Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage for the first time in over 20 years with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich on Wednesday, as Benfica, French champions Lille and Red Bull Salzburg all qualified for the last 16.

Meanwhile, Chelsea missed out on first place in their group to Juventus after conceding a late equaliser away to Zenit Saint Petersburg, while snow in northern Italy forced the postponement of Atalanta’s decisive game against Villarreal.

Barcelona started the day in second place in Group E but had to win away to Bayern Munich to be sure of going through, otherwise they risked being overtaken by Benfica.

Xavi Hernandez’s side were duly outclassed by an already-qualified Bayern who made it six wins out of six in the group, with Thomas Mueller’s 34th-minute header just crossing the line before Ronald Araujo could clear.

The game was played behind closed doors at the Allianz Arena due to coronavirus restrictions in Bavaria, but that did not handicap Bayern, with Leroy Sane’s powerful strike doubling their lead before the break and then Jamal Musiala making it 3-0 just after the hour.

‘A new era’

The Catalans were knocked out as Benfica beat Dynamo Kiev 2-0 in Lisbon, first-half goals by Roman Yaremchuk and Gilberto seeing them snatch second and a place in next Monday’s draw for the last 16.

“We didn’t compete. This is the Champions League but it is our reality and we have to face up to it,” Xavi told Spanish media.

“We are starting a new era from zero. Our objective is the Champions League, not the Europa League.”

Barcelona, who scored just twice in the group stage, had appeared in the knockout rounds of the Champions League in each of the last 17 seasons, last missing out in 2003-04 when they played in the UEFA Cup after coming sixth in La Liga the previous year.

They last went out of the Champions League in the group stage in 2000/01 when a team featuring a 20-year-old Xavi finished third in their section behind AC Milan and Leeds United.

The five-time European champions will now drop into the Europa League knockout-round play-offs in February.

Juve pip Chelsea

In contrast Lille are through to the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in 15 years after beating Wolfsburg 3-1 in Germany to top Group G.

Burak Yilmaz gave Lille an early lead and Canadian striker Jonathan David made it 2-0 in the 72nd minute before Angel Gomes got their third. Renato Steffen got a late consolation.

Salzburg, Austrian champions in each of the last eight seasons, also progressed thanks to a 1-0 win over Sevilla, with Noah Okafor scoring the only goal before the Spaniards had Joan Jordan sent off.

It is the first time Salzburg have reached the knockout phase, while Sevilla join the likes of Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League—that may suit them given they have won that trophy or its predecessor the UEFA Cup a record six times, all since 2006.

Atalanta game postponed

Last season’s winners Chelsea had already qualified for the last 16 and were on course to top Group H as they led 3-2 away to Zenit going into injury time.

But then Magomed Ozdoev’s stunning strike earned Zenit a 3-3 draw, allowing Juventus to snatch first place as Moise Kean’s goal gave them a 1-0 win against Malmo.

Timo Werner had tapped in to put Chelsea ahead in the second minute, but Claudinho and Sardar Azmoun both scored before the break for Zenit.

Romelu Lukaku’s first goal in nearly three months made it 2-2, and Werner’s second of the night looked to have won it for Chelsea before Ozdoev struck.

“My analysis is very clear: our behaviour changes when we have a lead and this is something we never did and we should never do,” said Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, whose team twice squandered an advantage to lose 3-2 at West Ham United last weekend.

Atalanta’s game against Villarreal in Group F was postponed due to snow in Bergamo and was rescheduled for Thursday at 1800 GMT, with the Italians having to win to pip their visitors to second place in the group.

Group winners Manchester United drew 1-1 at home to Young Boys, with Mason Greenwood’s acrobatic effort putting Ralf Rangnick’s side ahead before Fabian Rieder equalised.

Source: AFP

Ralph Rangnick has been granted a work permit to start his reign as Manchester United manager, the Premier League club announced on Thursday.

