FOOTBALL

Header by Alisson keeps Liverpool in UCL hunt

Published

3 years ago

May 17, 2021

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Liverpool revived their hopes of finishing in the top four on Sunday by clinching a thrilling 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion in the away fixture.

Courtesy a last-minute header by Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker, the Reds bagged three vital points at the Hawthorns.

Albion did well to survive Liverpool in the opening minutes of the game.

Jurgen Klopp’s men did everything they could to penetrate the Baggies’ defence. They were dictating the field, passing accurately and crossing timely but couldn’t hurt the Albion due to poor finishing touches.

The opening goal belonged to the hosts as Hal Robson-Kanu curled the ball past the Liverpool keeper in the 15th minute of the game.

This was Kanu’s first goal in a Premier League start since 2017.

Liverpool’s attack spearhead Mohammad Salah was quick to score the equalizer.

This was the Egyptian star’s 22nd goal of the season, levelling with Tottenham Hotspur captain Harry Kane for the 2021 Golden Boot award.

Sadio Mane could have registered his name on the scorecard instead, but he failed to find the back of the net from close range in less than 10 minutes after Kanu’s goal.

The Liverpool forward had his chance once again in the second half, but the referee ruled his strike off-side.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino tried to seal the win from short-range efforts, but either their strikes hit the crossbar or blazed over the goalpost.

Salah had another chance just before the hour mark to get his second goal, but Albion keeper Sam Johnstone got the better of him.

The Baggies fans were elated for a moment when Kyle Bartley went off to celebrate his goal only to find out that the VAR had turned it down because Matt Phillips was caught in front of the Reds’ keeper.

When Liverpool were given a corner as the last action of the nail-biting game, Alisson Becker delivered an inch-perfect header to score Liverpool’s second goal of the night.

He’s the first-ever goalkeeper in Liverpool’s history of 127 years to score a competitive goal.

Moreover, this was the first time in 29 years that a keeper scored the winning goal in a Premier League fixture.

What’s next for Liverpool and Albion?

Albion had nothing to lose in the match.

They languish at the 19th spot in the points table and are well aware of their absence in the next PL season.

The Baggies have bagged only 27 points so far, which has guaranteed their relegation even if they win the remaining two games.

Brighton are at the 17th spot with 38 points under their belt, living dangerously, but just enough to make it to the next season.

Brighton’s tally has made it impossible for Albion to make an 11-point leap in space of two games.

On the other hand, Liverpool are eyeing a spot in the next year’s Champions League by finishing the season on a good note.

They crashed out of the UCL and FA Cup in 2021 and a decent PL finish is now the only way to redemption.

The Reds have jumped to the fifth spot with 63 points in the bag, a point short of fourth-placed Chelsea.

They will next face Burnley on Thursday (20th May) and Crystal Palace on Sunday (23rd May).

FOOTBALL

WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

8 months ago

March 3, 2024

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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

Published

8 months ago

March 3, 2024

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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.

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

Published

9 months ago

March 2, 2024

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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 – 3^rd 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.