A stunning late strike by Keita Balde helped Lazio to a 3-1 win over Torino on Monday (Mar 13) that keeps the capital side in the hunt for Champions League qualification in Serie A.

Lazio’s Ciro Immobile scores a goal during the Italian Serie A football match against Torino at the Olympic stadium in Rome. (photo source: Maurizio Brambatti/ANSA via AP)

Lazio, who reclaim fourth spot from Inter Milan and sit four points behind Napoli in third, took the lead at the Stadio Olimpico through Ciro Immobile in the 56th minute.

However, Maxi Lopez headed past Thomas Strakosha from a free-kick to bring Torino level.

But in the closing minutes Torino left huge gaps in their defence on a Lazio counter-attack, and Jordan Lukaku had plenty of time to set up Balde for a strike from outside the area that beat England’s Joe Hart at the goalkeeper’s near post.

Hart had been two metres off his line and despite trying to make amends three minutes later, Felipe Anderson had no trouble firing past the on-loan Manchester City shot-stopper, who appeared to suffer a knock as he came out to block.

Inter had stepped up their bid for a top-three finish with an emphatic 7-1 win over Atalanta at the San Siro on Sunday, but Lazio are now two points ahead of Stefano Pioli’s men in fourth.

Juventus, 2-1 winners over AC Milan on Friday, remain on course for a record sixth consecutive Serie A title and a third consecutive league and Cup double.

Massimiliano Allegri’s men, who take a 2-0 first-leg lead into their last-16 decider at home to Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday, lead Roma by eight points with Napoli 10 points off the pace in third.

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Emre Can’s superb shot guided Liverpool to a 2-1 home win over Burnley on Sunday (Mar12) and maintained their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League

Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum (R) has a shot on goal under pressure from Burnley’s Scott Arfield during the English Premier League football match at Anfield, Liverpool, England. Liverpool won 2-1 to maintain their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League. (photo source: Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Ashley Barnes, with his club’s first goal at Anfield since 1975, had given Burnley a deserved early lead only for Georginio Wijnaldum to equalise in first-half injury-time.

And Can struck just after the hour mark to secure victory for Liverpool, although it was a far from convincing performance by Jurgen Klopp’s side.

German international Can collected a short pass from Divock Origi and was allowed space to unleash a right-foot shot from 25 yards which the Burnley goalkeeper, Tom Heaton, might have been expected to save before it reached the bottom left-hand corner of his net.

Victory saw Liverpool remain fourth, still in the final Champions League place open to English clubs.

The win moved them to within a point of third-placed Manchester City but, more significantly, saw Liverpool go five points clear of fifth-placed Arsenal.

“The performance was good enough to win the game but the result is massive for us, it’s the first ugly game we have won,” Liverpool manager Klopp told Sky Sports. “Usually when we are not that good we lose.”

Meanwhile Burnley boss Sean Dyche was left bemoaning his side’s lack of good fortune.

“It’s a tough one to take, because everyone gave a really good account of ourselves and we went up with a sublime goal,” he told the BBC. “We just needed a scratch of luck along the way.”

Liverpool had gone in at the half-time interval level although it was a scoreline that even the most ardent home supporter would have admitted was harsh on Burnley.

With just two away points to their name all season – from a still impressive tally of 31 – Sean Dyche’s team opened the game aggressively and took the lead in just the seventh minute.

Right-back Matt Lowton crossed low into the area from the wing and, after Andre Gray narrowly missed making contact, Barnes slid in ahead of his marker to force the ball past Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

Burnley, without a victory at Anfield since 1974, would have hoped to reach the interval without conceding an equaliser and looked well on course for that target for the majority of the half.

UNLIKELY EQUALISER

Not until the 45th minute did Liverpool enjoy a ‘shot’ on target and that was actually an over-hit defensive header from Burnley’s Joey Barton which forced Heaton into a comfortable diving save, his first of the game.

But a minute into first-half injury-time, Liverpool claimed an unlikely equaliser which raised the mood around the stadium.

