Posted on

Manchester City 4-3 Tottenham Hotspur

Pertarungan sengit tersaji di Etihad Stadium, Kamis (18/4) dini hari WIB. Manchester City selaku tuan rumah harus susah payah untuk mengejar ketertinggalan agregat dari tamunya, Tottenham Hotspur.

Dalam 21 menit, tercipta lima gol yang diawali aksi Raheem Sterling. Pemain kebangsaan Inggris tersebut membuka asa The Citizens lewat golnya di menit keempat. Sepakan Sterling ke sisi kiri gawang gagal dijangkau Hugo Lloris.

Namun Tottenham langsung memberikan respons kilat. Skuad The Lily Whites membalikkan keadaan berkat gol Heung Min-son di menit ketujuh dan ke-10.

Laga semakin berlangsung ketat saat skor berubah 2-2 di menit ke-11. Bola yang ditendang Bernardo Silva membentur bagian tubuh Danny Rose sehingga berbelok ke dalam gawang.

Setelah itu, Sterling kembali menorehkan gol di menit 21. Dirinya sukses memaksimalkan umpan silang datar pemberian Kevin De Bruyne. Skor 3-2 bertahan hingga turun minum.

Di paruh kedua laga, City kembali membuka asa berkat aksi Sergio Aguero. Tepatnya menit 59, dia sukses menceploskan si kulit bundar. Skor jadi 4-2.

Jika keadaannya tidak berubah, maka City akan lolos ke babak semifinal. Sebab secara agregat, mereka sedang memimpin 4-3.

Namun mimpi buruk menghampiri skuad didikan Pep Guardiola di menit 73. Striker Tottenham, Fernando Llorente berhasil memperkecil keadaan jadi 4-3. Meski kalah, Tottenham diuntungkan karena dalam catatan agregat, skor jadi 4-4.

Tiket semifinal akhirnya diraih Llorente dan kawan-kawan karena tak ada gol tambahan hingga laga selesai. Meski agregat sama kuat, namun Tottenham lebih layak untuk lolos sebab mereka dianggap produktif dalam perolehan gol di laga tandang.

Susunan pemain
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Laporte, Mendy (Sane 84′); David Silva (Fernandinho 63′), De Bruyne, Gundogan; Bernardo Silva, Sterling, Aguero.

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose (Sanchez 90+1′); Sissoko (Llorente 41′), Wanyama; Lucas Moura (Davies 82′), Eriksen, Alli; Heung Min-Son

Posted on

Liverpool Antusias Jumpa Barca dan Messi

Liverpool dipastikan akan berhadapan dengan Barcelona di babak semifinal Liga Champions. Bertemu dengan calon juara La Liga musim ini tersebut tak membuat The Reds gentar. Nakhoda Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp sama sekali tidak merisaukan sosok Lionel Messi di Barcelona.

Liverpool lolos ke semifinal setelah menumbangkan FC Porto dengan agregat 6-1. Sementara Barcelona menyingkirkan Manchester United dengan agegrat 5-0. Karena itu, semifinal ini amat dinantikan. Karena kedua tim sama-sama agresif dan produktif di Liga Champions musim ini.

Barcelona telah mencetak 23 gol dan kebobolan 6 kali, sejak fase grup hingga 8 besar. Sebanyak 10 gol di antaranya dicetak Messi. Secara keseluruhan, Messi telah mencetak 45 gol di semua kompetisi musim ini.

“Terima kasih Tuhan karena kami tidak perlu memikirkan hal itu,” jawab Klopp ketika ditanya tentang keganasan Messi. “Semua orang telah mencobanya dan gagal. Tetapi kami justru menantikannya,” imbuh Klopp.

Klopp begitu antusias untuk menghadapi Messi dan Barcelona. Menurut pelatih asal Jerman itu, banyak pekerjaan yang harus ia lakukan untuk menghadapi Barcelona di semifinal nanti.

“Kami akan bermain melawan Barcelona. Kami tidak terlalu memikirkannya. Tetapi saya sangat senang kami menghadapi mereka,” tutup mantan pelatih Borussia Dortmund tersebut.

Semifinal sendiri rencananya dilangsungkan pada 30 April atau 1 Mei untuk leg pertama. Sementara leg kedua akan dilangsungkan pada 7 Mei atau 8 Mei.

