Category: Football

LONDON: Chelsea confirmed on Saturday that a consortium led by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly has won the battle to buy the Premier League club in a £4.25 billion ($5.2 billion) deal.

Owner Roman Abramovich put Chelsea on the market in early March, just days before he was sanctioned by the British government.

After a lengthy bidding process involving several groups, Boehly and his fellow investors were picked by Raine Group, the New York bank overseeing the sale.

Boehly’s consortium includes a fellow co-owner of the Dodgers baseball franchise, Mark Walter, Swiss billionaire Hansjoerg Wyss and US investment firm Clearlake Capital.

“Chelsea Football Club can confirm that terms have been agreed for a new ownership group, led by Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjoerg Wyss, to acquire the club,” they said in a statement.

“Of the total investment being made, £2.5 billion will be applied to purchase the shares in the club and such proceeds will be deposited into a frozen UK bank account with the intention to donate 100 percent to charitable causes as confirmed by Roman Abramovich.

“UK government approval will be required for the proceeds to be transferred from the frozen UK bank account.”

In addition, the new owners will commit £1.75 billion in further investment “for the benefit of the club”, Chelsea said.

The total value of the deal smashes the previous record for the sale of a sports team — $2.4 billion for the New York Mets baseball franchise in 2020.

Chelsea’s 42,000-capacity Stamford Bridge home is in need of major redevelopment to match the stadium size and income streams enjoyed by their rivals.

But Boehly has a track record of delivering both stadium improvement and sporting success with the Dodgers.

Thanks to heavy investment in players, the Dodgers have made the MLB (Major League Baseball) playoffs every season for the past nine years and won their first World Series for 32 years in 2020.

Boehly’s consortium still needs to satisfy the Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ test, but Chelsea said they expect the sale to be completed by the end of the month.

Boehly is expected to attend the Premier League clash with Wolves at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust said it welcomed the club’s announcement.

“We will continue to hold close discussions with the prospective owners,” it said in a statement. “We are optimistic about the future of #CFC. We hope that the sale is completed swiftly.”

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MADRID: Real Madrid overcome a 3-4 deficit in the first leg of the semi-final to stun Manchester City and booked the Champions League final against Liverpool.

In a high-octane clash between the two sides, the first half of the match featured some heavy striking and a lot of drama but yet no team could make the strike with City, still leading the scoreboard in terms of the aggregate.

City, which already had the aggregate in their favour, looked even more favourite to advance into the final when Riyad Mahrez made the first strike for the side in the 73rd and extended the lead to 5-3.

Madrid’s Rodrygo Silva de Goes made a timely 90th-minute strike to force the match into the extra time. The Brazilain footballer then scored his second goal within a minute to level the aggregate score.

In the 95th minute, Benzema rushed to a loose ball in the box but City’s defender Ruben Dias brought him down. He then opted to take the penalty by himself and converted it as the match-winning strike and a ticket to the Champions League final for his side.

Madrid will contest the second major final in the ongoing month as the La Liga 2022 champions will take on Liverpool on May 29 at Stade de France.

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BARCELONA: The home side Barcelona took a big step towards securing a place in next season’s Champions League as a 2-1 victory over Real Mallorca on Sunday saw them reclaim the second spot in La Liga from Sevilla.

Goals in either half from Memphis Depay and Sergio Busquets put Xavi Hernandez’s men in control and they took the three points despite Antonio Raillo’s effort for their relegation-threatened opponents at the Camp Nou.

The Catalan giants move two points ahead of Sevilla and nine clear of fifth-placed Real Betis, who have a game in hand, with four matches to play this season.

Barca took the lead in the 25th minute as Memphis Depay made a clever run to collect Jordi Alba’s pass before thumping a fine half-volley into the bottom corner.

The Dutchman has scored 11 league goals since joining Barcelona from Lyon last summer, despite having struggled for a regular starting spot since the arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Arsenal in January.

