An unstoppable Kylian Mbappe hit a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 6-2 win away to Montpellier on Sunday that allowed them to open up a huge 12-point lead at the top of Ligue 1.

Vitinha put PSG ahead at the Stade de la Mosson and Mbappe doubled their advantage midway through the first half, only for an Arnaud Nordin header and a Teji Savanier penalty to bring Montpellier back level at the interval.

However, a marvellous Mbappe goal restored PSG’s lead shortly after the break and Lee Kang-in made it 4-2 before the France captain completed his hat-trick.

Nuno Mendes put the seal on the victory late on, as Luis Enrique’s side ended a run of three successive draws in Ligue 1 and extended an unbeaten domestic record stretching back to September.

A 1-1 draw for nearest challengers Brest against Lille means the Parisians are 12 points ahead at the Ligue 1 summit with only eight games left, and a 10th title in 12 seasons is an inevitability.

Mbappe completed the whole 90 minutes of a Ligue 1 game for the first time since informing the club in mid-February that he intended to leave at the end of the season when his contract expires.

His hat-trick, his third of the campaign, took him to 24 goals in Ligue 1 this season, and 38 in all competitions.

Mbappe’s second of the evening, PSG’s third, was the pick of the bunch, as he found the net with a superb shot from range which went in off the underside of the crossbar.

“Mbappe was exceptional. We need to make the most of having him, as much as we can, and when we can no longer enjoy having him we will have to raise our game,” said Luis Enrique.

The downside of their performance came with the way in which they surrendered their 2-0 lead in the first half, conceding the penalty when Tanguy Coulibaly pounced on Danilo Pereira’s short back-pass and was then clattered by PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The defeat for Montpellier leaves them just a point above third-bottom Nantes, who are in the relegation play-off place and on Sunday sacked coach Jocelyn Gourvennec.

Canadian striker Jonathan David continued his superb form in front of goal by scoring for Lille in their draw away to fellow Champions League contenders Brest.

David gave Lille the lead midway through the second half in Brittany with his 22nd goal of the season in all competitions, and his 15th since the turn of the calendar year.

The 24-year-old has netted 10 times in his team’s last nine Ligue 1 outings. His total of 15 in Ligue 1 this season is bettered only by Mbappe.

However, that goal was not enough to win the game, as Uruguayan striker Martin Satriano poked in a late equaliser for Brest, who remain second.

France 24

Arsenal have been drawn against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, while Manchester City will play 14-time winners Real Madrid.

The Gunners will host German side Bayern, who have England captain Harry Kane in their squad, at Emirates Stadium in the first leg.

Meanwhile, this is the third successive season City, who won last year’s title, have met Real in the knockout stages.

The first legs take place 9-10 April, with the second legs on 16-17 April.

Both City and Arsenal play their first-leg fixtures on 9 April, with the Gunners at home to Bayern and Pep Guardiola’s side at the Bernabeu.

The return legs take place on 17 April, with the two Premier League sides facing each other in the semi-finals if they win their respective ties.

In the other ties, five-time winners Barcelona will play French champions Paris St-Germain, while Atletico Madrid, who are fourth in La Liga, host German opposition Borussia Dortmund.

The semi-finals will be held on 30 April and 1 May, with the second legs a week later on 7-8 May.

Wembley Stadium will host this year’s final on Saturday, 1 June.

Quarter-finals draw

Arsenal v Bayern Munich

Atletico Madrid v Borussia Dortmund

Paris St-Germain v Barcelona

Real Madrid v Manchester City

Semi-finals draw

Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund v Paris St-Germain or Barcelona

Arsenal or Bayern Munich v Real Madrid or Manchester City

Arsenal reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2010 by beating Porto in a tense penalty shootout at the Emirates on Tuesday.

Kane moved to the Bundesliga champions from Tottenham last summer and the 30-year-old striker has scored 30 times in 25 league appearances this season.

The Gunners lost their last tie with Bayern 10-2 on aggregate, losing both legs of their last-16 meeting in the 2016-17 competition 5-1. They were also beaten 5-1 in the group stage of the previous season’s competition, having won the home tie 2-0.

Bayern will not be permitted to have their fans at the Emirates after fireworks were set off and thrown onto the pitch during their last-16 match against Lazio earlier this month.

City cruised to a seventh successive last eight appearance with a comfortable 6-2 aggregate win over Danish title holders Copenhagen in the round of 16.