Origi, starting in place of the injured Roberto Firmino, crossed from the left and Wijnaldum made a lazy attempt to control the ball, flicking out a boot and benefitting from a fortunate rebound from defender Ben Mee, before drilling home an unstoppable finish from six yards.

Considering recent dominant home wins over Tottenham and Arsenal, it was a disappointing start from a Liverpool side which has struggled against the Premier League’s lower-placed clubs this term.

Unbeaten against the top six all season, Liverpool’s five league defeats this term have come against teams currently in the bottom half of the table – including 12th-placed Burnley, who won 2-0 when the sides met at Turf Moor in August.

The first half offered little evidence those troubles were about to change.

Even before the goal, Burnley’s crosses from the right had caused concern, with Gray’s chip almost finding Barnes after five minutes.

Solid at the back, Burnley also looked the more likely to score a second goal after Barnes’s opener.

After 25 minutes, Barnes yet again slipped his marker, Ragnar Klavan, but was offside as he volleyed wide and Gray shot just over from a difficult angle after a Lowton throw-in had flicked off James Milner’s head.

But the second half opened with Liverpool in far more determined mood, although their suspect defending always gave Burnley hope.

Barnes sent a speculative first-time shot wide soon after the restart before Liverpool finally started to threaten, with Joel Matip seeing a shot blocked from a Philippe Coutinho cross.

Can’s goal was still harsh on Burnley, although the visitors almost found a route back into the game just three minutes later, when Mee headed a free-kick across goal and Barnes’s effort was blocked by Klavan.

Both teams squandered late chances for further goals. Sadio Mane had only Heaton to beat but saw the Burnley keeper tip his 12-yard shot over the bar in the closing stages before Lowton missed a glorious opportunity to equalise, shooting wide from a scramble in the area in stoppage-time.

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Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos struck another late winner as the European champions usurped Barcelona at the top of La Liga with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Real Betis on Sunday (Mar 12).

Deportivo La Coruna’s midfielder Alex Bergantinos (2nd R) celebrates a goal during the Spanish league footbal match against Barcelona at the Municipal de Riazor stadium in La Coruna. (MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP)

Earlier, Barca boss Luis Enrique accepted his side had struggled to shrug off the euphoria of a remarkable Champions League comeback against Paris Saint-Germain as the Spanish champions slumped to a shock 2-1 defeat at Deportivo la Coruna.

Victory for Madrid moves Real two points clear of Barcelona and with a game in hand still to come.

“I would be happier if we scored two or three goals at the start,” said Real coach Zinedine Zidane. “But we remain calm because we know we can score at any moment.”

However, Madrid’s win was mired in controversy as goalkeeper Keylor Navas was extremely lucky to avoid an early red card before making a brilliant stoppage time save to deny Antonio Sanabria.

Navas clearly cleaned out Darko Brasanac on the edge of the Madrid area as he raced from his goal after just 20 minutes, but referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz inexplicably waived play on.

The hosts didn’t benefit from Navas’s presence just four minutes later, though, as he bundled Sarabia’s shot into his own goal having appeared to have the effort under control.

“The most important thing for me is the support Keylor received from his teammates,” added Zidane. “They know how important he is and in the end he made a great save to get us the three points.”

Cristiano Ronaldo ensured Madrid went in level at the break as he rose unmarked to power home Marcelo’s cross from close range for his 26th goal of the season.

The visitors’ chances of escaping with a point were dealt a huge blow when Cristiano Piccini saw a second yellow card 12 minutes from time.

And just three minutes later, fresh from scoring two vital away goals at Napoli to ease Madrid into the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday, Ramos powered home another Toni Kroos header for the winner.

Betis could still have salvaged a point, but Navas made amends for his early mistakes with a brilliant stop from Sanabria’s powerful header.

MUCH CHANGED BARCA FLOP

At Riazor, a much-changed Barcelona side from the one that hammered PSG 6-1 suffered a body blow to their hopes a third successful title with a first league defeat since October.

Joselu had fired Deportivo into a first-half lead before Luis Suarez levelled in the first minute of the second period. However, Alex Bergantinos rose highest from a corner to seal Deportivo’s first victory over Barcelona since 2008.

