Paris Saint-Germain extended their Ligue 1 lead to 13 points with a 4-3 home victory against Bordeaux on Sunday, but the French champions were again exposed at the back and had Neymar sent off.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani celebrates after scoring his 200th goal for the club. Getty Images

A Marquinhos double, Edinson Cavani‘s 200th PSG goal and a goal by Kylian Mbappe put the capital side on 65 points from 26 games but they lost captain Thiago Silva to a muscle injury and Neymar picked up a second yellow card for a late challenge in stoppage time.

After the match Cavani said: “Yes, this is a very special moment — after a sincerely difficult January. I am here, as I say all the time, to give my maximum and to try to continue to have a great season with the team.

“I am also like this, a bit emotional, because I am looking at my family — they always push me and love me.”

Bordeaux, who scored through Hwang Ui-jo, Pablo and Ruben Pardo, are 12th on 35 points.

Third-placed Rennais beat visiting Nimes 2-1 earlier on Sunday to reduce the gap to second-placed Marseille to eight points.

Five days after losing 2-1 at Borussia Dortmund in a Champions League last-16 first leg, PSG did little to reassure their fans, but Marquinhos was optimistic about the return leg in Paris.

“We still have three games. Of course, we want to play this match,” the Brazilian said. “However, we must not think too much about it until it happens. Otherwise, it will be tough like it was here. We have to take it step by step, day by day. We will improve where we can, speak about what we should do and then arrive at this game in the best possible conditions.”

The players had “Stay Strong China” written on their shirts to show their support for the victims of the coronavirus that has killed more than 2,000 people in China.

In a tough first half, Silva limped off the pitch in the 16th minute with a muscle problem and was replaced by Idrissa Gueye.

Hwang headed home from Nicolas de Preville’s corner as the PSG defence were caught off guard in the 18th minute, only for the hosts’ all-time best scorer Cavani to level with a header from Angel Di Maria’s cross seven minutes later.

The hosts increased the pressure and Cavani hit the woodwork before Mbappe forced Benoit Costil to make a superb save at the half hour.

Marquinhos deflected Di Maria’s free kick with his shoulder to put the home side ahead three minutes into added time in the first half, only for Pablo to equalise one minute later in farcical fashion.

Second-choice Sergio Rico’s clearance from Marco Verratti’s back pass bounced on to Pablo’s knee and into the goal.

PSG, however, accelerated after the break and Marquinhos put the French champions ahead after 63 minutes, poking home the ball after Costil had parried a Cavani header into his path.

Six minutes later, Mbappe doubled the advantage from close range after being set up by Cavani.

PSG were kept on their toes until the final whistle as Pardo found the top corner with a superb strike seven minutes from time.

“[The win] was the most important thing right now,” said manager Thomas Tuchel. “Clearly, there are things to improve. However, we can see that the players are human and lack a bit of confidence after a loss — a major defeat in Dortmund.

“That is how it is, but it is also the same for many European clubs. Mentality and confidence can always be hard to rediscover after a loss. With a win, next week will be easier as we can train. We are playing next Saturday, which is good for us.”

Tuchel also addressed Neymar’s sending off, calling it “bizarre” after a rough challenge on Yacine Adli saw the Brazilian handed a second yellow.

“If we are to talk about the second yellow card situation, we must speak about the entire thing,” Tuchel said. “Neymar goes one-on-one, his opponent does something I have never seen and commits the foul, which brings the fourth official on to the pitch. There was no yellow card, the match continued and the fourth official was still on the pitch! I have never seen that.

“After that, Neymar is angry. He did not have to do what he did, but he is human — he is upset by the decision. Then, he commits the second foul and gets a yellow card — not the person who made the first foul. The referee … the situation was really very bizarre.”

Source – ESPN

The Italian former player and manager believes that it is impossible to say which of the two Argentine greats is the best.

Photo by Getty

Former Napoli midfielder Ottavio Bianchi has said that comparing Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi is like comparing Picasso to Mozart.

Messi and Barcelona travel to Naples – where Maradona is a club legend – for the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie on Tuesday night.

The two Argentine superstars have often been compared to each other, but Bianchi believes that it is impossible to say who is better due to the different eras in which they played.

