..::Football IV::..

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Barcelona 5-2 Real Mallorca: Messi scores hat-trick as champions regain top spot

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in the week he was crowned the world's best player as Barcelona eased to a 5-2 home win over Real Mallorca and reclaimed top spot in LaLiga.

Antoine Griezmann gave Barca a seventh-minute lead and Messi then took over with a couple of goals, either side of Ante Budimir's strike against the run of play.

On a day when the home side's front three clicked into gear, Luis Suarez added a fourth before the end of the first half with a sublime back-heel to round off a fluid passing move.

Budimir pulled another back for Mallorca 26 minutes from time, but Messi rounded off his hat-trick late on as Barca maintained their good form and overtook Real Madrid at the summit.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen claimed a second assist of the season with a quick goal-kick that Griezmann collected and lifted over Manolo Reina after racing through on goalReina produced an impressive save to keep out the returning Sergio Busquets' header, but Messi found a way past the visiting keeper 95 seconds later with a 25-yard curler.

Mallorca, now winless in seven away league outings this season, gave themselves hope when Budimir's shot deflected off Clement Lenglet and looped over Ter Stegen.But Messi took matters into his own hands with another trademark goal from range, before Suarez capped a fine piece of team play by back-heeling in from eight yards.

Reina frustrated Ernesto Valverde's men with a string of saves and Budimir then headed in from close range to once again give Mallorca a foothold on the game.

Barca made certain of a sixth win in a row in all competitions thanks to Messi's third of the match late on, the forward picking out the roof of the net after being teed up by Suarez to move onto 35 LaLiga hat-tricks in his career – one more than Cristiano Ronaldo.

 

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Lazio 3-1 Juventus: Sarri suffers first defeat with Bianconeri

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Felipe Caicedo netted as Lazio came from behind to shock Juventus 3-1 at home and inflict Maurizio Sarri's first defeat as Bianconeri coach.Juve, held 2-2 at Sassuolo last time out, took the lead through Cristiano Ronaldo but were pegged back before the break by Luiz Felipe's header in a gripping Serie A encounter.

Juan Cuadrado's red card opened the door for Lazio and they charged through it at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, Luis Alberto setting up Milinkovic-Savic for a superb strike to edge in front.

There was time for more drama, though, Juve goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny saving Ciro Immobile's penalty, and Caicedo added a third deep in added time to leave Inter two points clear at the top.

Paulo Dybala almost scored an audacious opener direct from a corner, Thomas Strakosha desperately batting the ball away from his line, but Juve broke the deadlock in the 25th minute.

Dybala was involved again, feeding Ronaldo, and the Portugal forward then arrived to convert Rodrigo Bentancur's cross after playing the midfielder into space on the right wing.

Lazio responded well, Immobile missing a good chance before the hosts levelled on the stroke of half-time, Luiz Felipe rising in the box to meet Luis Alberto's superb left-wing centre.Strakosha made amends for a huge error in the 65th minute, his loose pass presenting Dybala with a chance to shoot before the goalkeeper recovered to block, then momentum swung to the hosts.

Cuadrado was initially booked for bringing down Manuel Lazzari as he ran through on goal, but referee Michael Fabbri upgraded the yellow card to red after watching replays on pitchside monitors.

That proved a key moment as Luis Alberto combined with Milinkovic-Savic for a terrific goal in the 74th minute, with Lazio then handed a golden chance to make the points safe.Szczesny brought down Joaquin Correa in the box, but Immobile's weak penalty was parried and the goalkeeper's reflexes brilliantly denied the Italy striker on the rebound.

That kept Juve in the hunt, and they threw everything at Lazio in the closing stages, but Caicedo scored on the counter in the 95th minute to end the Bianconeri's record as the last unbeaten team in Europe's top five leagues.

 

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Montpellier 1-3 Paris Saint-Germain: Neymar inspires late comeback

Neymar inspired a late Paris Saint-Germain comeback as the Ligue 1 leaders came from behind to defeat 10-man Montpellier 3-1 on Saturday.

PSG had lost on two of their previous three league trips to Stade de la Mosson, drawing the other, and looked set for another difficult outing following a poor first half that saw them lose two starters to injury prior to Leandro Paredes' own goal.Montpellier beat PSG in April with a late turnaround but this time it was the visitors' turn to turn the tables in dramatic fashion.