Pep Guardiola’s Treble winners dominated Real in the semi-finals last year, beating Carlo Ancelotti’s side 5-1 on aggregate. They were beaten 6-5 over two legs by Real in the previous season’s semi-final.

Source: BBC

This Friday’s Champions League quarter-final draw is set to throw up a series of heavyweight ties after a midweek in which penalty shoot-out drama really brought Europe’s elite club competition to life.

Goalkeeper Jan Oblak’s heroics in Atletico Madrid’s shoot-out win over last season’s runners-up Inter Milan on Wednesday — after the Spanish club came from behind in their last-16 tie — followed Arsenal’s triumph on penalties against Porto a day earlier.

Tuesday also saw Barcelona deliver a rousing performance to see off Napoli and make it through to the quarter-finals for the first time since their 8-2 annihilation at the hands of Bayern Munich in 2020 in Lisbon, at the height of the Covid crisis.

With record 14-time champions Real Madrid already having secured their last-eight berth, it means three Spanish clubs will be represented in the draw.

They are joined by two English sides in Arsenal and holders Manchester City, as well as the German duo of Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, and French giants Paris Saint-Germain.

The surprise is that none of Italy’s representatives reached the next stage, a year after Inter pushed City close in the final having eliminated neighbours AC Milan in the last four.

Only three of last season’s quarter-finalists — City, Real and Bayern — have made it back to the last eight this time, suggesting there is still a real degree of variety and unpredictability to the competition.

Yet the recent last-16 ties also more than hinted at the ever-growing polarisation at the very top of European football.

FC Copenhagen could never really compete with Pep Guardiola’s City, while getting the better of PSG proved a step too far for Real Sociedad and Bayern ultimately brushed aside Lazio despite losing the first leg away.

Only the mega-rich can now aspire to winning the Champions League, with four of the quarter-finalists posting revenue last season of over 800 million euros ($874m) according to this year’s Deloitte Football Money League.

Going by Deloitte’s ranking, all eight quarter-finalists were in the top 15 clubs in the world last season in terms of income — Atletico had the lowest at just over 364 million euros.

Diego Simeone’s side were the only team to win against a richer club in the last 16, and even then Inter generated only marginally more money last season.

Can anyone stop Man City?

The current format of the Champions League has been in place for two decades and will be changed for next season, when UEFA will revolutionise its flagship tournament by replacing the group stage with a league phase featuring 36 clubs, up from 32 now.

Clubs will play eight games in the league phase, instead of six in the old group stage, all against different opponents in what is known as the “Swiss system”.

It remains to be seen if that will somehow improve the Champions League, when the major issue appears to be that the number of candidates to win the trophy is getting narrower.

Competing with City is not just an issue for Copenhagen, but for all clubs.

Having won the trophy for the first time last season, they are into the quarter-finals for the seventh year running.

“It’s quite impressive,” admitted Guardiola last week. “We are well-respected from our opponents. The numbers are there — our consistency.”

Whether anyone can prevent them retaining the title may in large part come down to the draw, with the path to the final being determined on Friday when the semi-final match-ups will also be decided.

Winners in 2022, Madrid may be the best equipped to beat City among all the sides left in the quarter-finals, but they were blown away by them in last season’s semi-finals.

Bayern are into the quarter-finals for the 12th time in 13 years. They may be trailing behind Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, but they remain a formidable prospect in Europe.

Three of the remaining contenders have never won the trophy, in Arsenal, Atletico and PSG, the French side reaching the final in 2020, when they lost to Bayern.

They are far from a complete team now, but will be eager to seize their last chance to win the Champions League before Kylian Mbappe departs.

“I am not going to choose one team or give my preferences. What I am sure of though is that nobody will want to play PSG,” said their coach Luis Enrique.

Source: AFP

Celta Vigo have sacked manager Rafael Benitez after less than nine months.

Former Liverpool and Chelsea boss Benitez, 63, joined the La Liga side on 23 June last year and departs after winning just five of his 28 league matches in charge of Celta.

He leaves the club 17th in the Spanish top flight, sitting outside of the relegation zone by just two points.

It was Benitez’s first managerial role since being sacked by Premier League side Everton in January 2022.

In 33 games in all competitions, Celta managed just nine wins, three of which were against lower-division sides in the Copa del Rey. His final game with Celta was a 4-0 defeat to another of his former clubs, Real Madrid, on Sunday.

