Christie late show puts Celtic into Scottish Cup semi-finals

Glasgow (AFP) – Ryan Christie left it late to score the only goal of the game as holders Celtic booked their place in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 win away to St Johnstone.

Sunday’s match at McDiarmid Park was still goalless when, with just nine minutes remaining, Christie curled in a free-kick from out wide that appeared to go straight into Zander Clark’s net, although Christopher Jullien also claimed the goal.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon had demanded an “angry reaction” from his side following their midweek Europa League round of 32 exit at the hands of Danish side FC Copenhagen, but the Hoops were frustrated for much of the match by a resolute St Johnstone.

But they did just enough in the end to record a 34th successive win in a domestic cup competition.

The Hoops, who have won the last three Scottish Cup finals and are eyeing a ninth straight league title, will be favourites to extend that sequence to 36 wins given arch-rivals Rangers’ quarter-finals loss to Hearts on Saturday.

Celtic will face Aberdeen in the last four, with the other semi-final drawn Sunday an Edinburgh derby between Hearts and Hibernian.

Both ties will be played on the weekend of April 11-12.

from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/2vxpSx5

Atletico frustrated by struggling Espanyol but Sevilla snatch late win

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid slipped up in the race for La Liga’s top four on Sunday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom club Espanyol. 

Saul Niguez volleyed in a stunning equaliser at the RCDE Stadium but Atletico were unable to find a winner as Stefan Savic’s first-half own-goal earned Espanyol a valuable point in their struggle against relegation. 

The result is less useful for Atletico, who sit fourth in the table but will be overtaken if Getafe win away at Mallorca later on Sunday. Real Sociedad are only a point behind and also have a game in hand. 

Espanyol stay 20th but are now only five points adrift of safety. 

After their excellent victory at home to Liverpool in the Champions League, Atletico appeared to be building some momentum when they defeated Villarreal 3-1 five days later. 

But Diego Simeone’s side have stumbled against the league’s lower teams this season and so it proved again, as Espanyol dug deep for a deserved share of the spoils. 

Atletico take on fellow top-four hopefuls Sevilla next weekend and Simeone will have to decide to what extent he keeps one eye on the second leg at Anfield three days later. 

His team can hardly afford a loss against Sevilla, who are now third after they beat Osasuna 3-2 earlier on Sunday, thanks to a 93rd-minute winner from January signing Youssef En-Nesyri. 

Espanyol took the lead in the 24th minute when Savic turned in Wu Lei’s cross at the near post and they might have doubled their advantage had Atletico’s goalkeeper Jan Oblak not made a brilliant save by tipping Victor Sanchez’s thundering effort onto the crossbar. 

Instead, Atletico equalised shortly after half-time when Saul took the ball out of the air on the edge of the box and banged a wonderful volley into the far corner. 

Joao Felix almost grabbed a winner when his deflected cross came off Diego Lopez and hit the post while Alvaro Morata was unable to turn in the rebound from the angle. 

Sevilla looked like they had thrown away victory when Osasuna came from two goals down to level after Aridane scored and Roberto Torres converted a penalty. 

But En-Nesyri, who had also struck the opener before Lucas Ocampos made it two, scored his second of the game and Sevilla’s third in injury time to snatch a dramatic winner. 

from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/3aju5mN

Zapata treble leads Atalanta to Lecce demolition in coronavirus hit-Italy

Milan (AFP) – Duvan Zapata scored a hat-trick as Atalanta destroyed lowly Lecce 7-2 on Sunday to strengthen their grip on the Champions League spots in a Serie A weekend ravaged by the coronavirus outbreak.

Eleven days after they thrashed Valencia in their last match Gian Pier Gasperini’s side showed why they are considered one of the most exciting teams in Europe with a breathtaking second half display that blitzed their promoted opponents.

They sit fourth, six points ahead of Roma before the capital city club take on Cagliari in Sardinia later and the same number of points behind third-placed Inter Milan, whose marquee clash with title rivals Juventus was one of five matches postponed this weekend due to the spread of COVID-19.

Atalanta’s travelling fans, most of whom will have arrived in Lecce from Lombardy, the country’s virus hotspot, had to have their temperatures checked before they were allowed to enter the Stadio Via del Mare.

The teams went into the break level as Lecce defender Giulio Donati made it 2-2 in the 40th minute.

Donati had given the away side the lead early when he headed into his own net under no pressure whatsoever.

However the second period was one-way traffic once Josip Ilicic classily slotted home his side’s third, and Zapata — who headed home Atalanta’s second midway through the first half — completed his treble with two goals in eight minutes to seal the three points.

