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Sunday, 2 December 2018

Buhari congratulates Super Falcons, says Nigerians can excel with right support

Liam Hope December 02, 2018 0

President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday showered praise on the Super Falcons for beating the Bayana Bayana of South Africa the final match of the 11th Africa Women Cup of Nations.

With the victory, Nigeria picked its 9th AWCON title at the final played in Accra, Ghana, on Saturday.

“I have never doubted the capacity of Nigerians to excel when given the right support”, a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, quoted the President as saying.

The statement reads further, “The President expresses particular delight at the discipline and commitment exhibited by the country’s senior women football team, despite the stiff resistance of their South African counterparts.

“Noting that the Super Falcons had earlier qualified to represent Nigeria at the FIFA Women World Cup tournament in France next year, President Buhari describes winning the AWCON for the third consecutive time and ninth overall, as the ”icing on the cake.”

“Saluting the country’s female football ambassadors for doing their fatherland proud and showing clear dominance on the African continent, he urges them to approach the France 2019 competition with clear focus and determination to excel on the global stage.

“President Buhari also commends the team’s coaching crew, the Nigerian Football Federation, Supporters Club, and all football-loving citizens for adequately preparing and supporting the players, enjoining all stakeholders not to relent in rallying round the country’s football representatives going forward.”

Super Falcons wins AWCON

Football

Liam Hope December 01, 2018 0

Nigeria’s female football team, the Super Falcons has won the 2018 African Women Cup of Nations after beating the Bayana Bayana of South Africa.

This is the ninth AWCON that the Super Falcons would be carting home.

After the final match of the continental tournament lasted into extra time, the female teams ended up playing penalty shoot-out.

Super Falcons won 4-3 after South Africa’s Linda Motlhalo missed a penalty.

Sterling dazzles as City goes 5 points clear

Football

Liam Hope December 01, 2018 0

Manchester City moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League as Raheem Sterling inspired a 3-1 win over Bournemouth, while Crystal Palace clinched a crucial 2-0 victory over relegation rivals Burnley on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola’s side racked up their sixth successive league win thanks to a second half surge after Bournemouth shocked the Etihad Stadium.

City hold a significant lead over second placed Liverpool, but they can close the gap back to two points if they beat Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield on Sunday.

“A good win, after the Champions League it is always tough. People think it’s easy for us but that is not the truth, so I like to win in this way,” Guardiola said.

“In the second half one action from Raheem Sterling changed the game.

It was a landmark moment for former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola, who said: “My 400th win as a manager? I didn’t know that. Congratulations Pep!”

Guardiola left City’s record goal-scorer Sergio Aguero out of the squad, but even the Argentine star’s absence couldn’t halt the champions’ momentum.

City had scored 40 goals in their previous 13 league games and it took them just 16 minutes to shatter Bournemouth’s resistence as Bernardo Silva bagged his second goal of the season.

Leroy Sane’s shot was saved by Asmir Begovic, but Silva was on hand to tap into the empty net.

– Stunned –

City were stunned in the 44th minute when Callum Wilson headed Bournemouth’s equaliser from a Simon Francis cross.

But the leaders restored order in the 57th minute as Sterling continued his mastery of Eddie Howe’s team.

Sterling netted from close-range after Begovic spilled Danilo’s shot, making it eight goals in six league appearances against Bournemouth for the City winger.

Ilkay Gundogan put the result beyond doubt when the German finished a fine move involving Bernardo Silva and Sane in the 79th minute.

At Selhurst Park, Palace ended their eight-game winless league run at the expense of fellow strugglers Burnley.

Heading into this weekend, Palace had managed two points at home this season, scoring only two home goals, which were both penalties.

Roy Hodgson’s team finally ended their drought from open play in bizarre fashion when James McArthur’s 16th minute cross was missed by players from both teams, hit the far post and trickled into the net.

Andros Townsend’s 77th minute curler ensured Palace would win for the first time since September and condemn third bottom Burnley to a seventh successive league game without a win.

– Farcical twist –

Brighton conceded the fastest goal in the Premier League this season, but Chris Hughton’s team recovered to win 2-1 at 10-man Huddersfield.

David Wagner’s side took just 54 seconds to open the scoring through Mathias Jorgensen.

But fourth bottom Huddersfield were reduced to 10 men when Steve Mounie was sent off for a 32nd minute foul on Yves Bissouma.

Brighton drew level in first half stoppage-time through Shane Duffy’s towering header.

