..::Football IV::..

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Marcelo: Ronaldo is number one in the world, no doubt

Real Madrid full-back Marcelo insists there is "no doubt" that Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world.

Ronaldo is favourite to scoop his fourth Ballon d'Or in January after helping Madrid and Portugal to Champions League and Euro 2016 glory respectively this year.

The 31-year-old responded tersely to ex-Barcelona midfielder Xavi, stating Lionel Messi remains the world's premier footballer, and Marcelo believes the number one is in the same colours as him.

Speaking ahead of Madrid beginning their Champions League defence against Ronaldo's boyhood club Sporting CP, the Brazil international said: "Everyone wants to talk about Ronaldo. He is number one in the world, there is no doubt.

"I see him work every day and I think he's the best, but It isn't just what I think. I think it's what many people believe. He's won three Ballons d'Or and he works really hard for the team."There is plenty more to come from Ronaldo. He's is still young and he's a great team-mate."

Madrid will aim to become the first team of to retain the Champions League since the competition rebranded from the European Cup and adopted a group-stage format, having won a record 11th title at the expense of city rivals Atletico Madrid last season.

"We've got to try and build on last season," Marcelo said. "It's is still early days with our objectives that we are trying to accomplish."It will be a tough season, just like last season. It is not easy to win the Champions League but we are on the right path.

"We're here, we're taking part so, yes, there is a chance [Madrid will win] like all teams who are taking part in the tournament."No team has won successive Champions League titles but our job is to try and win the Champions League."

 

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Dying on the pitch to beat Barcelona – Mourinho’s greatest team talk


Jose Mourinho has won two Champions League titles as manager - with a mix of tactical and psychological know-how - and he gave the team talk of his life for the second of those; ahead of Inter’s 2010 UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona.

Inter defied the odds at Camp Nou to edge out Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate and went on to claim a historic treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League titles for the first and only time.A late Gerard Pique goal on the night was not enough for a Barca team coached by Pep Guardiola to overturn a 3-1 deficit from the first leg and Inter went on to glory at Santiago Bernabeu against Bayern Munich in the final.

The Serie A representatives were heavy underdogs despite their first-leg lead, having lost Thiago Motta to a red card midway through the first half, and Mourinho credits his players’ willingness to sacrifice themselves on the pitch as the key reason behind the win.

“It was really one of the most important matches of these players’ lives,” he told Goal. “The semi-final of the Champions League - Barcelona v Inter.“From minute 20 or 25 we played with 10 men. We had to play in Barca for more than one hour with one player less.

“To resist and to play with one player less in a Champions League semi-final for so long, I think my talk prepared the players to do what they did - which was ‘if we need to, let’s go to the extreme, if we need to die on the pitch to go to the final we do it for the team’. And the players did an absolutely historical match in their careers.”

 

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Rashford: Ronaldo attitude inspires me at Manchester United

Marcus Rashford says Cristiano Ronaldo's determination is an inspiration for him at Manchester United.

The 18-year-old, who arrived at United's academy in 2005 with Ronaldo was already established as integral in Sir Alex Ferguson's first-team squad, has enjoyed a meteoric rise during 2016 and recently scored a hat-trick on his England Under-21 debut.

Rashford was impressed by the three-time Ballon d'Or winner's attitude and confidence at one day becoming the world's best, even at a young age, and feels such single-mindedness is key to reaching your goals as a player."When Cristiano Ronaldo came to United, he was the one who everyone looked up to," Rashford told Inside United.

"The thing that impressed me the most was the fact he was only young when he came into the side and he wanted to be the best player in the side."He worked hard every single day, you saw him in the gym every single day and the results came on the pitch. He openly wanted to be the best player in the world."

He added: "You have to have an approach like that – all the best players in the world do. It's not arrogance or anything like that, it's the mindset you need to achieve things."

Rashford has six goals in 13 games for United, including most recently a last-minute winner against Hull City in the Premier League.

