RB Leipzig v Club Atletico de Madrid – UEFA Champions League Quarter Final | Pool/Getty Images
Huấn luyện viên trưởng của Atletico Madrid vừa dương tính với COVID-19, tin chính thức đã được câu lạc bộ xác nhận.
Diego Simeone là một trong những huấn luyện viên xuất sắc nhất thế giới thời điểm hiện tại. Và ông cũng là linh hồn của một Atletico xù xì và đầy gai góc tại La Liga. Ông đã tạo nên một trong những câu lạc bộ đáng xem nhất châu Âu tại La Liga, và phá vỡ thế song mã của Real Madrid và Barcelona.
Atletico Madrid đã trở lại luyện tập hồi thứ Bảy (theo giờ địa phương), tuy nhiên HLV Diego Simeone đã không thể góp mặt vì mắc virus corona. Đây là một tin không vui đối với những cổ động viên của đội bóng sọc đỏ trắng khi La Liga sẽ bắt đầu cách theo đây đúng 14 ngày nữa.
Chuyến du đấu trước thềm mùa giải của đội chủ sân Wanda Metropolitano đến Los Angeles de San Rafael kết thúc sớm hơn dự định, sau đó thuyền trưởng người Argentina cùng các nhân viên trong câu lạc bộ đã có mặt ở buổi kiểm tra PCR vào sáng thứ Sáu, kết quả xét nghiệm ở thời điểm này lại rất khả quan.
Tuy nhiên, trong buổi kiểm tra lại vào sáng hôm sau cho thấy Simeone đã nhiễm COVID-19. Nhưng thật may mắn, ông hoàn toàn không có biểu hiện triệu chứng và đang tự cách ly tại nhà. Hiện tại, trang chủ câu lạc bộ đã xác nhận thông tin chính thức về trường hợp của chiến lược gia 50 tuổi.
LEE Mi-rim menjuarai ANA Inspiration selepas membenam eagle di lubang 72 dan menewaskan Brooke Henderson dan Nelly Korda dengan birdie di lubang playoff pertama.
Lee, 29, meraih gelaran kejohanan utama pertama dengan lima bawah par 67 di lapangan Mission Hills di Rancho Mirage, California, awal pagi tadi.
Dia disertai 15 bawah par 273 oleh Brooke dan Nelly yang menjadi pendahulu bersama semalam dan kedua-duanya mencatat 69.
Kekalahan itu jelas mengecewakan pemain Amerika Syarikat, Nelly berusia 22 tahun yang mendahului atau berkongsi pendahulu pada tiga pusingan pertama.
Dengan misi mencari gelaran utama pertama, Nelly mendahului dua pukulan di pusingan awal ke atas Brooke di lubang ke-17 tetapi Lee yang lebih mendominasi selepas itu.
“Sukar mempercayainya. Saya fikir tuah juga membantu saya menang kejohanan ini. Perancangan saya hanya membenam birdie di lubang ke-18 dan apabila masuk, memang mengejutkan saya,” kata Lee sambil mengesat air mata sebelum terjun ke kolam Poppie.
“Anda menentang antara pemain terbaik dunia di luar sana dan kecewa juga tewas dengan cara itu,” kata Brooke pula.
”Saya seperti terlepas banyak putt tetapi Mirim dan Nelly beraksi dengan baik dan saya terus menyaingi mereka, jadi saya gembira.”
Bagi Lee pula, kemenangan itu yang keempat dalam Jelajah LPGA dan yang pertama sejak Kia Classic tiga tahun lalu.
PARIS – Penyerang Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Neymar Jr, menyesal usai dikartu merah wasit pada laga kontra Olympique Marseille, Senin (14/9/2020) dini hari WIB. Namun, bukan kartu merah yang menimbulkan penyesalan, melainkan tidak memukul Alvaro di wajahnya.
Pertandingan yang berlangsung di Stadion Parc des Princess itu memang dimenangi Olympique Marseille dengan skor tipis 1-0. Gol semata wayang Florian Thauvin pada menit 33, berhasil membawa anak asuh Andre Villas-Boas pulang dengan poin penuh.
Namun, bukan kekalahan kedua beruntun PSG yang menjadi tajuk utama, melainkan hujan kartu merah di penghujung laga. Keributan antara pemain dari kedua kesebelasan menyebabkan wasit Jerome Brisard terpaksa mengambil tindakan tegas.
Ia mencabut dua kartu merah langsung, masing-masing satu untuk Layvin Kurzawa dan Jordan Amavi. Sementara tiga pemain lainnya mendapat kartu kuning kedua, seperti Leandro Paredes, Neymar Junior, dan Dario Benedetto.
Ketika melangkah ke luar lapangan, Neymar Jr terlihat berbicara dengan ofisial keempat. Ia menuding Alvaro telah bertindak rasisme di atas lapangan. Karena itu, seperti terlihat dalam tayangan ulang, pemain asal Brasil tersebut menghajar Alvaro dari belakang.
