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UEFA Champions League

JURGEN KLOPP BLASTS ATLETICO FOR NEGATIVE PLAY

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Champions League holders Liverpool will need to summon another famous European comeback at Anfield next month after they were beaten 1-0 away to Atletico Madrid in their last-16 first leg on Tuesday (Feb 18).

Spain midfielder Saul Niguez struck the only goal of the game in the fourth minute by bundling into the net from close range following a corner, their traditional weapon of choice in recent years.

Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp railed against Atletico’s negative tactics and gamesmanship and was unhappy with some aspects of Diego Simeone’s side’s play.

“You need to be really strong as a referee in this atmosphere. Already in the first 30 minutes three of their players went to the ground, I don’t know what for,” Klopp told reporters.

“They got a result, the stadium wasn’t here to see sensational football. Atletico were here to squeeze a result out of this game, they got the result and so they are happy and we are not that happy.”

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Liverpool, who have won 25 of 26 Premier League games this season and are on course for a record-smashing title win, missed a series of chances to equalise in the second half, with Mohamed Salah and captain Jordan Henderson coming closest to scoring.

Klopp’s side play at home to Atletico on March 11 in the return leg at Anfield, where they produced an incredible 4-0 win over Barcelona in last year’s semi-final second leg after losing the first match 3-0.

Atletico’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium was the scene of Liverpool’s 2-0 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur in last year’s final but they faced a very different type of atmosphere this time around.

Clouds of billowing red smoke greeted the Atletico bus when it arrived at the ground as the home supporters stoked up a scorching atmosphere throughout the game to give their side a lift in the middle of their worst season in recent memory.

Simeone’s men have looked nothing like the sides that reached the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals and challenged Real Madrid and Barcelona’s duopoly of La Liga for most of this campaign. They trail league leaders Real by 13 points.

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But on Tuesday they produced a vintage defensive display, sitting deep and barely giving Liverpool any space for their attacking trident of Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane to work their usual magic.

Mane was fortunate not to be sent off late in the first half after clashing with Sime Vrsaljko while on a yellow card and he was swiftly substituted by Klopp for Divock Origi, who scored the second goal in last year’s final.

He caused little disquiet to Atletico’s towering defenders, yet Salah should have levelled with a header which went wide of the near post, while Henderson also narrowly missed the target from inside the area later on.

Klopp substituted the Senegal international immediately after the interval.

“The plan today was to get Sadio out of the game with a yellow card, I was a bit afraid that his opponent would go down if Sadio only takes a deep breath or whatever,” added Klopp, who was himself given a booking for protesting on the sidelines.

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“I didn’t want to have that situation and that’s why I took him off. He was targeted. It was clear. It’s part of football but I don’t like it.”

The German coach has overseen a number of inspiring second-leg comebacks in European matches at Anfield and warned Atletico what awaited them on Merseyside next month.

“As long as we can get 11 players in a Liverpool shirt we will try with all we have. For all Atletico fans who have got a ticket, welcome to Anfield,” he added.

“It’s halftime, we’re 1-0 down, we wouldn’t give up if we had 15 minutes of half time so why should we when we have three weeks, and even better, the second half will be played in our stadium.”

-Reuters

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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UEFA Champions League

David strikes as Lille end Real’s long unbeaten run

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Champions League - Lille v Real Madrid - Decathlon Arena Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille, France - October 2, 2024 Lille's Jonathan David scores their first goal from the penalty spot REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

A first-half penalty earned Lille a shock 1-0 home victory over holders Real Madrid in the Champions League group phase on Wednesday, ending the 15-times European Cup winners’ 14-game unbeaten run in the competition.

Jonathan David converted from the spot three minutes into first-half stoppage time to hand Real, who had not lost in their previous 36 matches in all competitions, their first defeat since January.

The result put Ligue 1 side Lille on three points from two games in the new format of Europe’s premier club competition.

Real, who won their opening match against VfB Stuttgart, are also on three points.

“On the penalty, I try to focus, to keep calm to take a good shot but I’m confident when it comes to taking penalties,” David said. “It has not sunk in yet but it’s a memorable night.”

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Real keeper Andriy Lunin said his team had lacked their usual aggression.

“It’s difficult to analyse right after. (We lacked) aggression, creativity, in the end, what we always have,” he said.