 

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Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Arsenal: Alexis salvages a point after horror start

Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina proved integral to a 1-1 Champions League draw against Paris Saint-Germain as both teams finished the match at the Parc des Princes with 10 men.

A string of excellent saves from Ospina ensured the Gunners left the French capital with a point against their Group A rivals, with a second-half stoppage-time coming together between substitute Olivier Giroud and Marco Verratti resulting in red cards for the duo.

After two Ligue 1 matches without a win, coach Unai Emery made eight changes to his line-up and two of them combined for the opening goal when Edinson Cavani nodded home a cross from Serge Aurier after just 42 seconds.

Arsenal struggled to create opportunities and could have fallen further behind had it not been for Ospina, selected ahead of Petr Cech, denying Aurier, Cavani - who missed an open goal at the end of the first half - and Angel Di Maria in the second period.

The introduction of Giroud in the 63rd minute enabled Alexis Sanchez to play with more freedom from the wing, and the move paid off as the Chilean thrashed in an equaliser in the 78th minute to ensure the spoils were shared.Three-time Europa League winner Emery was drafted in as the replacement for Laurent Blanc in a bid to bring European success to Paris.

And he surely could not have hoped for a better start to the continental campaign than Cavani getting between the Arsenal centre-backs to head home Aurier's right-wing cross with just 42 seconds gone – the earliest goal the English side have conceded in their Champions League history.

Arsenal gradually gained a foothold in the match and used the wings well, but 23-year-old PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, making his Champions League debut, remained untested in the first half.And Cavani could have sent PSG into the break with a deserved two-goal cushion.

After missing the target from 15 yards having latched onto Verratti's deflected pass and rounded Ospina, the Uruguayan was unable to connect with a volley after controlling Di Maria's chip over the defence on his chest.

Di Maria had a chance of his own within 10 minutes of the restart, but Nacho Monreal did enough to put him off inside the box, his appeal for a penalty waved away by referee Viktor Kassai.Arsene Wenger sent Giroud on in place of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a move that enabled Sanchez to move out wide.

Improvement was initially only fleeting, with Ospina racing off his line to deny Aurier before thwarting Cavani, who beat Laurent Koscielny but could not add his second with 21 minutes remaining.

The Colombian then kept out Di Maria and his efforts were not in vain as Arsenal drew level when Sanchez thumped home after Areola made a great reaction stop to keep out Alex Iwobi.

Arsenal were left to rely on Ospina once more to secure a point, the goalkeeper diving at Cavani's feet and getting a crucial touch on the ball to steer him away from goal.

There was a sour note for both teams come the final whistle, though, with Giroud diving in on Verratti and sparking a disagreement that resulted in the pair being dismissed. Marquinhos then missed a chance to win it when he headed wide at the back post in the 95th minute.

 

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Bayern Munich 5-0 Rostov: Ancelotti's men stroll to Champions League victory

Carlo Ancelotti's first Champions League campaign as Bayern Munich boss got off to the ideal start as his side ran out comfortable 5-0 winners against Rostov.

Bayern, who will also face Atletico Madrid and PSV Eindhoven in Group D, controlled proceedings throughout in Munich, though relied on a somewhat controversial penalty call from referee Anthony Taylor midway through the first-half in order to take the lead – Robert Lewandowski drilling home.

And, after birthday boy Thomas Muller had doubled Bayern's tally in first-half stoppage time, the hosts ran riot after the interval, Joshua Kimmich netting twice in the space of seven minutes to end the match as a contest before substitute Juan Bernat added a fifth in the last minute.

The victory gives Bayern a 13th consecutive Champions League win at the Allianz Arena as Ancelotti's men ensured that Rostov's first appearance in the group stages of a European tournament ended in a comprehensive defeat.

Despite dominating possession, Bayern only created one chance in the early stages when Kimmich, who netted his maiden Bundesliga goal in the 2-0 victory over Schalke last time out, picked out Lewandowski with a precise cross – the striker proceeding to head over from close-range.

However, Rostov were breached after 28 minutes, with referee Taylor rather harshly deeming that Lewandowski had been tugged down in the area by away captain Aleksandru Gatcan.

