babbelfootball.blogspot.com: 02/02/20

domingo, 2 de fevereiro de 2020

Can Guardiola salvage Man City's season?

Vince Mignott via www.imago-images.de

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola conceded the Premier League title to Liverpool long ago, but his side's profligate attack and porous defence are becoming worrying trends.

A sixth defeat of the campaign, at Tottenham on Sunday, means City have now lost as many times this season as in their previous 84 league games under Guardiola and are relying on cup competitions to salvage their season.

Guardiola's men are into a third consecutive League Cup final, where they will be heavy favourites to beat Aston Villa on March 1. They face Sheffield Wednesday in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

However, City's season will now be judged on how they fare in the Champions League, with the might of 13-time winners Real Madrid awaiting them in the last 16.

An inability to progress beyond the quarter-finals in Guardiola's three seasons at City so far has been the major disappointment of an otherwise hugely successful reign.

"I will be judged, if we don't win it in my final period here, that I will be a failure here. I know that," said the City boss ahead of this weekend.

If they are to be crowned European champions, City need major improvements at both ends of the pitch, but tightening up at the back is the most pressing priority.

In their back-to-back title winning campaigns, Guardiola's men conceded 27 goals in 2017/18 and 23 last season. With 13 games still to play this season, they have already conceded 29.

The loss of Aymeric Laporte for most of the season with a serious knee injury and failure to replace the departed Vincent Kompany has left Guardiola short on reliable centre-backs due to the erratic form of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi.

Laporte is back fit, although he has been bedded in slowly after making his return in a 1-0 win at Sheffield United nearly two weeks ago.

The Frenchman still has another three weeks to get up to speed before City visit Madrid on February 26, but needs to get back close to his best if the visitors are to escape from the Bernabeu unscathed.

Guardiola also has to decide who he trusts to start at left-back against Madrid. Oleksandr Zinchenko cost his side the game at Tottenham by getting sent off for a second yellow card with half an hour to play.

Benjamin Mendy has not won back Guardiola's trust in another season dogged by fitness problems and poor form, while Angelino, who started some of City's biggest games of the season, against Liverpool and Manchester United, was shipped out on loan to Leipzig last week.

The 2-0 defeat in north London on Sunday was only the second time City have failed to score in the league this season.

They have still scored five more goals in the league than Liverpool, who are 22 points clear at the top and streaking towards the title.

However, a failure to take their chances has also been a recurring theme of City's season. Against Spurs they had 18 shots to Tottenham's three, missed a penalty and a series of other sitters.

"Always I believe and, today more than ever, you are closer to win the games when you create more chances and concede few," insisted Guardiola.

"Maybe one day we make a click and we change it. I think the team is good, I like the way my team play but it is not enough."

Guardiola has garnered a reputation as one of football's all-time great coaches after winning 28 trophies in three different countries with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City.

A true test of that greatness will be whether he can turn the tide in the next few weeks to avoid City's season ending limply.

Dembélé se retira ‘tocado’ del último entrenamiento

El extremo francés notó unas molestias musculares que le obligaron a parar y el club habla no de lesión sino de “fatiga muscular”

Después de más de dos meses de baja, el francés Ousmane Dembélé llevaba unos días entrenando con el resto de sus compañeros en el Barça y su regreso en las próximas semanas parecía una realidad, pero este lunes el extremo no ha notado unas molestias musculares y ha abandonado la sesión de entrenamiento. Así lo ha informado ‘Marca’, apuntando que Dembélé ha tenido que finalizar antes de tiempo el entrenamiento y despertando otra vez la incógnita sobre su estado físico.

Ante esta alarma por el estado físico del francés, el FC Barcelona ha emitido un comunicado médico oficial anunciando lo siguiente: “Durante el entrenamiento de este lunes, Dembélé ha notado unas molestias en el muslo derecho como consecuencia de la fatiga muscular. El jugador seguirá con su trabajo de recuperación”. Así, el club no habla de lesión sino de “molestias” y de “fatiga muscular”.

El Barça había publicado un tuit en el que mostraba a Dembélé entrenando que posteriormente ha borrado, alimentando los rumores de una posible recaída del francés.