“I played with [Enrique Omar] Sivori, an impressive Argentine left-footer, I trained Diego [Maradona] and I would have loved to work with Messi,” Bianchi said exclusively to Goal.

“I try to watch him whenever I can because I’m in love with these kinds of players – the kinds of players that have football in their blood.

“But they come from different times – it’s like when people compare Maradona, [Johan] Cruyff and Messi. All I can say is that it has been a pleasure to see each and every one on the pitch. We’re fortunate that in each era we’ve had a succession of players of this magnitude.

“It’s the same with artists; you might like [Henri] Matisse, [Paul] Gauguin, [Pablo] Picasso, Beethoven, Mozart or whoever, but they are all so far outside the established parameters that all you can do is wait for the next genius to appear in each respective discipline.

“They are so good that trying to compare them and their distinctions just isn’t nice. You can’t classify the best painters or musicians because everyone lives in their own time in history.”

Bianchi also commented on the situation at Barcelona, with reports of a falling-out between club captain Messi and director of football Eric Abidal, and hopes his former side can take advantage when the pair meet.

“I read in the newspapers that there are big problems at Barcelona and what I do know is that these kinds of players need a very particular environment to express their full greatness,” Bianchi continued.

“If they are sad, it’s a lot more difficult for them. Traditionally, players of that kind of quality can’t showcase their full footballing talents if something is bothering them. It seems to me that Barca aren’t in the best health at the moment.

“Institutional problems are usually noticeable on the pitch and Messi looks somewhat sad on the field. He can’t just win on his own, just as Maradona couldn’t.

“He needs to be surrounded by high-level players and that’s why he had his best years with the two phenomenons Xavi and Andres Iniesta behind him.

“Iniesta is the ideal player for any team. He’s a player that has everything to be the ideal footballer prototype. Messi is a pure talent, but Iniesta is as desirable as a player can be.

“So with Barcelona having their problems and Napoli having nothing to lose, they have enough skill in the squad to create serious problems for Barca.”

Source – Goal.com

The Reds have matched the reigning champions’ achievement – a significant milestone in English football.

Photo by Getty 

Liverpool have equalled Manchester City’s record for the longest winning run in the English top-flight, taking their total to 18 successive league wins after beating West Ham 3-2 on Monday night.

The Reds took the lead at Anfield after nine minutes through Georginio Wijnaldum but were forced to come from behind after Issa Diop and substitute Pablo Fornals struck to put the visitors in front.

However, Jurgen Klopp’s men found a way, with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane netting in the final half an hour to restore the advantage and hand Liverpool a record-equalling victory.

The Reds have not failed to win a Premier League game since their 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on October 20, emerging victorious in their subsequent 18 league outings, and remain unbeaten in the league this season.

The victory also took Liverpool to 21 consecutive Premier League wins at home, equalling their own English top-flight record, set between January and December in 1972 under the guidance of legendary manager Bill Shankly.

Klopp’s side are 22 points clear at the top of the league table with only 11 games left to play, meaning the Reds need just four more wins to confirm their status as Premier League champions for the first time in their history – assuming Manchester City pick up maximum points from their upcoming league fixtures.

Their next four league fixtures are against Watford, Bournemouth, Everton and Crystal Palace, before a potentially title-deciding contest against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, if the formalities have not already been concluded by that point.

Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold also reached a personal milestone of his own, equalling the record for Premier League assists provided by a Liverpool defender, with 25, alongside Norwegian former Reds left-back Stig Inge Bjornebye.

The England international’s crosses set up Wijnaldum and Mane to net against the Hammers, and he could have had a third if the Senegalese forward’s late strike was not ruled out for offside.

In doing so, he becomes the third-youngest player in Premier League history to reach the landmark, behind only attacking midfielder Cesc Fabregas and striker Wayne Rooney.

Source – Goal.com

The German forward’s current coach hopes a standing as the main man at Bundesliga title hopefuls will ultimately convince a prolific star to stay put.

Photo by Getty

Timo Werner has been warned that he would find it “difficult” not being the star attraction at Liverpool, with RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann hoping the prolific presence can be persuaded to stay put.

The highly-rated Germany international striker is once again generating transfer talk.