But Ancelotti's side did make their superiority count on the stroke of half-time, Muller celebrating his 27th birthday in style as he swept home David Alaba's superb cross from the left.

Bayern wasted no time in extending their advantage after the restart, Douglas Costa sliding a low cross into the six-yard box, with Kimmich on hand to nudge in his second goal in as many games on 53 minutes.

Costa was the architect once more in Bayern's next opportunity, the Brazil winger setting up Lewandowski with another inch-perfect delivery, but Bayern's forward could only blast his effort well over.The hosts made up for that miss in the 60th minute, though, Kimmich doubling his tally with a towering header from Bernat's delivery.

Rostov, who overcame Ajax and Anderlecht in qualifying, finally created an opportunity in the closing stages, but Manuel Neuer's save ensured that Aleksandr Erokhin's header did not ruin Bayern's clean sheet.Bernat then completed the rout in the 90th minute, drilling in after he was teed up by fellow substitute Franck Ribery.

 

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Barcelona 7-0 Celtic: Luis Enrique's men run riot

Barcelona began their quest for a sixth Champions League title with an emphatic 7-0 win over Celtic at Camp Nou.

A hat-trick from Lionel Messi, plus goals from Neymar, Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez's double, gave Luis Enrique's side all three points to banish memories of Saturday's shock LaLiga defeat to Alaves.

Messi rifled in an early opener and he combined superbly with Neymar to double Barca's lead after Moussa Dembele had seen a penalty saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Neymar bent a free-kick over the wall and beyond Dorus de Vries from 20 yards just after half-time, and the Brazil star set up Iniesta for a sumptuous fourth before the hour mark before Messi completed his treble just a minute later.

Brendan Rodgers' side could scarcely get out of their half as Barca utterly dominated proceedings, and Suarez - a man he described as the world's top player this week - fired in a stunning sixth from Neymar's fourth assist of the match before poking home Messi's cross to cap the win.

The only sour point for Barca could come in the form of UEFA disciplinary action, with the Champions League anthem booed resoundingly by home fans who displayed 'estelada' flags in defiance of warnings from European football's governing body.

Rodgers warned before the match that even "two double-deckers in front of goal" may not be enough to keep Barca quiet, but he will have been furious at the manner in which his side gifted them the lead.

With just three minutes played, Neymar's clever reverse pass on the left sent Messi clean through a static Celtic defence, and he blasted a shot high past De Vries from a tight angle.

Celtic - who were thrashed 6-1 on their last visit to Camp Nou in 2013 - fashioned a chance for an equaliser when Ter Stegen tripped Dembele inside the area as he ran on to Scott Sinclair's pass, but the forward's stuttered run-up fooled nobody and the Barca keeper palmed away his penalty comfortably.

Dembele's miss was compounded as Barca doubled their lead just three minutes after that reprieve. In stunning style, Messi and Neymar exchanged passes inside a crowded box before the Argentina international prodded in from point-blank range.

Kieran Tierney cleared Ivan Rakitic's volley off the line and De Vries saved well from Neymar on a lightning-fast break from Barca prior to half-time, but a third goal for the home side was beginning to look inevitable.

And it duly arrived less than five minutes after the restart. Messi, fouled on the edge of the area, passed up his first chance for a hat-trick by allowing Neymar to take the free-kick, and the Brazil international picked out the top-left corner for his fourth goal in two home games against the Scottish champions.

Iniesta, on as a half-time substitute, got Barca's fourth as he hammered a volley high into the net following Neymar's pinpoint cross, and Messi completed his hat-trick one minute later, turning home from inside the six-yard box after Suarez had cut the ball back into his path.

Suarez had endured a relatively quiet game but he was not to be denied his own moment of magic, chesting down Neymar's clever lofted pass before swivelling and striking high past De Vries from six yards.

Messi saw a low shot tipped onto the post by De Vries but, after the resulting corner was only half-cleared, Iniesta picked out Barca's number 10 with a fine through ball and he in turn set up Suarez to steer home as Barca scored seven goals in a Champions League match for the second time.

