by admin_em8z1e00 | May 1, 2024 | Soccer News
MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) – Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was disappointed with his players’ attitude, calling them “soft” for defending too deep in their 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final, first leg on Tuesday.
Ancelotti was critical of his team’s commitment after Vinicius Jr’s first-half goal gave them the lead as Bayern struck twice in four minutes early in the second half to turn the game around before Vinicius equalised from the penalty spot.
“The result is good but on a level of play we could have done better. Bayern showed their best version and we didn’t. We have to improve for next week,” an introspective Ancelotti told Movistar Plus+.
“In the first half we defended but with little intensity, in the second half when they took the lead we started to press a bit more, but not enough.
“The feeling was that we were comfortable, but we lacked intensity. We gave them too many chances to take control of the game. We didn’t want to play in a low block and we went on doing that. We were soft.”
Ancelotti defended his decision to substitute midfielder Toni Kroos, who set up Vinicius’ opener with a brilliant pass and was arguably Real’s best player.
The Italian said that he made four substitutions in an effort to shake his team up and was relieved that they ended up scoring the equaliser that he believes “left the tie open” for the return leg in Madrid next week.
“Jude Bellingham had a cramp, Toni Kroos played a spectacular game but the plan was to try to recover the control of the game by putting fresh legs in,” Ancelotti told a press conference.
“As always, at this point in the season we have a great opportunity to play in another final. It’s an even tie against a great team. It will be another 90 minutes of suffering but in an atmosphere that we know quite well. The fans are going to help us.”
(Reporting by Fernando Kallás in Madrid; Editing by Toby Davis)
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/football/2024/05/01/soccer-ancelotti-unhappy-with-real039s-attitude-in-draw-at-bayern
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by admin_em8z1e00 | May 1, 2024 | Soccer News
MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) – Bayern Munich were victims of Real Madrid’s lethal efficiency in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw but the Germans are ready to beat them in next week’s Champions League semi-final return leg in Madrid, coach Thomas Tuchel said.
The Bavarians struck twice in four minutes early in the second half with a shot from Leroy Sane and a Harry Kane penalty to turn the game around after Vinicius Jr had put the visitors ahead in the 24th against the run of play.
The Brazilian striker also bagged an equaliser with an 83rd minute spot kick as Bayern were pushing for a third goal.
“The result is what it is and it’s not worth spending any time thinking about it,” Tuchel, who will leave Bayern at the end of the season after a disappointing domestic campaign, told a press conference.
“Real have done it before, to score twice with two chances. We are not the first team to suffer that. They have the finish, they have the quality to do that.
“We had a strong start then we lost a bit our rhythm. We should have scored a third but we were not efficient enough, not cold enough to add a third. Then we gifted them a penalty.”
Bayern enjoyed a strong start and also had chances to score again after going 2-1 up. They will now need to win against Real, who are chasing a 15th European Cup, in Madrid next Wednesday if they are to advance to the final at Wembley.
Borussia Dortmund and Paris St Germain face each other in the other semi-final on Wednesday.
“The situation is now very clear,” Tuchel added. “We go to Madrid and the winner takes it all. We are ready to fight. It is important to believe that.
“It is still possible. It is 50-50. It is one of the toughest places to win but that is also what makes this challenge exciting.”
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/football/2024/05/01/soccer-bayern-ready-for-winner-takes-all-match-at-real-says-tuchel
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by admin_em8z1e00 | May 1, 2024 | Soccer News
(Reuters) – Ipswich Town won 2-1 at Coventry City in the Championship on Tuesday to move one point from guaranteeing their return to the Premier League after 22 years outside the top flight.
Ipswich are second with 93 points, three clear of third-placed Leeds United, meaning a draw at home against Huddersfield Town in their final game on Saturday would guarantee their promotion.
Kieffer Moore’s strike gave the visitors, who won promotion from the third tier last season, the lead after eight minutes before Haji Wright grabbed the equaliser for Coventry in the 64th.
But Cameron Burgess’s close-range finish five minutes later sealed the win.
