Champions League

THIS wasn’t what we usually think of when it comes to a romantic trip to Paris in the springtime. Blood, sweat, tears, bruised bodies and dogged defensive spirit. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sunk Aston Villa hearts in Paris with a stunning goalCredit: ReutersMorgan Rogers had fired Villa into a surprise leadCredit: GettyBut PSG wonderkid Desire Doue equalised four minutes laterCredit: APNuno Mendes added a devastating third for the hosts in injury timeCredit: ReutersPrince William and his son George were in the house to watch the gameCredit: APIn front of the next two kings of England – Princes William and George – Unai Emery’s workaholic Aston Villa suffered an injury-time sucker punch from Nuno Mendes, which turned this Champions League quarter-final significantly in favour of Paris Saint Germain.For so long, Villa kept PSG – one of the most potent attacking forces on the planet – down to a single-goal lead ahead of next Tuesday’s return leg. But in the final seconds, Mendes drilled past Emi Martinez, leaving Villa with a serious mountain to scale.They will bring the noise at Villa Park – they always do at one of English football’s loudest venues – and the prospect of an all-English semi-final against another of Emery’s former clubs, Arsenal, still isn’t beyond them. READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAfter Morgan Rogers fired Villa into a shock first-half lead, Desire Doue and Khvichka Kvaratskhelia hammered home excellent strikes either side of the break. But Luis Enrique’s men were unable to make their dominance count to the full, unable to put Villa to the sword and make the second leg a formality.PSG had three-quarters of the ball as they peppered Villa’s goal but Emery’s men gritted their teeth and held out right up until those final seconds. Martinez, the bete noire of all France after his antics during and after the 2022 World Cup Final, was the first Villa player out to take the heat from the local ultras who swore at him in Spanish. Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKVilla’s supporters hailed their man as ‘the world’s No 1’ as they enjoyed their club’s most high-profile match in more than four decades. Prince William was in the house, Villa’s most famous fan offering some pretty decent pre-match tactical analysis of the Paris high press to TNT Sports.  Prince William and George were all smiles after Rogers’ goalCredit: TNT SportBut the PSG comeback left William with his head in his handsCredit: RexPSG arrived here after confirming another Ligue 1 title and having dispatched Liverpool on penalties in an epic last-16 tie. Villa were on the back of seven straight wins in all competitions and Emery opted for Marcus Rashford, ahead of Ollie Watkins, at centre-forward with his prolific PSG loanee Marco Asensio starting on the bench. Right from the off it felt as if this was going to be a night for Villa to graft and slog, with PSG pinning them back.  Martinez, whose every touch was met with derision, was forced into a smart save early on – pushing away an Ousmane Dembele shot after Boubacar Kamara had escaped a penalty appeal for a challenge on Kvaratskhelia. The Georgian, known as ‘Kvaradona’ at his former club Napoli, has an extraordinary ability to dribble at express pace and Matty Cash was soon booked for hauling him down. Yet after sucking up 35 minutes of almost relentless pressure, Villa broke away and scored a classy team goal. John McGinn, the skipper with the bullish physique and the dog-of-war spirit, won a thundering tackle to dispossess Mendes and released Rashford with a diagonal ball.The Manchester United loanee fed Youri Tielemans, who squared for Rogers to apply the finish, with PSG stretched to breaking point. Those travelling Villa fans in the corner went ballistic but the lead would last for only four minutes.After Martinez had made a scrambling save, a corner was cleared only as far as Doue, who bent a sumptuous shot into the top corner to give Villa’s Argentinian keeper no chance. Before half-time Rashford skinned Ashraf Hakimi down the left but couldn’t provide the final ball. At half-time, Emery replaced Cash with Axel Disasi but the incoming right-back was handed a baptism of flames from Kvaratskhelia. Within four minutes of the restart, the Georgian turned the on-loan Chelsea inside, then outside before he leathered home a shot which beat Martinez at his near post and almost burst the roof of the net. The pattern of the match continued – an attack v defence drill in which Villa frequently employed six men strung across the back, interspersed with occasional counter-attacks. The dancing feet of Doue and Kvaratskhelia provided constant peril for Villa, the two men combining to set up Hakimi, whose shot was pushed away by Martinez.At this point, Emery introduced Asensio against his parent club but the Spaniard was seeing little of the ball. Soon, Martinez was beaten at his near post again, this time by Hakimi, but the full-back had been flagged narrowly offside. It was seat-of-the-pants stuff for the visitors, desperate to keep the deficit down to a single goal. Read More on The SunEmery made a triple change, with Watkins replacing Rashford as part of it. But deep in injury time, Mendes rounded Martinez and thumped home the third to give PSG a major advantage. 