 

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Dynamo Kiev 1-2 Napoli: Milik double gives Italians victory

Arkadiusz Milik netted twice to help Napoli come from behind and record a 2-1 win over Dynamo Kiev in their Champions League Group B opener at NSK Olimpiyskiy on Tuesday.

Napoli spent €32 million to lure the Poland international away from Ajax following the departure of Gonzalo Higuain to Juventus and Milik has not wasted any time making an impact at his new club.

He opened his Napoli account with a double in the 4-2 Serie A win over AC Milan in August and made it four from as many appearances in all competitions versus Kiev.

Milik scored his first goal of the game when he cancelled out Denys Garmash's opener following a fine cross from Faouzi Ghoulam, before netting his and Napoli's second shortly before the break with another header.

Kiev pushed hard for an equaliser in the second half, but they lacked the individual quality to really worry Napoli and their task became all but impossible when Serhiy Sydorchuk received his second yellow card for diving, the Serie A side holding on to their lead without any real problems.

Dynamo nearly got off to a flying start as Sydorchuk's ambitious attempt from the half-way line just 41 seconds after kick-off surprised Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina. The midfielder tried his luck from inside the Napoli half following some sloppy play from Raul Albiol and Reina spotted the danger just in time to push the ball over his crossbar for a corner.

Kiev did go a goal up in the 26th minute via Garmash, though. Viktor Tsygankov did well to head Andriy Yarmolenko's cross from the right back across goal and Garmash beat Reina with an acrobatic half-volley to open the scoring.

Napoli had struggled to create any chances of note, but equalised with their first attempt on target in the 36th minute via Milik. Ghoulam sent in a superb cross after charging down the left and the Poland international rose highest to head past shot stopper Oleksandr Shovkovskiy.

Milik's equaliser proved to be an instant boost for Maurizio Sarri's men and the Poland international doubled his tally in the dying seconds of the first half with another header. Dries Mertens' attempt from close range after Jose Callejon's cross was cleared off the goal-line, but Milik found himself in the right position to head the ball over Shovkovskiy and make it 2-1.

The hosts pushed for the equaliser after the interval, but it was Napoli that were the more dangerous side of the two, with Mertens nearly making it three with a low shot that hit the upright after cutting inside from the left.

Dynamo's task became more difficult when referee William Collum dismissed Sydorchuk in the 68th minute. The midfielder had received his first yellow card early in the game for a reckless challenge and got booked again mid-way through the second half for simulation after he claimed to have been brought down inside the area by Albiol.

Dynamo threatened sporadically from set pieces in the remainder of the game, but Napoli held on to their lead with relative ease as they returned home with an important away win to start their campaign.

 

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PSV 0-1 Atletico Madrid: Saul seals narrow win for Simeone's men

A solitary goal from Saul Niguez proved enough for Atletico Madrid to open their Champions League campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over PSV at the Philips Stadium.Saul's persistence paid off in the 43rd minute, the Spain international finding the net with a left-footed shot after his initial effort with his right had been blocked.

However, last season's beaten finalists were indebted to goalkeeper Jan Oblak, who turned away Andres Guardado's penalty to secure all three points in an absorbing Group D clash.

PSV also had a goal dubiously ruled out for a foul as their six-match unbeaten run in all competitions came to an end against the team that knocked them out of the same competition on penalties in the last 16 last term.

The hosts thought they had taken the lead inside six minutes when Luuk de Jong nodded in from close range only for their celebrations to be cut short by referee Martin Atkinson's whistle.

Hector Moreno was adjudged to have climbed on the shoulders of Filipe Luis before heading across goal to set up his unmarked team-mate.

If the home crowd were frustrated at that decision, they were apoplectic when the officials failed to award a penalty 14 minutes later for Diego Godin's clumsy shoulder charge on Luciano Narsingh.

Having rode their luck at the back, Atletico took the lead just before the break when Saul fired home from inside the area at the second attempt.