The Seagulls sealed their first win in four games thanks to Florin Andone’s maiden goal in English football in the 69th minute.

Leicester won for just the second time in seven league games as Watford slumped to a 2-0 defeat at the King Power Stadium, with Jamie Vardy and James Maddison scoring for the Foxes.

Watford’s misery was complete when Etienne Capoue was sent off in the 90th minute for a lunge on Kelechi Iheanacho.

West Ham ended Newcastle’s three-match winning run as Javier Hernandez struck twice in a 3-0 victory at St James Park.

Newcastle fans had called for supporters not to take their seats until the 11th minute in protest against “11 wasted years of Mike Ashley’s tenure as chairman at the club”.

And, in a fittingly farcical twist for the troubled club, the fans who joined the protest were only just settling into their seats when Newcastle fell behind in the 11th minute to Hernandez’s cool finish.

West Ham had won just one of their previous six league games, but Hernandez netted again in the 63rd minute before Felipe Anderson capped the rout in stoppage-time.

AFP.

2018 Ballon d’Or winner ‘leaked’

Football

Liam Hope December 01, 2018 0

Ahead of the Monday gala, that will reveal the winner of the 2018 Ballon d’Or in Paris, it has been leaked that Real Madrid midfielder, Luka Modric will come first.

According to Italian media, the Croatian playmaker makes a clean sweep of the awards this year winning both UEFA and FIFA’s player of the year awards.

If the leak turns out to be true, Modric, 33, would break the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi cartel that has dominated the award for the last decade.

This year, Barcelona’s Messi is not even in the top three.

Ronaldo is reported to be runner-up with World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann third in the voting.

Irish football club fakes player’s death to avoid match

Sports

Liam Hope November 30, 2018 0

An Irish amateur club, Ballybrack FC, announced the death of one of its players, in order to get the match postponed.

Ballybrack FC was due to play Arklow Town in Ireland’s Leinster Senior League last Saturday, but the match was called off after the club announced that one of the club’s foreign players, Spaniard Fernando Nuno la Fuente, had died in a terrible car accident, reports Raidió Teilifís Éireann.

The entire league was stunned by the news, minutes of silence were held before the beginning of all the other matches, players wore black armbands in memory of la Fuente, and some teams even expressed their condolences on social media.

However, the League officials soon found out that Fernando Nuno la Fuente’s alleged death had been a ruse to get them to postpone the game with Arklow Town.

The lie came apart when the League got in touch with la Fuente’s club to see if there was anything they could do to help and if they could get in touch with his family to express their condolences. The response from Ballybrack FC made everyone very suspicious.

“Things started to unravel here when we followed up on Monday to see if we could get in touch with the lad’s family and see if there was anything we could do,” League chairman David Moran said.

“They said the body was already back in Spain, which didn’t really add up.

“We got a call back saying that his body had been sent back to Spain and that’s when the alarm bells rang. I was saying ‘what do you mean?’. They wouldn’t have been able to do an autopsy or whatever in that time,” Moran added.

“We started investigating it yesterday and then I got a call saying that he had just left to go home to Spain. “I’m delighted the young lad’s alive but I’m absolutely dumbfounded by what’s going on.”

LaFuente said that his full-time employer, a software company, had simply relocated him from Dublin to Galway.

“I was aware there was going to be some story on me but I thought it was going to be me breaking a leg or something like that,” LaFuente told RTE. “I was home yesterday after my work finished. I was playing some video games. … (My colleagues) started sending me all these news articles and mass media. And that’s how I found out I was dead.”

Ballybrack FC took to their Facebook page to apologise for what it described as “a gross error of judgement” and announced that “the person in question has been relieved of all footballing duties.”

Musa, Iwobi, Oshoala make list of nominees for CAF 2018 Awards

Sports

Liam Hope November 30, 2018 0

Nigeria’s Ahmed Musa, Asisat Oshoala were on Friday announced as nominees of the 2018 Confederation of African Football 2018 awards.

The list of nominees were released on Friday.

Other Nigerians on the list include Alex Iwobi, Onome Ebi, Francisca Ordega, Desire Oparanozia, and Wilfred Ndidi.

Nigeria was also nominated in the Men’s Coach of the Year, Women’s Coach of the Year, and National Women’s Coach of the year categories.

According to CAF website, 34 players and 15 women players have been nominated for the flagship awards; Player of the Year and Women’s Player of the Year based on the performance of the players during the year.

Other categories of the award include; Youth Player of the Year, Men’s Coach of the Year, Women’s Coach of the Year, Men’s National Team of the Year and Women’s National Team of the Year.

