FOOTBALL

Liverpool down Villarreal in five goal thriller

Published

3 years ago

May 3, 2022

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Liverpool booked their third Champions League final in five seasons after a 3-2 win in Villarreal saw them progress 5-2 on aggregate.

Villarreal were not ready to throw in the towel.

In fact, they were hoping to become just the second side to overturn a two-goal first-leg deficit in a semi-final, after Liverpool’s famous comeback from 3-0 down against Barcelona in 2019.

And it looked like they would succeed!

Boosted by the return of striker Gerard Moreno, Villarreal were aggressive and direct.

Liverpool were overwhelmed by the sheer intensity and energy of the Yellow Submarine.

The LaLiga side, conquerors of Juventus and Bayern Munich, did not manage a shot on target at Anfield last week but scored with their first here in only the third minute.

Pervis Estupinan’s cross was met at the far post by Capoue, whose mis-hit shot found Dia to score into an unguarded net.

They were lucky to escape conceding a penalty.

Keita’s misplaced back-pass went straight to Moreno who set up Giovani Lo Celso but he ran the ball too close to Alisson.

The goalkeeper was given the benefit of the doubt as the ball hit him just before the player went over him.

However Villarreal were not to be denied as the second goal came four minutes from the interval.

Capoue’s inviting cross to the far post was met by Coquelin, who out-jumped Alexander-Arnold to float a header into the top corner.

Luis Diaz the game-changer

The half-time introduction of £37.5million January signing Luis Diaz changed the game.

Swapping Diaz for Jota for the second half made an immediate improvement, allowing Mane to play centrally where he has done well recently.

Luis Diaz. That is all. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/HkksE2nSBO

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 3, 2022

Liverpool started to build pressure.

Alexander-Arnold had a long-range shot deflected onto the crossbar while Diaz acrobatically volleyed wide from Mane’s cross.

It finally told in the 62nd minute when Salah slid in Fabinho and his low, angled drive went through goalkeeper Rulli at his near post.

FAAAABBBBBBBBB!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/Nv3I4fz5lU

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 3, 2022

The two-goal cushion was restored five minutes later.

Diaz sent a thunderous downward header via a left-footed Alexander-Arnold cross which was Rulli couldn’t stop entering the net.

Rulli wasn’t done yet.

When he charged 20 yards outside his area to meet the onrushing Mane, the Senegal international side-stepped him, took the ball wider to avoid defender Foyth’s tackle before rolling the ball into an open goal.

Capoue sent off

Villarreal’s misery was completed when Etienne Capoue was sent off for a second yellow card for a foul on Curtis Jones late on.

As a result, Liverpool are into a third final of the season, having won the Carabao Cup and facing Chelsea in the FA Cup a week on Saturday.

This victory means they will have played every game available to them in their fixture calendar.

The relentless pursuit of a quadruple – and a seventh European Cup – rolls on.

The other spot in the Champions League final will be decided on Wednesday when Manchester City and Real Madrid play the second leg of the other semifinal.

Last week, City won 4-3 in the highest scoring Champions League semifinal match ever.

The final is scheduled for May 28 and will be played in Saint-Denis, France.

FOOTBALL

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

Published

9 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

9 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.