The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Barcelona

  • Monchengladbach 1-1 Man City: Iheanacho benched as Citizen secure draw

    Monchengladbach 1-1 Man City: Iheanacho benched as Citizen secure draw

    Kelechi Iheanacho was benched as Manchester City sealed a place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 1-1 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach at Borussia-Park this evening.

    Had Barcelona not defeated Celtic, Pep Guardiola’s men would have needed to beat Gladbach, but it turned out that the Spanish giants earned a 2-0 win Glasgow.

    In Germany, Raffael put the Bundesliga outfit ahead with a goal, but City found a lifeline when David Silva scored on the stroke of half-time.

    Both teams had a man sent off in the second half, with Gladbach captain Lars Stindl and City’s Fernandinho being shown second yellow cards by referee Cuneyt Cakir.

    The hosts had to wait patiently as City dominated possession in the first half, but they went ahead in the 23rd minute when Stindl left John Stones in a heap before cutting the ball back to the centre of the box to find Raffael, who hammered the ball into the back of the net.

    One minute later, City found an equaliser through Silva, who nudged the ball home from close range after De Bruyne fizzed the ball across goal after darting towards the byline. Both sides had opportunities towards the end of the game, but neither could find a winner as City booked their place in the knockout rounds, while Gladbach will be hoping for Europa League qualification. There is one more round of fixtures left in the group stage.

  • Iheanacho earns £15k weekly not £85,000

    Iheanacho earns £15k weekly not £85,000

    Contrary to wide spread speculations that Super Eagles sensation Kelechi Iheanacho currently earns £85,000-per-week at Manchester City, a very close source to the player have exclusively revealed to SportingLife that the 20-year-old receives just £15,000 weekly.

    The former Nigeria youth international joined the Citizens in 2013 following a very successive campaign at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup where he emerged the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament, scoring six and assisting a seven times.

    Unsurprisingly, he broke into the City first team in the 2015/16 season after a mesmerising pre-season and made a huge impact with eight premier league goals in his debut season and scored the goal that sealed qualification for the UEFA Champions League for his team.

    He has already scored three goals with three assists this campaign and was rewarded for his form by new manager Pep Guardiola with a deal that will see him stay at the club until 2021. Financial details of the deal was not officially made public but reports have it that the Nigerian was given a pay rise from £15,000-per-week to a whopping £85,000 which makes him the highest paid Super Eagles player.

    Speaking with SportingLife, the source claimed: “Iheanacho is still receiving £15,000 at Manchester City and not the £85,000-per-week that is celebrated everywhere in the media.

    “It is true that he penned a new deal with the club earlier this season with an increased wage of £85,000 weekly but he has a clause that prevents him from actually earning that account for now. So, the club still pays him £15,000-per-week.

     “Iheanacho is a special player and well respected at the club and in due time I am very confident that they will honour him what he truly deserves.”

    Iheanacho has been an unused substitute in Manchester City’s last two games – against West Brom in the premier league and Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League and in both matches Pep Guardiola’s men won, scoring seven goals and conceding just one. 

  • UEFA: Manchester City draw Steaua Bucharest

    UEFA: Manchester City draw Steaua Bucharest

    Manchester City will face Romanian side Steaua Bucharest in the UEFA Champions League play-off round, following the draw made on Friday.

    Scottish champions Celtic will meet Israeli side Hapoel Beer Sheva while Irish champions Dundalk have been drawn against Poland’s Legia Warsaw.

    Celtic beat Kazakh side FC Astana in the third qualifying round, while Dundalk were 3-1 aggregate victors over Belarusian side Bate Borisov.

    The two-legged play-off ties will be held on Aug. 16/17 and Aug. 23/24.

    Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has won the Champions League twice as a manager — with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011.

    The Spaniard has lost in the semi-finals of the competition in each of the past four seasons, once with Barca and three times with Bayern Munich.

    Manchester City are looking to compete in the group stages of the competition for the sixth successive season.

    Steaua, who won the European Cup in 1986 and were runners-up in 1989, finished second to Astra Giurgiu in the Romanian top-flight.

    Manchester City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain said: “It’s going to be a difficult tie, because Steaua are on the up again in Europe and have a lot of talent.’’

    Elsewhere, 2004 winners Porto face a tough tie against Italian side Roma, and 1995 winners Ajax will play Russian side Rostov.

    The winners of the ties will progress to the Champions League group stage while the losers will drop into the Europa League.