Este fue el tweet del Barça sobre Ousmane Dembélé

Ousmane Dembélé se lesionó el pasado 27 de noviembre en el partido contra el Borussia Dortmund en el Camp Nou y los servicios médicos del Barça confirmaron que el extremo estaría unas 10 semanas de baja.

Para poder volver cuanto antes a los terrenos de juego, Dembélé viajó a Doha (Qatar) a realizar un tratamiento en el Hospital Aspetar y después completó su recuperación en la Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. Veremos si el Barça realiza algún comunicado sobre el estado de Dembélé en las próximas horas.

OM : Où est passé Dario Benedetto ? Marseille ne panique pas

Transparent contre Bordeaux, Dario Benedetto connaît un gros passage à vide à l'Olympique de Marseille. Mais André Villas-Boas n'est pas inquiet pour l'attaquant argentin.

Pipa par-ci, Pipa par-là, si Dario Benedetto est toujours le chouchou des supporters de l’Olympique de Marseille, sa grinta y étant pour beaucoup, ses performances actuelles sont plus du niveau de Mitroglou et Germain que du Dario Benedetto de l’automne. Mais le numéro 9 de l’OM, longtemps incertain contre Bordeaux en raison d'un souci au talon d'Achille, peut compter sur le soutien d’André Villas-Boas, lequel estime que son attaquant de 29 ans n’est pas à 100% de sa forme et a juste besoin d’un but pour se relancer définitivement. Et pourquoi pas dès mercredi lors du très attendu déplacement de l’Olympique de Marseille.

Car l’entraîneur phocéen pourrait bien encore une fois tout miser sur Dario Benedetto comme il l’a confié en marge du match à Bordeaux. « Il n'était pas encore à 100%, mais on a décidé de prendre le risque de le faire jouer. Il a été mieux en seconde période, notamment dans le mouvement et le pressing, il a fait du bon travail. Il cherche son but qui peut lui donner un peu plus de confiance. De toute façon on est content avec lui. Il est un peu fatigué, on va voir s'il récupère pour le match à St-Etienne », a confié André Villas-Boas. Depuis le début de saison, le buteur argentin, recruté au dernier mercato estival pour 14ME en provenance de Boca Juniors, a marqué 7 buts en Ligue 1, dont le dernier remonté au 21 décembre contre Nîmes.

Sampdoria-Napoli, dove vedere la partita in tv: gli orari

I l Napoli vuole dare seguito alla vittoria contro la capolista Juve. La Samp per ripartire dopo una sconfitta e un pareggio nelle ultime due. La partita tra sarà trasmessa in diretta lunedì 3 febbraio alle ore 20.45 da Sky Sport sui canali Sky Sport Serie A e Sky Sport 251.

A Marassi arriva il Napoli di Gennaro Gattuso, che dopo la bella vittoria contro la Juventus cerca conferme. La Sampdoria invece vuole ritrovare i tre punti, che mancano dal 12 gennaio nel 5-1 contro il Brescia. Da allora un pareggio e una sconfitta per la squadra allenata da Claudio Ranieri. Dall’inizio dello scorso decennio, la Sampdoria è la squadra contro cui il Napoli ha vinto più gare in Serie A: 14 sulle 19 sfide. Una sfida dunque tutta da vivere, in esclusiva su Sky Sport.

Dove vedere Sampdoria-Napoli

La partita tra Sampdoria e Napoli sarà trasmessa lunedì 3 febbraio alle ore 20.45 in diretta esclusiva da Sky Sport sui canali Sky Sport Serie A (satellite, digitale terrestre e fibra) e Sky Sport 251 (satellite e fibra). La telecronaca è affidata a Fabio Caressa, con il commento tecnico di Beppe Bergomi. I collegamenti da bordo campo saranno a cura di Massimiliano Nebuloni e Massimo Ugolini.

Заря отправилась на второй тренировочный сбор в Турцию

Луганчане проведут вторую часть подготовки к весенней части сезона.

Игроки Заря, ФК Заря

Заря отправилась на второй учебно-тренировочный сбор, сообщает официальный сайт украинского клуба.

Самолет с делегацией луганчан вылетел в Турцию, где команда будет готовиться до 15 февраля.