Neymar won a set-piece that saw Pedro Mendes sent off and then sent the resulting 25-yard free-kick into the top-right corner with 16 minutes remaining.Two minutes later, he set up Kylian Mbappe to finish impressively shortly before Mauro Icardi wrapped up the points to move PSG eight points clear of Marseille at the top.

There was an ugly end to the game, though, as PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas appeared to be hit by a bottle thrown from a section of the home supporters.
PSG lost Presnel Kimpembe and Idrissa Gueye to injury inside the opening 25 minutes. With Marquinhos, Marco Verratti and Ander Herrera already out, Abdou Diallo and 17-year-old debutant Nianzou Kouassi were the replacements.ouassi almost stretched to convert Neymar's in-swinging free-kick moments after his arrival as Geronimo Rulli made a superb diving save.

But it was Montpellier who opened the scoring four minutes before half-time when Daniel Congre headed a left-wing corner in off the hand of Paredes, a deflection that deceived Navas.The second half started slowly until Rulli charged off his line to deny Sarabia before Mendes was sent off, receiving a second yellow card for scything down an advancing Neymar.

Neymar stepped up and delivered a magnificent, curling strike from the resulting free-kick, finding the top-right corner.He then found Mbappe in PSG's next attack and the France striker cut inside from the left before arrowing a low finish into the far corner.

Neymar was rampant, hitting the woodwork with another free-kick, and he then combined with Mbappe, who produced a magnificent chip to set up Icardi with nine minutes left, the striker volleying in from eight yards.

 

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Tottenham 5-0 Burnley: Son scores sensational solo goal as Spurs bounce back in style

Son Heung-min scored a goal of the season contender as Tottenham returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a convincing 5-0 home victory against Burnley.

Tottenham suffered a first defeat under Jose Mourinho in midweek when going down 2-1 to Manchester United, but they turned on the style in Saturday's clash to climb up to fifth.

Mourinho's men were two goals ahead inside nine minutes, with Harry Kane opening the scoring from 25 yards out before Lucas Moura added a second from far closer range.

Son then scored a remarkable third goal by carrying the ball some 90 yards and slotting home, while Kane doubled his tally and Moussa Sissoko joined the scoring in an equally one-sided second half.

Kane took advantage of some hesitant Burnley defending to fire his side in front after 240 seconds with a fierce shot that caught out Nick Pope.Pope got down to keep out Son's shot less than five minutes later, but the ball looped into the air, deflected off Dele Alli's back and Lucas was there to convert from a yard out.

Sissoko hit the post with a first-time shot and Alli was dispossessed by a brilliant challenge from James Tarkowski after being played through as Spurs' domination continued.

Burnley nearly pulled one back through a Robbie Brady header that hit the bar, but the hosts added a third before half-time thanks to Son's sublime solo goal.
It took less than 10 minutes of the second half for Kane to double his personal tally, the England international cutting inside Tarkowski and firing in at the near post.

Sissoko netted for the second home game running with 16 minutes remaining after playing a one-two with Kane and poking the ball past Pope to round off the scoring.

 

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Bournemouth 0-3 Liverpool: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keita & Salah secure dominant win

Naby Keita scored on his first Premier League start of the season as Liverpool consolidated their position at the top of table with a comfortable 3-0 win at Bournemouth on Saturday.Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had given Jurgen Klopp's side the lead with his first league goal since January 2018 before Keita added a second just before half-time.

Mohamed Salah made it three shortly after the break, and the Reds kept a rare clean sheet, ending a run of 13 matches in all competitions without one.

Liverpool moved 11 points ahead of second-placed Leicester City, who play on Sunday, and 14 clear of champions Manchester City ahead of their derby clash with Manchester United later in the day.

After a low-key start, Bournemouth lost defender Nathan Ake to an apparent hamstring injury following a challenge on Salah just after the half-hour mark.And Liverpool took full advantage moments later when captain Jordan Henderson lifted a high ball over the top of the reshuffled Bournemouth defence and Oxlade-Chamberlain cushioned a first-time finish past goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.

Liverpool suffered an injury setback of their own when Dejan Lovren departed clutching the back of his leg, but the Reds added a second goal on the stroke of half-time.A superbly crafted team move culminated in Salah's backheel for Keita, who poked inside the right-hand post.

Liverpool then ended the game as a contest nine minutes into the second period when Jack Simpson lost possession to Keita, who returned the first-half favour and fed Salah to apply a cool finish.

Bournemouth's day got worse when leading marksman Callum Wilson limped off - also seemingly suffering with a hamstring problem - and Liverpool cruised through to full-time.