“Satu-satunya penyesalan saya adalah tidak menghajarnya di wajah,” ujar Neymar Jr lewat akun Twitter @neymarjr.
Lewat akun Twitter pula, pemain berusia 28 tahun itu mengungkapkan alasannya. Neymar Jr menuding Alvaro menghinanya dengan kalimat bernada rasial. Terang saja, emosinya memuncak sehingga berani menghajar pria asal Spanyol itu.
“VAR menangkap tindakan agresif saya dengan mudah. Sekarang, saya ingin melihat gambar dari orang rasis yang mengatakan, ‘Monyet,’ kepada saya. Saya ingin melihatnya!” sambung Neymar Jr.
“Ada apa? Wasit menghukum saya. Saya diusir. Bagaimana dengan mereka? Ada apa?” tutup mantan penyerang Barcelona tersebut.
Selain tiga kartu merah, PSG juga harus menelan pil pahit lainnya. Mereka belum pernah menang dari dua laga pertama Liga Prancis 2020-2021. Hasil negatif itu membuat Les Parisien terdampar di peringkat 18 dengan nilai nol.
Ismaila Sarr is too good to be plying his trade in the Championship | ADAM DAVY/Getty Images
When Liverpool travelled to Vicarage Road in February, the Reds still harboured hopes of completing the 2019/20 Premier League campaign unbeaten.
This was Jurgen Klopp’s Reds at their footballing peak, not just irresistible on the counter but controlled in possession and stingy at the back. No one looked capable of defeating them. Except Atletico Madrid, obviously…
Watford, meanwhile, were deep in relegation trouble, starting proceedings in 19th position. Few if any gave the Hornets any hope of victory. 90 minutes later, Liverpool’s dreams of an invincible season were over following a shocking 3-0 defeat.
It was a fine, collective performance by Nigel Pearson’s side but in truth, the victory simply would not have happened without one man – Ismaila Sarr. Sarr not only grabbed a brace, but he was also a complete menace all game and gave Andy Robertson his toughest 90 minutes of the season.
For his first goal, the Senegal international darted in front of Robertson to tap in Abdoulaye Doucoure’s cut back. It showed attacking awareness that defied his tender years, as well as the fact that he is supposed to be a winger. A true poacher’s finish.
His second strike was even better. Racing onto Troy Deeney’s through ball, Sarr left Virgil van Dijk – the best defender in the world – in the dust, before finishing with an audacious chip over Alisson. Not content with his brace, the former Rennes man then showed ice cold composure to return the favour, setting up Deeney who gladly made it 3-0.
Sarr had been attracting plenty of attention prior to this man of the match performance, but this was the night when his world class potential became apparent across the world.
He’s clearly destined for big things and yet at the time of writing he is set to spend the season in the Championship thanks to Watford’s untimely relegation. With all due respect to the most exciting league in the world, this seems a bit odd. Particularly when you analyse Sarr’s performances over the entire campaign.
Baring in mind he was lumbered with a stodgy Watford side during his first ever Premier League season, Sarr’s output was impressive. Blessed with frightening pace and plenty of trickery, dribbling is unsurprisingly one of his main attributes.
He averaged around five dribbles per game during the 2019/20 campaign and was fairly efficient. Sarr’s success rate was shade over 50% – higher than the likes of Dele Alli, Christian Pulisic and Harvey Barnes.
Defenders often struggle to stop the winger when he is firing on all cylinders and he drew an incredible 98 fouls during his final season at Rennes in 2018/19. He was only fouled on 47 occasions last season, but that still made him the 21st most targeted played in the division. Impressive stuff, considering he completed just 22.5 90 minutes.
It’s not only his direct running that causes problem. As his fine display against Liverpool showed, he also has the potential to develop in a productive player in the final third. Last season, five goals and four assists represented a solid start to life in England, but he could produce much more in the right system.
Step forward Leicester City. The Foxes are in need of some reinforcements out wide and Sarr could be exactly what they’re looking for. Capable of playing on either flank, the 22-year-old offers far more than Ayoze Perez going forward and would add some much needed penetration to the Foxes attack.
As much as the deal makes good sense, one potential sticking point would be finances. Sarr became Watford’s record signing last summer, arriving at Vicarage Road for a hefty £27m. There are currently four years remaining on his deal and with Leicester cutting their cloth amid coronavirus uncertainty, they would have to get inventive when financing any deal.
Throwing Islam Slimani into the mix is an option, particularly if Troy Deeney departs Hertfordshire. There could also be the possibility of hammering out a loan deal with an option to buy. That seems to be very fashionable these days.
Whatever the specifics, it’s clear that Sarr is worth the hassle. Raw pace and inventiveness like his is unteachable and, under the right tutelage, the sky’s the limit.
SENSASI Jepun, Naomi Osaka bangkit daripada ketinggalan satu set sebelum dapat menewaskan Victoria Azarenka dari Belarus untuk muncul juara Terbuka Amerika Syarikat (AS) sekali gus gelaran Grand Slam ketiganya.