The Awards Gala, to honour footballers and officials who distinguished themselves during the year under review, will be held on Tuesday, 8 January 2019 in Dakar, Senegal.

See the list of nominees:

Unai Emery: Arsenal's boss is 'football obsessive' who 'makes or breaks you'

Sports

Liam Hope November 30, 2018 0

Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery shared only a brief conversation and a handshake on the sidelines, despite having so much to discuss.

This summer, Emery stepped into Wenger's shoes as manager of Arsenal, after the Frenchman moved aside following 22 years in charge.

The day before they met in London, Emery's team had beaten Everton 2-0 for a fifth consecutive victory, having started the new season with defeats by Manchester City and Chelsea.

They remain their only losses of the season so far, and the Gunners go into Sunday's north London derby with Tottenham now unbeaten in 18 matches.

In recent weeks the club's fans have been chanting: 'We've got our Arsenal back.'

But just who is the man leading this new-look Gunners side forward into their next era?

BBC Sport spoke with some of the people who know Emery best. The picture they paint is of a football obsessive, a man spurred on by his failure as a player and who lives now for just two things: family and success.

Beginnings: The Basque Ryan Giggs?

"Other players would spend their free time going to the cinema, for us it was always football."

Alberto Benito is looking back on a time when he played in central midfield for Toledo in the Spanish second division. Out on the left wing was Unai Emery.

"On our days off, we'd go to see all the matches and training sessions we could, especially at the nearby Madrid clubs: Rayo Vallecano, Getafe, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid," he adds.

"We both were obsessed by football."

Emery and Benito became great friends at Toledo, the club Emery represented most during his playing career, with 126 league appearances between 1996 and 2000.

He joined at the age of 25 from top-flight Real Sociedad, Benito says he was "a rapid left-winger like Ryan Giggs, with skill on the ball, although of course Giggs was better..."

He adds: "Whenever we were training, running all together as a team, we'd be together at the back, talking about football, the last goals, the games we'd played, exchanging ideas.

"We were both studying for our coaching licences. It wasn't really usual for players to do that before retiring, but for us it was another way to fill our lives with even more football."

However, Emery has always said he was a failure as a player. Despite having what many would consider a good career, 14 years in mostly the Spanish second tier, he describes his former self as "a coward".

Where he fell down most - in his own words - was the mental side of the game. He lacked confidence, lacked the desire to question himself and improve.

He is more than making up for it now. His experience as a player seems to have defined his approach to management. He refuses to let others make the same mistakes he did.

Sometimes the message can be delivered rather forcefully.

One of Emery's former players at Almeria, Laurent de Palmas, told France Football: "We clashed several times. But if Unai has a problem with you he will always tell you to your face.

"He either makes you or breaks you. Most often he makes you."

Benito says: "Unai will never criticise a player in public, but in the dressing room yes he will. He can at times put a lot of pressure on them, but it is all to bring out their best. He motivates them to fulfil their full potential."

Lorca: The start of success

Benito and Emery would meet again, at Almeria, in Emery's second job in management. Benito was appointed the club's director of football on Emery's recommendation in 2007.

But Emery's career in the dugout began in remarkable circumstances, three years earlier, at a different club.

It was Christmas 2004. Emery was back in Hondarribia, in the north of Spain. His home town is a small place in the Basque country, right on the border with France. He had just become manager of Lorca Deportiva, a team from Murcia struggling in the Spanish third division.

He got the job largely on the influence of the club's sporting director Pedro Reverte, who had signed Emery as a player the previous season.

As Reverte recalls: "The team were still 10th in the table but they weren't doing well and we decided to change the manager.

"Unai knew the team, he knew the rivals, we had a conversation and I had a good feeling about it. I told the president he seemed like the ideal person to take over.

"Unai passed from being a team-mate to being the boss. It's a difficult thing to do, but the team reacted well, and he took on the responsibilities really quickly."

Emery transformed Lorca. A modest side, they punched above their weight for the rest of the season and reached a play-off final for promotion to the second flight.

The crucial tie came against a team very close to Emery's heart: Real Union.

His grandfather Antonio, a goalkeeper, is a legend at the Irun club, having won the Spanish Cup with them two times - in 1924 and 1927. He conceded La Liga's first ever goal, in 1927.

Unai's father Juan - a goalkeeper too - also played for Real Union. Now, Lorca had to beat them over two matches to win promotion, and they had lost the first leg 2-1.

