Month: September 2019

The midfielder lifted the Reds’ sixth European title after beating Tottenham 2-0 in Madrid

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson told his father he would play in a Champions League final one day, his dad Brian has revealed, when he attended the 2003 final between Milan and Inter at Old Trafford.

Henderson lifted the famous trophy for Liverpool on Saturday night, helping the Reds to their sixth European title with a 2-0 win over Tottenham. 

The 28-year-old Sunderland-born midfielder was pictured hugging his dad and crying amid emotional celebrations at the side of the pitch after the game. 

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Afterwards, Brian told Optus Sport: “When he was 10 I took him to see a Champions League final at Manchester United between Juventus and Milan and he said to us, when they came out to the Champions League music, he said: ‘Dad I’m going to play there one day’.

“He’s done it not once, but twice. And he’s won one. I’m absolutely  delighted for him.

“I think if he hadn’t picked that trophy up today he would have had a bad, bad summer. But now he’ll have a fantastic summer with the children.”

Henderson started the 3-1 final defeat to Real Madrid last year in which Liverpool walked away devastated after coming so close to raising the trophy. 

And he was full of passion when he picked up the club’s prize this time around, having played the full 90 minutes after a Premier League season in which Liverpool finished runners-up to Manchester City by just one point. 

“I am the proudest man in the world,” Brian continued. “Absolutely.

“I didn’t expect it, the way the game was going, I thought it was going to be 1-1 and go into extra time.

“Everybody was dead on their feet but they came through and I’m just so proud. Unbelievably proud.”

Of the moment he watched his son pick up the trophy, Brian added: “It’s just very emotional, the tears come, you start shaking, you grab your wife, you grab your daughter-in-law, you grab anybody that’s around you. I’m just so, so happy.”

Henderson has been included in England’s UEFA Nations League finals squad, with the Three Lions set to take on the Netherlands on Thursday before another final, should they qualify, next Sunday.

The former Reds striker says the German would get “the keys to the whole place” if he can land a first top-flight crown in 30 years

Jurgen Klopp’s Champions League success means that he now “owns Liverpool Football Club lock, stock and barrel”, says Stan Collymore, while a Premier League title would grant him “the keys to the whole place for the best part of the next decade”.

The German tactician has returned the Reds to the top of the European game.

Liverpool secured a 2-0 win over domestic rivals Tottenham in Madrid on Saturday to claim a sixth continental crown in their illustrious history.

Klopp is considered to have played an integral role in the club’s rapid revival, while remaining vital to their plans heading forward.

Former Reds striker Collymore agrees with that assessment, with the 51-year-old coach now virtually untouchable on Merseyside.

“Klopp is a very, very hard man and after leading them to Champions League glory against Tottenham on Saturday he owns Liverpool Football Club lock, stock and barrel,” Collymore told the Mirror.

“No mean feat given he lost a League Cup, Europa League and Champions League final before finally landing the last one at the second time of asking.

“I know Liverpool only finished a point behind Manchester City this season but a year ago they came up short big time in the race for the Premier League title.

“And a manager without Klopp’s personality would have been under way more pressure.

“But the way he has managed to buy himself a lot more time over the years is a lesson to others around him.

“One which says that, if you can cultivate a persona, you are going to get much more time to do your job.

“When that persona is about fun, enjoyment, joy and laughter, everyone wants to be involved.

“If Klopp can now go on to win the Premier League with Liverpool next season or the one after then we might as well give him the keys to the whole place for the best part of the next decade.

“Because while City boss Pep Guardiola has created a super-professional, super-proficient outfit that plays football a certain way and has all the club staff connected, Klopp has taken those connections between everybody working at Anfield in whatever capacity to a whole new level.”

Questions have been asked of Klopp’s future after breaking his trophy duck in English football, but reports suggest he is line for a lucrative new contract and the man himself has shot down talk of a possible move to Bayern Munich being made.

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The former Chelsea manager says the task of restoring the Nerazzurri to their past glories is his motivation

Antonio Conte is ready for a new challenge as he aims to get Inter back to the “highest level”, not just in Italy but also in Europe as well.

After a year out of coaching following his departure from Chelsea at the end of last season, the former Juventus boss’ return to the touchline in Serie A was confirmed on Friday.

Inter have not won the league title since their historic treble-winning season in 2009-10 and Conte is relishing the task of restoring the club to their former glories.

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“For me, it’s a new experience, a new chapter in my life, a new challenge. This is what I live for and I’m really excited to begin this new chapter,” he told the club’s official website.

“Through my work, I’ll try to repay all of the trust that the club and directors have placed in me.