“Obviously it was difficult. Only those that have experienced what we have this week knows what it means, but as professionals we know nothing is gifted to you,” said Enrique.

Two-goal hero in midweek Neymar was one of five changes to the Barca side due to an abductor injury.

It took Deportivo 40 minutes to force Marc-Andre ter Stegen into a serious save as the German leapt to his left to brilliantly turn Joselu’s volley behind.

However, from the resulting corner Ter Stegen was found wanting as he spilled Javier Mascherano’s miscued clearance and Joselu was on hand to smash into an unguarded net.

Barca got off to a flyer in the second-half as Suarez lashed home a loose ball inside the area to equalise just a minute after the restart.

Enrique turned to Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic for a winner in the final half hour as Arda Turan and Andre Gomes were sacrificed.

But Barca found it difficult to create clear-cut chances against the mass ranks of Deportivo defence, whilst the hosts were always a threat on the break.

Alejandro Arribas saw his header come back off the post, but once again having survived the initial threat, Barcelona conceded from the resulting corner.

This time Bergantinos got above Jordi Alba to head into the bottom corner at the far post.

Lux made a great save to deny Suarez a second equaliser, but Deportivo held out to give their hopes of survival a huge boost as they move eight points clear of the bottom three and up to 15th.

Spanish La Liga results:

Real Sociedad 0 Athletic Bilbao 2
Deportivo la Coruna 2 Barcelona 1
Celta Vigo 0 Villarreal 1
Real Madrid 2 Real Betis 1

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Arsene Wenger avoided more humiliation as Arsenal moved into the FA Cup semi-finals with a 5-0 win against minnows Lincoln City, while Manchester City joined the Gunners in the last four after a 2-0 victory at Middlesbrough on Saturday (Mar 11).

Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey (2nd L) celebrates with teammate Theo Walcott (L) after scoring their fifth goal against Lincoln City at The Emirates Stadium in London on Mar 11, 2017. (Photo: AFP/Ian Kington)

Under heavy fire after Tuesday’s dismal Champions League exit against Bayern Munich, Wenger was given some much-needed breathing space by his side’s quarter-final victory over the non-leaguers.

Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud bagged Arsenal’s first two goals at the Emirates Stadium before Luke Waterfall’s own goal.

Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey were also on the scoresheet as Arsenal sealed their place in next month’s semi-finals at Wembley.

“Let’s not talk about me. I think we have done that far too much over these past few weeks. I have shown loyalty and my preference is always here,” Wenger said.

“We had a big disappointment in the Champions League. After that we had to respond and we needed players who were solid mentally. Recently we have disappointed our fans. We want to go again to Wembley to win.”

For the second time in five days, Arsenal fans staged a pre-match protest march calling for Wenger to resign and the Frenchman could ill afford what would have been the FA Cup’s greatest upset.

Fifth-tier leaders Lincoln were the first non-league team to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals in 103 years after a shock win over top-flight side Burnley in the fifth round.

And although Lincoln are 88 places below Arsenal in the league pyramid, there was no sign of that vast gulf in class in the first half, with Nathan Arnold almost giving them a shock lead when his shot brought a fine save from Petr Cech.

The chastening 5-1 loss to Bayern was Arsenal’s fifth defeat in their seven games and they looked bereft of confidence for long periods.

Wenger’s luck finally took a turn for the better in first-half stoppage time when Walcott’s shot took a large deflection off Lincoln’s Sam Habergham on its way into the net.

COMMANDING

That settled Arsenal’s nerves and Giroud doubled the lead when he slotted home from Hector Bellerin’s cross in the 53rd minute before Waterfall glanced Kieran Gibbs’ cross into his own net five minutes later.

Sanchez curled in the fourth in the 72nd minute and Ramsey made it five three minutes later.

Hoping to win the FA Cup a seventh time in his 21-year reign, Wenger could yet end one of his most difficult seasons with silverware.

