Category: Football

BOLOGNA: AC Milan closed the gap on city rivals Inter at the top of Serie A with a convincing 3-0 win at Bologna at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on Tuesday.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christopher Nkunku, from the penalty spot, scored in the first half, with Adrien Rabiot sealing the win in the second period.

The win moves second-placed Milan five points behind Inter and four points clear of third-placed Napoli.

Massimiliano Allegri’s side, coming in off the back of a 1-1 draw with Roma last time out, were in charge early on and went ahead after 20 minutes.

Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia did well to keep out Nkunku’s header but only found Rabiot, who teed up Loftus-Cheek.

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The former Chelsea player tapped in to claim his second goal of the season.

Loftus-Cheek was involved with the second as well, this time slipping the ball to Nkunku, another recruit from Chelsea, in the area.

Ravaglia didn’t get his timing right and upended the France international, who slotted home from the spot.

Three minutes into the second half, Milan wrapped up the points when Rabiot fired in the third.

Niclas Fullkrug twice went close in the dying minutes, but Ravaglia kept both attempts out.

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Arsenal reached the League Cup final for the first time in eight years as Kai Havertz sealed a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the semi-final second leg on Tuesday.

Mikel Arteta’s side had put themselves in pole position in the first leg, and Havertz came off the bench to finish the 4-2 aggregate victory in the closing moments at the Emirates Stadium.

It was a cathartic triumph for the Gunners, who had lost their previous four semi-finals in the 2025 Champions League and League Cup, the 2022 League Cup and the 2021 Europa League.

In their first final for six years, Arsenal will face Manchester City or Newcastle at Wembley on March 22.

City hold a 2-0 lead over Newcastle ahead of Wednesday’s second leg at the Etihad Stadium.

Arsenal haven’t won the League Cup since 1993, losing in their last three final appearances.

Now they have the chance to end that drought by winning the club’s first trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.

That remains the sole silverware won by Arteta since he was hired in December 2019.

“We knew it was going to be a real battle out there. That resilience, that clarity to understand what kind of game we had to play, we did so well,” Arteta said.

“There was a special atmosphere inside our stadium. It makes such a difference. We’ve been waiting a few years to get into this position and we’re certainly going to enjoy it.”

It is shaping up to be a memorable season for Arsenal, who are six points clear at the top of the Premier League and reached the Champions League last 16 by winning all eight of their group matches.

Despite their success, Arsenal have attracted criticism for their reliance on goals from corners and set-pieces.

Arteta launched a passionate defence of Arsenal’s style of play this week, revealing he has a “massive book of people” who feel his side are the “most exciting in Europe”.

Tuesday’s war of attrition will hardly silence Arsenal’s critics, but Arteta won’t care about that after leading his team to Wembley.

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Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior had won six of his seven matches in all competitions since arriving from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca.

But Rosenior was unable to solve his Arsenal conundrum, with the Gunners handing him the only two defeats of his brief reign.

“Arsenal know they were in a game, over both ties. We dominated the areas we wanted to in the second half, but we didn’t find that quality moment,” Rosenior said.

“It’s painful to lose. We just need to keep making improvements, which I’m seeing from the first leg to the second.”

Without captain Martin Odegaard, sidelined by a muscle problem, and winger Bukayo Saka, who was injured in the pre-match warm-up at Leeds on Saturday, Arsenal weren’t at their best but still ground out the win.

Rosenior’s switch to a three-man central defence allowed Chelsea to stifle Arsenal in a scrappy first half.

The Gunners briefly shook off their shackles as Piero Hincapie’s curler from just inside the area was palmed away by Robert Sanchez.

It rained so heavily in the first half that Rosenior had to take off his soaked glasses to see what was happening.

Squinting through the squall offered Rosenior an alarming view as Malo Gusto’s misjudgement let in Gabriel Martinelli before the Chelsea defender scrambled back to block the shot.

It took 43 minutes for Chelsea to muster a shot on target when Enzo Fernandez’s long-range blast was punched clear by Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Chelsea needed to push for a goal, and Rosenior sent on Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian after an hour, ditching his back three.

Estevao immediately set up Fernandez for a curler that flashed over, but Chelsea’s threat petered out.

Havertz delivered the knockout blow in the final seconds of stoppage-time, rounding Sanchez to slot into the empty net after Chelsea were caught on the counter.

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Mikel Arteta said Arsenal are “actively looking” for a replacement for the injured Mikel Merino in the closing hours of the transfer window.