Главный тренер Виктор Скрипник взял с командой следующих футболистов:

Голкиперы: Заури Махарадзе, Никола Василь, Даниил Хмеловский;

Защитники: Виталий Вернидуб, Евгений Чеберко, Джоель Абу Ханна, Лазио, Александр Тымчик, Богдан Михайличенко, Никита Каменюка, Дмитрий Поддубный;

Полузащитники: Дмитрий Иванисеня, Андрейс Цыганикс, Ловро Цвек, Игорь Чайковский, Владлен Юрченко, Владислав Кочергин, Дмитрий Хомченовский, Богдан Леднев, Артем Мильченко;

Нападающие: Владислав Кабаев, Максим Лунев, Артем Громов, Даниил Алефиренко, Владимир Билоцерковец, Михайло Перович.

На втором сборе Заря планирует провести три спарринга: Ордабасы (6 февраля), Железничар (10 февраля), Торпедо-БелАЗ (14 февраля).

DFB gibt Holtmann-Sperre bekannt

Gerrit Holtmann sah gegen den VfL Wolfsburg die Rote Karte

Gerrit Holtmann von Bundesligist SC Paderborn ist wegen einer Tätlichkeit "in einem leichteren Fall" im Punktspiel am Sonntagabend gegen den VfL Wolfsburg (2:4) vom Kontrollausschuss des Deutschen Fußball-Bundes (DFB) für zwei Meisterschaftsspiele gesperrt worden.

Holtmann war von Schiedsrichter Patrick Ittrich des Feldes verwiesen worden. Spieler und Verein haben dem Urteil zugestimmt, es ist damit rechtskräftig.

Mit einer Sperre für drei Meisterschaftsspiele wegen "rohen Spiels" wurde Damian Roßbach vom Zweitligisten Karlsruher SC belegt. Auch hier stimmten der Spieler und der KSC dem Urteil zu.

Canada secure spot in Concacaf semi-finals after convincing 9:0 win over Jamaica

Canada have secured their spot in the semi-finals of the 2020 Concacaf Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship after back-to-back wins in Edinburg, TX. Canada won 9:0 over Jamaica on Saturday night at H-E-B Park on goals scored by Jordyn Huitema (five), Janine Beckie (three), and Deanne Rose. Goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé posted the clean sheet while Desiree Scott wore the captain’s armband for her milestone 150th international “A” appearance.

Both Huitema and Beckie scored their second career hat tricks for Canada, with Beckie now fifth all-time with 30 career goals. For 18-year old Huitema, Canada’s player of the match became just the second Canadian to score five goals in a single match, following in the footsteps of Silvana Burtini who registered hat tricks twice in Concacaf matches back in 1994 (five against Mexico) and 1998 (eight against Puerto Rico). Along with the goals, Huitema had one assist, Beckie had two assists, Rose had three assists, and captain Scott had one.

“When you look across the two matches and the players we featured across both wins, we are going into the third match with lots of confidence,” said Kenneth Heiner-Møller, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach. “A great performance from Jordyn and the team as well, she was set up very nicely all the way from the centrebacks, and she was pretty clinical today.”

Across both wins, eight different players have scored for Canada. Huitema leads Canada and the tournament with six goals followed by Adriana Leon who is tied for second (four). Other Canada goalscorers at the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship are Beckie (three), Ashley Lawrence (two), Christine Sinclair (two), Jessie Fleming (one), Jayde Riviere (one), and Rose (one).

This was the second of three group matches for Canada at the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the eight-nation confederation championship from which two nations will qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Canada will next face Mexico on Tuesday 4 February (17.30 local / 18.30 ET / 15.30 PT). Canadian fans can watch every Concacaf match live on OneSoccer.ca as well as Canada’s matches live on Rogers TV, TELUS and SaskTel. Fans will find extended coverage across Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter featuring the social media hashtag #CANWNT.

MATCH CENTRE, QUOTES & PHOTOS : <<link http://canadasoccer.com/?t=match&gid=1565>>

Canada opened the scoring in the 10’ after Shelina Zadorsky played Beckie deep down the left wing. From near the touch line, Beckie fired a trio of low shots that were blocked by defenders, but then Huitema knocked in the rebound from close range. Rose made it 2-0 in the 16’ after Beckie again instigated the attack, this time down the right wing through a give-and-go combination with Sophie Schmidt. Beckie crossed it into the box past Huitema and into the path of Rose who knocked it in with her stomach.