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EAGLE-EYED fans spotted William Saliba’s hilarious “Squidward” celebration.Arsenal players and supporters alike went crazy when Mikel Merino scored against Real Madrid.William Saliba celebrated Mikel Merino’s goal wildlyCredit: GettyHis flailing arms led to comparisons to SquidwardCredit: GettySaliba ignored his team-matesCredit: GettyFans spotted the crazy moment watching on TVSupporters piled in with hilarious repliesHis sumptuous finish into the bottom corner gave Arsenal a 3-0 lead at the midway point of their Champions League quarter-final.And especially after Declan Rice’s two incredible free-kicks, it is fair to say emotions were running high at the Emirates.So that may explain what Saliba did.As Merino was joined by the likes of Rice and Myles Lewis-Skelly running towards the corner flag, the French centre-back seemingly ignored his team-mates.READ MORE ON ARSENALInstead, he conducted his own wild solo celebration.Saliba sprinted into the background of the TV shot and ran off the end of the pitch towards the jubilant supporters.And as he did so, the defender waved both arms around frantically.It was so unexpected and utterly bonkers that one fan even compared his arm antics to SpongeBob SquarePants octopus character Squidward. Most read in Champions LeagueJoin SUN CLUB for the Arsenal Files every Friday plusin-depth coverage and exclusives from The EmiratesWhen the video of Saliba’s celebration did the rounds on social media, the Arsenal supporter wrote: “That’s the Squidward,” and added a gif of the character.Another X user said: “I did this same s*** in my living room no judgement.”Paul Merson suffers awkward wardrobe malfunction live on Sky Sports as he jumps up to celebrate Arsenal goalA third added: “That was me running through my whole house after that second goal.”A fourth replied: “He’s a fan. His head was as gone as ours.”A fifth typed: “Bro’s trynna fly, man. Allow.”A sixth responded: “The ultimate hype man.”A seventh noted: “I love his heart and passion. Gabriel and Saliba are truly GUNNERS.”Arsenal ratings vs Real Madrid as Declan Rice’s free-kick thunderbolts earn him an ELEVEN out of 10BEND it like Beckham? More like bend it like Declan…It was a set-piece clinic from the Arsenal midfielder as he scored the first free-kicks of his career against Real Madrid – and the first player in Champions League history to score multiple direct free-kicks in the same knockout stage game.Thibaut Courtois was on hand to save Real Madrid in a fast paced first half as he pulled off a fine double save to deny a Rice header and a follow-up effort from Gabriel Martinelli.The deadlock was finally broken in the 58th minute as England star Rice whipped in a sensational free-kick.Rice then sent the Emirates into the stratosphere with as he added a second with an even better free-kick from the left side of the goal which he rifled into the top right corner.Mikel Merino then swept a devastating third into the bottom corner from a low cross to put the cherry on a remarkable night.Rice’s epic showing was enough to earn him an unprecedented ELEVEN in our player ratings.Here’s how SunSport’s Jordan Davies rated the rest of the Gunners…And a final one commented in response to transfer rumours linking him with a move to the Bernabeu: “Yeah he’s not going to Real Madrid any time soon.”Real Madrid have NEVER overcome a three-goal first-leg deficit in the Champions League.Yet French defender Saliba is wary of Madrid’s status as the crazy comeback kings on their own patch – and told Arsenal to fight fire with fire in one of Europe’s greatest arenas.He said: “We are not scared. We want to go there and win the game.“We cannot defend the whole game. We won 3-0 but we know it is not finished. There are a lot of things that can happen.Read More on The Sun“It was incredible because to win in a quarter-final like this against Madrid, in front of our fans, is amazing. But now we have to do it again next week.“One of the best [nights of my career] and I hope it’s not the last one.”He was desperate to soak up the moment with the fansCredit: GettyMerino made it 3-0 against Real MadridCredit: EPASaliba managed to keep compatriot Kylian Mbappe quietCredit: Getty More