Merino, who has been a valuable contributor in midfield and attack for the Gunners, could miss the rest of the season with a fractured right foot that requires surgery.

Arteta stressed how significant the Spain international’s absence as Arsenal compete to win four trophies.

The Arsenal boss hopes his club can come up with a new signing to fill the void before Monday’s 1900GMT deadline.

“We are actively looking at options and we will continue to do that,” Arteta told reporters on Monday.

“When you lose a big player like this with four months to go, and all the competitions to play for, you need to look and we need to do everything we possibly can to see if a player is available.”

The loss of Merino has been tempered by the return to fitness of Germany forward Kai Havertz.

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There was further good news for Arsenal as Arteta revealed an injury that kept England winger Bukayo Saka out of Saturday’s 4-0 win over Leeds is only minor.

“Today, he (Saka) was better. Let’s see how he responds. It doesn’t look like something too serious,” Arteta added ahead of Tuesday’s League Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea

“Whether he is available for tomorrow or the weekend, we will have to wait and see.”

Arsenal remain on course for an unprecedented quadruple.

Arteta’s side hold a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League, have progressed to the last 16 of the Champions League and face third-tier Wigan in the FA Cup fourth round.

But the Spaniard is focused on reaching the League Cup final as his side’s first opportunity to end a six-year trophy drought.

Arsenal hold a 3-2 lead over Chelsea ahead of the second leg on home soil at the Emirates Stadium.

“The next one is always the most important one. And it is the closest, at least, to reach a final,” said Arteta.

“We really need to create the atmosphere, the energy, the belief that we’re going to do it.”

READ: Barca coach Flick unhappy over Raphinha thigh strain

Barcelona will be without winger Raphinha for the Copa del Rey clash at second-tier Albacete on Tuesday because of a thigh strain, and coach Hansi Flick said something had to “change” regarding the Brazilian’s preparation.

Raphinha’s injury, sustained in the win over Elche on Saturday in La Liga, is expected to keep him out for only a week, but Flick was notably upset by the issue.

The winger missed two months with a hamstring injury earlier this season and is a key player for the Spanish champions.

“To be honest I’m not happy with this, really, because he’s a very important player,” Flick told a news conference Monday.

“We have to see what we have to change and also what he has to change. We’ll speak about that in the next days because it’s important.

“This is the important phase in the season, we need every player to be able to play and when he’s out, it’s not good.”

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Barcelona have not lost a match this season, which Raphinha has started.

Albacete defeated Real Madrid in the previous round of the competition, and Flick said he was not surprised.

“This is why we love (cup games), there are sometimes unexpected results,” said the coach.

“Of course it’s like that — they have nothing to lose, they have only to win.”

According to Spanish reports German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, on loan at Girona, has suffered a hamstring injury which could keep him out for two months.

“I didn’t speak with him but I’m very sorry for him, but we have to wait for the results and we’ll see what happened,” added Flick.

Ter Stegen has played two games for Girona after joining them in January until the end of the season.

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Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham is expected to miss the club’s upcoming Champions League play-off matches against Benfica after suffering a hamstring injury on Sunday.

“Following tests carried out today on our player Jude Bellingham by Real Madrid’s medical services, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the semitendinosus muscle in his left leg,” said Los Blancos in a statement, without specifying the length of his expected absence.

Spanish media reported the 22-year-old England international could miss around a month after he went off hurt in the opening stages of the 2-1 La Liga win over Rayo Vallecano.

As well as the play-off games against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica on February 17 and 25, Bellingham is likely to miss league matches against Valencia, Real Sociedad and Osasuna.

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said a potential Bellingham absence would be a “big absence” but that he has an “extraordinary squad” to help fill in for the midfielder.

READ: Mbappe penalty earns Real Madrid late win over Rayo Vallecano

Kylian Mbappe stayed calm to roll home a 100th-minute penalty and claim a 2-1 win for Real Madrid over nine-man Rayo Vallecano on Sunday in a spicy La Liga derby clash.

Los Blancos cut Barcelona’s lead back to one point at the top of the table after the Spanish champions beat Elche on Saturday.

Vinicius Junior scored early on for Madrid after Jude Bellingham limped off with an apparent hamstring injury.

Jorge de Frutos pulled Rayo level early in the second half as Madrid fans showed their anger at their team following the midweek Champions League defeat at Benfica.

After Pathe Ciss’s red card tilted the game in Madrid’s favour, Mbappe netted from the spot at the death for his 22nd La Liga goal this season.