Posted on

Semifinal Liga Europa, Arsenal Tantang Valencia dan Chelsea Bersua Frankfurt

Empat tim berhasil melaju ke semifinal Liga Europa 2018-2019 usai menyingkirkan lawan-lawannya. Kepastian itu didapat setelah memainkan laga leg kedua perempat final pada Jumat (19/4) dini hari WIB.

Mereka adalah Arsenal, Valencia, Eintracht Frankfurt, dan Chelsea. Kejutan terbesar diraih Frankfurt yang berhasil menyingkirkan raksasa Portugal, Benfica, meski pada leg pertama kalah 2-4 di markas As Aguias – julukan Benfica.

Arsenal melaju ke semifinal usai menyingkirkan Napoli dengan agregat 3-0. Pada laga perempat final leg kedua, Jumat (19/4) dini hari WIB, The Gunners menang 1-0 di San Paolo, markas Napoli. Gol tunggal dihasilkan oleh Alexander Lacazette pada menit 36 lewat tendangan bebas.

Sementara itu, Valencia melenggang ke semifinal usai mengungguli sesama klub Spanyol, Villarreal dengan agregat 5-1. Pada perempat final leg kedua di Mestalla, Los Che menang dengan skor 2-0. Gol Valencia dihasilkan Toni Lato pada menit 13 dan Dani Parejo pada menit 54 lewat tendangan bebas langsung.

Kejutan di babak perempat final dilakukan oleh wakil Jerman, Frankfurt. Kalah 2-4 di markas Benfica pada leg pertama perempat final, mereka mampu melenggang ke semifinal usai menang 2-0 di kandang sendiri, Jumat (19/4) dini hari WIB. Gol Frankfurt dihasilkan oleh Filip Kostic dan Sebastian Rode. Agregat memang sama kuat yakni 4-4. Namun, Frankfurt unggul agresif di kandang lawan lantaran mampu mencetak dua gol pada pertemuan pertama.

Sedangkan Chelsea menjadi tim Inggris kedua yang melaju ke semifinal. Tim asuhan Maurizio Sarri tersebut bisa dibilang selamat dari kejutan yang dilakukan Slavia Praha. Maklum saja, sempat unggul 4-1 di babak pertama, Jumat (19/4) dini hari WIB, gawang mereka dibobol dua kali pada babak kedua dalam tempo 3 menit yakni menit 51 dan 54. Di sisa pertandingan, beruntung lini belakang Chelsea lebih sigap dan mampu mempertahankan skor 4-3. Berkat kemenangan itu, Chelsea unggul agregat 5-3.

Sesuai alur dari drawing perempat final, Arsenal bersua Valencia di semifinal. Sedangkan Chelsea menghadapi Frankfurt. Sorotan jelas tertuju pada Arsenal kontra Valencia. Kedua tim telah 5 kali berjumpa. Sebanyak empat laga terjadi di pentas Liga Champions, dan satu laga di final Piala Winners 1979-1980.

Sejauh ini, dari 5 pertemuan, Arsenal baru meraih 1 kemenangan. Sementara Valencia mendulang 3 kemenangan (termasuk adu penalti di final Piala Winners 1979-1980). Sedangkan 1 laga lainnya berakhir imbang.

Hasil Perempat Final Leg Kedua Liga Europa 2018-2019, Jumat (19/4) Dini Hari WIB
Napoli 0-1 Arsenal (Agregat 0-3)
Valencia 2-0 Villarreal (Agregat 5-1)
Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 Benfica (Agregat 4-4, Frankfurt lebih agresif di kandang lawan)
Chelsea 4-3 Slavia Praha (Agregat 5-3)

Jadwal Semifinal Liga Europa 2018-2019
Leg Pertama, 2 Mei 2019
Arsenal vs Valencia
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Chelsea

Leg Kedua, 9 Mei 2019
Valencia vs Arsenal
Chelsea vs Eintracht Frankfurt

Posted on

Chelsea ‘almost certain’ to cancel Gonzalo Higuain’s loan early

Higuain’s future in doubt ahead of summer

Chelsea are ‘almost certain’ to cancel Gonzalo Higuain’s loan from Juventus early in the summer after a string of poor performances.

It hasn’t been an ideal first season in the Premier League for Higuain.

The Argentine has been a top-class striker for several years now and enjoyed some of his best moments in a Juventus shirt.

However, when Cristiano Ronaldo joined the club, Higuain was practically pushed out of Juventus.

As a result, he joined AC Milan and enjoyed a rich vein of form initially before his performances dipped somewhat.

His head was then turned by Chelsea and he joined Maurizio Sarri’s side in January.