The 63-year-old German will be introduced to the media on Friday and take charge of the team for the first time at Crystal Palace on Sunday.

“As all paperwork has now been completed, we will hold an in-person press conference with Ralf Rangnick at Old Trafford at 9:00 am tomorrow morning,” said a United statement.

United confirmed the appointment of Rangnick as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s short-term replacement on Monday.

But Rangnick, who was manager of sports and development at Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow, had to wait for a work permit to begin his role at Old Trafford.

Caretaker manager Michael Carrick will take charge for a third time against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Thursday, the former United midfielder having overseen a Champions League win at Villarreal and a Premier League draw at Chelsea.

Rangnick will remain as manager until the end of the season before starting a two-year consultancy role at United.

Source: AFP

France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema was given a one-year suspended jail sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros ($84,000) Wednesday in a sex-tape case that rocked French soccer.

Benzema was found guilty of being involved in an attempt in 2015 to blackmail France teammate Mathieu Valbuena.

The Versailles court decision is unlikely to affect Benzema’s immediate sporting future. The forward is regarded as one of the favorites to win the Ballon d’Or award on Nov. 29 in Paris following an impressive season with Madrid. French federation president Noel Le Great has already said Benzema would be allowed to keep playing with France even if found guilty.

Benzema’s lawyers said he will appeal.

Benzema, who denied wrongdoing, didn’t attend the trial in Versailles last month and was absent for the verdict. The four other defendants were also found guilty and did not appear at the court Wednesday.

Prosecutors had asked that Benzema be fined 75,000 euros, the maximum allowed on the charge, and be given a suspended 10-month jail term if found guilty.

Benzema was charged with complicity in the blackmail attempt over a sex tape thought to have been stolen from Valbuena’s mobile phone.

After preliminary charges in November 2015, Benzema was dropped from France’s national team by coach Didier Deschamps. That resulted in Benzema missing the 2016 European Championship, and also the 2018 World Cup which was won by France.

Deschamps recalled Benzema ahead of the delayed Euro 2020 tournament and has since fielded him regularly.

Source: AP

Manchester United have sacked manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Watford.

The club have won just one of their past seven Premier League matches and are seventh in the table, 12 points behind leaders Chelsea.

First-team coach Michael Carrick has been placed in temporary charge while United seek an interim manager to the end of the season.

“It is with regret that we have reached this difficult decision,” United said.

The club’s recent run of poor form includes a 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool on 24 October and a 2-0 defeat by Manchester City on 6 November.

United added: “While the past few weeks have been disappointing, they should not obscure all the work he has done over the past three years to rebuild the foundations for long-term success.

“Ole leaves with our sincerest thanks for his tireless efforts as manager and our very best wishes for the future.”

Solskjaer is a former Red Devils player, scoring 126 goals in 11 seasons from 1996-2007 including the winner in the 1999 Champions League final.

United said in their statement: “His place in the club’s history will always be secure, not just for his story as a player, but as a great man and a manager who gave us many great moments.

“He will forever be welcome back at Old Trafford as part of the Manchester United family.”

United next play when they travel to Spain to take on Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday, before league games against Chelsea and Arsenal.

Darren Fletcher will stay on as technical director, while Mike Phelan and Kieran McKenna – who were part of Solskjaer’s coaching set up – will also remain at the club for the time being.

Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, currently out of work, is an early favourite with bookmakers to become United’s next manager.

Source: BBC

Xavi Hernandez, one of Barcelona’s most celebrated players, is returning to the club as coach.

The Spanish giants confirmed a deal with Al Sadd, the Qatari side he has been coaching, was done early Saturday.

He will replace another former Barca player, Ronald Koeman, who was sacked last month.

Xavi faces a huge task in restoring Barcelona to the glories they reached when he won eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues as part of a celebrated midfield.

Barca are saddled with huge debts, partly from paying the wages of Lionel Messi, who the club was forced to let leave for Paris Saint-Germain this summer because they could no longer afford him.