City cruised into the semi-finals with a commanding victory at the Riverside Stadium as Pep Guardiola showed he is taking the competition seriously.

David Silva opened the scoring in the third minute and Sergio Aguero’s clinical finish in the 67th minute ensured City advanced to next month’s semi-finals at Wembley.

City boss Guardiola, chasing his first trophy in England, was rewarded for naming all his stars despite having to defend a 5-3 lead at Monaco in a decisive Champions League last 16, second leg on Wednesday.

“We’re so happy to be through because to reach the semi-finals of this competition is so complicated,” Guardiola said.

“We produced a good performance today. We were there from the first minute. The first goal was important but it was down to how we approached the game. Now we recover good to play another big game on Wednesday.”

In the other quarter-finals, Tottenham Hotspur host third-tier Millwall on Sunday, while Premier League leaders Chelsea face Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Monday.

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Henrikh Mkhitaryan bagged a precious away goal as Manchester United came away from their trip to Russia with a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against Rostov on Thursday (Mar 9).

On an awful pitch, the state of which had United manager Jose Mourinho fuming on the eve of the game, Mkhitaryan turned in the opener 10 minutes before half-time.

But Aleksandr Bukharov levelled for the home side in the 53rd minute at the Olimp 2 stadium, keeping Rostov hopes alive ahead of next week’s return at Old Trafford.

The build-up to the match had been overshadowed by United’s complaints about the playing surface and about concerns travelling fans could be targeted by Russian hooligans.

However, the evening passed off without incident inside the ground, where a little over 200 United supporters were in attendance along with ex-United assistant boss Carlos Queiroz.

“It was a very good performance in relation to the conditions. It was impossible to play better, impossible to play a passing game,” Mourinho told BT Sport.

“We played what the game demanded and we played well. We made one defensive mistake.

“I remember as a kid some matches like this in Portugal – non-league and amateur pitches. To see my players coping with it and the humility to fight for every ball is a good feeling for me.

“We have an open result for the second leg with a little advantage for us. There are no injuries.”

The result saw the visitors extend their recent unbeaten run in all competitions to 10 games as Mourinho made seven changes to the team held by Bournemouth last weekend.

One of those brought back into the starting line-up was Mkhitaryan, and it was he who swept United in front in the 35th minute from close range after good build-up play involving Marouane Fellaini and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Nevertheless Rostov, who are seventh in the Russian Premier League but had already won at home to Ajax and Bayern Munich in Europe this season, drew level thanks to a fine goal shortly after the break.

Timofei Kalachev delivered a ball over the top that was controlled on the chest inside the box and then fired home by Bukharov to secure the draw.

LYON WIN THRILLER

There was greater entertainment in France, where Lyon took the lead, then went behind before coming back to beat Roma 4-2 in a superb encounter.

Young defender Mouctar Diakhaby turned in an early opener after Rafael had helped on a Mathieu Valbuena free-kick, but his slip allowed Mohamed Salah in to equalise for Roma in the 20th minute.

Federico Fazio then headed in a Daniele De Rossi cross to put the Italian side in front before the interval, yet the hosts fought back again in the second period.

Corentin Tolisso combined with Alexandre Lacazette before beating Alisson Becker with a fine strike, and Nabil Fekir came off the bench to score a superb third for Lyon in the 74th minute.

Roma, currently second in Serie A, would still have been hopeful of turning things around in next week’s second leg but Lacazette thundered in the hosts’ fourth in stoppage time to give Lyon a two-goal cushion.

Meanwhile, Schalke came from behind to draw 1-1 at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach in the all-German tie in Gelsenkirchen.

Gladbach won 4-2 at home to Schalke last weekend and went in front on Thursday through Jonas Hofmann, only for Guido Burgstaller to equalise for the hosts.

Claudio Beauvue netted in the last minute as Celta Vigo beat Krasnodar 2-1 in Spain, while Vincent Aboubakar cancelled out Esteban Cambiasso’s goal as Besiktas of Turkey drew 1-1 away to Olympiakos in Greece.