“This is a top club, one of the best in Italy and throughout the world – and the desire that the owners have to bring Inter back to where it belongs.

“This is a club that wants to return to being at the highest level in Italy, Europe and throughout the world.”

Inter president Steven Zhang, meanwhile, believes that Conte will have an immediate impact on the club as they look to get back to challenging for honours.

“There’s confidence and mutual respect between him and the club because he believes in our project. We know his history and his winning mentality.

“Our mission has always been the same: to make this project as successful as possible and to ensure that this club is one of the best in the world.”

A dreadful end-of-season run of form saw Inter allow themselves to slip from third in Serie A to fourth, needing to win on the final day to confirm their place in the Champions League after previously holding a commanding lead over the teams below them.

Aside from being leapfrogged by Atalanta, Inter failed to win their final two Champions League group stage matches to allow Tottenham to qualify from the group stages and cause them to drop into the Europa League, where they were beaten by Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals.

Tottenham’s showdown with Liverpool at the Wanda Metropolitano will be free to view for anyone in the UK with a decent internet connection

Saturday’s Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham at Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano will be available for viewers in the UK to watch absolutely free.

The much-anticipated clash, which kicks off at 8pm BST on June 1, is the first time that two Premier League sides have met in the final of the European Cup since Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Moscow back in 2007-08.

It also represents a chance for managers Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino to win their first silverware with their respective clubs and is therefore a wonderful opportunity for both to shake a monkey from their back.

Each team has been praised for the attractive and dynamic style of football that they have employed this season, so the expectation is that the fixture will be one well worth watching.

BT Sport carry the rights for the Champions League in the UK and, of course, will be offering the final for users of BT Sport 2 and in ultra-high definition of BT Sport 4K UHD. The channels can be added to any existing Virgin or Sky TV package.

Although this is a subscription service and generally unavailable to the public as a whole, they will have the opportunity to watch game via the company’s YouTube channel – as was the case with the Europa League final between Chelsea and Arsenal in midweek.

To access the match is simple. BT Sport will be offering a live stream from either their website, YouTube channel or their mobile app.

This was successfully employed last year, when Liverpool were again finalists in the competition. On that occasion they suffered an unhappy fate as they went down 3-1 against Real Madrid, with the performance of Lorus Karius, who conceded two soft goals, set to live long in the memory along with Gareth Bale’s stunning overhead for the Spaniards.

For those without access to a television or a stream, the match will be broadcast via BBC Radio 5 Live.

Klopp’s men will begin the weekend’s match as warm favourites to pick up a first European crown since 2005 but Spurs will do everything in their power to become champions of the continent for the first time.

Gehad Grisha disallowed a goal and failed to award a penalty to Wydad Casablanca as they drew 1-1 with Esperance de Tunis

African football’s governing body CAF has suspended one of its referees following a poor performance in the first leg of the African Champions League final.

Egyptian official Gehad Grisha has been removed from his duties for six months after a complaint was made about decisions he made when Wydad Casablanca hosted Esperance de Tunis in Morocco last week.

The Moroccan Football Federation raised the issue with the governing body after Grisha disallowed a goal for Wydad and failed to award them a penalty, with both decisions made after consulting with VAR.

Wydad played most of the second half with 10 men after having their captain, Ibrahim Nakash, red carded for two bookings inside five minutes at the Stade Moulay Abdallah in Rabat.

A statement from CAF said: “CAF decided to suspend the Egyptian referee Gehad Grisha for six months due to his poor performance at the first of leg of Champions League final match between Wydad Casablanca and Esperance de Tunis which ended in a 1-1 in Morocco last Friday.

“The Moroccan Football Federation sent a complaint against Grisha yesterday after huge anger and demands of Wydad board and fans from the performance of the Egyptian referee that may cost the Moroccans the CL title as they think.”

The second leg is due to take place on Friday at the Olympic Stadium in Tunis, with the scores level at 1-1 after the controversial first game.

Fousseny Coulibaly gave the visitors the lead in Casablanca shortly before half time, and at that stage the Tunis side looked a good bet to retain their title.

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But the hosts hit back late on, despite being down to 10 men, with Cheik Comara scoring in front of the home fans to leave the tie finely balanced ahead of the return leg.

Tunisian champions ES Tunis are the current holders of the Champions League title, and have dominated their domestic league for the last two decades, winning 15 of the last 20 titles.

Wydad last lifted the trophy in 2017 and are aiming to win the Champions League for the third time having also triumphed in 2002.

The Netherlands international may have bested Leo in the semi-final, but he still thinks he deserves football’s most prestigious individual prize

Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk believes that Lionel Messi remains a worthier candidate for the 2019 Ballon d’Or gong – while admitting he would not turn down the award following his Champions League heroics. 