Luis Muriel then made it six with three minutes left when he scored on the rebound after his own shot bounced out off the post, and Ruslan Malinovskyi completed the rout in stoppage time.

from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/3cik9vA

‘We are too nice’ moans Mourinho as Wolves rock Spurs

London (AFP) – Jose Mourinho claimed Tottenham paid the price for being “too nice” as Wolves came from behind to clinch a crucial 3-2 win in the race to qualify for the Champions League on Sunday.

Jose Mourinho’s side led twice in north London thanks to goals from Steven Bergwijn and Serge Aurier.

But Matt Doherty got Wolves’ first before second half goals from Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez overturned a 2-1 deficit in the second half.

It was a bitter blow for injury-hit Tottenham, who suffered three consecutive defeats in all competitions for the first time this season.

Wolves moved two points above Tottenham into sixth place in the Premier League and Mourinho fears his team’s hopes of Champions League qualification will be ruined unless they develop a more ruthless streak.

“It was a totally unfair result. But it is difficult to stop Wolves if you don’t have the mentality that they showed,” Mourinho said.

“In the first and last minutes they had fouls to stop the counter-attack. Wolves had the correct mentality. 

“We were punished for quite a long time because we don’t have that aggression. We are too nice. That is the only thing that made the difference in the game.

“I cannot complain about their spirit, I can complain about some psychological characteristics that are very difficult to change.”

Injuries to Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Moussa Sissoko and now goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who missed the Wolves game with a groin injury, have badly hampered Tottenham in recent weeks.

But, asked if the injuries had taken a toll, Mourinho said: “It would be too easy for me to say that. I try to forget the players that we are missing.

“It is frustration, not just for me but for the players. We recovered 11 points distance to fourth, then when we got to one point everything changed for us, but we have to keep fighting like we did today.”

On France keeper Lloris, Mourinho added: “It’s hard to say when he is going to be back. Is it a big problem? I don’t think it is but he was not ready to play today. We have to wait.”

– ‘Amazing energy’ –

As it stands, finishing fifth could lead to a Champions League place, owing to second placed Manchester City’s European ban, against which they are appealing.

Sitting level on points with fifth placed Manchester United and just three behind fourth placed Chelsea, Wolves are firmly in the hunt for an unexpected berth in Europe’s elite club competition.

from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/2TduIIX

Leipzig pegged back by Leverkusen in title race

Berlin (AFP) – RB Leipzig lost ground on leaders Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga table on Sunday after fighting out a 1-1 draw at home to a Kai Havertz-inspired Bayer Leverkusen.

Leipzig are three points behind Bayern in second, with Borussia Dortmund one point further back. 

Leipzig’s defence held firm to open the match amid wave after wave of attack led by Havertz, who eventually cut the ball back from the right flank for Leon Bailey to opening the scoring in the 30th minute. 

It was the first time Leipzig – who came into the match with the stingiest defence in the Bundesliga – had conceded a goal in five games.  

Leipzig struck back immediately however, with Roma loanee Patrick Schick heading in a lofted free kick from Christopher Nkunku to make it 1-1 in the 32nd minute. The goal, Schick’s third in five games, survived a VAR check for handball.

Leverkusen striker Lucas Alario had a chance to make it 2-1 in the dying stages of the first half when he broke from the halfway line to find himself one-on-one with Leipzig keeper Peter Gulacsi, but hit his effort directly at the Hungarian shot-stopper.

The home side started the second half the better of the two teams, but were unable to capitalise on the creativity of Emil Forsberg, with talisman Timo Werner hooked in the 71st minute after having an off day.

Havertz had one final chance to snare all three points for Leverkusen in the 75th minute but was unable to control the ball with the goal beckoning.

– Fan protests resurface –

Earlier, Wout Weghorst’s late header helped Wolfsburg claw themselves back from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw at Union Berlin amid more protests against the German FA (DFB) and Hoffenheim benefactor Dietmar Hopp.

Dutch international Weghorst was a shining light for the visitors and would have had more goals to his name were it not for some excellent saves from Berlin keeper Rafal Gikiewicz.

In a dour first half punctuated by wind, heavy rain and fan protests, Union went 1-0 up in the 41st minute through Sebastian Andersson who headed in a superb set piece from Christopher Trimmel to chalk up his 10th goal of the year.

