Barcelona star Andres Iniesta heaped praise on the Catalan outfit after qualifying for a fifth consecutive Champions League semi-final.
Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the spot only to see Antonio Nocerino silence Camp Nou when he slotted home just after the half-hour mark.
However, Messi notched his second penalty of the evening on 41 minutes before Iniesta, who has never lost a professional game in which he has scored, slotted home in the second half to seal a 3-1 victory and secure Barca s progress to the last four for the fifth year in a row.
We had to work hard but we are happy to be in another semi-final, the midfielder told TVE.
Being in a fifth consecutive semi-final means that things are going very well for us and that the team still has…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp remains positive about their place in the title race and still believes if they win all remaining six matches they will be Premier League champions again.
A difficult run of results – starting with a draw at Manchester United and followed by home defeats to Atalanta and Crystal Palace – ended with a 1-0 Europa League victory in Bergamo but that could not prevent their exit from the Europa League 3-1 on aggregate at the quarter-final stage.
A first clean sheet in 10 matches was a boost to confidence, especially as they continue to struggle to find their best form at the other end of the pitch, and Klopp thinks the two-point gap to leaders Manchester City can be overhauled with a perfect run in.
“It’s not obviously in our hand…
Prediction: Egypt win
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The Africa Cup of Nations is starting to get down to the business end of things, as we gear up for the knockout stages of the tournament. There are still 16 teams remaining that will all believe, to different extents, that they ve got a chance of becoming the Champions of Africa. Fans of the tournament will be well aware of the fact that it can be incredibly unpredictable, but in the game we re looking at today between Egypt and South Africa, the general consensus is that it s going to be fairly one-sided.
Egypt
While they rarely tend to live up to the hype on the world stage, Egypt always know how to turn it on at the Africa Cup of Nations. They ve got a deep history in this tournament, and now that they re…
Referee Mike Dean guessed the decision to send off Sofiane Feghouli against Manchester United, according to former official Mark Halsey.
Feghouli was given a straight red card after just 15 minutes at the London Stadium after he arrived later than Phil Jones in a crunching 50-50 challenge.
Dean opted to dismiss the Algeria international and United went on to beat West Ham 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Juan Mata and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Hammers boss Slaven Bilic accused Jones of making a meal of the incident in order to influence the decision, and Halsey who retired in 2013 after 14 years of officiating in the top flight in England believes Dean was affected by the centre-back s reaction and his failure to send off Everton s Ross Barkley for a crude challeng…
Olivier Giroud is convinced he can still play a part for Chelsea but admitted he will reconsider his future in January if opportunities continue to be limited.
The striker has struggled to hold down a regular starting spot in two and a half years at Stamford Bridge since joining from Arsenal and has repeatedly been linked with an exit.
He fought off competition from Tammy Abraham to become first choice towards the end of last season but has fallen back down the pecking order under head coach Frank Lampard since the arrival of Timo Werner.
After being used for just 17 minutes in Chelsea s first four Premier League games this term, Giroud is determined to prove his worth and win back his place in the side.
I ve written a book called Always Believe It so I …
Middlesbrough have parted company with boss Tony Pulis following their failure to win promotion to the Premier League.
Boro finished seventh in the Championship, missing out on a place in the play-offs by one point.
Pulis, who replaced Garry Monk midway through the 2017-18 campaign, was reportedly due to be out of contract next month and the club will not be extending his deal.
The 61-year-old was regularly criticised by supporters for his style of play, with Middlesbrough scoring just 49 goals in 46 league matches in 2018-19, but chairman Steve Gibson has thanked the departing manager for stabilising the club.
Over the past 18 months Tony has been proactive, not only in the ambition to win football matches and promotion to the Premier League, but also i…
Liverpool are in the market to add depth and quality to their midfield.
The Reds are currently second in the Premier League, after four straight wins.
Liverpool have scored a Premier League-high 44 goals in 15 games.
TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL CHASING FABIAN RUIZ
Liverpool want to sign Napoli s Spain international Fabian Ruiz next off-season to bolster their midfield, reports Fichajes.
The Reds view the 25-year-old as an ideal player on an upward trajectory in his career.
Georginio Wijnaldum exited Liverpool for Paris Saint-Germain last off-season with no obvious replacement added.
ROUND-UP
Fichajes reports that Atletico Madrid are considering a move for Ajax s Argentinean left-back Nicolas Tagliafic…
Roberto Martinez was pleased with the maturity shown by his Belgium side after they recovered from an early setback in their World Cup qualifying win over Estonia.
The Red Devils fell behind for the third time in four Group E matches when Mattias Kait turned over possession and rifled a shot past Thibaut Courtois inside the first two minutes of Thursday s contest.
But Hans Vanaken had Belgium on level terms 20 minutes later and Romelu Lukaku scored either side of half-time to give the visitors some breathing space in Tallinn.
Substitute Thomas Foket bagged his first international goal after Axel Witsel had further extended Belgium s lead, rendering Erik Sorga s late strike nothing more than a consolation.
Despite conceding a couple of s…
Bayern Munich were victims of Real Madrid s lethal efficiency in Tuesday s 2-2 draw but the Germans are ready to beat them in next week s Champions League semi-final return leg, says coach Thomas Tuchel.
The Bavarians struck twice in four minutes early in the second half with a shot from Leroy Sane and a Harry Kane penalty to turn the game around after Vinicius Junior had put the visitors ahead in the 24th against the run of play.
Brazilian striker Vinicius also bagged an equaliser with an 83rd-minute spot kick as Bayern were pushing for a third goal.
Tuchel felt Bayern were in a strong position to stretch their lead going into the closing stages, but instead they will travel to Madrid next Wednesday with the tie all square.
The result is what it is and …
Barcelona head coach Xavi wants to sign Brazilian teenager Endrick, revealing he has held talks with the player and his father.
The 16-year-old Palmeiras forward is widely considered to be one of the finest prospects in South American football, drawing the attention of some of Europe s biggest sides.
Endrick s father will reportedly travel to Spain to tour Real Madrid s facilities later this month, but a fight is expected for his services, with Barcelona s own interest now being confirmed.
We ve been talking to his father and also directly to the player. I explained the project we have in Barcelona, Xavi told ESPN.
We want talent and he s a talent, able to make a difference. He can score goals, he can dribble, he s got a brutal ability to make a differe…