 

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Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United: Rashford and Martial land big win for Solskjaer

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tasted sweet victory in the derby as his Manchester United side stunned Manchester City with a 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium.

United were brilliant in the first half, as impressive as they have been in the 12 months of their Norwegian manager's tenure, and a penalty from Marcus Rashford followed by Anthony Martial's sharp finish made it their day. A late Nicolas Otamendi header could not save the hosts.

City now sit 14 points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League, hopes of defending their title surely all but extinguished by this result. Questions will be asked of Pep Guardiola's leadership, and how he has allowed their defence to become such a weakness.

But for Solskjaer, months of speculation about his job security can be swept aside for now. After beating Jose Mourinho's Tottenham on Wednesday and following up with a terrific performance against their 'noisy neighbours', United suddenly look a team to be reckoned with.

United's first three attempts all forced Ederson to make sharp saves, the goalkeeper denying Daniel James from the edge of the penalty area, then a lively Jesse Lingard and the marauding Martial.And with City in disarray at the back, the fast-breaking visitors were handed a penalty after a VAR review when Rashford went down following a mazy run, sideswiped by a clumsy Bernardo Silva challenge.

Rashford slotted low and into the right corner for the 23rd-minute opener, and the England striker went close twice in the next four minutes: firstly, when stroking a shot just wide after City's defence was unpicked by a high-pace counter-attack, and then with a 20-yard curling shot that hit the crossbar.

Martial gave United the two-goal lead they richly deserved in the 29th minute when he swivelled and cracked a low, left-footed shot in off the base of the right post, after working the chance patiently with James.

City striker Gabriel Jesus might have narrowed the lead before half-time but headed wastefully wide from Kevin De Bruyne's cross, before the hosts were aggrieved to be denied a spot-kick by referee Anthony Taylor when Fred appeared to handle a cross.Guardiola made his annoyance known in a passionate appeal to fourth official Mike Dean before the second half began.

United centre-back Victor Lindelof made a superb intervention to thwart De Bruyne soon after the restart, deflecting the Belgian's thumping shot over the crossbar.Fred was struck by an object thrown from home supporters and appeared to suffer racist abuse from the same section.

Otamendi headed in an 85th-minute City consolation and fellow substitute Riyad Mahrez went close to a leveller moments later, denied by a fine save by David de Gea, but this was emphatically United's day.

 

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Real Madrid 2-0 Espanyol: Zidane's men march on despite Mendy dismissal

Real Madrid extended their unbeaten run to nine games in all competitions with a straightforward 2-0 win over struggling Espanyol on Saturday.Raphael Varane opened his season account and sent Los Blancos on their way to a fourth consecutive LaLiga victory with a left-footed finish in the 37th minute.

Karim Benzema made the points safe when he swept home Federico Valverde's pass 11 minutes from full-time, making Ferland Mendy's late sending off for a needless second booking the only blight on an otherwise unfussy showing.

Madrid's win momentarily edges them three points ahead of title rivals Barcelona, who host Mallorca later on Saturday.

Vinicius Junior started for the first time since October and registered two attempts on target inside the opening 30 minutes.Thibaut Courtois clawed away Esteban Granero's header between those chances before Varane made the breakthrough.The defender stayed forward following a corner and finished with impressive poise after Benzema created space through neat footwork.

Vinicius escaped a potential second yellow for an ungainly collision with David Lopez, then forced goalkeeper Diego Lopez into a near-post save.
Espanyol's number one prevented Benzema from doubling the margin when the French striker broke through on goal after the interval.Benzema squandered another good chance to put the result beyond doubt 20 minutes from full-time, turning wide from Rodrygo's cut-back.

But the 31-year-old was not to be denied, his unerring low finish after Valverde's fine build-play ensuring the late loss of Mendy for a silly foul on Victor Gomez counted for little.

 

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Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 Bayern Munich: Bensebaini brace sees Flick's men lose again

Ramy Bensebaini scored an injury-time penalty as Borussia Monchengladbach beat Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich 2-1 in a thrilling top-of-the-table clash on Saturday.

Bayern, who lost at home to Bayer Leverkusen last weekend, dominated the first half but could not open the scoring until shortly after the restart, Ivan Perisic on target with a fine finish.

Their lead was short-lived at Borussia-Park, however, as Bensebaini's header drew Gladbach level within 11 minutes to set up a gripping finale.

Javi Martinez conceded a late penalty for fouling Marcus Thuram - and was sent off - with Bensebaini staying cool to beat Manuel Neuer and leave Bayern seven points behind leaders Gladbach.

Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski missed early chances as Bayern made a bright start.Interim head coach Hansi Flick reshuffled his Bayern side when Corentin Tolisso went off injured and Perisic replaced the midfielder, makeshift left-back Alphonso Davies having shaken off an early blow to his knee.

Yann Sommer made a fine save to his left from Muller's 20-yard strike, before the goalkeeper was lucky not to concede when he misjudged Joshua Kimmich's drive and recovered to stop the ball on the line.

Perisic missed a good chance before half-time, but the substitute broke the deadlock in the 49th minute, swivelling to thump home from just inside the box with Sommer unable to keep it out despite getting his right hand to the volley.

Gladbach levelled on the hour mark against the run of play, though, Bensebaini powering home a towering header from Jonas Hofmann's right-wing corner.Both sides spurned chances to win the game before Martinez, who came on for Jerome Boateng in the 68th minute, brought down Thuram with seconds of normal time remaining.

Martinez was shown a second yellow card and, despite being made to wait to take the kick, Bensebaini squeezed the penalty past Neuer's desperate dive to keep Gladbach's unlikely title charge on track and leave Bayern considering Flick's future.

 

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Everton 3-1 Chelsea: Calvert-Lewin at the double as Ferguson makes instant impact

Duncan Ferguson made an instant impact as Everton's caretaker manager following the sacking of Marco Silva, guiding them to a 3-1 win over Chelsea and lifting them out of the bottom three.

Silva was sacked on Thursday in the wake of a 5-2 hammering in the Merseyside derby but Ferguson's first game at the helm proved there is life in the Toffees yet, with Chelsea losing for the third time in four Premier League matches.

Richarlison got Ferguson's interim reign off to a flying start when heading in after only five minutes, with the Brazilian netting for the third successive Premier League match.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin capitalised on defensive haplessness to make it 2-0 early in the second half and, although Mateo Kovacic's first league goal for Chelsea offered the visitors encouragement, Everton managed to seal the points late on – their English forward getting a second.

Having found themselves 2-0 down after 17 minutes on Wednesday, the improvement in Everton's start against Chelsea was marked, taking an early lead when Richarlison met Djibril Sidibe's cross with a header the once famously dominant Ferguson would have been proud of.Calvert-Lewin should have doubled hosts' lead in the 16th minute, but his feeble shot after being released by Theo Walcott was straight at Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Chelsea steadily improved and Tammy Abraham saw a flick from Willian's delivery flash right across the face of goal, but that was as close as they came before half-time.

Everton began the second half with renewed purpose and quickly increased their lead – Calvert-Lewin converting after Kurt Zouma's poor clearance dropped in the box and ricocheted off the Frenchman and Andreas Christensen.

Chelsea swiftly pulled one back through Kovacic, whose controlled volley from 30 yards beat the unsighted Jordan Pickford to find the bottom-left corner.

That paved the way for Chelsea to pile men forward towards the end, but Everton wrapped up the win six minutes from time, Calvert-Lewin prodding through Kepa's legs after the keeper had initially given the ball away under no pressure.

 

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Manchester United 4-0 AZ: Greenwood dazzles as hosts seal top spot

Mason Greenwood starred with a superb brace as Manchester United thumped AZ 4-0 to seal top spot in Europa League Group L.The first half was in keeping with the fact both teams had already qualified but United sprung into life with a flurry of four goals inside 11 second-half minutes.

Teenage forward Greenwood was to the fore after Ashley Young opened the scoring, dispatching a pair of fabulous finishes either side of winning a penalty that Juan Mata converted.

AZ were left to rue a pair of missed chances from Calvin Stengs as United romped clear to be assured of a seeded spot in Monday's draw for the knockout stages.Andreas Pereira forced AZ goalkeeper Marco Bizot into an early near-post save but the lack of jeopardy in the game was initially reflected by its entertainment levels.

Netherlands forward Stengs dragged unconvincingly wide before the interval and appeared to be caught by surprise when Owen Wijndal's low 47th-minute cross found him in the midst of a disorganised United backline, prodding too close to Sergio Romero.Anthony Martial fired wastefully over on the half volley after some fine work from Greenwood, and United's 54th-minute opener came from a more unlikely source.

Pereira cleverly twisted out of a tight space by the left corner flag and combined with Mata and Nemanja Matic before the former cut across the six-yard box for the onrushing Young to find the roof of the net from an acute angle.