Elsewhere, Genk won 5-2 away to Belgian rivals Gent, FC Copenhagen beat Ajax 2-1 in Denmark with Andreas Cornelius heading in the winner, and Anderlecht beat APOEL 1-0 in Cyprus.

Europa League last 16, first leg results:

At Copenhagen
FC Copenhagen (DEN) 2 Ajax (NED) 1

At Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Rostov (RUS) 1 Manchester United (ENG) 1

At Nicosia
APOEL (CYP) 0 Anderlecht (BEL) 1

At Ghent, Belgium
Gent (BEL) 2 Genk (BEL) 5

At Piraeus, Greece
Olympiakos (GRE) 1 Besiktas (TUR) 1

At Lyon, France
Lyon (FRA) 4 Roma (ITA) 2

At Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Schalke (GER) 1 Borussia Moenchengladbach (GER) 1

At Vigo, Spain
Celta Vigo (ESP) 2 Krasnodar (RUS) 1

Second legs to be played on Mar 16

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A hat-trick by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Christian Pulisic’s dazzling display fired Borussia Dortmund into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-0 thrashing of Benfica on Wednesday (Mar 8).

The result saw Dortmund win the round-of-16 tie 4-1 on aggregate after Aubameyang’s early goal cancelled out Borussia’s 1-0 defeat in Lisbon last month.

The Gabon hot-shot has now scored seven times in his last three games and has seven Champions League goals in as many matches this season, underlining his status as one of the most feared predators on the planet.

It was redemption for the striker, who had a night to forget in the first leg, missing four clear chances including a penalty in Portugal.

“That was the perfect time for ‘Auba’ to get his hat-trick,” said Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel. “It was a sensational performance. I love goals like his first one because they need such good timing and Auba is always there with his nose for goal.”

Red-hot Aubameyang has now hit 28 goals for the season as Dortmund reached the last eight in Europe for the first time since 2013/14.

But it fell to US international Pulisic, who only turns 19 in September, to net the Germans’ crucial second on 59 minutes, which put Dortmund ahead for the first time on aggregate.

Pulisic, in for injured Germany winger Marco Reus, claimed his first Champions League goal and set up Aubameyang’s opening goal in an impressive all-round display.

“We had a great start, then we lost our way after 25 minutes, but the second half was a top performance,” added Tuchel. “We didn’t want to let the first-leg defeat annoy us, now we are in the last eight and we want to go further.”

‘GREAT TEAM’

After Kostas Mitroglou sealed Benfica’s 1-0 first-leg victory, Dortmund took just four minutes to cancel out the advantage.

Ousmane Dembele’s corner was flicked on by Pulisic to Aubameyang, who headed home at the far post to delight the sell-out Signal Iduna Park crowd.

After a strong start from the hosts Benfica clawed their way back with captain Luisao heading straight at Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki from a free-kick midway through the half.

Dembele showed his youth, needlessly picking up a booking from English referee Martin Atkinson late in the first half for bitterly complaining after conceding a free-kick with a push on Andreas Samaris.

Benfica grew in confidence as the half wore on and Dortmund’s defence wobbled, but it finished 1-0 at the break.

Dortmund had a big let-off soon after when Lukasz Piszczek failed with a clearance, which Franco Cervi snapped up on the edge of the box, but his shot was blocked.

Aubameyang then squandered three golden chances at close range before Pulisic made his decisive impact.

The US starlet chipped his shot over the advancing Ederson on 59 minutes after Piszczek’s superb pass into the area.

Aubameyang grabbed his second just two minutes later when he stabbed home Marcel Schmelzer’s pass.

He hit his third goal of the night – and his first hat-trick in Europe’s top competition – on 85 minutes when Erik Durm’s run and cross from the right handed him a simple tap-in.

It ensured more German pain for Benfica, now with 15 defeats in 23 European games away to Bundesliga clubs.

“We had chances and didn’t take them,” said Benfica defender Nelson Semedo. “It was hard to turn things around after going behind. We were facing a great team with fantastic attacking ability so now it’s now time for us to focus on our domestic league.”

