PARIS: Liverpool fell behind for the fourth time in five matches this season but fought back to beat LASK 3-1 in Linz in the Europa League on Thursday.
Elsewhere in the early matches in the first round of the group stage of the second-tier European competition, Romelu Lukaku earned last year’s beaten finalists Roma a 2-1 victory at Sheriff.
Bayer Leverkusen crushed Swedes Hacken 4-0, Rennes cruised past Maccabi Haifa 3-0 in France, Spaniards Villarreal lost 2-0 to Panathinakos in Greece.
Liverpool, playing in the Europa League for the first time since finishing runners up in 2016, changed their entire starting 11 away to LASK and quickly fell behind.
In the 14th minute, Sascha Horvath lobbed a corner to Florian Flecker just outside the Liverpool box. The Austrian midfielder controlled the dropping ball before smashing a rocket shot past Caoimhin Kelleher in the Liverpool goal.
Darwin Nunez levelled with a 55th-minute penalty kick after Luis Diaz was brought down.
After 61 minutes, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp started to replace teenagers with regular starters.
Within two minutes they were ahead when Ryan Gravenberch burst down the right and crossed low for Diaz to score from close range.
Two minutes from the end Mohamed Salah, a second-half replacement, poked home a third.
In Moldova, Leandro Paredes scored four minutes into first-half injury time to give Roma the lead away to Sheriff.
Colombian Cristian Tovar levelled but Romelu Lukaku gave Jose Mourinho’s team a narrow victory.
In the Conference League, Aston Villa, returning to European competition after a 12-year gap, fell behind in the third minute to Legia Warsaw and despite equalising twice lost 3-2.
Pawel Wszolek met a cross from the left with a sliding volley to put Legia ahead.
Jhon Duran levelled after six minutes heading in a rebound after a Nicolo Zaniolo shot.
But the Poles regained the lead after 25 minutes when Wszolek crossed from the right and Ernest Muci scored on the half volley.
Lucas Digne levelled with a deflected shot from the edge of the box after 38 minutes but Muci settled the game with a low shot after 51 minutes.
Croatians Zrinjski Mostar came from three goals down to beat visiting AZ Alkmaar 4-3.
Myron Van Brederode, Sven Mijnans and Dani de Wit put the Dutch side three goals up by half-time.
Zvonimir Kozulj started the comeback after 48 minutes and ended it in the 81st minute, sandwiching goals from Josip Corluka and Aldin Hrvanovic.
Liverpool fight back again to edge LASK on Europa League return
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Liverpool fight back again to edge LASK on Europa League return
- Romelu Lukaku earned last year’s beaten finalists Roma a 2-1 victory at Sheriff
- Bayer Leverkusen crushed Swedes Hacken 4-0, Rennes cruised past Maccabi Haifa 3-0 in France, Spaniards Villarreal lost 2-0 to Panathinakos in Greece
Dortmund to host Germany’s Nations League clash with Italy
- The match will take place at the 82,000-seat home of Borussia Dortmund on March 23
DORTMUND: Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion will host the second leg of Germany’s Nations League quarter-final clash with Italy in March 2025, the German FA (DFB) announced Thursday.
The match will take place at the 82,000-seat home of Borussia Dortmund on March 23, three days after the first leg at Milan’s San Siro.
In a statement, DFB sporting director Rudi Voeller said: “Dortmund is the perfect location for what is a football classic.”
Germany, who are in the Nations League knockouts for the first time, won their most recent game at the venue, a 2-0 victory over Denmark in the Euro 2024 quarter finals.
Unlike England’s Wembley and the Stade de France in Paris, Germany does not have a national football stadium, with games shared around the federal nation.
Griezmann in PlayStation form has steered Atletico Madrid back on track
- Griezmann and fellow forward Julián Álvarez have returned to form to lead Atletico on a 10-game winning streak
- Atletico trail leader Barcelona by three points and are one point behind second-placed Real Madrid
MADRID: Antoine Griezmann wishes he was as good in the real world as he is on PlayStation. Based on his performances with Atletico Madrid, he must be really good on the video game.
