European Leagues

Mbappé scores again as PSG beats Sociedad 2-0 in 1st leg of Champions League round of 16

Kylian Mbappé grabbed the first goal and emerging winger Bradley Barcola added the second as Paris Saint-Germain beat Real Sociedad 2-0 in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday.
Sociedad dominated the game for long spells despite missing key players through injury, until Mbappé’s goal in the 58th minute.

The breakthrough came when Marquinhos headed on Ousmane Dembélé’s corner from the right and Mbappé was unmarked at the back post to volley in. A few minutes later, his strike from the edge of the penalty area was tipped onto the crossbar by goalkeeper Álex Remiro.

Remiro was beaten again in the 70th when the speedy Barcola broke down the left, skipped past right back Hamari Traoré with ease and poked the ball in — prompting coach Luis Enrique to jump off the bench to celebrate.

Sociedad went scoreless for a fifth straight game in all competitions.

“We managed to score at key moments in the game. We have a good lead,” Mbappé told broadcaster Canal Plus. “The clean sheet is important for us, we’ve been looking for that in the Champions League, although it’s true that they (Sociedad) have not not been scoring much at the moment.”

There was relief, too, that Mbappé lasted the whole game.

Mbappé’s sore left ankle kept him on the bench for Saturday’s French league game, but he showed no ill effects when he latched onto Dembelé’s pass and forced a save in the sixth minute.

After that chance, however, PSG’s intensity dropped right off.

Even though Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil was without goal-scoring midfielder Mikel Oyarzabal and left back Kieran Tierney, the intensity and organization of Sociedad’s high pressing pushed PSG back at a subdued Parc des Princes.

André Silva glanced a header wide and captain Mikel Merino struck the crossbar with a superb dipping shot from 25 meters moments before the break.

“It’s evident that we had trouble getting out of their pressing game in the first half. We should have shown more character to get out of it, as we were eight (players) against six,” Mbappé said. “The return leg will be more open, they will attack more and we will be given more space. If we get the space over 40 meters, I think we will score over there.”

Marquinhos said Enrique gave the players a stern talking to at the break.

“He was very angry in the dressing room, and that’s good,” Marquinhos said. “It’s important for the team. He managed to motivate us to bring the ball out more from the back.”

Mbappé’s goal took pressure off his teammates and allowed the 21-year-old Barcola — a summer signing from Lyon — more freedom to attack and net his first goal in the Champions League.

“It’s a childhood dream come true,” Barcola said.

Despite huge spending, PSG has been eliminated from the last 16 five times in the past seven seasons.

A quarterfinal place seems within reach, however, heading to San Sebastián for the return leg on March 5.

In the other last-16 game, veteran striker Ciro Immobile ‘s penalty gave Lazio a 1-0 win against Bayern Munich.

Related Topics:champions league Featured Mbappe PSG

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Premier League

Jamie Vardy matches Ronaldo’s record in Leicester 2-1 win over Spurs

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy has equaled a Premier League record previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Vardy scored in Leicester’s surprising 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. After Richarlison gave Tottenham the lead in the 33rd minute, Vardy equalized just after halftime in the 46th minute.

Moroccan youngster Bilal El Khannouss then scored the winning goal in the 50th minute, securing the Foxes’ crucial three points and lifting them out of the relegation zone.

With this goal, Vardy became the fifth player aged 37 or older to be involved in 10 or more goals in a Premier League season, as noted by Squawka. The last player to achieve this feat was Ronaldo during his second stint at Manchester United, when he scored 18 goals and provided three assists in the 2021-22 season.

Ryan Giggs reached the milestone in the 2011-12 season, while Teddy Sheringham and Gary Speed were the first to accomplish it.

At 38 years old, Vardy continues to perform at the highest level, having contributed seven goals and three assists in 21 league appearances this season.

Premier League

‘He Can Never Play For Me Again’ – Man United’s Ruben Amorim slams Marcus Rashford

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital in his team than Marcus Rashford unless the out-of-favor forward starts to “give the maximum every day in training and in life.”

England international Rashford was left out of the team for the 11th successive game by Amorim during United’s 1-0 Premier League win at Fulham on Sunday.

The 27-year-old said last month that he was ready to seek a “new challenge” away from Old Trafford after being dropped for United’s 2-1 win against Manchester City at the Etihad on Dec. 15, but Rashford has so far been unable to find a new club during the January transfer window.

And despite strikers Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee scoring just one goal between them since the beginning of December, Amorim said he would not restore Rashford to the team unless he changes his attitude.

“It’s the same, it’s always the same reason,” Amorim said when asked why he continued to overlook Rashford. “The reason is the training, the way I see what footballers should do in training, in life, it’s every day, every detail.

“So if things don’t change, I will not change. It’s the same situation for every player. If you do the maximum, if you do the right things, we can use every player. And you can see it today on the bench, we miss a little bit of pace to go and change the game, move some pieces.

“But I prefer it like that. I will put Vital on before I put a player on that don’t give the maximum every day. So I will not change in that department.”

Amorim, who arrived from Portuguese champions Sporting CP in November, celebrates his 40th birthday on Monday. But after the Fulham win, he said he feels much older after his brief stint at United.

“It’s not 40 … I’m 50!” he said. “After two months at Manchester United, it’s 50. It’s a privilege to spend my 40th birthday here. That feeling of winning and three points is really important for us. You cannot see a great improvement in the team and that is a fact, but to win helps us to improve.

“We’ve had some lack of luck in some games. Today, was not the best match but we managed to win. The important thing is I have a clear idea of what I want to do. Sometimes I’m frustrated. We want to play a different style and we are going to play a different style in the future.”

Serie A

How Samuel Chukwueze Became AC Milan ‘New god’

Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze scored a dramatic late winner as AC Milan defeated Parma 3-2 at the San Siro, etching their name in Serie A history, according to Soccernet.ng.

Milan endured a challenging evening, falling behind twice to a resilient Parma side. However, the hosts displayed immense character to secure all three points in an enthralling encounter.

Christian Pulisic ended his nine-game Serie A goal drought by converting from the penalty spot to cancel out Parma’s opener.

But with the visitors leading 2-1 heading into the second minute of injury time, Tijjani Reijnders produced a composed close-range finish to restore parity.

Then, in the fourth minute of added time, Chukwueze was in the right place at the back post to bundle home the decisive goal, sparking wild celebrations at the San Siro.

According to Opta via Milan News, the Samuel Chukwueze-inspired victory is the first time in Serie A history that Milan won a match by scoring two goals after the 90th minute.

For Chukwueze, the moment could prove pivotal in earning a bigger role under new manager Sérgio Conceição.

The Super Eagles winger, who only recently recovered from a hamstring injury sustained in December, was making his first appearance under the Portuguese tactician.

Chukwueze’s last outing for Milan was on December 29 in a 1-1 draw with AS Roma, during Paulo Fonseca’s final game in charge before being replaced by Conceição.

Since then, Milan have defeated Juventus, Inter Milan in the Super Cup, and featured in clashes against Cagliari, Como, Juventus (again) and Girona in the Champions League — all without Chukwueze.

The Nigerian international now boasts two goals in 18 Serie A appearances this season, surpassing the single goal he managed in 24 league games last term.

Samuel Chukwueze opened his account on October 19, netting the winner in a 1-0 victory over Udinese. He also starred in the Coppa Italia, scoring twice in Milan’s 6-1 demolition of Sassuolo in December.

Milan will next face city rivals Inter on February 2, with Chukwueze hoping to build on his impactful return and help secure another memorable result.