at Olympiacos and Norway’s Molde beat Club Brugge 2-1.

Antonín Barak scored five minutes into stoppage time for last year’s runner-up Fiorentina’s 4-3 victory over Maccabi Haifa in a game played in Budapest, Hungary due to the Israel’s war with Hamas.

Fenerbahce won 3-0 at Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels. Dinamo Zagreb defeated PAOK 2-0 while Servette played to a goalless home draw with Viktoria Plzeň.


How Saudi Arabia’s World Cup will reverberate across Asian football

Updated 16 December 2024
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How Saudi Arabia’s World Cup will reverberate across Asian football

  • The 2034 edition will the third time that football’s global showpiece will be held by Asia, after Japan-Korea 2002 and Qatar 2022

AUSTRALIA: As the party continues across Saudi Arabia after last week’s historic awarding of the FIFA World Cup 2034 to the Kingdom, the win is also being felt across the wider Asian Football Confederation.

The event in 2034 will mark just the third time football’s global showpiece will be held on Asian shores, after Japan-Korea 2002 and Qatar 2022, and will again focus the world’s attention on the best that Asian football has to offer.

The AFC’s president, Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, was the first to congratulate the new hosts. “This is a momentous occasion for Saudi Arabia, the AFC, and the whole of Asia,” he said.

“Saudi Arabia’s successful bid is a testament to the Kingdom’s vision, commitment, and passion for football. We have full confidence in their ability to host an extraordinary FIFA World Cup that will leave a lasting legacy for the sport in Asia and beyond.

“The AFC is committed to working closely with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and FIFA to ensure the successful delivery of the FIFA World Cup 2034. Together, we will create an unforgettable experience for football fans around the globe.

“This historic achievement marks a new chapter for Asian football. With Saudi Arabia hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2034, we are confident that Asia will continue to play a leading role on the global stage.”

Rhysh Roshan Rai, a former Singapore footballer and now commentator, having covered some of Asian football’s biggest moments, including the AFC Asian Cup, AFC Champions League and Asian Qualifiers, is excited about the possible developmental benefits for the region.

“Asia is huge and diverse, so it’s hard to speak for everyone, but I’m sure it’s exciting for fans in that part of the continent,” he told Arab News.

“Being given the opportunity to host a massive event like that. They’re big football fans in Saudi Arabia and very passionate about the game.

“Speaking for myself, as a fan of Asian football, I’m looking forward to it and hopefully it’ll be something that can benefit the game in Asia.”

These comments are echoed by Dejan Damjanovic, the all-time leading scorer in the AFC Champions League.

The 43-year-old, who retired from football last year after a glittering 25-year career, is best known for his time in Korea with FC Seoul.

He holds the record for the most goals in the AFC Champions League with 42, five more than Korea’s Lee Dong-gook and 10 more than Saudi Arabia’s Nasser Al-Shamrani.

“I think it’s going to be amazing,” said Damjanovic, who enjoyed a six-month loan spell with Al-Ahli in 2006.

“Everyone knows how much Saudi invested in the last couple of years and how much they will invest in the coming years. I am sure they will make it an unbelievable World Cup.

“I think this is going to be (an) amazing promotion of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East in general.”

It may only have been six months that Damjanovic spent in Saudi Arabia, at a different time in the Kingdom’s football development, but it clearly left an impact on him and the fans.

“I was just on loan there, and now when I look back I am really sorry that I didn’t stay longer,” he said.

“When I came back in 2013 (for the AFC Champions League quarterfinal) after six or seven years, still the fans welcomed me really nicely and the game was unbelievable.

“It’s really nice memories, and when I am with friends I am always speaking about (it). It’s really nice to have so many nice memories from ACL.”

Meanwhile, Roshan Rai was in the Kingdom in October to commentate on Saudi Arabia’s 0-0 draw with Bahrain, in what proved to be the last game of the Roberto Mancini era.

Having experienced firsthand the passion of the Saudi fans, not to mention the hospitality of the locals, the 39-year-old was left in no doubt about Saudi Arabia’s capacity to host the world’s biggest sporting event.

“They will be great hosts,” he said. “They’ve already been moving towards opening up the country for a while now and hosting big sporting and other events.

“They have the infrastructure in place and certainly have the resources to build on and improve on anything required to ensure that they can be the best host possible.

“From my own experiences there, the people have been warm, friendly and welcoming. I believe that will be the case as well once the World Cup comes around.”

He also spoke about the impact of hosting the World Cup. “Obviously in a football sense there are benefits … businesswise and so on there will be benefits.

