..::Football IV::..

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Leicester City 3-1 Liverpool: Foxes return to form

Jamie Vardy and Leicester City provided a thrilling reminder of the form that took them to the Premier League title last season four days too late for dethroned boss Claudio Ranieri, as a limp Liverpool were dispatched 3-1 at the King Power Stadium.

A home crowd peppered with banners paying tribute to the amiable Italian, who was sacked last Thursday following a run of five consecutive top-flight defeats, had no cause to approach mutiny as their side located an intensity and drive sorely lacking over recent weeks.

Vardy followed his strike in the 2-1 Champions League loss to Sevilla last week with Leicester's first in the Premier League in 2017 and Danny Drinkwater displayed impeccable technique to net a sumptuous long-range second.

It got better in the second half when Vardy headed in a third and, although Philippe Coutinho pulled one back for Liverpool, the Foxes moved out of the bottom three and the famous namesake of Leicester's interim boss Craig Shakespeare could barely have scripted a better initial pitch for him to take the job on a full-time basis.

The day-to-day in such roles provides considerable headaches, as Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will attest. A 16-day break from action and a training trip to La Manga seemingly did little for Liverpool's competitive edge as they fell well short of the swashbuckling brilliance that took down Tottenham last time out.

Like Leicester, they have only one Premier League win this calendar year and are in fifth having played a game more than Manchester City and Arsenal in third and fourth, while sixth-placed Manchester United are a point behind with a game in hand.

Shinji Okazaki replaced Ahmed Musa in a Leicester starting XI that reverted predominantly to the shape and personnel that brought them glory last season and the Japan international was to the fore in a positive start from the hosts - Simon Mignolet keeping out a clever seventh-minute header.

The sight of Liverpool's defence retreating under a high ball forward from Kasper Schmeichel and being put under further pressure by a fine Vardy touch provided another flashback to Leicester's title heroics.

As has often been the case this time around, the England striker's finish was lacking, though he made amends in the 28th minute when Drinkwater slid a pass through a generously positioned Liverpool backline.

Vardy's darting run was followed by assured touches and a drilled low finish that left Mignolet with no chance and ended a league drought for the striker dating back to December 10.

Schmeichel was out quickly to prevent Coutinho registering a swift equaliser but Liverpool's lethargy remained and, after Vardy's backheel found Wilfried Ndidi to draw another stop from Mignolet, Leicester spectacularly doubled their lead.James Milner's headed clearance sat up nicely for Drinkwater to sweetly smash into the bottom-right corner from 25 yards.

Klopp's side finally settled into a sustained spell of convincing, probing possession early in the second period but Schmeichel saw Coutinho's shot all the way from 20 yards.

Title-winning captain Wes Morgan offered a demonstration of the defensive solidity that has appeared beyond him this time around by deflecting a Sadio Mane effort behind and the King Power erupted once more after an hour.Vardy overhit his initial cross but Riyad Mahrez and Christian Fuchs kept the move alive – the latter supplying a handsome cross from the left for Vardy to do the rest.

Schmeichel's best work of the night came springing to his left to deny Adam Lallana, shortly before Ranieri was serenaded, and paid tribute to, with lights held aloft throughout the stadium after 65 minutes.Coutinho, Liverpool's only reliable source of menace, timed his run to take Can's pass into his stride and slot home to threaten a nervy final quarter.

However, Leicester retained their poise, with Drinkwater narrowly missing out on his second by blasting over, and they must ensure a win that echoed their 4-2 December destruction of Manchester City is not a similarly isolated event.

 

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Raiola refuses to confirm Ibrahimovic will stay at Manchester United

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's agent Mino Raiola has refused to rule out the possibility of the striker leaving Manchester United at the end of the season.

Ibrahimovic, 35, signed a one-year deal at Old Trafford ahead of the current campaign after leaving Paris Saint-Germain with an option for a further 12 months.

He has yet to commit to United, however, despite a wonderful first season which has yielded 26 goals in all competitions, including a late winner in Sunday's EFL Cup final against Southampton.

United boss Jose Mourinho has told fans they should not "bank" on Ibrahimovic staying and Raiola says "anything can happen".The super agent told talkSPORT: "I don't exclude anything. Anything can happen and we will see what happens.

"We're now concentrated on the next cup. This was a very important cup and very emotional for him, for me and for Mourinho too. So let's just try to give the fans some more cups."