The Netherlands defender has been a rock in the heart of the Liverpool side since signing in January 2018, transforming a notoriously leaky backline into the Premier League’s most formidable unit. 

That form has also carried over into Europe, where Liverpool kept six clean sheets on the way to their 2-0 victory over Tottenham in Saturday’s Champions League final.

Already named the PFA Player of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season in England this season, Van Dijk now has a real chance to become the first defender to pick up the Ballon d’Or since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006. 

But despite getting the better of Messi and Barcelona in the semi-final stage prior to glory in the Wanda Metropolitano, the player believes the Argentine remains a better candidate for the individual crown.

“I think Messi is the best player in the world. He should win the Ballon d’Or,” he told reporters in Madrid following the final whistle.

“So I’m not thinking of that. But if I win, I’ll take it. Messi should win it though. He is the best in the world, whether he’s in the final or not.”

Van Dijk, who entered the press conference with his Champions League winners medal hanging from his neck and a bottle of beer in hand, added that he hoped this title would push Liverpool on to even better things next season – specifically, toppling Manchester City at the Premier League summit. 

“We should be hungry. This season finished today with the Champions League,” he said. 

“In July everyone starts at zero and we go again. We saw this season that we still have to build on it.

“We need to challenge Manchester City again because I don’t think they’re going anywhere. We are ambitious and we want these type of nights a couple of times a year.”

Saturday’s triumph means that Liverpool now have six European Cup and Champions League crowns, placing them third in the all-time ranking of winners. 

Real Madrid and AC Milan remain top of the pile with 13 and seven titles respectively, while the Reds now sit clear of Bayern Munich and Barcelona, who both remain on five.

 

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The manager says his team’s blend of “potential and attitude” puts them in the perfect position to win the Champions League

Jurgen Klopp has described his Liverpool side as the best he has ever taken into a final ahead of Saturday’s Champions League showdown against Tottenham.

Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund were defeated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in 2013, while he was on the losing side again last year as Real Madrid prevailed in Kiev.

The Reds have enjoyed a superb campaign, finishing second in the Premier League with a whopping 97 points, and produced a remarkable second-leg comeback against Barcelona to set up the mouth-watering clash with Spurs at the Wanda Metropolitano at the weekend.

Klopp is in awe of his side’s achievements this season and believes they are perfectly positioned to win a first Champions League since 2005.

“I love them all, they have all given everything,” he told a media conference. “I’ve never been part of a final with a better team, that’s true.

“I’m not so surprised because the boys have a mix of potential and attitude in the best way I have ever witnessed. That’s just brilliant, exceptional, and that brought us where we are.

“It’s a sensational situation, being here again is great. We wanted it, really desperately, but it looked like it would slip through our fingers in the group stage. I’m really happy that we can do it again.”

Klopp reserved special praise for James Milner and Jordan Henderson, who he believes epitomise the hunger to improve that is so prevalent throughout his squad.

“The best piece of character of this team is the constant readiness for development,” he explained.

“Take James Milner. He is 33 now, but he’s still developing. He’s taking really big steps, calming down here and using his unbelievable skills in better moments.

“He’s an example, like Henderson. They always want to make the next step; it’s just in them, and it helps a lot.”

Liverpool beat Tottenham in both their Premier League meetings this season, most recently at Anfield in March, but Klopp does not think that will give his side the edge on Saturday.

“It will be very tight, no doubt,” he said. “The quality of Tottenham and us is pretty similar. The difference between us in the league is consistency. We won both games, but both 2-1.

“The home game was a tight game with a lucky goal from us in the last minute. [Mauricio] Pochettino is right; emotions will be completely different. You have to use the emotions but in the right circumstances. It’s a special game, but we have to bring ourselves in the right mood.”

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The Portuguese star asked the defender if he would join his side from Ajax after Portugal’s Nations League win

Ajax and Netherlands star Matthijs de Ligt revealed Cristiano Ronaldo asked him if he would join Juventus next season following Portugal’s Nations League victory over the defender’s Dutch side.

De Ligt, 19, is expected to make a big-money move from Ajax in the close season, with Paris Saint-Germain or Barcelona reportedly among the likely transfer destinations for the young defender.

But Juve star Ronaldo wasted no time trying to get the defender to Turin after Portugal edged Netherlands 1-0 in the Nations League final on Sunday.

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The Portuguese forward was seen talking to the defender following the match, which saw Portugal edge De Ligt and co. 1-0 behind a goal from Goncalo Guedes.

Asked if Ronaldo had questioned if he would be his team-mate at Juventus, De Ligt told NOS: “That could be true, yes.

