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UCL: Villarreal shock Juventus

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Europa League champion Villarreal scored three second-half goals in a 3-0 win on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in 13 years.

Substitute Gerard Moreno converted a penalty in the 78th minute to break the deadlock following a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

Then Pau Torres was left unmarked to redirect in a corner before Arnaut Danjuma added another spot kick as Villarreal advanced 4-1 on aggregate.

This was a huge setback to Juventus and their manager, Allegri.

Allegri returned to Juventus this season after Maurizio Sarri and Andrea Pirlo coached the Bianconeri during successive seasons when they lost to Lyon and Porto respectively.

Including a quarterfinal defeat to Ajax in 2019, it’s the fourth straight time that Juventus has been knocked out after a home second-leg match.

Juventus sorely missed captain Giorgio Chiellini, who never left the bench following an injury layoff, and fellow center back Leonardo Bonucci, who was still out injured.

Moreno draws first blood

The penalty was awarded after a VAR ruling determined that Juventus defender Daniele Rugani fouled Francis Coquelin.

Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has saved three straight penalties in Serie A and got his gloves on Moreno’s kick but couldn’t stop it.

Torres netted from close range in the 85th after a corner was flicked on.

Then a handball from Matthijs de Ligt in stoppage time set up Danjuma’s spot kick.

With the away goals rule no longer in use, both teams needed to win to advance.

Juventus miss their chances

Juventus had several chances early on.

Dusan Vlahovic hit the crossbar with one touch following a cross from Mattia De Sciglio, and a header from Alvaro Morata.

Giovani Lo Celso curled wide in Villarreal’s best chance of the first half.

At the start of the second half, it appeared that Villarreal was content to sit back and defend and try to get take the game to extra time and a shootout.

But when Moreno came on, the momentum shifted.

β€œThat’s soccer,” Juventus midfielder Juan Cuadrado said. β€œWe had a good first half with some chances. In the second half we tried to move the ball around more to create spaces but they were placed well.”

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‘They have to be favourites’ – Liverpool ‘perfect’ in Champions League

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Liverpool’s impeccable start to the season has made them strong contenders for the Champions League. After securing a place in the knockout rounds with a win over Girona, they’ve maintained a perfect European record.

Rio Ferdinand praised their momentum, highlighting their position as favorites based on form, though he cautioned that freshness, particularly for key players like Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah, will be crucial. Stephen Warnock echoed this sentiment, noting that Liverpool is a formidable opponent in both the Premier League and Champions League.

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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.

β€œI think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.

β€œWe had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.

β€œWhat 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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