Raiola refused to divulge more information, insisting the matter will be dealt with by the player, himself and the club, adding: "I never speak about contract details with the press – I think that's something between the player, the club and myself."I think we should keep it that way and just enjoy the moment and we'll see what happens next year."

 

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Raiola​

 

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'We still need to improve' - Emery warns PSG against complacency


Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery has called upon his players to perform better against defensive sides after they ran riot in a 5-1 victory over Marseille.

Goals from Marquinhos, Edinson Cavani, Lucas Moura, Julian Draxler and Blaise Matuidi saw PSG humiliate their arch rivals in front of a record crowd at Stade Velodrome, but Emery still called for improvements from the Ligue 1 champions post-match.

PSG arrived in Marseille on the back of a 0-0 draw at home to Toulouse, and Emery reminded his players of the narrow nature of the 2-1 victory over Lille earlier in February.

He told Canal Plus: "We still need to improve. We haven't forgotten that in the last three matches at home, we had two draws and we won at the last minute against Lille."There are many teams that play a low block. We need to improve in front of these kinds of teams."

Emery did allow himself the chance to reflect on an imperious PSG performance, in which Marseille were restricted to half chances aside from Rod Fanni's 70th-minute consolation goal.

Stand-out performances from Javier Pastore and Marco Verratti delighted Emery, who said: "The team is good, it is in a good period. This consistency must be maintained."Players must continue to want to win and we must keep our personality and our approach on the ball.

"It is good for confidence and progression. We have ideas and a personality. We want the team to have possession and progress aggressively. When you do not have the ball, you have to squeeze and be well placed on the field - that's important."

Looking ahead to forthcoming games against Niort in the Coupe De France and Nancy in Ligue 1, Emery added: "We won tonight, it's done, and now we must think about Wednesday and Saturday."

 

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'Everything's a plot against him' - Ramos laughs off Pique's attack on referees

Gerard Pique thinks "everything's a plot against him", according to Sergio Ramos, following the Barcelona defender's criticism of the refereeing in Real Madrid's 3-2 win at Villarreal on Sunday.

Madrid benefited from a controversial penalty award at the Estadio de la Ceramica, with Bruno Soriano harshly punished for handling a deflected Toni Kroos shot.

Cristiano Ronaldo duly converted to make it 2-2 and Madrid completed a stunning comeback from 2-0 down when Alvaro Morata nodded in a late winner to move Zinedine Zidane's men back above Barca at the top of La Liga.

Pique, who was outspoken in his criticism of referees and LFP president Javier Tebas after Barca were denied a clear penalty in a 1-1 draw at Villarreal in January, was quick to raise the issue again on Sunday.

The former Manchester United centre-back took to Twitter to complain that the eight-point swing between Madrid and Barca this season is due to refereeing decisions.

Asked about it post-match, Madrid captain Ramos swiftly dismissed Pique's claim and hit out at his Spain international team-mate.
He said: "I would be surprised if it was [Lionel] Messi [that wrote the tweet]."We already know about Pique's world, where everything's a plot against him."

Ramos went on to defend match officials and admitted it was on the players to make their jobs easier, adding: "The referees have a difficult job, we have to try and make them more comfortable."Referees sometimes give you things and others take them away, but you have to be prepared for everything.

"We are not going to get into these issues because it will not change anything, the three points will be added and we will continue to be first."

 

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Dortmund announce Gotze out for undefined period due to 'metabolic disorders'

Dortmund have released a statement announcing that midfielder Mario Gotze will be out of action for an unspecified period due to "metabolic disorders".

The midfielder has been limited to just 11 league appearances in 2016-17 following his summer move from Bayern, with various injury problems having held him back.

The World Cup winner has endured plenty of criticism since his switch back to Dortmund, and the latest setback will do little to help his cause in proving his critics wrong on the pitch.A statement on the Bundesliga club's official website read: "Borussia Dortmund will have to do without their midfielder Mario Gotze.

"The world champion has been struggling with muscular problems in recent months, leading to a thorough internal search for possible causes. "Investigations have now revealed metabolic disorders, which make it absolutely necessary to take Gotze out of training."

Gotze has scored just two goals in all competitions so far this season but remains determined to help Thomas Tuchel's side as they battle on three fronts.He said: "I am getting treatment and will do everything to get back into training again to help our team reach our goals."

Sporting director Michael Zorc added: "We are glad, that we now know the reasons for Mario's problems and we are convinced that he will give us an extra quality with his extraordinary skills once he has completely recovered. Everybody at the BVB will give him full support."