Pep Chavarria was also sent off in the final stages for Rayo, 17th, who took a shaky Madrid to the wire before falling short.

Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said it would take time before the team could become more consistent, having had six games at the helm since replacing Xabi Alonso.

“I’m not Gandalf the White,” the Madrid coach told reporters, referring to the Lord of the Rings wizard.

“What I want from my players is what I’m seeing: commitment, attitude, mentality, knowing that to win each game, quality is not enough, consistency is key.

“We will work on that, in terms of performance, mentality, ambition and attitude.”

Arbeloa said Madrid had to play better than other teams to beat opponents, because of their illustrious name.

“This is Real Madrid, and to beat Rayo Vallecano we need to do more than the rest of the teams in La Liga,” he continued.

The coach said Bellingham would be a “big absence” for the matches ahead if his injury proves serious, but for now, “we don’t know anything”.

After the defeat in Portugal left Madrid in the Champions League play-off round, the Santiago Bernabeu crowd was in an unforgiving mood.

Arbeloa and Mbappe had begged fans to support the team, but, just as they did a fortnight ago against Levante, they whistled their own players.

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Madrid suffered an early setback as England international Bellingham pulled up holding the back of his thigh, going off in agony.

Vinicius fired the hosts ahead in the 15th minute, showing tidy footwork just inside the area before firing high over Augusto Batalla and into the net.

Los Blancos were in charge, but despite taking the lead, their fans were not appeased and whistled the team in at the break.

Four minutes into the second half, Rayo pulled level. Alvaro Garcia nodded a cross down for De Frutos, a former Madrid youth player, to reach and drill home.

The visitors should have taken the lead after an hour when Andrei Ratiu ran through on goal with only Thibaut Courtois to beat, but the Belgian stopper made a superb save to deny him.

Mbappe came centimetres away from putting Madrid in front when Batalla rushed out of his goal, but hit the bar.

Rayo made life harder for themselves when midfielder Ciss was sent off for an ugly foul on Madrid’s Dani Ceballos.

Eduardo Camavinga headed against the post as Arbeloa’s side turned the screw.

With nine minutes of stoppage time ticking down, Madrid were awarded a penalty when Nobel Mendy clumsily fouled Brahim Diaz, and La Liga’s top scorer Mbappe dispatched it to snatch three points for his side.

Rayo finished the match with nine men after Chavarria was shown a second yellow card for shoving Rodrygo Goes.

“The important thing is to improve, to grow as a team, try to be calmer, we can’t always be waiting for the opponent to make a mistake,” said Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde.

Arbeloa said he was now looking forward to a fortnight without midweek games due to Madrid’s early Copa del Rey exit.

“We’ve had a lot more games than training sessions, which are for recovering and can’t be done at high intensity. As a coach, I’ve missed that time to work,” said the coach.

“We’ll use these two weeks to keep improving the team, individually and collectively.”

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Nottingham Forest will go into the Europa League play-off round after a 4-0 win over Ferencvaros on Thursday, while Celtic secured their place in the knockout phase with victory over Utrecht.

Aston Villa finished second in the league phase after recovering from a two-goal deficit to beat Red Bull Salzburg 3-2, with their spot in the last 16 already assured.

Forest stood an outside chance of climbing into the top eight going into the final round of matches, but needed to beat Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros and rely on other results going their way.

Sean Dyche’s side did their bit as Igor Jesus struck twice for Forest after Ferencvaros defender Bence Otvos scored an own goal. James McAtee tucked away a late penalty, but the win was only enough for the Premier League club to finish 13th overall.

Twice former European champions Forest will learn their play-off fate on Friday, along with Celtic, who overcame lowly Utrecht 4-2 after scoring three times in the first 19 minutes in Glasgow.

Benjamin Nygren put Celtic ahead before an own goal from Utrecht captain Nick Viergever.

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Arne Engels converted a penalty with Celtic cruising, but Utrecht pulled it back to within one until Auston Trusty’s header gave the hosts some more breathing space.

Villa looked to be sliding to just a second defeat in Europe when Salzburg surged 2-0 ahead in Birmingham through goals from Karim Konate and Moussa Yeo.

Morgan Rogers reduced the deficit, and Tyrone Mings headed Villa level, with 19-year-old Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba netting his first senior goal to complete the turnaround for Unai Emery’s men.