The hosts doubled their advantage nine minutes after the break as Sergio Busquets drove a low shot from the edge of the box into the net to score for the third time this season in all competitions, equalling his previous best goalscoring campaign.

Barca thought they had added a third in the 73rd minute, but Ferran Torres’ effort after a desperate goalmouth scramble was ruled out for an offside earlier in the move.

There was more to cheer for the home fans shortly afterwards as Ansu Fati came off the bench to make his first appearance after suffering a hamstring injury in January.

Mallorca ensured that their opponents would at least endure a nervy finale to the match, as Antonio Raillo pulled one back with 11 minutes remaining.

But Barcelona held on, leaving Mallorca only one point ahead of 18th-placed Granada, who drew 1-1 with Celta Vigo, in the fight to beat the drop.

Earlier, Real Sociedad suffered a blow in their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League, as Radamel Falcao grabbed Rayo Vallecano a 1-1 draw.

La Real looked set to move within three points of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid with four matches remaining when Alexander Sorloth gave them a first-half lead.

But Colombian veteran Falcao came off the bench in the 77th minute and scored less than a minute later to leave Sociedad five points off the top-four pace.

It was Falcao’s sixth league goal of an injury-hit season as the 36-year-old made his first appearance for Rayo since February.

Visitors Sociedad remain in sixth place after a third straight game without a win.

Real Betis can cut the gap to Atletico down to a single point on Monday when they travel to Getafe.

Real Madrid wrapped up the title on Saturday, ahead of their Champions League semi-final second leg against Manchester City in midweek.

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LIVERPOOL: Everton kept alive their hopes of Premier League survival by shocking Chelsea 1-0 on Sunday, as Arsenal maintained their two-point lead over Tottenham in the battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Arsenal were 2-1 winners at West Ham to move back above Spurs, who earlier beat Leicester 3-1 thanks to a Son Heung-min double.

Everton’s huge win at a raucous Goodison Park means Frank Lampard’s side is just two points from safety and have a game in hand to come over Leeds and Burnley.

The only goal arrived just a minute into the second half when Richarlison pressured Cesar Azpilicueta into losing possession and the Brazilian forward finished coolly from Demarai Gray’s pass.

Mason Mount’s shot hit both posts as Chelsea sought a response before man-of-the-match Jordan Pickford sprinted across his line to keep out Azpilicueta’s follow-up effort.

The England goalkeeper also denied Antonio Rudiger at point-blank range and kept out Matteo Kovacic in a nervy seven minutes of stoppage time.

Former Chelsea boss Lampard, who took over from the unpopular Rafael Benitez at the end of January, has struggled to revive the fortunes of the Merseyside giants, who last played outside the top flight in the 1953/54 season.

But he was delighted with the passion shown by his players and the supporters.

The defeat leaves third-placed Chelsea still with work to do to seal their place in the Champions League next season.

The Blues’ lead over Tottenham is down to five points, but Thomas Tuchel’s men have a comfortable run-in on paper.

Arsenal’s centre-backs got the job done to keep the Gunners on course to end a five-year absence from the Champions League.

Rob Holding’s header from Bukayo Saka’s corner put the visitors in front at the London Stadium.

West Ham had one eye on the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek, but David Moyes named a strong side and was rewarded with an equaliser before half-time from Jarrod Bowen.

The Hammers’ strength from set-pieces has been one of the successes of their season.

But they were undone at the back from another corner as this time Gabriel Magalhaes turned in Gabriel Martinelli’s cross.

Tottenham took full advantage of Leicester naming a much-changed side ahead of their Europa Conference League second leg against Roma.

Harry Kane powered home a header from Son’s corner midway through the first half and Son doubled the lead on the hour mark after a pass from substitute Dejan Kulusevski.

Son scored a third in the 79th minute to kill the game, curling an unstoppable effort into the top corner for his 19th Premier League goal of the season before a late consolation for Kelechi Iheanacho.

The battle for fourth could come down to a north London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal on May 12.