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Sergi Roberto scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time as Barcelona capped a sensational Champions League fightback to thrash Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 and reach the quarter-finals on Wednesday (Mar 8).

Barcelona’s forward Lionel Messi kicks to score on a penalty during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg football match against Paris Saint-Germain FC at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. (AFP/LLUIS GENE)

“I threw myself at it with everything,” Roberto told BeIN Sports Spain as his outstretched leg turned home Neymar’s cross.

Despite Luis Suarez’s early opener, a Layvin Kurzawa own goal and Lionel Messi’s penalty, Barca, who lost the first leg 4-0, looked down and out when Edison Cavani volleyed home what seemed to be the vital away goal for PSG.

However, Neymar restored Barca’s belief as he firstly fired home a sensational free-kick two minutes from time and then converted from the penalty spot.

And Roberto capped the biggest comeback in Champions League history when he stretched to turn home Neymar’s dinked cross to the delight of a near 100,000 at a rocking Camp Nou, making the score 6-5 on aggregate.

“It is a difficult night to explain with words,” said outgoing Barca boss Luis Enrique. “It was a horror movie, not a drama, with a Camp Nou that I have seen very few times as a player or coach. What defines this victory is the faith that the players and fans had.”

PSG coach Unai Emery accepted his side lost their composure in the closing stages as he suffered a 12th defeat in as many visits to the Camp Nou.

“The truth is we have let a huge opportunity get away and we are aware of that,” said Emery. “In the last two minutes we lost everything we had recovered in the second-half. Barcelona are capable of this in their stadium. In the last few minutes they played all or nothing and they have beaten us.”

Barca also enter the record books by reaching the quarter-finals for a 10th straight season.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was blunt in his summary. “It’s a nightmare for everyone. Three goals in seven minutes is very difficult. Everybody is upset but now is not the time to talk about it.”

Outgoing Barca coach Luis Enrique warned the French champions on Tuesday that his side were capable of scoring six and they needed the full 95 minutes to pull of a miracle revival.

Enrique warned the French champions on Tuesday that his side were capable of scoring six and they needed the full 95 minutes to pull of a miracle revival.

No side had ever come back from a 4-0 first leg deficit in the Champions League, but after much pre-match hype of a historic turnaround, Barca truly believed when Suarez opened the scoring after just three minutes.

The PSG defence was stationary as Marquinhos headed Rafinha’s cross high into the air and Suarez nipped in ahead of the flapping goalkeeper Kevin Trapp to nod in despite Thomas Meunier’s best efforts to clear off the line.

SHAMBOLIC DEFENDING

Barca’s hopes were further raised five minutes before the break thanks to more shambolic PSG defending.

Andres Iniesta reached Suarez’s hopeful through ball and his backheel provoked Kurzawa into shanking the ball into his own net on his weaker right foot.

The second period started just as the first ended as Barca edged closer to the history books when Neymar was clipped by the prone Meunier and, after consultation with one of his assistants, German referee Deniz Aytekin pointed to the spot.

Messi made no mistake with the penalty to rifle home his 11th Champions League goal of the season.

Only when 3-0 down did PSG begin to come out in search of the crucial away goal and were rewarded just after the hour mark when Kurzawa made amends for his earlier error by heading down a free-kick and Cavani connected sweetly on the volley to register his 38th and seemingly most important goal of the season.

PSG were then to rue to huge missed chances by Cavani and Angel di Maria to put the tie completely beyond Barca.

Just when Barca looked down and out Neymar restored hope when he curled home a sensational free-kick high into the top corner.

And as the match entered stoppage time, Barca were awarded a second controversial penalty when Suarez tumbled under a challenge form Marquinhos.

Neymar this time took responsibility to send Trapp the wrong way.

“This is the best game I have ever played. For what it meant, for what we experienced and because I am in great form,” Neymar told BeIN Sports. “I know that we have made history. A team like this can do anything.”

And the Brazilian also showed a cool head amongst a mad final minute when he cut inside before chipping into the box for substitute Roberto to extend his right leg just enough to beat Trapp and leave PSG floored.

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