The club head into Saturday’s away game at Celta Vigo lying ninth in La Liga after winning only two of their last seven league games.

AFP Sport takes a look at five issues to address at the Camp Nou:

Cut the gap on the top four

Barcelona’s perilous financial situation means they simply cannot afford not to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

The club are 1.35 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in debt and any attempt to rebuild both financially and on the pitch will depend on playing in Europe’s elite competition next season.

The situation is salvageable, with the gap only six points between Barca in ninth and Atletico Madrid who currently occupy the fourth Champions League qualification spot, but there can be no room for complacency given the form of a number of teams challenging at the top this season.

Champions League last 16 a necessity

Back-to-back victories against Dynamo Kiev have revived Barcelona’s hopes of reaching the last 16 after they began the group stage with consecutive 3-0 losses to Bayern Munich and Benfica.

But there is work still to do, with a home game against Benfica before a trip to Bayern.

Escaping the group after such a poor start under Koeman would give Xavi an early injection of credibility while the club would avoid missing out on 9.6 million euros in UEFA prize money for reaching the knock-out stage.

Improve the playing style

One of the biggest criticisms of Koeman centred around his playing style, with too many performances lacking either creativity or a clear sense of a plan.

Barcelona may not have the talent anymore of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Messi but there is still room for improvement on recent performances.

Combining the club’s traditions of possession football with a modern, counter-pressing game would bring the fans back onside and give the players belief that a long-term vision was at least in place.

Blood the youngsters

One of Koeman’s biggest achievements was promoting a talented group of youngsters and the challenge now will be to maximise their potential.

Ansu Fati and Pedri are the great hopes for the future but the likes of Ronald Araujo, Sergino Dest, Gavi, Nico Gonzalez and Alex Balde have also shown promise and need nurturing.

If they can thrive alongside more experienced players like Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, whose futures must also be managed, Barca can have an exciting team for the future.

Move on from Messi

Messi’s departure to Paris in August left a gigantic hole at Barcelona, his absence exposing the cracks the Argentinian covered for so long.

They have struggled for goals this season, with Memphis Depay inconsistent and Luuk de Jong out of his depth, but there has also been a lack of belief.

Sergio Aguero, the veteran Argentinian forward who joined from Manchester City in pre-season, will be sidelined for at least three months after suffering a chest injury.

Koeman constantly asked for realistic expectations but his downbeat assessment bordered on defeatist at times.

Barca may not be able to afford a star signing like Kylian Mbappe to fill the void but for now, the players just appear in need of some confidence.

Source: AFP

Tottenham on Monday sacked manager Nuno Espirito Santo after just four months in charge following their fifth defeat in 10 Premier League games.

Spurs gave an insipid display in their 3-0 defeat at home by Manchester United on Saturday, with fans booing and chanting “You don’t know what you’re doing” at the former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and managing director of football Fabio Paratici are understood to have met on Sunday to discuss the Portuguese manager’s fate.

A statement from the club on Monday said Nuno and his coaching staff had been “relieved of their duties”.

“I know how much Nuno and his coaching staff wanted to succeed and I regret that we have had to take this decision,” Paratici said in the statement.

“Nuno is a true gentleman and will always be welcome here. We should like to thank him and his coaching staff and wish them well for the future.”

Spurs said a further coaching update would follow in due course.

Former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte, who worked with Paratici at Juventus, is the bookies’ favourite to take over, with Sky in Italy reporting Conte is set to fly to London for talks.

Not first choice

Nuno, 47, was announced as the new manager of the north London club on June 30, replacing Jose Mourinho, who was sacked in April.

The ex-Valencia and Porto boss, who was not the first choice for Spurs, was appointed after ex-manager Mauricio Pochettino, Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso were all linked with the job.

Tottenham topped the Premier League table after three 1-0 wins at the start of the season, including a victory over defending champions Manchester City, but results rapidly deteriorated.

They have lost five of their past seven Premier League matches and are eighth in the table, 10 points behind leaders Chelsea.

