..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Ibrahimovic reminds me of Cantona, says St-Etienne coach Galtier

Saint-Etienne coach Christophe Galtier sees similarities between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and former Manchester United great Eric Cantona.

Galtier grew up alongside fellow Marseille native Cantona and played in the youth system of Les Caillols along with the striker.

Cantona then established himself into English folklore after joining first Leeds United and then Manchester United, winning four Premier League titles with the latter.

And Galtier has now compared Ibrahimovic to Cantona after becoming inspired by the Swede's larger-than-life personality, similar to his French predecessor in Red Devils colours.

“When I look at Ibra I think of Eric Cantona," the 50-year-old told the Daily Telegraph on the eve of Saint-Etienne's Europa League round of 32 clash with United.

The trainer then went on to discuss the love affair between Cantona and English football, saying: "For Eric, Manchester United is a story of love."When he went to Leeds [United] he proposed to England. When he went to Manchester he married England.

"And he had such a strong, strong relationship with [Manchester United manager] Sir Alex Ferguson. Ferguson was like his father.”

Galtier experienced a less fruitful stint in the Premier League, serving as Portsmouth assistant manager before being sacked in 2005 as part of Alain Perrin’s staff.
Nevertheless, the Frenchman insists he still loves the country and would relish a return - even if he is not obsessed over where he ends up in the future.

“It was very, very emotional,” Galtier said of his final match at Portsmouth assistant against Manchester United at Old Trafford. “But it was also, after that, a bad moment for me because I love the Premier League and I then left. Harry Redknapp was coming back and he wanted his own staff. But I loved - and love - the Premier League.

“It’s a small country but there are a lot of derbies. I remember Portsmouth v Southampton. Woof! I can imagine Liverpool v Everton; Man U v City; Arsenal v Tottenham. That’s why I love it. It’s Saint-Étienne v Lyon. It’s not a game like any other. It’s not a normal game. It’s tough, hard. It goes beyond football. It’s like your honour.

"In England there is money but it’s not about the money, you know?"A lot of people think it is my objective to go to England but not especially. I love, love, love the Premier League but I am not focused on that. But if I could choose – Italy, Spain, Germany, England, it would be England. I was so disappointed to only be there for six months [at Portsmouth]."I had a taste of it and, yes, I want to go back. Why not?”

 

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Sergio Ramos ponders changing shirt number to 93 to honour Decima goal

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos could ditch his number four shirt for 93 in the final season of his career as a tribute to the stoppage-time goal that helped the Spanish giants win La Decima in 2013-14.

Madrid appeared to be set for a 1-0 defeat at the hands of city rivals Atletico in the Champions League final at the Estadio Da Luz, only for Ramos to come to the rescue and net a 93rd-minute goal to send the showpiece to extra time.

In the following 30 minutes Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo then guided Madrid to a hard-fought 4-1 win and their 10th European crown.Ramos has nothing but fond memories of his famous goal and he has now revealed he is pondering a special tribute at some stage in the future.

"Believe me when I say that the thought of changing my jersey number to 93 has crossed my mind," the 30-year-old told the official Madrid website.

"At the same time, the number four is one that I have always liked and that I have worn throughout all of my time at Real Madrid. It has nearly always brought me good luck.

"But do not rule out seeing me change my number in my final season, as a tribute to what is such a great minute for us.

"The Decima goal stands out above the rest of my goals, given how long we had been waiting to win the Champions League, with it coming in the last minute and because it helped us to go on and become champions."

 

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Usain Bolt believes he could be as good as Rooney


100 metres? Done. 200 metres? Done. 4x100m? Done. So, naturally, matching the football career of Wayne Rooney is Usain Bolt's next challenge.The undisputed sprint king of the past decade, Bolt once again proved unstoppable at an Olympic Games when he claimed three golds at Rio 2016.

The Jamaican will retire from athletics this year and has long spoken of his desire to explore a career in football, with Manchester United, the club he supports, top of his wish list.A training week with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund will give Bolt his first taste of professional football and the fastest man alive hopes it could serve as the pathway to greatness in another sporting domain.