But Mikel Arteta’s men will hope to extend their lead to five points next weekend when they host relegation-threatened Leeds, while Spurs face a daunting trip to title-chasing Liverpool.

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LEEDS: Manchester City displayed experience to handle the pressure of the Premier League title run-in after beating Leeds 4-0 to move back above Liverpool at the top of the table.

Rodri and Nathan Ake got the vital goals from set-pieces on a day City needed to match the aggression of the home side before Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho sealed victory late on.

Guardiola’s men edge one point ahead of the Reds once more with four games remaining for both sides.

The defeat leaves Leeds looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone.

Burnley’s dramatic come-from-behind win at Watford earlier on Saturday pushed Jesse Marsch’s men down to 17th.

They still enjoy a five-point lead over Everton, but the Toffees have two games in hand to haul themselves out of trouble.

Leeds also appear to have the tougher run-in with Arsenal and Chelsea among their final four matches.

Guardiola clearly had one eye on Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Real Madrid as he made five changes from the side that beat the newly-crowned Spanish champions 4-3 in a thrilling semi-final, first leg on Tuesday.

Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez were among those left on the bench.

Joao Cancelo also returned to the back four after being suspended in midweek, but the Portuguese nearly gifted Leeds the lead inside five minutes.

Cancelo’s slip on the halfway line allowed Rodrigo to burst clear, but the Spanish international should have picked out the unmarked Raphinha rather than going for goal himself as his shot was easily blocked.

Leeds were flying into tackles like a side battling for survival, but that aggression was their downfall for the opening goal.

Raheem Sterling was upended on the left wing and from the resulting free-kick, Rodri headed home Phil Foden’s inviting free-kick.

Guardiola can ill afford more defensive injuries with Kyle Walker possibly ruled out for the season and John Stones struggling with a muscle problem.

Aymeric Laporte was involved in a sickening clash of heads with Robin Koch, but both players were controversially allowed to continue after receiving lengthy treatment.

Ake also went off in the second half, but by that point, the Dutchman had made arguably his most telling contribution in nearly two seasons as a City player.

Ruben Dias headed Foden’s corner across goal and Ake turned home from close range to spark wild celebrations on the City bench.

Jesus then maintained his scoring streak by latching onto Foden’s pass to smash home his sixth goal in his last three games.

Fernandinho completed the route and took City’s goal difference to within one of Liverpool’s with a sweet strike in stoppage time.

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MADRID: The home side Real Madrid put on a show as they hand a crushing 4-0 defeat to Espanyol and lift their 35th La Liga title, here on Sunday.

The home side Madrid, which just needed one point from their last five games secured two goals as Rodrygo Silva netted the ball twice and put the side close to the glory.

Espanyol pushed hard to cut the gap but Madrid’s Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema bettered the lead to 4-0 with a strike each in the 55th and 81st minutes.

With a convincing 4-0 victory, the home side moved 17 points clear of the second-ranked Sevilla and four matches to play. Barcelona, on the other hand, have a game in hand but are 18 points shy.

With La Liga’s conclusion, Madrid will turn their attention to the second leg of their semi-final against Manchester City in the Champions League, where the La Liga champions will have to overturn a 4-3 defeat in the first leg to make their way into the final.

Furthermore, Madrid’s coach Carlo Ancelotti, on the other hand, has become the first coach to win all five major European titles. He has also won the Premier League with Chelsea, Serie A with AC Milan, Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain and the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.

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STRETFORD: The home side Manchester United managed to secure one point after their leading striker Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 17th goal of the season to earn the side an important draw against Chelsea, here on Thursday. 

The visitors dominated the first half of the match but were unable to dodge the United’s goalie David de Gea, who made successful saves against Chelsea’s Kai Havertz and N’Golo Kante.

The visiting side, however, managed to get themselves on the scoreboard midway through the second half as Marcos Alonso struck for a third-ranked Chelsea.

Following the deficit, the home side did not hold back and responded quickly when the blues had barely finished with their celebrations. Nemanja Matic assisted the ball into the box for Ronaldo to give it a final touch to make the levelling strike.