 

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'It was extraordinary to let him go' - Man City missing 'leader' Hart, says Wilson


Former Arsenal and Scotland goalkeeper Bob Wilson believes Pep Guardiola's "extraordinary" decision to send Joe Hart on loan to Torino has left Manchester City short of leadership.

Guardiola caused an early season stir by exiling Etihad Stadium fans' favourite Hart in Serie A and bringing in Claudio Bravo from Barcelona.

Chile international Bravo has struggled to settle in English football and a string of unconvincing displays led to him being replaced as first choice at the start of this month by Willy Caballero - Hart's understudy for the previous two seasons.

"It helps if your goalkeeper is a leader because he sees everything from behind," Wilson told Omnisport. "Joe Hart has a capability off the field and on the field to just be a leader. And I think Manchester City have lost that in the goalkeeping role.

"I think one of the biggest shocks this season was that Guardiola of all people, Pep Guardiola, decided that Joe Hart was not going to be the goalkeeper in his team.

"I would say if you ask 98 per cent of Manchester City fans they were as shocked as I was."I hope he was taking some good advice from people who really know what goalkeeping is about. I know this sounds a little bit strange but only goalkeepers understand goalkeepers and what is bad and what is good.

"So I think the decision that Guardiola made was the wrong decision. Manchester City are still a great side, a terrific side, but I think if I look at the two goalkeepers he has alongside Joe it is an extraordinary decision to let him go."

Wilson acknowledges Guardiola's preferences when it comes to building attacks from deep but the man who also served as a coach at Arsenal and mentor to England great David Seaman believes such trends in the modern game have arrived at the expense of more fundamental elements of the goalkeeping art.

"I understand Guardiola likes to play from the back," he said. "I can't tell you how many times this season clubs are trying to do what Guardiola is bringing in, with goalkeepers playing with their feet.

"They have got to be able to play with their feet but never to take the risks that they do now in the modern game. It is crazy."There are mistakes after mistakes being made by goalkeepers trying to play like John Stones out from the back."

Wilson freely admits to being a huge admirer of Hart and does not think time in Italy's top flight will have an adverse impact of the 29-year-old England man's career at the top level.

"I don't think going to Italy has hindered Joe Hart's career at all," he added. "I think there are plenty of clubs in the Premier League that would have jumped had Manchester City said, 'he can go on loan to you'.

"I think he has done well. Everybody was jumping on an error in an early game but the game of football and being a top professional is about consistency."And here you have, not only the most consistent goalkeeper you will find around, but one of the best leaders."

 

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Ibrahimovic is 'running Manchester United's dressing room'

"Priceless" Zlatan Ibrahimovic is running the dressing room at Manchester United, according to Ray Wilkins.

The United striker scored a match-winning double as Southampton were beaten in the EFL Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.Ibrahimovic now has won his first title on English soil, with his latest double taking his tally to 26 goals across all competitions.

And former United midfielder Wilkins feels the 35-year-old is having a massive influence both on and off the pitch."You cannot put a price on what a player like him will give to a dressing room," Wilkins said to Sky Sports.

"I was fortunate to work at Chelsea with the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard, the Coles, Didier Drogba and the dressing room was theirs. "They ran the dressing room and he [Ibrahimovic] will be doing exactly the same. It is his character.

"When you play at big clubs you need to have a personality and this guy has it in abundance. If you look at those shots after the game, every player was around him and smothering him with adoration.

"I saw when they went in front he got the guys together as a group and he was having a little chat with them and this was the situation. I just think the guy has got so much personality.

"The important thing when you play with the big clubs is the mental strength. This guy is so mentally tough that no one can beat him. He knows that and he feels that when he goes on the pitch."

Wilkins thinks Jose Mourinho could not have chosen a more reliable option to sign for United in his first season in charge at Old Trafford.

He said: "Jose never buys potential, or brings in potential. Jose brings in proven players and this guy is probably the most proven footballer in world football, he has won everywhere he has been.

"He has played his football at the best clubs in the world, therefore, this guy hasn't only been with Jose, he's been with the top coaches in world football. He obviously has an amazing ability to keep himself fit.

"When you watch Zlatan play, he plays when the ball is in his area. He is not a Wayne Rooney who sacrifices himself all over the pitch, he plays when it is in his area and is very effective at what he does. You can't get near him."

 

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Iniesta hoping for Luis Enrique stay at Barcelona

Andres Iniesta insists Luis Enrique enjoys unequivocal backing from Barcelona's squad and hopes the head coach stays in charge at Camp Nou.