"There are so many things that I want to do, I've no idea where I'm going to start, I definitely want to just relax," the 30-year-old told Laureus.

"I've always wanted to try play football so that's in the pipeline, we'll see what happens"I'm going to get a chance to train at Dortmund which is good, I think I'm going to go there for a week and just to train and feel it out."I've had people suggest different teams or ways we could get into football so we've been looking into those things but were not sure what's going on yet.

"At any level, I just want to see if I would be any good, because I play football all the time with my friends and I think I'm at a good level so if I train and actually put some work in I think I could be pretty good.


"I'm not going to say I'm going to be the best footballer in the world, but I will be at a good level I would say, maybe at Wayne Rooney level, you know what I mean?"

 

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Koscielny: Arsenal are capable of beating Bayern

Laurent Koscielny believes Arsenal are capable of beating Bayern Munich, insisting that the best teams reveal themselves in times of bad form.

The Arsenal captain claimed that following losses to Watford and Chelsea, Saturday's 2-0 win against Hull City was vital for their confidence ahead of their trip to Munich in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.

The Bavarian giants have become something of a nemesis for Arsenal, having knocked the Gunners out at this stage in 2013 and 2014.But Koscielny feels Arsenal's response to recent successive defeats shows they are more than capable of taking on the Bundesliga leaders.

"During the season you know we will have some good and bad moments. During the bad moments you see whether you have a good squad or not," he said."I think we have responded well after the two defeats against Watford and Chelsea.

"We know we are capable of winning here. We did it in the past. We did it last year [at home] during the group stage so we know we can do it here."We know the first game here is very important because we have the second game at home.

"It will be important at home if we have a good result tomorrow."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 Barcelona: Draxler & Di Maria star as Catalans are dismantled

Angel Di Maria soaked up the love and adoration of the Paris Saint-Germain faithful as his brilliant brace inspired a rampant 4-0 Champions League triumph over Barcelona.PSG were knocked out of the competition by Barcelona in 2013 and 2015 but Luis Enrique's side now require a comeback unprecedented in Champions League history having been put to the sword in the French capital.

Di Maria, celebrating his 29th birthday, dispatched a free-kick that rewarded PSG's dominant start and Unai Emery's men never relinquished their grip on the first leg of the last-16 tie.

Former Sevilla boss Emery had only beaten Barcelona once in 23 previous attempts but he was well on his way to number two when Julian Draxler scored on his Champions League debut for PSG, as he did in Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France last month.

The visitors completely failed to regroup at the break and a sublime third from Di Maria's magical left foot was followed by Edinson Cavani's 32nd of the season in the 71st minute – capping a night of almost incomprehensible misery for their esteemed opponents.

Di Maria was to the fore in the early stages, setting up top scorer Cavani to have an attempt blocked by Barcelona full-back Sergi Roberto, while Marc-Andre ter Stegen demonstrated his sharp reactions and athleticism to save from Blaise Matuidi.

The hosts made their fast start tell in the 18th minute when, after Samuel Umtiti clattered through Draxler on the edge of the area, Di Maria whipped a fine free-kick beyond a disorganised wall to leave Ter Stegen with no chance.

Before the half-hour, Neymar shrugged off an earlier blow to his foot by gliding forward from his own half and playing in Andre Gomes, who forced Kevin Trapp to save with his feet.

Barcelona's first sustained spell of pressure only served to leave them vulnerable on the counter-attack - Germany winger Draxler skipping past Roberto to be denied by his compatriot Ter Stegen at the near post.

And Lionel Messi found himself in the unusual position of being to blame for an opposition goal five minutes before the interval.

The irrepressible Adrien Rabiot hounded him out of possession with the assistance of Marco Verratti and the Italy midfielder twice exchanged possession with Draxler for PSG's showpiece January arrival to arrow home a low shot.Half-time did little to clear Barcelona's heads as Rabiot made a nuisance of himself once more, springing onto a second ball and into a crowded area to clip a shot past the far post.