Nuno lost seven of his 17 games in all competitions, with fans who craved attacking football increasingly frustrated by his conservative style.

Tottenham did not manage a single shot on target against United, with England captain Harry Kane largely anonymous.

Kane, denied a move to Manchester City in the transfer window, has only managed one Premier League goal so far this campaign after winning his third Golden Boot last season.

Former Tottenham star Gary Lineker tweeted: “Nuno has been fired. @SpursOfficial are something of a shambles at present.”

A statement from Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust said the organisation took no pleasure in Nuno’s departure.

“Nuno Espirito Santo conducted himself with integrity, good grace and civility throughout his short time at Spurs,” it said. “And although clearly not the right fit for Tottenham, we wish him and his coaching staff… well for the future.”

Nuno guided Wolves from the second-tier Championship to the Premier League in 2018 and secured consecutive seventh-place finishes in their first two seasons back in the top-flight before a 13th-place finish last term.

Spurs fans are desperate to challenge again for the Champions League places after missing out on European football’s premier competition for two consecutive seasons.

They were regular top-four finishers under Pochettino, reaching the Champions League final in 2019, but have not won silverware of any description since 2008.

Source: AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo announced on social media on Thursday that his partner Georgina Rodriguez is expecting twins.

“Delighted to announce we are expecting twins. Our hearts are full of love – we can’t wait to meet you,” the 37-year-old Manchester United and Portugal star, who is already the father of four children, wrote on Instagram.

The post was accompanied by a photo of the couple lying in bed with Ronaldo holding up a double ultrasound for the camera.

The footballer’s eldest son, Cristiano Junior, was born in June 2010 to a surrogate.

Seven years later, in June 2017, Ronaldo became the father of twins Eva and Mateo in the same way. Alana Martina, born in November 2017, was the first child from his union with Rodriguez.

In 2017, Ronaldo told France Football that he wanted seven children.

Source: AFP

After another poor performance and yet another loss, Ronald Koeman couldn’t hang on any longer as Barcelona coach.

It took less than three months after Lionel Messi’s departure for Koeman to finally succumb as the pressure kept increasing and the Catalan club’s struggles continued.

Barcelona announced Koeman’s firing shortly after the team’s 1-0 loss at Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish league on Wednesday.

The loss followed a 2-1 home loss to rival Real Madrid in the “clásico” at the Camp Nou Stadium on Sunday.

Koeman had said in a post-match interview Wednesday he didn’t know if his future with the club was at risk. He soon found out. Club president Joan Laporta informed the Dutch coach of his decision after the loss.

Captain Sergio Busquets had said Koeman shouldn’t be the only one to blame for the team’s poor performances.

“We are all on the same boat,” the midfielder said after the match, before the decision on Koeman was announced.

Koeman has been under constant pressure after a poor start to the team’s first season without Messi in nearly two decades. The Argentina star joined Paris Saint-Germain in August.

Barcelona said Koeman “will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday.”

Koeman leaves with the club in ninth place in the Spanish league standings with 15 points from 10 matches.

Among the team’s five losses this season were 3-0 results in the Champions League against Bayern Munich at home and at Benfica.

The loss to Rayo marked the team’s fifth away match without a win, something that hadn’t happened to the club in nearly two decades.

Barcelona won five matches and drew three this season under the Dutch coach who took over shortly after the team’s embarrassing 8-2 loss to Bayern in the Champions League last year. His only title with the Catalan club was last season’s Copa del Rey.

In total, Koeman coached Barcelona in 67 matches in his 15 months in charge, with 39 wins, 16 losses and 12 draws.

Barcelona last season finished third in the Spanish league and was eliminated by PSG in the quarterfinals of the Champions league.

Koeman had been publicly at odds with Laporta, though the club had recently expressed its support for the coach, including after he was harassed by a small group of fans outside the stadium after the home loss to Madrid last weekend.

