Mohamed Salah’s first-half goal and a stunning late save from goalkeeper Alisson on Tuesday saw Liverpool edge into the Champions League knockout stage after a tense 1-0 win over SSC Napoli, while Lucas Moura’s late strike saw Tottenham Hotspur progress with a 1-1 draw at Barcelona.
Last year’s runners-up Liverpool knew that victory by two goals or a 1-0 triumph would put them through to the last 16 from Group C, and Salah’s 34th-minute strike proved enough as they finished ahead of Napoli on goals scored.
“Wow, what a game. I am not sure a manager could be prouder of a team than I am,” Reds manager Jurgen Klopp told BT Sport.
Photo: AP
Liverpool grabbed the crucial goal, as Salah jinked past Kalidou Koulibaly inside the area and slotted the ball beyond goalkeeper David Ospina.
Salah continued to run Napoli ragged early in the second half, but Ospina saved from Jordan Henderson and James Milner curled wide, as Carlo Ancelotti’s men stayed a goal from turning the group on its head.
The atmosphere around Anfield became increasingly tense as the Premier League leaders continued to miss opportunities, with Ospina springing to his left to tip away Salah’s attempted lob before denying Mane from point-blank range.
Napoli almost made the Reds pay in the dying moments.
The ball fell for substitute striker Arkadiusz Milik unmarked in the area, but Alisson raced from his line to keep out the Pole’s strike with his legs.
“I have no idea how Alisson made a save like this,” Klopp said. “It was amazing.”
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) reached the knockout rounds as group winners thanks to a 4-1 victory over Red Star Belgrade, with Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani all on the score sheet.
PSG went into their match in Belgrade knowing that victory would send them through, and Edinson Cavani gave the French champions the perfect start by tapping in after an excellent run and pass by Kylian Mbappe.
Neymar’s strike five minutes before halftime appeared to have put the game to bed, but Red Star pulled one back before the hour mark through Marko Gobeljic.
However, PSG finally sealed their spot in the last 16 as Marquinhos headed in Angel di Maria’s free-kick with 16 minutes to go and Mbappe added further gloss to the scoreline in added time.
“We made mistakes, but I really liked the reaction after Belgrade’s goal. We controlled the match,” PSG coach Thomas Tuchel told RMC Sport.
Tottenham went into their final Group B game at the Camp Nou needing to match Inter Milan’s result against PSV Eindhoven, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side fell behind in only the seventh minute as Ousmane Dembele scored a wonderful individual goal.
However, Hirving Lozano gave PSV a shock early advantage at the San Siro to leave Tottenham heading through as it stood.
“I always believed it was possible to win the game,” Pochettino told BT Sport. “We fully deserved to go through with Barcelona. We were the best [two] teams in a difficult group.”
Borussia Dortmund snatched top spot in Group A with a 2-0 win over rock-bottom Monaco, as Atletico Madrid were held to a goalless draw at Club Brugge.
In Group D, Galatasaray secured a Europa League last-32 place despite losing 3-2 to Porto in an entertaining game that saw two of three penalties scored.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care