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UCL: Real, Dortmund In Semi-Final

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It was late drama in Turkey and Germany as Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund made it to the semi final stage of this year’s UEFA Champions League.

After coming into the second leg of the Champions League quarter Final against Turkish champions, Galatasaray with a comfortable 3-0 first leg victory, Cristiano Ronaldo got Real off to a perfect start with seventh minute goal to all but kill the tie as a contest.

But a second half fight back by Galatasaray occasioned a frenetic finish to an otherwise comfortable night for Jose Mourinho and his men. Emmanuel Eboue kicks started the rennauisance when he scored in the 58th minute.

Former Mourinho wards, Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba put Galatasaray 3-1 up in the 70 and 72 minute and 3-4 on aggregate to put Real on the edge.

But Ronaldo struck again in their minute of added time to seal Real’s passage to the semi final with a 5-3 aggregate victory.

In Germany, it was another late dramatic finish as homers, Borussia Dortmund, starring defeat in the face at the end of regulation time scored twice withion stoppage time to break Malaga’s heart and send their fans to delirium.

The first leg had ended goalless in Spain last week, but when Malaga took the lead twice, first through Joaquin in the 23rd minute and Eliseu in the 82nd, Malaga looked home and dry with the semi final ticket.

However, Reus and Felipe Santana’s added time goals added to Lewandowski’s 40th minute effort to complete an unlikely turn-around for Dortmund to progress and promise likely all Spanish and German semi finals with Barcelona and Bayern favourities to join the party from the remaining quarter final matches.

Real Madrid survived a second-half onslaught from Galatasaray in their Champions League quarter-final to reach the last four for a record 24th time.

Cristiano Ronaldo silenced the Turkish crowd with an early volley and Galatasaray rarely threatened until Emmanuel Eboue’s thumping strike.

Wesley Sneijder steered in and Didier Drogba’s backheel left Real rocking, before Ronaldo killed their hopes.

Real substitute Alvaro Arbeloa was sent off following two late bookings

The Spanish champions’ comfortable 3-0 victory in the Bernabeu left Jose Mourinho’s team within touching distance of the semi-finals and many expected the second leg to be a formality for the nine-time European champions.

For the opening hour it was exactly that, as Real played with a measure of confidence and assurance from the first whistle.

But Eboue’s spectacular goal sparked a dramatic turnaround and set up a grandstand finish in Istanbul.

Mourinho, bidding to become the first man to win the Champions League with three different clubs, will be relieved that his team regained their composure in the final 10 minutes to put the tie to bed.

Ronaldo finally put the tie beyond the Turkish champions as he drilled past Fernando Muslera in injury-time – almost 90 minutes after seemingly ending their hopes with the opener.

But Real quickly found their rhythm and already had Galatasaray on the back foot before Ronaldo swept in Sami Khedira’s low right-wing cross.

If Galatasaray’s task was not difficult enough already, the away goal left the hosts needing to score five goals to advance.

However Real continued to control possession and were only denied a second goal in the first half by Uruguay international Muslera.

Ronaldo was the architect of a flowing move, flicking into the path of Angel Di Maria whose fierce shot was instinctively pushed over the crossbar by Muslera.

Galatasaray barely threatened in the opening 45 minutes, with Sneijder forcing Real goalkeeper Diego Lopez into his first save with a low 20-yard shot shortly before the half-time break.

Real continued to stroke the ball around in the early stages of the second half as they looked to further subdue their already-deflated opponents.

However, Borussia Dortmund scored twice in injury time to snatch a dramatic Champions League victory over Malaga and secure a place in the semi-finals.

Marco Reus and then Felipe Santana struck for the German side, although the winning goal – poked home from a matter of inches – looked offside.

After a goalless first leg in Spain, Joaquin scored from 20 yards for Malaga before Robert Lewandowski equalised.

Substitute Eliseu looked to have scored Malaga’s winner before the late goals.

Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp had talked before the match about his desire to see his team’s “wonderful story” continue but it looked as though they would pay for wasting several good chances during the first leg.

Eliseu had finished from close range eight minutes from time – another goal allowed to stand despite a strong hint of offside – to leave Dortmund needing to score twice.

 

 

But the vociferous home crowd were sent into raptures as first Reus slotted home into an empty net from eight yards after the ball ran fortuitously into his path and then Santana pounced after a huge scramble inside the penalty box.

Several Dortmund players looked to be offside as the initial ball was played into the Malaga area and, seconds later, Santana was also in an offside position when he scored the winner, touching home a goal-bound effort from substitute Julian Schieber.

Dortmund’s obvious joy was in stark contrast to the emotions of the defeated Malaga players, with a cruel end especially harsh on coach Manuel Pellegrini, who had only arrived in Dortmund on Tuesday after flying back from his native Chile, where he had attended the funeral of his father on Monday.

The campaign was Malaga’s first in the Champions League and there will be no possibility of a repeat next season as a series of off-the-field financial problems means they are banned from European competition during the next campaign when they are eligible to compete.

Dortmund remain the only undefeated team in the competition – but after a disjointed performance that required an ending reminiscent of Manchester United’s victory over Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final to seal their progress.

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Tottenham Fight Back To Hold Brighton

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Tottenham fought back from two-goals down to secure a deserved point against Brighton.

