The title will go to Juventus again after Napoli’s impressive season faded but the fight for Europe and to survive is set to go down to the wireFor the seventh season running, Juventus will be champions of Italy. The Scudetto is not officially theirs just yet, but we are into the realm of technicalities. A 3-1 win over Bologna, accompanied by a draw for Napoli, extended their lead to six points with two games left to play.The first tie-breaker, head-to-head results, would be split with the Partenopei, since each beat the other 1-0 away from home. Next is goal difference, where Juventus are ahead by 16. Realistically, it will not come to that anyway. The Bianconeri’s final game of the...
Juventus goalkeeper’s protest to Michael Oliver – which saw him sent off – may cause unpleasant repercussions for the embattled officials at the lowest levels of footballHeartfelt sympathy is extended to Gianluigi Buffon, of course, railing with much of Italy against the referee Michael Oliver’s last-minute penalty decision which wiped out Juventus’ marvellous three-goal Champions League second-leg comeback against Real Madrid. Oliver, remaining intently officious while the Juventus players circled him in disbelieving outrage, then met Buffon’s excessive protests with a red card, sending the great, giant goalkeeper off in the last match of his epic Champions League career.It would take a cold heart, maybe, not to support Buffon in his passionate reaction and forgive his outbursts afterwards against the...
Madrid suffered but still went through and will now sense they can win the Champions League for the third time in a row“My heart rate went up a bit but I tried to calm myself down, because I knew it would be decisive,” Cristiano Ronaldo said. All that and it came down to this: 180 minutes reduced to a single moment. A 3-0 victory for Real Madrid in Turin, 3-0 to Juventus in Madrid and then, in the 93rd and final minute, with 39 remaining seconds that would soon be considerably more, Lucas Vázquez went down, nudged by Medhi Benatia. So here they were, a semi-final waiting, everyone watching two men standing 12 yards apart at the north end of...
The Real Madrid star conjured up a magical strike to leave even Zinedine Zidane drooling. But how did it compare to some of the best acrobatic efforts of the past?It was a goal that even took Zinedine Zidane’s breath away. Launching himself at Dani Carvajal’s cross as it looped across the penalty area, Cristiano Ronaldo and his right boot connected with the ball at the astonishing height of two metres and 77 centimetres off the ground – nine feet in old money – and then watched as it sailed past a helpless Gianluigi Buffon.Clasping his head in disbelief on the touchline before turning away with a disbelieving smile, Zidane was not the only one to question what he had just...
Uefa’s president wants to improve competitive balance but the top clubs’ financial dominance equates to power too, and it is unlikely his mooted measures will make a significant differenceFor football people raised on the foundational European Cup feats of Manchester United’s home-schooled Busby Babes and Celtic’s 1967 triumph with a team of local lads, the modern Champions League is a mixed blessing. Over the last 23 years the tournament has constructed a glittering stage for Lionel Messi and the world’s greatest players but European football’s concentration of wealth is delivering the final rounds and trophy itself to the same few richest clubs. Related: Chelsea given painful reminder of declining European status by Barcelona | Dominic Fifield The measures Ceferin has...