Juventus had to settle for a narrow first-leg lead after missing a several good chances against Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League last-16 tie. Carlos Tevez put the Italians ahead after Roman Weidenfeller spilled at his feet, but Dortmund soon struck back. . Marco Reus exploited Giorgio Chiellini’s slip to scamper in and shoot home just three minutes later. Alvaro Morata’s careful finish put Juve back in front and the hosts could have stretched away in the second half. . After the break, Tevez went close on three occasions, Chiellini rose unmarked to head over the top and Roberto Pereyra…
Author: David F.
The black Frenchman who was the victim of racist abuse by Chelsea football fans on the Paris Metro has received a personal message from President Francois Hollande. . The president took the unusual step of speaking to Souleymane S. on the telephone on Friday to express his sympathy over his ordeal. . “President @fhollande spoke to Souleymane S and offered his support over the odious racial attack he suffered,” the Elysee announced on its Twitter account. . Souleymane S, a French-Mauritanian, was blocked from boarding a train by fans travelling to the Parc des Princes for the 1-1 draw against…
Chelsea captain John Terry on Saturday added his voice to condemnation of a racist incident involving the club’s supporters in Paris earlier this week, describing it as “unacceptable”. . Chelsea have banned five people from their Stamford Bridge ground after footage emerged showing fans preventing a black man from boarding a Paris metro train on Tuesday and chanting racist songs. . Writing in the match programme for Chelsea’s Premier League home game with Burnley, Terry – who was himself banned and fined for racially abusing an opponent in 2012 – said: “Football is a sport for everyone. . “That is…
Manchester City have been on a steep learning curve in the Champions League but Tuesday’s last 16 first-leg clash with four-times European kings Barcelona offers a chance to show they are now serious contenders. . Last season’s exit at the identical stage also against Barca, 4-1 on aggregate, revealed City’s shortcomings in a squad good enough to win the Premier League but still lacking authority and discipline against Europe’s very best. . A year later, however, and City are approaching the tie with growing optimism, even if they will be missing midfield talisman Yaya Toure at the Etihad on Tuesday…
Juventus playmaker Andrea Pirlo hopes this could be the season they finally re-establish themselves on the European stage as he dreams of winning the Champions League again before he retires. . Juve’s maestro has been helping steer them towards a fourth successive Italian title, yet the gulf between a fading Serie A and the Champions League is so great that they are not seen as a major threat to Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich. . Juve were comprehensively outclassed by Munich in the quarterfinals two seasons ago and failed to make it beyond the group stage last term. .…
Coach Roger Schmidt brushed off suggestions he was feeling extra heat ahead of out-of-form Bayer Leverkusen’s Champions League round of 16 first leg against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. . The German team have won just one Bundesliga game out of five since the winter break to drop to sixth in the table and defeat against Atletico would compound the pressure on the attack-minded Schmidt. . “Nothing changes, you always have pressure,” the softly-spoken coach told a news conference on Tuesday. “You always need to win the next game. . “We are happy to be allowed to play in the Champions…
Nigerian striker, Odion Ighalo, continued his superb scoring run for Watford in the English Championship by scoring a couple of goals in his side’s 3-0 win over Rotherham United on Tuesday. . The former Udinese man scored his goals, which sandwiched that of Troy Deeney, inside the hour mark to help his English club stay within playoffs in the standings. . Ighalo with his first real chance of the match held at Vicarage Road scored. The 25-year-old pounced on a chance and calmly finished off with his left foot past Rotherham goalkeeper Adam Collin for the opening goal of the…
South African Under-17 men’s national team coach Molefi Ntseki believes his players have earned the right to be ranked among the best on the continent. . Amajimbos made history after qualifying for their first ever Under-17 Fifa World Cup after beating Cameroon 3-1, but have a huge obstacle in their way to reach the final when they meet Nigeria in the semifinals of the CAF Under-17 CAN on Wednesday. . The Nigerians are four-time champions and will stretch Ntseki’s charges to the limit in their quest to reach the final. The match is scheduled to kick off at 4pm (local…
Dolphins defender Victor Ezuruike has said his side will upturn the slim 0-1 defeat at Leones Vegetarianos of Equatorial Guinea in the Caf Confedration Cup competition. . The Garden City host the West African challengers in the reverse fixture on Saturday at the Liberation Stadium in Port Harcourt. . Ezuruike said his teammates have decided to put aside the domestic difficulties to win big for themselves. . “We’ve decided to succeed against Leones Vegetarianos on Saturday irrespective of the tough challenges confronting us at the moment. . “The encounter is certain to be difficult but we’ve agreed among ourselves to…
Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim has warned Arsenal ahead of their Champions League last 16 first leg on Wednesday that the French side with the mean defence will be tough to break down. . “We’ll play it solid and stop Arsenal’s midfield and attackers from finding a way through,” The Portuguese coach promised on the eve of the match. . Monaco may be finding it difficult to find goals after the departure of James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao last summer, but they currently have the tightest defence in Ligue 1, with just 19 goals conceded in 25 matches. . “We will…
