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.


Reus begins farewell tour while Bayern stumble in Stuttgart

Updated 3 min 13 sec ago
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Reus begins farewell tour while Bayern stumble in Stuttgart

  • Late goals from South Korea’s Jeong Woo-yeong and the DRC’s Silas Katompa Mvumpa saw Bayern suffer their first defeat in Stuttgart since 2007
  • It was a particularly emotional afternoon for Reus, who had announced on Friday that after 12 years at Dortmund he would leave at the end of the season

BERLIN: Marco Reus scored what could be his last ever goal for Borussia Dortmund in a 5-1 win over Augsburg on Saturday, while Bayern Munich stumbled to a 3-1 defeat away to Stuttgart ahead of their Champions League clash with Real Madrid.
Late goals from South Korea’s Jeong Woo-yeong and the DRC’s Silas Katompa Mvumpa saw Bayern suffer their first defeat in Stuttgart since 2007.
Stuttgart took the lead with a smash-and-grab goal just before the half-hour mark, Leonidas Stergiou prodding home after a dainty chip over the back line from Deniz Undav.
Bayern then equalized in controversial circumstances, after Stuttgart captain Waldemar Anton conceded a penalty with a very light challenge on Serge Gnabry.
Harry Kane converted the resulting penalty, taking his season tally to 36 goals, moving to within just four of Robert Lewandowski’s Bundesliga record.
But an 83rd minute header from Jeong put Stuttgart back in front before Silas sealed the win in stoppage time.
While Bayern head to Madrid with their tails between their legs, fellow Champions League semifinalists Dortmund were in fine form ahead of their trip to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
It was a particularly emotional afternoon for Reus, who had announced on Friday that after 12 years at Dortmund he would leave at the end of the season.
Youssoufa Moukoko gave Dortmund the lead early on, flicking the ball in from close range after some chaotic defending from Augsburg.
Donyell Malen doubled the lead on 20 minutes, heading home and in swinging corner from English winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens.
Moukoko added another from a corner shortly afterwards, before Ruben Vargas pulled one back for Augsburg against the run of play.
Dortmund remained unfazed, however, and Reus soon made it 4-1 with an elegant chip over goalkeeper Alexander Meyer.
Reus then set up Felix Nmecha for Dortmund’s fifth in the second half, and hit the bar himself before leaving the pitch to standing ovations on 65 minutes.
Elsewhere, Wolfsburg moved closer to safety with a 3-0 home win over Darmstadt while Werder Bremen were held 2-2 at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Two goals from Nick Woltemade saw Bremen come from behind after Robin Hack’s early opener for Gladbach, but the visitors snatched a point when Florian Neuhaus smashed a late penalty into the top corner.
Two early goals from Patrick Wimmer and Jonas Wind and a late strike from Vaclav Cerny saw Wolfsburg cruise past already relegated Darmstadt.
Ralph Hasenhuettl’s side are now nine points clear of the relegation play-off place, having played one more game than fellow strugglers Mainz.


Ipswich promoted to Premier League for first time in 22 years

Updated 04 May 2024
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Ipswich promoted to Premier League for first time in 22 years

  • Leeds needed an Ipswich defeat coupled with victory over Southampton to leap into the top two
  • Ipswich’s most famous fan Ed Sheeran, who sponsors the club’s shirts, was not in attendance

LONDON: Ipswich returned to the Premier League for the first time in 22 years after beating Huddersfield 2-0 to secure promotion from the Championship on Saturday.
Goals from Wes Burns and Omari Hutchinson ensured the Tractor Boys became just the fourth side in the Premier League era to go from the third to the top tier via consecutive promotions.
Leeds needed an Ipswich defeat coupled with victory over Southampton to leap into the top two.
But Daniel Farke’s men lost 2-1 to Saints at Elland Road, meaning he will come up against old club Norwich in the playoff semifinals.
Ipswich’s most famous fan Ed Sheeran, who sponsors the club’s shirts, was not in attendance for wild scenes of celebration at Portman Road as fans poured on to the pitch and lit blue flares at full-time.
The Suffolk club, which was sold to American investors for just £40 million ($50 million), will now pocket at least £200 million in television revenue in the coming years.
Huddersfield had already been realistically relegated prior to Saturday due to their vastly inferior goal difference compared to their rivals at the bottom.
Burns settled any nerves among the home support when he fired low into the bottom corner on 27 minutes.
On-loan Chelsea winger Hutchinson has been one of the stars of Ipswich’s season and made sure Kieran McKenna’s men could relax by smashing home a second just three minutes into the second half.
Ipswich could face a fight just to hold on to the highly-rated McKenna, a former first team coach at Manchester United.
The 37-year-old Northern Irishman has been linked with a move to Brighton should Roberto De Zerbi leave the Seagulls.
West Brom beat Preston 3-0 to secure their playoff place and will face Southampton.
There was also drama at the bottom of the table as Birmingham were relegated in their first season with NFL legend Tom Brady as a minority owner of the club.
A 1-0 win over Norwich was not enough to save the Blues.
Blackburn spoiled Leicester’s title party with a 2-0 win at the King Power to survive and deny the Foxes amassing 100 points.
Plymouth ended Hull’s playoff hopes with a 1-0 win to hold off Birmingham by a point.