The high-octane clash then ended all square as Chelsea edged closer to securing a top-four finish. Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea are currently holding the third position with five matches remaining.

The United, on the other hand, are five points behind the fifth-ranked Arsenal despite playing two more matches.

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LIVERPOOL: The home side Liverpool inched closer to the Champions League final following a comprehensive 2-0 victory over Villarreal in the first leg of the semi-final at the Anfield Stadium here on Thursday.

Two goals in two minutes undid Villarreal boss Unai Emery’s defensive game plan as Pervis Estupinan deflected Jordan Henderson’s cross into his own net before Sadio Mane slotted in a second.

The Reds remain on course for an unprecedented quadruple of Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup.

And barring a huge upset when the sides meet again in southern Spain in six days’ time, Liverpool’s season will finish with a third Champions League final in five seasons in Paris on May 28.

In stark contrast to the free-flowing thrills of Manchester City’s 4-3 win over Real Madrid in the other semi-final, on Tuesday, Emery’s men followed the same tactic that saw them past Juventus and Bayern Munich by retreating behind the ball.

However, the Yellow Submarine could barely lay a glove on Klopp’s men as Liverpool just had to bide their time to make their dominance count.

The two sides will come face to face again in the second leg of the semi-final on May 5, with Liverpool having the advantage of a better aggregate of 2-0.

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MANCHESTER: Pep Guardiola said he had to reiterate to his players they had beaten Real Madrid 4-3 in a Champions League classic on Tuesday despite the disappointment of not killing off their semi-final tie at the Etihad.

Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva were on target for Guardiola’s men, who held a two-goal lead three times.

But Karim Benzema’s double and a brilliant individual effort from Vinicius Junior gave Madrid hope of another famous Champions League fightback at the Santiago Bernabeu on May 4.

Guardiola lamented letting Liverpool escape “alive” in the Premier League title race after a 2-2 draw at the Etihad nine days ago and will have similar regrets after a blistering opening that could have seen City go 4-0 up inside half an hour.

Madrid, the record 13-time European champions, were playing in their 30th semi-final to City’s third, but the English champions lived up to their tag as pre-tie favourites early on.

Only 92 seconds had passed before the Madrid rearguard was breached by Riyad Mahrez’s quick feet and perfect cross for De Bruyne to stoop and head past Thibaut Courtois.

Jesus pounced to make it 2-0 after just 10 minutes when David Alaba failed to deal with De Bruyne’s cross.

The Spanish champions-elect were without Casemiro and his absence showed as City cut through midfield on the counter-attack at will.

Guardiola was furious with Mahrez after he selfishly smashed into the side-netting with Foden awaiting the cross for a tap-in.

Moments later it was Foden who was guilty of wasting a glorious chance when he dragged wide another pinpoint De Bruyne through the ball.

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BARCELONA: The home side Barcelona suffered a shock 1-0 defeat by Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, handing Real Madrid the chance to win La Liga if they draw at home to Espanyol next weekend.

Barca’s place in the top four is still not secure either after a third consecutive defeat at Camp Nou continued their late-season wobble and saw them squander the chance to pull away in the race for Champions League qualification.

Madrid remain 15 points clear with five games left to play and while Barcelona have a better head-to-head, Carlo Ancelotti’s side know they will be uncatchable if they take just a point from Espanyol on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Barcelona should still have enough for the top four given they sit six points clear of Real Betis in fifth, with five games left to play, but winning this game in hand against an out-of-form Rayo side would certainly have made the run-in more comfortable.

Instead, their form, as much as their position, will be a real concern for coach Xavi, whose team have now won only twice in their last six matches.

This loss comes after they were beaten at home by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League quarter-finals and then defeated by Cadiz in La Liga, also 1-0.

Xavi talked on Saturday about “recovering the sensations” of a few weeks ago when a 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu looked set to place Barcelona even as favourites in La Liga next season.