Cavani had to wait for his 32nd of the season when he failed to head in Matuidi's centre but it mattered little as Di Maria brought a raucous Parc des Princes to its feet in the 55th minute.

The move started with goalkeeper Trapp feeding Rabiot, who drove at Barcelona once more.A combination of Rabiot and left-back Layvin Kurzawa allowed Draxler to tear at a beleaguered defence. He fed Di Maria and, as Andres Iniesta flailed in the challenge, the Argentina star curled in a sumptuous strike from 25 yards.

Di Maria departed to a standing ovation after the hour, although the brilliant but injury prone Verratti did not enjoy such a satisfying end to his evening when he hobbled off in discomfort with 20 minutes to play.However, the last thing Barcelona needed was fresh PSG legs and they laboured as Thomas Meunier strode forward unchallenged, playing in Cavani to emphatically slam past Ter Stegen.

Umtiti headed against the post in the 83rd minute but Barcelona were unable to move beyond base camp of the mountain they must somehow attempt to scale in next month's return at Camp Nou.

 

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Benfica 1-0 Borussia Dortmund: Aubameyang misses penalty in Lisbon nightmare

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed a penalty in a nightmare outing as Kostas Mitroglou's opportunistic strike gave Benfica a 1-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

The usually dependable Aubameyang spurned three excellent chances to get Dortmund an away goal at the Estadio da Luz and was withdrawn by coach Thomas Tuchel after 62 minutes, with Benfica holding on to gain the upper hand.Dortmund started positively but Aubameyang was unable to finish a one-on-one chance in the early exchanges, to set the tone for his dismal game.

Rui Vitoria's side took the lead when Mitroglou converted off a header from Luisao - the 36-year-old captain marking his 500th Benfica appearance with an assist.

After missing a great chance to draw level, Aubameyang looked certain to score when referee Nicola Rizzoli awarded Dortmund a penalty for handball by Ljubomir Fejsa.

However, the striker's weak penalty was kept out by the brilliant Ederson, and Benfica withstood late pressure following Aubameyang's withdrawal to ensure they take an advantage to Signal Iduna Park on March 8.Dortmund scored a Champions League record 21 goals in the group stage and they first bared their teeth in the 10th minute.

Ousmane Dembele won possession in the opposition half and slid an excellent pass to put Aubameyang one-on-one with Ederson, but he could only fire over from 12 yards.

Dortmund used their control of the ball to slow the tempo after a frantic start and their high pressing continued to cause Benfica problems, Victor Lindelof colliding with Ederson when blocking another Dembele effort.

The hosts had to soak up plenty of pressure but Fejsa almost undid their good work when he failed to shepherd the ball out under pressure from Raphael Guerreiro, who stole in to roll a pass across the face of a vacant goal and agonisingly out of Aubameyang's reach.

Tuchel was furious his side were not awarded at least a free-kick when Dembele was clattered by Ederson on the edge of the area and Rizzoli saw no foul.The hosts went ahead three minutes after the restart when Mitroglou stuck out a leg to stop Luisao's header from reaching the diving Roman Burki, before slotting into the gaping net.

Aubameyang wasted another glorious opening when he swiped over five minutes later, while Ederson produced great stops from Marco Reus and Lukasz Piszczek before the Gabon captain's outing took another turn for the worse.

Fejsa handled inside the area to concede a penalty, but Aubameyang was unable to take advantage as his poor effort straight down the middle was batted away by a squatting Ederson and Tuchel quickly hooked him for Andre Schurrle.

Dortmund pressed for an equaliser but saw Piszczek head wide before Ederson capped a sensational display by clawing Christian Pulisic's deflected volley out of the top corner, leaving Benfica fans dreaming of a Champions League quarter-final at the Estadio da Luz for the second successive season.