Lyon topped the table with seven wins from eight after completing the league phase with a 4-2 victory over PAOK. A minute’s silence was observed before kick-off in memory of the seven Greek fans killed in a minibus accident in Romania.

Midtjylland, Real Betis, Porto, Braga, Freiburg and Roma all finished in the top eight to ensure direct qualification for the last 16.

Rangers concluded a miserable European campaign with a 3-1 loss at Porto, their sixth defeat in eight games in the competition.

READ: ‘Winter signing’ Jamal Musiala returns to boost weary Bayern Munich

Midfielder Jamal Musiala has made a timely return for a Bayern Munich side that has grown weary in recent weeks as they continue to fight on three fronts.

In December, Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen ruled out any big winter purchases, saying the return of Musiala and fellow long-term injury absentees Alphonso Davies and Hiroki Ito were like “internal winter signings”.

Musiala broke his leg during the Club World Cup. After two appearances off the bench and a star turn in the Champions League midweek, Musiala is likely to start away at Hamburg on Saturday.

Bayern remain eight points clear of Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga but will still be stinging from a shock 2-1 home loss to Augsburg last week, their first league defeat of the season.

Like most of the league, Augsburg lack the quality to challenge the defending champions, but the Bavarian minnows prevailed by outworking a jaded side, showing the strain of a long season.

While Musiala lacks match fitness after missing six months, his freshness will be key in the second half of the campaign.

The 22-year-old made his first start since returning in Wednesday’s 2-1 Champions League win over PSV Eindhoven, scoring Bayern’s opening goal.

The goal showcased Musiala’s very particular set of skills. He dribbled through a crowded penalty box, played a clever one-two before blasting a lethal shot into the roof of the net.

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“A beautiful goal from a tight angle,” Bayern striker Harry Kane said of Musiala’s strike. “He showed his qualities. He was outstanding, and I take my hat off to him.”

Bayern Munich have made a habit of beating the stuffing out of Saturday’s opponents, Hamburg, recently.

One of only three German European Cup winners with Bayern and Dortmund, Hamburg are a huge club with a massive following, but their stats against the Bavarian giants do not make for happy reading.

Hamburg last beat Bayern in 2009, with Bayern winning 17 and drawing three of their past 20 games.

In their past eight games, all Bayern wins, they have piled up 36 goals, and Hamburg have scored just once.

Bayern already thumped Hamburg 5-0 in Munich this season, but one glimmer of hope for the hosts this weekend is their home record.

Hamburg have claimed 15 of their 18 points at home this term and have not lost at their ground since October.

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Jose Mourinho condemned his former employers to a ninth-placed finish in the league phase as his Benfica side beat Real Madrid 4-2 in the Champions League on Wednesday, with a stoppage-time header by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin keeping the Portuguese alive in the competition.

A third defeat of the campaign for Madrid, coupled with wins for Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon and Manchester City, meant Madrid missed out on the top eight and will have to play in the two-legged knockout play-off round.

“We knew where we were coming from, what we were coming into, how difficult it would be, and obviously it got the better of us,” new Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa told Movistar.

“I think we were far from the level we need to show. I’ve said it these past few days: we’ve got a lot to improve.”

Benfica, on the other hand, will not turn their noses up at the extra games after ‘keeper Trubin sensationally nodded in a 98th-minute goal to snatch the last qualification spot on goal difference.

Earlier, Kylian Mbappe netted a brace as Andreas Schjelderup scored twice and Vangelis Pavlidis converted a penalty for the hosts.

For Mourinho, who coached Madrid between 2010 and 2013, it was a first victory at the second time of asking against his old club since departing them.

“I think it was deserved, really deserved… for Benfica it’s an incredible prestige to beat Real Madrid,” Mourinho said.

Friday’s draw will reveal if Benfica face a rematch against Madrid or 10th-placed Inter Milan, with whom Mourinho won the competition in 2010.

“I can’t say I prefer one or the other because going to Madrid I like a lot and I’ve not gone there, to go to Milan I like a lot, and I don’t go there either,” he said.

“Madrid and Inter are teams that can win the Champions League, and we are a team that at most can do something incredible.”

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Much the livelier side in the opening period, Benfica thought they had a penalty on the quarter-hour when the referee pointed to the spot following a Jude Bellingham challenge from behind on Gianluca Prestianni, but the decision was overturned on review.

Mourinho was left shaking his head again moments later as Prestianni popped up in space on the left of the Madrid box and shaped a fine curling effort for which Thibaut Courtois needed all of his two-metre frame to tip onto the crossbar.