Away from home, on 26 June 2005, Juan Carlos Ramos scored the decisive goal in a 3-1 victory with an astonishing 40-yard lob in extra time.

Emery was so high on adrenaline he walked the 10 miles back to the family home in Hondarribia.

Coursing through his veins was major success at the first time of trying. It had been built on hard work, research, tactical innovation. All of these things still define his approach to the game.

"He dedicates an enormous amount of time to preparation," Reverte says. "He likes to know exactly how every team plays. At Lorca we spent hours driving around the country together in our free time, scouting.

"Maybe the opposition can surprise you but he's not a person who leaves anything to chance. And that hasn't changed."

The next season, Lorca pushed on again. They finished five points off the play-off places for promotion into the Spanish top flight. It was a remarkable achievement for a club that had risen from the fourth tier since their formation in 2002. They would fall back down to the fourth tier before folding altogether in 2012.

Almeria - a far bigger club in the same division - came calling.

In the 2006-07 season, his first there, Emery brought them up to the Spanish top flight. They had never reached that level before.

A maiden La Liga campaign ended in an impressive eighth, eight points off a Uefa Cup spot. At home they drew with Barcelona and beat Real Madrid 2-0.

Now the really big clubs were taking notice, and Emery stepped up again to Valencia. More success followed, despite money problems, and the sale of key players such as David Villa, Juan Mata and David Silva over his four years in charge.

In his first season, the 2008-09 campaign, Valencia finished sixth. In the next three consecutive campaigns they would finish third - only behind Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Emery's record made for impressive reading. Success, success, success. But that was about to change.

Failure in the wild east

Kim Kallstrom speaks highly of Emery. Very highly. The former Sweden midfielder played under him at Spartak Moscow, where Emery arrived in May 2012. He had left Valencia to test himself with a new challenge - in Russia.

Having played under both Emery at Spartak and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, Kallstrom's is a unique perspective on the only period in Emery's career that can be described as a failure.

"Unai made a very good impression on me straight away," he says.

"I liked his human side very much. He took the time to sit down and talk about life, from the first day you got the feeling that he was a good man, not just a good football coach.

"I think he could have been really successful at Spartak but there was a lot of politics that made the whole thing kind of impossible, and I actually think he quickly realised that."

The biggest obstacle appears to have been the language barrier - Emery is a great communicator but lacked the tools to effectively drill his side as he wanted. At that point he did not speak much English, and knew no Russian. Relying heavily on translators slowed his usual machine-gun delivery to a stuttering crawl.

Then there was the Valeri Karpin issue.

A former Spartak player, Karpin had stepped aside as manager when Emery was appointed, but he retained an influential role as sporting director. He was said to have been manoeuvring a way back into power behind the scenes, and would replace Emery when he was finally sacked.

The decision came following a 5-1 home defeat by city rivals Dynamo Moscow in November 2012, just over six months after his arrival.

Scottish winger Aiden McGeady was also at Spartak during Emery's time. He claimed the club's owner came down to the dressing room, surrounded by bodyguards, and told Emery he was fired.

"He is very different from Wenger but in one way they are similar," Kallstrom says.

"They both see their job as a labour of love. They just love being football coaches, it takes up all of their energy.

"But Unai is more active on the training field. Some coaches might just stand on the sides but Emery was always in the middle of everything, always demanding focus, and he is more into the tactical side too.

"I think his mind is more or less all the time thinking about football, problem solving, considering what you can do better. He loves the small details, he loves to have short videos where you can improve, he was really passionate about this.

"His way of coaching is based on communication, a lot of energy and hard work. He'd come in very early every morning and would leave late every day.

"For him it is more than a profession, it is an obsession."

Failure in Moscow would spur Emery on.

He spent two months out of the game before bouncing back at Sevilla, where in January 2013 he began his most successful period to date.

In his three seasons in Andalucia, Emery led the club to three consecutive Europa League titles. After the third, secured with a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in 2016, he stepped up again - with Paris St-Germain.

That 6-1 defeat...

It is hard to avoid the 6-1 defeat by Barcelona. In March 2017, in the Champions League last 16, an inspired Neymar helped destroy the team he would go on to join that summer in a world record £200m transfer.

For French journalist Romain Molina, author of El Maestro, a biography of Unai Emery published in the UK in November, PSG started that match at a severe disadvantage, despite their 4-0 aggregate lead.

"After the first leg at home, PSG directors were already booking hotels in Cardiff for the final. That is why they are not prepared for success at the highest level.