Koeman had also upset some of his players after saying Barcelona would not realistically contend for much this season as it continued to deal with serious financial difficulties.

The club also lost Antoine Griezmann to Atlético Madrid and was relying mostly on youngsters who have been hastily promoted from its youth squads.

The coach reportedly agreed to let go of striker Luis Suárez after he arrived in a bid to help the team financially. Suárez went on to help Atlético win the league title last season.

A replacement for Koeman was not immediately announced, but Spanish media reported former player Xavi Hernández was the front-runner to take over.

The team’s next match is Saturday at home against relegation-threatened Alavés in the Spanish league.

Source: AP

Solskjaer has failed to win a trophy in nearly three years in charge at Old Trafford and tangible signs of progress after finishing second in the Premier League last season have been blown away amid a run of five defeats in their last nine games.

United are already eight points off the pace at the top of the table and there is a growing consensus that they need a coach to match the calibre of Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and Chelsea’s Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel.

Solskjaer has led United to two consecutive top-four finishes for the first time since Alex Ferguson’s retirement as manager in 2013, but his time looks to be running out.

AFP Sport looks at five of the candidates to replace the 48-year-old if and when he is shown the door at Old Trafford.

Antonio Conte

A proven title winner, Conte turned a Chelsea side that had finished 10th the previous season into Premier League winners in his debut campaign in England in 2016/17.

The Italian is without a club having left Inter Milan in May after ending their 11-year wait to win Serie A.

Conte appears a perfect fit to solve United’s defensive woes that have blighted their season. Solskjaer’s men have kept one clean sheet in 21 games and shipped 11 goals in a week against Leicester, Atalanta and Liverpool.

However, Conte’s fiery temperament and tendency to fall out with his superiors could count against him.

“He’s not a fit for United,” said former United captain Gary Neville on Sunday.

Zinedine Zidane

Expectations were high for United to challenge for major trophies this season after the signings of serial winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane, along with £73 million ($100 million) winger Jadon Sancho.

Three of Ronaldo and Varane’s Champions League titles came under Zidane at Real Madrid and the Frenchman is also a free agent having ended his second spell with the Spanish giants in May.

Zidane proved himself a master of moulding a star-studded squad into a team at Madrid, where he also won two La Liga titles.

That is exactly what United need and his global profile fits the brand-building exercise the English giants have gone down in recent years, at times to the detriment of a well-functioning team on the field.

Brendan Rodgers

The outstanding option on the domestic market for United is Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers.

The Northern Irishman’s past as a Liverpool manager may rule him out for many United fans, but he has rebuilt his reputation since a rollercoaster three years at Anfield between 2012 and 2015.

Rodgers proved himself capable of handling the demands of winning every week in three years at Celtic, where he won a clean sweep of seven domestic trophies before returning to the Premier League with Leicester.

The Foxes have narrowly missed out on the Champions League for the past two seasons to Chelsea despite far inferior resources and beat the European champions to win the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history last season.

Erik Ten Hag

The Dutchman is responsible for arguably the form team in Europe right now with Ajax cruising towards the last 16 of the Champions League and another Eredivisie title after thrashing PSV Eindhoven 5-0 on Sunday.

Ten Haag was linked with a number of top jobs after leading the four-time European champions to the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 1997 two years ago.

But unlike many of his players from that run, he is yet to be poached by one of Europe’s top clubs.

The former Bayern Munich youth team coach would fit the attacking style demanded of a United manager, as exhibited by a 4-0 thrashing of Borussia Dortmund last week.

Luis Enrique

The Spain coach is another with plenty of experience in getting the best out of a collection of talented individuals.

He won the treble in his first season at Barcelona and added another La Liga title with a front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

Fluent in English, Luis Enrique has never hidden his desire to one day coach in the Premier League

His success with Spain this year at Euro 2020 and the Nations League finals shows he is also capable of producing an exciting side without the same quality of stars he had on offer at the Camp Nou.

Source: AFP