The match was then suspended for over 10 minutes during the first half when Union’s hardcore ultras unfurled banners critical of the DFB as well as several targeting billionaire Hopp, who is reviled by German supporters due to his exemption from a rule that enforces fan control of teams via club member voting rights.

from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/3cpTVHM

Everton boss Ancelotti sees red in Man Utd draw

Liverpool (AFP) – Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti was sent off after approaching the referee as yet more VAR controversy contributed to a fiery finish in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday.

Goalkeeping errors by both United’s David De Gea and Everton’s Jordan Pickford were central to the outcome at Goodison Park.

But Everton thought they had won the game in stoppage time when a shot from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who had opened the scoring, deflected off United’s Harry Maguire and into the net.

The goal, however, was ruled out by the video assistant referee with the offside Gylfi Sigurdsson, lying in the path of De Gea, deemed to have obstructed the view of the keeper.

Veteran Italian manager Ancelotti was as unhappy as the home crowd on Merseyside, with the Toffees boss sent off after approaching referee Chris Kavanagh on the field.

The draw saw fifth-placed United miss the chance to cut the gap to Chelsea in fourth to a single point in the Premier League table as Everton stayed in 11th position.

Anthony Martial returned to the United line-up in one of five changes to the side made by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following the Europa League victory over Club Brugge in midweek.

Ancelotti made five changes as well, with Andre Gomes starting in midfield for the first time since early November following a severe ankle injury.

It took Everton just three minutes to break the deadlock with a bizarre goal that delighted the Goodison Park faithful.

There seemed little danger as De Gea dwelt on a clearance. 

But his eventual kick downfield was blocked by the charging Calvert-Lewin, with the rebound flying into the unguarded United net.

De Gea did make amends in part by denying Calvert-Lewin a second goal by tipping a shot wide while, at the other end of the pitch, Nemanja Matic hit the crossbar as United sought an equaliser.

Another goalkeeping error helped United draw level in the 31st minute when England number one Pickford, with national manager Gareth Southgate watching from the stands, failed to cover Bruno Fernandes’ speculative, if well-struck, effort from long range.

Everton midfielder Sigurdsson went close to making it 2-1 to the Toffees early in the second half.

United’s Victor Lindelof carelessly gave away a free-kick on the edge of the box and Sigurdsson saw his curling strike come back off the post, with Richarlison unable to get the rebound on target as he followed up.

from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/2TdlWL5

Jimenez rocks Spurs as Wolves boost Euro bid

London (AFP) – Raul Jimenez boosted Wolves’ bid to qualify for the Champions League as his late winner capped the visitors’ dramatic fightback in their 3-2 victory at Tottenham on Sunday.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side trailed twice in north London, but hit back from 2-1 down thanks to second half goals from Diogo Jota and Jimenez.

Wolves moved two points above Tottenham into sixth place in the Premier League.

As it stands, finishing fifth could lead to a Champions League place, owing to second placed Manchester City’s European ban, against which they are appealing.

Sitting level on points with fifth placed Manchester United and just three behind fourth placed Chelsea, Wolves are firmly in the hunt for an unexpected berth in Europe’s elite club competition

They fell behind to Steven Bergwijn’s first half opener, but Matt Doherty equalised and even Serge Aurier restoring Tottenham’s lead couldn’t knock Wolves out of their stride.

It was a bitter blow for injury-hit Tottenham, who suffered three consecutive defeats in all competitions for the first time this season.

Heading into this weekend, Spurs had kept just three clean-sheets in 22 games in all competitions since Mourinho took charge.

So Mourinho dropped defenders Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen as part of four changes following last week’s defeat at Chelsea, with keeper Hugo Lloris sidelined by a groin injury.

Those switches included midfielder Eric Dier dropping back to centre-half and exploited Mourinho’s reshuffle time and again.

Tottenham had their chances and took the lead with a superb counter in the 13th minute.

Giovani Lo Celso picked out Aurier’s run down the right and when the right-back’s cross reached Dele Alli, his shot was pushed out by Rui Patricio into the path of Bergwijn, who slotted home from close-range.

It was the Dutch winger’s second goal since joining Tottenham from PSV Eindhoven in January.

But the hosts remained creaky at the back and Nuno’s men crafted an impressive equaliser in the 27th minute.

Ruben Vinagre ran onto Jota’s pass and fought his way past Aurier to the touchline, where he delivered a teasing cross into the six-yard box.

Dier and Japhet Tanganga both made a hash of attempting to clear and Doherty made them pay as the defender fired past Paulo Gazzaniga for his seventh goal of the season.

– Spurs in disarray –

Jose Mourinho said this week Tottenham have to “survive” in the race for the top four until they get some of their injured stars back.

from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/2VGEK77