“But from a human perspective there will also be a benefit to this. People might sometimes perceive things about certain places around the world. Stereotypes help us make sense of our world so it’s normal but it helps to challenge those stereotypes at times.

“I’ve been lucky enough to travel across the continent and world and have met with people from different cultures and backgrounds. There are many things in common that we have and also differences to celebrate, respect, discuss.

“There will be analysis and coverage of this event for a long time to come and that will put things under the spotlight and on the table for discussion, to work on things that need to be worked on by all parties.

“There is no perfect place on this planet, but an open mind and a willingness to learn about each other will go a long way towards our development as a species.”


Jens Odgaard scores for Bologna to end Fiorentina’s winning run in Italian league

Updated 16 December 2024
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Jens Odgaard scores for Bologna to end Fiorentina’s winning run in Italian league

  • Substitute Alessandro Gabrielloni and Nicolas Paz Martinez both scored in added time as Como beat AS Roma 2-0 in a lively contest

BOLOGNA, Italy: Bologna striker Jens Odgaard scored Sunday in a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina, ending the Florence-based club’s eight-match winning run in the Italian league.

The Danish player broke the deadlock near the hour-mark at the end of a fine collective move.

Fiorentina were seeking a ninth consecutive Serie A victory that would have seen them break the club record set in 1960.

After a balanced first half, Bologna were the better side after the interval and had several occasions to score — including Santiago Castro hitting the post — before they eventually broke the deadlock when Odgaard made the most of a loose ball in the box to score his third league goal.

Bologna moved up to seventh place in the standings.

Fiorentina remained in fourth place, level on points with third-place Inter Milan. League leaders Atalanta have a two-point lead over Napoli.

Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino did not attend the match after his mother passed away, leaving assistant coach Stefano Citterio in charge.

Genoa spoils anniversary night at Milan

Facing a combative Genoa team, Milan’s wasteful forward could not break the deadlock in a 0-0 draw.

Alvaro Morata came close in the 79th minute when he hit the crossbar. It was not enough to please a frustrated crowd and players were jeered at the final whistle.

With one match in hand, Milan are lagging 14 points behind Atalanta.

The game was preceded by a ceremony marking the club’s 125th anniversary that brought together former Milan greats, including Franco Baresi, Marco van Basten and Filippo Inzaghi.

Genoa are in 13th place and remains unbeaten under new coach Patrick Vieira.

First win for Como since September

Substitute Alessandro Gabrielloni and Nicolas Paz Martinez both scored in added time as Como beat AS Roma 2-0 in a lively contest.

Gabrielloni, who came in with 10 minutes left to play, scored his first Serie A goal three minutes into stoppage time. Gabrielloni then turned provider for Paz, who sealed the win four minutes later.

It was Como’s first league victory since Sept. 29. With its third win this season, it moved to 16th place with 15 points.

Verona secures much-needed win

Hellas Verona players gave coach Paolo Zanetti some respite with a 3-2 win at Parma.

The result, with goals from Diego Coppola, Amin Sarr and Daniel Mosquera, snapped a four-match losing streak for the injury-hit team.

Simon Sohm scored a brace but it was not enough for Parma. Verona moved one point away from the relegation zone.

Also, Lecce defeated Monza 2-1.


Leganes stun faltering La Liga leaders Barcelona

Updated 16 December 2024
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Leganes stun faltering La Liga leaders Barcelona

  • Hansi Flick’s side are level on points with Atletico Madrid, second, and lead third-place Real Madrid by a single point, having played one extra game than both their title rivals

BARCELONA: La Liga leaders Barcelona stumbled 1-0 at home against Leganes on Sunday as they suffered another blow in the Spanish title race.
Sergio Gonzalez headed home from a corner after four minutes for the visiting minnows and the Catalans missed a host of presentable chances as they failed to mount a comeback.
After a superb start to the season, Barcelona have lost three of their last six league games and won just one of those, with their lead whittled away.
Hansi Flick’s side are level on points with Atletico Madrid, second, and lead third-place Real Madrid by a single point, having played one extra game than both their title rivals.
Barcelona started in the worst possible way as their former youth player Munir El Haddadi broke in down the right and forced a fine save from Inaki Pena at his near post.
From the resulting corner Leganes took the lead, with Sergio Gonzalez powering a header home to stun the Olympic stadium into silence.
From there Barcelona dominated against the visitors, 15th, and created several chances but found an inspired Marko Dmitrovic in their way.
The Serbian goalkeeper twice denied La Liga’s top goalscorer Robert Lewandowski, who also headed over the bar from Jules Kounde’s cross.
Dmitrovic produced a superb save to thwart Brazilian winger Raphinha, tipping his powerful effort against the crossbar.
Barcelona’s teenage wing wizard Lamine Yamal hurt his ankle in a challenge in the first half but despite the pain affecting him, continued to play and was his team’s most potent threat as usual.
The 17-year-old lashed narrowly over after gliding past Javi Hernandez as Barcelona turned the screw.
Despite his ankle issue and Ferran Torres warming up, Yamal emerged for the second half.
Kounde screwed a shot narrowly wide after Dani Olmo nudged the ball through for him.
Neither Lewandowski nor Olmo were on song and Flick replaced the pair with Torres and Fermin Lopez for the final 25 minutes.
Leganes held firm with Barcelona only able to create half-chances, until Raphinha and Torres combined to tee up Kounde, but he pulled his shot across the face of goal and wide.
In stoppage time, Barcelona won a free-kick on the edge of Leganes’ area but Raphinha whipped it over the crossbar to end a thoroughly frustrating night.
Barcelona host Atletico in their final match of the year next weekend.