Japan beats Uzbekistan in stoppage time in U23 Asian Cup final

Updated 04 May 2024
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Japan beats Uzbekistan in stoppage time in U23 Asian Cup final

  • Substitute Fuki Yamada broke the deadlock in the first minute of stoppage time

AL-RAYYAN, Qatar: Japan left it late to win its second Under-23 Asian Cup after beating Uzbekistan 1-0 in the final on Friday.
Substitute Fuki Yamada broke the deadlock in the first minute of stoppage time at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium and Japan goalkeeper Leo Kokubo saved a penalty to preserve the lead.
Uzbekistan, the 2018 champion, almost took an incredible lead just before halftime. Ruslanbek Jiyanov, just inside the Japanese half, tried to send a long cross into the area but, instead, the flight of the ball deceived Kokubo and bounced off the crossbar.
For the goal, Ryotaro Araki backheeled the ball to Yamada just outside the area, and he fired low into the left corner.
Just five minutes later, Uzbekistan was awarded a penalty after a VAR review when Hiroki Sekine handled in the area. Kokubo made a diving save to his right to push out Umarali Rakhmonaliev’s powerful shot.
Both finalists and third-placed Iran also qualified for Paris Olympics men’s football. Fourth-placed Indonesia has one more chance to make it to a first Olympics since 1956 with a playoff against Guinea next Thursday.


Luton gains valuable point from home draw with Everton

Updated 04 May 2024
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Luton gains valuable point from home draw with Everton

  • Luton remained third to last

LUTON, England: Luton got a valuable point in its fight to avoid relegation after a hard-fought 1-1 draw with visiting Everton in the English Premier League on Friday.
Luton remained third to last, below 17th-placed Nottingham Forest only on goal difference. Luton has two games left. Everton has already guaranteed its survival.
Everton took the initiative when Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored from the penalty spot after 24 minutes.
A video review ruled Teden Mengi held Jarrad Branthwaite, and Calvert-Lewin notched his fourth goal in his last five appearances.
Luton bounced back quickly thanks to Elijan Adebayo. The striker scored five in five games before he was injured in February, and almost three months out did not seem to have affected his eye for goal. In his first start since returning, Adebayo collected his 10th goal of the season.
Luton substitute Andros Townsend saw his shot blocked on the line in the dying seconds.


Man City’s Foden wins football writers’ award

Updated 03 May 2024
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Man City’s Foden wins football writers’ award

  • Foden is the third City player in the past four years to win football’s oldest individual award
  • The 23-year-old Foden received 42 percent of the votes, heading off competition from Arsenal’s Declan Rice and his teammate Rodri

LONDON: Manchester City’s Phil Foden was Friday named Footballer of the Year by the English Football Writers’ Association, with the club’s Khadija Shaw scooping the women’s award.
England attacking midfielder Foden joins a roll call of famous names including Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, George Best and Kenny Dalglish.
Foden is the third City player in the past four years to win football’s oldest individual award, following Ruben Dias in 2021 and Erling Haaland last year.
The 23-year-old Foden received 42 percent of the votes, heading off competition from Arsenal’s Declan Rice and his teammate Rodri, who came third in a ballot of the FWA’s near 900-strong membership.
Foden has scored 24 goals this season as Pep Guardiola’s City chase a Premier League and FA Cup double.
“Being named the Football Writers’ Association footballer of the year is a huge honor,” said Foden. “I’m very, very happy to receive this award but I could not have done it without the help of my teammates.”
Guardiola praised his player but said he could get even better.
“The impact in the final third is really good, the work ethic,” he said. “Every year, due to the amount of games he’s playing, the minutes he’s playing, he’s more mature and he understands the game but he has to continue. He’s still young.”
“Depends on him, simple as that,” Guardiola added. “I promise you, it depends on him. Mentality, want more, do it again, do it again, be better in this department, I will live 24 hours for my game and for my profession. It depends on him, like all the players.”
Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, who has scored 21 goals in the Women’s Super League, pipped Chelsea’s Lauren James, with the two taking a combined 80 percent of the vote.
Jamaica international Shaw will miss City’s final two games of the Women’s Super League season with a foot injury but is almost certain to finish as the top-scorer in the WSL as Gareth Taylor’s side close in on the title.
“I am very proud and privileged to have received this award and to be recognized in this way is a special honor,” said Shaw, 27.
“I want to also thank all of my teammates. They provide me with the chances to score goals and I could not have won this award without them.”