Griezmann and fellow forward Julián Álvarez have returned to form to lead Atletico on a 10-game winning streak that has put the club back on track in the Champions League and Spanish league, where on Sunday they host Getafe with a chance to reach the top of the standings.
Atletico trail leader Barcelona by three points and are one point behind second-placed Real Madrid. Atletico and Madrid have a game in hand compared to Barcelona. The Catalan club host Leganes on Sunday, while Madrid visit Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
Griezmann scored his sixth and seven goals in his last five matches in Atletico’s 3-1 win over Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Álvarez scored his fifth goal in five matches.
Griezmann is a long-time fan of video games and used to make headlines for his Fortnite celebrations during that game’s hype a few years ago. The France star celebrated one of his goals at Metropolitano Stadium on Wednesday alongside Pablo Barrios and Giuliano Simeone, two of his PlayStation playing partners, imitating the moves they make on the video game.
“We play FIFA a lot and that’s the celebration we usually do when we play together,” Griezmann said. He quickly added, “We are better on the Play than we are on the field.”
Griezmann, named the man of the match against Slovan, scored his goals in the 42nd and 57th minutes, after Álvarez — who arrived from Manchester City for more than $100 million in August — put Atletico ahead with a nice curling finish to open the scoring in the 16th. Slovan’s lone goal came in the second half.
Atletico’s attack has been key for the team’s resurgence since an October loss at Real Betis in La Liga. Since then, Diego Simeone’s team have outscored opponents 30-7 across all competitions. They have scored three or more goals in each of their last five games, something that hadn’t happened since 1950, according to UEFA.
“We’ve been playing really well, and the team as a whole are performing excellently,” Álvarez said. “Everyone, even those coming off the bench, has been contributing to the team. We are on the right path, and we have to keep working this way. All the competitions are very challenging but we’ve been doing really well.”
The victory against Slovan moved Atletico to 11th place in the Champions League standings, in position to try to grab one of the top eight spots in the league phase.
“We needed the points. They were very important for us to carry on with this dynamic,” coach Simeone said. “The team is responding to the situations we find ourselves in in these games. This reflects well on the team.”
Sweden ends rape inquiry allegedly targeting Kylian Mbappe
- Lead investigator: ‘The evidence is not sufficient to proceed and the investigation is therefore closed’
- Kylian Mbappe’s lawyer said in October that he was ‘shocked’ to see his name linked to the investigation
STOCKHOLM: An investigation into alleged rape and sexual assault in Stockholm which Swedish media said targeted Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has been closed due to insufficient evidence, the Swedish prosecutor said Thursday.
The 25-year-old French star, one of the highest-profile players in world football, visited the Swedish capital October 9-11 with a group of people after he was not selected by his country for a Nations League match.
Sweden’s prosecution authority announced on October 15 that it was investigating an alleged incident that occurred at an upscale Stockholm hotel on October 10, without mentioning the suspect by name.
Several Swedish media outlets, including newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen and public broadcaster SVT, identified Mbappe as the suspect.
“My assessment is that the evidence is not sufficient to proceed and the investigation is therefore closed,” prosecutor Marina Chirakova said in a statement that also did not mention Mbappe by name.
Chirakova said the suspect had “not been notified of suspicion of a crime.”
Mbappe’s lawyer said in October that he was “shocked” to see his name linked to the investigation.
Speaking for the first time about the case on Sunday, he told French television show Clique he was “not involved.”
“I haven’t received anything, no summons... I’m not involved,” he said.
According to Aftonbladet, Mbappe and his entourage dined at a restaurant one evening before going on to a nightclub.
Aftonbladet said the complaint was filed on October 12 after the alleged victim had sought medical attention.