Maresca remains ‘realistic’ as Chelsea close in on Liverpool

Updated 16 December 2024
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Maresca remains ‘realistic’ as Chelsea close in on Liverpool

  • The Blues closed to within two points of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand, thanks to a fifth consecutive league win on Sunday

LONDON: Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said the chaotic end to his side’s 2-1 win over Brentford exemplified why they are not yet ready to compete for the Premier League title.
The Blues closed to within two points of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand, thanks to a fifth consecutive league win on Sunday.
Marc Cucurella and Nicolas Jackson struck for the home side at Stamford Bridge before Bryan Mbeumo’s 90th-minute goal sparked a nervy finale.
Cucurella was sent off in stoppage time but the 10 men held on for victory.
“For me no matter how many games we win, there are things (that show) we’re not ready to compete for the title in this moment. A team who knows how to win wouldn’t concede that goal,” said Maresca, who has repeatedly shot down the idea of challenging for the title.
“The fans, they can dream and think. But us inside as a club, as a squad, as players, as coaching staff, we need to be realistic.
“I said we have many things we can do better and this (the red card) is one of them.”
Maresca was frustrated by Chelsea’s inability to kill the game off earlier as they dominated the west London derby for long spells.
But it was an ideal weekend for his side as Liverpool and third-placed Arsenal both drew at home on Saturday, while defending champions Manchester City fell further off the pace with a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.
“We were in control of the game except the last 10 minutes where we concede,” added Maresca.
“We created chances. We could have scored more. We deserved to win the game.”


PSG beat Lyon to extend lead in Ligue 1

Updated 16 December 2024
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PSG beat Lyon to extend lead in Ligue 1

  • PSG now head to Monaco on Wednesday in a rearranged fixture which will give them the chance to finish 2024 with a 10-point advantage over their nearest rivals

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain outclassed in-form Lyon on Sunday, winning 3-1 to extend their lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table to seven points.
Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring at the Parc des Princes and Vitinha added a penalty as PSG raced into a two-goal lead in what was expected to be one of the biggest tests of their credentials domestically this season.
Georges Mikautadze pulled one back for Lyon before the break but they never really looked like equalising and substitute Goncalo Ramos wrapped up the points for PSG late on.
The win for Paris comes after nearest challengers Marseille and Monaco were both held to draws on Saturday, putting them in an even stronger position to go on and retain their title.
PSG now head to Monaco on Wednesday in a rearranged fixture which will give them the chance to finish 2024 with a 10-point advantage over their nearest rivals.
Earlier in France, Champions League surprise package Brest followed their latest famous European win in midweek by hammering Nantes 4-1.
First-half goals by Kamory Doumbia and captain Brendan Chardonnet set Brest on their way in Brittany, and Abdallah Sima added a late brace after Douglas Augusto had pulled a goal back for Nantes.
It was a much-needed victory for Brest, who had lost four of their previous five games in Ligue 1 but are up into mid-table, six points clear of the bottom three.
The Pirates qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history by finishing third in Ligue 1 last season.
A 1-0 home win over PSV Eindhoven in midweek was, remarkably, their fourth victory in six outings in Europe’s elite club competition — they are currently on course to qualify directly for the last 16.
Eric Roy’s team were back in their Stade Francis-Le Ble home for Sunday’s game, with the club forced to host Champions League matches over an hour away in Guingamp because their own stadium does not meet UEFA requirements.
Bottom club Montpellier came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Nice, while Le Havre — also in the relegation zone — lost 3-0 at home to Strasbourg.
Jorge Sampaoli’s struggling Rennes defeated Angers 2-0.