PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain were confirmed as Ligue 1 champions on Sunday without playing after closest challengers Monaco lost 3-2 away to Lyon.
Monaco’s defeat gave PSG an unassailable 12-point lead at the top of the table with three games remaining and means they are champions for a French record-extending 12th time.
PSG could have clinched the title on Saturday with a win at home to struggling Le Havre, but in the end they needed a 95th-minute equalizer to snatch a 3-3 draw.
However, after that game coach Luis Enrique insisted his side had won the league “without any doubt,” as they were 12 points clear with only 12 points left to play for, and also boast a far superior goal difference to that of Monaco.
The principality club’s loss in Lyon nevertheless makes PSG’s coronation official, and sets them up for Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal first leg away to Borussia Dortmund in Germany.
Monaco had taken the lead inside the opening minute in Lyon thanks to a Wissam Ben Yedder goal, but Alexandre Lacazette equalized for the hosts and Said Benrahma put them ahead before the half-hour mark.
Ben Yedder struck again to bring it back to 2-2, only for substitute Malick Fofana to net a late winner for Lyon, who are still hoping to qualify for Europe.
PSG have won 10 of their 12 titles in the last 12 seasons, a record which goes to show how the Qatari takeover of the club in 2011 has utterly transformed them and the face of French football as a whole.
They are on course for a clean sweep of trophies this season, with the French Cup final against Lyon to come on May 25 and the French Champions Trophy already in the bag.
Luis Enrique’s side are also hoping to see off Dortmund and win through to the final of the Champions League on June 1.
Paris Saint-Germain win Ligue 1 title after Monaco defeat
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Paris Saint-Germain win Ligue 1 title after Monaco defeat
- Monaco’s defeat gave PSG an unassailable 12-point lead at the top
‘Dreamer’ Amorim vows to revive ailing Man Utd
- Asked if he believes he can eventually restore United to the summit of English football, Amorim told reporters on Friday: “I’m a little bit of a dreamer, I believe in myself”
- “I truly believe in the players, I know you don’t believe a lot but I do. I want to try new things. You guys don’t think it’s possible, I do“
MANCHESTER: New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said he is the right man to revive the ailing English giants’ fortunes ahead of his debut against Ipswich on Sunday.
Amorim was hired from Sporting Lisbon to replace Erik ten Hag, who was sacked after a dismal start to the season left United languishing in 13th place in the Premier League.
The 39-year-old is regarded as one of the brightest young coaches in Europe after leading Sporting to a pair of Portugese titles during his four years in Lisbon.
But United have won just four of their 11 league games this term, extending a malaise that has set in since they last won the Premier League in Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge 11 years ago.
Asked if he believes he can eventually restore United to the summit of English football, Amorim told reporters on Friday: “I’m a little bit of a dreamer, I believe in myself. I believe in the club, we have the same mindset.
“I truly believe in the players, I know you don’t believe a lot but I do. I want to try new things. You guys don’t think it’s possible, I do.”
After arriving in Manchester during the international break, Amorim will finally get his first taste of the Premier League when United travel to struggling Ipswich this weekend.
He is trying to succeed where David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ten Hag all failed by bringing the title back to Old Trafford.
The Portuguese boss is adamant reviving United is not an impossible job, despite a difficult combination of high expectations and underperforming squad.
“Call me naive, but I truly believe that I’m the right guy in the right moment,” he added.
Amorim was speaking to the media for the first time since taking charge on November 11.
The packed press conference room at United’s Carrington training ground underlined what Amorim has already started to realize about the size and global reach of the 20-time English champions.
“It’s bigger than I imagined. There’s a lot of departments, it’s so much different than Sporting, and Sporting is a big club in Portugal,” he said.
“This you feel is a global club, so you have so much to do.”
Amorim’s rise has been compared to the early success enjoyed by compatriot Mourinho at Porto.
Mourinho took English football by storm when appointed Chelsea boss in 2004, shortly after guiding Porto to Champions League glory.
“He sent me a message saying it’s a big club with lovely people, and he’s correct, it still is,” Amorim said of Mourinho.
“With all the Portuguese coaches, we’ve shown that we can be the best in the world. I’m different from Mourinho. He was a European champion, I am not.
“Football is different nowadays, I think I am the right person for this moment. I am a young guy and I try to use this to help my players.”