The Seagulls were second best for much of the match but found themselves 2-0 up after 31 minutes thanks to Yankuba Minteh’s early strike and Yasin Ayari’s powerful drive.

However, Richarlison halved the deficit just before half-time when he stopped a shot by Mohammed Kudus before slotting in.

Spurs dominated the second half but their finishing let them down as Richarlison and substitute Xavi Simons were both unable to make the most of promising opportunities.

But the equaliser came eight minutes from time when Jan Paul van Hecke turned Kudus’ cross into his own net.

Spurs then pushed for a winner as they looked to continue their impressive start to the season, but Brighton held on for the point.

Bundesliga: Kane Continues Goal Harvest (5)

Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season as Bayern Munich overcame a shaky start to win at Hoffenheim and continue their 100% start.

The England captain, 32, broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a clinical first-time finish from a cleverly worked low corner, and doubled Bayern’s lead from the spot after Albian Hajdari was harshly penalised for a handball.

That broke Hoffenheim’s resistance and Kane completed his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick with another penalty, given for a foul on substitute Michael Olise after a video assistant referee (VAR) check.

This time Kane sent home keeper Oliver Baumann the wrong way for his 13th Bayern goal in seven matches across all competitions this season, adding to his Champions League double against Chelsea last Wednesday.

“Hat-trick Harry is what they called me in school,” Kane told Tidesports source after the match. “That one kind of stuck when I was younger.”

“Any ball in the box, whether penalty or not, I back myself to hit the target.”

Hoffenheim had the better of the first 45 minutes, Fisnik Asllani only able to hit the post after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer passed straight to the Kosovan.

They eventually got some reward for their efforts, former West Ham full-back Vladimir Coufal’s deflected free-kick beating Neuer to earn the Czech his first goal for the club.

Ex-Liverpool winger Luis Diaz hit the top of the bar late on as he failed to continue his record of scoring in every Bundesliga game this season, but Serge Gnabry added a fourth for Bayern with the last kick, converting a rebound from a tight angle after Baumann saved from Joshua Kimmich.

Nicolas Jackson made his first start since joining Bayern on an initial loan deal from Chelsea, but the Senegal striker had a very quiet game before being replaced in the 62nd minute.

In Italy, Lorenzo Pellegrini fired Roma into the Serie A top four as Lazio had two players sent off in a fiery derby.

The midfielder found the bottom corner in the 38th minute as Roma extended their unbeaten run to four games against their city rivals.

Lazio have lost three of their opening games of the season and had Reda Belahyane and former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi dismissed in late drama.

Roma started well and Rome-born Pellegrini claimed the vital goal – his fourth in a Rome derby after being available for transfer in the summer – following good work down the right by Matias Soule.

But the hosts will rue missed opportunities as Boulaye Dia, Mattia Zaccagni and Alessio Romagnoli all had openings.

With four minutes left substitute Belahyane was shown a red card for a late studs-up challenge on Manu Kone.

Danilo Cataldi struck the outside of the post for Lazio in a last-gasp effort to snatch a point, while team-mate Guendouzi was sent off for dissent after the final whistle.

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Zidane’s Son Switches Allegiance To Algeria

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Luca Zidane, the son of France’s World Cup-winning playmaker Zinedine, has switched his international allegiance from France to Algeria.

Born just outside Marseille, the 27-year-old goalkeeper had appeared for France at various youth levels.

The move, which was approved by Fifa, may enable Zidane to follow in his father’s footsteps by appearing at a World Cup, with Algeria expected to secure a place at the 2026 finals in North America in their qualifier against Somalia next month.

Zidane, who is the second of four brothers, all of whom came through the Real Madrid academy, currently plays for Spanish second tier side Granada.

He played two matches for Madrid and has La Liga experience at Rayo Vallecano, but dropped a level in 2022 to play for Eibar before heading to Andalusia in 2024.

Zidane qualifies for the North African country through his father, whose parents hailed from the Kabylie region of Algeria.

Zinedine Zidane, who is regarded as one of the games greatest players scored twice for France in their 1998 World Cup final victory over Brazil, but was famously sent-off in the 2006 final, which was won by Italy after a penalty shootout.

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Man Utd Beat Chelsea To Ease Pressure 

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Manchester United capitalised on Robert Sanchez’s fifth-minute red card to secure a crucial victory over Chelsea in torrential rain at Old Trafford.

The first match in Premier League history to see two or more goals, red cards and substitutions in the first half was settled by goals from United skipper Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who was the other player sent off before the break.

It was Sanchez’s dismissal that set the course of the game though.

The Spain international raced from his goal to meet Bryan Mbeumo as the striker ran beyond the Chelsea defence.

Sanchez then upended the forward outside his area rather than allow him past to tap the ball into an empty net.

Enzo Maresca’s response to the red card was to take off both Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian and, as Cole Palmer had to be replaced after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury, Chelsea had lost three attacking players in the space of 20 minutes.

Trevor Chalobah pulled one back for Chelsea with a header 10 minutes from time but United kept their nerves at bay to make it to the final whistle with their lead intact.

The victory was United’s second of the season and came in front of minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who gave head coach Ruben Amorim assurances over his future 48 hours earlier.

It also means Chelsea have still not won at Old Trafford since 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson was United manager.

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