"Emery was the lone voice saying it was not yet over, he was trying to make everyone realise they could not afford to relax. If we are too arrogant Barcelona will use it, he said. And in the end that's exactly what happened."

PSG also missed out to Monaco for the Ligue 1 title in that season - Emery's first in charge of the French club. His second ended with a clean sweep of league, cup and league cup, and defeat in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Molina defines Emery's time in charge as "not worse, not better" than previous managers Carlo Ancelotti and Laurent Blanc. They too dominated the domestic game but fell down in search of the prize most coveted by the club's powerful and wealthy owners.

"If all three failed to achieve what the club is looking for in Europe then the responsibility has to lie elsewhere," Molina adds.

"But Unai left PSG with better organisation and a proper way of working. If current manager Thomas Tuchel had arrived after Laurent Blanc it would have been far, far different for him. Emery has done the groundwork.

"For example there used to be one club employee whose job was to organise shisha pipes for the players - it's crazy. Emery put a stop to all of that.

"The other interesting factor about his time at PSG was there was a hostility towards him from the media, which is often the case with foreign coaches in France. I don't know why. One person on TV compared him to a monkey."

Perhaps it is the exuberance on the touchline? That is certainly a trait we have seen him transfer to England.

The decision to end his spell at PSG was a mutual one between manager and club. When the announcement was made, in late April 2018, Wenger had already said he would be leaving Arsenal at the end of that season.

In early May, Arsenal got in touch. Emery was called over to London for an interview where he impressed then-chief executive Ivan Gazidis. He got the job.

Emery is now living a new life, but a familiar one, in a city he has not yet had time to fully discover.

He chose his new home on the outskirts of London because it is close to Arsenal's training ground, where he sometimes will eat three meals a day. He continues to arrive for work very early and leave very late. Even during the international break there is little let up - other than to visit his teenage son in Valencia.

"In every team Emery left with it improved, and with every job he has improved too. He is not the same man who was at Valencia, Sevilla, PSG," Alberto Benito says.

"Unai listens a lot. He's not someone who surrounds himself with people who just say yes and agree with him. He wants to discuss, listen, he does not dictate.

"But his success comes from his own hard work."

Nigeria retains position on new FIFA ranking

Sports

Liam Hope November 29, 2018 0

Nigeria is now placed fourth in Africa and retains her 44th spot in the world with 1,427 points, as against October’s 1,431 points, in the FIFA/Coca Cola Rankings released on Thursday.

Tunisia, who led the continent’s teams in the last rankings dropped to second place behind Senegal, with the North Africans dropping four places to 26th in the world with 1,493 points.

Senegal now top the CAF teams with 1,505 points and places 23rd in the world.

Morocco rests in third place, with Congo DR in fifth, after garnering 1,440 and 1420 points as world 40th and 49th respectively.

Belgium, France and Brazil remain unchanged as the highest ranked with 1,727, 1,727 and 1,676 points respectively.

According to a report on the FIFA website, defeats for the leading duo in the UEFA Nations League resulted in both dropping six ranking points.

Brazil , though still 50 points behind France, added seven after wins over Uruguay, who is seventh-ranked and 55th-placed Cameroon.

Meanwhile, the big climbers include African quintet of Mozambique (117th, up 5), Angola (125th, up 5), Sudan (127th, up 8), Comoros (143rd, up 5) and Gambia (166th, up 7).

The rise of Kosovo (131st, up 6) was also notable as it took them to their highest ranking position till date.

The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on December 20.

(NAN)

CAF to decide on 2019 AFCON host

Sports

Liam Hope November 29, 2018 0

The Confederation of African Football will discuss on Friday in Accra the staging of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations following reports that host nation Cameroon’s preparations were in difficulties.

The executive committee meets in the Ghanaian capital Accra on the sidelines of the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations tournament, an official of the Cairo-based told AFP.

A report of the last two inspection visits to central African state Cameroon will be made during the meeting.

CAF inspectors recently travelled to the country, which last hosted the tournament in 1972, to check security, infrastructure, stadiums and accommodation.

After the executive committee meeting, a decision whether Cameroon should continue as hosts of the June 15-July 13 African football showpiece is set to be made.

If Cameroon are rejected, CAF will have to launch a new application procedure to designate another host country for the biennial tournament first staged in Sudan 61 years ago.

Morocco, who lost out to a United States/Mexico/Canada bid to host the 2026 World Cup, have regularly been reported as possible replacements for Cameroon.