FORMER Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has opened up about the one moment in time where he DOUBTED Sir Alex Ferguson. Schmeichel was an integral part of United’s winning machine during his eight seasons under Ferguson between 1991 and 1999. Former Man Utd goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has revealed the defining moment that left him questioning Sir Alex Ferguson’s decision-makingCredit: GettySchmeichel opened up about the historic Treble-winning team on That Peter Crouch podcastHe won five league titles and finished on the ultimate high of a Champions League triumph to complete a historic Treble in his final season.But it was not all plain sailing for the giant Dane at Old Trafford, after fights with Fergie and Roy Keane caused mayhem at times.Yet Ferguson relied on Schmeichel – a Euro 1992 winner with Denmark – to start between the sticks for nearly a decade.There is no doubt that Schmeichel respects “The Boss” and cherishes the unbelievable memories they spent together.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSBut the former stopper has revealed details about the one point in time where thought Fergie was losing his marbles.The 61-year-old told That Peter Crouch podcast: “The first time, where I really thought the guy was losing it and not understanding what he was doing, was in the summer of 1995.”When three players, who would start every game if they were fit, Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis, left the club and no-one came in.”And he puts five kids in the first team squad – he puts Nicky, Gary, Phil, Scholesy and Becks.Most read in FootballJoin SUN CLUB for the Man Utd Files every Thursday plusin-depth coverage and exclusives from Old Trafford”Ryan was already in the first team dressing room, so he would’ve been the sixth.”But you’re thinking what’s going on here? And of course, we open up with a defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park.Man Utd’s secret weapon in Treble-winning season revealed as star who played ‘bigger role than people give credit for'”But the boys were great and I mainly thought it was strange that he didn’t bring at least one player in during the summer.”It seems Schmeichel inadvertently and initially agreed with Liverpool great Alan Hansen who famously uttered: “you can’t win anything with kids” after that season opening defeat.But, of course, Ferguson’s young team went onto win the Premier League and FA Cup in that 1995/1996 season.The Dane also revealed United’s shock Treble-winning secret weapon away from the pitch that nobody really knows about.He identified club debutant Dwight Yorke as one of the ‘forgotten’ men. More

ARSENAL took a giant leap towards their first ever major European trophy by battering Real Madrid 3-0 on a barely-believable evening in North London.Declan Rice scored two world-class free-kicks to give the Gunners the upper hand, before Mikel Merino grabbed a third.Declan Rice reveals Arsenal’s set-piece coach told him to CROSS… before firing stunning free-kickCredit: GettyDeclan Rice reveals Arsenal’s set-piece coach told him to CROSS… before firing stunning free-kickCredit: GettyLos Blancos were left utterly shellshocked with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham outclassed at the Emirates.But write off Real at your peril… the Spanish giants have won the European Cup a record 15 times.Carlo Ancelotti has won the Champions League five times as a boss, while lifting two European Cups as a player.If anyone can inspire a comeback, you’d back the Italian legend.READ MORE SPORT STORIESAnd Real certainly wouldn’t be the first team to mount a jaw-dropping second-leg comeback.SunSport takes a look at some of the best…Ajax 2 Tottenham 3 – May 8, 2019Having lost the first leg of their semi-final in North London 1-0, Spurs were by no means dead and buried.However, future Premier League stars Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech scored early in the second leg to give Ajax a surely unassailable 3-0 aggregate lead.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSBut Lucas Moura would inspire one of the most remarkable turnarounds in history in the second half.The Brazilian scored twice in four minutes shortly after half-time to give Tottenham a sniff of glory.Declan Rice reveals Arsenal’s set-piece coach told him to CROSS… before firing stunning free-kickAnd, with the away goals rule still in place, Moura scored in the 96TH-MINUTE to complete his hat-trick and, more importantly, send Spurs into the final.Unfortunately for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, they would go on to lose 2-0 to Liverpool in the final.Declan Rice reveals Arsenal’s set-piece coach told him to CROSS… before firing stunning free-kickCredit: ReutersLiverpool 4 Barcelona 0 – May 7, 2019Spurs’ win was arguably all the more remarkable given what had happened just 24 hours at Anfield. Who could forget “corner taken quickly…”Liverpool had lost their semi-final first leg 3-0 in Barcelona after goals from former star Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi (two).The Reds were without Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino for the clash, and started with a front three of