Greenwood swiftly doubled the lead with an unerring finish from the edge of the box, although AZ were aggrieved that James Garner was not punished for a foul on Fredrik Midtsjo in the build-up.

AZ continued their collapse when Jordy Clasie clumsily brought down Greenwood, and Mata dispatched his penalty beyond Bizot's dive.There was more to come from the 18-year-old striker, who danced inside Stijn Wuytens and lashed inside the near post in the 64th minute to complete the scoring.

 

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Greenwood



Congratulations Manchester United​

 

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Standard Liege 2-2 Arsenal: Lacazette and Saka inspire fightback as Gunners win the group

Arsenal finished as Europa League Group F winners after goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Bukayo Saka helped them fight back to claim a 2-2 draw with Standard Liege on Wednesday.

Samuel Bastien and Selim Amallah gave Standard a two-goal advantage as they chased a victory to qualify for the knockout phase.However, those hopes were dashed when Lacazette and Saka scored in quick succession to settle Arsenal's nerves.

The Gunners progressed to the last 32 of the competition as group winners ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt after they lost 3-2 to Vitoria Guimaraes.

Arsenal had won all five of their previous European encounters with Standard but a youthful side picked by interim boos Freddie Ljungberg, featuring nine changes from the weekend win over West Ham, had to battle against more motivated opponents.

The Gunners enjoyed the best of the first half with the lively Saka twice testing Standard goalkeeper Amaud Bodart but the contest came alive after half-time.

Standard took the lead three minutes into the second half when Bastien's shot deflected off Sokratis Papastathopoulos and wrongfooted Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

The goal galvanised the home side while Arsenal retreated into their shells, and Standard scored again when Selim Amallah punished more sloppy defending to strike a shot – via a deflection off Konstantinos Mavropanos – past Martinez.

Ljungberg's side were jittery but managed to settle any nerves that Standard could overhaul their head-to-head record when Lacazette headed in a Saka cross with 12 minutes remaining.Moments later the impressive Saka then got his name on the scoresheet with a fining curling effort to ensure Arsenal finished with a share of the points and top spot in the group.

 

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Manchester United Vs Everton

Manchester United Starting Line-up

De Gea
Wan Bissaka
Lindelof
Maguire
Shaw
McTominay
Fred
James
Lingard
Rashford
Martial

Everton Starting Line-up

Pickford
Coleman
Keane
Holgate
Mina
Digne
Davies
Iwobi
Bernard
Calvert-Lewin
Richarlison
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Good Luck Manchester United!
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Half Time

Manchester United 0 Vs 1 Everton

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1st half Manchester United passing nam poor & that goal

Good luck for the 2nd half Manchester United!
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Manchester United 1-1 Everton: Greenwood strike rescues point for Solskjaer's men

Mason Greenwood scored 13 minutes from time to salvage a 1-1 draw for Manchester United and deny Everton caretaker boss Duncan Ferguson a second consecutive Premier League victory.

United went into the game hoping to claim a third consecutive league win for the first time since January but David de Gea's failure to clear a first-half corner led to Victor Lindelof putting through his own net.

Everton defended resolutely as they sought to build on their 3-1 victory over Chelsea at Goodison Park, and the commitment shown by a side lacking a number of key players will raise inevitable questions about Ferguson taking the manager's job on a permanent basis.

But United substitute Greenwood produced the cutting edge in attack that the hosts had been lacking and his strike ensured Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men extended their unbeaten streak to six league matches.

Jesse Lingard dragged a shot wide on the turn from eight yards after United swept forward from the kick-off.

Marcus Rashford and Daniel James both went close, feeding on incisive long passes Lindelof and Scott McTominay, before Jordan Pickford parried a dipping Rashford free-kick away from danger as Everton continued to come under pressure.

Without the pace to hit United on the counter-attack, the visitors took a more patient approach and were rewarded when Leighton Baines' corner was misjudged by De Gea – whose claims to have been impeded by Dominic Calvert-Lewin were ignored – and the ball grazed the goalkeeper's knuckles before bouncing off Lindelof's leg and into the unguarded net.

Luke Shaw surged down the United left after an hour and fired a powerful drive that Pickford did well to parry away, and nine minutes later Lindelof curled a shot over the crossbar from the edge of the box with Everton pinned back.

United's late pressure paid off when James found Greenwood on the edge of the box and the teenager tucked a low drive into the bottom corner of Pickford's net to spare United's blushes.

 

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Congratulations Manchester United!

Greenwood again

Aparade habai.Win karanna one match ekak

Good luck for the next match Manchester United!