Naomi yang diletakkan selaku pilihan keempat, mengatasi lawannya itu 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 pada perlawanan yang berlangsung selama 1 jam 53 minit di Stadium Arthur Ashe yang kosong.
Kini pemain berusia 22 tahun itu sudah memenangi gelaran utama sebanyak tiga kali termasuk Terbuka AS 2018 dan Terbuka Australia 2019.
Azarenka, 31, mudah memenangi set pertama dalam tempoh 26 minit dengan mendominasi 88 peratus servis.
Azarenka mendahului 2-0 di set kedua sebelum Naomi bangkit untuk mendahului 4-3 sebelum terus mempamer aksi cemerlang untuk memenangi set ketiga .
“Saya tidak begitu menikmatinya. Bagi saya ia adalah perlawanan yang sangat sukar.
“Saya hanya memikirkan pastinya amat memalukan jika tewas dalam tempoh satu jam. Jadi saya mencuba sebaik mungkin dan memperbaiki corak permainan,” kata Naomi yang meraih wang kemenangan AS$3 juta (RM12.4 juta).
Naomi adalah pemain wanita pertama sejak 1994 memenangi acara perseorangan Terbuka AS selepas tewas di set pertama.
Dia juga muncul pemain Asia pertama memenangi tiga gelaran Grand Slam sekali gus mengatasi bekas pemain China, Li Na yang meraih dua Grand Slam.
LIGA Spanyol 2020-2021 telah memainkan laga pekan perdana pada semalam hingga dini hari tadi. Tercatat ada tiga pertandingan yang dilangsungkan, dari delapan laga yang dijadwalkan di pekan perdana.
Dalam laga dini hari tadi, Granada yang bermain di kandang sendiri menang 2-0 atas Athletic Bilbao. Kemudian, Osasuna yang bermain di kandang lawan menang 2-0 atas tuan rumah Cadiz.
(Granada menang 2-0 atas Bilbao)
Sementara itu, Eibar dan Celta Vigo hanya bermain 0-0. Alhasil, Granada dan Osasuna saat ini menduduki posisi satu dan dua klasemen Liga Spanyol 2020-2021 dengan koleksi tiga angka.
Bagaimana dengan Real Madrid dan Barcelona? Dua klub teras Liga Spanyol itu belum memainkan pertandingan laga perdana di Liga Spanyol 2020-2021.
Sebab, baik Barcelona dan Madrid mendapatkan jatah liburan tambahan, efek melaju jauh di kompetisi antarklub Eropa 2019-2020. Lantas, kapan Barcelona dan Madrid menjalani laga perdana mereka di Liga Spanyol 2020-2021?
Madrid rencananya akan melakoni pertandingan perdana mereka akhir pekan depan, tepatnya pada Senin 21 September 2020 dini hari WIB. Di tanggal tersebut, Madrid akan bertandang ke markas Real Sociedad.
Kemudian Barcelona akan menjamu Villarreal pada Minggu 27 September 2020. Karena itu, menarik menanti kiprah Madrid dan Barcelona di Liga Spanyol 2020-2021:
Alcantara has been linked with a move to Liverpool all summer | Soccrates Images/Getty Images
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has hit out at the clamour for the Reds to sign Bayern star Thiago Alcantara this summer, claiming it is ‘disrespectful’ to the current crop of midfielders who ended their long wait for Premier League glory.
Jurgen Klopp’s troops broke the 30-year curse last season, as the Merseysiders romped to title glory in a breathtaking year of football. But supporters are growing concerned by the lack of investment over the summer, and this has led to many fans begging for the signing of Bayern star Thiago.
The 29-year-old has been linked with a move to Anfield all summer, having guided Bayern to Champions League glory last season before openly admitting his desire to leave the German giants.
Former Liverpool defender Carragher is refusing to get caught up in the hype to sign the Spaniard, however, and even brandished the calls for his arrival as ‘disrespectful’ to the current set of heroes, quoted by the Metro.
“Liverpool have got three or four players in the squad they are looking to move on,” Carragher explained. “It seems like they have to sell before they buy, that was the case with Dejan Lovren. He had to leave before a left-back could come in.
“Thiago would give Liverpool’s midfield something different, no doubt. I think the huge clamour for Thiago is a little bit disrespectful to Liverpool’s current midfield three.
“Yes he would add something different. But if he doesn’t come in, it’s not the end of the world, this is still a fantastic midfield for Liverpool.”
The Reds did look in need of an injection of freshness on Saturday afternoon, as they were pushed all the way by newly-promoted Leeds United in a narrow 4-3 victory at Anfield. Klopp’s side defended poorly, and their midfield was run ragged at times by a dynamic and energetic side orchestrated by the mercurial Marcelo Bielsa.
Calls for Thiago won’t be subsiding anytime soon then – probably until the transfer window closes.