Exit rumours are nothing new for Werner, with the 23-year-old having established a reputation as one of the most exciting frontmen in European football.

He has made no secret of his ambition to link up with an elite club at some stage, with the recent links to Premier League leaders Liverpool being talked up by the man himself.

Werner told Viasport: “I know that Liverpool is the best team at the moment in the world.

“When you’re linked with that team it makes me very proud.

“It’s a pleasure but I know that Liverpool have a lot of good players and I have to improve myself, to learn much more things to get on this level to play there.”

While those at Leipzig can appreciate why Werner’s head may have been turned, Nagelsmann has urged his prized asset to carefully weigh up his options.

He has told Sport Bild: “It would be more difficult for Timo Werner to play at Liverpool than at Leipzig.

“He will not get the status he has here in the first few years and I tell him that too.

“The boys are seeing how we are developing and how much potential we have. We don’t leave anyone, who helps us, defenceless.”

Werner is not the only Leipzig star to be attracting admiring glances.

The Bundesliga title hopefuls have plenty of in-demand talent on their books and Nagelsmann is aware that he faces a fight to retain the services of key men.

Arsenal and Barcelona are among those said to be keen on promising defender Dayot Upamecano, while Lukas Klostermann is expected to be the subject of big-money bids at some stage.

Nagelsmann added: “That doesn’t come as a shock to me. We can’t plan on becoming champions every year yet.

“As long as we bring in young players, who want to take the next step with us, it’s normal for them to get involved with bigger clubs once they’re successful with us and are developing faster than we are.

“At least we get good money in return, which we can invest again.”

Source – Goal.com

Uefa has apologised for a technical error over Euro 2020 tickets that has left fans hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

England’s matches at Wembley on 19 and 23 June were among the games for which fans thought they had bought tickets

A new batch of tickets for this summer’s tournament was made available on Wednesday for fans unsuccessful in the initial ballots.

Fans who thought they had secured tickets then also bought flights and accommodation – but received an email hours later from European football’s governing body to say the transactions had been cancelled.

“Tickets became available due to the failure of supporters to pay on time for tickets they had previously ordered. These tickets were subsequently sold,” said a statement.

“However, due to a technical error, for a short period of time a small number of tickets which were not for sale were made available for purchase.

“Fans who purchased those tickets received a cancellation email and no charge was made to their credit cards,” added Uefa, which says ‘a couple of hundred’ fans in England were affected.

James Lofthouse from Torquay thought he had four tickets for England’s match with the Czech Republic on Tuesday, 23 June and two for the game with one of the play-off winners – which could be Scotland – on Friday, 19 June.

He spent 90 minutes in an online queue on the Uefa website before spending £700 on six tickets.

“I then got together with my friends to book hotels for London,” he told BBC Sport.

“I went for a non-refundable deal because I didn’t think there was any reason the tickets would be cancelled. That was £200 that left my account that I won’t get back.

“There was no apology in the email and that is very, very poor.”

‘Uefa is hiding from their customers’

Tom Lowman thought he had tickets for him and his son to watch the attractive Group F fixture between Germany and Portugal in Munich on Saturday, 20 June.

He then bought non-refundable return flights from Manchester for £510, before receiving an email hours later to say the match tickets had been cancelled.

“I was incredibly fed up last night,” he said.

“But the real frustration is that there is no real comeback. You go on Uefa’s website and there is no way of getting in contact with anybody.

“It is a terrible way to treat your customers. They’re hiding. Let’s see if they come back and offer to refund my flights but my guess is nothing will happen.”

Source – BBC News

Lionel Messi says he would “love to see Neymar return” to Barcelona as speculation continues to circulate that the Brazilian will seek to swap Paris Saint Germain for the Nou Camp.

Photo bt Getty Images

Neymar left Barcelona for the French champions in a world record move in 2017 but his time in the capital has been dogged by reports of unrest.

He attempted to force through a move in the summer which led to some fans turning against him at the Parc des Princes.

He has scored 16 goals in 19 games for the champions as they have again moved comfortably to the top of Ligue 1, and Barca’s great rivals Real Madrid reportedly sent representatives to Paris at the start of the season to meet with him about moving to the Bernabeu.

“I’ve said it many times, on a sporting level, Ney is one of the best in the world and I would love for him to return,” said Messi.