A club statement read: “Rafa Benitez and his staff leave RC Celta after eight months of absolute dedication and total commitment, but in which the team has not obtained the results expected by the club.

“The club would like to express to Rafa Benitez and his assistants its most sincere gratitude for the honesty and professionalism they have shown since their arrival and the tireless work they have done. RC Celta would also like to wish them the best of luck and success in the future.”

Celta Vigo are next in La Liga action on Sunday at Sevilla, kicking off at 13:00 GMT.

Benitez won the 2005 Champions League and 2006 FA Cup with Liverpool and the 2013 Europa League during his interim spell at Chelsea.

He guided Newcastle to promotion from the Championship in the 2016-17 season, and has also managed Valencia, Inter Milan and Napoli.

Source: BBC

Manchester City enjoyed the perfect warm-up for Sunday’s crucial Premier League trip to Liverpool as they cruised past Copenhagen to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for a sixth successive season.

Ahead by two goals from the first leg in Copenhagen three weeks ago, any lingering hopes of a shock were ended within nine minutes as Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez found the net.

Erling Haaland went joint top of the tournament scoring charts alongside Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe as he netted his sixth of the campaign – and 29th in all competitions – as City scored a third before half-time after the visitors had pulled one back.

The Norwegian, who Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reminded everyone Manchester United could have signed for £17m in 2019 on the Stick to Football podcast, has scored in three successive games for the first time since October.

It is good news for City boss Pep Guardiola before the Anfield encounter.

Guardiola had said in the build-up he would not be spending any time thinking about Liverpool until the Copenhagen match was out of the way.

That statement was exposed by the fact he made seven changes to the side that beat Manchester United at the weekend and then replaced key man Rodri at the break.

The changes did not hinder City, who are on the longest current run of successive Champions League quarter-final appearances. The only English club to ever have done better in the competition is Manchester United, who reached the last eight in seven consecutive seasons from 1996-97 to 2002-03.

Source: BBC

Harry Kane scored two to help Bayern Munich overturn a first-leg deficit against Lazio and advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Rome, Bayern looked set for a frustrating night until Kane’s header levelled the scores on aggregate.

Long-serving Thomas Muller doubled the lead on the night with another header.

Kane made it 3-1 on aggregate from close range after Leroy Sane’s shot was parried into his path.

It was an impressive turnaround by Bayern, who have endured a bitterly disappointing domestic campaign.

Thomas Tuchel’s side were facing a first season without a major trophy since 2011-12.

However, this win keeps alive Tuchel’s hopes of delivering Bayern a seventh European title before the former Chelsea boss leaves at the end of the season.

The quarter-final draw takes place on 15 March.

Kane delivers priceless double

With 101 days to go before the start of Euro 2024, England captain Kane produced a priceless double to keep his side’s season alive.

He had already been denied by Lazio keeper Ivan Provedel when he pounced in the 38th minute after a clever move involving Raphael Guerreiro and Muller.

His 50th goal in European competition lifted the mood inside the Allianz Arena and was followed in first-half injury time by Muller’s glancing header after a rasping volley from Matthijs de Ligt.

Kane’s second sealed an impressive win before Muller hit the post late on.

The former Tottenham player now has 33 Bundesliga and Champions League goals since moving to Germany from Tottenham for an initial £86.4m plus add-ons.

He scored 32 goals for Spurs in all competitions last season (49 appearances).

Lazio were crestfallen at the final whistle.

The Italian club had arrived in Germany looking to cause a major upset but wasted a great chance to make it 2-0 on aggregate when Ciro Immobile headed wide shortly before Kane’s first goal.

Bayern have struggled under Tuchel this season after sweeping to 11 successive Bundesliga titles.

They trail leaders Bayer Leverkusen by 10 points with 10 games to go in the league and were knocked out of the German Cup by third division Saarbrucken.

This, however, was a rare night where Tuchel could afford to smile after a stylish win.

Source: BBC

Paris Saint-Germain’s preparations for Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 second leg away to Real Sociedad have been overshadowed by coach Luis Enrique’s handling of star man Kylian Mbappe.

PSG have suffered numerous humiliating defeats at this stage of the Champions League in recent years but they are ideally placed to advance to the quarter-finals this time after winning 2-0 at home to the Basque side in last month’s first leg.

Mbappe scored the opening goal in that game but the following day the superstar striker informed PSG of his intention to leave when his contract expires at the end of the campaign.