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Juventus 3-1 Udinese: Ronaldo stars alongside Dybala and Higuain in comfortable win

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Juventus returned to winning ways in Serie A, easing to a 3-1 triumph over struggling Udinese on Sunday.

Maurizio Sarri finally fielded Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain together from the start – and the trio were influential in helping the reigning champions record a first victory in three league outings.

The points were secured by half-time at Allianz Stadium, Ronaldo getting a brace as Udinese struggled to cope with a pumped-up home team eager to bounce back from a 3-1 loss away to Lazio the previous weekend.

The Portugal international opened the scoring in the ninth minute, firing home a loose ball with an instinctive first-time effort, while it was Higuain's well-weighted throughball that set up the second, finished with his left foot.

Leonardo Bonucci added a third before the interval, flicking in a header at a corner from centre-back partner Merih Demiral via a deflection off the underside of the crossbar, allowing Juve to ease up in the second half.

As the tempo dropped, the hosts relied on Gianluigi Buffon - making his 478th Serie A appearance in place of the injured Wojciech Szczesny, drawing him level with Alessandro Del Piero's club record in the competition – to keep Udinese at bay.

The veteran goalkeeper - guilty of a costly error in the 2-2 draw against Sassuolo earlier in December - twice made saves from the lively Kevin Lasagna, while he also turned away Seko Fofana's fierce drive.

However, there was little Buffon could do to stop Ignacio Pussetto getting a consolation goal in stoppage time, the substitute's reactionary volley preventing the former Italy international from recording a clean sheet.
Ronaldo had been denied a hat-trick by the post prior to that, but Juve coasted to a result that sends them above Inter, who can quickly reclaim top spot when they travel to Fiorentina in Sunday's late kick-off.

 

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Champions League last-16 draw: Man City face Real Madrid, Liverpool land Atletico & Chelsea tackle Bayern


Liverpool’s defence of their Champions League crown will continue with a two-legged tie against Atletico Madrid in the last 16, while Manchester City take on Real Madrid.

Chelsea will be involved in another heavyweight tie, as they face German giants Bayern Munich, and Tottenham – the beaten finalists from 2019 – must try and overcome RB Leipzig.

Barcelona have regularly expressed a desire to get back on top of the podium in European competition and continue their adventure against Napoli.

Paris Saint-Germain, with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe leading the charge, will take in a tough test against Borussia Dortmund.Cristiano Ronaldo, as the competition’s all-time leading goalscorer, can add to his stunning collection of continental efforts in a meeting with Lyon, while Atalanta’s clash with Valencia completes the first knockout stage.

Liverpool claimed the sixth European Cup success of their illustrious history last season and are once again looking to complement a Premier League title bid with another continental charge.

Their memorable triumph over Spurs back on June 1 came at Wanda Metropolitano, and Jurgen Klopp’s side will be heading back to that venue when taking on Atletico Madrid.Manchester City, who are looking for a first continental success, are also set to pay a visit to the Spanish capital.

Pep Guardiola’s men face the most unenviable of tests against 13-time winners Real Madrid, who find themselves in this position after finishing as runners-up in their group.

Chelsea are set to take in a reunion with Bayern Munich, having overcome them to claim the Champions League crown back in 2012, while Tottenham – with two-time winner Jose Mourinho now calling the shots - complete the English contingent and also face Bundesliga opposition in the form of RB Leipzig.Lionel Messi and Co are determined to take a famous trophy back to Camp Nou, and the six-time Ballon d’Or winner will want to be at his talismanic best when taking on a dangerous Napoli side.

Ronaldo has previously added to his medal collection in this competition with Manchester United and Real Madrid, with Juventus’ next step in a bid to end their barren run in the Champions League seeing them tackle French foes in the form of Lyon.

PSG boast plenty of world-class winners within their squad and will want to see potential turned into something more tangible, starting against Borussia Dortmund in the last 16.

Elsewhere, surprise package Atalanta – who are gracing this stage for the first time – will have their sights set on another prized scalp when they lock horns with Valencia.The first legs in a series of eagerly-anticipated encounters will take place on February 18/19 and 25/26.

The return dates are due to be held on March 10/11 and 17/18.

Champions League last-16 draw in full:
Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint-Germain
Real Madrid vs Manchester City
Atalanta vs Valencia
Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool
Chelsea vs Bayern Munich

Lyon vs Juventus
Tottenham vs RB Leipzig
Napoli vs Barcelona