At a September executive committee meeting in Egyptian resort Sharm el-Sheikh, CAF noted “a significant delay in the realisation of the infrastructures” necessary for holding the Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

No plan B

However, CAF president Ahmad Ahmad declared the following month during a visit to Cameroon that his organisation “did not have a plan B.

“CAF has never thought about withdrawing from the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon… it depends on Cameroon,” he stressed after talks with head of state Paul Biya.

In Sharm el-Sheikh, Cameroon Football Federation head Happi Dieudonne assured executives that “Cameroon would be ready” to organise the Cup of Nations.

Cameroon is experiencing a tense security situation with persistent attacks by Boko Haram jihadists in the north and a conflict between the army and separatists in the two English-speaking regions.

The 2019 Cup of Nations will be the first to feature 24 teams — up from 16 at the 2017 edition in Gabon.

It will also be the first Cup of Nations played during June and July after the last CAF president, Issa Hayatou, refused to budge from the traditional January/February timetable.

The January kick-off meant many Africans with clubs in the leading European leagues had to leave their clubs in the middle of the season for up to six weeks.

Cameroon, as hosts, and 12 other countries, including record seven-time champions Egypt, have qualified for the 2019 tournament.

The other 11 places will be decided during the final qualifiers in March.

(AFP)

13 clubs who have qualified for the Champions League knockout stages

Sports

Liam Hope November 29, 2018 0

UEFA Champions League tables after Wednesday’s Group A-D matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):

Group A

Atletico Madrid 5 4 0 1 9 6 12 – qualified

Borussia Dortmund 5 3 1 1 8 2 10 – qualified

Club Brugge 5 1 2 2 6 5 5

Monaco 5 0 1 4 2 12 1

Group B

Barcelona 5 4 1 0 13 4 13 – qualified

Tottenham 5 2 1 2 8 9 7

Inter Milan 5 2 1 2 5 6 7

PSV Eindhoven 5 0 1 4 5 12 1

Group C

Napoli 5 2 3 0 7 4 9

Paris SG 5 2 2 1 13 8 8

Liverpool 5 2 0 3 8 7 6

Red Star Belgrade 5 1 1 3 4 13 4

Group D

Porto 5 4 1 0 12 4 13 – qualified

Schalke 5 2 2 1 5 4 8 – qualified

Galatasaray 5 1 1 3 3 5 4

Lokomotiv Moscow 5 1 0 4 4 11 3

Group E

Bayern Munich 5 4 1 0 12 2 13 – qualified

Ajax 5 3 2 0 8 2 11 – qualified

Benfica 5 1 1 3 5 11 4

AEK Athens 5 0 0 5 2 12 0

Group F

Manchester City 5 3 1 1 14 5 10 — qualified

Lyon 5 1 4 0 11 10 7

Shakhtar Donetsk 5 1 2 2 7 15 5

Hoffenheim 5 0 3 2 10 12 3

Group G

Real Madrid 5 4 0 1 12 2 12 — qualified

Roma 5 3 0 2 10 6 9 — qualified

Viktoria Plzen 5 1 1 3 5 15 4

CSKA Moscow 5 1 1 3 5 9 4

Group H

Juventus 5 4 0 1 8 2 12 — qualified

Manchester United 5 3 1 1 6 2 10 — qualified

Valencia 5 1 2 2 4 5 5

Young Boys 5 0 1 4 2 11 1

(AFP)

Champions League: All the teams that have qualified

Sports

Liam Hope November 28, 2018 0

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich put aside their domestic worries to impress on the European stage and qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions League on Tuesday.

Manchester United, Manchester City, Roma, Ajax and Juventus also advanced to the last 16 with one game to spare.

Madrid beat Roma 2-0 in Rome to secure first place, while Bayern crushed Benfica 5-1 at home.

Despite its home defeat, Roma also advanced from Group G, with both teams knowing they were through following Viktoria Plzen’s earlier 2-1 win at CSKA Moscow.

City again struggled against Lyon and needed the 83rd-minute equalizer from Sergio Aguero to salvage a 2-2 draw in Group F and seal its spot in the knockout stage.

Ajax also moved into the last 16 for the first time in 12 years with a 2-0 win over 10-man AEK Athens, in a game marred by fan violence.

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Sunday, 2 December 2018

Saturday, 1 December 2018

– Stunned –

– Farcical twist –

Friday, 30 November 2018

Beginnings: The Basque Ryan Giggs?

Lorca: The start of success

Failure in the wild east

That 6-1 defeat...

Thursday, 29 November 2018

No plan B

Wednesday, 28 November 2018

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