Luis Enrique is still to commit to Barca beyond the end of the current campaign, and the 4-0 Champions League humiliation at Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month brought him under increased scrutiny.

A laboured 2-1 win over Leganes did little to lift the gloom, but a victory by the same scoreline – and again courtesy of a late Lionel Messi winner – at Atletico Madrid on Sunday briefly returned the defending champions to the top of La Liga before Real Madrid's 3-2 comeback triumph at Villarreal in the late game.Iniesta was part of the Barca XI that switched to an unfamiliar take on 3-4-3 at the Vicente Calderon, but maintains Luis Enrique still has the dressing room behind him.

"We are a thousand for a thousand with the coach. I do not know if he will continue, but I hope he has the desire to continue with this team to continue conquering titles like he has so far," said the Spain great, who has helped Barcelona to eight honours including the 2014-15 Champions League and back-to-back domestic doubles during Luis Enrique's time in charge."Atletico was a difficult match, very difficult. Atletico take matches to the limit to win. For us it was important to win."

Barca are a point behind Madrid having played a game more than their bitter rivals, although their hopes of European glory appear to be all but over.

No side has come back from a first-leg deficit of four goals to progress in Champions League history, but Iniesta feels Barcelona must do all they can to make life difficult for a PSG team who were in rampant form when the sides met in the French capital.

"The PSG tie is complicated, but we have to believe," he added. "Despite it being a very big difference, there are opportunities for us to enter the tie."

 

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'Red through and through!' - Lingard posts awesome Pogba throwback image

Back in 2012, the chances of Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba toasting cup final success as Manchester United team-mates appeared slim.While Pogba took the decision to head for Juventus at the end of his contract, Lingard was sent out on loan to then Championship outfit Leicester City.

The stars have, however, realigned for two products of the Red Devils’ famed academy system.

A record-breaking transfer brought Pogba back to Old Trafford last summer, while Lingard has enjoyed a stunning rise to prominence since stepping out of the shadows.

On Sunday, the pair played crucial roles as United secured EFL Cup glory over Southampton at Wembley.
Having tasted FA Youth Cup glory together in 2011, some six years on the pair are now helping to deliver senior success at Old Trafford.Lingard was among the goals in a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Saints, with his first-half effort extending a remarkable scoring record at Wembley – having previously netted in the 2016 FA Cup final and Community Shield.

Midfield partners once again, Pogba and Lingard have seen their bromance rekindled and will be hoping that there are further moments to savour this season in the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League.

 

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Barcelona Legends to take on Manchester United in June charity match

Barcelona have announced that their Legends team will make their home debut in a charity match against Manchester United on June 30, 2017.

The Catalans had hoped for the encounter to take place last summer, but because of a clash with Euro 2016 the event was postponed as so many players had professional duties to undertake in France.

However, with the summer footballing calendar clear, the event will take place at Camp Nou with a 19:00 kick off, while a return fixture will be played at Old Trafford on September 2.

The proceeds of the Spain leg will go to the FC Barcelona Foundation, which helps primarily children take part in social, cultural and sporting activities. This encounter will be the second that the Barcelona Legends side have played. On April 1, they made their debut against a team of ex-Mexico stars in Queretaro.They were managed by Jose Mari Bakero and their XI contained luminaries such as Ronald de Boer, Edmilson, Vitor Baia and Hristo Stoichkov.

Barca hope that the Legends team can “honour the many footballers that have worn the club jersey over the years” and “globalise the Barca name and values through former players”.The club also indicated that they hope to announce more fixtures soon.

 

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Chelsea target summer move for Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata, but it won't be easy

Antonio Conte retains a long-term interest in Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata as Chelsea look to improve their attacking options in the summer after a quiet January transfer window.

Morata has had a call in both the summer and winter transfer windows from the Chelsea manager, who has made it clear that he is a huge fan of the Spain international and that he is monitoring his situation.

The 23-year-old is happy in Madrid and determined to prove his worth as he battles for a starting role with the likes of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, but Conte is aiming to ensure that Chelsea are at the front of the queue should Morata grow frustrated over a lack of minutes on the pitch.

Conte tried to sign Morata when he was Juventus coach, but moved on to manage the Italian national team, with Massimiliano Allegri completing the deal soon after he left.

