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      Cristiano Ronaldo set for first Europa League game for TWENTY YEARS.. and he’ll be hoping it’s not disappointment again

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO is set to make his first appearance in the Europa League for 20 YEARS this evening.The 37-year-old has not turned out in Europe’s second-tier competition since way back in his Sporting Lisbon days.
      Cristiano Ronaldo has only ever played two games in the Europa LeagueCredit: Reuters
      Ronaldo has not played in the tournament for 20 yearsCredit: AFP
      Ronaldo had wanted to leave Manchester United this summer in order to continue playing in the Champions League.
      But after no offers came in he has been resigned to running out on Thursday night’s.
      The Red Devils host Real Sociedad at Old Trafford tonight on matchday one of the competition.
      And if CR7 plays this evening, it will be nearly 20 years since his last appearance in the competition.
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      That being when it was still called the UEFA Cup.
      Ronaldo played in the second leg of Sporting Lisbon’s first round clash with Serbian outfit Partizan Belgrade on October 10, 2002.

      He also came on as a substitute in the first leg on September 19.
      Sporting were beaten 3-1 at home in the first leg, before forcing extra-time in the return fixture after leading 3-1 at the end of 90 minutes.
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      But Partizan broke Sporting hearts with a dramatic extra-time victory, scoring in the 110th and 177th minute to send Ronaldo crashing out.
      Ronaldo has played in the Champions League in EVERY season since then – and is the competition’s record scorer.
      He has netted an incredible 140 times in the tournament, and won it FIVE times.
      Yet his pedigree in Europe’s elite competition has not saved him from dropping down to the Europa League.
      Ronaldo is poised to start tonight’s game against Real Sociedad with Erik ten Hag set to ring the changes amid a hectic run of fixtures. More

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      Richarlison hails Champions League debut as one of best days of his life – as Hugo Lloris prepares for Erling Haaland

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      RICHARLISON labelled his Champions League debut one of the best days of his life.The Brazilian, who joined Tottenham from Everton for £60million in July, marked his bow with two late goals to help Spurs beat Marseille 2-0 on Wednesday night.
      Richarlison in tears at the final whistle with his fatherCredit: Getty
      He was in tears at the final whistle as he hugged his father and mother in the crowd.
      Richarlison, 25, said: “After hearing the anthem, I started to smile, it was my dream as a kid.
      “Being there, listening to the anthem, playing the match, I got very emotional and I was rewarded after scoring these two goals with the help of my friends.
      “The whole team helped me a lot. I’m very happy, it was one of the best days of my life with my father and family here. 
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      “My father was here, he has been with me through all my career. He helped me a lot to make my dreams come true. 
      “To have him here was very emotional for me because he’s a huge part of my success.”
      Antonio Conte spoke of his happiness at seeing ‘Richy’ fare so well in this competition after the game.
      The Italian is a huge fan of Richarlison, admiring his technical skills, his feistiness and his versatility.
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      And Richarlison is loving working under the former Chelsea boss who is pushing him to become a better player.
      The ex-Watford striker added: “He always supports me and wants me to train harder. 
      “He’s always attentive all the time during the training sessions, he makes us work very hard to secure wins.”
      Skipper Hugo Lloris has been hugely impressed with Richarlison since his arrival.
      Hugo Lloris kept another clean sheet and is now focusing on Manchester CityCredit: Getty
      Tottenham face their biggest test of the season vs Erling Haaland on Saturday
      The former Toffee has four goal involvements this season, only one fewer than Harry Kane and three more than Son Heung-min.
      Frenchman Lloris said: “I think he deserves these goals. They’re very important for him but also for the team. 
      “I think he’s making a lot of effort every day in training, every time he has the opportunity in a game and today he scored two great headers. Obviously he made the game easy for us.
      “We used to face him and when you face an opponent you have no idea who they are, really.
      “I think he settled very well into the team and as you can see he’s finding his place. That’s good because we need everyone ready for competition.
      “He’s a competitor. You just have to see him in training sessions or every game that we play, he’s always there to compete. 
      “To put the defenders under stress and pressure. That’s why he was rewarded for all his work. And for sure a lot is coming for him.”
      Now the focus switches for unbeaten Spurs to Manchester City away this Saturday evening.
      Tottenham won 3-2 at the Etihad last season but this year Pep Guardiola’s side have Erling Haaland, which Lloris believes gives them a new dimension.
      The stopper added: “We’ll prepare for the game as good as we can. We have one day less of recovery (than City) and that can make the difference, we know. 
      “We’re going to focus on recovery but then, yes, we know how they play. 
      “But also with the new signing Haaland they have another aspect in their game which they can use. We’re going to study the way they play and we’ll try our best to get something.”
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      Ivan Perisic added: “It’s going to be tough. (City are a) great team, great coach, great players.
      “But we have nothing to lose. We know it’s going to be tough, but we have a great team and we go there to try to win.”  More