“He did a lot to return [here] and that would be the first step to try to arrive.”

Source – Eurosport

The England international forward has been linked with the Blancos for some time, but he is currently tied to a long-term contract at the Etihad.

Photo by Getty 

Raheem Sterling has left the door open for a future move to Real Madrid, but insists that he remains fully committed to his contract at Manchester City for now.

The England international is tied to terms with the reigning Premier League champions through to the summer of 2023.

He has, however, seen his fine form under the guidance of Pep Guardiola attract plenty of admiration from afar.

End product has been added to the 25-year-old’s game, with the 2019-20 campaign seeing him break the 20-goal barrier in a third successive season.

La Liga giants Real would welcome the opportunity to buy into that productivity and add another ‘Galactico’ to their ranks.

Sterling is aware of the rumours, but claims there is no substance to them at the moment.

He told AS as City count down the days to the first leg of a heavyweight Champions League last-16 showdown with Madrid: “It’s one of those things… Right now I’m at City and I’m really happy.

“But Real Madrid are a fantastic club, when you see the white shirt you know exactly what the club stands for, it’s massive.

“But at the same time, I have a contract with City now and I have to respect this. But it’s a fantastic club.”

Sterling added when pressed further on the interest he is generating in Spain: “It’s something that you see all the time, but I’m a City player and I’m enjoying it at the moment, even if things haven’t gone quite to plan in the league.

“We now have a massive opportunity in the Champions League but I keep saying, Real Madrid is a fantastic club, there’s lovely weather but I am quite happy at City.”

Sterling has admitted in the past of harbouring the ambition of one day leaving England for warmer climes.

Madrid could be considered the perfect destination.

He concedes that anything is possible, with a chance that he could one day line up for the Blancos.

Pressed on whether he would welcome that opportunity, Sterling said: “How do I answer that one? Is the camera live or is it just taking pictures?

“No one knows what the future will hold. I am a player and I am always open to challenges but right now my challenge is at Manchester City. In the future, hopefully, who knows…”

Sterling is currently trying to rediscover his spark at City, with eight games passed since he last found the target for a club that remains in the hunt for Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Champions League honours.

Source – Goal.com

Tottenham Hotspur are no strangers to Champions League miracles after the exploits in Amsterdam that took them to last season’s final – now they need another one to overcome RB Leipzig in this last 16 tie.

Tottenham were well beaten on a disappointing night at home

Jose Mourinho colourfully claimed Son Heung-min’s broken arm had left them weakened and like a man clinging perilously to a fourth-floor balcony by his fingertips.

It was an elaborate analogy to explain their current plight but this was a sobering night that may have fatally loosened Spurs’ grip on their Champions League campaign.

Hope will always spring eternal in Spurs’ hearts after the drama of their comeback against Ajax in the semi-final last May but cold reality dictates miracles rarely come along more than once.

And on this stodgy, negative evidence Mourinho will have to come up with something to justify his tag as “The Special One” to navigate a way into the quarter-final.

RB Leipzig, impressively organised and progressive under 32-year-old coach Julian Nagelsmann – the youngest to take charge of a Champions League knockout tie – deserved this victory and more given their domination.

First, Mourinho’s mitigating circumstances.

The loss of Son, added to the long-term absence of main striker Harry Kane, left Mourinho painfully short of strikers on the night Spurs paid tribute to arguably their greatest, Jimmy Greaves, on the eve of his 80th birthday.

Dele Alli reacted angrily to being replaced by Erik Lamela, although Spurs’ performance improved from that point

Mourinho tried to find solutions, using Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura as his spearhead as Spurs improved slightly in the second half, but it was to no avail. This was a colourless, uninspired performance.

Yes, Spurs were lacking two world-class players in Son and Kane but this was an approach that lacked the ambition and passion usually associated with a game of this magnitude and by the time they raised a gallop Leipzig had grabbed control.

Indeed, if there is one silver lining among the clouds it is that the final scoreline could have been far more damaging and Spurs are actually still in with a chance despite their inferiority.

The good news for Spurs was that they only lost 1-0.

If you were being cruel you could call it a moral victory given how Leipzig carved Spurs open, only the heroic keeper Hugo Lloris keeping the scoreline within manageable proportions.