Canada nearly made it 3-0 in the 43’ after an Allysha Chapman charge down the left side led to successive chances inside the box. On the final strike, Schmidt’s shot from centre was saved by the Jamaican goalkeeper Sydney Schneider.

Less than two minutes later, Beckie scored the third goal from inside the box after a Huitema pass from the right put her through all alone. Beckie controlled the pass, moved in, and shot it past the goalkeeper Schneider.

In the second half, Beckie scored her second goal in the 51’ after she was put through alone on a low, cutting pass forward from captain Scott. Beckie made no mistake with her left-footed shot. Just four minutes later, Rose turned provider with a cross from the right wing that Huitema headed backwards past the outstretched Schneider.

Huitema and Beckie then struck less than five minutes apart to complete their hat tricks. In the 62’, a Beckie pass into the box was converted by Huitema. In the 66’, the ball moved from Riviere to Huitema to Rose before Beckie made it 7-0 for Canada.

Huitema then added two more goals in the final 10 minutes, first on a header at the back post after a great reaction save from Sydney Schneider. On the play, the corner kick was headed back by Schmidt at the near post before Schneider made her save, but then Huitema hit the target for her fourth goal. In added time, Beckie played it forward for Rose who circled the goalkeeper and then passed it to Huitema who scored her fifth goal.

Canada’s starting XI featured Stephanie Labbé in goal, Jayde Riviere at right back, Kadeisha Buchanan and Shelina Zadorsky at centre back, Allysha Chapman at left back, and captain Desiree Scott, Sophie Schmidt, Ashley Lawrence, Deanne Rose, Janine Beckie and Jordyn Huitema from the midfield up through to the attack. In the second half, head coach Kenneth Heiner-Møller replaced Scott with Julia Grosso (63’), Chapman with Gabrielle Carle (63’), and Lawrence with Adriana Leon (70’).

CANADA AT THE CONCACAF WOMEN’S OLYMPIC QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT

Beyond the group phase, the top-two nations in each group will advance to the Concacaf Semi-finals, to be played on Friday 7 February in Carson, California near Los Angeles. The Group B winner (Canada’s group) will face the Group A runner-up (Costa Rica or USA) while the Group B runner up will face the Group A winner. Only the two winners of the Concacaf Semi-finals will qualify for the To-kyo 2020 Olympic Games as well as advance to the Sunday 9 February Concacaf Final.

“The Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament is a big event and we need to be ready,” said Kenneth Heiner-Møller, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team Head Coach. “The biggest multi-sport event in the world is only a few months away and we want to deliver a massive performance in Japan, but to do that we need to qualify. We need to focus on our performance in these matches to get there.”

CANADA RETURN HOME IN APRIL

Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team will come home this Spring when they face Australia in Van-couver on Tuesday 14 April. The home international soccer match will provide Canadian fans will an opportunity to see their favourite players live in action at BC Place (19.30 local kickoff).

Tickets are on sale now starting as low as $20 via Ticketmaster.ca (or by calling 1.855.985.5000), with complete information available via CanadaSoccer.com/tickets. Group discounts of up to 30% off the regular price are available for orders of 10 or more tickets using the Group Order Form (link: https://form.jotform.com/200154693493255). A special Me+3 ticket package can be purchased directly via Ticketmaster.ca (link: https://www1.ticketmaster.ca/event/11005835BC6A3A46?brand=canadasoccer).

Beyond the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in January and February, Canada will face France, Netherlands and Brazil at the Tournoi de France (4-10 March) and then Australia at home in Vancouver (14 April).

OLYMPIC MEDAL WINNERS & CONCACAF CHAMPIONS

Canada are two-time Olympic bronze medal winners (2012 and 2016) and two-time Concacaf champi-ons (1998 and 2010). In all, Canada have participated in seven consecutive editions of the FIFA Wom-en’s World Cup™ (1995 to 2019) and three consecutive editions of the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament (2008 to 2016). At Rio 2016, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team were the first Cana-dian Olympic team to win back-to-back medals at a summer Olympic Games in more than a century.

WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM: https://www.canadasoccer.com/women-s-national-team-p144312

Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Youth Teams, meanwhile, have won four Concacaf youth titles: the 2004 and 2008 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship, the 2010 Concacaf Women’s Under-17 Championship, and the 2014 Concacaf Girls’ Under-15 Championship. Canada have qualified for seven editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (including a silver medal at Canada 2002) and all six edi-tions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup (including a fourth-place finish at Uruguay 2018).

Sydney, Perth unable to host AFC Champions League fixtures

An urgent meeting will be held in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday to discuss the fate of AFC Champions League matches involving Perth Glory and Sydney FC against Chinese teams next week.

Football Federation Australia has told the Asian confederation (AFC) Australia can no longer host the matches after the federal government banned foreigners travelling from China due to the coronavirus outbreak there.

Perth Glory were scheduled to host Shanghai Shenhua in their opening ACL clash on Tuesday, February 11 while Sydney FC were to host another Chinese team, Shanghai SIPG, one day later.

FFA said on Sunday the AFC has called an urgent meeting at its Malaysia headquarters for Tuesday to discuss how to handle the matter.

FFA head of leagues, Greg O'Rourke, will attend on behalf of FFA and the Australian clubs.

Changchun Yatai still assessing possible Chinese signings

Changchun Yatai have made just one signing so far in the winter transfer window, Brazilian attacking midfielder Serginho.

The club has taken a long time to bring in domestic signings, with a number of players training and coming in on trial in recent weeks.

Nan Song, who has some experience in the Chinese Super League with Chongqing, was spotted training with the club a few weeks ago, while Beijing Guo’an duo Hu Yanqiang and Zhang Yu were both linked with moves to the north-eastern club.

News on Weibo recently suggested the Hu Yanqiang had officially rejected a contract offer from Beijing, leaving open the possibility for the young winger to still move to Samvel Babayan’s side.

Zhang Zijian playing for Changchun Yatai

But the most recent player trying to impress the Uzbek manager is Zhang Zijian, who has spent the past few seasons with Beijing Guo’an Reserves, captaining the side during the 2019 season.

The 22-year-old Liaoning native is primarily utilised as a centre back but is capable of stepping in front of the defensive line as a central defensive midfielder.

In a recent friendly match, Zhang Zijian lined up for Changchun Yatai at the left-back position, a spot on the team that still has some questions after Zhang Xiaofei’s retirement.

Some former Changchun Yatai players look to be available for transfers, with both He Chao and Pei Shuai reportedly needing new clubs after being deemed surplus to requirements at Guangzhou Evergrande and Tianjin Tianhai respectively.

With many of the players already linked with Changchun coming from Super League reserve teams, perhaps targeting these old fan favourites might be viewed as more ambitious and capable of helping the team win promotion back into the top tier.

With the start of the new season delayed due to concerns surrounding the recent Coronavirus outbreak, Babayan has time to make the right moves for his side but some movements will need to happen sooner rather than later to keep fans hopeful over the new season.

Thai forward Teerasil Dangda joins S-Pulse

Thai international striker Teerasil Dangda has returned to the J. League with the Shimizu S-Pulse on a full transfer, the first-division club announced Friday.

The 31-year-old Teerasil spent the 2018 season with Sanfrecce Hiroshima on loan from Thai club Muangthong United, where he returned in 2019.

“I’m very happy to be joining Shimizu S-Pulse,” he said in a statement released by the club. “I’m moved to be here in Shizuoka, so close to Mt. Fuji. In 2018, I thought how passionate S-Pulse’s supporters were when we played against them.

“I’ll give all I have for the sake of the team, so please cheer me on.”

Crónica: Boavista vence e apanha o V. Guimarães na classificação

Os golos de Carraça e de Heriberto e as defesas do guarda-rede Helton Leite permitiram ao Boavista vencer hoje, em casa, o Vitória de Guimarães, por 2-0, no encontro que encerrou a 19.ª jornada da I Liga de futebol.

Os boavisteiros subiram do 10.º para o oitavo posto e têm agora 25 pontos, como os vimaranenses, que continuam só com uma vitória fora de casa e só ganharam um dos últimos seis jogos para o campeonato.