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      Five arrested and police officer ‘breaks hand’ as Tottenham win marred by bottles and fireworks launched by fans

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      FIVE Marseille fans were arrested following crowd trouble at the end of their 2-0 defeat at Tottenham on Wednesday – which left one police officer with a suspected broken hand.There were ugly scenes in the away section at full-time after Spurs had won the Champions League group-stage opener 2-0.
      Marseille fans threw a firework into the Tottenham endCredit: Getty
      Marseille fans also tore down Tottenham’s Pride bannerCredit: Getty
      Stewards had to hold Marseille fans back before riot police stepped inCredit: Getty
      Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton, formerly of Marseille, was in the away sectionCredit: Getty
      Missiles were thrown by both sets of supporters and a firework was lobbed at Spurs fans.
      Riot police had to step in to support stewards to hold the Marseille fans back, some of which at one point tried to storm the barricade separating them from their hosts.
      The arrests were for a variety of offences including possession of an offensive weapon, affray, being drunk and disorderly and drugs.
      The travelling fans also ripped down the Pride banner in their section, which shows Tottenham’s support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.
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      A statement from the Metropolitan police read: “Five people have been arrested at the Champions League match Tottenham Hotspurs FC  versus Marseille FC on Wednesday, September 7.
      “The arrests were for a variety of offences including offensive weapon, affray, drunk and disorderly and drugs; all those arrested are believed to be away supporters.
      “During the match missiles were thrown on several occasions
      “One officer was injured during an arrest and suffered a suspected broken hand.
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      “There was serious disorder at the end of the fixture and additional officers were deployed to restore and maintain order.”
      Both clubs are likely to be hit with a Uefa charge for failing to control their supporters in the coming days.
      Uefa’s disciplinary body will assess the report from the game and decide whether to take action – whether it be a warning or a fine. The clubs’ respective previous records will be taken into account.
      Spurs won the game thanks to two late goals from Richarlison.
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      It was an even contest until Marseille had ex-Newcastle defender Chancel Mbemba sent off two minutes into the second half for hacking down Son Heung-min.
      Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton was also spotted among the away fans, having played for Marseille on loan for a season in 2012.  More

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      Uefa open investigation after Juventus fans appear to make Nazi salutes and monkey gestures towards PSG rival

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      UEFA and French police have opened an investigation into allegations that Juventus fans made “Nazi salutes and monkey noises” in a game against PSG.The report from the Associated Press comes after the Italian side lost 2-1 in Paris thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe.
      Uefa have opened investigation after Juventus fans appeared to make Nazi salutes and monkey gestures towards PSG rivalsCredit: Twitter
      It is said four fans were detained after Paris police reviewed surveillance footage from the gameCredit: Twitter
      It is said four fans were detained after Paris police reviewed surveillance footage from the game.
      And now an investigation is being launched into allegations of public provocation of racial hatred from the travelling away support.
      Uefa say an ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to “conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding allegations of discriminatory behaviour by Juventus supporters”.
      According to Uefa rules, Juventus are responsible for the behaviour of their fans at the stadium.
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      Juventus could be made to close part or all of their stadium for a Champions League match and pay a fine as part of a possible punishment.
      The 36-time Serie A champions have not made any public comments on the allegations of racism during the game at PSG.
      Juventus’ next Champions League match is scheduled for September 14 against Benfica.
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      Massimiliano Allegri’s side found themselves a goal down to PSG just five minutes into the match when Mbappe opened the lead.
      The Frenchman then doubled his tally on 22 minutes to leave Juventus two down before the break.
      Substitute Weston McKennie did pull one back on 53 minutes but the Ligue 1 kings held out to win.
      Kylian Mbappe scored twice against JuventusCredit: Splash More

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      Man Utd icon Rio Ferdinand slams Van Dijk, Salah & Fabinho and claims Liverpool are ‘nowhere near’ title-winning side

