Champions League

WATCHING from his holiday home in Majorca, maybe even with a half-and-half scarf, Jurgen Klopp will once again have been hugely impressed by the club he has left behind.Klopp will be Red Bull’s ‘head of global soccer’, whatever that truly means, starting from January 1.Darwin Nunez fired Liverpool to a 1-0 winCredit: APThe striker scored the decisive goal with a tap-inCredit: AFPAnd when Klopp begins his £10million role which looks like a glorified PR-job, it will be absolutely fascinating to see where Liverpool will be under his Arne Slot.Right now, it is looking pretty damn good.Darwin’s Nunez’s first half winner made it 11 wins in 12 for the Dutchman with that only blip coming against Nottingham Forest.While Liverpool were forced to withstand some fierce pressure in the second half, keeper Caoimhin Kelleher delivered a couple of big saves.Read More in FootballWhile Liverpool’s opening schedule was extremely kind, the level of opposition has gone up a notch in the last few days. Firstly against in-form Chelsea and here, against a team who are unbeaten in the Bundesliga and share the lead with Bayern Munich.Yet Slot has seen his team overcome both these difficult matches and now, an even bigger test awaits, against Arsenal on Sunday.There will clearly be a wobble for Slot at some stage, But while he is new to English football, the team he inherited is certainly not and at times here, they played some excellent football despite living dangerously at the back. Most read in Champions LeagueFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSNunez was denied a penalty before half-timeCredit: GettyCaoimhin Kelleher delivered some big savesCredit: EPANunez’s close-range effort came at a time when Liverpool were lucky not to be trailing by a couple of goals let alone still be level.A header from Mo Salah looked to be going in before Nunez helped it over the line but it will still have been good for the Uruguayan’s confidence as he had only struck once this season.Chelsea Player Ratings vs LiverpoolHe was only playing due to an injury to Diogo Jota and while Liverpool do have a few fitness issues ahead of the weekend, title rivals Arsenal seem to be having even more issues.At the Emirates, Slot’s team cannot afford to be as open in central midfield as they were here.Man-of-the-match at Anfield on Sunday was Curtis Jones and while he started on the bench, his replacement, Alexis Mac Allister, initially failed to give Ryan Gravenberch enough support defensively.Mac Allister was also booked for a theatrical dive while home defender Castello Lukeba was lucky to avoid only a caution when sinking his studs into the foot of former Leipzig favourite Dominik Szoboszlai.Leipzig, having lost their opening games against Atletico Madrid and Juventus, started with real purpose although they were made to pay for failing to take those early chances which fell to Benjamin Sesko and Amadou Haidara.It was competitive match between the two teamsLois Openda thought he had scored but his goal was disallowed due to an offsideCredit: AFPKelleher will remain in goal for a few more weeks as Alisson is injured. But Slot will not want to see any repeats of the moment he rushed out of his area and failed to head the ball into touch. Although from distance, Sesko had an open goal and should have scored but floated a shot wide.Leipzig’s Belgian striker Lois Openda thought he had scored a cracker from outside the area but despite wagging his finger at the officials, he was miles offside.And within 60 seconds, Nunez finished a smart move from the visitors Until then, Liverpool’s only effort had been a shot wide by Salah but on this occasion, the Egyptian star headed Kostas Tsimikas’ cross into the bottom corner with Nunez making sure to nudge the ball over the line.Leipzig keeper Peter Gulacsi, who spent five years at Liverpool without making an appearance, kept his team in the game by keeping out headers from Nunez and Virgil van Dijk.Nunez was then furious with the officials as the striker thought he should have been given a penalty and there was definitely contact from Willi Orban.Cody Gakpo wasted a good chance by firing straight at Gulacsi while Mac Allister curled a shot against the bar.Yet Kelleher made those crucial saves to deny both Sesko and Xavi Simons and while Openda once again had the ball in the net, he was offside for a second time.For Slot, it is now three wins out of three in the Champions League – only pipped into top spot by Premier League rivals Aston Villa on goal difference. Even though former midfielder Xabi Alonso brings Bayer Leverkusen to Anfield next month, while Jude Bellingham’s Real Madrid will also visit, Liverpool looks as though they could finish in the top eight and avoid a play-off. READ MORE SUN STORIESAlready, there will be a few Liverpool fans booking their hotels for Munich on May 31.And to think many thought they would fall apart when Klopp packed his bags. More

