FOOTBALL
Champions League: Ajax & Liverpool win, Milan exit
RB Leipzig secured the third place of Group A with a 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Red Bull Arena, thanks to goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Andre Silva.
The home side was without their manager Jesse March on the sidelines because of the red card he received for his last match antics.
But, the Germans still managed to pick up a crucial victory to keep their European campaign alive.
Manchester City, who had already won the group, cut the deficit by half with a 75th minute strike from Riyad Mahrez, but failed to find the equalizer in the remainder of the match.
A win would not have done Club Brugge any good since Leipzig won in their match and nicked the 3rd place, but the Belgians were denied a consoling result before bowing out of Europe as PSG steamrolled them to a 4-1 defeat.
Messi sparkles
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe both grabbed a brace to take the game way beyond Brugge’s reach.
Mats Rits pulled one back for the visitors, but Messi PSG’s three-goal minutes later from the penalty spot.
Ajax continues to rock
Ajax Amsterdam concluded a perfect Champions League group stage campaign as they picked up their sixth straight win with a 4-2 triumph against Sporting Lisbon.
Sebastien Haller opened the scoring with an 8th-minute penalty and also got his name into the history books, becoming the first player after Cristiano Ronaldo to score in all six Champions League group stage matches.
Sporting immediately responded through Nuno Santos, but Antony, David Neres, and Steven Berghuis restored and extended the Dutch side’s lead.
Bruno Tabata scored 12 minutes from time to make it 4-2.
Despite the loss, Sporting will progress to the next round ahead of Dortmund because of superior goal difference.
Atletico step up
Atletico Madrid made it to the knock-out stages with a remarkable 3-1 away win at Porto.
It was a match where tempers flew high as none of them could finish the tie with 11-men.
Going into the match, both teams had the opportunity to go through to the next round, which set up an enthralling 90 minutes at the Estadio Do Dragao.
The hosts were on the front foot and looked more likely to take the lead when the visitors drew first blood through Antoine Griezmann four minutes from the hour mark.
Yannick Carrasco saw red 11 minutes later, giving the hosts a numerical boost, which turned out to be a temporary one as Porto lost two in the following minutes as the referee sent off Wendell and Agustin Marchesin.
Goals from Angel Correa and Rodrigo De Paul in the dying minutes of the game added to the misery of the hosts, even though they pulled one back through Sergio Oliveira late on stoppage time.
Madrid too good for Inter
In a battle for Group D top spot, Real Madrid came out on top with goals from Toni Kroos and Marco Asensio.
Los Blancos were missing their star striker Karim Benzema, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury, but they did not have to wait for picking the locks of the Inter defence as Kroos put them ahead in the 17th minute.
Inter came close to equalizing as Marcelo Brozovic, and Ivan Perisic missed good chances to score.
But, Nicolo Barella’s red card followed by Asensio’s goal in the 79th minute made Real group champions.
Heartbreak for Milan
With Premier League fixtures coming in thick and fast, Jurgen Klopp chose to field a second-string Liverpool side at San Siro.
But, Milan failed to take advantage of the situation and pick up a vital win.
Fikayo Tomori put the home team ahead, but goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi condemned Milan to a 2-1 defeat, crashing them out of the competition in the process.
Sheriff grinded out a 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk to grab the Group D third spot and carry on their European mission in the Europa League.
Borussia Dortmund’s 5-0 victory over Besiktas proved too little too late for their Champions League survival, and they will now have to focus on the Europa League.
The results
FOOTBALL
WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football
Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.
Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.
Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –
🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:
“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”
(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC
— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024
“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.
Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo
On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.
With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.
FOOTBALL
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee
England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.
In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.
Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.
Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC
— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024
“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.
“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.
“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.
We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti
“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”
“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”
FOOTBALL
PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby
Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.
While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.
Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.
MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details
Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24
Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Date and Time – 3rd March 2024, 21:00 IST
Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star
MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head
Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.
MCFC vs MUFC – Likely XI
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Akanji, Rodri, De Bruyne, Silva, Alvarez, Haaland, Foden
Manchester United: Onana, Dalot, Varane, Lindelof, Amrabat, Casemiro, Manioo, McTominay, Fernandes, Rashford, Garnacho
MCFC vs MUFC – Fantasy XI
Grand League Team
Goal Keeper – E Moraes
Defenders – M Akanji, K Walker, H Maguire
Mid Fielders – Kevin De Bruyne, B Fernandes, R Hernandez, Casemiro
Forwards – E Haaland (VC), J Alvarez, M Rashford (C)
Head-to-Head Team
Goal Keeper – S Ortega
Defenders – M Akanji, K Walker, R Varane
Mid Fielders – K De Bruyne (C), B Fernandes (VC), B Silva, Casemiro
Forwards – E Haaland, J Alvarez, M Rashford
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