There was still time for further drama before the break, though, as PSV were gifted the chance to draw level in injury time. Atkinson punished Jose Gimenez's sliding tackle on Narsingh by pointing to the spot despite the forward appearing to go down as an afterthought.But Oblak guessed correctly, diving to his left to beat away Guardado's firmly struck spot-kick.

Kevin Gameiro missed the chance to double the visitors' advantage early in the second half by firing over when he only had Jeroen Zoet to beat from 15 yards out.

The signing from Sevilla again failed to trouble the PSV goalkeeper soon after, striking his effort into the side netting after being put clear by Antoine Griezmann's first-time pass on the half-volley.

Griezmann did have the ball in the net again in the 71st minute only for the referee's assistant to rule the Frenchman had made his run a fraction too early to reach Tiago's chipped pass.

Godin was fortunate to get away with using his hand to block a De Jong header from a deep corner and the PSV forward wasted his side's final opportunity for an equaliser by heading over.

 

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Basel 1-1 Ludogorets: Steffen salvages late point

Renato Steffen struck an 80th-minute equaliser as Basel drew 1-1 with Ludogorets in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Jonathan Cafu's breakaway goal just before half-time had looked set to secure a first Champions League group stage away win for the Bulgarians before the home side's late pressure eventually told.

The Swiss champions had lost only three of their previous 19 home games in European competition and were expected to enjoy a comfortable night against the largely unheralded visitors.

Despite dominating for long periods and creating numerous chances, Urs Fischer's side struggled to find a way past Ludogorets goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov, who pulled off a string of fine saves.

Birkir Bjarnason, Steffen, Marc Janko and Seydou Doumbia were all denied by Stoyanov as Ludogorets - playing in the group stage for just the second time in their history - defended doggedly to preserve their hard-earned lead.

However, the in-form hosts, who have won each of their first seven games of the Swiss Super League season, finally found a way through courtesy of Switzerland winger Steffen to get off the mark in Group A

With Ludogorets content to sit deep and defend in numbers, Basel seized the initiative right from the off and carved out two decent openings in the first six minutes.

Bjarnason tested Stoyanov with a low, angled shot and the Iceland international then turned provider, teeing up Steffen, who saw his close-range effort blocked by a cluster of Ludogorets defenders.

Stoyanov was called into action again moments later to keep the lively Steffen at bay, while Wanderson fired the visitors' first chance straight at home goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik midway through the first half.

Marc Janko was the next to threaten for Basel as his header from a Matias Delgado corner was blocked, but that proved to be the Austria international's final contribution before he was forced to limp from the fray with an apparent hamstring injury.

And Fischer's men then suffered a further blow as they fell behind on the stroke of half-time.After Bjarnason spoilt a promising Basel move by delaying his shot, Marcelinho led a swift Ludogorets counter-attack that culminated in Cafu shrugging off the attentions of Marek Suchy and calmly slipping the ball past Vaclik.

Basel responded by laying siege to the visitors' goal immediately after the break, with Doumbia's header drawing another save from Stoyanov, but they appeared to be running out of ideas as the second half wore on.With the home fans becoming increasingly frustrated, Ludogorets seemed set to secure an historic victory, only to be denied 10 minutes from time.

Stoyanov managed to palm Bjarnason's cross away, but only as far as Steffen, who hooked the ball home at the far post to ensure a share of the spoils.

 

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Benfica 1-1 Besiktas: On-loan Talisca denies parent club in stoppage time

Anderson Talisca came back to haunt parent club Benfica, netting a stunning stoppage-time free-kick to earn new side Besiktas a 1-1 Champions League draw.

The Brazilian joined Besiktas on loan from the Portuguese giants last month, and the Eagles may be regretting that decision after he denied them two points in Tuesday's Group B opener.

It looked as though Benfica, quarter-finalists last season, would get their 2016-17 campaign off to a winning start after they held the lead given to them by Franco Cervi's 12th-minute goal.

But in the third minute of stoppage time, Talisca stepped up and sent a superb, swerving 30-yard free-kick into the bottom-left corner to earn his new employers a share of the spoils.