Amorim’s confidence extends to his tactics and he is ready to stick with his preferred 3-4-3 system despite players who might not be suited to the formation.
“I prefer to risk a little bit,” he said. “We will adapt some players because we don’t have the right profile.
“This team was built for a different system. It’s not evolution or revolution, it’s a change in the way we play football.”
Acknowledging United’s numerous flaws, Amorim knows he faces a massive task to catch up the likes of rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
“We have space to grow as a team. We have to improve in a lot of areas,” he said.
“If you want to speak about the team and the way we play, we lose the ball too often. We have to be better at running back and we have to be very good in the details.
“We have to change the physical aspect of the team. I don’t know how long it will take. We have to improve a lot to try to win the title.”
Slot warns of Southampton slip-up ahead of Liverpool’s ‘incredible’ week
- Slot has made a remarkable start to his time in charge of the Reds, winning 15 of his first 17 games in all competitions
- That has propelled Liverpool into a five-point lead over City at the top of the Premier League and to the summit of the new-format Champions League
LIVERPOOL: Arne Slot said he cannot be distracted by Liverpool’s upcoming showdowns with Real Madrid and Manchester City as the injury-hit Premier League leaders visit Southampton on Sunday.
Slot has made a remarkable start to his time in charge of the Reds, winning 15 of his first 17 games in all competitions.
That has propelled Liverpool into a five-point lead over City at the top of the Premier League and to the summit of the new-format Champions League.
“It would be a bit strange if I tell you I’m not enjoying being in the position we are in now, but we also understand we’re only 11 (league) games in now, so that’s a lot of games to be played,” said Slot at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
A trip to bottom-of-the-table Southampton appears the ideal appetiser to two huge clashes as Madrid visit Anfield on Wednesday before a showdown with City on December 1.
But Slot is wary of the threat posed by the Saints, who have often dominated possession without reward on their return to the top-flight.
“We indeed have incredible fixtures coming up, starting with Southampton,” added Slot.
“It’s not going to be easy even if everyone feels it is (because they are) bottom of the league. (Southampton) do not play at all like this and they made it difficult for teams that are in the top three of four.
“Their playing style is very interesting, it is a joy to watch their games.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold could be back in time to face Madrid, but is unlikely to return from a hamstring injury this weekend, while Alisson Becker and Diogo Jota remain out.
Liverpool’s title rivals received a major boost this week as Pep Guardiola extended his contract as Manchester City boss until 2027.
Slot is a confessed admirer of the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach, who has led City to six Premier League titles in the past seven seasons.
“That’s good news for City first of all, and also good news for the league because I think everyone wants to have the best managers possible and the best players over here,” said Slot.
“On the other hand City have so many quality players that if he made the choice to leave the club I would never expect them to be bottom of the league next season.”
Leverkusen’s Boniface sidelined with leg injury
- “He’s got a small injury in his thigh muscle, it’s a shame,” Alonso told reporters ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Heidenheim
- Nigerian media reported Boniface could miss the remainder of 2024 but Alonso was optimistic the striker would be back soon
BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen and Nigeria striker Victor Boniface is set to miss “a few games” after returning from international duty with a leg injury, coach Xabi Alonso said Friday.
“He’s got a small injury in his thigh muscle, it’s a shame,” Alonso told reporters ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Heidenheim.
Nigerian media reported Boniface could miss the remainder of 2024 but Alonso was optimistic the striker would be back soon.
“He won’t be there tomorrow or against Salzburg (Champions League).
“We hope he will play again this year. We have to wait and see, but it’s not going to be six or eight weeks.”
Forward Patrik Schick, who has started just twice in the league this season, is expected to step up in the Nigerian’s absence.
“He is always ready — we don’t just need him now, but always.”
The defending champions, who did not lose a game in Germany last year on the way to an unbeaten league and cup double, have stuttered this season.
Leverkusen are currently in fourth, nine points behind league leaders Bayern Munich. Alonso’s men have dropped 13 points so far this season, one more than the 12 they leaked in the entirety of the last campaign.
Boniface is Leverkusen’s highest scorer in the league, with six goals and an assist in 10 games.