Mourinho’s side soon, however, paid for their profligacy as Mbappe brought his Champions League tally this term to 12 goals with a clinical back-post header on the half-hour.

But next it was Madrid who were made to pay for over-confidence as the Portuguese side caught them desperately short on the counter six minutes after their opener.

Raul Asencio was the only navy-shirted player in the Madrid half as Benfica launched into a counter, but the Spaniard was left slipping and sliding on the turf as Pavlidis went past him and centred for Schjelderup to nod home.

The home side then got the lead their performance deserved after Aurelien Tchouameni was penalised for a shirt pull on Nicolas Otamendi from a corner, and Pavlidis stroked the resulting spot-kick straight down the middle five minutes into stoppage time.

The hosts won the ball and sprang forward on 54 minutes, with Schjelderup supplying another clinical finish after cutting past Asencio on the edge of the box.

Rodrygo Goes replaced the ineffectual Franco Mastantuono in the immediate aftermath, and the Brazilian combined out wide with Arda Guler to set up the unmarked Mbappe, who unerringly fired home from 15 yards in the 58th minute.

The clock ticked into the final 20 minutes with everything still in the balance and Benfica’s presence in the knockout play-offs fluctuating with results elsewhere in Europe.

Aided by Madrid going down to nine as Asencio and Rodrygo received late dismissals, Benfica looked set for heartbreak as they were sitting in 25th place, level on nine points with Marseille but with fewer goals scored.

The Estadio da Luz then erupted deep in injury time as Trubin turned the unlikeliest of heroes as he nodded in from a free-kick to send Benfica through.

“We were lucky to get a set-piece where Trubin, at two metres tall, goes up there and scores a fantastic goal, a historic goal, a goal that nearly brought the whole stadium down — and I think it was very deserved for us,” Mourinho said.

READ: Barcelona rout Copenhagen to reach Champions League last 16

Barcelona came from behind to thrash FC Copenhagen 4-1 and qualify directly for the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday in fifth place of the league phase.

Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha’s second-half goals helped Hansi Flick’s side take control after teenager Viktor Dadason had sent the Danish visitors into a surprise early lead.

Substitute Marcus Rashford sealed Barca’s victory with a free-kick late on, which slipped past Copenhagen stopper Dominik Kotarski.

Five-time Champions League winners Barca struggled to find their rhythm in the first half but did enough after the break to clinch a top-eight league phase finish at a canter.

“We all came here tonight thinking of finishing in the top eight. We’re very happy with the win,” Yamal told Movistar.

“When they score a goal against you in the Champions League, it’s very hard to come back, but the team was strong and pulled it off.”

Flick said he was not impressed with the way his team started the game.

“I was not happy with the first half, but in the end, I think everyone — the fans, also the team is very happy,” said the German coach.

Barcelona knew they needed to win to be confident of swerving the play-off round, but fell behind as early as the fourth minute.

A slack pass by Jules Kounde was intercepted, and Dadason ran in behind Pau Cubarsi before firing past the exposed goalkeeper Joan Garcia.

Spanish champions Barca should have equalised, but Kotarski saved from Lewandowski and then pushed away an Eric Garcia effort.

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The Barca defender came close again with a long-range effort which smashed against the crossbar.

Three minutes into the second half, veteran Polish striker Lewandowski made amends for his first-half miss by pulling Barcelona level.

Dani Olmo played an inch-perfect ball down the right for Yamal, who cut the ball across for Lewandowski to finish.

Teenager Yamal put Barca ahead after an hour with a deflected effort from the edge of the box. His strike hit Elias Achouri and looped high into the air before dropping into the net.

Barcelona made the game safe when Lewandowski won a controversial penalty, going down after minimal contact from Junnosuke Suzuki.

Raphinha took the penalty, with his powerful effort beating Kotarski, who dived the right way.

Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, wrapped up Barcelona’s triumph with a free-kick which Kotarki got down to but could not keep out.

It was the England international’s fifth Champions League goal of the season, and a sixth nearly followed as his drive from distance cracked against the crossbar.

“For me, he’s very important; we need everyone,” said Flick. “When he’s there with his speed, his control and his finishing, it’s amazing to have him.”

Copenhagen, who had a late goal from Gabriel Pereira disallowed for offside, finished 31st and were eliminated from the competition.

To cap a good night for Barcelona fans, they celebrated in the stands when they heard rivals Real Madrid conceded a late goal against Benfica and would not finish in the top eight.

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