Leicester, already assured of promotion, clinched the Championship title with a 3-0 victory at mid-table Preston North End on Monday.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Toby Davis)
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/football/2024/05/01/soccer-ipswich-on-the-verge-of-premier-league-promotion-after-2-1-win-at-coventry
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by admin_em8z1e00 | May 1, 2024 | Soccer News
MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) -Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr scored twice, including a late penalty, to snatch a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich in an entertaining Champions League semi-final, first leg on Tuesday, leaving the tie wide open.
The Brazilian, who put Real in front after 24 minutes, has now scored in the semi-finals for a third successive season.
Bayern, with only the Champions League title left to fight for, had scored twice in four minutes early in the second half through a Leroy Sane strike and Harry Kane penalty to turn the game around before Vinicius’ spot kick.
“We always want to win but we know that this competition is like that, you can’t give away balls because teams score the chances they have,” Vinicius Jr said.
“We have to keep our heads calm, rest until next week and we know that we and the fans are going to leave everything at the Santiago Bernabeu to qualify.”
“Now it’s time for a magical night at home to win and secure our place in the final,” he added.
Facing each other for a record eighth time at this stage of the competition, it was Bayern who got off to a strong start, racking up half a dozen attempts on goal by the 15th minute with Sane and Kane coming close.
Real needed only one chance to score though, stunning the home crowd against the run of play when Kroos sliced open the Bayern defence with a through ball and Vinicius Jr chased it down to beat goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Kroos almost added another himself in the 51st but his curled shot was palmed wide by Neuer. Instead, it was Bayern who scored two minutes later with a solo effort and shot from Sane that eluded goalkeeper Andriy Lunin for a deserved equaliser.
Their comeback was complete in the 57th when Jamal Musiala was brought down in the area by Lucas Vazquez and Kane sent Lunin the wrong way from the spot to put the home side ahead.
Real, chasing a 15th European Cup, levelled in the 83rd with Vinicius’ penalty, after Rodrygo was felled by a clumsy challenge from Kim Min-jae, to set up a mouth-watering return leg in Madrid next week.
“Everything we’re fighting for is in this competition,” said Kane. “We’ve just got to find a way to get it done. Real Madrid away is going to be tough but we’ve got to go there with full belief and go for the win.
“The Champions League is the biggest of them all. If we can somehow get our hands on it, it will be an amazing season – but there’s still a long way to go.”
The winners will face either Borussia Dortmund or Paris St Germain, who meet in the second semi-final on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Additional reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/football/2024/05/01/soccer-vinicius-jr-double-earns-real-madrid-2-2-draw-at-bayern
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by admin_em8z1e00 | May 1, 2024 | Soccer News
(Reuters) – The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) should have intervened to recommend a penalty review in Nottingham Forest’s controversial 2-0 Premier League defeat to Everton earlier this month, referees body (PGMOL) chief Howard Webb said on Tuesday.
Webb said VAR Stuart Attwell should have recommended the review which would likely have resulted in a penalty being awarded to Forest after Everton fullback Ashley Young challenged winger Callum Hudson-Odoi in the second half.
Relegation-threatened Forest were left furious after being denied three penalty claims at Goodison Park on April 21, all against Young.
The Midlands side issued a strongly worded statement just minutes after the game on social media platform X, accusing Attwell of being a fan of Luton Town, Forest’s relegation rivals.
The league said it was “extremely disappointed” to read the comments made by Forest and that an investigation into the club’s statement is being conducted by them and the Football Association (FA).
Young had clipped the foot of Gio Reyna in the penalty area in the first half, while the ball also struck his arm as he tried to block a cross.
Webb said that those two penalty shouts by Forest were “really subjective calls”, but the third incident, the challenge on Hudson-Odoi, should have led to a spot kick for the visitors.
“The referee waves away the penalty appeal. The VAR looks at it and asks himself the question, ‘Was the non-award clearly and obviously wrong?’ and came to the conclusion it wasn’t,” Webb said on Match Officials Mic’d Up TV programme.