Arsenal, Man City and Bayern advance to Women’s Champions League quarterfinals
- Arsenal, Bayern and City join Chelsea, Lyon and Real Madrid in the quarterfinals
- Two-time defending champions Barcelona routed Austrian champion St. Polten 4-1
LONDON: Arsenal, Manchester City and Bayern Munich all advanced to the Women’s Champions League quarterfinals with with two games to spare on Thursday.
Late substitute Lina Hurtig scored the winner in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Juventus in London.
Khadija Shaw scored twice for City in a 2-1 win at Swedish club Hammarby. City stayed perfect in Group D with four victories and reached the last eight for the first time since 2021.
Bayern Munich was held 1-1 at Vålerenga in Norway and still earned a quarterfinal berth after Juventus’ loss.
Arsenal, Bayern and City join Chelsea, Lyon and Real Madrid in the quarterfinals.
Two-time defending champions Barcelona routed Austrian champion St. Polten 4-1. The Catalan club trails City by three points in their group and is in a strong position to advance.
Bayern tops Group C with 10 points, Arsenal has nine followed by Juventus (3) and Vålerenga (1).
Back to winning
Man City responded to their first loss of the season, 2-0 at Chelsea in the Women’s Super League on Saturday.
Still without injured star Vivianne Miedema, Shaw took charge, proving her scoring instincts after half an hour.
The forward scored from inside the penalty area with a deflected shot that flew over goalkeeper Anna Tamminen to frustrate more than 20,000 noisy fans at the Stockholm Arena in the Swedish capital.
Ellen Wangerheim equalized soon after the interval from close range to rejuvenate the crowd but Shaw struck again to restore the lead just minutes later.
This time, she delivered a powerful right-footed finish from the edge of the area.
Bayern and Harder contained
Bayern dominated possession but could not translate it into goals until the 75th minute. It had to rely on substitute Jovana Damnjanovic, who gave the visitors a late lead after connecting on a pass from Giulia Gwinn.
The Norwegians, who have retained their domestic title, equalized in the 88th on Elize Thorsnes’ header following a corner.
Pernille Harder, who found the back of the net five times for Bayern in the previous three games, could not do it again on Thursday and was substituted.
Hurtig’s night
Hurtig came on with 10 minutes remaining and made her presence immediately felt with several headers.
She finally made the breakthrough with a minute remaining in regulation, tapping in from close range after Juventus’ poor clearance of a low cross by Stina Blackstenius.
Hurtig won the Italian title with Juventus in 2021 and 2022 before joining the Gunners.
Juventus seemed to learn a lesson from its 4-0 loss to Arsenal last week as its defense held firm till Hurtig’s arrival.
Putellas scores her 200th Barcelona goal
In an 11-minute span in the first half, Francisca Nazareth netted twice and 18-year-old Vicky Lopez scored once to put Barcelona in control.
Nazareth’s double was followed by Lopez hitting the third with a shot high into the net for her first Champions League goal.
Alexia Putellas made it 4-0 in the second half, finishing a fast attack that tore apart the defense in Vienna. It was her 200th goal for Barcelona and the 100th the club scored in the Champions League’s group stage.
Valentina Madl, an 18-year-old forward, netted a consolation goal for the hosts.
Barcelona have scored 20 goals in its past three games and can still become the first club to win its group in all four years since the introduction of the format.
Pep Guardiola signs a 2-year contract extension at Manchester City
- The Catalan coach has overseen a period of unprecedented dominance since joining City in 2016
- “I have a really special feeling for this football club,” he said
MANCHESTER, England: Pep Guardiola has signed a two-year contract extension to stay at Manchester City, the club announced Thursday.
The City manager’s contract was due to expire at the end of this season, but Guardiola ended speculation about his future by agreeing to a deal that would bring him to 11 seasons in Manchester.
The Catalan coach has overseen a period of unprecedented dominance since joining City in 2016. He has gone on to win six Premier League titles in seven years and also lifted the Champions League among 15 major trophies at the club.
“Manchester City means so much to me. This is my ninth season here. We have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club,” he said.
“That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.”
Under Guardiola, City became the first team to win four-straight English league titles. He also led City to the treble in 2023, winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in one season — matching Manchester United’s achievement in 1999.
“I have said this many times before,” Guardiola continued in his statement, “but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much. Hopefully now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Guardiola has managed City for longer than any his former clubs, having spent four years at Barcelona and three at Bayern Munich.