 

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Messi sets season worst - the stat that shows how bad it was for Barcelona star against PSG

How bad was it for Barcelona against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday? There are many ways to measure the futility. There was the obvious - the 4-0 scoreline – a result which leaves the Catalan side needing a miracle in the Champions League round-of-16 second leg at Camp Nou in three weeks.

Then there's this stat for Lionel Messi, who somehow managed to go the entire match without a touch in PSG's box – a first for the season.

Messi, whose giveaway led to PSG's second goal of the night, is unlikely to repeat that feat in the second leg, but can he and his Barca team-mates produce an almighty comeback? We will find out on March 8.

 

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'PSG did the impossible' - Paris Saint-Germain chief hails 'fantastic' performance against Barcelona

Nasser Al Khelaifi has hailed Paris Saint-Germain's 4-0 victory over Barcelona as "fantastic" but has warned the Parisian side against complacency ahead of the second leg.

Angel Di Maria opened the scoring at Parc des Princes on Tuesday evening, before Julian Draxler doubled the hosts' lead before the half way point.

Di Maria then netted his second and PSG's third with a curling effort from the edge of the box before top goalscorer Edinson Cavani rounded off the scoring with a fourth.

And PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi believes that his side completed the near-impossible by humiliating the Catalan side, but has warned those below him that the job is only half done.

"We are not here to send a message to anyone," Al Khelaifi told Goal. "But it was very important to win this match and it was a fantastic win. To beat the best, with the best player in the world, Barcelona 4-0, it's very difficult - almost impossible.
"We had a fantastic match. The coach, the players, the staff, the fans - they were amazing. "The first half has finished but there is another half. There are another 95 minutes to play which will be much more difficult than tonight, so we have to be ready.

"Tonight we're going to celebrate a little bit but then we are going to be ready."
PSG currently sit second in the Ligue 1 table, three points behind leaders Monaco, with 25 games played.

 

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UEFA Champions League Round of 16 1st Leg Fixtures 2016.02.15

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 1st Leg Fixtures 2016.02.15

Bayern Vs Arsenal

Real Madrid Vs Napoli

​

 

[Alucard_SxE]

Real Madrid Vs Napoli

​

Vamos!!!​

 

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Bayern Munich 5-1 Arsenal: Gunners blown away to leave Champions League hopes in tatters

Bayern Munich effectively guaranteed themselves a place in the Champions League quarter-finals after the Bundesliga title-holders romped to a second 5-1 thrashing over Arsenal in successive seasons.

Carlo Ancelotti's hosts led through Arjen Robben's early goal, before Alexis Sanchez levelled for a Gunners side that improved markedly as the first half progressed.

It was a different, sorry story for the visitors after the break, as a Thiago Alcantara brace, Robert Lewandowski's header and Thomas Muller's late strike earned Bayern a commanding lead going into the second leg at Emirates Stadium next month.

For Arsene Wenger and his team, who crumbled in familiar fashion when it mattered most, a seventh successive exit from the competition in the round of 16 now appears all but inevitable.

Bayern dominated possession from the outset, Arturo Vidal testing David Ospina for the first time with a strike from outside the area in the ninth minute.Two minutes later, though, there was nothing the Colombian goalkeeper could do to deny Robben.

Found by Douglas Costa's cutback, the Dutchman performed the manoeuvre that has become his career trademark, drifting in from the right flank, advancing past Francis Coquelin and curling an inch-perfect finish with his left foot into the far top corner of the net.

Having struggled to muster any sort of threat, Arsenal somehow found themselves level in the 30th minute. Lewandowski conceded a penalty when he clipped Laurent Koscielny while attempting to clear a corner, referee Milorad Mazic pointing, perhaps harshly, straight to the spot.

Alexis had his initial attempt from 12 yards saved by Manuel Neuer but did brilliantly to control the bouncing rebound, turn and thread a finish between the legs of a host of covering defenders to equalise. The Gunners suffered a blow early in the second half, with Koscielny forced off by injury in the 49th minute to be replaced by Gabriel Paulista.

