BEKAS juara berganda UFC, Conor McGregor mengumumkan akan kembali bertarung di gelanggang Octagon pada awal tahun depan.
Bercakap kepada sidang media di Moscow, Rusia pada Khamis, bintang MMA dari Ireland itu menyatakan hasrat ingin bertarung pada 18 Januari di T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Amerika Syarikat.
“Tarikh tu dah dipersetujui. Saya tak kisah siapa lawan saya,” katanya.
Selain itu, McGregor turut memaklumkan dia ingin bertarung sebanyak tiga kali pada tahun yang sama dan ingin mencabar pemenang bagi pertarungan Nate Diaz dengan Jorge Masvidal.
Seterusnya, petarung berusia 31 tahun itu mahu bertarung pula dengan pemenang perlawanan Khabib Nurmagomedov dengan Tony Ferguson.
Dia juga inginkan pertarungan tersebut berlangsung di Moscow.
“Saya akan fokus kepada perlawanan. Saya tidak akan minum alkohol,” katanya lagi.
Kali terakhir McGregor bertarung ialah dengan juara lightweight UFC dari Rusia, Khabib Nurmagomedov pada Oktober 2018 dalam acara UFC 229, di mana dia tewas menerusi ‘submission’ pada minit 3.03 pusingan keempat.
Selepas perlawanan, timbul kekecohan yang menyebabkan McGregor dan Khabib didenda dan digantung pertarungan oleh Suruhanjaya Atlet Negeri Nevada (NSAC).
McGregor didenda sebanyak AS$50,000 (RM205,355) dan digantung enam bulan, manakala Khabib pula didenda AS$500,000 (RM2,053,953) dan digantung selama sembilan bulan.
LONDON – Pesepakbola legenda milik Chelsea, Didier Drogba, mendorong Sadio Mane untuk keluar sebagai peraih trofi Ballon dOr 2019. Drogba menilai Mane memiliki kapasitas untuk memenangi trofi berbentuk bola emas tersebut.
Mane memang tampil brilian di sepanjang musim 2018-2019. Di Liga Inggris, winger berpaspor Senegal itu keluar sebagai top skor. Selain itu, Mane juga membawa Liverpool menjadi kampiun Liga Champions 2018-2019. Bahkan, dua gol yang dibuat Mane ke gawang Bayern Munich di leg II 16 besar, memastikan kemenangan Liverpool atas sang rival.
Selain bersinar di level klub, eks pemain Southampton itu juga berprestasi bersama Tim Nasional Senegal. Mane membawa Senegal lolos ke final Piala Afrika 2019, meski akhirnya tumbang dari Aljazair.
Musim ini pun Mane tampil memesona. Dari 13 pertandingan di semua kompetisi bersama Liverpool, Mane mengoleksi sembilan gol dan dua assist. Atas pencapaian di atas itulah, Mane masuk ke dalam 30 nama nominasi peraih trofi Ballon dOr 2019.
Jika Mane meraih trofi Ballon dOr 2019, ini merupakan yang pertama bagi pemain Afrika menggenggam gelar tersebut, setidaknya sejak 1995. Pertama dan terakhir kali pemain asal Afrika meraih trofi individu prestisius itu ialah pada 1995 atas nama George Weah (Liberia).
“Atas prestasi di Piala Afrika, Liga Champions dan Liga Inggris, Mane layak meraih trofi Ballon dOr. Tak banyak pemain yang dapat melakukan apa yang dibuat Mane di Liga Inggris,” kata Drogba mengutip dari Sportskeeda, Jumat (25/10/2019).
Unai Emery hailed Nicolas Pepe’s match-winning impact as “perfect” after Arsenal’s club-record signing came off the bench to score a brace of free-kicks and see off Vitoria.
The Europa League tie appeared to be heading in the direction of the Portuguese side after they twice took the lead at the Emirates Stadium, only for the £72million summer arrival to hit two free-kicks – the second of which came in stoppage time – and seal an undeserved 3-2 win.
After losing at Sheffield United on Monday night, Emery launched an impassioned defence of his tenure as Gunners boss on the eve of the Group F clash.
But what followed was a below-par performance rescued by the brilliance of Pepe, who until then had struggled to live up to his hefty price-tag.