It was almost unbroken frustration from start to finish, with Leipzig actually creating four chances inside the first 90 seconds during which Lloris turned Angelino’s shot onto the post and blocked Timo Werner.

And if one image summed up the emotions, it was the sight of Dele Alli hurling his boot to the floor in fury after he was substituted for Erik Lamela in the 64th minute before sitting with an expression set in stone.

Mourinho can, and will, point to the key absentees Son and Kane but he still had creativity in this team in the shape of Lucas Moura, Bergwijn, Giovani lo Celso and new boy Gedson Fernandes.

Lo Celso was excellent, a stand-out performer, but Spurs failed dismally to get their most dangerous players into the game until it was too late.

It looked suspiciously like Mourinho was trying to snatch something as opposed to forcing the issue – now he has little choice when Spurs try to turn this tie around in Germany.

Leipzig dominated in all areas and were worth far more than this single goal victory. There may even be a measure of disappointment among their celebrations at the final whistle that this tie is not already put to bed.

Mourinho can tell a hard luck story about injuries, and he has been dealt a tough hand in a key area of his Spurs team, but this was a cautious, conservative gameplan that was in sharp contrast to this emerging RB Leipzig side.

It came as no surprise, given they are currently second behind Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, but the manner in which they came out of the blocks and instantly dominated Spurs was startling.

Mourinho has manoeuvred Spurs into position to challenge for the top four with a crucial match at Chelsea on Saturday but this result and this tie may prove a task too far in the Champions League context.

He will not give anything up – why should he? – but Mourinho and his players must somehow summon up the spirit that saw them make an unlikely escape from their group last season before that glory night when a 2-0 goal deficit was turned around into a 3-2 victory against Ajax amid scenes of wild emotion and tears from then manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Has Mourinho got the wherewithal to fashion such a result? Have Spurs currently got the players to shape such a turnaround?

On this evidence it is very doubtful.

Mourinho does not have to throw caution to the winds – but he needs to at least open the window a little to give Spurs a chance.

Source – BBC News

The Manchester City boss says that everybody is involved in “situations” in a thinly-veiled shot at the Barca president.

Photo by Getty

Pep Guardiola has fired back at Josep Maria Bartomeu after the Barcelona president praised the sanctions levied against Manchester City by UEFA.

UEFA announced on Friday that Manchester City have been banned from competing in the Champions League for two years while handing down a €30 million fine (£25m/$33m) to the Premier League champions.

The ban stems from violations of Financial Fair Play with UEFA finding City guilty of “overstating its sponsorship revenue” between 2012 and 2016.

In the aftermath of that ruling, both Guardiola and Manchester City have vigorously defended the club, with all involved insisting that the club is innocent and will serve no ban.

Bartomeu, meanwhile, defended his own club following their own recent controversy as Barcelona’s president denied reports that a social media contractor was hired to discredit Lionel Messi, Pep Guardiola and others associated with the Catalan side.

In addition to that denial, Bartomeu congratulated UEFA for their ruling following the Manchester City announcement while stating his support of FFP rules.

“It is a club in which there are traditions, owned by 144,000 members, and it is a club in which democratic principles and freedom of expression are held deep within. It is a club run with rigour, always,” Bartomeu said.

“In this regard, we thank UEFA, who in recent years has been so sure to follow up on Financial Fair Play.

“At Barca, we have been following it and we have regular investigations or we have meetings at UEFA to explain how we are doing it. From here we want to support UEFA for all the good it does in football.”

On Wednesday, Guardiola snapped back at his former club, firing a thinly-veiled shot at Bartomeu in the process.

“I don’t know if they spy on me but they know me, it’s not necessary to spy on me,” Guardiola said following Manchester City’s 2-0 win over West Ham.

“If they’re happy that we are suspended I would say to the president of Barca to give us two appeals. I ask right now that the people trust what they (City) have done.

“Don’t talk too loud, Barcelona, that’s my advice, because everybody is involved in situations.

“We’re going to appeal and hopefully in the future we can play in the Champions League against Barcelona.”

Manchester City will face Leicester over the weekend before taking on Barca’s fiercest rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League in their round of 16 tie.

Source – Goal.com