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      RIO FERDINAND has blasted Liverpool for being “nowhere near” the levels of recent years as he slammed Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho.The Reds lost 4-1 against Napoli on Wednesday night in their Champions League group stage opener having shipped in three first half goals.
      Manchester United legend has ripped into Liverpool following their 4-1 defeat against NapoliCredit: Getty
      Mohamed Salah is struggling for form having scored just twice in his opening seven matchesCredit: Getty
      Virgil van Dijk has also been subject to criticism over his displays this campaignCredit: Rex
      Jurgen Klopp’s side have struggled for form this season having won just two out of their opening six Premier League matches.
      The German gaffer apologised to the club’s supporters after the victory, but stated that he doesn’t feel under pressure following Thomas Tuchel’s shock Chelsea sacking.
      However Manchester United legend Ferdinand believes the ex-Borussia Dortmund manager should be worried that Liverpool’s star players are underperforming.
      He namechecked the likes of Salah, Van Dijk and Fabinho as being three squad members that are not contributing anything of note.
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      Speaking during half-time, Ferdinand labelled Liverpool’s first half display as “embarrassing”, and he continued his scathing analysis after the full-time whistle.
      The BT Sport pundit said: “A big problem for Liverpool is too many of their big stars, who they’ve relied on over the years are nowhere near the levels that they’ve produced.
      “Salah’s not at the levels he was at before in terms of output, Virgil van Dijk the same.
      “Fabinho even looks a bit off it, and you can go through the whole team. 
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      “The two full backs look off it, the goalkeeper.
      “When you’re a manager, normally you can rely on 3-4 players for those performances, he’s not getting that at the moment.”
      Reds icon Robbie Fowler has expressed his fear that Liverpool could drop further points in the top-flight when they welcome Wolves to Anfield on Saturday.
      He remarked: “We were not working as a team. That is why we lose games.
      “We play in the strongest league in the world and have a tough Champions League group too.
      “We have to play in three days against Wolves. If Wolves saw that game tonight they would not stop laughing and would say it is the perfect moment.
      “We have to try to find a set up to be much better in pretty much everything.” More

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      Joey Barton gives Tottenham fans middle finger as he receives hero’s welcome in Marseille end after meeting fans in pub

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      JOEY BARTON flashed his middle finger at Tottenham fans after taking a seat in the Marseille away end for Wednesday’s Champions League clash.The Bristol Rovers boss met up with supporters of the French club in a pub before the game.
      Joey Barton gave Tottenham fans the middle finger as he cheered on MarseilleCredit: Getty
      Barton was seranaded by Marseille fans in the away end of the Tottenham Hotspur stadiumCredit: Getty
      Barton was in the thick of the action with the travelling supportCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      He then walked to the stadium with them and gave Spurs fans the middle finger as he got right in the thick of the action inside the ground.
      Barton, 40, played for Marseille on loan in 2012-13 and has a close affection for the team.
      And it seems that feeling is reciprocated by the Marseille fanbase as they still hold him in high esteem.
      A crowd of Marseille fans erupted into song when Barton walked into a Tottenham pub ahead of their game.
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      The boisterous crowd sang Barton’s name and the former midfielder was happy to pose for photos.
      Barton was given an even bigger reception inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium wearing a Marseille T-shirt he appeared to be gifted.
      Barton joined Marseille fans before the gameCredit: Reuters
      Barton appeared to be having a great time as he cheered on his former clubCredit: Getty
      The Bristol Rovers boss looked humbled as he soaked up the adoration from nearby fans and he gestured his thanks to the crowd.
      Barton began fist pumping and then applauded the travelling supporters for their efforts as they were in fine voice.
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      Meanwhile, Bristol Rovers’ social media team reacted to footage of Barton circling Twitter by saying: “G…gaffer?”
      Football fans were impressed with Barton’s dedication to his former side with one supporter writing: “Quality.”
      Another commented: “What a guy, love him me😂.”
      And a third said: “Quality this lad Marseille ultra.”
      Unfortunately for Barton, he couldn’t roar his former team on to victory as a Richarlison brace condemned them to a 2-0 defeat.
      The game was marred by ugly clashes between fans inside the stadium.
      Barton wore an orange Marseille T-shirt as he watched his former side in actionCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Barton stood alongside bare-chested Marseille fans as he cheered on his former teamCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Barton walked to the game with Marseille fansCredit: PA More

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      Klopp APOLOGISES to Liverpool fans after Napoli nightmare but insists calm owners won’t sack him like Tuchel at Chelsea

