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Chelsea are the kings of Europe

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Chelsea won the Champions League title on Saturday after beating Manchester City 1-0 at the Estadio Dragao in Porto. 

The all-important goal was scored by the most expensive player in Chelsea’s history, Kai Havertz.

The move started with a goal kick by Édouard Mendy. After a Ben Chilwell lay-off, Mason Mount looked up and gave a 45 yard pass that was met by a surging Havertz.

Werner’s run had dragged the City defenders out of position leaving a huge pocket of empty space for Havertz to run into.

Havertz got there ahead of the rushing Ederson, rounded him off and rolled the ball into the empty net.

Man City lacked their usual fluency and barely created any chances.

And when captain Kevin De Bruyne had to be subbed off in the second half after colliding with Antonio Rüdiger. the writing was on the wall.

Hindsight is a great teacher but the biggest surprise was the absence of a defensive midfielder in the Man City line-up.

No Fernandinho. No Rodri.

Instead, Ilkay Gundogan, City’s top scorer this season, dropped back into a deeper position in midfield, with Raheem Sterling picked as an extra attacking player.

Oleksandr Zinchenko was preferred to Man City’s player of the season, Joao Cancelo at left back.

However, these ‘tactical tweaks’ hurt City as it allowed Chelsea’s Kante to totally dominate the midfield and eventually, that’s where the battle was lost.

Kante’s scorecard read – Two interceptions, three tackles, two clearances, and 11 of 15 duels won.

He also drew two fouls, had a key pass, and completed two of two dribbles – which won him the Man of the Match award.

For Guardiola, it was a chastening experience.

He has sometimes been accused of overthinking his tactics when it comes to the crunch matches in the Champions League and his decision to go without Rodri or Fernandinho was one more example of that.

However, Man City can’t complain as they were thoroughly outplayed as Chelsea could have scored more.

Striker Timo Werner missed two glorious opportunities in the opening stages and Christian Pulisic shot wide in the second half. 

Notable landmarks

For manager Tuchel and defender Thiago Silva, it was a sweet redemption after having lost to Bayern Munich in last year’s Champion League final.

Christian Pulisic became the first American male to play in a Champions League final.

Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy made history as well, becoming the first African goalkeeper to play in a Champion’s League final.

Mendy’s clean sheet is his ninth in 12 Champions League matches this season, the most ever in a single campaign.

Man City Line-up

  • Ederson
  • Kyle Walker
  • John Stones
  • Ruben Dias
  • Oleksandr Zinchenko
  • Bernardo Silva
  • Ilkay Gundogan
  • Phil Foden
  • Riyad Mahrez
  • Kevin De Bruyne
  • Raheem Sterling

Substitutes

  • Nathan Ake
  • Fernando Gabriel Jesus(60′)
  • Sergio Aguero(77′)
  • Zackary Steffen
  • Aymeric Laporte
  • Rodrigo Hernandez Rodri
  • Ferran Torres
  • Benjamin Mendy
  • Luis Fernandinho(64′)
  • Joao Cancelo
  • Scott Carson
  • Eric Garcia

Chelsea Line-up

  • Edouard Mendy
  • Cesar Azpilicueta
  • Thiago Silva
  • Antonio Rudiger
  • Reece James
  • Ngolo Kante
  • Jorginho
  • Ben Chilwell
  • Kai Havertz
  • Mason Mount
  • Timo Werner

Substitutes

  • Kepa Arrizabalaga
  • Marcos Alonso
  • Andreas Christensen(39′)
  • Christian Pulisic(66′)
  • Willy Caballero
  • Kurt Zouma
  • Mateo Kovacic(80′)
  • Olivier Giroud
  • Callum Hudson-Odoi
  • Hakim Ziyech
  • Billy Gilmour
  • Emerson Palmieri
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WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

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Cristiano Ronaldo

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 –

 

“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.

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Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card
Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

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.

“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.”

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PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

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MCFC vs MUFC, PL 2024 Dream11

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)

MCFC vs MUFC, PL 2024 Dream11, Grand League

MCFC vs MUFC, PL 2024 Dream11, Grand League (Source: X)

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

MCFC vs MUFC, PL 2024 Dream11, Head to Head

MCFC vs MUFC, PL 2024 Dream11, Head to Head (Source: X)

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