“To fight a bit more. In the second half we showed more desire, but in the first half we were worse, that’s obvious. We want to win because we know what colours we’re playing in. But that’s OK. Courage, keep working and prepare for the next game.”

Carlo Ancelotti’s side started with Kylian Mbappe, who joined from Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain in June, on the bench after the France captain picked up a muscle injury last week.

Real’s Vinicius Jr. had the first chance with a low shot in the sixth minute as the visitors controlled the pace and the second came when Endrick’s close-range attempt was blocked by Lucas Chevalier.

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Lille went close to opening the scoring after 26 minutes when Andriy Lunin made a spectacular double save to deny David, first from the forward’s header, then by tipping away the Canadian’s follow-up shot.

Their relentless pressure paid off in stoppage time when Eduardo Camavinga handled Edon Zhegrova’s free kick.

A VAR review ensued and David confidently converted the resulting penalty.

The hosts continued to apply pressure in the second half, refusing to sit back and wait as Real enjoyed possession, cutting off the supply to England midfielder Jude Bellingham.

Ancelotti sent Mbappe and Luka Modric on to replace Endrick and Eder Militao and Lille survived a late Real onslaught to hang on for the victory.

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-Reuters

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UEFA Champions League

Ancelotti makes no excuses after Real’s shock defeat at Lille

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Champions League - Lille v Real Madrid - Decathlon Arena Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille, France - October 2, 2024 Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti before the match REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

Defending champions Real Madrid failed to show the best version of themselves in a shock 1-0 Champions League defeat at Lille on Wednesday and must accept the criticism that comes their way, manager Carlo Ancelotti said.

Lille pressed relentlessly and took the win courtesy of a Jonathan David penalty in first-half stoppage time to hand Ancelotti’s team their first defeat in all competitions since January.

Real Madrid – record 15-times Champions League winners – have three points after two matches following their opening win over VfB Stuttgart.

“Everything was pretty bad. We did badly with the ball, although the team was quite compact in the first half, it was difficult for us to recover the ball, it was difficult for us to make transitions,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We tried to be a little more aggressive, but it was difficult for us. So… We have to look at things with a cool head, not throw everything away. But obviously we have to improve.

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“I am very sincere. The criticism for today’s game is fair, correct and we have to accept it because it is like that. We have not shown a good version in this game.”

Ancelotti said Lille “deserved” to win despite Real’s improved showing in the second half of the match.

“It was difficult for us to get into the game at the level of intensity, at the level of duels, at the level of clarity of play,” the Italian added.

“Obviously, the game could have been tied because we had opportunities at the end, but it wasn’t deserved.

“So we have to learn, as it happened the last time we lost a game, learn from what we have to improve, which is quite clear. I think it’s not very complicated.”

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Real, who are second in the LaLiga standings with 18 points, next host third-placed Villarreal on Saturday.

-Reuters

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UEFA Champions League

Lookman shines as Atalanta outclass Shakhtar

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Champions League - Shakhtar Donetsk v Atalanta - Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany - October 2, 2024 Atalanta's Ademola Lookman in action with Shakhtar Donetsk's Alaa Ghram REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw

Ademola Lookman scored one goal and was heavily involved in the other two to drive Atalanta to a 3-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Wednesday as the Italians outclassed their Ukrainian opponents in Gelsenkirchen.

Atalanta have four points from two games, having held Arsenal to a 0-0 draw in their opening match, and Shakhtar remained on one point, after they played out a scoreless draw in the first game against Italian side Bologna.

Atalanta went ahead in the 21st minute when Lookman curled a cross into the area which found Berat Djimsiti in front of goal and he controlled the ball before poking it past the keeper.

Atalanta doubled the lead a minute before the break when Sead Kolasinac squared a pass to Lookman in the middle of the area and the Nigerian struck a first-time shot through the legs of his marker Marlon Gomes into the bottom corner of the net.

The game was all but over as a contest three minutes into the second half after Lookman played the ball out wide to Davide Zappacosta and his cross into the six-yard box was headed home by Raoul Bellanova.

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At 3-0, Lookman, who also hit the crossbar in the first half, was taken off with over half an hour to play, his work done for the night and the tie ended with the same scoreline as the last time the sides met in the Champions League in 2019.

-Reuters

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