“I didn’t understand him at first. I was a little shocked, so I laughed, but I didn’t say anything.

“Shortly after the game you are not at all concerned with it, you are disappointed you have lost and that is the only thing you are thinking about.”

Manchester United and Liverpool have also been linked with a move for the centre-back, who enjoyed a stellar 2018-19 as Ajax reached the Champions League semi-finals.

They were defeated by Tottenham in that semi-final battle, but the Eredivisie champions were able to take down reigning champions Real Madrid and Ronaldo’s Juventus along the way, with De Ligt putting in standout performances in both ties.

Ajax were also able to seal a league title, edging PSV to win the Eredivisie.

De Ligt, Ajax’s captain, has made 117 senior appearances for the club and was recognized with the Golden Boy award in 2018.

The Italy international defender will commit to playing in Turin until 2024 ahead of the arrival of his former Empoli boss

Daniele Rugani is close to signing a contract extension with Juventus that will see the 24-year-old remain in Turin until 2024, Goal understands.

The central defender is thought to be excited at the prospect of restarting his relationship with Maurizio Sarri, having worked with the coach at Empoli.

The Chelsea boss is close to quitting the west Londoners after one season to replace Massimiliano Allegri at the Serie A champions.

Sarri was interested in signing Rugani for the Blues last summer but the Bianconeri rebuffed the approach, instead signing the player to a new contract which was set to expire in 2023.

They have, however, decided to extend Rugani’s contract by another year as they look to him to be a long-term replacement for Giorgio Chiellini, who will turn 35 in August.

Rugani played 20 times for Juve last season, scoring two goals, and has made seven appearances for Italy.

Goal understands that Sarri has agreed terms with the club to replace Allegri, who won the Scudetto in each of his five seasons at the helm.

Chelsea are asking for £5 million ($6m) in compensation to allow Sarri to leave Stamford Bridge, with the Italian coach having said he is keen to return to his home country, where he most recently managed Napoli.

“For us Italians, the call of home is strong,” the 60-year-old said.

“You feel that something is missing. It has been a heavy year. I begin to feel the weight of distant friends, elderly parents I rarely see.

“My loyalty to Naples? [Francesco] Totti was the last one-club man.”

Sarri’s season in London was tempestuous but successful as his side finished third in the Premier League to qualify for next season’s Champions League, while they lost on penalties to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final and won the Europa League.

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Despite success on the field, rumours of unrest in the dressing room were persistent, and Sarri seems to be headed back to Serie A, where he will reunite with Rugani.

During the two years they worked together at Empoli, Rugani made 78 appearances at the heart of the defence.

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The 27-year-old denies the allegations being made against him regarding an incident which took place in Paris on May 15

Najila Trindade has described her interactions with Neymar following the allegations that the Paris Saint-Germain forward raped her.

Speaking to Brazilian television channel SBT Brasil, Ms. Trindade went into detail regarding her meeting with the Brazil international, explaining that the incident ,which was alleged to have taken place on May 15, was “an assault together with rape”.

She also claims that Neymar paid for her to fly to the French capital and stay in a local hotel, where she says that her “intention was to have sex” with the former Barcelona star.

Ms. Trindade went onto tell the interviewer how she had requested Neymar use a condom, but alleges he refused and became aggressive.

“When he left the room, I realised everything that happened to me and how stupid he was, how bad he was, how he raped me and raped me,” she added.

A video, reportedly filmed by Ms. Trindade, has also emerged online, which Ms. Trindade claims to show her arguing with Neymar the day after their original meeting.

The video, which was shown by Brazilian channel TV Record, shows two people getting on a bed before the woman slaps the man and says: “I’m going to hit you. You know why. Because you beat me up yesterday.”

Sao Paulo police have confirmed to Goal that there has been a complaint made against the player from a Brazilian woman he met in Paris.

The police would not discuss details of the ongoing investigation following the complaint filed by the woman on May 31.

Brazilian outlet UOL was the first to report the accusations and claim statements made to authorities are being kept confidential.

Neymar denies the allegations, and his camp maintains the 27-year-old’s innocence, stating that he was the target of a blackmail attempt, while the player’s father believes WhatsApp messages sent to his son’s phone from the woman would be used to help clear his name.

Neymar was forced off after just 20 minutes of Brazil’s friendly clash with Qatar on Wednesday, and it has been confirmed that the ruptured ankle ligaments he suffered will rule him out of this summer’s Copa America, which Brazil are hosting.

Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro was pictured with Neymar on Instagram following the Selecao’s 2-0 win over Qatar. The president, who wished the forward a speedy recovery, has previously stated that Neymar “is in a difficult moment, but I believe in him.”

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