Sports

Paris St-Germain 2-0 Real Sociedad: Kylian Mbappe marks return from injury with goal

Published

1 year ago

February 15, 2024

Kylian Mbappe marked his return from injury with a goal as Paris St-Germain took control of their Champions League last-16 tie against Real Sociedad.

The French champions have an underwhelming record in the competition and were enduring a frustrating night until Mbappe pounced.

Having missed his side’s previous match with an ankle problem, Mbappe scored at the back post after a corner.

Bradley Barcola added the second with a lovely finish past Alex Remiro.

Real Sociedad keeper Remiro had earlier denied Mbappe a second when he tipped his attempt on to the crossbar.

PSG, who have never won the Champions League, were far from their best in the first half and Real Sociedad’s Mikel Merino hit the bar just before half-time.

“If you told me at half-time we would win 2-0, I would be dancing for two hours,” PSG manager Luis Enrique told TNT Sports.

“We had to change everything because they were pressing us very high. We couldn’t press and it was like a nightmare.

“When that happens you are going to lose confidence, but football is unbelievable and we could change that. In the second half it was more what we wanted.”

Real Sociedad will believe they can turn it around in the second leg in Spain on 5 March, but will have to offer a much more attacking threat than in Paris.

Qatar-owned PSG have spent vast sums on transfer fees and wages in recent years only to be eliminated from the last 16 of the Champions League five times in the past seven seasons.

They have won nine Ligue 1 titles since Qatar Sports Investments took over in 2011 but, with European success eluding the club, they have also appointed seven managers in that time – four of those in the past four years.

Enrique, their latest manager who steered Barcelona to Champions League glory in 2014-15, returns to Spain for the second leg in three weeks’ time knowing his team are in a strong position to advance thanks partly to Mbappe.

With the forward’s contract running out at the end of June there has been much speculation about his future, but to his credit the 2018 World Cup winner with France has delivered goals all season.

Mbappe has been directly involved in 38 in 30 appearances for his club this season – 31 goals, seven assists – the most of any player in Europe’s big five leagues.

In addition, he has now scored 44 times in 68 Champions League appearances for Monaco and PSG.

In January Mbappe, who has been linked with Real Madrid, said he had not made a decision about his future and it remains to be seen where he will be playing his football next season.

His performance against Real Sociedad illustrated what a huge asset he is to PSG, with four of his seven attempts on target.

He would have walked away with the match ball but for Remiro, who denied Mbappe as early as the sixth minute after he was played in with only the keeper to beat.

This was Real Sociedad’s first knockout tie in the competition for 20 years.

It appeared to be going to plan for the team from the Basque Country as they limited PSG to a handful of chances in the first half, before conceding twice in the space of 12 minutes.

The absence of captain Mikel Oyarzabal because of injury was a blow, and manager Imanol Alguacil will hope his leading goalscorer is fit to play in the return leg.

Real Sociedad conceded as many goals in the French capital as they did in the entire group stage – two in six games – while this was their first defeat in European competition since March 2023, ending a seven-match unbeaten run.

“Two goals is nothing, and at home, with our fans pushing as we have done in the last games in the Champions League, I think we have a chance,” said former Newcastle midfielder Merino about his side’s hopes of turning the match around in the second leg.

“It’s all about being efficient, about scoring goals, which is what we haven’t done lately but we know that with our fans we can do it.”

Sports

EPL: 3 Teams Qualify For Champions League After Europa Final

Published

11 hours ago

May 22, 2025

ADMIN

Three Premier League teams have now officially booked their places in next season’s UEFA Champions League, with Tottenham Hotspur becoming the latest to join the elite group.

Despite a disappointing domestic campaign that could see them finish as low as 17th in the league, Spurs earned a surprise route into Europe’s top competition by clinching the Europa League title on Wednesday night. Their narrow 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the final secured the coveted spot.

The match, held in Bilbao, was decided in the first half by Brennan Johnson, who capitalized on a rare opportunity to score the only goal of the encounter. His effort proved decisive in a tense, hard-fought contest that ultimately handed Tottenham the trophy and Champions League qualification.

With the win, Tottenham join Liverpool and Arsenal as the only Premier League clubs guaranteed a place in next season’s Champions League as things stand.

Race for Remaining Spots Heats Up

Three additional English clubs will qualify for Europe’s top-tier tournament on the final day of the Premier League season. The race remains wide open, with Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and Nottingham Forest all still in contention.

The upcoming fixtures promise high-stakes drama as these clubs battle it out for a place on Europe’s grandest stage.

While Tottenham’s league form has been underwhelming, their European triumph ensures that they will be back among the continent’s elite next season—showcasing once again how success in cup competitions can provide an alternate route to Champions League glory.

Sports

Chelsea Win Women’s FA Cup To Complete Domestic Treble

Published

4 days ago

May 18, 2025

ADMIN

Chelsea beat Manchester United 3-0 in the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley on Sunday to complete an English domestic treble in French coach Sonia Bompastor’s first season in charge.

Sandy Baltimore scored twice, either side of setting up Catarina Macario for the west London side’s second.

France international Baltimore opened the scoring from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time before Macario headed in her free-kick to put the result beyond doubt in the 84th minute.

Baltimore then wrapped up the scoring against United, last season’s FA Cup winners, in the first minute of added-on time when she turned Lisa Naalsund before lashing the ball home from close range.

‘Invincibles’ Chelsea had already been crowned English champions, becoming the first team to remain unbeaten in a 22-game Women’s Super League season as they won their sixth successive domestic league title after previously lifting the League Cup.

Chelsea’s English defender #04 Millie Bright lifts the trophy as Chelsea’s players celebrate on the pitch after the English Women’s FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium, in north west London, on May 18, 2025. Chelsea won the game 3-0.

“It tops off a brilliant season,” Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert, the player of the match, told the BBC.

“I’m so proud of the group. A lot of hard work’s gone into this. To win in the fashion we did, we were holding on a bit at 1-0 but the second goal puts the game to bed.”

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Reflecting on how the side had adapted to Bompastor’s methods, she added: “There’s a lot of change but you just have to embrace it.

“She’s a manager, she’s a winner, as management and as a player, so you’ve got to respect that. She’s done a brilliant job since she’s come in. And a treble, what a way to start it!”

Bompastor took over at Chelsea after long-serving and successful manager Emma Hayes left to become the United States’ national women’s team manager.

But their hopes of a quadruple were scuppered when they lost 8-2 on aggregate to Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League — a tournament they’ve yet to win for all their domestic triumphs.

At Wembley, in a crowd of over 74,000 featuring new Chelsea women’s team investor Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian — as well his tennis champion wife Serena Williams — the Blues dominated the first half but were kept waiting for an opening goal.

Chelsea’s players celebrate on the pitch after the English Women’s FA Cup final football match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium, in north west London, on May 18, 2025. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

It looked as if United would go into the break with the game still goalless but poor defending from Celin Bizet saw her step into Cuthbert and bring the Scotland midfielder down, with referee Stacey Fullicks wasting no time in awarding a penalty.

Baltimore, despite the massed ranks of United fans behind the goal trying to distract her and some mind games from Phallon Tullis-Joyce, coolly sent the United goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot.

An improved United had their chances to equalise early in the second half and even the introduction of England star Ella Toone off the bench could not bring the Cup holders a goal.

And any hopes of a United fight back were dashed by Macario and Baltimore’s late goals.

AFP