Champions League

INTER MILAN pals Andre Onana and Edin Dzeko had a fiery bust-up on the pitch against Porto.Goalkeeper Onana had to be held back by team-mate Hakan Calhanoglu as he shouted at Dzeko.

Hakan Calhanoglu had to step in as Andre Onana shouted at Edin DzekoCredit: Getty
Dzeko started the dispute by telling Onana to stop moaning at the refCredit: Getty
The row came in the second half of Inter’s 1-0 Champions League win over Porto.
Onana appeared to be upset with Dzeko after the striker told him to stop moaning at the referee.
The striker wanted Onana to get on with play and he was met by a wild outburst from the Cameroonian.
Onana seemed to tell Dzeko to “shut up” and gesture towards him angrily.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
Calhanoglu was on hand to defuse the situation and put his hand over Onana’s mouth.
Despite the row, a Romelu Lukaku goal in the 86th minute gave the Italians a one-goal advantage heading to Portugal for the second leg.
It comes just days after Lukaku and team-mate Nicolo Barrella clashed during the game against Udinese.
Lukaku struck a late winner against Porto and Onana also played a huge role in the victory as he produced a wonderful double save to keep the scores level.
Most read in Champions League
The keeper recently got into trouble over a confrontation with his own team at the World Cup.
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
Cameroon manager Rigobert Song reportedly sent Onana home following a dispute over his playing style which resulted in a shouting match.
Onana then decided to retire from international duty, announcing he had fulfilled his dream of playing for his country. More

MANCHESTER CITY fans were left fuming after being denied a penalty deep in stoppage time against RB Leipzig.With the score level at 1-1, the ball appeared to strike Benjamin Henrichs on the arm in the Leipzig box.
Manchester City were denied a late penalty against RB LeipzigCredit: BT Sport

As Rodri headed down a Riyad Mahrez cross into the box, the Leipzig man appeared to instinctively put his hands up.
And replays suggested Henrichs clearly made contact with the ball with his hands.
City stars immediately put their own hands up, appealing for a penalty to be given.
But referee Serdar Gozubuyuk was unmoved and blew for full-time just moments later.
Read More on Man City
The match finished 1-1 after Josko Gvardiol’s towering header cancelled out Mahrez’s opener.
But fans on social media were left fuming at being denied a late penalty.
One wrote on Twitter: “This game is so rigged.”
Another added: “That is one of the worst I’ve seen.”
Most read in Champions League
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
A third fumed: “What a farce.”
And a fourth said: “That was as blatant of a handball as it gets at the end of the game. City have been robbed.”
BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand was also in agreement.
He said: “That’s handball. He’s tried to push it away.”
Ferdinand added: “I think the City players’ reaction tells you all you need to know there. They all react and they all go to the referee.”
Ex-Prem ref Mark Halsey’s analysisMANCHESTER CITY should have been awarded a last-gasp penalty at Leipzig.
I felt it was a deliberate handball by Benjamin Henrichs to stop Rodri’s header.
Henrichs moved both of his arms towards the ball and pushed it away. Rodri’s header was not at pace so I couldn’t believe what Henrichs was doing.
Dutch referee Serdar Gozubuyuk did not point to the spot and VAR official Pol van Boekel did not intervene.
VAR can check a penalty shout even after the final whistle.

Former Premier League referee Peter Walton claimed on BT Sport after the game that VAR did not even check the incident.
Walton said: “The VAR did not check it. I have a monitor linked with Uefa that tells me when VAR are checking incidents.
“This particular incident wasn’t checked, and I’m surprised it wasn’t.”
Read More on The Sun
Meanwhile, City boss Pep Guardiola said: “I didn’t see it, so I cannot talk, but I know what happened in these situations.”
Guardiola held a team talk on the pitch at the full-time whistle – echoing shades of Hull boss Phil Brown at the Etihad in 2008. More

THOR blimey! Leipzig boss Marco Rose nicknamed his former striker Erling Haaland after the God from Norse mythology.
Manchester City have it all to do in the return leg at the EtihadCredit: Getty
Riyad Mahrez scored the opening goal with a classy finishCredit: Rex
Josko Gvardiol towered over Ruben Dias to head RB Leipzig levelCredit: Getty
But Josko Gvardiol not only kept him quiet – he also came up with a hammer blow of his own in the second half.
The Croatia World Cup star’s thunderous header cancelled out a brilliantly-worked first-half goal from Riyad Mahrez.
And it means Manchester City still have work to do in three weeks’ time if they are to claim their traditional place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Pep Guardiola will be frustrated as his team do not seem to have learned their lesson.
READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
Just like at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, they failed to kill the game off when they were completely on top and gave their opponents a chance.
You could say they ran out of energy at the hands of Red Bull.
Leipzig fans unfurled a banner saying ‘We’re on our way to Istanbul’ – with the final due to be played in the Turkish capital on June 10, they were not just here to make up the numbers.
And their recent form shows why they were confident with just one defeat in their last 20 matches dating back to early October.
Most read in Champions League
HOW TO GET FREE BETS ON FOOTBALL
Rose’s men like to play on the counter-attack and let their opponents come on to them – yet it has proved to be highly effective.
It made for an interesting clash of styles with City – who love to have the ball – completely dominating the ball in the opening half hour.
Creating chances was another matter with their main man Kevin de Bruyne back home in Manchester due to illness.
Haaland – who has scored more against Leipzig than any other team with six goals in four games – did not get much of a look in.
An Ilkay Gundogan header from a Mahrez corner was straight at home keeper Janis Blaswich.
Rodri skied an effort high over the bar after a well-worked move while Mahrez fired a free-kick into the wall.
City were knocking on the door and just before the half-hour mark they finally ground down the home side to take the lead.
Xaver Schlager gave the ball away to Jack Grealish whose pass was tickled into the path of Mahrez by skipper Gundogan.