Carraça fez o 1-0, aos 23 minutos, com um remate cruzado e Heriberto o 2-0, aos 55, e depois foi a vez do guardião brasileiro Helton Leite brilhar e segurar os três pontos com um punhado de grandes intervenções.

As duas equipas equivaleram-se durante toda a primeira parte na grande preocupação em fechar os caminhos para suas balizas, recorrendo para isso a marcações cerradas e envolvendo-se por vezes em duelos diretos intensos.

Devido ao seu estilo agressivo na disputa de cada lance, o Boavista foi para o intervalo com três jogadores do setor defensivo amarelados (Gustavo Sauer, Neris e Fabiano Leismann), mas foi também já em vantagem no marcador.

Cassiano, que voltou a ser titular e a liderar o ataque ‘axadrezado’, e Heriberto estiverem na origem do primeiro lance para a baliza vimaranense e, na sequência, ganharam o primeiro canto do desafio.

Carraça marcou aos 23 minutos após recolher no lado direito um cruzamento largo de Gustavo Sauer e, sem qualquer oposição e de ângulo difícil, atirar rasteiro e forte, batendo, assim, Douglas.

O Guimarães reagiu e Helton Leite realizou a sua primeira grande defesa, aos 38 minutos, quando deteve um remate forte de Lucas Evangelista.

Em desvantagem, os vimaranenses entraram a pressionar na segunda parte e, aos 47, Helton Leite voltou a negar o golo a Lucas Evangelista e daí até ao fim o guarda-redes boavisteiro agigantou-se com mais defesas de alto nível - aos 64, a remate de Bonatini, aos 86, ao desviar para canto um cruzamento/remate de Davidson, e aos 90, ao defender também para canto um cabeceamento de Bruno Duarte.

O Guimarães fez quase tudo bem, menos marcar a um rival que hoje não só foi fiel ao seu estilo aguerrido, como também mostrou um futebol pragmático e muito exigente para os opositores, assim como uma grande eficácia finalizadora que lhe valeu marcar dois golos nos poucos lances em que ameaçou seriamente a baliza contrária.

A segunda parte foi o Guimarães a correr atrás do prejuízo, a ter muito mais iniciativa e dar muito trabalho à defesa e a Helton Leite e, por outro lado, o Boavista a lutar com unhas e dentes pelos três pontos e pela sua terceira vitória caseira no campeonato.

Numa das poucas vezes em que logrou iludir a forte pressão vimaranense, o Boavista chegou ao segundo golo. Obiora roubou a bola Lucas Evangelista, Cassiano aproveitou e assistiu Paulinho e este serviu Heriberto, que rematou fazendo a bola passar sob o corpo de Douglas.

O Guimarães perdeu o central Tapsoba e o lateral esquerdo Rafa Soares, além de Al Musrati, Alexandre Guedes e André Pereira, mas, neste encontro, os seus problemas residiram no ataque e na incapacidade finalizadora revelada, apesar do caudal ofensivo que a equipa apresentou, em especial no segundo tempo.

'맨시티 상대 5골' 손흥민 "놀라운 승리! 행복한 득점"

토트넘 손흥민의 골 세리머니(런던 AFP=연합뉴스) 토트넘 홋스퍼 공격수 손흥민이 2일(현지시간) 영국 런던 토트넘 홋스퍼 스타디움에서 열린 맨체스터 시티(맨시티)와 잉글랜드 프리미어리그 경기 중 팀 두 번째 골을 넣은 뒤 세리머니를 펼치고 있다. 토트넘이 2-0으로 승리했다. ucham1789@yna.co.kr

(서울=연합뉴스) 이영호 기자 = '이번에는 맨시티 킬러!'

도르트문트(독일)를 상대로 9골을 터트려 '양봉업자'라는 별명을 얻은 손흥민(토트넘)이 이번에는 '맨시티 킬러'라는 기분 좋은 호칭을 부여받았다.

손흥민은 3일(한국시간) 영국 런던의 토트넘 홋스퍼 스타디움에서 열린 맨체스터 시티(이하 맨시티)와의 2019-2020시즌 잉글랜드 프로축구 프리미어리그 25라운드 홈 경기에 후반 26분 득점포를 가동하며 토트넘의 2-0 승리에 쐐기를 박았다.