Expressen reported that police had seized some clothing as evidence, saying it consisted of women’s underwear, a pair of black trousers and a black top.
Photographs showed police officers leaving the hotel with brown bags.
Mbappe has had a difficult season since moving to reigning European champions Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, failing to find his top form.
However the Frenchman scored in Madrid’s 3-2 win against Italian side Atalanta on Tuesday which revived Real’s flagging bid to regain their Champions League title.
Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham were all on the scoresheet in Bergamo as Madrid moved up to 20th place in the Champions League table, on nine points from six matches.
The Spanish giants would have been at risk of dropping out of the Champions League play-off places if they had lost.
Mbappe is one of the hottest properties in world football.
He won the World Cup as a teenager in 2018 in Russia and scored a hat-trick in the 2022 final in Qatar which France lost on penalties to Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
At Paris Saint-Germain he was part of a superstar trio with Messi and Brazilian forward Neymar.
Wolfsburg earn key win over Roma in Women’s Champions League, Lyon net six past Galatasaray
- Four goals inside the final 25 minutes from Sveindis Jonsdottir secured Wolfsburg second spot in Group A as they moved three points ahead of Roma
- In Group B, the already-qualified Chelsea and Real Madrid both won to set up a blockbuster final group game next week
PARIS: Wolfsburg romped to a 6-1 win over Roma in the Women’s Champions League on Wednesday to book their place in the quarterfinals, while eight-time victors Lyon hammered Galatasaray.
Four goals inside the final 25 minutes from Sveindis Jonsdottir secured Wolfsburg second spot in Group A as they moved three points ahead of Roma and boast a better head-to-head record against the Italians.
“I’m extremely happy and extremely proud that we’re through,” said Wolfsburg forward Alexandra Popp.
“We made life very difficult for ourselves with the result from the game in Rome. But to have a game like this... I’m just super proud.”
On matchday one, the Romans won 1-0 against Wolfsburg in Italy but the two-time champions now have a superior record thanks to their heavy win at home.
The Germans next face leaders Lyon in the final round of group-stage matches on Dec. 17, but with nothing at stake.
The French side have a perfect five wins from five after their 6-0 demolition of bottom side Galatasaray and sit six points clear in the group.
In Germany, Popp opened the scoring early for Wolfsburg, before Valentina Giacinti equalized shortly after halftime.
Lineth Beerensteyn put the Wolves back in front after the hour and Jonsdottir then bagged four to give the win a sheen.
The Iceland forward came off the substitutes’ bench on 66 minutes and netted her first just two minutes later.
She then scored three in the final five minutes to bring Wolfsburg up to nine points.
“I’m going to let all the girls write something on this (match) ball — I’m really happy! I’ll probably never forget about it,” said Jonsdottir.
In Istanbul, six different players were on the scoresheet for Lyon as they ran riot at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
Ada Hegerberg and Sara Daebritz scored inside the opening 30 minutes, before a Jazmin Jackmon own-goal made it 3-0 by the break.
Captain Wendie Renard, Danielle van de Donk and Eugenie Le Sommer completed the scoring in the second half.
Le Sommer’s 76th-minute strike brought up a significant milestone for the 35-year-old as it was her 50th goal in the Champions League.
“It would be too early to say that we are the favorites for the cups before the end of the season, but we are making good progress,” Lyon coach Joe Montemurro told UEFA’s website.
“We’ve had a good start to the season, but the important thing is to maintain this.”
In Group B, the already-qualified Chelsea and Real Madrid both won to set up a blockbuster final group game next week, where the winners of the pool will be decided.
The English champions will travel to Madrid in pole position on Dec. 17, holding a three-point advantage after defeating Real 3-2 at home on the first matchday.
Chelsea maintained their 100 percent record on Wednesday as they waltzed to a 6-1 win against Dutch club Twente.
Madrid moved to 12 points with a 3-0 win at Celtic thanks to a brace from Danish attacker Signe Bruun and a late Alba Redondo header.