Madrid exercised a buy-back clause last summer to reclaim a player they
developed through their youth system after two impressive seasons in Serie A. Zinedine Zidane’s side have only used him sparingly so far this season, but Morata loves his home city and he is determined to prove himself, despite difficulties in his first season back. Madrid’s current stance is that the player is not for sale and Morata is confident he will make a success of his career at Los Blancos.

Michy Batshuayi has failed to establish himself in his first season at Stamford Bridge since his £33 million move from Marseille in the summer, while Chelsea have also had issues with Diego Costa, despite his status as the Premier League’s top scorer.

Costa was dropped against Leicester by Conte after a bid from Tianjin Quanjian left him unsettled in January. He has since been reintroduced to the squad but he has yet to come to an agreement with the club over a new long-term deal.

Chelsea also made an approach for Everton’s Romelu Lukaku last summer and they continue to scout the development of youngsters including Ajax’s Kasper Dolberg and Celtic’s Moussa Dembele.

 

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Man City target Van Dijk is 'committed' to Southampton and won't be sold, insists chairman

Southampton captain Virgil van Dijk will not be leaving at the end of the season, with chairman Ralph Krueger insisting the in-demand Dutchman is "very committed".

Van Dijk has been linked with a big-money move away from Southampton as Premier League duo Manchester City and Liverpool reportedly circle.The 25-year-old Netherlands international, who missed Sunday's 3-2 EFL Cup final defeat to Manchester United due to injury, has impressed since arriving from Celtic in 2015.

Krueger, however, said Southampton have no plans to sell the centre-back."We are just out of the January transfer window and are striving to keep this group together and to build on it," Krueger told talkSPORT.

"Virgil is very committed to us for a long time and we don't see anything but that in our future. He is our team captain and we don't see him anywhere else than in red and white stripes."

Southampton have sold the likes of Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana, Morgan Schneiderlin, Graziano Pelle and Sadio Mane in recent years, and Krueger hopes to buck that trend.He added: "We don't want to do what we did in the last three summers every year.

"We would like to move away from that and we feel confident this summer will be a lot quieter in Southampton and we can keep the core of this team moving forward for a few years."That is going to be important when you see how excellent the group is right now and how exciting the football is.

"The game we are playing is a pleasure to watch and a pleasure to be part of."

 

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Zidane: Jese is a formidable player with enormous potential

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has lavished praised upon Jese Rodriguez ahead of a reunion between the pair in midweek.

Jese spent nine years at various levels with Madrid and had threatened to establish himself as a regular at the Bernabeu, but injury derailed him and he was offloaded to Paris Saint-Germain for €25 million last summer. However, the 24-year-old failed to impress in France and has been shunted on loan to hometown side Las Palmas, who meet Los Blancos on Wednesday.Although Zidane sold the former Spain Under-21 star, he remains respectful of his talents.

“He’s a formidable player with enormous potential,” Zizou told the media. “He’s a Spanish player of great quality. I like him a lot as a player and as a person.

“I hope that his decision to join Las Palmas pays off – starting from Thursday. I hope from then he can do great things with them.”The Champions League-winning coach believes there might be a simple explanation why he did not shine in Ligue 1.“In Paris, things did not go as he would have wanted, maybe because he didn’t have the minutes he required on the pitch to impose himself,” Zidane said.

“Now I with him all the best starting from Thursday, and that he rediscovers his best level because he’s a formidable player.”Jese has played four times since returning to La Liga, but has been in the losing side on each occasion.

 

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Ranieri's legacy safe despite Leicester sacking - Guardiola

Pep Guardiola says Claudio Ranieri's legacy at Leicester City will remain intact despite the Italian going from Premier League champion to unemployed in the space of nine months.

The Foxes' fairy-tale title win of last season has faded into the comparative nightmare of battling against relegation this term, with Ranieri sacked last week having failed to arrest a slump that left Leicester in the Premier League's bottom three.

Guardiola's Manchester City were one of few teams to feel the full force of Leicester's quality this season when they went down 4-2 at the King Power Stadium in December.

However, the Foxes played as though they had a point to prove on Monday, moving up to 15th by hammering Liverpool 3-1 in their first outing since Ranieri's departure - a performance that Guardiola believes had the Italian's mark upon it.
Guardiola said of Ranieri's sacking: "I was surprised. Yesterday the game against Liverpool we saw his legacy.

"The way they played was outstanding and that is the legacy from Claudio Ranieri. The Premier League [title win] will remain forever."So in 50 years, people will talk about what Leicester achieved with this group last season.