Luis Enrique might have been expected to make the most of being able to call on Mbappe until then, but instead he has made a point of reducing his top scorer’s playing time.

Mbappe was left on the bench for PSG’s next game at Nantes, although he came on to score a penalty in a 2-0 win.

A week later he started as captain at home against Rennes, but was substituted on 65 minutes. His replacement Goncalo Ramos went on to score the equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

Mbappe has made almost 300 appearances for PSG since arriving from Monaco in 2017, but he had only previously been taken off earlier in a game either due to injury or with PSG already winning.

Yet last Friday he was hooked at half-time in a 0-0 draw at Monaco, and once again there was no question of him being injured or even of Luis Enrique trying to save his superstar for the Champions League.

“Sooner or later we are going to have to play without him, so I am trying to find the best way of doing so,” the coach said.

His comments came after he pointedly declared in a press conference last week that PSG would have “a much better team” next season, by which time Mbappe is expected to be playing for Real Madrid.

Punished?

Mbappe, who is PSG’s all-time top scorer with 244 goals, appeared eager to make a point that there was nothing wrong with him in Monaco as he emerged from the dressing room after half-time.

Having changed into a tracksuit, he walked around the pitch waving to fans and then took a seat in the stand beside his mother, rather than on the bench next to his teammates.

PSG can afford to experiment in Ligue 1 given they lead the table by nine points from Brest with 10 games left.

However, Luis Enrique’s decision to handle Mbappe in this way ahead of such an important European date has been questioned.

“I don’t understand. I get the impression that ever since he told the club he was leaving he has been punished by the coach, or maybe the punishment has been imposed by the directors,” said Alain Roche, a former PSG defender and sporting director now working as a pundit for broadcaster Canal Plus.

“I think it is inappropriate to create such a controversy four days before a game as important as the second leg against La Real.”

Mbappe has scored 32 goals in 33 games for his club this season, including four in the Champions League.

No other PSG player has reached double figures and Mbappe will surely start in San Sebastian as the French champions look to finish the job.

They have a comfortable lead against opponents who lie seventh in La Liga and have won only once in nine games.

Then again the Parisians are all too familiar with dramatic collapses in Champions League knockout ties.

Two of their most notorious defeats came on Spanish soil in last-16 ties after they had won at home in the first leg.

Two years ago they beat Madrid 1-0 in Paris and then went ahead in the return thanks to Mbappe, only to concede three times in the second half and go out.

In 2017 they hammered Barcelona 4-0 at home only to cave in and lose 6-1 at the Camp Nou.

Another exit this time, against weaker opposition and given Luis Enrique’s handling of Mbappe, would be disastrous for coach and club.

Source: AFP

George Elokobi believes Maidstone’s FA Cup adventure has catapulted them onto the global stage.

The Stones are the first team outside of the top five divisions to reach the fifth round since Blyth Spartans in 1978.

Their run, including the memorable 2-1 win at Ipswich last month, has captured the imagination from Kent to Cameroon and beyond.

They face a trip to another Sky Bet Championship side, Coventry, on Monday night bidding to become the first sixth-tier team to reach the quarter-finals.

“It’s an incredible achievement, not just for ourselves but for the community, Maidstone United, and our fanbase,” said Cameroon-born boss Elokobi.

“But we have also gained so much admiration globally, how we have gone about our FA Cup run, how we’ve approached it as a football club.

“Now we have kids coming up to us saying ‘we want to emulate what you have done’.

“It’s historic and a lot of the people around the city and elsewhere who aren’t even connected with Maidstone, they’ve told me their new team is Maidstone United. That shows you what the players have done.

“It’s a huge moment for myself. It’s a huge moment for my community back in Cameroon. It’s a huge moment for our football club. For Africa as well. It’s huge.

“The FA Cup is regarded as one of the best competitions in the world and for Maidstone to be in the fifth round, against a Championship side in Coventry, a club full of history, it’s an inspirational moment for myself and I’m ever so proud to be the leader of the club.”

Even if they do not pull off another shock against the Sky Blues, Maidstone will still have won more matches in the competition than the eventual winners.

Their journey began with victory at Steyning in September in the second qualifying round before beating Winchester City, Torquay, Chesham, Barrow and Stevenage before their Portman Road heroics set up a meeting with the 1987 FA Cup winners.

“It’s a day with for no pressure for us,” added Elokobi. “We are Maidstone United Football Club. There shouldn’t be any pressure on us.