Juventus overcame a blunder by defender Giorgio Chiellini and a first-half injury to playmaker Andrea Pirlo to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in a fast and furious Champions League tie on Tuesday. . Carlos Tevez tapped in from close range to give the Serie A champions a 13th minute lead, only for a slip by Chiellini five minutes later to let in Marco Reus for a clinically-taken equaliser. . In a passionate atmosphere, Juventus suffered another blow in the last 16, first leg when Pirlo went off injured just after the half hour. . But a superbly-taken goal by Alvaro Morata…
KAA Gent attacking winger Moses Simon’s younger brother has become the target of some of Europe’s top clubs, supersport.com has been informed. . Thankgod Daddy Simon is a gifted winger like his older brother Moses, who has been hogging the headlines in Europe as one of the hottest young talent following his switch from AS Trencin to Belgian Jupiler side KAA Gent. . The 17-year-old is now scheduled to leave the famous GBS Academy in Jos, Nigeria, for Europe, according to the academy’s head of operations, Ibrahim Ahmed. . But Thankgod Simon will have to wait till he turns 18…
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone says concentration and control will be key for last season’s finalists when they face Bayer Leverkusen away in Wednesday’s Champions League last-16, first leg tie. . Madrid arrive in Germany in a rich-vein of form with ex-Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandzukic having claimed 20 goals in all competitions this season and the defending champions third in La Liga. . Bayer, who reached the 2002 Champions League final where they were beaten by Real Madrid, are struggling for form having leaked a late equaliser at Augsburg on Saturday in a 2-2 draw and are winless in…
League Two side Bury have reached an agreement to lease Manchester City’s former training ground in Carrington from 1 March. . The 22-acre site has been acquired on a five-year deal. . The Premier League champions have moved into a new £200m training complex in the city centre at the Etihad Campus. . “The facility at Carrington is out of this world and it was an opportunity that we simply could not turn down,” said Bury chairman Stewart Day. . “We are thrilled to have reached this agreement particularly given the keen interest in a number of parties in leasing…
Burnley boss Sean Dyche has defended forward Ashley Barnes following his challenge on Nemanja Matic in Saturday’s draw at Chelsea. . Matic was sent off after reacting angrily to being struck on the shin by Barnes, with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho describing the tackle as “criminal”. Barnes was not punished during the match and faces no FA action. . Dyche said he found Mourinho’s view “hard to believe”, adding: “In live time no-one reacts, apart from Matic.” . Barnes played the ball but caught the Serbia midfielder high on the shin with his studs as he followed through after making…
Barcelona are not clear favourites to beat Manchester City and reach the Champions League quarter-finals, says coach Luis Enrique. . The Catalan club are aiming to reach the last eight for a ninth straight season, while City have never gone beyond the last 16. . “I don’t think there is a favourite,” said Enrique, ahead of Tuesday’s first leg at Etihad Stadium. Barca beat City 4-1 on aggregate at the same stage last season. . Enrique said: “It is dangerous to speak of favourites in the Champions League – you have to demonstrate yourself on the field.” . Midfielder Samir…
Cardiff City’s board members will boycott Tuesday’s Championship game at Wigan in protest at what they allege to be a club owned and managed by racists. . At least two members of the board were planning to travel but owner Vincent Tan has instructed them not to and they are said to support his position. . Wigan owner Dave Whelan was fined £50,000 for making racist comments about Jewish and Chinese people and served a six-week ban from football. Wigan declined to comment on Tuesday. . The Football Association disciplinary commission that punished Latics owner Whelan said it was “satisfied”…
Tottenham Hotspur’s 96th minute equaliser by Harry Kane in a 2-2 home draw against West Ham United on Sunday should not have stood but the referee was not brave enough to disallow it, said visiting manager Sam Allardyce. . With four minutes and 48 seconds of five additional minutes having been played, and Spurs trailing 2-1, they were awarded a penalty when Kane was felled by Alex Song. . At the awarding of the penalty the clock was not stopped but the laws of the game dictate that a spot kick must be taken if it is awarded inside the…
Chelsea were left seething after midfielder Nemanja Matic’s suspension was cut from three matches to two by the FA on Tuesday, meaning he will miss Sunday’s League Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley. . Under a headline saying they were appalled, the London club added in a statement: “The Chelsea Football Club board is extremely disappointed and frustrated the regulatory commission has decided not to reduce Matic’s suspension to the maximum extent permitted.” . The Serbian international received his ban after being sent off for pushing Ashley Barnes to the ground after the Burnley striker’s dangerous studs-up challenge in…
Dutch striker Bas Dost’s sensational form continued as his double lifted second-placed VfL Wolfsburg to a 2-1 win over Hertha Berlin in the German Bundesliga on Sunday. . Dost struck early in the game only to see second-bottom visitors Hertha hit back on the half-hour through Julian Schieber. . But Wolfsburg stayed eight points behind leaders Bayern Munich after Dost pounced for the winning goal with 16 minutes left. . The 25-year-old has now scored nine goals in Wolfsburg’s five league matches since the winter break and he also netted twice in Thursday’s Europa League game against Sporting Lisbon. .…