     

    Full Draw

    Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgaria) v FC Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic)

     

    Celtic (Scotland) v Hapoel Beer-Sheva (Israel)

     

    FC Copenhagen (Denmark) v Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus)

     

    Dundalk (Republic of Ireland) v Legia Warsaw (Poland)

     

    Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) v FC Salzburg (Austria)

     

    Steaua Bucharest (Romania) v Manchester City (England)

     

    FC Porto (Portugal) v Roma (Italy)

     

    Ajax (Netherlands) v Rostov (Russia)

     

    Young Boys (Switzerland) v Borussia Monchengladbach (Germany)

     

    Villarreal (Spain) v Monaco (France)

  • Mascherano: I won’t force Barcelona exit

    Javier Mascherano insists he will not force a move away from Barcelona amid speculation Juventus are keen to lure him to Serie A.

    The Argentina international has a contract with Barcelona until June 2018, but recent reports in Spain suggest he has set his sights on a move to Italy.

    Nevertheless, the 31-year-old has made it clear that he does not want to damage his relationship with Barcelona and will stay put if the club want him to remain at Camp Nou.

    “Barcelona have told me that they will not allow me to leave,” Mascherano told Ole.

    “They are very happy with me and it is very difficult to leave when the club tell you this.

    “And above all, I am not going to force anything. Nobody involved deserves that. I have a contract with Barcelona and I have a good relationship with everyone. They all know what I think.

    “Barcelona have treated me very well and I cannot have any complaints. Sometimes things happen that make you reconsider certain things, but I have no intention to harm my good relationship with the club.

    “I do not want to leave this club on a bad note.”

     

  • Barcelona waltz past Real Madrid in El Classico

    Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 in Saturday’s El Classico played in Santiago Bernabeu, with Uruguayan striker, Luis Suarez, netting a brace.

    Real manager, Rafael Benitez, had vowed to attack the Liga leaders and he named Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez in his starting line-up, but it was Barca who took the lead when Suarez fired beyond Keylor Navas in the 11th minute, Goal reports.

    Neymar made it 2-0 shortly before the break and a stunning goal from Andres Iniesta put the champions firmly in charge early in the second period before Suarez’s delicate finish made it four after Messi – who came on in the 55th minute – had fed Jordi Alba.

    Madrid’s players never looked comfortable in Benitez’s deep-lying set-up and the front three were isolated throughout, though Claudio Bravo denied Cristiano Ronaldo superbly late on.

    The result means Barcelona has moved six points clear of Madrid at the top of the table and piles further pressure on Benitez’s shoulders ahead of a crucial few weeks before the winter break.

     

  • Champions League: Arsenal to play Bayern Munich

    Champions League: Arsenal to play Bayern Munich

    … Man United meet PSV Eindhoven

    Arsenal will face Bayern Munich in the Champions League for the third time in four seasons after being drawn against the German club in the draws conducted on Thursday.

    Manchester United will play PSV Eindhoven on its return to the competition, with striker Memphis Depay to face to his old club.

    Chelsea will play Porto, with whom Jose Mourinho won the competition in 2004, the BBC reports.

    Manchester City will confront Serie A’s Juventus, Europa League winners Sevilla and Borussia Monchengladbach.

    Arsene Wenger’s Gunners side is also in the same group as Olympiakos of Greece for the fourth time in seven seasons, with Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia completing the four.

    In addition to PSV, United was drawn with Russian club CSKA Moscow and last year’s German Bundesliga runners-up Wolfsburg.

    Chelsea will also face Ukrainian champions Dinamo Kiev and Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel.

    Defending champions Barcelona of Spain will play Bayer Leverkusen, Roma and BATE Borisov while Astana – the first club from Kazakhstan to play in the Champions League proper – ended up in a group comprising Benfica, Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray.

    Valencia, who beat Monaco in a play-off to secure its place as Spain’s fifth representative in this year’s group stage – a record in the competition – will face Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg, French club Lyon and Gent of Belgium.

    Paris St Germain’s striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will face his old club Malmo for the first time, with Real Madrid and Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk completing the group.

     

    The groups:

    Group A:  Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Malmo

    Group B:  PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Wolfsburg

    Group C:  Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray, Astana,

    Group D:  Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Monchengladbach

    Group E:  Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma, BATE Borisov

    Group F:  Bayern Munich, Arsenal,  Olympiakos, Dinamo Zagreb

    Group G:   Chelsea, Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Maccabi Tel-Aviv

    Group H:  Zenit Saint Petersburg, Valencia, Lyon, Gent

  • Spanish La Liga kicks off

    Spanish La Liga kicks off

    Barcelona starts the defence of its La Liga title on Sunday at Athletic Bilbao, the team who thrashed the European champions 5-1 on aggregate in the Spanish Super Cup.