Without a goal from their first two games and with no away win in Europe since 2005, Vitoria stunned the home crowd as former Tottenham winger Marcus Edwards opened the scoring before Bruno Duarte restored their lead following Gabriel Martinelli’s equaliser.
With more than one “Emery Out” banner displayed and the crowd singing for Mesut Ozil – again absent from the matchday squad – it was clear Emery’s calls for patience from supporters had largely fallen on deaf ears.
But the stadium erupted as Pepe took centre stage late on.
“We are very happy for him and for us because those two goals, from two set-pieces, were perfect,” Emery said of the Ivory Coast international.
“He was trying a lot of set-piece shooting on the training ground last week and I was watching his shooting.
“The most important thing is the three points and that some individual players can improve, that they can take confidence for us and for them.
“Every player, usually, they need time to adapt. Pepe is a very good player and we believe in him, totally.
“The way he’s going, sometimes he feels better, sometimes it’s with more difficulty on the pitch.
“He’s improving and tonight those two goals are really important for us first, and then secondly for him. He’s continuing the adaptation in his process and as soon as he can adapt, that’s better for us.”
Ozil’s absence was likely to be the elephant in the room should Arsenal have failed to maintain their winning start to their Europa League campaign.
The German has now been entirely left out of the last five games but Emery would not be drawn on the continued ostracism of the club’s highest earner.
“Tonight is not the day to speak about that,” he added.
“I prefer to speak about the match. We have all the players who played. He’s not in the squad. That is the decision tonight. Now we are going to work towards Sunday.”
Vitoria remain without a point in Group F despite such a spirited performance, achieved with a lengthy injury list and a number of players rested for the weekend Primeira Liga match with Sporting.
“We are sad,” admitted defender Frederico Venancio after the game.
“Losing a game in the last second is hard on any team, especially after the excellent performance we made.
“We worked well, in a fantastic stadium and under a fantastic environment. Unfortunately, tiredness got the better of us in the final moments and two amazing free-kicks made the difference.”
SHAH ALAM: Orang ramai yang ingin melakukan senaman pada waktu malam dinasihatkan untuk menjaga pemakanan dan mendapatkan rehat yang mencukupi.
Presiden Persatuan Jurulatih Bola Sepak Malaysia (PJBM), B Sathianathan berkata, aktiviti bersukan pada waktu malam perlu dilakukan dengan kaedah yang betul untuk mengelak daripada sebarang komplikasi seperti sesak nafas dan sakit jantung.
“Orang ramai yang ingin melakukan aktiviti bersukan pada waktu malam sewajarnya mendapatkan waktu rehat yang mencukupi kerana mereka menggunakan tenaga yang banyak.
“Seseorang yang ingin melakukan aktiviti bersukan pada waktu malam perlu menitikberatkan kualiti tidur dan menjaga pemakanan, sekaligus membantu daya ketahanan badan semasa bersukan,” katanya ketika dihubungi di sini hari ini.
Semalam Ahli Jawatankuasa Pusat Pertubuhan Doktor Islam Malaysia (Perdim), Dr Zubaidi Ahmad mendedahkan aktiviti bersukan pada waktu malam boleh menjadi ‘pembunuh senyap’.
Ini kerana tanpa disedari individu berkenaan mungkin boleh diserang penyakit berbahaya seperti tekanan darah tinggi dan masalah jantung.
Aktiviti tersebut yang banyak menggunakan tenaga boleh bertukar menjadi gejala tidak sihat dan membahayakan kesihatan jika tidak diuruskan dengan baik.
Dalam pada itu Sathianathan ketika mengulas perkara tersebut berkata, aktiviti bersukan pada waktu malam menjadi pilihan kepada masyarakat terutamanya kepada mereka yang sibuk bekerja pada waktu siang sehingga tidak mempunyai masa untuk bersukan.
“Bersukan pada waktu malam sangat bagus dan baik untuk kesihatan diri kita kerana sukan adalah sangat penting,” ujar beliau.
Sehubungan itu beliau menasihati golongan muda khususnya yang gemar bersukan pada waktu malam agar tidak memandang remeh terhadap penjagaan waktu tidur dan meminimumkan aktiviti luar yang kurang bermanfaat.
UNTUK pertama kalinya musim ini, empat klub asal Inggris kompak meraih kemenangan di ajang Liga Champions 2019-2020, tepatnya di matchday ketiga. Manchester City menghajar Atalanta 5-1, Tottenham Hotspur menghabisi Crvena Zvezda 5-0, Liverpool menaklukkan KRC Genk 4-1 dan Chelsea menang dramatis 1-0 atas Ajax Amsterdam.