The Algerian burst into the box and finished coolly with that deadly left peg of his – sweeping his shot past Blaswich.
It was a 20th goal in this competition for Mahrez, only four other African players have achieved that total.
Having sat back for the whole game until then, Leipzig now had a dilemma and City had the opportunity to effectively kill off the tie.
Rodri got in at the back post from a corner but nobody was there to touch in his header back across goal – as it bounced just out of Haaland’s reach.
Then Grealish – who was once again catching the eye – cut in from the left and curled a 20-yard effort inches over with Blaswich nowhere near it.
It was as one-sided a first half as you are likely to see at this stage of the competition – with the 2020 semi-finalists barely getting a look in.  
Although right on half-time, Leipzig finally had an effort on goal as former Chelsea man Timo Werner shot straight at Ederson.
Having reached the final in 2021 and come within seconds of doing the same last year, City look an accomplished side on the European stage now.
It was all going swimmingly for City in the first halfCredit: EPA
Gvardiol celebrated after scoring against one of the teams who want to sign himCredit: Getty
They were clearly in the mood to finish this tie as soon after the re-start, Gundogan crossed for Mahrez but his goalbound shot was blocked by Schlager.
Yet just like at Forest at the weekend, City had not turned their dominance into a substantial lead – and Leipzig finally came to life.
Half-time sub Benjamin Henrichs landed a header on the roof of the net and then fired wide when he was put through on goal by Dominik Szoboszlai.
Andre Silva twisted one way then the other to get in down the left but Ederson made himself big and got down to make the save.
Rose needed someone to finish these chances off and midway through the second half he threw on his main man Christopher Nkunku.
The French forward – who is expected to join Chelsea in the summer – scored a hat-trick when these teams met at the Etihad 18 months ago.
While committing more men to attack, Leipzig were vulnerable at the back and Grealish played through Haaland but he dragged his shot wide.
But the home side got the goal their efforts deserved as a corner was played short and Marcel Halstenberg sent over a delicious outswinging cross.
Ederson hesitated and was caught in no man’s land as Gvardiol climbed over the back of Ruben Dias to nod home the equaliser.
City could have re-taken the lead as Gundogan’s shot was pushed away by Blaswich – once again just out of the reach of the on-rushing Haaland.
Read More on The Sun
And they felt they should have had an injury-time penalty when Benjamin Henrichs put his hands up to block – no doubt Haaland would have been confident of burying the spot-kick.
But it was typical of the Norwegian’s evening. Even Norse Gods have off nights.
Benjamin Henrichs escaped an apparent blatant hand ballCredit: BT Sport
Pep Guardiola cut a frustrated figure on the sidelinesCredit: EPA
Jack Grealish was on the end of some robust challengesCredit: Getty More

ERLING HAALAND gave the Champions League ball a once over in Manchester City training ahead of Wednesday’s clash with RB Leipzig.City travel to Germany to take on the Bundesliga side, with the second leg scheduled for March 14 back at the Etihad.

Erling Haaland carefully inspected the new Champions League ball in trainingCredit: Sky Sports via Twitter / @footballdaily
He appeared to show something on the ball to a Manchester City staff memberCredit: Sky Sports via Twitter / @footballdaily
Haaland spent some time checking out the ballCredit: Sky Sports via Twitter / @footballdaily
The new Champions League ball has been a hit with fansCredit: Getty
Pep Guardiola and Co haven’t played in the competition since November 2 and, ahead of their return, Haaland took a good long look at the new Champions League ball.
The 22-year-old goal machine was spotted in City training nonchalantly flicking up a ball before spending some time checking out the new design.
He moved it around in his hands before walking over to a member of City’s staff and appearing to show it to them.
After a brief chat he dropped the ball back to the ground and got a feel for it with his feet.
Read More in Football
It’s unclear what exactly caught Haaland’s eye, but football fans on social media are certainly fans of the new design.
Many took to Twitter to heap praise on Adidas for the ball, which will be used in this year’s Champions League final, as well as the knockout rounds.
One wrote approvingly: “That’s a piece of art for real.”
And another said: “Now that’s magical.”
Most read in Champions League
BETTING SPECIAL – BEST SPORTS BETTING APPS IN THE UK
Haaland himself will be looking to conjure up some magic with the new ball.
He scored five goals in four games in the Champions League group stages, and will be eager to continue that form in the knockouts.
Despite their recent success, the Champions League continues to elude City.
But with Haaland leading the line, City are well fancied to end their European curse this season. More