“He doesn’t see a clear action by Young that he considers to be worthy of intervention, one that reaches the threshold of being very clear.
“But we would have preferred an intervention for the referee to go to the screen to make a judgement for himself in this situation and probably would have come out with a different outcome if that would’ve happened.”
A day after the game, Forest submitted a formal request to the PGMOL to make the audio recordings between officials during the match public.
Having been docked four points for financial breaches, Forest are 17th in the standings with 26 points.
Promoted Luton are one place and one point below Forest in the standings with three matches remaining.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/football/2024/05/01/soccer-var-should-have-intervened-for-probable-forest-penalty-against-everton-says-webb
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by admin_em8z1e00 | May 1, 2024 | Soccer News
(Reuters) – Al-Ain deserved to reach the Asian Champions League final after eliminating Saudi giants Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr and will continue to defy the odds to make their dream of lifting the trophy come true, Brazilian defender Erik has told Reuters.
The side from the United Arab Emirates progressed 5-4 on aggregate against Al Hilal, winning 4-2 in the first leg before losing 2-1 in the return last Tuesday when Erik equalised before suffering an injury that forced him off after 18 minutes.
They will face Yokohama F Marinos in the final after the Japanese team beat Ulsan Hyundai on penalties.
Against the odds Al-Ain beat Al-Hilal, who have several internationals including defender Kalidou Koulibaly, goalkeeper Bono and striker Alexander Mitrovic, who missed the tie injured, plus midfield duo Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves.
“We’ve watched Al-Hilal against local rivals Al-Ittihad in the Champions League and we were able to see the weaknesses of both,” left back Erik said in an interview.
“God wrote the perfect story and chose Al-Ain to fight Al Hilal’s invincibility and there is nothing more rewarding than that”.
Al-Ain ended Al-Hilal’s world record run of 34 consecutive victories when they won the first leg.
“We were aware of our team’s strength, although most predictions were in favour of Al-Hilal. We were determined to compete strongly regardless of the opponent’s strength. We never stopped dreaming,” Erik added.
“With the confidence that we gained in the first half at home in the first leg the belief increased that we could qualify for the final.”
Al-Ain’s Argentine coach Hernan Crespo exacted revenge for last season’s 7-0 loss to Al-Hilal in the Champions League when he was in charge of Qatar’s Al-Duhail.
“Crespo told us before the first game that he is very proud of us and that Al-Hilal players are not from another world,” the Brazilian added.
“We trust our coach; he is a legend in the world of football. He spoke to us with confidence, experience and his words gave us hope.”
BIG DREAM
Surprise package Al-Ain knocked out Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in the quarter-finals in a penalty shootout after a 4-4 draw on aggregate.
“Before the tournament began, according to the media, our chances were 1% or less of being champions.
“I think logically we made the job easier and only us or Marinos can win the competition this season.
“That’s already a big privilege and we are very proud and will fight with all of our strength for our big dream,” he said of his side’s chances of lifting the trophy.
“We followed the game between Marinos and Ulsan Hyundai in the semi-finals and we had already started studying both teams.”
Erik expects to be available for the final despite being injured against Al-Hilal. The first leg takes place on May 11 at Yokohama with Al-Ain hosting the return two weeks later.
Asked about the possibility of moving to the Saudi league, he said: “It’s difficult for me to play for another club in Asia, I feel at home here. I’m a player for Al-Ain, the biggest club in the Emirates.
However, Erik added: “If there’s a good offer for Al-Ain and for me, nothing is impossible. Everyone knows my desire is to play in Europe, but now I have the opportunity to play in the final of the Asian Champions League…
“I think to play for Brazil it’s easier to move to Europe, the Brazilian team doesn’t have eyes for Asia but I continue to do my best and trust that God’s will comes true in my life.”
(Reporting by Ahmed Asal; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/sport/football/2024/05/01/soccer-underdogs-al-ain-can-make-asian-champions-league-dream-come-true-says-erik
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