Sebelumnya, wakil-wakil Inggris sempat terseok-seok. Ambil contoh di matchday pertama, yang mana hanya Man City yang meraih kemenangan 3-0 atas Shakhtar Donestk. Saat itu, Tottenham hanya bermain 2-2 kontra Olympiakos, sedangkan Liverpool tumbang 0-2 dari Napoli, sementara Chelsea takluk 0-1 dari Valencia.
(Man City menang 5-1 atas Atalanta)
Karena itu, berkat kemenangan yang dicetak pada matchday ketiga, semua wakil Inggris berada di posisi satu dan dua besar pada klasemen sementara Liga Champions 2019-2020. Tottenham berada di posisi dua Grup B dengan koleksi empat angka, terpaut lima poin dari Bayern Munich di puncak klasemen.
Man City memuncaki klasemen Grup C dengan koleksi sembilan angka, unggul lima poin dari Shakhtar di tempat kedua. Kemudian, Liverpool menduduki posisi dua Grup E dengan enam angka, terpaut satu poin dari Napoli di posisi teratas.
Chelsea? Tim asuhan Frank Lampard itu memang menempati posisi dua Grup H dengan koleksi enam angka. Hanya saja, koleksi poin itu sama persis dengan Ajax Amsterdam di puncak klasemen.
Dengan begitu, wakil-wakil Inggris masih berpotensi untuk melanjutkan dominasi mereka di ajang Liga Champions. Sekadar mengingatkan, Liga Champions musim lalu didominasi wakil Inggris, yang mana partai final mempertemukan Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur.
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong said his side were “lucky” to come away with all three points after a 2-1 win at Slavia Prague.
Lionel Messi put the visitors up inside three minutes at the Sinobo Stadium and became the first player to score in 15 consecutive seasons of the Champions League.
Czech champions Slavia deservedly levelled through Jan Boril early in the second half, but Barca an own goal from Peter Olayinka ensured Barca went top of group F.
Speaking after the match, De Jong said: “I think we were a bit lucky today.
“They did good, we were not good enough especially on the ball and then (in terms of) pressure it was not our best game.
“But at the end we won an away game in the Champions League so we are happy about this.
“Sometimes you have games like this. Hopefully not too many this season but today was one of them.”
Victory for Ernesto Valverde’s men moved them on to seven points from three European fixtures and above Borussia Dortmund on the table following the German club’s 2-0 loss to Inter Milan at the San Siro.
Slavia, meanwhile, were left with nothing to show from a positive performance and slip to the bottom of the standings on a solitary point.
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi scored early (Petr David Jose/AP)
In-form Barcelona wasted little time asserting themselves on the contest and went ahead when Messi seized on sloppy play from Petr Sevcik to claim his 113th Champions League goal.
The Argentinian anticipated a loose pass from the Czech midfielder and, after exchanging passes with Arthur, emphatically slotted a composed first-time finish into the bottom left corner.
But the hosts quickly regained composure and had the better of the first-half chances as Marc-Andre Ter Stegen was forced into a string of fine saves.
The hosts continued to rattle Barcelona and were rewarded with a deserved equaliser five minutes after the restart.
Slavia’s Jan Boril celebrates after scoring (Petr David Josek/AP)
Masopust made amends for squandering his earlier chance, chesting down a long ball forward and producing a perfectly weighted pass for left-back Boril to poke beyond Ter Stegen.
Barca were on the back foot but regained the lead against the run of play seven minutes later thanks to a large slice of luck.
Former Liverpool forward Suarez, without an away goal in the Champions League for more than four years, attempted to divert a deep Messi free-kick back across goal and saw the ball take a heavy deflection into the net off the unfortunate Olayinka.
Slavia manager Jindrich Trpisovsky was quoted on the club’s website saying: “If you have to lose, you should lose in this style.
“When we have five chances and we don’t score, it hurts, because we know that every mistake we make and every chance by our opponent is dangerous.
“Jan Boril is the only winner on our side tonight, it will always be written in history that he scored against Barcelona.
“But if you waste chances in the last minutes that could equalise against Barcelona, it will stay inside you for a long time.”
