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UCL: Foden & De Bruyne break Atletico’s resistance

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Substitute Phil Foden came off the bench to quickly find superstar Kevin de Bruyne for the game’s lone goal as Man City beat Atletico Madrid, 1-0, on Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.

The one-goal advantage gives Pep Guardiola’s team the lead entering next week’s second leg in Madrid.

It was a deserved result in the end for City as they dominated the ball and the chances.

Atletico display defensive solidity

Despite this, it took over an hour to break down that strong Atleti back line with their overwhelming possession.

On the other side, Atleti rarely looked like a threat to score, recording zero shots.

City attempted 397 passes compared to Atletico’s 149 in the first half, but they needed to play with more invention and urgency.

Gradually, City rose to the challenge and Ilkay Gundogan went close with a curling shot that deflected wide off Stefan Savic soon after the interval.

De Bruyne’s free-kick finally forced Jan Oblak’s first save, while Raheem Sterling dragged his effort well wide from a dangerous position moments later.

Sterling was denied a possible penalty after Reinildo’s shoulder barge sent the City forward tumbling as he tried to reach De Bruyne’s pass.

When Aymeric Laporte headed wastefully over from Riyad Mahrez’s corner, Guardiola had seen enough and he sent on Foden, Jack Grealish and Gabriel Jesus.

Foden magic

Foden’s arrival was an inspired move as the England forward played a key role when City at last broke through in the 70th minute.

Taking possession outside the Atletico area, Foden shimmied away from two defenders and slipped a precise pass to De Bruyne, who timed his run perfectly to drill a low strike into the far corner from a tight angle.

Angel Correa escaped with a booking after kicking the ball at Grealish, earning a shove from Guardiola in the process.

De Bruyne had a chance to double City’s lead but couldn’t hit the target to leave the tie in the balance.

Mane helps Liverpool beat Benfica

Sadio Mane surpassed Lionel Messi as his goal helped Liverpool to a 3-1 win at Benfica in the Champions League.

After Ibrahima Konate headed Jurgen Klopp’s men in front, Mane tapped in Liverpool’s second and with that overtook the two icons in different ways.

Mane now has 13 goals in the Champions League knockout stage since the start of the 2017/18 season, which is one more than Messi’s 12.

Darwin Nunez pulled a goal back for Benfica at the start of the second half but Diaz restored Liverpool’s two-goal lead on 87 minutes.

Liverpool is now in a great position to advance to the semi-finals.

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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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