The loan deal was until the end of the season with an option to extend the loan for another season, as well as an option to make his deal permanent.

Though, he hasn’t had the desired effect at Stamford Bridge.

Higuain has only scored three Premier League goals and Olivier Giroud has been preferred in the Europa League.

Now, it looks as though Higuain’s Chelsea career will come to an early end.

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 02: Gonzalo Higuain of Chelsea celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Huddersfield Town at Stamford Bridge on February 2, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Juventus return ‘almost certain’

That is because according to Gazzetta dello Sport, as cited by Sport Witness, it’s ‘almost certain’ that the player will return to Juventus and Chelsea won’t exercise their right to sign him permanently or extend his loan.

That would be pretty bad news for Juventus.

With Higuain already 31-years-old, it will be difficult for Juventus to get a decent fee for the Argentine and will have to spend a chunk of their summer trying to offload him.

For the player, it will no doubt be a big disappointment and he may have to find a new club.

Though, there is still some time for Higuain to impress before the end of the season.

Eden Hazard’s Real Madrid move to be ‘finalised in the coming days’ – Marca

One player who also might not be at Chelsea for much longer is Eden Hazard.

That’s because reports have suggested that his move to Real Madrid is practically done.

Posted on

Chelsea fans criticise Slavia Prague over treatment of Eden Hazard

Chelsea Eden Hazard

Hazard targeted by Slavia Prague

Chelsea fans are not too happy with the treatment of Eden Hazard and want him substituted after the player was seemingly targeted by Slavia Prague.

Chelsea hosted a Slavia side who needed a big performance at Stamford Bridge to have any hope of progressing in the Europa League.

After the Blues secured a 1-0 win in Prague, Slavia needed to get on the front foot but it was Chelsea who struck first.

Chelsea turn on the style at the Bridge

Pedro scored the first goal of the game after just five minutes.

The Spaniard almost got a second five minutes later when he managed to strike the post from just a couple of yards out.

Thankfully for Pedro, his effort came off the post and deflected in off Slavia defender Simon Deli to give Chelsea a 2-0 lead and a three-goal cushion.

Just when you thought Chelsea would look to shut up shop, they added a third goal through Olivier Giroud.

That goal took the Frenchman top of the Europa League goalscoring charts with 10 goals.

Slavia then got one goal back through Tomáš Souček to raise a few concerns among the Stamford Bridge faithful.

However, those fears were quickly put at ease as Pedro got his second of the evening.

Despite the five goals in the first half, Eden Hazard was actually one of the biggest talking points and not necessarily for his performances.

Social media reacts to Hazard’s rough treatment

That’s because the Chelsea man was targetted by the Slavia Prague players from the off.

Slavia’s plan looked to be hitting Hazard hard in every tackle to put him off his game.

Clearly, it didn’t work, with Hazard playing a pivotal part in several goals.

Though, it did cause some serious worries for Chelsea fans and officials that Hazard would not finish the game without injury.

Posted on

Aaron Ramsey’s Arsenal career could be set for premature end

Arsenal Aaron Ramsey

Has Ramsey played his final game for Arsenal?

Aaron Ramsey could have played his final game for Arsenal after the Welshman suffered a serious-looking injury during the clash with Napoli.

The Gunners travelled to Naples in hope of securing their place in the Europa League quarter-finals.

After securing a two-goal lead on aggregate following the first leg at the Emirates, Arsenal just needed one away goal to make things very difficult for their Italian opponents.

Safe to say, they did just that.

Aaron Ramsey Arsenal

LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 11: Aaron Ramsey of Arsenal celebrates scoring his teams first goal of the game during the UEFA Europa League Quarter Final First Leg match between Arsenal and S.S.C. Napoli at Emirates Stadium on April 11, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Lacazette stunner seals Arsenal’s place in semi’s

Unai Emery set Arsenal up perfectly to deal with the threat of Napoli and they particularly impressed in the first half.

The Gunners carved Napoli open several times and looked solid in defence too.

Though, they did have to wait until the 36th minute to make the breakthrough.

Alexandre Lacazette scored an incredible free-kick, meaning that Napoli would need to score four goals to go through.

Even for the Italian giants that was too big of an ask and Arsenal’s march to the final continued, securing a 3-0 aggregate win.

However, the Gunners suffered a huge blow during the match which could have huge implications in their hopes of winning the tournament.

Ramsey’s season could be over

That’s because Aaron Ramsey’s Arsenal career could have come to a sombre end.