Having lost their captain and key centre-back, things quickly went from bad to worse for Arsenal, as two goals in the space of three minutes saw Bayern open up a 3-1 lead.

Lewandowski climbed strongly above Shkodran Mustafi to head Lahm's cross back towards the goal, a slip by Ospina leaving the goalkeeper helpless as the ball soared over his head and into the net in the 53rd minute.

Three minutes later a brilliant backheel by Lewandowski from Xabi Alonso's pass took the Arsenal defenders out of the equation and played Thiago into acres of space in the middle of the penalty area, leaving him with a simple finish.

Those two goals proved the cue for a siege on the Arsenal goal, as penalty claims for handball against Kieran Gibbs were ignored, before Ospina kept out a fierce Javi Martinez header.

He was powerless to deny Thiago his second and Bayern's fourth, though, when the Spain international's shot from outside the area following a scramble from a corner took a nasty deflection off Granit Xhaka, sealing Arsenal's fate on the night and perhaps in the tie, too.

Muller piled more misery on the hapless Premier League side by coming off the bench to snatch a rare goal in what has been a poor individual season for the Germany international, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's mistake allowing Bayern to confirm a repeat of the embarrassing scoreline from last season's meeting at the same venue.​

 

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Real Madrid 3-1 Napoli: Zidane's men bounce back to stun visitors

Real Madrid came from behind to seize control of their Champions League last-16 tie with Napoli with a 3-1 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Goals from Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and Casemiro gave the holders an important advantage to take back to Italy after Lorenzo Insigne's sensational opening goal had put Napoli ahead.

Zinedine Zidane had urged his side to keep a clean sheet to give them the best possible chance of going through, but those hopes were dashed after only eight minutes when Insigne embarrassed goalkeeper Keylor Navas with a stunning first-time effort from distance.

Benzema had missed a clear chance inside the first minute but he made amends by levelling the scores with his 51st goal in the competition - one more than the previous best tally for a French player, set by Thierry Henry.

Diego Maradona had given Napoli a pre-match team talk in a bid to instill belief in an upset, but Kroos' clever finish from a Cristiano Ronaldo cross and a thunderbolt from Casemiro effectively killed off those hopes early in the second half.

Dries Mertens - who has scored 13 goals in nine Serie A games in a devastating run of form - missed a clear opportunity to halve the deficit, although Pepe Reina had to make a smart stop to prevent surprise starter James Rodriguez from scoring a fourth.

Madrid survived some late Napoli pressure to hold on to their two-goal advantage, but Maurizio Sarri's side - who saw an 18-match unbeaten run come to an end - will not be without hope in the second leg at the San Paolo.

Madrid showed their attacking intent inside the first minute, Benzema stinging the right hand of Reina after he had been teed up by Ronaldo.The home side bossed possession early on but they were stunned by a piece of brilliance from Insigne on the break with only eight minutes on the clock.

The Italy forward raced through onto Marek Hamsik's pass and, 35 yards from goal, he curled a first-time strike past the despairing dive of the out-of-position Navas and into the right-hand corner.

Napoli were looking confident and composed but they relaxed a little too much to allow Benzema to equalise 11 minutes later, the striker glancing a header into the net from six yards after Dani Carvajal was allowed time and space to the right of the area to produce a sublime outside-of-the-foot cross.

The frantic pace of the early exchanges began to lull but Benzema should have scored a second three minutes before the interval, though he could only steer a low effort onto the post after a fine break involving Carvajal and Ronaldo.

Four minutes after the restart, however, Madrid took the lead for the first time in the tie. Ronaldo skipped his way brilliantly beyond Kalidou Koulibaly and into the area from the right, and his measured pass back to the edge of the area was promptly swept into Reina's bottom-left corner by the arriving Kroos.

Madrid sensed the chance to go for the kill and they added a third just five minutes later in spectacular - and unlikely - fashion. The ball was prodded away from James on the edge of the area as far as Casemiro, and the Brazilian blasted a dipping right-foot volley beyond the helpless Reina and into the bottom-left corner.