“We will go and enjoy the occasion. It’s a historic day for our football club.”

Source: UK Sports

Marseille have sacked Gennaro Gattuso as their manager and replaced him with Jean-Louis Gasset.

Gattuso took over at the French club in late September and leaves with the club ninth in Ligue 1.

The Italian claimed just nine wins from his 24 matches as manager, losing six times during his spell in charge.

Gasset, 70, was recently sacked by Ivory Coast after the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations, before they went on to win the tournament.

“Olympique de Marseille announces the end of its collaboration with Gennaro Gattuso,” Marseille said in a statement.

“Marseille would like to extend its special thanks to Gennaro and his entire staff for the unfailing commitment and professionalism they have shown on a daily basis, and wishes them all the best for the future.”

Gattuso joined Marseille as a replacement for now Villarreal manager Marcelino, who himself had only been at the helm in the south of France for three months.

Gattuso, who as a player won the World Cup with Italy in 2006, has also had spells managing AC Milan, Napoli and Valencia.

After a slow start to his time in France, four straight league wins in December took Marseille up to sixth in the table.

But Marseille have not won any of their last six Ligue 1 matches, four of which have ended in draws.

Gattuso took charge of 15 league matches at the Stade Velodrome, winning five, drawing five and losing five.

Marseille were also knocked out of the Coupe de France last month after a penalty shootout defeat to league rivals Rennes.

Despite the poor run of form, Marseille remain in the Europa League. Finishing second in Group B behind English debutants Brighton, Marseille host Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday (20:00 GMT) in the second leg of their knockout round play-off match, having drawn 2-2 last week.

Source: BBC

Paris St-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe has agreed to join Real Madrid this summer.

The France captain, 25, has told PSG he intends to leave the club with his contract expiring in June.

Mbappe has not signed a contract with Real yet, but the deal could be announced once it is no longer possible for the clubs to meet in this season’s Champions League.

The World Cup winner is PSG’s record goalscorer with 244 goals.

Mbappe wanted his future sorted before March, so on 13 February, before training, he met PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and told him he was leaving and joining Real.

After reports emerged last Thursday that he would leave, Mbappe was left out of the starting line-up for Saturday’s match against Nantes, but came off the bench to score a penalty as PSG went 14 points clear at the top of Ligue 1.

He is set to sign a five-year deal with Real, earning 15m euros (£12.8m) a season, plus a 150m euro (£128m) signing-on bonus to be paid over five years, and he will keep a percentage of his image rights.

Real manager Carlo Ancelotti has already thought how he will use Mbappe in his team, with England midfielder Jude Bellingham playing a deeper role, Brazilian Vinicius Jr playing on the left and Mbappe playing left of centre.

If Croatia midfielder Luka Modric leaves this summer, then Mbappe would inherit the number 10 shirt he wears for France.

PSG are 2-0 up against Real Sociedad after the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, while Real lead RB Leipzig 1-0.

How have we got here?

Mbappe won the French title with Monaco before joining PSG as an 18-year-old in 2017, initially on loan before a 180m euro (£165.7m) move.

Overall, he has 244 goals and 93 assists in 291 games for PSG and has helped the club to five Ligue 1 title wins.

Mbappe was set to leave PSG on a free transfer at the end of the 2021-22 season but ultimately signed a two-year contract extension, with the option of a further year.

However, after Mbappe told PSG he would not agree to the additional 12 months of the deal, he was not selected for their pre-season tour to Japan last July.

He subsequently refused to meet with representatives of Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, who made a world record £259m offer for him.

He later returned to first-team training following what PSG said were “very constructive and positive” talks.

Mbappe turned down a move to Real when he agreed to his current deal with PSG in May 2022.

He has a one-year extension clause, so it is expected his departure will involve either a sale with a transfer fee or financial sacrifices on the player’s part.

“He is no doubt one of the players anyone would love to have on his side. He is an amazing player,” former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon told the BBC’s Football News Show.

“We have very young players – he will join Vinicius, Rodrygo, Bellingham – and I think we have a very strong team. That’s why we are leading La Liga and also we’ve won all our matches in the Champions League.

“So, for him it would be fantastic. Every fan of Real Madrid would like to see him playing in the Bernabeu.

“He will leave a mark. If he continues to play as he has up until now, for sure he will be one of the important players we have had in our history.”

Source: BBC