Scottish champions Celtic withstood a furious fightback from Hapoel Beer-Sheva to reach the Champions League group stage on Tuesday (Aug 23) despite a 2-0 defeat in Israel, while Porto beat nine-man Roma 3-0 to advance.

Leading 5-2 from last week’s first play-off leg in Glasgow, Celtic were made to sweat in the Israeli desert with goals from Ben Sahar and Ovidiu Hoban setting up a nervy finish.

However, Brendan Rodgers’ side held on to progress 5-4 on aggregate and qualify for the group stage for the first time in three seasons, with Maharan Radi’s first-half penalty miss proving particularly costly for the Israeli champions.

Joining Celtic in Thursday’s draw will be two-time former winners Porto after the Portuguese giants punished Roma for their indiscipline in the Italian capital, after the first leg finished 1-1.

Felipe headed Porto into an eighth-minute lead but Roma lost captain Daniele de Rossi to a straight red card before the break after a wild lunge on Maxi Pereira, with Emerson Palmieri dismissed just after half-time following another crude tackle.

Two quick-fire goals from Mexico internationals Miguel Layun and Jesus Corona then rubberstamped Porto’s place in the group stage.

A stoppage time penalty from Fabinho handed Monaco a 3-1 aggregate victory over Villarreal, with Legia Warsaw ending the dreams of Irish champions Dundalk as a 1-1 draw sent the Polish club through 3-1 overall.

Ludogorets Razgrad of Bulgaria advanced 4-2 on aggregate over Viktoria Plzen following a 2-2 draw in the Czech Republic.

On Wednesday, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will look to finish off Steaua Bucharest after a resounding 5-0 victory in Romania last time out.

European Champions League second-leg play-off round:

Roma (ITA) 0 Porto (POR) 3
(Porto win 4-1 on aggregate)

Hapoel Beer-Sheva (ISR) 2 Celtic (SCO) 0
(Celtic win 5-4 on aggregate)

Legia Warsaw (POL) 1 Dundalk (IRL) 1
(Legia Warsaw win 3-1 on aggregate)

Monaco (FRA) 1 Villarreal (ESP) 0
(Monaco win 3-1 on aggregate)

Viktoria Plzen (CZE) 2 Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL) 2
(Ludogorets Razgrad win 4-2 on aggregate)

Source AFP

New England manager Sam Allardyce will consider ending former captain John Terry’s four-year international exile, he revealed on Monday (Aug 22).

Terry, 35, retired from England duty in September 2012 after the Football Association charged him with racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand. He was later fined and given a four-game ban.

Roy Hodgson, Allardyce’s predecessor, said in March that England had still not successfully replaced the Chelsea centre-back and Allardyce has not ruled out handing him a recall.

Asked if Terry might be in line for an England return, Allardyce said: “Maybe so. I think it depends on what John said.

“Maybe if I get the opportunity, I might have to give him a ring. But until I come to that selection or that process, we’ll wait and see.

“I don’t know what the political side of that might mean, if there is a political side. I’ll have to have that conversation if I feel that John Terry may be a possibility.”

Terry, capped 78 times, signed a one-year Chelsea contract extension in May and has played in their two games to date under new manager Antonio Conte.

Allardyce, 61, was appointed England manager in July after Hodgson stepped down following England’s humiliating elimination by Iceland at Euro 2016.

He begins his tenure with a 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Slovakia in Trnava on September 4 and will name his first squad on Sunday.

Allardyce, known as ‘Big Sam’, confirmed goalkeeper Joe Hart will be selected, despite having lost his place at Manchester City under new manager Pep Guardiola.

But Allardyce warned it is “critical” for Hart to secure regular first-team football if he is to remain England’s first-choice goalkeeper.

“If it goes for a longer period of time, then I think it’s difficult to select them,” Allardyce told reporters at the St George’s Park national football centre in Burton, central England.

Guardiola has expressed reservations about Hart’s passing ability and Allardyce said he would speak to the City manager about the matter.

ROONEY’S ROLE

Another England player now under Guardiola’s orders is centre-back John Stones, who recently joined City from Everton.

Allardyce expressed hope that Guardiola will improve Stones’s defending, citing his work with Gerard Pique at Barcelona as an example.

“Potential is something that’s going to be great in the future,” Allardyce said of Stones, 22. “I want it right now and I think he’s got a great chance of becoming ‘right now’.”

Allardyce must also decide whether to persist with Wayne Rooney as captain. He said he had made up his mind on the issue, but would not make an announcement until next week.

Rooney, 30, played in midfield for England at Euro 2016, but has been operating in a number 10 role at Manchester United since the appointment of Jose Mourinho as manager.

“I think his best position is where he’s being played now because that’s the manager of Manchester United telling him where he wants him to play, with Zlatan (Ibrahimovic),” Allardyce said.

Rooney’s United team-mate Marcus Rashford has disappeared from view under Mourinho, having broken into England’s Euro squad after his stunning emergence last season.

Allardyce said the 18-year-old might be best served by dropping into England’s Under-21 squad in order to build up playing time.

Asked to explain England’s recurrent failings at major tournaments, Allardyce said the collective problem was “psychological”.

But he vowed to eschew a softly-softly approach and said the way to get more from the country’s under-performing players was to challenge them.

“I might be slightly more demanding as a manager,” he said.

“My idea of coaching and man-managing the players is: yes, we get on well, we communicate well together, but at the end of the day, to try and push them a little farther than they’ve already been pushed.

“For me, they get everything they need. But when you get everything you need, it means you can demand more.”

Source AFP

Bundesliga side Werder Bremen kicked off their new season by being dumped out of the German Cup in the first round with a 2-1 defeat at third-tier club Sportfreunde Lotte on Sunday (Aug 21).

Viktor Skripnik’s Bremen fell behind early on to a goal by defender Matthias Rahn, but Austrian international Zlatko Junuzovic levelled on the stroke of half-time.

Lotte midfielder Andre Dej struck though in the 54th minute, and the home side held on for a famous victory over the six-time winners.

There were no other major shocks, but plenty of top-flight teams still struggled elsewhere on Sunday.

Bayer Leverkusen were given a scare, but edged to a 2-1 win at fifth-division SC Hauenstein thanks to goals from Javier Hernandez and Karim Bellarabi.

Eintracht Frankfurt could only scrape past Magdeburg on penalties after being held to a 1-1 draw, while Mainz also progressed on spot-kicks at fourth-tier outfit Unterhaching after blowing a 3-1 lead in the 90th minute to draw 3-3.

Ingolstadt were held to a 0-0 stalemate at Erzgebirge Aue but came on top 8-7 in a marathon shoot-out, while Salomon Kalou scored the winning spot-kick as Hertha Berlin edged out third-division side Regensburg on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

There were no such problems for Darmstadt though, who thrashed Bremer SV 7-0 to ease into round two, while Andrej Kramaric grabbed a hat-trick as Hoffenheim put six past Egestorf-Langreder.

Source AFP