    The BBC reports that Luis Enrique’s squad appears weaker than last season’s Treble-winning selection, with Pedro and Xavi leaving.

    Summer signings Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal cannot play until January because of a transfer ban.

    Real Madrid begins its season under new boss Rafael Benitez with a match away to newly promoted Sporting Gijon.

    Real officials sacked Carlo Ancelotti after finishing two points behind Barca and exiting in the Champions League semi-final last season.

    Benitez’s major outfield signings have been right-back Danilo from Porto and midfielder Mateo Kovacic from Inter Milan.

     

  • Bartomeu wins Barcelona poll

    Bartomeu wins Barcelona poll

    Josep Maria Bartomeu has been re-elected as Barcelona president for a second term, beating former president Joan Laporta in Saturday’s election.

    Barcelona said on its television channel that Bartomeu received 54.63 per cent of the votes cast by club members.

    The 52-year-old will now lead the club for the next six years, the BBC reports.

    Bartomeu endured a turbulent spell having taken over in January 2014 from Sandro Rosell, who stood down following the Neymar transfer scandal.

    Buoyed by Barcelona’s victory in the Champions League, along with triumphs in La Liga and the Copa del Rey, Bartomeu saw off the challenge from Laporta, president of the Catalan club from 2003 to 2010

  • UCL: Barcelona to play Bayern Munich in semi final

    UCL: Barcelona to play Bayern Munich in semi final

    … Real meets Juventus

    Barcelona has been drawn against Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals.

    The other last-four tie sees Juventus – playing in its first semi-final since 2003 – facing Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid, the defending champions, the BBC reports.

    The first legs will be played on 5 and 6 May, with the return matches a week later.

    In the Europa League, holders Sevilla face Fiorentina, while Rafael Benitez’s Napoli will square up against Ukraine’s Dnipro.

    Bayern boss Guardiola won 13 trophies as a manager – including the Champions League in 2009 and 2011 – during four years at Barcelona.

    He has reached the Champions League semi-finals in each of his six seasons as a manager, four with Barca and now two with Bayern.

    Ancelotti will also be reunited with one of his former clubs, with the Italian having managed the Turin side from 1999 to 2001.

    The draw leaves open the possibility of a Barcelona v Real Madrid European Cup final, something which has never happened before. The arch-rivals are also battling it out for the Spanish league title this season.

    Real Madrid reached the last four by defeating city rivals Atletico – in a repeat of last season’s final – thanks to Javier Hernandez’s late goal.

    Bayern Munich thrashed Porto 6-1 at home to overturn a first-leg deficit and progress 7-4 on aggregate.

    Things were more straightforward for Barcelona, who beat Paris St-Germain 5-1 overall, and Juventus, who beat Monaco 1-0 over two legs.

    This season’s final will be played at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on 6 June.

     

  • Barcelona should offer Dani Alves new contract, says Abidal

    Former Barcelona defender Eric Abidal says the Catalan club should ensure that right-back Dani Alves does not leave the Camp Nou in the summer on a free transfer.

    Alves, 31, is out of contract in June and has yet to be offered an extension, despite Barca being unable to make any further signings until January 2016 due to a transfer ban.

    Speaking before Sunday’s 3-2 La Liga victory over Villarreal, the Brazil international’s agent Dinorah Santana suggested her client could move on, while afterwards, Blaugrana president Josep Maria Bartomeu said it was too early yet to start talking about contract issues for next season.

    Abidal, who after retiring as a player last year is thought to be close to returning to the Camp Nou in a backroom role, told Barcelona TV show La Porteria that both Alves and the club should come together and agree on a new deal.

    Even though he is expected to depart at season’s end, the right back spot at Barcelona still belongs to Dani Alves. Dani Alves is out of contract with Barcelona in the summer.

    “Alves is the best right-back in the world, and Barca must take advantage of this,” Abidal said. “If I speak with him, I will tell him to renew his contract.”

    Ahead of any talks, Alves’ camp looks to be in a strong negotiating position, given the transfer ban and coach Luis Enrique appearing not to have huge faith in other right-back options Martin Montoya and Douglas.

    Alves was heavily linked with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain last summer, while Premier League clubs Liverpool and Manchester City have previously been credited with an interest in the player.