Mertens had been kept on the fringes of the action but he wasted a great chance to give Napoli a second away goal, curling a shot over the bar with the goal gaping after Jose Callejon controlled the ball into his path, and James would have punished that miss had Reina not raced off his line to make a good block at the Colombia star's feet.

Madrid dropped deeper in a bid to soak up some late Napoli pressure and, with the exception of a Callejon goal that was correctly ruled out for offside, they held firm to secure what could prove to be an insurmountable lead.

 

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James: I want to stay at Madrid for a long time

James Rodriguez insisted his future is with Real Madrid, despite ongoing speculation over his place in the team.In a rare chance to impress under Zinedine Zidane, James started in Madrid's 3-1 win against Napoli in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash on Wednesday.

James made the most of his opportunity amid reported interest from the Premier League but the Colombia international is happy in the Spanish capital.

"I thinking everything is going well, Madrid are a big club and I always wanted to be here," he said."Good and bad things always happen but I want to stay here for a lot longer."I always train to play and I want to be here."

James continued: "You always want to play, now that I have more game time, everything is slowly changing."The 25-year-old also heaped praise on Zidane following the win at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema and Casemiro all scored.

"He's good, he's an excellent coach and he's very talented," James said. "I have spoken to him about certain issues already and I do not want to talk about.

 

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Bayern Munich extends Champions League record with 16 straight home wins

Facing Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena is a daunting task. That goes double if the match happens to be in the UEFA Champions League.

Goals from Arjen Robben, Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller and a Thiago brace gave the Bavarians a 5-1 demolition of Arsenal on Wednesday, picking up their 16th straight home victory in the competition. That mark extended Bayern’s Champions League record of consecutive home wins.

Bayern have not failed to pick up a victory at home in the competition since 2014 and the streak has included victories over giants Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Manchester City. It was also the second time Arsenal suffered a 5-1 defeat at the Allianz Arena – also going down by that scoreline in the group stage last season.

The last team to get a result while visiting Bayern in the Champions League? Real Madrid, when braces by Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo gave Los Blancos a 4-0 win. That defeat ended the Bavarians’ run in semifinals of that season's competition, in April 2014.

 

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'Wenger must go' - Arsenal fans round on manager after Bayern Munich defeat

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's position at the club was under threat heading into his side's Champions League encounter with Bayern Munich, but a 5-1 drubbing in Germany has added further weight to those calls.

The Frenchman only has a contract until the end of the season and, despite managing the club for 21 years, fans are starting to grow tired of the three-time Premier League winner.

Many posted foul-mouthed insults of their long-time boss, with others simply demanding that 'Wenger must go' on their Twitter accounts.

Wenger is now 8/1 to be the next Premier League manager to be sacked.

 

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Insigne's goal for Napoli was f***** up, says Zidane

Zinedine Zidane praised Karim Benzema for responding to his critics with a timely goal after Lorenzo Insigne's "f***** up" goal in Real Madrid's 3-1 win over Napoli on Wednesday.

The France international ended a run of six games without a goal when he headed in Dani Carvajal's cross to cancel out Lorenzo Insigne's opener at the Santiago Bernabeu.Further strikes from Toni Kroos and Casemiro secured the win for Madrid that gives them a solid advantage heading into the second leg of their last-16 encounter.

Zidane was frustrated with the fact that Insigne's opening goal came after a strong start from his own side but credited Benzema for rising to the occasion to help them get a foothold in the match.

"That's the way football is. It's a pain that, playing as we did from the start, with that intensity, they go and score. It's a bit f***** up," said Zidane."But in the end, we scored straight away and we got into the game.

"Benzema showed that he has personality and that, in critical moments, he knows how to answer in the best way possible - by scoring. I would have liked him to get one more because he had chances. When he moves in that way, he's a constant danger."

Zidane warned his players that the tie is far from over, however, with Napoli knowing that a 2-0 win at the San Paolo will be good enough to send them through."It's still 50-50," he said. "It'll be a second leg and they will make it difficult. I would have liked not to concede. It's a good result, but it's not decisive. It's not enough to settle the tie."