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      JURGEN KLOPP suffered another Napoli nightmare – then apologised to the club’s travelling fans.The German, who had lost his previous three matches here as a boss, walked over and apologised to the supporters after his team had been ripped apart.
      Liverpool were thrashed by Napoli on Wednesday nightCredit: Rex
      Klopp apologised to the Liverpool fans who travelled to Italy for the gameCredit: Getty
      Napoli, who missed their second penalty of the evening at 1-0, scored through Piotr Zielinski (two), Andre-Frank Anguissa and Giovanni Simeone.
      Luis Diaz pulled one back for the Reds – but it never looked like being anything more than a consolation strike.
      Klopp, whose keeper Alisson saved Victor Osimhen’s penalty when losing 1-0, said: “It is a long flight from Liverpool to Napoli. It was a very disappointing night so I have to say sorry to them.
      “The problems we had was obvious. Number one, Napoli played a really good game and we played a really bad one.
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      “Why? We cannot ignore the really bad start, the penalty and the other penalty But we didn’t play good enough.
      “The question is why the boys did not play a good game because they want to so it is my job to work it out. It is my responsibility.
      “It was really tough, tough to take but not that difficult to explain when you saw the game.”
      Klopp was also asked whether he feared the sack after a terrible night.
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      The Kop boss said: “Not really but who knows? There are different kind of owners. Our owners are rather calm and expect from me to sort the situation and not expect that someone else will sort it.
      “That is how they always saw it and on the day they change their thoughts they might tell me.”
      Still shell-shocked over the abysmal performance, with Liverpool yet to win away this season, the German added: “You don’t think a lot after the game – you react more.
      “We have to kind of reinvent ourselves, so basic things were not there. It is a difficult period, no doubt about that but if you are not playing exceptionally well you still can defend on a really high level.
      “We should be able to do that. If you concede a penalty after three minutes and then another after 10 minutes you cannot do that.
      “It is a job to do. It is not that we have to invent a new kind of football, we have to improve.
      “Everybody would be happy if we could play the stuff we used to play. This was the least compact performance I saw from us for a long long time.
      “Napoli were really good but we made it easy for them. We lost the ball in areas and the next situation was a counter-attack.
      “The reason why it is like this is getting clearer but I need time to say the right things because at the moment it is not 100 percent clear.”
      ‘NAPOLI MILES BETTER’
      Liverpool had lost their previous two games here in southern Italy, while Klopp also suffered a defeat with Borussia Dortmund.
      It is the seventh game in a row Liverpool have run less than their opponents and they now face Wolves on Saturday.
      Left-back Andy Robertson said: “We were too open. You can’t come to a place like this and not be compact.
      “They were the miles better team but when you miss one challenge you need someone to back his mate up but too many times we got turned and they had big open spaces.
      “We have to get back to basics. We deserved this result the way we were wide open. In the first half in felt like they had an extra man.
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      “You know the crowd are going to be up and you have to be ready to fight.
      “I don’t think we were close enough to our mate when we went to press the ball.” More

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      Robert Lewandowski beats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to amazing Champions League record with Barcelona hat-trick

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      ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI became the first player to score a Champions League hat-trick for three clubs as Barcelona thrashed Viktoria Plzen 5-1 in Group C.Franck Kessie nodded his first Barca goal to get them off to a flyer.
      Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick for Barcelona and made Champions League historyCredit: Rex
      Lewandowski then got off the mark for the night with 34 minutes on the clock.
      He added a second in the dying seconds of the first half.
      That was moments after Jan Sykora had pulled one back for Plzen.
      But the onslaught continued following the break as Barcelona and Lewandowski added to their tallies.
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      The Pole took his Champions League tally to 89 on 67 minutes to claim the matchball.
      This hat-trick now goes to his previous trebles for Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
      And it continued to get even better for Barcelona as Ferran Torres completed the rout with a fifth.
      Meanwhile, Bayern won 2-0 at Inter in the same group.
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      That was thanks to Leroy Sane’s stunner and Danilo D’Ambrosio’s own goal.
      In Group B, Atletico Madrid’s Mario Hermoso scored in stoppage time against Porto then gave away a penalty, which Mateus Uribe converted.
      But Antoine Griezmann nodded Atletico’s winner in the ELEVENTH minute of injury-time as the Spanish hosts beat ten-man Porto 2-1.
      That was after Mehdi Taremi was shown a second yellow for diving. More