BARCELONA (REUTERS) - Lionel Messi lead the way with two goals and two assists as Barcelona reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League in style by thrashing Olympique Lyonnais 5-1 at home on Wednesday (March 13) and advancing by the same scoreline on aggregate.
Barca captain Messi opened the scoring with a "Panenka" penalty chipped straight down the middle in the 17th minute after Luis Suarez was fouled in the area, putting the home side ahead in the tie after a goalless first leg in France.
Suarez then rounded Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes to lay on a perfect pass for the unmarked Philippe Coutinho to nudge into an open net and double Barca's lead, although Lyon hauled themselves back into contention with a second-half strike from Lucas Tousart.
Messi soon killed off any hopes of an unlikely comeback from the French side, however, carving his way through the defence to score in the 78th minute before toying with Lyon's back line twice more and laying off passes for Gerard Pique and then Ousmane Dembele to complete the rout.
Barca coach Ernesto Valverde had warned his side of complacency after Paris St Germain and Real Madrid's surprise exits, and his words carried more weight after Atletico Madrid were knocked out by Juventus despite a 2-0 first leg win.
His side were in a more vulnerable position as a score draw would have sent them out, and they began the game as if they meant business, with Messi firing an early shot which Lopes had to beat away for a corner.
Lyon's Lopes had to be taken off injured later in the first half, leaving the field in tears after taking a blow to the face, with Mathieu Gorgelin replacing him and making his Champions League debut.
Barca looked unsettled for a brief period after Tousart's goal had put Lyon one goal away from knocking the Catalans out, and the home side defended with an air of panic.
But Messi soon eased their nerves, and they reached the last eight of Europe's elite competition for the 12th consecutive season and will be Spain's only representatives in Friday's quarter-final draw.
New-look Germany make promising start with Serbia draw
PODGORICA (REUTERS) - England recovered from an early scare in Montenegro as Ross Barkley scored twice in a clinical 5-1 victory to continue their strong start to the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign
England thrash Montenegro 5-1 after early scare - Reuters
West Ham leave it late to see off spirited Huddersfield Substitute Javier Hernandez scored a late brace including a stoppage-time winner to help West Ham United beat Huddersfield Town 4-3 in a
Football: West Ham leave it late to see off spirited Huddersfield
BODY/EMBODIMENT This page intentionally left blank Body/Embodiment Symbolic Interaction and the Sociology of the Body Edited by DENNIS WASKUL Minnesota State University, Mankato, USA and PHILLIP VANNINI Royal Roads University, Canada
Full text of "The Times , 1978, UK, English" - archive.org
The two clubs, which have won 38 English titles between them (United 20, Liverpool 18), met outside England for the first time in 2014, when they contested the final of the ICC in Miami, with
Cristiano Ronaldo Handles Crazy Fan With Class - YouTube
This is because, as the NY Times reports, there is a real risk that Cristiano Ronaldo could be detained or taken into custody in the USA; after investigations still remain into his supposed sexual
ICC questions: Madrid without Ronaldo, Mourinho mood
NEWCASTLE, England (REUTERS) - Newcastle United's 2-0 win over 10-man Huddersfield Town on Saturday (Feb 23) eased their Premier League safety fears and sent the Terriers hurtling ever faster
Soccer: Newcastle plunge 10-man Huddersfield closer to the
Ikhsan Fandi will be the first Singaporean footballer to ply his trade in Europe in 30 years after he penned a two-year contract with Norwegian second tier side Raufoss IL, the club announced on
Ikhsan Fandi scores first competitive goal for Norwegian club
Modric criticises Ballon d'Or gala snub by Messi, Ronaldo. Croatian captain Modric broke Messi and Ronaldo's decade-long stranglehold on the prestigious prize last month. as well as to
Modric criticises Messi, Ronaldo for Ballon d'Or gala snub
Fastest Bite in the Animal Kingdom? - YouTube
Football: Klopp confirms Firmino fitness for Champions League final Roberto Firmino trained in Madrid on Friday and is fit after missing Liverpool's last three games, manager Jurgen Klopp said
Tottenham vs Liverpool: Roberto Firmino passed fit for
Solskjaer says his contract with Molde has expired, paving the way for him to take the Man Utd job Molde agreed to "lend" United Solskjaer until the end of the season following Jose Mourinho's
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirms contract withMolde has expired
FIFA says it has been in regular contact with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) over the Bahraini soccer player arrested in Thailand in November over a prison sentence in his homeland.
FIFA Says In Regular Contact With AFC Over Detained Bahraini
Real Madrid's Gareth Bale came off the bench and coolly converted a penalty to secure a 2-1 win at Levante in LaLiga on Sunday as the European champions rode their luck to stay within nine points of leaders Barcelona.
Bale penalty gives below-par Real win at Levante - SuperSport
adtest.supersport.com/football/spain/news/190224/Bale_penalty_gives_belowpar_Real_win_at_Levante
Real Madrid's Gareth Bale came off the bench and coolly converted a controversial penalty to secure a 2-1 win at Levante in La Liga on Sunday.
Bale penalty kick gives below-par Real Madrid win at Levante
Klopp cool on Mo's dry spell, Football News & Top Stories
0 comments:
Post a Comment