Xherdan Shaqiri, Divock Origi and Sadio Mane.The idea of scoring three times against Barca seemed impossible – even on a big European night in front of the Kop.Origi got Liverpool off to a dream start within seven minutes to claw one goal back – but Barcelona had some huge chances to score in the first half, only to be denied by Alisson.The game turned at half time, when Jurgen Klopp hauled off star left-back Andrew Robertson in favour of midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.The Dutch star scored twice within three minutes at the start of the second half to level the tie on aggregate.With the away goals rule still active, Liverpool knew conceding would see them KO’d, with a tense atmosphere descending on Merseyside.In one of the most iconic moments in Champions League history, Trent Alexander-Arnold caught Barcelona napping as he took a corner quickly, with Origi sweeping home to send the Kop wild and seal a 4-0 win.Klopp’s side would go on to lift their sixth Champions League crown as Salah and Origi scored in a 2-0 win at the Wanda Metropolitano.Declan Rice reveals Arsenal’s set-piece coach told him to CROSS… before firing stunning free-kickCredit: AFP or licensorsPSG 1 Man Utd 3 – March 6, 2019″Ole’s at the wheel”, cried Rio Ferdinand as the interim boss staged a remarkable Euro comeback.Having replaced Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first defeat was the 2-0 loss at Old Trafford in the first leg of Manchester United’s last 16 showdown.In the 107 preceding occasions where a team had lost 2-0 or more in the first leg, none had ever come back to win.But Romelu Lukaku set about changing history as he scored after just two minutes.However, Juan Bernat levelled to give PSG a 3-1 aggregate lead just eight minutes later.Lukaku grabbed another before the break, but United were unable to break the French giants down to grab what would be a winner, thanks to away goals.That was until Marcus Rashford converted his 94th-minute penalty – his first competitive spot kick for the club – as a youthful United featuring Tahith Chong and Mason Greenwood made it to the quarters.Declan Rice reveals Arsenal’s set-piece coach told him to CROSS… before firing stunning free-kickCredit: APRoma 3 Barcelona 0 – April 10, 2018″Roma have risen from their ruins” was the call from commentator Peter Drury after the Italian’s side unlikely comeback win.Having been battered 4-1 at the Nou Camp, Roma were expected to fall away with a whimper.But Edin Dzeko netted early on to inspire a flicker of hope, before Daniele De Rossi and Kostas Manolas – who both scored own goals in the first leg – got on the scoresheet again to send the crowd wild.Declan Rice reveals Arsenal’s set-piece coach told him to CROSS… before firing stunning free-kickCredit: EPABarcelona 6 PSG 1 – March 8, 2017″La Remontada” – The Comeback.PSG stormed to a 4-0 win at home and even “MSN” – Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar – wouldn’t be able to overturn such a deficit.Or so we thought…Suarez scored after just three minutes to set the tone, before a Layvin Kurzawa own goal made it 2-0 at the break.Messi slotted home a spot-kick soon after half-time, but Edinson Cavani appeared to have struck the final nail in the coffin by pulling one back.That goal made it 3-1 in the night, but 3-5 on aggregate, with Barcelona needing THREE due to away goals.As the clock ticked over to 87 minutes, an increasingly-desperate Barcelona were still hunting a surely-impossible treble.Neymar curled home a free kick to give the faintest of hopes as the Nou Camp erupted.But then, in the 91st minute, they were awarded a penalty – tucked away by Neymar.Unable to keep the Brazilian out of the game, PSG were stunned in the final 20 seconds of added time as Neymar floated a ball into the box and a stretching Sergi Roberto poked the ball home in one of the wildest finales to a football match in history.Declan Rice reveals Arsenal’s set-piece coach told him to CROSS… before firing stunning free-kickCredit: GettyDeportivo La Coruna 4 AC Milan 0 – April 7, 2004Delving a little further into the archives for this one, fallen giants Deportivo La Coruna shocked peak Milan in the 2004 quarter-finals.Milan won the first leg convincingly, as Kaka (two), Andriy Shevchenko and Andrea Pirlo all scored in an eight-minute span, after the Spaniards had taken a shock lead.The LaLiga side – now in the third tier – needed something special in the return leg and that’s exactly what they got.Read More on The SunWalter Pandiani scored within five minutes to give them hope, before Valeron and Luque had wiped out the deficit before the break.Despite already leading on away goals, they then grabbed another with 15 minutes to play to kill the match off completely and reach the semis – where they lost 1-0 to the eventual champions, Jose Mourinho’s Porto.Deportivo La Coruna stunned a prime AC Milan team in a 2004 epicCredit: Reuters More