The home side were without a trio of injured forwards in Jonas, Kostas Mitroglou and Raul Jimenez while head coach Rui Vitoria was serving a touchline ban having been sent off against Bayern Munich in the quarter-final second-leg defeat in April.
The hosts coped manfully without those enforced absentees, but ultimately it was a man they chose to let go that cost them a potentially crucial two points in a group also containing Dynamo Kiev and Napoli, who won 2-1 in Ukraine.

The visitors looked the more assured side in the opening exchanges, but it was Benfica who broke the deadlock as they took advantage of a couple of defensive errors.

Hesitation from Marcelo under a long ball allowed Eduardo Salvio in behind, and his fierce shot from a narrow angle was parried back into danger by Tolga Zengin, with Cervi on hand to lash home.

Ricardo Quaresma - roundly whistled by the home fans due to his time spent at Sporting CP and Porto - stung the palms of Benfica goalkeeper Ederson with a 30-yard free-kick on the half-hour mark as Besiktas looked to find an equaliser before the interval.

In the 39th minute Goncalo Guedes drew a save from Zengin, who this time managed to hold on with Cervi looking to pounce again. The keeper flew to his left to push behind a rasping effort from Andre Horta in the last action of the half.

Besiktas coach Senol Gunes replaced Oguzhan Ozyakup with Talisca at the break and the Brazilian felt he should have had a penalty after going down under a clumsy challenge from Victor Lindelof.

In a second half of little goalmouth action, the visitors ought to have equalised when substitute Cenk Tosun, scorer of four goals in three league games this season, hacked wildly over from close range following Vincent Aboubakar's lay-off.
Benfica should have made the game safe late on when Guedes robbed Quaresma only to be denied by a sprawling Zengin one-on-one, and they were made to pay for that miss when Talisca intervened deep into injury time.

 

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Suarez revels in MSN reunion as Barcelona destroy Celtic

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez says he enjoyed the return of the fabled 'MSN' forward line as the Spanish champions hammered Celtic 7-0 in their opening Champions League Group C game.

Suarez partnered Lionel Messi and Neymar for the first time this season, and the trio combined to devastating effect to record Barca's biggest ever margin of victory in Europe's top competition.

Former Liverpool striker Suarez scored the final two goals after earlier laying on an assist for Messi, who scored a record sixth hat-trick in the tournament and teed up his Uruguayan team-mate's second strike.

Neymar, meanwhile, added four assists - including one for Andres Iniesta's sumptuous volley - to cap a dazzling display in which he also curled home a fine free-kick.

And Suarez was delighted to be able to line up alongside Messi and Suarez once more as Barca put their shock LaLiga loss to Alaves last weekend behind them."There have been a lot of games where we haven't been together - we've been on holiday, Neymar was at the Olympics," he told TV3. "Now we have the opportunity to come back and enjoy ourselves together."We tried to enjoy helping the team to get the three points in the Champions League."

Suarez accepts that Barca's league title defence has already suffered a blow after that 2-1 defeat to Alaves, but he insists it was no reason to panic.

"We're human. It's normal for us to have a bad day," he said. "We know that LaLiga is long, we lost three points that we didn't expect to and now we know that it depends only on us and that there is no margin for error. It's already become difficult for us."

Suarez scored 59 goals in 53 appearances in a stunning 2015-16 season and, despite having already netted six times in six games this term, he does not expect to match those numbers again.

"The important thing is to keep the team at a high level as a whole," he added. "It's difficult to surpass the figures of last season. But what I want is to win collective titles."a

 

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Messi goes ahead of Ronaldo with sixth Champions League hat-trick

Lionel Messi's hat-trick against Celtic on Tuesday night was his sixth in the Champions League - more than any other player in the history of the competition.

Barcelona star Messi had been tied with Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo on five hat-tricks going into the match against Brendan Rodgers' side at Camp Nou.

His treble in the 7-0 thrashing gives him the outright lead in fewer appearances than Ronaldo, who has played 133 games to his 107.