Zidane handed a surprise start to James Rodriguez and the former France star was delighted with the attacking midfielder's contribution.

"James is our player and that's why I put him in," he said. "He did very well. He helped keep us calm with his play on the ball, especially in the first half. And he's very good with crosses. I'm happy for his game, as I am with everyone's."

There were some concerns when captain Sergio Ramos was substituted midway through the second half, but Zidane explained that he was keen both to avoid aggravating a minor injury and ensure that the centre-back did not collect a second yellow card.

"Ramos had a knock from the start and then I took him off because of the yellow," he added.

 

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Ronaldo breaks Champions League assist record

Cristiano Ronaldo has set a new personal best for assists in a single Champions League campaign with Real Madrid.

The 32-year-old forward set up Toni Kroos for the holders' second in their 3-1 last-16 first-leg win over Napoli at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Ronaldo, who showed brilliant skill and a turn of pace to skip beyond Kalidou Koulibaly before teeing up Kroos, has now managed five assists in eight appearances in the 2016-17 competition - a personal record in his time at the club.

The Portugal star may not have scored against Maurizio Sarri's side - it was Karim Benzema and Casemiro who got the other goals after Lorenzo Insigne's opener - but the fact that he created a total of five chances for his team-mates belies the notion of him as a selfish centre-forward.

Indeed, no player for either side made more key passes than Ronaldo's five, with Luka Modric and Insigne closest on three each.

Despite reaching his assist landmark, Ronaldo is enduring his worst drought in front of goal in the Champions League, having now gone 523 minutes without finding the net in the competition.

 

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I'm very happy at Tottenham - Pochettino avoids Barcelona talk

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino avoided talk of a potential Barcelona switch, saying he is "very happy" at the Premier League club.With Luis Enrique under huge pressure at Barca, Pochettino has been linked with a move to the La Liga giants at the end of the season.

But the Argentinian refused to be drawn on the speculation, insisting he is satisfied with life at Spurs."It's important to be focused on the game," Pochettino said ahead of his team's Europa League clash against Gent.

"I can't say anything about that. I'm at Tottenham. I am very happy, I have four more years on my contract, I'm enjoying an exciting project.

"It's true it's not an easy project, but I'm very happy here."The pressure has intensified on Luis Enrique after Barca were thrashed 4-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.Barca are also second in LaLiga, only a point behind rivals Real Madrid, although having played two more games.

 

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UEFA Europa League Round of 32 1st Leg Fixtures 2017.02.16

UEFA Europa League Round of 32 1st Leg Fixtures 2017.02.16


Krasnodar Vs Fenerbahce
AA Gent Vs Tottenham Hotspur
AZ Alkmaar Vs Lyon
Celta Vigo Vs Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Astra Giurgiu Vs Genk
FK Rostov Vs Sparta Prague
Ludogorets Vs FC Copenhagen
M'gladbach Vs Fiorentina
Olympiakos FC Vs Osmanlispor
Anderlecht Vs Zenit St. Petersburg
Athletic Bilbao Vs Apoel Nicosia
Hapoel Beer-Sheva Vs Besiktas
Legia Warsaw Vs Ajax
Manchester United Vs St Etienne
PAOK Salonika Vs Schalke
Villarreal Vs Roma ​

 

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Manchester United Vs St Etienne

Manchester United Starting Line-up

Sergio Romero
Chris Smalling
Eric Bailly
Daley Blind
Antonio Valencia
Marouane Fellaini
Paul Pogba
Ander Herrera
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Anthony Martial
Juan Mata

&

St Etienne Strating Line-up

Stephane Ruffier
Loic Perrin
Kevin Theophile-Catherine
Florentin Pogba
Kevin Malcuit
Henri Saivet
Vincent Pajot
Jordan Veretout
Romain Hamouma
Kevin Monnet-Paquet
Jorge Intima
​