이번 득점으로 손흥민은 3경기 연속골을 터트리면서 시즌 13호골(정규리그 7골·UEFA 챔피언스리그 5골·FA컵 1골)을 작성, 화끈한 골 잔치를 이어갔다.

무엇보다 손흥민은 프리미어리그의 '강적' 맨시티를 상대로 무려 5골을 터트리면서 '맨시티 킬러'로 우뚝 섰다.

축구통계전문 사이트 옵타조는 "2016년 8월부터 페프 과르디올라 감독이 맨시티를 지휘한 이후 맨시티를 상대로 가장 많은 득점에 성공한 것은 제이미 바디(6골)다. 손흥민(5골)은 그다음이다"라고 전했다.

이렇듯 손흥민은 과르디올라 감독 체제의 맨시티를 상대로 8경기(정규리그 6경기·UEFA 챔피언스리그 2경기)를 치르면서 5골(정규리그 2골·UEFA 챔피언스리그 3골)을 꽂았다.

손흥민은 2018-2019 UEFA 챔피언스리그 8강 1, 2차전에서 3골을 몰아쳤고, 정규리그에서는 2016-2017시즌 1골(1도움 포함)에 이어 이날 득점포를 가동하며 맨시티 상대 총 5골을 기록했다.

바디는 과르디올라 체제의 맨시티를 상대로 8경기(정규리그 7경기·리그컵 1경기)를 치르는 동안 6골(정규리그 5골·리그컵 1골)을 넣었다.

승리 기뻐하는 토트넘 손흥민(런던 로이터=연합뉴스) 토트넘 홋스퍼 손흥민이 2일(현지시간) 영국 런던 토트넘 홋스퍼 스타디움에서 열린 맨체스터 시티(맨시티)와 잉글랜드 프리미어리그 경기에서 2-0 승리를 거둔 후 기뻐하고 있다. ucham1789@yna.co.kr

손흥민은 지금까지 도르트문트에 9골로 가장 많은 득점을 기록한 가운데 맨시티, 레스터시티, 사우샘프턴, 본머스, 왓퍼드, 크리스털 팰리스 등 6개 팀에 5골을 쏟아부으며 다득점을 자랑하고 있다.

손흥민은 맨시티전을 끝내고 토트넘 구단의 '스퍼스 TV'와 인터뷰에서 "놀라운 경기였다. 정말로 힘든 경기였지만 선수들 모두 잘해줘서 무실점으로 끝냈다"라며 "홈구장에서 2골을 넣었다. 놀라운 밤이다"라고 기뻐했다.

그는 맨시티를 상대로 계속 득점을 이어가는 것에 대해선 "골을 넣어서 행복하다. 하지만 선수들 모두 강한 정신력을 앞세워 승리한 게 더 기쁘다"라며 공을 동료에게 돌렸다.

손흥민은 승리의 요인을 묻자 "선수들 모두 뛰고 또 뛰면서 맨시티와 강하게 맞섰다. 이런 선수들과 함께 뛰는 게 기쁘다"라고 설명했다.

결승골을 넣은 '이적생' 스테번 베르흐베인(네덜란드)에 대해서도 "뛰어난 결정력이었다. 데뷔전에서 득점해서 기쁘게 생각한다. 5년 전 화이트 하트레인에서 크리스털 팰리스를 상대로 프리미어리그 데뷔골을 넣었을 때가 생각난다"라고 말했다.

유벤투스 방한 경기 때 호날두 결장 따른 손해배상 선고 공판

유벤투스 방한 경기 때 벤치에 앉아있는 호날두(중앙)[연합뉴스 자료사진]

(서울=연합뉴스) 안홍석 기자 = 축구 스타 크리스티아누 호날두(유벤투스)의 '노쇼'로 상처받은 '팬심'은 과연 보상받을 수 있을까.

지난해 프로축구 K리그 선발팀과 이탈리아 명문 유벤투스의 친선경기에 호날두가 출전하지 않은 데 대한 손해배상 소송 선고 공판이 4일 인천지법에서 열린다.

축구팬 A씨 등 2명은 입장권에 대한 환불금과 정신적 위자료 등 총 214만원을 주최사인 더페스타가 배상해야 한다며 지난해 7월 30일 소송을 냈다.