The victory over Celtic was Barcelona's biggest win in their Champions League and European Cup history and the first time the Scottish side have conceded seven in a continental game.

 

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Emery: PSG will win by repeating Arsenal display

Paris Saint-Germain will soon start winning if they replicate their performance in Tuesday's 1-1 Champions League draw against Arsenal, says Unai Emery.The Spaniard's tenure in Paris started positively with a 4-1 Trophee des Champions win against Lyon preceding back-to-back Ligue 1 victories.

However, a 3-1 defeat away to Monaco has now been followed by successive 1-1 draws against Saint-Etienne and Arsenal, leaving PSG without a win in three.
But Emery saw enough on the pitch on Tuesday to feel confident victories will soon be coming their way.

"It is not the best result, but I'm happy with how we played – the team played the game I wanted them to," he told beIN Sports."We had seven clear chances, that is the most important thing. The goals will come. I'm happy and I think the players can be too.

"Let's play the way we want to play and we will win. We were very compact. It was good."If we play every game like this, I think we will [start winning]."

Edinson Cavani opened the scoring after 42 seconds, but the Uruguayan missed numerous chances to add to his tally with Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina in inspired form.

Despite seeing Cavani pass up so many chances, Emery is sure he is the right man to lead the line."I have total confidence in him. The most important thing is to create opportunities," he added.

Midfielder Blaise Matuidi felt aggrieved Arsenal secured a point courtesy of Alexis Sanchez's strike with 12 minutes remaining, before Marco Verratti and Olivier Giroud saw red in additional time.

"We would have liked three points. This is not a good result. We deserved to win tonight," said Matuidi."We had more opportunities. The goals will come, you just have to be positive."

 

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Ancelotti believes five-star Bayern can win Champions League

Carlo Ancelotti has backed Bayern Munich to compete for this season's Champions League after the Bundesliga giants thrashed Rostov 5-0 in their Group D opener.

A brace from youngster Joshua Kimmich, combined with goals from Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller and Juan Bernat, sealed a comprehensive victory for Bayern on Tuesday, with Ancelotti now having won five out of five since taking over at the Allianz Arena – seeing his side score 20 goals without conceding.

And, after becoming the first manager to win a Champions League match with seven different clubs, Ancelotti was quick to heap praise on his side – signalling out Kimmich for particular plaudits."I'm happy, we made a good start," Ancelotti told Sky.

"Win the Champions League? Sure it is possible, our team will be competitive this season, and for the moment everything is fine, but the first objective is to win the group, then we will see the draw.

"It was a great game. We opened the scoring early and then the game was more open for us."Kimmich is playing really, really well at the moment. He's in a great condition and he can play anywhere.

"He is in a very good shape, he's on a really good run and he's staying focused. But I have a very good team and it is difficult to compose a starting line-up."

Kimmich's double capped off a superb string of performances for the 21-year-old, who followed up his maiden goal for Germany with a first Bundesliga strike against Schalke last Friday, before opening his Champions League account on Tuesday.But he insisted Bayern will not get carried away after their fantastic start."I do not know why my shots have started working," Kimmich told Sky. "So far I did not have much success, I normally scored two or three goals in a season.

"It is difficult to think about winning the Champions League. For now, the team just needs to score points in the championship, and the most important thing is that there is no injuries."

 

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Luis Enrique: Messi is total football

Luis Enrique has described Lionel Messi as the embodiment of total football after he struck a record-breaking hat-trick in Barcelona's thrashing of Celtic on Tuesday.

Messi became the first player to score three goals in a game for the sixth time in Europe's top competition, as he inspired the home side to a 7-0 win over the Scottish champions at Camp Nou.

The Argentina star also turned provider for Luis Suarez's second late on, and won the free-kick from which Neymar scored to make it 3-0 shortly after half-time.
And his coach believes his versatility across the pitch makes him unrivalled in the history of the sport.

