The Barcelona forward was applauded by both sets of fans in the 4-1 victory over Betis – not because he scored three times, but because of how he scored“Truth is, I don’t remember anything like this,” Lionel Messi said but nor do they and their reaction said more than words, long abandoned as inadequate. There were five minutes left of a perfect performance when he took the shot that transfixed them and then turned them. Not so much hit first time as coaxed, the ball rose softly and curved gently, granting them time to take it in, inviting them to halt everything and watch it orbiting alone, so they did. Only Betis goalkeeper Pau López moved, seeing it float by,...
Defeat was hardly catastrophic for Milan, but they have failed to beat Inter now in any of their last six Serie A meetingsThe choreography produced by Milan’s Ultras for Sunday’s derby had been months in the making. As kick-off approached, a colossal depiction of Hellboy was unveiled: stretching from the top of the second tier in San Siro’s Curva Sud all the way down to ground level. The demon crashed his fist on to a pile of skulls, interwoven with an Inter scarf. “Send them to Hell,” read the accompanying slogan.The banner left on display in the same section at full-time cannot have taken quite so long to prepare: a single word spelled out in letters as tall as your...
A stylish victory over Bayer Leverkusen has confirmed that Florian Kohfeldt has given Werder’s fans reason to dreamIt was the sort of result that, when it happened, appeared to be a curio but as time has gone past, it looks more and more like a season turning point. When Bayer Leverkusen visited Werder Bremen in late October they were on little more than a hiding-to-nothing. Mired in lower-mid-table and led by an unpopular coach, they were facing a side on the crest of a wave – and one who could, with a victory, have finished the weekend in second place in the Bundesliga.It didn’t turn out like that. In a rarity amid an uninspired first half of the season under...
Jürgen Klopp’s side rise to the occasion with their Dutch factotum directing an almost dismissive victory over BayernOn German television they closed out the show with Hello Goodbye by the Beatles, which felt about right. Through mid-afternoon the grey stone squares of Munich’s old town had echoed with choruses of “Allez, Allez, Allez”, Liverpool’s own European anthem of the past two years.It is a sound that may just come to haunt this ageing Bayern era, which reached its own decisive goodbye on a chilly, luminous night at the Allianz Arena. Quietly, and always with a feeling of strength in reserve, Liverpool produced a performance shot through with the steel of the mature Klopp period. Related: Sadio Mané and Virgil van...
Pep Guardiola has played down City’s threat in Europe but this 7-0 hiding of Schalke means they must assume mantle of Champions League contendersThis last-16 tie was over by the interval, a feat achieved in seven minutes when Manchester City scored three times and did some of the growing up Pep Guardiola wants his team to do.This was his mantra going into the match: that to mature from “teenagers” to Champions League men Schalke had to be dispatched and the side secure their place in Friday’s quarter‑final draw. Related: Manchester City enjoy seven-goal stroll into last eight against limp Schalke Continue reading...