HARRY KANE was dubbed the “best striker in the world” for his genius finish against Barcelona.But it was another ex-Premier League star who grabbed the match-ball and the headlines.Harry Kane produced a scintillating finish for Bayern MunichCredit: AFPHe acrobatically volleyed in an emphatic equaliserCredit: ReutersKane somehow rediverted the ball back across goal into the netCredit: GettyThe England captain, 31, saw his Bayern Munich side fall behind with just 57 seconds on the clock.But he responded in some style at the Barcelona Olympic Stadium – used while the Nou Camp is renovated.With 18 minutes gone, Michael Olise switched the play to Serge Gnabry in the left channel.And the former Arsenal man got into the box before crossing for the ex-Tottenham striker. READ MORE ON CHAMPIONS LEAGUEIt flashed across the face of goal at pace and at a difficult height.But Kane showed expert ability to acrobatically redivert the volley with his instep.The ball flew back past Barca goalkeeper Inaki Pena Sotorres and into the net as the No9 landed on the turf after his flying finish.And fans could not get enough of the “beautiful” goal from the special striker, whose 34 Champions League goals have all come from inside the area.Most read in Champions LeagueFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSOne said: “Harry Kane is the best striker in the world.”Another wrote: “Harry Kane is a very very very very very good football player.”Harry Kane and Bayern Munich team mates take the Audi Q6 e-tron for a drive A third added: “Harry Kane is an insane player.”And a final user replied: “That Kane finish… WOW.”Ironically, it was the second time on the night Kane had found that corner of the net.However, his initial celebrations were cut short when his tenth-minute header was ruled out by VAR for a marginal offside. Even so, his exquisite equaliser took Kane’s tally in this season’s Champions League to five – top of the Golden Boot race.He hit four, including four penalties, as Bayern thumped Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 but he fired a blank in the shock 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa.That also sees Kane way out in front as the top scorer in the Champions League since the start of last season – with his 13 four clear of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior on nine.But aside from his personal triumph and numbers, it turned into a nightmare evening for Kane in Spain. Barcelona made the best start possible as captain Raphinha pounced on a super high line and a defensive error.Joshua Kimmich messed up his clearance and the ex-Leeds man raced through before rounding Manuel Neuer to break the deadlock in the first minute. But following Kane’s equaliser, Barca retook the lead when Robert Lewandowski knocked into an ungarded net against his former employers.The goal was allowed to stand when a push on Kim Min-jae as he jumped to head clear was judged by VAR not to be enough for a foul in the build-up.And it was 3-1 on the stroke of half-time.Raphinha put Barcelona in front after just 57 secondsCredit: GettyKane thought he had levelled with this header but VAR ruled him offsideCredit: AFPA gorgeous inch-perfect cross-field 60-yard pass from Marc Casado picked out Raphinha and he jinxed into the area before curling into the far corner beyond the diving Neuer.Lamine Yamal arguably delivered an even better ball ten minutes after the break, though, as Raphinha took it down superbly on his chest, raced clear and took his shot early to find the bottom corner and complete a stunning hat-trick. That prompted a quadruple sub from fuming Bayern boss Vincent Kompany.READ MORE SUN STORIESRaphinha was given a standing ovation when withdrawn on 76 minutes – although he had already handed the armband over to the returning Frenkie de Jong earlier on in the second half.Lewandowski should have made it 5-1 late on but somehow didn’t turn home Yamal’s brilliant dinked cross. Robert Lewandowski found the net against his former sideCredit: ReutersRaphinha got Barca’s third just before the breakCredit: ReutersThe ex-Leeds man made it 4-1 after the break and completed his hat-trickCredit: Reuters More