"He plays everywhere because he has freedom," Luis Enrique said afterwards. "If you play him as a six, an eight or a 10, he's the best in the world. It wouldn't be clever to curtail that, to put limits on him."That's why he's the best player of all time, without a doubt - for his numbers and his footballing vision. He is total football."

Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved a penalty from Moussa Dembele after Messi had put Barca ahead, but the Spanish champions were otherwise untroubled as they dominated from start to finish.

Aside from giving up the spot-kick, Luis Enrique felt his team delivered a flawless performance that the fans deserved to witness in the wake of their shock 2-1 LaLiga loss to Alaves.

"We didn't make any mistakes throughout the game, apart from one little one in the first half, where we conceded a penalty. Then the matter was settled," he said."It was spectacular from the start. We saw the team and all the fans having fun. It's a good welcome to the Champions League.

"We were very good positionally during the match and we recovered the ball very quickly. That helped everyone to have fun, the players, the coaches and the fans, who deserve it the most.

"We have the fortune of having some fantastic players and they get better with every training session and every match. They're so good with the quality they have, they find solutions when supposedly there's no way through."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Morgan: Champions League debut will rank with Premier League win

Wes Morgan thinks making his Champions League debut will rank alongside Leicester City's Premier League triumph.

Having upset the odds to claim their first top-flight title last term, Leicester are taking part in the continental competition for the first time in their history.

Wednesday's match away at Club Brugge will also see captain Morgan make his Champions League debut, and the Jamaica international considers it one of the greatest moments of his career.

"To win the Premier League is a great moment but this is definitely alongside it," said the centre-back."At the age of 32, to be playing in a competition like this is fantastic and I'm looking forward to it.

"This is one of the proudest moments of my career. Normally I'm at home watching on the TV. The music sends a shiver through your body so it'll be special walking out."Manager Claudio Ranieri stated it would be "impossible" for Leicester to win the Champions League, but Morgan would not rule it out.

Asked whether they were capable of going all the way, he responded: "Why not?
"No one said we could win the Premier League. If teams take us lightly it only plays to our advantage – I'm sure that won't be the case."Morgan will be leaning on Ranieri's experience in Europe's premier tournament, adding they will not underestimate their first opponents.

"Claudio knows what he's doing. He's been in the competition many times and we'll listen closely to what he has to say," added Morgan."They're in the competition for a reason. We have to expect the best that Club Brugge have to offer tomorrow."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Giroud slams Verratti after red cards

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud criticised Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti for going to the ground easily after both saw red in the 1-1 Champions League draw.

The duo were shown second yellow cards in additional time at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday after a tangle.

Giroud brought down Verratti before Marquinhos pushed the Arsenal man into his team-mate, leading to bookings.The Frenchman was unimpressed by Verratti, left frustrated by his sending off."Being on a yellow card, I didn't want to make waves," Giroud said afterwards.

"I obstructed Verratti, he threw himself to the ground and I don't understand.Marquinhos pushed me from behind and I don't know how Verratti falls a second time."It escalated the situation. It's frustrating, especially since I don't know if the referee saw what happened.

"I was really surprised at his behaviour."Edinson Cavani had given PSG a first-minute lead at home, but Alexis Sanchez salvaged a point for Arsenal in the second half.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

UEFA Champions League Group Stage Fixtures 2016.09.14

UEFA Champions League Group Stage Fixtures 2016.09.14

Leverkusen Vs CSKA

Tottenham Vs Monaco

Real Madrid Vs Sporting CP

Legia Vs Dortmund

Club Brugge Vs Leicester City

Porto Vs Kobenhavn

LYON Vs Dinamo Zagreb

Manchester City Vs Monglebach

Juventus Vs Sevilla

​

 

[Alucard_SxE]

Basel 1-1 Ludogorets: Steffen salvages late point

What a shitty performance by Basel Almost hate the team now. Should've performed much much better

 

[Alucard_SxE]

Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Arsenal: Alexis salvages a point after horror start

Cavani is shit. They should've subbed him after that goal in the first minute
Emrey will get sacked if this keeps up. They are pretty bad in the league 1. Drawn with St.etienne this weekend