The Welshman will join Italian giants Juventus on a free transfer in the summer after failing to agree a new contract with Arsenal.

Despite that, Ramsey has been one of Arsenal’s key players in recent weeks and has been incredibly important in the Gunners’ Europa run.

Though, Ramsey suffered a serious looking hamstring injury during the game against Napoli on Thursday.

The midfielder went down looking in some serious pain.

With only around a month left of the current campaign, it would need to be some recovery if he is to play again for Arsenal.

Should he not play again, Arsenal would be at a huge disadvantage in all remaining competitions considering his performances in recent weeks.

Posted on

敌人的敌人就是朋友！那不勒斯商店挂上德里赫特4号球衣

德里赫特在都灵的进球帮助阿贾克斯2-1战胜尤文，在逆转比赛的同时，也进入了欧冠的四强。

本赛季遭到尤文主客场双杀、且意甲排名遭到压制的那不勒斯球迷对此感到非常高兴，他们在商店中甚至挂出了德里赫特的4号那不勒斯球衣。

上面还印着：2019-4-16，尤文图斯-阿贾克斯，1-2

Posted on

萨里：我22场欧战赢18场，别人还是觉得我不适合欧战

在切尔西对布拉格的比赛中，阿扎尔受到了撞伤，不过萨里赛后给蓝军球迷吃了一颗定心丸。萨里说：“我希望他的伤不严重吧，只是狠狠地撞了一下。但我觉得他下场比赛可以恢复过来。”

此外萨里还谈到了切尔西老生常谈的一个问题：下半场开局不好。“就像过去两个月的比赛一样，我们下半场的开场很糟糕。过去10场比赛都是如此，这是个大问题，不过要承认的是，这是一场晋级战，可能半场结束时我们以为自己已经晋级了。”

“这问题很难理解。我可以试下半场不进更衣室，如果这能解决问题的话，我可以试一下。”

萨里还表示：“这是我弟22场欧战，我赢了其中的18场。但我还是被认为是一名不适合欧战的教练。”

Posted on

“Kita perlu ubah cara kita layan kaum wanita” – Mohamed Salah

PEMAIN bola sepak sensasi Liverpool, Mohamed Salah menyeru kaum lelaki Muslim seluruh dunia supaya melayan wanita dengan lebih rasa hormat.

Dalam satu temuramah dengan majalah TIME, Salah meluahkan pandangan jujur dan ikhlasnya bahawa tiada pilihan selain menyokong kepentingan hak wanita dalam masyarakat.

“Saya rasa kita perlu ubah cara kita melayani wanita dalam budaya kita.

“Ia bukan satu pilihan,” katanya.

Penyerang berusia 26 tahun kelahiran Mesir itu berkata, melihat bagaimana wanita didepani ‘dalam budaya orang Timur Tengahnya’ telah mengubah caranya memandang hal perhubungan antara jantina.

“Saya menyokong wanita lebih dari sebelum ini, kerana saya fikir mereka berhak mendapat lebih daripada apa yang dinikmati mereka hari ini.”

Namanya menjadi sanjungan rakyat Mesir selepas memimpin pasukan negara itu layak ke Piala Dunia 2018 Rusia buat pertama kali sejak 28 tahun, dan merasakan dirinya seperti ‘anak’ kepada setiap mereka.

Mengakui sedikit tertekan oleh kemasyhuran itu kerana mengetahui bahawa setiap orang meletakkan harapan tinggi di bahunya, namun itulah yang menjadi dorongan buatnya untuk terus menjadi contoh yang terbaik.

Menceritakan ringkas tentang perjalanannya sebagai seorang pemain dari Nagrig berhijrah ke Switzerland untuk beraksi bersama FC Basel, Salah berkongsi kisah mengharung kehidupan penuh liku demi mengejar impiannya.

“Pada awalnya saya amat menderita kerana bahasa, kerana budaya, kerana kerja keras.

“Tetapi, anda tahu saya gembira dapat berada di sini hari ini,” ujarnya.

Beliau menjalani musim hebat hebat di Anfield selepas berhijrah ke Liverpool dua tahun lepas, pantas menjadi sanjungan bukan sahaja para penyokong Liverpool tapi setiap mata yang memerhatikan peribadi luhurnya.

Salah dinamakan sebagai antara 100 Orang Paling Berpengaruh 2019 oleh majalah TIME, dan menjadi salah satu daripada enam muka depan bagi isu April/Mei.