"The best legacy - when he left, the first game they played like Ranieri's team last season."But he will immediately find a new job, I'm pretty sure. He'll get a job again and do well."

 

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Mkhitaryan responds to recovery well wishes from Man Utd fans

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has thanked Manchester United fans for their support as he works his way back from a hamstring injury.The Armenian midfielder picked up a knock after netting the only goal of the game in a Europa League clash with Saint-Etienne.

Having trudged off the field in France, Mkhitaryan was then forced to sit out Sunday’s dramatic victory over Southampton in the League Cup final.He has, however, been keeping his spirits up during a spell on the sidelines with the help of well wishes from a loyal fanbase.

Jose Mourinho will be hoping to have Mkhitaryan back at his disposal in the not too distant future, as the games continue to come thick and fast for United.The League Cup may have been secured, but the Red Devils are still pushing for further success in the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League.

Mkhitaryan has played a leading role in progress on multiple fronts, with the 28-year-old starring after overcoming a slow start to his time in England to become a key performer for Mourinho.

 

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Juventus 3-1 Napoli: Dybala and Higuain help holders take charge of Coppa semi-final

Gonzalo Higuain scored against his old club and Paulo Dybala converted a two penalties as Juventus came from behind to beat Napoli 3-1 at home in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday.

Jose Callejon finished off a flowing Napoli move to open the scoring after 36 minutes, a one-two between Lorenzo Insigne and Arkadiusz Milik creating the goal, which put Napoli into the lead for the first time ever at the Juventus Stadium.

For much of the first half Napoli were on top despite trailing Juve by 12 points in Serie A, but the holders equalised two minutes after the restart when Dybala was clipped by Kalidou Koulibaly in the box, the striker scoring the penalty himself.

Juve's second-half improvement saw them take the lead through Higuain, who scored from a narrow angle after Juan Cuadrado's cross was misjudged by Pepe Reina and Koulibaly, before another penalty extended their lead.

Reina was the guilty party this time, bringing down Cuadrado to end a rapid counter-attack, and Dybala put away his second spot-kick of the match to complete the scoring and leave Massimiliano Allegri's side in firm control of the tie.

Victory stretches Juve's winning streak to 10 games in all competitions, while Napoli's second defeat in their last 10 away matches means Maurizio Sarri's side have it all to do in the second leg.

Milik made his first start since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury on international duty for Poland in October and he nearly enjoyed a dream return, only for Giorgio Chiellini to block his shot.Dybala almost opened the scoring after 13 minutes, Reina getting enough behind the shot to turn it wide.

Higuain had been quiet against his former side but his burst of power after 32 minutes threatened to break the deadlock, the striker charging into the penalty area but firing over the crossbar, a miss that proved telling as Napoli then brilliantly opened the scoring.

Insigne found space to play a delightful one-two with Milik before bending a cross to the back post for Callejon, who clipped a shot into the ground and off the post from close range.

Juve were denied an equaliser on the stroke of half-time, Reina blocking Mario Mandzukic's low volley with his shins and recovering well to repel Stephan Lichtsteiner's rebound.

Soon after the interval Juve drew level from the penalty spot, however, as Dybala went down following Koulibaly's challenge and sent Reina the wrong way with his coolly taken kick.Allegri's men forged ahead after 64 minutes, with Higuain inevitably on target.

Substitute Cuadrado floated a cross into the area and Reina came to collect but missed the ball, which flicked off Koulibaly's head to present Higuain with a straightforward finish.A dramatic minute then saw key penalty decisions at both ends swing the game decisively in Juve's favour, with referee Paolo Valeri first turning down Raul Albiol's appeals.

The hosts broke at speed and when Dybala fed Cuadrado in the box, Reina was adjudged to have brought the winger down, Dybala again converting into the goalkeeper's bottom-right corner.

Juve closed out the game in relative ease and will be strong favourites to move into the final as they seek a third straight Coppa Italia title.

 

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FA Cup Replay Fixture 2017.03.01

FA Cup Replay Fixture 2017.03.01

Manchester City Vs Huddersfield​

 

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LA Liga Fixtures 2017.03.01

LA Liga Fixtures 2017.03.01

Barcelona Vs Sporting Gijon

Osasuna Vs Villareal

Celta Vigo Vs Espanyol

Granada Vs Alaves

Real Madrid Vs Las Palmas​

 

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Coppa Italia Fixture 2017.03.01

Coppa Italia Fixture 2017.03.01

Lazio Vs Roma​