THE stadiums in contention to host the 2027 Champions League final have been announced.A social media post from Uefa today confirmed that two member associations have declared an interest in hosting the showpiece event.The cities in contention to host the 2027 Champions League final have been announcedCredit: ReutersAtletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium is in contentionCredit: GettyThe Olympic Stadium in Baku is also in the frameCredit: ReutersBaku and Madrid are the remaining cities in contention for the men’s Champions League final.The San Siro in Milan was initially penned in to host the match but rights were revoked due to the ongoing uncertainty around the stadium’s renovation.Instead, the Stadio Olimpico in Rome was put forward for the bidding process.However, it recently withdrew from the race.Read More in FootballBaku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, played host to the 2019 Europa League final between Chelsea and Arsenal.But many fans are hoping the 2027 finale will not be held at the 69,870-seater Olympic Stadium.One person took to social media to write: “Please, no Baku again.”Another said: “Madrid or riot.”Most read in Champions LeagueFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSWhile a third joked: “Baku? May start travelling now then.”Meanwhile, the Estadio Metropolitano – Atletico Madrid’s home – last held the Champions League final that same year.Arsenal set to play Champions League decider in half-empty stadium with tiny away allocation thanks to little-known rule Next year’s final will take place at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.And the event in 2026 is to be held at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.The contenders to host the 2027 Women’s Champions League final have also been announced.Warsaw, Barcelona, Basel and Cardiff are in the frame.New Champions League format is a snorefestBy Dan KingUEFA sold the idea of expanding the Champions League from 32 to 36 teams, with each playing eight games instead of six in the opening phase, as a way of creating more competitiveness and excitement.The biggest clubs would have two matches against their peers, rather than having to wait until the knockout stage to meet.The smaller clubs would meet teams of a similar level twice and have a chance of tasting victory that was so hard to achieve if you were the bottom seed in a group of four.Ignoring for a moment the fact that the real motivation was the simple equation of more games = more money, the theory itself already looks flawed.None of the matches between European giants has delivered a compelling contest yet.And why would they? At the start of the long season with more matches in it, why would any team with ambitions to win things in the spring, go out all guns blazing in the autumn?Especially when they know they have six games NOT against big sides to make sure they accrue enough points to qualify at least for the play-off round (and even more games).There is even less jeopardy than before.Read the full column on the Champions League format fail and why everyone – including YOU – needs a rethink. More

ARSENAL fans made a huge blunder with a banner displayed before the Gunners’ Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.Arsenal wound up 1-0 victors over the Ukrainian club, extending their unbeaten run in Europe this season.Arsenal fans made a huge blunder with their banner for their Champions League clash with Shakhtar DonetskFans inside the Emirates Stadium for the league phase fixture were building up the atmosphere by displaying a massive banner in the crowd before kick-off.However, in an unbelievable blunder, the Arsenal supporters displayed the banner the wrong way round.It was supposed to read “VAMOS” – the Spanish word for “Let’s Go” – alongside a picture of manager Mikel Arteta.However, the fan confusion meant the banner actually displayed the message: “SOMAV”.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLFans online found the whole ordeal hilarious and took to social media to react to the embarrassing blunder.One wrote: “You had one job lads!”While another added: “Nothing is going right for Arsenal at the moment.”A third joked: “All that preparation and poor finishing. Such are the Arsenal.”Most read in FootballThe banner usually reads ‘VAMOS’Credit: ReutersFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSAnd a fourth teased: “Sums up our season so far I feel…. still time to turn it around, literally.”The banner is used at most Arsenal games and is usually used without any hitches.Mystery as Kai Havertz denied chance to make Arsenal history but Mikel Arteta has no idea why it happenedThe fan mistake wasn’t the only issue inside the Emirates on Tuesday night either.The Gunners’ pre-match light show was hit by a technical error as the speakers around the stadium didn’t appear to be properly playing the music to accompany the lights.But Arsenal fans were quick to step in, chanting in place of the music and drumming up a better atmosphere for their players.What followed on the pitch wasn’t exactly enthralling as Arsenal plodded their way to a 1-0 victory over Shakhtar thanks to an own goal by opposition goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk.Arsenal managed a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk despite an unconvincing performanceCredit: Getty More