당시 경기를 앞두고 친선경기 계약 조건에 '호날두가 45분 이상 뛴다'는 내용이 들어간 것으로 알려졌다.

원고 측은 호날두 출전 여부는 입장권 판매 계약의 주요 내용이며, 호날두가 반드시 출전한다고 주최사가 광고한 것은 허위·과장 광고에 해당해 환불받아야 한다고 주장한다.

'호날두 노쇼 사태' 관중들 단체로 첫 형사 고소[연합뉴스 자료사진]

호날두 출전이 확실치 않았다면 입장권을 안 샀을 텐데 더페스타의 거짓 광고에 속아 입장권을 구매했다는 얘기다.

A씨 등은 여기에 더해 정신적인 고통을 받은 데 따른 위자료도 청구했다.

이들은 대리하는 김민기 변호사는 "지금까지 판례는 비슷한 경우 따로 위자료를 인정하지 않았지만, 이번 사건은 피고가 원고의 호날두를 향한 '팬심'을 이용했다는 특성이 있기 때문에 인정돼야 한다"고 주장했다.

지난해 7월 26일 K리그 선발팀과 유벤투스의 친선경기가 열린 서울월드컵경기장은 6만5천여 관중석이 꽉 들어찼다.

그러나 유벤투스 선수단이 킥오프 예정 시각을 4분 넘겨서야 경기장에 도착했고, 무더위 속에 경기는 1시간 가까이 지연됐다.

여기에 믿었던 '호날두 출전'마저 성사되지 않으면서 팬들은 분노했고, 결국 민사소송과 경찰 수사로까지 번졌다.

Cristiano Ronaldo equals Juventus goalscoring record

Cristiano Ronaldo has equalled a Juventus goalscoring record with a double in Sunday's 3-0 victory over Fiorentina.

The Portuguese netted twice from the penalty spot as the Italian champions strengthened their lead at the top of the Serie A table.

The 35-year-old's first strike ensured that he had scored in a ninth successive league match, a run stretching back to December 1.

In doing so, Ronaldo has matched David Trezeguet's club record, while also leaving himself two adrift of Gabriel Batistuta, who netted in 11 straight games for Fiorentina in 1994.

Juventus are in action against Verona next Saturday, before they face a trip to Brescia eight days later.

Setien hails Fati's work rate after Barca brace

Barcelona boss Quique Setien said Ansu Fati has great potential after the teenager's two goals secured victory against Levante.

Fati's quick-fire double helped Setin's side to a 2-1 victory at the Nou Camp on Sunday night as the reigning champions moved back to within three points of LaLiga leaders Real Madrid.

Lionel Messi was the architect of both goals. A superb defence-splitting pass by Messi sent the 17-year-old through on goal. He brushed off the challenge of Jorge Miramon before stroking the ball into the net.

Two minutes later the combination was repeated. Messi's probing run into the box and lay-off for Fati to score again with a strike from a tight angle, with the forward becoming the youngest player to score two goals in one LaLiga game.

"He is a kid, he is growing," said Setien via a tv interview on the club's official website.

"We know he has a lot of talent and we will try to help him in his growth and to improve. We need to go step by step.

"Of course he is young and he needs to improve a lot of things but at the same time he scored two goals tonight and he worked an awful lot."

Fati now has five goals in what is his breakthrough season at Barcelona, he said: "It's a dream come true and I am trying to enjoy every minute.

"I always say the same, I will try to do my best and then we will see what happens. The most important thing is to try to help the team.

"We perhaps should have scored more goals but the most important thing is we won, so we are happy. We are going in a good direction."

Setien echoed his young forward's sentiments that they should have scored more than twice.

Messi missed a couple of good opportunities, by his standards, to open the scoring before turning provider for Fati, while Antoine Griezmann was also guilty of spurning a couple of good chances.

Levante created a handful of scoring opportunities in the second half but were unable to score the goal that might have made Barcelona nervy until injury time.

Setien said: "We have had two games this week and two wins. Tonight we let up a bit in the final part of the game and let in a goal, they had chances.

"We played really well in the first 45 minutes. I think we should have scored more goals. We had a lot of chances, we scored two goals but we could have had many more.

"We played really well from the back and Levante were aggressive, pressing us really high from the front. It was tough."