Man City crisis deepens with loss to Juventus in Champions League as Barcelona and Arsenal triumph
- City have won just one of their last 10 matches in all competitions
- Barcelona jumped into second place in the league standings, behind Liverpool, and are guaranteed to advance after a 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund
- The top eight qualify directly for the last 16 and the teams placed No. 9-24 go into a two-legged playoff
LONDON: Manchester City plunged deeper into trouble in the Champions League by losing 2-0 at Juventus on Wednesday, the latest setback in a scarcely believable run of poor results for the ailing English champions.
City dropped to 22nd place in the 36-team standings, with only the top 24 advancing. Progressing to the next round of the new-look format looked a certainty before the season for a team that was European champion in 2023 and has won the last four Premier League titles. But not anymore as City manager Pep Guardiola battles injuries and an apparent loss of belief among his players.
City have won just one of their last 10 matches in all competitions, with goals by Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie inflicting the latest defeat and igniting Juventus’ qualification hopes.
Barcelona jumped into second place in the league standings, behind Liverpool, and are guaranteed to advance after a 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund. Raphinha and Ferran Torres, with two goals, scored for Barca.
Arsenal beat Monaco 3-0 mainly thanks to two goals by Bukayo Saka to move into third place and be the highest of six teams on 13 points.
The top eight qualify directly for the last 16 and the teams placed No. 9-24 go into a two-legged playoff.
Danger for City
City have two games to save theier faltering Champions League campaign and the first is against Paris Saint-Germain, another giant in trouble in 25th place — one spot out of the qualifying positions.
Vlahovic put Juventus ahead in the 53rd when he powered a header goalward straight at City goalkeeper Ederson, who could only parry the ball over his own line. Two American substitutes sealed the win for Juve, with McKennie volleying home from Timothy Weah’s cross.
Juventus moved into 14th place.
Super-sub Torres
Ferran Torres came off the bench to inspire Barcelona to a fifth win in six games and push Dortmund, last season’s runner-up, out of the top eight.
Torres came on in the 71st to replace Robert Lewandowski, who had a quiet game against his former club. Just four minutes later, Torres scored a goal on the rebound from Dani Olmo’s shot.
Serhou Guirassy’s second goal of the game leveled the score at 2-2 but Torres scored again in the 85th off Lamine Yamal’s pass on the counter.
Raphinha gave Barcelona the lead before Guirassy equalized from the penalty spot. Raphinha and Guirassy are tied for second place in the scoring chart on six goals, behind Lewandowski’s competition-high seven.
Home comforts for Arsenal
Arsenal secured a third straight home win without conceding in the league stage, with Saka scoring in the 34th and 78th minutes and sending in a shot that was turned into the net by substitute Kai Havertz in the 88th.
Arsenal are ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Inter Milan, Brest and Lille on goal difference. Lille won 3-2 at home to Sturm Graz on Wednesday.
In-form Alvarez
Man City could sure do with Julian Alvarez at the moment.
With a brilliant curling finish to open the scoring, the Argentina striker helped Atletico Madrid beat Slovan Bratislava 3-1 and provide a timely reminder of what City are missing after selling him for more than $100 million in August. Alvarez has 12 goals for the season, with four coming in the Champions League.
Antoine Griezmann scored Atletico’s other two goals at Metropolitano stadium as the Spanish team climbed to 11th place after a 10th straight win in all competitions.
Tribute to grieving teammate
When Lukasz Lakomy gave Young Boys the lead against Stuttgart, he ran toward the sideline and held up teammate Meschack Elia’s jersey as others gathered around him.
The gesture was a tribute after Elia’s son died unexpectedly this week after a short illness. Elia wasn’t playing as he was on his way to his native Congo, where his son died, to be with his family.
Both teams wore black armbands and there was a moment of silence before the game, which was won 5-1 by Stuttgart.